FLOUR TORTILLAS

I've been on a "learning how to make flour tortillas" kick all week; I don't know how many different recipes I've tried, but it has been a lot of fun and even the "least attractive" tortillas were delicious and (very much) worth the effort (they are worlds better than the ones at the store!!)

Most tortilla recipes require the same basic ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, lard or shortening and hot water. Where the recipes differ is in technique and that is something that just takes practice;I found some GREAT tortilla making tutorials on "You Tube", those people have it down to an art!!!

3½ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons Crisco or lard (see note)
1+ cup very hot water (see note)

Mix the dry ingredients and cut the Crisco or lard into the flour with a pastry cutter until you get what looks like corn meal (same technique as you would for pie crust).

Make a depression in the middle of the dry ingredients and slowly add the HOT water a little at a time, mixing in the dry ingredients as you go. Stir until everything comes together then knead it by hand (or stand mixer) for 2 minutes.

Cover and let the dough rest for an hour. Shape the dough into ping pong ball size balls, cover again and let rest for 15 minutes. This will make them easier to roll out.

Roll the tortillas out on unfloured counter. It's hard to get them perfectly round at first, so don't worry about that; they taste great no matter what their shape is.

What IS frustrating is how thin you need to roll them; roll them as thin as possible. The tortillas in the photo above were rolled thin enough that I could see the color of my counter through the dough, and yet, when you cook them, they don't stay that thin; keep that in mind.

To cook them, heat a cast iron pan (I like to use my electric skillet) to about 375° to 400° DO NOT USE OIL at this stage. Put the tortilla on the hot surface. As soon as you see little bubbles appearing in the tortilla (it will depend on how thick you rolled them), turn it over. You want the little bubbles to turn light brown, so watch your heat and raise/lower it if necessary; if the tortillas super-puff up, just gently press on them with the flat of your spatula. Don't over-cook them or they will get brittle.

Place cooked tortillas in a clean warm towel. You can use them right away or wrap them well and keep them in the fridge for up to a week; you can also freeze them.

I hope I haven't scared you off because home made tortillas are seriously delicious. Your first batch won't be beautiful, but don't let that discourage you. It really is fun (get the kids to help!!) and each  batch comes out prettier than the last.

NOTE: The recipes I found called for lard or shortening (Crisco). I don't have lard in my pantry, but I had great results with butter flavored Crisco. I even made some with real BUTTER and they were great too. Some recipes call for vegetable oil, but I haven't tried that yet.

NOTE: Don't be afraid to add a little extra hot water to get a nice smooth dough. I live in a very dry climate and I had to add almost an extra 1/4 cup of hot water. You want your final dough to feel soft and pliable but not sticky.

NOTE: Recipe makes 8 burrito size tortillas or 12 regular/small size tortillas.

NOTE: I like the idea of making little tortillas for our youngest grandchildren!!

CHEWY MOLASSES COOKIES

One of our baby boys turns 36 today, where have the years gone!?!? I made him a batch of these wonderfully soft and warmly spiced molasses cookies to go along with his birthday gift.

3/4 cup butter (room temperature)
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the room temperature butter, brown sugar, egg and molasses; mix until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl if necessary.

Add the flour, baking soda, salt and spices and mix well.  Cover and chill the dough for about an hour.

Roll the dough into balls about the size of a small walnut and roll them in granulated sugar. Place them on an ungreased cookie sheet (about 2" apart) and flatten them just a little. 

Bake at 375° for 8 minutes (the tops will have a wonderful crackle look). Be careful not to over bake them.  The cookie batter (inside of the cracks) will still look a little "wet" after 8 minutes in the oven, but they will be perfectly baked and chewy when they cool off.  If you like a crisp cookie instead of a chewy cookie, leave them in the oven for another minute or so.

To keep these cookies soft and chewy, store them in a Ziploc bag or any Tupperware that has a tight fitting lid.? These cookies freeze (and ship) very well and they smell heavenly when you open the cookie jar!!!

We have two awesome sons, Kevin (the birthday boy) is 36 today and Kris will be 41 in a couple of months. Seemingly overnight, they have grown into wonderful men that I thank God for every day; they have also blessed us with four PERFECT grandchildren.

 Happy Birthday Kevin, we love you!!

TEX-MEX WEEKEND DINNER

This recipe is a real crowd pleaser. Fork-tender pork tenderloin with pinto beans, spicy gravy and it all cooks together in the crockpot!! The first night, I like to serve this over rice, but it is equally as tasty stuffed into flour tortillas, or over a bed of tortilla chips; it also has ENDLESS leftover possibilities!!

I like to use a 2 pound pork tenderloin, because it is nice and lean, but any 2-3 pound pork roast will work.  My crockpot is a big one and it tends to run a little hot, so this pork is fall apart tender (for me) in 6 hours ON THE LOW SETTING. Depending on your crockpot, it could take as many as 8 hours on low, but that is unlikely, just start checking for tenderness at 6 hours.

2 pounds (roughly) pork tenderloin
1 cup DRY pinto beans (rinse, but DO NOT soak)
(1) 4 ounce can of mild green chilies
3 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dry oregano
1 clove garlic minced
1 cup chopped sweet onion
healthy pinch of dry red pepper flakes (optional see note)

Brown the pork well and put it in the crock pot. Saute the onions and garlic in the same pan and then mix them with the DRY beans, spices, canned chilies then pour over the meat. Add just enough water to mostly cover the beans and meat, it should look like this:

Make sure the liquid gets under the meat as well. After cooking on low for 4 or 5 hours, check the liquid level in the crock pot and add a little more water if necessary, but not too much. This broth makes the best red gravy!!

Take the meat out of the crock pot when it gets fork tender (remove any fatty pieces and bones) and pull it apart. Thicken the liquid in the crock pot with a cornstarch and water slurry, then put meat back in with the beans and gravy. 

This makes KILLER burritos!!

NOTE: A word about the heat or spice in this recipe. My hubby doesn't like much (hates) "heat" in his food. He likes strong flavors, he just doesn't like "fire" as he calls it. I use a very small pinch of dry red pepper flakes when I make this for him. If you like a little more "fire", just up the dry red pepper flake ingredient.

 

Health Recipes chicken recipes

fried chicken

 

EASY THIN MINT COOKIES

Do you like Girl Scout thin mint cookies as much as I do? If so, you are in luck with this super easy, super quick, two ingredient recipe.  It is so easy, I can't even say it is a "recipe" because it uses all pre-prepared ingredients and it DOES taste JUST LIKE a thin mint cookie!!  I'm including these in my Christmas cookie trays this year.

I put a little extra white chocolate decoration on these, just for fun,

but it certainly isn't necessary.

You will need some Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers and some Andes (creme de menthe) chocolates.....that's it!!

The chocolate wafers come in a 9 ounce package and I found the Andes mints (those creamy little chocolate mints with the green center) in a 4.67 ounce package.  There are 28 mints in the package and one package will do a dozen cookies (I found the mint packages for $1.60 here in Alaska, so hopefully you can find them even cheaper.

I unwrapped and then melted the chocolates in my microwave for about 30 seconds...stirred and then microwaved them for another 10 seconds (stir until the chocolate is smooth and shiny). Dip the chocolate wafers in the melted chocolate (both sides) and place on some parchment paper (or Silpat). Stick them in the fridge (I used the freezer) for about 5 minutes to "set" the chocolate......that's it!!  

It is truly amazing how much they taste like a thin mint!! 

?