Casmar Catering Cranberries and Pecans Tamales

Source: Laredo Times, December 2001 - Adrienne A. Gonzalez and Diana R. Martinez - Casmar Catering, Laredo, Texas

The Christmas holidays are synonymous with tamales here in Laredo, and two local women have made this known to the entire state. Adrienne A. Gonzalez and Diana R. Martinez of Casmar Catering had one of their favorite tamale recipes published in this month's Texas Monthly. But these tamales are not the traditional bean or pork tamales; they are filled with cranberries and pecans! "We chose this recipe because it's very Christmasy," Gonzalez said. "The colors are very festive, and they go with the season."

Although Gonzalez and Martinez have been making tamales for years, they never expected to go as far as publishing their recipes, they said. "I really don't know how it happened," Martinez said. "I guess that someone who tasted our tamales must have told someone at Texas Monthly, and they were interested."

"I guess this issue was meant to tell people that there are other ways to make tamales, and they don't always have to be the traditional pork and chicken," Martinez said. Besides the one that was published, Gonzalez and Martinez said that they have other favorites as well. Among them are recipes for black bean tamales, jalape