Homemade Flour Tortillas: Make 'em Yourself!

Yay!

Homemade Tortillas!

    This is a fairly simple recipe, but it does take a little practice to get it perfect. You will be pleased with the results if you give it a try! Homemade tortillas for burritos, tacos, quesadillas, or just as a side dish to any mexican food. 

   My grandma taught me to make tortillas from a very young age. I remember practicing rolling in first grade. My grandma was often disappointed in my lack of ability to produce round tortillas, and would scold me with her story about how she learned to make them round. " If i messed up, my mother would hit my hand with the rolling pin. It is a fast way to learn." Horrified, i tried my best. My grandma's good humor and tender patience always allowed for my mistakes with out any bruised knuckles, but it is something i still think of every time i roll.

   Anyhow, try your best, and send pictures if you try it yourself!

Tortillas

makes 4, serves 2

1 cup flour, plus more for dusting

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbs Shortening

1 tbs Olive oil

1/2 cup HOT water (not hot from from the tap. heat in microwave or kettle)

Mix flour, salt and baking powder. Add shortening, oil, and water. mix till combined, forming dough into a ball. Knead for about one minute. Allow Dough to rest for ten minutes. Divide dough into 4 even pieces. Form each piece into a ball, and roll out on a well dusted board with a well dusted rolling pin. Cook on a dry clean skillet over medium high heat. Poke holes in any large bubbles that form for even cooking. Cook about 30 seconds on each side.  Serve hot.  Unrolled balls of dough will keep in an airtight container at room temp for about 3 days. You can also roll and partially cook tortillas, and keep them in a zipper bag in the fridge for about a week, or freeze for a month. 

Next time in iliea's Kitchen:

Macaroni Salad: Simple Side for Tasty Foods

Macaroni Salad
Noodles with Mayo make a tasty combo

Here is my take on my mom's recipe. Just like i had as a kid. super simple.

Macaroni Salad.

2 cups pasta, cooked, rinsed, cooled.

2 hard boiled eggs, peeled, diced

3/4 cups diced dill pickles

3/4 cups sliced black olives

1/3 cup mayonaise

1 tsp whole grain or dijon mustard

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper, more or less to taste

combine all ingredients. garnish with olive bunnies. or parsley. or BBQ ribs.

NEXT RECIPE:

Breakfast Potatoes: Fool Proof!

Yes, fool proof!

    A great side dish to any breakfast. Here is my method for getting your potatoes cooked through AND crispy, with out being greasy or taking all day to do. Sounds too good to be true?!!? Heh. i like my potatoes super garlicy and a little spicy, but you can add other veggies like onions or carrots or something too. Calling this recipe "breakfast potatoes" avoids the "hash browns or home fries" debate. But i am pretty sure these are technically called homefries. if that is technical. anyhow, add this technique to your breakfast table, it'll not disappoint. :)

Serves 2

one large yukon gold potato cut into 1/2 " dice

2 tbs butter

salt and pepper to taste

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 spicy pepper, finely diced

1 tbs fresh or dried thyme

Boil potatoes in water for about 8-10 minutes. Just until softened, but not mushy. Be careful not to over cook. Drain well. In a heavy skillet, heat butter over medium heat till slightly browned. Add potatoes, spread into an even layer. Allow potatoes to cook without stirring for about 15 minutes. (This is the trick, kinda, stirring too soon will break the potatoes apart, then the crispy part stays on the pan and not on the potato). Once browned, move potatoes around to brown another side. Season with salt and pepper, cook another 10 minutes. Add garlic, spicy pepper, and thyme. Toss to mix. Cook five more minutes. Serve.

NEXT POST: Chicken Noodle Soup!

Mexican Rice: Tasty Side For Mexican Foods

Mexican Rice

About as Tasty as Rice Can Get

    The traditional mexcian staple, as cooked by me. i love to use fresh wholesome ingredients when i can, and you should too. There was not a tomato in my pantry this time, nor fresh garlic, but i am posting this anyway because it shows how you can make do without. This is more like how everyone in my family makes it because of that. So if you can, some diced tomato, fresh onion, fresh garlic, are wonderful for this recipe.

    Serve Mexican Rice as a side dish to any mexican food, stuff into a burrito, or top a tostada with it. This is Michael's favorite thing that i make- and he has tasted almost everything that i make. Try it yourself!

The recipe:

1 cup Jasmine rice (basmati or "long grain" also work well)

2 tsp olive oil

1/4 medium onion, chopped to 1/2" pieces

1tbs tomato paste

1 and 1/2 cups water or broth

1 and 1/2 tsp chicken paste or bullion for two cups (if using water)

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried garlic or 1 clove minced fresh garlic

fresh black pepper to taste.

directions:

heat saucepan over medium high heat, add rice and oil, cook, stirring occasionally to brown as much of the rice as possible.after about three minutes, add onions, stir to coat, cook till soft, stirring often. Add tomato (paste, sauce, fresh, or canned diced). Stir till sizzling stops. Add liquid and seasonings, taste, bring to simmer. Lower heat, cover and cook till liquid is gone and rice is fluffy, about 15 minutes. Serve!

Substitutions:

-Brown Rice a great way to amp up the health factor of this flavorful and fun side dish is to make it with brown rice. Believe it or not, the brown rice version is a bit easier to prepare. Change these ingredient amounts:

1cup brown rice

2 cups water or broth

change these steps: saute onion only. do not cook rice, or it will be too tough to cook. add liquid, rice and seasoning, simmer, lower heat, cover and cook as usual.

-Tomato Sauce exchange 1/4 cup tom sauce for water or broth, omit tomato paste.

-Canned diced tomatoes add 1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes, change tomato paste to 1 tsp.

Additions:

-Fresh Tomato add half a medium tomato (diced) to sizzling rice and onions before adding liquid.

Calabasa: Zucchini with Corn and Cheese

Calabasa

Calabasa( "Kah-lah-bah-sah") just means Squash in spanish. This is a dish my grandma made frequently in the summer months when there was plenty of zucchini and tomatoes in the garden, and fresh corn was easy to find. Very simple to prepare, and stars a great combo of summertime ingredients, Zucchini, Tomato, and Corn. Serve this dish as a side dish for BBQ's, Mexican foods, or as an easy and light entree'.

Calabasa Recipe

Entree for two, or side dish for four.

1/2 medium yellow onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cob fresh corn, de- cobbed

1 tomato, diced *see substitutions

1 1/2 lbs zucchini and or summer squash, sliced

1 tbs olive oil

1 tbs tomato paste

1 tbs chicken paste or 1 bullion cube

1/2 tsp cumin, ground

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup sharp cheddar grated or sliced (shown with slices of Cabot Clothbound Cheddar of Vermont)

Saute onions in oil over medium heat till soft. add sliced zucchini, cook till browned. add garlic, tomatoes, corn, cook 3 minutes. whisk tomato paste and chicken paste into water till dissolved. add to zucchini. heat to simmer, add cumin and pepper. reduce heat to low, simmer 8 minutes, or till squash are soft. remove from heat, top with cheese cover and allow to rest for at least five minutes. serve.

Substitutions:

-you can use 1 can corn instead of fresh corn. Drain corn, reserve liquid, use corn liquid in addition to water to enhance corn sweetness in broth.

-*sometimes i use only fresh tomatoes if i dun have paste, and sometimes i use only paste if i don;t have fresh, but if i have both, i use both.

-also, you can use garlic powder if you dun have fresh garlic.

I genuinely hope that you enjoy this recipe!

Corn Cakes: Fried In The Pan!

Corn Cakes

They Love to be Fried.

   Like Grandma used to make. These were often side dish for Grandma's Chicken vegetable soup, or for Chicken and zucchinis. i also like to use them as a side for chicken (fried, roasted, or grilled) or fish. Quicker than cornbread, delicious and pretty simple. Mom's favorite too she gets really exited when i make these for her. Use Whole Wheat Flour to make a more nutritious version. 

Corn Cakes Recipe:

Makes about 6

1/4 Cup Flour (minus 2 TBS if using whole wheat)

1/2 cup corn meal

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 pinch salt

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

oil for frying, just enough to coat the bottom of the pan.

Mix together dry ingredients. stir in all other ingredients. Don't over mix. Fry in oil over medium heat. Drain on wire rack or over paper towels. Serve immediately topped with butter.