I have a recipe for handmade flour tortillas but I’m asked on many occasions if I could make a video to show how I do it.  Sometimes seeing the procedure in action will help someone “get it” more than photos can.  Enjoy!

Do you make tortillas from scratch? And if so, how often?

Imagine being a lower income family, feeding 8 kids during Summertime, and not being on any kind of welfare. This is my husband’s family. He has 5 brothers and 2 sisters, all within a 1 1/2 years of each other in age. They didn’t have much but they always had food and to this day, one of my husband’s most fondest memories is coming in the house from playing outside all day and seeing his Mom rolling out flour tortillas, stacked to what seem like a mile high, at least to a kid anyways.

I married into the family at 16 years of age. I can remember watching my mother-in-law quickly rolling out those tortillas all while hands from every direction where snagging them up and slathering butter all over them. The kitchen was hot and they were disappearing faster than she could whip them out but she never once complained. In fact, she never complained about anything in the whole time I knew her. She loved seeing her family eat. As a wife and mother, it was a job she took pride in.

After fifteen years of making tortillas, I have finally nailed down the perfect recipe for us.  My mother-in-law taught me early in my marriage but because she had been doing it for years and years, she never needed to measure anything.  Handfuls of this, partial handfuls of that was how she showed me.  Today I’m sharing her recipe, tweaked with what I feel would be her measurements, although, I measure with my hands just like she did.

You see, my mother-in-law passed away five years ago, so every single recipe I have from her is valuable to me. She made the best tortillas I have ever had.  I’ll never be able to make them like she did and that’s okay because I wouldn’t ever want to.  I love remembering how good hers were with butter and how half the pile would be gone before she ever finished.  Her tortillas were her signature food.  My grandmother passed away the same year….every single recipe I have of hers is valuable as well so let this be a lesson to you; share those moments with them, learn from them, and hold on to it to pass down for generations.

3 Tools you need to get started:

1) Rolling Pin- You need something to roll out your tortillas.  My mother-in-law would cut off the end of broom stick and use that.

2) Cast Iron Griddle- They make the round ones for one tortilla at a time but who has time for that? Get the bigger rectangle one so that you can do two or even three at once.

3) Tortillas Warmer- I have an older model that was very similar to the one my mother–in-law used.  It holds well over 50 tortillas.

Almost Anna’s Flour Tortillas Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 1/2 Cups Flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tbl Baking Powder
• 1/4 cup of Manteca (lard)
• Hot water (up to 2 cups)

Directions

Sift your flour, salt, and baking powder together.  Add lard and mix in thoroughly.  Add hot water (as hot as you can stand it) and knead until soft dough forms.  It might be sticky.  Pinch off dough to form small, flatter balls.  Let dough rest 15 minutes. While your dough is resting, get your griddle nice and hot.  Roll out tortillas and cook on hot griddle.  Place in tortilla warmer and don’t forget to let the kiddos get one and add butter while it’s warm.  To die for!  If you need step-by-step photo tutorial, I have an old one on my blog that might help. Photos are awful but that was before I knew how to use a camera.  Enjoy!

This is dedicated to my mother-in-law, who I miss a great deal and was the best tortilla maker ever.

If you haven’t noticed (and I hope you have), I’ve recently started posting only once or twice a week.  This is intentional and it will be how I do things around here from now on.  I’ve had a wonderful year but a busy one.  One that had me so overworked that I couldn’t even remember what offline was anymore.  I have renewed my love for things offline like crocheting, hanging with friends, spending more time with my husband, and just enjoying a little extra me time with reading; something I hadn’t done in forever.  Hope you guys embrace this change and see it for the good!

Where’s my WINE drinkers???

While in  Dallas recently, I was talking with a couple of ladies about wine. How I really don’t much about the different tastes and they were trying to describe dry, sweet, etc.  Then the other day, I was sent some information on a wine quiz that helps determine your personality.  This is great for someone like me who doesn’t know much about it and it’s fun to see how you come out that do drink it and know what you love.  I’d love for you to give the quiz a try to see what your wine personality is. I’ve posted the questions and answers below.  Be sure to check out the Mirassou Winery site because they have some wonderful information over there from recipes to wine tasting education.

I answered the questions and it has determined that I am a Chardonnay kinda gal–Sunny and Mellow! I’d say that suits me to a T AND it’s the exact wine I tried while in Dallas that I LOVED. Cool!

Are you…

• * Sweet? — Riesling
• * Energetic? — Sauvignon Blanc
• * Sporty? — Pinot Grigio
• * Sunny and Mellow? — Chardonnay
• * A person of high standards? — Pinot Noir
• * Earthy? — Merlot
• * Adventurous? — Cabernet

The QUIZ

1. Are you a real sweetheart or big softy?
2. Do you prefer sweet tastes over salty ones?
3. Do you run circles around your friends because you’re so energetic?
4. Are you constantly “on the go”?
5. Do you spend most of your free time on the golf course?
6. Do you tend to participate in sports rather than watching as a by-stander?
7. Is your disposition a happy one?
8. Do you “go with the flow”? Have you been described by some as being flexible or “mellow”?
9. Are you a perfectionist, never letting go of a project until it’s completely perfect?
10. Are you a “Type A” with extremely high standards for yourself and others?
11. Are you a nature buff, one who’d rather be out hiking or fishing or out enjoying the natural world?
12. Are you concerned for the environment?
13. Are you a powerhouse in the workplace who is ready to meet any challenge and sometimes referred to as “adventurous”?
14. Do you like to take risks, preferring to try things outside your comfort zone?

Quiz Answers!

• * If you answered yes to questions 1 or 2, you are a Riesling.
• * If you answered yes to questions 3 or 4, you are a Sauvignon Blanc.
• * If you answered yes to questions 5 or 6, you are a Pinot Grigio.
• * If you answered yes to questions 7 or 8, you are a Chardonnay.
• * If you answered yes to questions 9 or 10, you are a Pinot Noir.
• * If you answered yes to questions 11 or 12, you are a Merlot.
• * If you answered yes to questions 13 or 14, you are a Cabernet.

For more info, you can head to the actual quiz.

Now to share a couple of things we ate this week. And I’d love to hear about what you ate this week. Did you try any new recipes??

Fajitas with handmade flour tortillas was a hit as usual!  Fajitas are like the easiest meal ever to make and while I prefer chicken fajitas, my guys prefer beef.  4 against 1, oh well.

And steak, another cowboy favorite.  We decided to use our new Lodge Griddle, well, my man decided to use it. He was dying to cook something on it and since it was pouring rain outside and our wood was wet, it gave him the perfect excuse to cook steak indoors.  I’ve never shared our secret to our steak recipe…and I’m not today either but maybe some day…..

Well, I Ain’t No Rachael Ray!

In early June, I had the chance to attend an Oscar Mayer event and learn about their Deli Fresh Meats.  Not only did we get to visit the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, we had to do was create a sandwich using their Deli Fresh Meats.  I’m probably one of the most uncreative people alive but after 6 sandwich taste-testing sessions with my family, I narrowed it down to a wrap called, Lori Falcon’s Roasted Red Peppers and Roast Beef Wrap. They guys at Oscar Mayer were nice enough to bring in a camera crew to make a video of us making our sandwich, which you can see below. You can see all the videos from the other bloggers at the Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh youtube page.

INGREDIENTS

• Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Slow Roasted Roast Beef
• Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
• Ground Cumin
• Garlic Powder or Clove of Garlic
• Soft Flat Bread
• Avocado, cubed
• Tomato, chopped (and seeded if you like)
• Havarti Cheese
• Red Roasted Peppers
• Lettuce Leaf
• Salt & Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Mix the cream cheese, cumin, garlic, and roasted red peppers until well blended.  Spread of a layer of cream cheese mixture over flat bread tortilla.  Place a lettuce leaf on each flat bread tortilla and top with 2-3 slices of roast beef.  Sprinkle evenly with avocado, tomatoes, and cheese.  Starting at one end, roll up each flat bread tortilla so that it looks like a large burrito.  Cut in half and serve 2 pieces on a 6″ plate.

Eat & Enjoy

Enjoy the video.  I’m clearly not made for TV and I would love for the counters to be just a bit taller so that I don’t look near as big!

More to come on sandwiches to get you through the hot Summer!

Sweetbreads (Sweetbreads are the thymus (throat sweetbread) and the pancreas (heart or stomach sweetbread), especially of the calf and lamb (although beef and pork sweetbreads are also eaten), can be cooked just about any way you can think of. They also happen to be prized by gourmet chefs because of their velvety texture. When choosing Sweetbreads, be sure to pick the white, firm and plump ones.

Up until the time that America starting enjoying the luxury of large supermarkets (mid-1940s), people would butcher their own cattle to eat. Times were hard and money was scarce, absolutely nothing was wasted. This included all parts of the animal. Everything was eaten by the family. Now days, these foods are considered a delicacy.

I never knew what these were until I married and to be quite honest, they are not my cup of tea. I don’t eat them, however my whole family does, even the kiddos.  I should probably admit that I’ve never even tried them. I just don’t think I could stomach it, no pun intended.  I have been told that they are similar to a bacon taste when grilled.  I’ll have to take their word on it.

You can season to taste but we usually use salt and pepper. We grill them and slap them on a tortilla.

Have you had Sweetbreads before and if so, how do you prepare them?

My sister-in-law was so gracious enough as to submit a King Ranch Casserole with her own flay-va!  She really is an awesome cook and I hope that one day she’ll share her family recipe for her pecan pie….HEAVEN!!!

A couple of the things in her recipe are optional.  As always, substitute, omit, or whatever you want to your liking:)  ENJOY

INGREDIENTS:

• 10 3/4 oz cream of Mush
• 10 3/4 oz cream of Chicken
• 10 oz diced tomatoes w/ green chilies
• 1 small can black olives (OPT)
• 1 8oz soften Cream Cheese
• 2 lbs Ground Beef or( 2 C. Chicken-precooked)-we prefer beef
• 12 Corn Tortillas, broken to fit pan
• 2 C shredded cheese
• Uncle Chris’s seasoning (OPT) -our favorite on everything.

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven 350F. Lightly mist 9×13 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.  Brown meat add seasoning’s (of choice) , drains excess grease. Add Cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, Diced tomatoes w/ green chilies and cream cheese. (I cube the cream cheese)

Use 1/2 the tortillas tear and layer bottom of dish until covered, add all meat & soup mixture, take other half of tortillas, tear in pieces and place on top of meat mixture, until covered. Top with Cheese & olives. Bake 30 – 45 mins. I like to brown the cheese on top. We love olives and cream cheese and added them to this recipe for my own special touch.  Serve with garlic bread….

THANKS SO MUCH TO MY AWESOME SIL FOR SUBMITTING HER RECIPE!!  SHE DOESN’T HAVE A BLOG SO I CAN’T SHOW HER SOME LOVE………SINCE I CAN’T, PLEASE WELCOME HER IN THIS POST AND ENCOURAGE HER TO SUBMIT MORE RECIPES:)

I’m working with Velveeta at the moment so I thought a Chicken Fajita Burrito Casserole using Velveeta would be a great post!  And don’t forget to cut the cheese with me using Velveeta cheese!

I used red and green bell pepper to give it some color and flavor.  I used store bought tortillas which are fine but next time I will make my homemade flour tortillas for a better taste!  Slighty more work that I usually post here but it’s well worth it!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1pkg flour tortillas
• 1 8oz. Velveeta Mexican Mild Cheese
• 4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken breasts
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 onion, well half really
• 1 can of cream of chicken
• 1/4 milk
• 1 can of black beans

You will also need the ingredients to make the Easy Spanish Rice! This consists of brown rice, salsa,  and butter.

DIRECTIONS:

Start boiling your chicken.  While chicken is boiling, chop up your onion and bell peppers; adding them to the chicken and boil until chicken is done.  In a saucepan, melt your Velveeta cheese with the cream of chicken and about 1/4 of milk over low heat. (saving and shredding some to add to the fajita burritos.) This will be the cheese sauce. While that is melting, take your chicken and peppers out of the boiling stock and let cool.  Add the brown rice & it’s ingredients to the stock that you boiled the chicken in.  Once your rice is done, spread it in a 9×13 casserole dish.  Pour the can of black beans on top. Or you can just mix the beans up with the rice!

Shred your chicken up and starting making your fajita burritos adding a little of the shredded velveeta or some of the cheese sauce inside.  Fold up and lay on top of the rice and beans.  Now pour the Velveeta Cheese sauce all on top of the burritos making sure to get it all covered.  Bake in oven for about  15-20 minutes at 350′.

This should serve 8 depending on your crew’s appetite!

Carne Guisada is like a Mexican stew.  Guisada means “meat in gravy*.  Carne Asada is just meat (dry).  This recipe is my mother’s and since she reads my blog, I knew I better give her FULL credit:)  You can actually cook this in a crock pot for a few hours and it’s even more tender!!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Round steak
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. cumino
• 1tsp. garlic powder
• 2 Tbs. flour
• 1 seeded and chopped jalapeno pepper
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped bell pepper
• 2 cups chopped potatoes
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 2 Tbs oil
• water to cover

PREPARATION:

1. Cut meat up in cubes and throw in pan with oil.

2. Dice up some potatoes while meat is browning.

3. After meat has been browned, add flour, salt, pepper, cumino, and garlic powder.

4. Add onion, bell pepper, potatoes, jalapeno, tomato sauce and enough water to cover.

5. Cover and Cook about 30 to 45 minutes.

Serve this with rice, beans, and tortillas!

Something I make ALOT is tortillas and I’m surprised at how many people don’t know how to make them.  Yes, they are more work than store bought but they don’t even come close in taste!!  In fact, my oldest and myself won’t eat store bought..yuck!

I’ve also decided to do something different.  Since many of you want to print the recipes and only some of you want the pictures too, I am going to post the recipe first and during the preparation part, I will number each task.  That task’s number will match the numbered pictures.  Get it?  That way, if you decide you want to print the recipe, you can print only the recipe without pictures if you choose to do so.

Okay, first things first.  WASH YOUR HANDS!  This is all done with the hands so you need to clean em’ up.  You’re gonna need 3 essential tools, well…2 for sure.  A tortilla Griddle (or what we call a “comal”), rolling pin, and a Tortilla Keeper.  You can put your tortillas in just about anything that will be tight but can still breathe.  Also, an old broomstick handle or pvc pipe works well for a rolling pin;)

I don’t use measuring spoons or cups when making these so the amounts are guesstimations. Is that a word?

You can see the video tuturial here.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 c. flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 c. lard
• 1-2 cups of HOT water (until a little sticky but not so much that your hand is caked on! lol)

PREPARATION:

1. Get the griddle going before you start this part so it will be nice and hot.  Sift all dry ingredients together and add shortening.  Mix thoroughly.  (just like you were making a pie crust.)

2. Add hot water.  Obviously you don’t want to burn yourself but the hotter you can stand it, the easier your tortilla dough will be to work with.

3. Knead until soft, smooth dough is formed.

4. Pinch off dough (a little less than the size of a golf-ball) and form into a rounded biscuit looking thing..lol.

5.  Dip into flour and roll out.

6.  Cook on your tortilla griddle.  When you see the bubbles NOT coming up, that’s when you flip or take off.

7.  Throw them in your tortilla keeper and enjoy with some Carne Guisada!..Hint:(that’s coming soon)

WOW…writing this post actually took WAAAAY longer than it takes to make these!