Homemade Tortillas

We make a lot of burritos around here so I decided to make some tortillas from scratch yesterday. They're actually pretty simple. This is a good recipe (originally found here) to have on the back burner if you run out of tortillas and don't feel like going to the store.

Ingredients (makes about 18-20 10" tortillas):

• 4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 2 tablespoons lard or shortening (lard is traditional but I didn't have any so I used shortening and it worked just fine)

Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the lard/shortening.

Add the water and knead the dough just until it comes together.

Cut the dough into equal pieces (18-20) and roll each piece into a ball. Flour your surface and the rolling pin and roll each ball into a thin, circular tortilla.

Heat a skillet and warm the tortillas. For the tortillas I planned on using right away, I heated them until they turned slightly brown and bubbly.

For the tortillas I planned to store in the fridge, I just warmed them until they were slightly stiff, not brown or bubbly. These can be reheated later.

Pretzel Dogs

I pinned this recipe a long time ago and have been drooling over it for a while. I finally got a chance to try it today and let me tell you, these pretzel dogs do not disappoint. 

Ingredients:

• 8 hot dogs
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (one packet)
• 12 ounces warm beer (one can)
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup baking soda (this will be added to the boiling water, not the dough)
• 1 large egg
• coarse salt

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Warm the beer on the stove or in the microwave until it's about 110 degrees and pour it into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add yeast and honey and stir. Allow yeast to bloom for 5-10 minutes. Once it's foamy, it's ready.

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. In a small bowl beat the egg and 2 tablespoons water with a fork. Set aside.

Add flour and salt to the mixing bowl. Beat until the dough forms a ball. The dough should not be sticky. If it is, add more flour one tablespoon at a time.

Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and place it on the counter.

Cut the dough into 8 pieces and roll each piece into a long strand, as if you're making breadsticks.

Wrap one strand around each hot dog.

Add the baking soda to the boiling water slowly. Be careful, it will bubble up. Place about three hot dogs into the water and allow to cook for 30 seconds. Remove them with a slotted spoon.

Once you've boiled all of the hot dogs, place them on the baking sheet. Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle with coarse salt.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until they turn golden brown.

Spicy Pickled Deviled Eggs

Over the weekend I used up the last of my spicy pickled eggs and made deviled eggs. I let my eggs pickle for about three months so they were very spicy. You can find my recipe here. If you'd like to learn what I used in my deviled eggs, read on!

Ingredients:

• 3 spicy pickled eggs (recipe here)
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 1 tablespoon chopped sweet pickles (or relish)
• a little salt and pepper
• paprika (for the garnish)
• chives (for the garnish)

Slice your eggs in half and remove the yolks. Combine the yolks, mayo, mustard, pickles, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix it all up and place the mixture in a ziploc bag. Cut the corner off of the bag and pipe the mixture into the eggs.

Garish with paprika and chives. Enjoy!

Prints!

I updated some of the cards I sell in my Etsy shop, turned them into prints and started selling them on Society6. Go take a look!