WOW - I had always thought tamales were hard to make and it hadn't even crossed my mind to attempt it til I saw this recipe and from start to finish, only took an hour and a half (including cooking time), because we didn't cook any meat. I used vegetable shortening, vegetable broth and as the filling, black beans with el pato sauce, cumin, garlic salt & onion powder simmered on the stove for 5 mins, as well as a julienne slice of monterey jack. I also mixed a few tablespoons of the el pato into the dough for flavor, which didn't change the color much. As expected without meat, they were a TAD on the dry side but still great, especially with some el pato sauce on the side. I did need to use about 1/4 c. more broth than the recipe called for. I steamed these in a pot with rack for 1 hour and they were definitely done after that hour, but only did 12 or so at a time. They kept their shape when unrolled, and looked great! This made about 24 tamales for me. OH one more thing, don't even bother using a spoon to spread the dough on the husk, it's MUCH easier just using your fingers to press it down, the dough has lots of fat so it doesn't stick to your hands. THANKS for the recipe!

Reviewed On: Feb. 23, 2009

These are great! Didn't have a lemon but used a few drops of lemon extract. They are very moist, best muffins I've made. Thanks!

Reviewed On: Jan. 24, 2009

I'll start by saying two people said this was the best cheesecake they ever had. Another said bakery quality! I didn't add cinnamon to the crust, and I baked it a little longer, about 8 or 9 minutes so it wouldn't be soft and I also used double the butter. Instead of bringing the crust up the sides, I used whole cookies (just one cookie side, with the icing removed) and lined them up along the outside of the pan. Everything else I did to a T, the cheesecake part was a bit brown on the top, I was afraid it would be dry but it tasted perfect, quite creamy. The chocolate ganache went down the sides of my cheesecake so once I got it out of the pan the next morning, I stuck more cookie sides to the outside, they held very well to the ganache. Beware - EVERYTHING sticks to the ganache and will pull it up after it cools, at least for me. Next time I will try to spray a small amount of cooking spray on the top so it doesnt stick to whatever I'm using to cover the cheesecake. I let the cheesecake sit out for about 45 mins prior to cutting it and I had no issues at all with it being difficult to cut. I'm making this again today, and another later this week for someones birthday. This is a fool proof recipe, very easy, although it is time consuming! Best recipe yet on this site. Thanks!!! BY THE WAY - a super easy way to get the cake out of the pan without ruining your crust, is to set it on your stove burner on low for a minute or two, it warms up the butter in the crust so it slides

Reviewed On: Nov. 2, 2008