"Tamalito," now available at home!!

I went through a stage recently where I cross-reminisced, thinking wistfully of making mole in Mexico, the nights out with my family at our local Cantina, ordering only "3 sides of corn-mush, please" as a child  (before it closed and became a sports bar), and enjoying creole potato salad at summer picnics with friends... so I created a go-to recipe list whenever I'm feeling like I need a Mexican or Caribbean home-made, healthy (well, not always) pick-me-up.

My sides, I feel, are what really make the meal. You can make pollo con recado rojo, but if you serve it on white rice with a Caesar salad, I for one will be disappointed. My go-to list of sides includes:

• Creole Potato Salad (recipe taught to me by a friend's mom, and then tweaked a bit by yours truly)
• 5 Flavor Rice (my own recipe)
• Tamalito (Chevy's recipe, Mmm)
• Re-fried beans (my own recipe)
• 3 Pepper Salsa (my own rendition)
  

Sweet Corn Tamalito:

Ingredients:
5 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 cup masa harina
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 cups corn kernels, (frozen or fresh, I use frozen in winter)
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp plus 1 tsp milk

1)  Preheat oven to 250 degrees. In a stand mixer, or with a electric-hand mixer, beat the butter with masa flour and sugar until combined & fluffy.

2)  In a blender or food processor combine water, 1 cup of corn, and cornmeal and puree until smooth. Add this mixture to the butter mixture, beat in.

3)  Add remaining 1 cup corn, baking powder, salt, and milk, beat till combined and pour into a glass dish with a cover, or use plastic wrap to tightly cover. Put this dish inside a larger flat dish and fill with 1 inch of water. Bake in preheated oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Toothpick inserted in middle should come out clean.

Enjoy! This dish is especially good on cold winter nights, warm and served at the end of the meal, before dessert. As a child, I would always opt to have another helping of this over ice cream, anytime!