Blogging from Texas!

It has been far too long since my last blog post! My husband and I got caught up with packing for our big move to Texas. We finally made it and are all settled in to our new home. So far I am loving it here! The 70 degree weather is a little change from the Maine winters I am used to.

Aside from the clear blue skies and high temperatures, I am also loving the food here! There is such a huge Mexican influence. I cannot get enough Tex-Mex food (I think I prefer the Mex over the Tex). I even love going to the grocery store here just to look around. Back in Maine I made my own corn tortillas, and not many places carried the flour you need, masa harina. The grocery store here has almost a half an isle full of different masa harina flour!

Now that we are all settled in, I can't wait to start cooking regularly again! I missed having a stove while we were road-tripping down here. I have found a bunch of new recipes to try, so there will be plenty new blog posts to come. For the mean time, I will share my go-to corn tortilla recipe:

Homemade Corn Tortillas

Makes 16-18 tortillas (I usually cut the recipe in half)

2 cups masa harina
1 1/2 -2 cups warm water
wax paper

*You can use a tortilla press to shape the tortillas, but if you don't have one a counter top and a rolling pin or an object that has a large, flat surface will do (I use the bottom of my pyrex storage bowl).

1. Combine masa harina and water together in a large bowl. Let sit for about 5 minutes. Then work the dough with your hands to make sure it is mixed well. If it is too dry or to wet add extra water or flour accordingly.

2. Form balls out of the dough, about the size of golf balls.

3. Heat a griddle or cast iron pan on medium-high heat (I use a cast iron pan). If you using a griddle you can cook multiple tortillas at once. I usually cook one at a time with my cast iron pan.

4. Flatten each ball into a tortilla right before you are ready to cook it. Place a piece of wax paper on the counter top or in the tortilla press, place the dough ball in the center, place another piece of wax paper on the dough, and flatten. If you are not using a tortilla press, make sure the tortilla has a uniform thickness. I try to get my tortillas to be around 6 inches.

5. After the tortillas are formed carefully remove the wax paper and place tortillas on the griddle or pan. Cook for 30 seconds to one minute on each side, until slightly browned.

6. Serve immediately or keep warm in a tortilla warmer or warm over. You can also refrigerate them and reheat.

My favorite foods to make with corn tortillas are fish tacos and huevos rancheros.