03.08.2012

Although I didn't cook it, I have to include a shout out to the gang who helps me kick start my day, Karma Coffee Roasters.

Today the choice of both me and my coffee companion was a "cold brew" of Yemen Mocca Sanani. Yum. I also needed a pound of Ethiopian Harrar for home. Yum, again.

Later in the day I decided to venture into the unknown. I made my own whole wheat tortillas. My recipe comes from a blog called "100 Days of Real Food". They were so easy to make. And, although I had no use for tortillas in today's menus, this afternoon is when I had time to try this delicacy.

Both my daughter and I had sugar and cinnamon tortilla rollups for a snack and now there are 10 tortillas left for chicken fajitas tomorrow night! I'll need to find time to make lots more. They should freeze well.

Whole Wheat Tortillas (from "100 Days of Real Food")

2 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour

1/2 cup of oil

1 t salt

1 cup of warm water (microwaved for 60 seconds)

1. In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer set with a dough hook, pour in the flour, oil and salt. Beat with the paddle until crumbly, about 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape the sides as needed. 
2. With the mixer running, gradually add the warm water and continue mixing until the dough is smooth, about 3 minutes. (I think the next time I make this recipe I'll rely more on my instinct because I think the dough was a bit wet.)
3. Take out the dough and divide it into 12 equal sized pieces. I do this by making the dough into a big log shape that is about 8 – 10 inches long. Then I cut it in the middle. Then I cut each of those pieces in the middle and so on until you have 12 pieces.
4. Using the palms of your hand roll each piece into a round ball and flatten it out on a baking tray or board. (Make these as "circular" as you can, they'll turn into more evenly shaped tortillas in the end.) Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes or up to one hour.
5. Heat a cast iron skillet, griddle or 12-inch skillet over med-high heat. The pan should be fairly hot before you begin cooking the tortillas.
6. On a lightly floured board or counter top, use a rolling pin to turn each ball into a 8 to 10 inch flat circle. Be careful not to use more than a teaspoon or two of flour when rolling out each ball into a tortilla because too much excess flour will burn in the pan. (I have a small counter top so I only had room to roll out one at a time. I rolled out one, put it in the pan, rolled out another, and then it was time to flip the first.)
7. Grease the pan with a touch of oil and then carefully transfer each tortilla, one at a time, to the pan and cook until puffy and slightly brown, about 30 to 45 seconds per side. Set aside on a plate to cool slightly. Eat within an hour, refrigerate or freeze.

Dinner was easy tonight. Braised Italian sausages, hash browns made in the waffle maker (yes! the waffle maker) and green beans.

Once again, this amazing "recipe" came from Pinterest! You basically just grate a potato in the food processor, add a tablespoon of melted butter and some salt and pepper and cook them in a waffle iron!

My only mistake was believing the original poster of the recipe when he/she said only 1 potato was needed. My family of 4 needed 2 potatoes to satisfy their craving for this potatoey goodness.