Ahhhhh...finally closed for Christmas and New Year's holiday.  Started the cooking today.  A friend and I will be making Tamales all day tomorrow so I started cooking the pork roast and chicken meat today in preparation. Cooking is my second passion after puppet building.  Even though the day to day routine of running our company can be tireing, building puppets is just as rewarding as cooking as that was my first choice of careers.

Anyone cooking up something special for the holidays?

It's a shame we can't send fragrances along with posts and emails cause the tamale meat is smelling lovely...wish you could enjoy also.

Tamale day! Up early to start soaking the husks. We were supposed to go walking first, but I whimped out. Cold front blew in, so it's finally starting to feel like Christmas.

We're not religious hereabouts, so while I can't contribute yuletide cooking, I can say that I have been enjoying a new recipe for cold soba noodles - spicy and refreshing in hot summer weather! - and I've been making a fantastic chocolate cake recipe, which made right, is between fudgy cake and cakey fudge. Even better is making the cake with raspberries in it... to die for.

Sounds yummy.  What is in the cold soba noodles.  Not familiar with that.

Sounds yummy.  What is in the cold soba noodles.  Not familiar with that.

You'll find the recipe at the bottom of this post:
http://dodol-mochi.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/where-we-draw-inspirations-from.html
I left out the crushed ice (mainly because I forgot) and added in some beef for protein. The Korean chilli paste is quite strong (kind of like wasabi-strength, so use sparingly over dish rather than lathering it all over) but very good with the accompanying, cooling, cucumber and pear.

Awesome.  I'm going to try that after the first of the year.  Thanks for sharing.

Tamales have more to do with my love of cooking than Christmas. i just like having something different each time. I had a friend request a tamale making lesson and it worked out one of our family parties is this weekend, so it Mexican food it its.  We are having Chicken and Dumplings for our second get together. Maybe something else for Christmas day.  LOL

Awesome.  I'm going to try that after the first of the year.  Thanks for sharing.

Tamales have more to do with my love of cooking than Christmas. i just like having something different each time. I had a friend request a tamale making lesson and it worked out one of our family parties is this weekend, so it Mexican food it its.  We are having Chicken and Dumplings for our second get together. Maybe something else for Christmas day.  LOL

No problems - I made a double batch and it lasted me a week. (I'm cooking just for me) Very filling... darn, now I'm hungry

I've discovered that being on the internet while hungry is as bad as being hungry in the shopping aisles - just exchange snacks at the checkout counter for browsing food blogs

Tamale sounds like a great idea to make Christmas a bit more interesting than the usual stuff. Although I enjoy the Christmas puddings at this time of year.

... Ok, seriously, going to stop now before I am tempted to eat lunch

We made tamales a few times, lots of work but they were good. It was fun having the whole family do it together. We are having Mexican food for Christmas day. We expect my entire large family to all be here this year and we are taking professional pictures, it could be the last time we can get all the grown up neices and nephews together, they are moving away as they marry. I hope they have wide lens. Here is an idea for interesting party snack that looks good and is easy, it came from the Texas State Fair. You take a rectangle of thin ham and spread cream cheese thinly on one side.  Place a pickled okra on one end and roll up.  Then you slice off cirles and put them on their side and the okra looks kind of like a star.
Na I am surrounded by chocoholics so we have to have something chocolate with black raspberry glaze, so good.

We made tamales a few times, lots of work but they were good. It was fun having the whole family do it together. We are having Mexican food for Christmas day. We expect my entire large family to all be here this year and we are taking professional pictures, it could be the last time we can get all the grown up neices and nephews together, they are moving away as they marry. I hope they have wide lens. Here is an idea for interesting party snack that looks good and is easy, it came from the Texas State Fair. You take a rectangle of thin ham and spread cream cheese thinly on one side.  Place a pickled okra on one end and roll up.  Then you slice off cirles and put them on their side and the okra looks kind of like a star.
Na I am surrounded by chocoholics so we have to have something chocolate with black raspberry glaze, so good.

This is what I've been making, with the raspberries added in when you bake the second layer.
http://notsohumblepie.blogspot.com.au/2010/07/ottolenghis-chocolate-fudge-cake.html
Despite the recipe, I've found that dumping most everything into the bowl is fine, with the exception that the eggs do seem to cook better when added one at a time to the mixture; and the recipe is even better when followed properly

As a chocoholic, I find that baking one and putting it in the freezer lasts much longer than a regular-sized choc bar. :D
It's so rich, you have to eat small amounts at once!

As for your snack... I'm not a fan of ham or okra, so in my case, 

Yeah I hate ham too, but I love anything pickled,... except pigs feet.  I must make your cake for Christmas.