As I sat in my study writing about donkeys, palm branches, and the coronation of the king of the universe, I heard the tell-tale signs of activity in the kitchen. This meant that Jen was getting ready to cook lunch. That day we had huevos rancheros. You can't have huevos without tortillas, and after making tortillas from scratch two weeks ago, there's no way that we're buying them again.
The recipe we used can be found here. So far we've used shortening, but we're transitioning to lard soon. We found that we can buy non-hydrogenated lard in our grocery store, and that's awesome. Lard is pig fat... real food. But when it's hydrogenated it transforms from porky goodness into a second cousin of plastic.
What seems to be our normal procedure with the tortillas is that Jen does everything but the cooking and I handle the cast-iron work. My cast-iron cookware was a birthday present from her. I need more of it.
There's really no comparing fresh hot tortillas to anything you buy in a store. Last time we made them I was starving and the first tortilla went straight from the cast iron skillet into my mouth. Elizabeth loves them too.
For the huevos, we went simple. Scrambled eggs mixed with Great Value Salsa then scooped onto the fresh hot tortillas. A dollop of sour cream on top of that.
Some of you may know that Great Value is the Wal-Mart generic brand. Some Great Value products actually are great values. Short ingredient lists, all pronouncable, and no preservatives. Their salsa and pizza sauce can often be found in our cupboards.
Also, in the rural area where we live Wal-Mart is the only game in town. The other options are extremely overpriced or far away. Recently we've taken to doing Wal-Mart every other week and alternating it with the good, high quality grocery store that's about a half hour away.
We also shop for certain staples and spices at two local Mennonite groceries. As I typed this I was getting ready to run errands with Elizabeth. One thing we did was stop at the Springs Store in Springs, PA to get about a third of a pound of cinnamon for $1. That makes me happy.
If the l's are silent, you're pronouncing it wrong.
ReplyDeleteMake your own salsa. You will be overjoyed.
Oh, and there's a place across the alley from me that makes their own lard in house! Awesome.
ReplyDeleteWe love using lard for these, and also have had good luck with non-hydrogenated organic vegetable shortening for tortillas, pie crusts, etc. I can't remember the brand, but it comes in a blue and white tub.
ReplyDelete