Hullabaloo and Tamales Too!

Last week summer hit San Diego, hard.  A heat wave that made it finally feel like August.  Which made me realize that I had a very short time to take advantage of all the summer time opportunities San Diego has to offer.

Like the Botanical Garden's Family Nights.  Where they bring in family friendly performers and open the gardens late on Thursday evenings.  So last Thursday after work we headed out to check out Hullabaloo.

When I first realized that Thursday was the last Family Night, Thatboy and I texted back and forth regarding plans to attend.  When I told him Hullbaloo was playing, he asked who that was and I informed him they were the One Direction of the toddler circuit.   I think he realized what I meant once we arrived.

"This is like a for real concert...for 2 year olds!"  Packed with people, kids up by the stage dancing and singing.  And everyone enjoying picnics in the warm evening air.  I had picked us all up sandwiches and we sat and munched.  Thatbaby was happy to sit and eat his sandwich and listen to music, finally getting into the groove towards the end when there were song requiring hopping.

After the concert, he ran around with the other little munchkins in the open space.  And then joined in on jumping off the hale bales that separated the mini-moshpit from the rest of the lawn seats.

We also got to explore the rest of the garden on our way out.  Like the Sound Garden, filled with musical instruments for the kids to play with.

And the tree house, with tunnels, bridges, and lots and lots of climbing.

Thatbaby made it all the way to the top of the tree house, with the big kids!

And then we took a very tired baby back home.  He had a kind of late bedtime, but it was probably our last summer-type outing, so it was worth it.

As I mentioned last week, I'm going through a tamale phase right now.  So you'll probably be seeing one of these tamale posts a week.  I get like that, go through phases where something becomes a regular part of our weekly meal plan.  And Wednesdays seem to be Tamale nights.  Technically, I could call them Tamale Tuesdays, because I spend most of Tuesday night making the dough, rolling the tamales, and steaming there.  But it's worth it to have something really easy for dinner on Wednesday nights.

Chicken Tamales

1 8 ounce package of corn husks

Filling:

2 chicken breasts

4 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 cup salsa verde

1 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 lbs tomatillos, husked

5 jalapenos, seeded and sliced in half

6 garlic cloves

1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil

Masa:

1 1/3 cup shortening

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

4 cups masa

1 cup corn kernels

1. Completely submerge the corn husks in water and  soak for 12 hours. 
2. Combine the chicken broth, salsa, and garlic powder in a slow cooker.  Add the chicken and cook on high for 4 hours.  
3. Remove the chicken and shred, but keep the salsa/broth mixture.
4. Broil the tomatillos for 6 minutes. 
5. Add the jalapenos to the tomatillos and broil for another 6 minutes.
6. Combine the tomatillos, jalapenos, and garlic in a food processor and puree until smooth.
7. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the chile puree and boil for 5 minutes.
8. Add 2 cups of the salsa/broth mixture from the chicken and simmer for 40 minutes.
9. Stir in the chicken.
10. Make the masa - Beat the shortening, salt, and baking powder in a stand mixture.
11. Add the masa and 2 cups of the leftover salsa/broth mixture, alternating between the masa and the broth, starting and ending with the masa.  
12. Stir in the corn kernels.
13. Make the tamales - place a corn husk on your work surface with the narrow end toward you.  
14. Pat 1/4 cup of masa into a 3-4" square in the center of the husk or foil. Spoon 1-2Tbsp of chicken mixture in a line down the middle of the masa square. Fold the sides of the husk in, then fold the bottom up.  
15. Tear a strip off one of the husks and tie around the tamale.  
16. Place a steamer basket in a large pot over an inch or so of water and bring the water to a boil.  Stand the tamales up vertically in the steamer basket.  Cover the pot with a lid and steam for 15-20 minutes. 

The Land of Tall Trees: Pumpkin and Black Bean Tamales

Our last day in the park was the day we left.  We had breakfast with the whole family, and then went our separate ways.  We headed out toward the South entry.  When we had first got in, I leafed through the map and details and noticed a little blurb about the Mariposa Grove, a grove of big trees, like redwoods or sequoias.  The kind of big trees that you can drive a car through.

The kind of big trees that dwarf a man (or child on a man's shoulder).

We didn't do a lot of exploring, just a short mile hike out to one of the larger trees.

The setting is incredible, and Thatboy, who had never been before either, loved being surrounded by the super tall trees.  

Trees as high as the sky!

Thatbaby seemed to be more impressed by the "broken" trees.  The ones that were felled, or lying on the ground.  He continued to point those out throughout the hike.

For some reason he just wasn't as interested in the trees that seemed to stretch on forever.

It was a really great way to spend our last moments in the park.  Good weather, beautiful scenery, and an easy hike.

It was amazing to think about these trees being there for thousands of years.  The big one we hiked out to was between 1900 and 2400 years old. The fact that these trees have survived, growing and getting stronger is remarkable.  I mean, I can barely keep a houseplant alive!  I don't have much of a green thumb.  I have determined I have quite the knack for tamales though.  Which is almost as impressive as a thousand year old tree.  Because tamales are a true labor of love.  It's not so much that they're hard to make, but they take a lot of time.  The problem is, they are totally worth it.  I love tamales and what an easy meal they are, and how well they freeze.  They're a food Thatbaby will never turn down.  And a food that is incredibly versatile.  Years ago Thatmom got me a tamale cookbook and I've been playing around with different masa recipes and different filling ideas inspired from the ones in the book.  This is a vegetarian version made because I had leftover pumpkin from some muffins I made earlier in the week.  Because I made these right before we left for Yosemite, I could throw half of them in the freezer for an easy meal when we got home.

 Pumpkin and Black Bean Tamales

1 8 ounce package of corn husks

Filling:

1 can pumpkin 

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can chopped green chiles

4 oz goat cheese

Masa:

1 3/4 cup masa harina
1 1/4 cup hot water
16 oz ricotta

1/4 cup canola oil

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp salt

2 cups cornmeal

3/4 cup vegetable broth

1. Completely submerge the corn husks in water and  soak for 12 hours. 
2. Combine the pumpkin, black beans, and chiles in a bowl and set aside.  (Keep the goat cheese separate)
3. Make the masa - Combine the masa harina and water, stirring until a soft dough forms.
4. Beat the ricotta, oil, baking powder, salt, and cornmeal in an electric mixer.
5. Add the masa and veggie broth to the ricotta mixture and beat until incorporated.
6. Make the tamales - place a corn husk on your work surface with the narrow end toward you.  
7. Pat 1/4 cup of masa into a 3-4" square in the center of the husk or foil. Spoon 1-2Tbsp of pumpkin mixture in a line down the middle of the masa square.  Place a little goat cheese on top of the pumpkin.  Fold the sides of the husk in, then fold the bottom up.  
8. Tear a strip off one of the husks and tie around the tamale.  
9. Place a steamer basket in a large pot over an inch or so of water and bring the water to a boil.  Stand the tamales up vertically in the steamer basket.  Cover the pot with a lid and steam for 15-20 minutes.