It’s all in the mix...

It’s no secret that I like to make just about all that I possibly can and while I am lucky that I can make most things I do have my ‘cheat’ meals for when I’ve worked a long day and the last thing I want to do is come home and make a meal from scratch.

This is where leftovers come in for me. At the weekend I try to make meals that will leave me leftovers for another meal during the week. Today I made fajitas which is really a good meal for during the week as the most complicated thing is making your own flour tortillas. I’ve posted about them before – but honestly do you think they take that much time? If you have a food processor – it takes a few minutes. If you have to cut the vegetable fat into the flour – it might take you about 4-5 minutes but mixing the water in is just a minute – by hand or processor.

But the actual filling takes you just a few minutes. I keep sliced peppers in the freeze for just this meal (or pizza!) which I toss into the pan frozen – they thaw/cook with the onions and I leave that for a bit. I often add other veggies that I find interesting. Sometimes it’s a tomato or a courgette (as I don’t like peppers that much). Once that is cooked and I don’t mean over done but slightly under I remove to a bowl. I then toss in some chicken or turkey that I’ve put my own fajita mix on. Yes, you don’t have to resort to a packet for this meal. And the mix does double duty as a taco/nacho season mix. How can you get better than that?

So what is in this mix you ask? My own sort of concoction from various recipes that I saw on-line, feel free to omit or change it as you like.

Fajita recipe

Mix equal quantities of the following:

Chilli powder, oregano, paprika, ground cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, optional corn flour or corn starch.

I usually do about 2 tablespoons of each which gives me enough to make about 5-6 meals. I usually use about 1-2 teaspoons per meal. I read some recipes that used corn flour (corn starch on the other side of the pond) to the mixture to keep it from clumping together. I never had this problem and I think the only purpose it serves is to thicken the sauce for when making tacos or nachos. I just add that to my taco mixture when I make them. I did make this one with the corn flour as we are coming up to summer and I make this dish a lot as it's quick and easy. Also because the courgette adds a bit of water which with the corn flour makes a sauce of sorts.

At the end of the day I see a recipe as a possibility of what it can be – it is up to me to make it something that I like. I use them as a template and improve as I go along. Find your template and improve it until you have exactly what you want. Enjoy!

Flour Tortillas and quick meals...

I had these pictures from a while ago that I did and as you can see I'm only now getting around to blogging about it. I try to make most things that we eat - yes, sometimes I go overboard but that is what makes life interesting. There are also times when life is short and you don't want to spend all day in the kitchen. I have my cheat meals as I call them who doesn't? But on the weekends I try to prepare everything I can to control what goes into our food.

This night I made my own flour tortillas. Yes, they come all prepared for you but have you had a look at the ingredients list? They are full of things I cannot pronounce - much less spell! This simple recipe is what I'm sure they should be like. I've come a long way in making these - in that I've at least gotten better at rolling them out and not inventing new swear words when they won't come off the counter! I then had what I call a brain fart - yes, funny. Brain fart = practical idea that should have occurred to me but hadn't because I was so intent on getting done what I was doing in the first place.

I cannot remember where I found this recipe but for me it seems to work and trust me once you have them you'll know why you make them and don't buy them! I admit I still buy the prepared kind but I usually only have one pack handy for week day cooking emergencies. J far prefers the home made kind and once you get over the idea of what the other prepared variety tastes like (rather the same as adjusting to your own home made bread) you'll dream of these!

Flour Tortillas
3 cups of flour (all-purpose)
2 teaspoons baking powder (US kind)
1 teaspoon salt (I cut this to 1/2 as I use sea salt)
1 1/4 cups warm water
2 tablespoons vegetable lard

In a food processor or bowl add the flour, baking powder and salt. Cut or process the vegetable lard into the flour. Once incorporated (you shouldn't see the lard like you do when make pie dough) you can add the warm water to the mixture and mix until it all comes together. It should be a smooth ball of dough - similar to the smoothness that you get when kneading bread. Divide into 8 even portions of dough and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes covered.
I roll them into balls and I use two flexible cutting mats and begin to roll it out with a rolling pin. I usually begin with the dough on one side of the mat - making it as flat as I can with my fingers and the top the other mat. I then use the rolling pin to flatten it out more and turn the mat around to keep it as round as I can. Don't worry if it's all out of whack - no one is going to be marking your dinner!
I then have a cast iron pan that I found at a boot sale that while not something I can cook on or in (as there's no lip to the pan) I remove the top flexible mat from the tortilla and then slowly peel the tortilla away from the other mat. Granted this takes some work and trust me you get used to it but if you rip it you can always begin again and if it goes all misshaped well that's just how it goes! Remember no grading!Put on the pan that's been heated thoroughly - you don't want to begin this on a cold pan! Using a spatula (I use one that used to decorate cakes but now does duty as tortilla/crepe turner) and flip it over after about 1-2 minutes - the hotter the pan the shorter time it will be on there.
As you can see the tortilla gets small brown spots - this is how it should be. It will also be much more dense than the kinds that are pre-packaged. For two of us we each have two tortillas and I cook the others up and use parchment paper to keep them free of each other (those parchment circles work great!) and wrap in foil. They keep for about 3-4 days in the fridge and I then just microwave them for 30-45 seconds on high and fill them with whatever I have left over. Usually I make enough fajitas filling for two meals so that I have a quick dinner on a working night.

Do give them a try - they really are great and so easy to make. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Rolls Recipe Anyone?

Am now hunting for a good cinnamon rolls recipe. I have one for cinnamon bread but it would be too rich for rolls (plus expensive as it contains lots of sour cream in the dough!). I wanted to bring something in for this committee I am on at work (a committee to improve work moral!) and figured it would cheer people up to have something home baked. I am a rarity in these days of convenience foods - I actually bake and cook from scratch!

I'm not hurting for recipes you understand, as I do have lots and lots of cookbooks (something for another posting!), but I want a tried and tested recipe. I am off for a few days (yippee a three-day weekend!) and will just trudge out to the store for some bread flour and make some for home first. Found a good recipe for cream cheese icing for the tops - one cannot have cinnamon rolls without the obligatory icing!

I collect handwritten recipes as well - some I have are from the 1870's! But unfortunately none contain cinnamon rolls. Wish I had more of them (I only have a few handwritten items) but they now go for big dollars as me and my friend say.

I've posted a few links to the left of places I like to visit. One is my best friend in America who does lovely things with broken china and sells them on eBay. I suppose that would make us good friends because me and anything that can break do not get along - she is the recipient of my clumsy ways!

A bit more about me is that I've been on-line since 1993 - a long time and I can remember a net with no lag. Shame it now is so clogged rather like the arteries of Americans! I didn't know much about what the Internet was then but knew I had to find it, get on it and use it! So in my usual fashion I got a book and read about it. It seems no one now thinks they need to do that but experience has taught me they still do.

Well this doesn't get me any closer to cinnamon rolls and I'm now going to go and forage for some breakfast. I'll post more later about me - perhaps you are wondering who this MysticBunny is?! Stay tuned....