I love Tamales, but I think I've only tried my hand at making them once. They can be a little labor intensive and for me corn husks outside of the summer corn season are often hard to find. This recipe is a good alternative, you get the same great flavors as an authentic tamale but with less work. Masa Harina is pretty readily available in most supermarkets these days but if you can't find it look for corn flour which will give you similar results. Also, when going through the recipe I balked at the idea of using vegetable shortening and went on a search for shortening made with Canola oil, not having much luck I had to settle for good old Crisco which surprisingly has been re-worked so that it has no trans fat and 50% less saturated fat than butter. Great weeknight meal and kid friendly.

I love Tamales, but I think I've only tried my hand at making them once. They can be a little labor intensive and for me corn husks outside of the summer corn season are often hard to find. This recipe is a good alternative, you get the same great flavors as an authentic tamale but with less work. Masa Harina is pretty readily available in most supermarkets these days but if you can't find it look for corn flour which will give you similar results. Also, when going through the recipe I balked at the idea of using vegetable shortening and went on a search for shortening made with Canola oil, not having much luck I had to settle for good old Crisco which surprisingly has been re-worked so that it has no trans fat and 50% less saturated fat than butter. Great weeknight meal and kid friendly.