Yogurt Biscuits

I'm a big fan of buttermilk biscuits. I love the taste, the texture, and the honey butter or raspberry jam slathered on top.  Unfortunately, I've been the only one in my household who feels this way, so when I make a batch I'm always left feeling guilty for eating the whole tray by myself.  A while back, I found a recipe in the Relish insert in our newspaper for yogurt biscuits...what?  After making them a few times, I can't believe how easy they are to make and how tasty they are (Brett even admitted this is the first biscuit he's ever liked).
*1 1/2 c. self-rising flour
*1 tsp. salt
*1 1/4 c. plain Greek yogurt
Preheat oven to 450.  Whisk flour and salt together in a large bowl.  Make a hollow in the center.  Pour yogurt into center, and stir pulling flour into yogurt. Mix until dry ingredients are moistened and the dough forms.  Sprinkle a clean surface with flour.  Turn dough out, sprinkle with flour and fold in half.  Pat dough until 1/2-inch thick.  Flour again if necessary and fold dough in half a second time.  Pat dough into a 1/2-inch thick round.  Dip a 2-inch biscuit cutter into flour and cut out biscuits without twisting.  Place biscuits close together on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Bake 10-14 minutes until light golden brown.  Serve hot (with butter and raspberry jam).
Stats: 94 cal, 1g fat, 3g protein, 17g carbs

Cranberry Butter

This butter is all things good about the flavors of the holidays.  I'd suggest making a batch to serve with Christmas morning toast or any other breads that may come your way this season.
*1/2 lb. butter, softened
*1/4 c. chopped fresh cranberries
*1/4 c. honey
*zest from 1 orange

Combine all ingredients until well-blended.  Keep refrigerated and let soften slightly before serving.

The Best Dinner Rolls

This is my new go-to recipe for dinner rolls. One of my sisters said they remind her of the rolls at our elementary school, another said they were worth the carbs, and even my father-in-law loved them. They have even replaced these on our Thanksgiving table this year.
Total time was about 3 1/2 hours and the recipe makes about 40 rolls. If this is more than you need, make the full batch. Let any leftovers cool, wrap tightly in foil and freeze. Thaw at room temperature and reheat in a 350 degree oven.

*2 pkg. active dry yeast (1 1/2 tsp)
*Pinch of sugar
*2 c. warm water
*2 eggs beaten
*1/2 c. sugar
*1/2 c. canola or corn oil
*2 tsp. salt
*6-7 c. all-purpose flour

Proof the yeast with sugar in water for 5-10 minutes until it 'blooms' and bubbles.Whisk eggs, 1/2 c. sugar, oil and salt together in a large bowl. Add yeast mixture, whisk to combine.
Stir 3 c. flour into the egg mixture using a wooden spoon. Add more flour, 1/2 c. at a time; you may not need it all. When dough becomes to stiff to stir, turn it out onto a floured work surface and knead by hand.
Knead until dough is smooth but still soft, adding flour a little at a time if dough is too sticky. Place dough in a bowl coated with non-stick spray. Cover dough with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until it's doubled in size, 1 - 1 1/2 hours.Punch down dough and gather into a ball. With floured hands, shape pieces of dough into balls (mine were 2 oz. and slightly bigger than golf ball size).Arrange rolls about 1/2 inch apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover rolls with a towel and let rise again until they're doubled, about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 350. Bake rolls 25-30 minutes, until golden. Brush with about 1/2 cube of melted butter and sprinkle with finely chopped fresh rosemary (or Parmesan cheese, or sea salt, or fresh herbs of your choice).
Sorry I couldn't find the picture of the final rolls...

Raspberry Honey Butter

My friend Lindsay came through with this YUMMY honey-butter that is delicious on warm bread or rolls...or straight from the spoon.  Make sure the butter is good and soft to mix this right.
*2 cubes butter
*4 oz. honey
*4 oz. raspberry preserves
*1/2 tsp. vanilla

Whip the butter and honey so it's good and fluffy.  Add raspberry preserves and vanilla.  ENJOY!

Cranberry French Toast Casserole

This is a Thanksgiving breakfast tradition at our house--my husband requests it each year as the half-time menu for his beloved Turkey Bowl. It's nice because most of us don't get enough carbs or cream in the main Thanksgiving meal!

*14 slices white bread

*1 8-oz package cream cheese

*1 c. dried cranberries

*1 TBSP. sugar, optional if using sweetened cranberries

*8 eggs

*2 c. milk

*1/2 c. maple syrup

*1/2 tsp. cinnamon, divided

Cut bread into 3/4-inch cubes. Arrange half of the bread in a single layer in a greased 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Cut the cream cheese into 1/2-inch cubes. Arrange on top of bread in dish . Combine cranberries and sugar and then sprinkle over bread and cream cheese.

Top with the remaining bread cubes.

In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, maple syrup and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, and pour evenly over bread mixture in pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Cover with foil and chill overnight. In the morning remove from fridge and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Bake, covered, in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake another 20 minutes. Let stand about 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with maple syrup.

Buttermilk Cornbread

Fall is in the air here and a rainy day spurred the need for chili and bread sticks. But then the Crate and Barrel catalog showed up and there was a mix for buttermilk cornbread, which sounded perfect to go with the chili. I pulled and made this recipe and even my non-cornbread-liking husband ate and enjoyed 4 squares.

*1/2 c. butter

*2/3 c. sugar

*2 eggs

*1 c. buttermilk

*1/2 tsp. baking soda

*1 c. buttermilk

*1 c. wheat flour (or AP or blend)

*1 c. cornmeal

*1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 375. Grease 8x8 pan. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Whisk in eggs. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and add to butter mixture. Stir in flour, cornmeal and salt. Stir to combine, but there may be some lumps. Pour into pan, smooth top slightly and bake about 30 minutes until top is golden brown. Invert onto a cutting board and cut into squares. You'll want to serve this warm, with some butter and honey.

Naan

I was making tandoori chicken for dinner and realized it had been way too long since we'd made some naan. This leavened flat-bread is pretty expensive to buy at the store and since it's a pretty easy bread to make, it's definitely worth making at home.

*1 1/4 tsp. yeast

*1/2 c. warm water

*2 TBSP. sugar

*1 1/2 TBSP. milk

*1 medium egg, beaten

*1 tsp. salt

*2-2 1/2 c. bread flour

*2 cloves garlic

*3 TBSP. butter, melted

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in water and let stand a few minutes until good and frothy. Stir in the sugar, milk, egg, salt and about 2 c. flour, mixing to form a soft dough. Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, or until dough is smooth. Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let rise about 1 hour until doubled.

Peel garlic cloves, and using the side of knife smash and press garlic to make a paste. Punch down dough and knead in garlic paste for 1-2 minutes. Pull off small handfuls of dough (about the size of a golf ball), roll into balls, and place on a baking sheet. Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled (about 30 minutes).

Preheat grill to high heat (if using a grill pan on your stove go for a medium-high). On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball of dough into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill and place dough on grill. Cook for 2-3 minutes until puffy and bubbly. Brush top side with butter and flip. Brush top (cooked) side with butter and continue to cook until bottom is browned, another 2 minutes. Remove from the grill, cover with a heavy dish cloth to keep warm while you cook remaining bread, and enjoy. This makes about 8, 7-inch breads.

Oatmeal Pancake Mix

My friend, Jen, shared this recipe with me--she picked it up out of American Profile a while back. This is a great mix to have on hand (just store the mix in a ziptop bag) and this mix recipe makes about 5 batches of pancakes.

Mix:

*4 c. old-fashioned oats

*2 c. all-purpose flour

*2 c. whole-wheat flour

*1 c. packed brown sugar

*1 c. instant dry milk (1/2 c. regular dry milk)

* 3 TBSP. baking powder

*2 TBSP. cinnamon

*5 tsp. salt

*1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

Pancakes:

*2 eggs

*1/3 c. canola oil

*2 c. pancake mix

*1 c. water

Mix all the ingredients for the mix together. Store until ready to use.

To make the pancakes, beat eggs in a large bowl. Gradually beat in oil. Alternately add pancake mix and water to mixture. Blend well. Preheat and oil a griddle. Pour 1/3 c. batter per pancake onto griddle. Cook until bubbles form around edges, turn and continue to cook until done. This will make about 10 pancakes. Keep in mind these are very filling and most will only be able to eat 1-2 cakes. We like to serve them with strawberries and blueberries or good old maple syrup.

Cranberry Orange Mini Muffins

This is a yummy muffin for breakfast or brunch. They were easy to make and my kids thought they were eating cupcakes because of the sweetness, so I didn't tell them I got them out of the healthy living section of our newspaper.

*1 c. dried sweetened cranberries

*1/2 c. boiling water

*1 c. whole-wheat flour

*1 c. all-purpose flour

*1 tsp. baking powder

*1/2 tsp. baking soda

*1/4 tsp. salt

*2 egg whites

*1/4 c. canola oil

*2/3 c. orange juice

*grated zest of 1 orange

*3/4 c. sugar

Place cranberries in a small deep bowl; pour boiling water over cranberries and stir to coat. Set aside and allow cranberries to plump, about 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line mini muffin pans with paper baking cups or spray cups with nonstick cooking spray. Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. Combine egg whites, oil, juice and zest in a medium mixing bowl. Add sugar and stir until combined. Add dry ingredients and mix just until flour is moistened. Drain cranberries (if you're making this for little kids, I suggest chopping the cranberries a little bit smaller) and add, stirring just until blended. Do not overmix. Fill miniature muffin cups about 3/4 full of batter. Bake 10 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Allow to stand 10 minutes then remove to a rack. Serve warm. Makes 36 muffins.

BBQ Pork Stuffed Steam Rolls

Carlee sent a tweet about making steam rolls, and I'm thinking Carlee doesn't do breads, and my curiosity went through the roof. She sent me the recipe and I knew I had to make them. She used this dough recipe to make basic rolls, I made them into more of a main course and stuffed them with a bbq pork. These were fun, pretty easy and so tasty. The man of the house ate 8 of them and the girls enjoyed using their chopsticks to spear the ball and eat it.

I was limited on time so I made up the bbq pork a day in advance and kept it in the fridge until needed. They took a few hours to make, but most of that time was spent rising, so don't get turned off by the time, do it on a lazy Saturday when the family can help assemble. This recipe makes 24, which would probably serve 5-6 as a main meal.

Pork:

*3/4 lb. pork (roast or other, I used boneless chops)

*1/2 c. BBQ sauce

*3 TBSP. shallots, chopped

*1/2 c. chicken broth

*2 TBSP. soy sauce

*1 TBSP. vegetable oil

*1 TBSP. sugar

*1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)

Mix all ingredients together and let marinade for a bit. Cook the pork. I used my pressure cooker and these were done in 4 minutes. I think grilling or skillet time would work fine as well. Shred up the pork and store until ready to stuff the rolls.

Rolls:

*1 TBSP. dry yeast

*1 tsp. sugar

*1/4 c. warm water

*1/4 c. flour

*1/2 c. warm water

*1 1/2 c. flour

*1/4 tsp. salt

*2 TBSP. sugar

*1 TBSP. vegetable oil

*1/2 tsp. baking powder

Mix together yeast, 1 tsp. sugar, 1/4 c. warm water and 1/4 c. flour. Allow to stand for 30 minutes. This will ferment a bit and smell...ripe.

In a medium bowl, combine 1/2 c. warm water, 1 1/2 c. flour, salt, 2 TBSP. sugar, vegetable oil and baking powder. Add the yeast mixture and mix well. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic (5-10 minutes). Lightly grease a bowl and place dough inside, roll to coat in oil. Let rise until tripled in size (about 2 1/2-3 hours).

Cut wax or parchment paper into squares (about 3"x3") and set aside.

Punch down dough and spread dough onto floured surface. Divide into 24 equal pieces (I used my scale and made this a lot easier). If you are making non-stuffed rolls, shape into balls, place on wax paper and proceed to steaming instructions.

To make stuffed rolls, take each piece of dough and roll into a circle that is slightly raised in the middle (you want a thicker base for the meat to sit on).

Place about 1 TBSP. meat in the center and pick up to shape the roll.

I held my roll in my left hand and used the thumb and pointer of my right hand to crimp/fold around the top to close it like a pouch.

Set each roll on parchment paper square and continue to fill remaining rolls.

Once filled, the rolls need to rise for about 30 minutes before steaming.

I don't have a bamboo steamer so I used the steamer basket in my multi-pot and the steamer function on a rice cooker.

I was only able to do 5 (rice cooker)-7 (steamer basket) at a time so it took a while to get through the batches, which was ok because we kept getting hot rolls as we refilled our plates. If you have a bamboo steamer place it over boiling water; if you have a steamer basket, bring the water to a boil while the rolls are rising; if you use the rice cooker, just turn it on when starting to steam. Place parchment paper with rolls on top directly into steamer, leaving about a 2-inch space between rolls. Cover and steam for 15-20 minutes; ours took about 18 minutes. Remove rolls and serve immediately. Enjoy as is or dip in soy sauce, pork sauce, hoisin sauce or bbq.

Cheese Puffs

Made up a batch of these for our New Year's Eve Party. They had great flavor, but ours toughened up as the cooled, so we enjoyed them most when they were hot out of the oven.

*1 loaf crusty French bread

*1/2 stick butter

*3 cloves garlic, minced

*1 whole shallot, minced

*1 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard

*8 oz. cream cheese, sliced (I used 1/3 less fat)

*1 1/2 c. cheddar cheese, grated

*Salt and pepper, to taste

*2 egg whites, beaten

Cut French bread into 1-inch cubes; set aside. In a skillet, over medium heat, heat butter until melted. Add garlic and shallot and saute for about 1 minute. Add Dijon, stir to combine and reduce heat to low. Add cream cheese and stir until melted. Add cheddar cheese, slowly, and stir until melted.

Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper and fold in egg whites.

Dunk bread cubes into cheese mixture to fully coat. Put coated cubes on a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze for 20 minutes. At this point the cubes can be stored in a freezer bag in the freezer until needed.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375. Place frozen cubes on a lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes until golden brown. Serve immediately.

I could have sworn I took pictures when we served these, but my camera tells me otherwise. Imagine a cheesy melted bread cube or look at the link above for pictures.

Cranberry-Cornmeal Quick Bread

I was sitting in the dentist office catching up on some past issues of Living and found this recipe I took to our neighborhood Christmas party. My four-year-old ate almost a whole loaf and even my hubby, who is not a fan of cornbread, really enjoyed it.

*2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

*1/2 c. plus 3 TBSP. sugar

*1 1/4 c. fresh cranberries

*1 c. all-purpose flour

*1/2 c. finely ground cornmeal

*1 tsp. baking powder

*1/2 tsp. baking soda

*1/2 tsp. salt

*2 large eggs

*1 TBSP. finely chopped candied ginger

Preheat oven to 350. Melt 4 TBSP. butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 3 TBSP. sugar, stirring until dissolved. Add cranberries, and stir to coat. Cook until cranberries begin to pop, about 1 minute. Pour into a 5x9 inch loaf pan, distributing cranberries evenly to cover bottom. Let cool.

Whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat remaining 1 1/2 sticks butter and 1/2 c. sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With machine running, add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low, and slowly add flour mixture, mixing until combined. Fold in ginger. Pour mixture into pan over cranberries. Gently smooth top using an offset spatula. (Make sure to press the batter down onto the cranberries so they will bond well).

Place pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until a tester inserted into center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. (I pulled mine out at 31 minutes when tester came out clean, but a portion of the middle sank, so next time I'd leave it in a couple more minutes). Invert pan to remove bread.

Let cool completely on wire rack, cranberry side up. Bread can be stored, wrapped, at room temperature overnight or refrigerate up to five days.

Stuffing

Ok, I know stuffing is something everyone has a preference on. Some like it cooked in the turkey, some will add meats or nuts, some like the kind that has to be cut and served like a brownie, some may not even like this staple Thanksgiving side dish, but here's how our family loves it.
*1 loaf bread
*1 large carrot, finely shredded
*1/2 onion, diced
*1 stalk celery, finely chopped
*2 1/2 c. chicken broth
*1/2 c. butter
*1 tsp. poultry seasoning
*1 tsp. sage
*1/2 tsp. onion powder
*1/2 tsp. pepper

Cut one loaf of bread (good old white works great) into 3/4" cubes and allow to dry out on cookie sheets for a day or two.In a saucepan bring the chicken broth to a boil. Add carrots, celery, and onion and simmer until veggies are tender.
In a skillet (use the biggest one you have), melt 1/2 c. butter. Add bread and 'toast' over medium high heat for a couple minutes. Use a ladle to pour the broth over bread (I usually do half of the broth mixture and wait a few minutes before adding more so I don't get this too soggy) and continue to stir every few minutes as it fries (a good 10-15 minutes). Sprinkle generously with poultry seasoning, sage, onion powder and pepper; continue to cook until well-incorporated.
Transfer stuffing to a casserole dish and refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, heat (covered) in a 350 oven for about 30 minutes. We usually triple this recipe for our Thanksgiving Feast for 20.

Wheat Dough (Rolls, Breads)

In my next life I'd really like to open a bakery and do nothing but bake breads and rolls all day long. I'm sure this stems from a long-time love affair with all things carbohydrate, but recently I can't seem to make enough with dough. Here is my favorite wheat recipe, which I use for bread and rolls.
*2 1/2 c. warm water
*2 TBSP. yeast
*2/3 c. brown sugar
*5 1/2 c. wheat flour
*1/2 c. gluten
*2 tsp. salt
*4 TBSP dry milk (if you use the instant kind, double this)
*2 TBSP. butter
*2 TBSP. vinegar
*1/2 c. potato FLAKES (not buds, pearls, etc.)

In the bowl of a mixer, dissolve yeast in water. Add remaining ingredients and knead (with a dough hook) for 12-15 minutes until the dough pulls away from the sides of bowl. Pull out dough hook, leave dough in bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise about one hour until double. You will know the dough is ready if you stick your finger in the dough and it leaves an imprint.
Punch the dough down and shape.If you are making bread this will make 2 loaves. Spray pans with cooking spray. Divide dough in half and on a lightly floured surface, roll dough out into a rectangle that is the width of your pan by about 15-18". Starting from the short end, roll tightly like a cinnamon roll. When you get to the end of the roll, pinch the bottom edge/seam down and round off the side edges and place seam-side down in the pan. Cover and let rise to double for about 30 minutes. Bake at 375 until good and golden brown for about 20 minutes. Allow to cool about 5 minutes in pan and remove to cooling racks to finish cooling.
If you are making rolls this will make about 36 rolls. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide dough into 2 oz. portions (about the size of a golf ball). Shape the rolls by pulling the 'sides' of the dough ball down and under to form a ball. Place on baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Cover with a towel and let rise about 30 minutes. Bake at 375 for 15-18 minutes.

Beer Bread

This used to be one of my staple breads and was actually the first bread I ever made on my own without the help of a bread machine. I haven't made it for a couple years, but today was overcome by a craving for it.
*3 c. all-purpose flour
*3 tsp. baking powder
*1 tsp. salt
*1/4 c. sugar
*12 oz. beer
*2 TBSP butter, melted (I prefer salted for this)

Preheat oven to 375. Grease a loaf pan. Combine dry ingredients in a sifter and sift into a medium bowl. Pour in beer and stir until well-combined. Spread batter into prepared pan and drizzle butter over top. Bake for about 1 hour until deep golden brown and set. Let cool slightly and serve with butter or whipped raspberry butter. The crust on this is slightly crunchy, but not tough, but the inside is soft and delicious.

Pizza Dough Bread Sticks

I got an email from here a while back touting these herb-stuffed bread sticks. I will say they were tasty, but they took nearly 2 hours to make, so I'm not moving them to the top of my list. Basically, you make pizza dough and then roll out, smear with herbs and oil and twist up to bake.
The Dough:
*2 pkg. dry yeast
*4 1/2-5 1/2 c. AP flour
*2 C. warm water, divided
*2 tsp. salt

Stir together 3 c. flour and salt. Whisk together yeast, 2 TBSP. flour and 1/2 c. water in a cup; let set until foamy (10 minutes). Add yeast mix and remaining 1 1/2 c. water and flour mix; stir until smooth. Add 1 c. flour. Stir in more flour (up to 3/4 c.) to make dough come away from bowl. Knead on a floured surface (or in a mixer) for about 10 minutes until smooth, soft and elastic. Divide into 2 balls, cover and rise until double (about 1 hour).

The Filling:
*1 TBSP. finely chopped rosemary
*1 TBSP. finely chopped thyme
*1 c. Parmesan-Reggiano, shredded and divided
*salt & pepper
*1/4 c. olive oil
*3 cloves garlic, minced
*1/4 c. finely chopped parsley
*2 lbs. dough (above, or just buy some)

Preheat oven to 400. Move racks to the upper and lower thirds. Oil 2 baking sheets. Stir together rosemary, thyme, 1/4 c. cheese, 1/2 tsp. salt. 1/4 tsp. pepper. In a small bowl mix olive oil, garlic and 1/4 tsp. salt and pepper.
Roll 1/2 of the dough into a 15x10" rectangle. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes. Sprinkle half of the dough with 1/2 of the herb mixture. Fold and roll out again until you have about a 10x8 rectangle. Cut lengthwise into 9 strips. Twist the strips and place on the baking sheets. Brush with 1 TBSP. garlic oil. Let stand 5 minutes. Bake 20-25 minutes, switching trays halfway, until golden brown. Stir together parsley and 3/4c. cheese in a shallow pan. After baking, brush each twist with oil, then roll in parsley and cheese to coat.These are rich and filling, so even though I can normally consume half dozen or so bread sticks with a meal, plan 1-2 for each person of these.

Turkey Cheese Pockets

I'm a big fan of meals that my 1-yr-old can eat without assistance and without mess. This falls into that category, although it likely won't win any awards for health foods, but we did have a salad and carrots to try and balance out the meal. I think this was the first time the 1-yr-old tried them and I'm assuming she liked them since she ate 3 1/2 of them.
I got the original recipe from Kraft Food & Family several years ago. It is easy to make and really doesn't even need a recipe, I just adjust the meats, biscuits, and cheeses to what I've got on hand.

*2 oz. cream cheese, softened (I use low-fat)
*1 TBSP. Miracle Whip (I leave this out)
*1 tsp. Dijon mustard
*4 slices turkey breast, finely chopped (I like the mesquite flavored deli meat, but have also done this with ham and )
*1/4 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded (I used some medium cheddar and some Parmesan)
*1 can (10 pack) refrigerator biscuits (I've also used crescent rolls)

Preheat oven to 400. Combine cheeses, mustard, dressing and turkey. Press or roll out each biscuit to 3-4 inch circle. Put a spoonful of cheese mixture in center of roll, fold in half and press edges together to seal. Put filled biscuits on a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned. Serve warm.

Garlic Toast

Makes 10 slices. Cut french bread into 3/4 inch slices. Place side by side on baking sheet. In a small bowl, melt 4-5 TBSP butter. Finely chop a clove of garlic and stir into melted butter. Add a few crushed red pepper flakes and stir. Use a pastry brush to coat the top of each slice of bread. I broil these on low for about 5 minutes, turning after 3 minutes, until light golden brown.

Flour Tortillas

Since we've been making our own corn tortillas, I almost forgot about my old standby-the flour tortilla. Well, I got a recipe from cooking class and decided to slow-cook some salsa chicken and wrap it up in some flour tortillas. They were quite easy to make...although my first couple were far from circular.

*2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
*1/2 c. vegetable shortening
*1 tsp. salt
*1 c. warm water

Place flour, shortening and salt in a mixer with the paddle attachment and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes, until everything is well combined. (If you don't have a shield for your mixing bowl, I'd suggest covering the mixer with a dish towel to save a lot of clean up). Slowly add water until it is all absorbed. Mix for about another minute. Don't overmix or the tortilla will be chewy. Shape into balls (I found just bigger than golf ball size worked best) and let rest for at least 1/2 hour. I actually let my dough rest about 30 minutes and then shaped it and let it rest another 30 minutes. On a floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll into thin circle. Cook on griddle heated to medium/medium-high for a couple minutes until golden brown on both sides. Cover with dish towel to keep warm and serve. I'm still giving corn tortillas the win, but these were delicious hot off the griddle.Also, the leftovers made killer quesadillas!