Fresh, Homemade Flour Tortillas in No Time Flat

I was debating whether to call these supple, delectable discs, "tortillas," or "flatbreads," but since they were inspired by my testing of the Imusa tortilla press, seen herein, I decided to go with tortilla. This intro is dedicated to hungry SEO gurus everywhere.

Regardless of what you call them, if your only experience is with the dry, mundane supermarket varieties, you are in for a serious treat. Homemade tortillas are so much better that if you do decide to give these a try, be warned that you'll have a very hard time ever going back to the packaged option again.

Not only is the recipe very easy to make, there's no waiting hours for anything to rise, so in less than 30 minutes, you'll be enjoying the finest in hand-held meat delivery systems. Ironically, I failed to have any juicy grilled meat ready for the money shot, so I was forced to enjoy them au natural.

As I mention in the video, the hardest part of the entire procedure is rolling the dough balls into nice thin discs, but if you have a tortilla press this becomes very fast and easy. Since this post was made possible by my friends at Imusa, who also provided the press you see here, I'll included a couple links in case you want to add this apparatus to your kitchen tool collection.

I hope you give these a try soon, and your days of using store-bought tortillas comes to a warm, soft, and delicious end soon. Enjoy!

If you are interested in a tortilla press of your very own, here are a couple links:

Imusa Victoria Cast Iron Tortilla 6-1/2-Inch Press

Imusa Victoria Cast Iron Tortilla 8-Inch Press

Ingredients:

8 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 3/4 cup), more as needed

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

1/2 cup hot water (about 105 degrees F.)

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Just Chicken and Mushrooms

This chicken and mushrooms recipe video is an experiment in extreme self-control. I wanted to challenge myself to make a chicken and mushrooms recipe using only chicken and mushrooms. By the way, if it was still Fat Tuesday, I would have totally called this recipe, "Almost Naked Breasts," but on Ash Wednesday, that just doesn't seem appropriate.

While chefs are always preaching about keeping things uncomplicated, and letting the natural goodness of the main ingredients shine though, we rarely follow our own advice. There are so many ways to flavor and enhance breasts like these that it's easy to forget simplicity and instead start, "layering the flavors."

As I mention in the video, while this may seem like it was intended as a lesson for novice cooks, it's actually dedicated to the advanced cook who may have forgotten just how wonderful a two-ingredient recipe can be.

Now, before the more anal among you start sending in the, "there are actually five ingredients" comments and emails, I'll tell you right now, I'm not counting salt and black pepper as ingredients, nor am I including the fats. Hey, I have to sear that skin in something.

Anyway, the real point is to get you to try and see how much flavor you can coax out of these two main players by simply using great technique, and the right equipment. Of course, that's easier said than done, and the vast majority of you will be unable to resist the minced garlic and the cayenne shaker. Either way, enjoy!

Speaking of the right equipment, that stainless-steel skillet you'll see in the video is my lovely new All-Clad 12-inch aluminum core frying pan. We're going to be doing some work together, and this recipe was the first real test run. I've used their stuff countless times in pro kitchens, but I've never the pleasure of working with it in my home kitchen until now. It was perfect for this recipe's required techniques.

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts, boneless, skin-on

salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

2 tablespoon olive oil

8 oz thickly sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon butter

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What I Had for Breakfast

I know some of you enjoy the occasional "What I Had for Breakfast" post, so here is the latest installment. I took a small, heavy, non-stick pan, and placed it on medium heat. I tossed in a teaspoon of butter, a few cubes of cheddar cheese, and two unbeaten eggs. I took a small rubber spatula and scrambled the mixture while it cooked. This technique makes for a very creamy mixture. Once it got to that custardy texture we all know and love, I spooned it over some toasted double-fiber, whole grain English muffins, and topped it with salt and cayenne. It was very good. Enjoy!

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Loafing with Chris Lilly's Loaf Pan Chicken

We arrived back in San Francisco after a fun, but tiring few days at Kingsford University. I have a great recap planned, but neither the time nor the energy to post it today. 

So, if you'll pardon my "loafing," I'd like to share this cool loaf pan chicken recipe from Chris Lilly instead. 

Please forgive the low-res video and poor sound, as it was shot on my cell phone, but stay tuned for my upcoming HD version, which I'll adapt for the oven. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3 1/4 pound chicken

3/4 cup apple sauce

3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce to taste

Any dry rub, enough to coat

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Heading Home from Kingsford University

Michele and I will be heading back to San Francisco tomorrow morning after a very educational few days at Kingsford University, in Las Vegas. I'll have a full recap of all the interesting new grilling trends we learned from Chris Lilly, as well as some great new video recipes (including an incredible technique for pickling grilled vegetables). Stay tuned!

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Leaving for Las Vegas to Attend Classes at Kingsford U

Photo (c) Grilling.com

Michele and I are heading to Las Vegas for some post-graduate studies at Kingsford University. Some of you may remember our first KU experience (you can see our class picture below), which I immortalized in the blog post, "Learning the Easy Way at Kingsford University."

It was such a great time, so we jumped at the chance to attend another event. This time we're at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for a NASCAR-themed weekend of barbecue-related fun in the sun. 

I know nothing about NASCAR, at all, but from what I hear we'll probably be drinking beer out of cans and chewing tobacco, so I'm really looking forward to that. As far as the food goes, world champion pitmaster and all-around cool dude, Chris Lilly, will be in charge of the cue’d cuisine (which means it will totally rock). 

If you'd like, you can follow along with all the smoky, high-speed adventures on my Twitter page, and be sure to stay tuned for the official recap when we return. Vroom!

Kingsford University Class of 2009

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Plantains for Your Membranes – Fried Sweet Plantains for the Winter Blues

According to my sources deep inside the online health community, eating plantains can help fight Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.), or as it's more commonly called, the "winter blues." 

I don't really have issues with S.A.D., and when I do, I usually fight it with beer, but it is nice to have another option.

It may be the tryptophan, a natural mood enhancer, or the high levels of vitamins C, B6, B12, or maybe it's just all that fiber, but whatever it is, I can report anecdotally that I felt pretty happy after eating these golden-browned beauties.

Above and beyond the purported health benefits, I have an even better reason to try plantains: meatless boredom. I like to mix in the occasional meatless meal, but tend to repeat the same old standbys. Plantains are perfect for breaking up that routine. Besides, I bet that some of your have never even tried them before, and that's just not right.

If you live near any kind of large city, especially one with a Latin-American community, you should find these fairly easily. As I mention in the video, you've probably looked at them many times at the store, but were unsure of exactly what they were, or what you should do with them.

I think when paired with a simple plate of black beans and rice, you're talking about a super simple, very frugal, and quite delicious dinner. I really hope you give them a try soon. Enjoy!

Fried sweet plantains ingredients for about 4 portions:

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 ripe plantains (peel should be mostly black),

salt to taste

lime wedges, optional

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