Tortilla Factory

Last week I had some leftover dough from our favorite butter dip bread sticks, and as usual Nate and Evie were quick to ask for it and start rolling out their own bread sticks. They LOVE playing with my leftover dough, as I've mentioned before, so I try hard to have extra for them. They'd been playing with it for a while when I noticed Nate had rolled his dough thinner than I've ever been able to roll mine. I guess he's had a little practice. But when I saw it I instantly thought "Tortillas! Nate can make tortillas!" We usually stop by Rosa's Tortilla Factory for fresh tortillas when we need them, but I couldn't stop thinking about making our own.

So we tackled them yesterday. (And from the looks of my kitchen afterwards, they tackled us back!) I mixed up the dough, divided it into 24 pieces, and covered the counter with flour. Then Nate and Evie rolled their little hearts out while I cooked them. Nate did a great job of getting his perfectly thin, but I usually had to finish Evie's after she gave it a good start. I have to call this one a success. Move over, Rosa's. The Blans are moving in!

Oh, and I used this recipe. I did substitute shortening for lard even though it says not to, but it didn't seem to matter. I also used warm water like reviews suggested, and I think that helped make the dough really easy to work with.

 Hard at work!

 Taking turns with my big rolling pin. They have a smaller one that is theirs, 

so it was a treat to get to use the big one for this.

 He did a good job of getting them perfectly thin. 

Getting them perfectly round might take some practice.

Our stack of tortillas.

What did we do with them? We made bean burritos. It's one of the only meals that both Nate and Evie love. Most of our meals one loves and the other doesn't, but this one is a hit every time, so we eat it often - probably once a month. I cook pinto beans in the slow cooker overnight and make a recipe of my sister's refried beans sometime during the morning. It's not quite like "day after" pizza or lasagna, but isn't everything better after it sits for a while? Anyway, usually the kids eat two burritos each, but last night they ate three each. I'll take that as a sign of success!