Homemade Tortillas

So my family LOVES those uncooked tortillas that you buy at Costco and then cook at home. They are SOOOO much better than normal store bought tortillas! But they are pricey, so I thought I would try to make my own at home. So far I have had moderate success but not yet made some that are to die for. So if you have tips on making homemade tortillas, post them here. In the meantime, here is the best recipe I have found, so far:

Tortilla Recipe

1 kg Flour (all purpose) + 1 cup for rolling surface
1 1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp. Baking powder
2 tbsp. Salt
1 1/2 cup warm water

Mix dry ingredients
Make a “hole” in the middle of your “mountain” of flour.
Add oil and water and start mixing.
When the dough is firm enough, knead it a bit on a flat surface.
“break” pieces off the dough (about the size of a golf ball) by squeezing it with your thumb and index finger (like you’re choking it)
Make several round balls (called “testales”), and placed them on a floured surface (cookie sheet works great).
Let the testales rest for about 30 mins. covered with a damp towel.
Place a testal on a floured surface. Flour your rolling pin and roll. Whatever technique you use for rolling… just spread them enough so they are bout 6 inches in diameter.
Cook your tortillas on a “comal”, flat griddle or skillet at medium heat (mine was on 6 on an electric stove). You don’t need to oil the skillet (there’s enough oil in there)
Just like with pancakes, the 1st one is never good, but the rest are delicious.
You can pile up the uncooked tortillas, they won’t stick.
My process is usually: flatten, place in comal, flatten another one, turn the one in the comal, flatten another one, remove the one from the comal and repeat!
It takes about 1 minute to cook on the 1st side (you will see some bubbles appear on the surface, this is normal), then you turn and it takes about 30 seconds on the second side.

Eat them warm, but to freeze or refrigerate, make sure you cool them spread out on a flat surface before bagging them.

Experiment in Hybrid Cooking

Tonight's dinner was an experiment in hybrid cooking, and a successful one at that. I had a migraine, so naturally I needed comfort food, which for me is spelled M-A-S-H-E-D P-O-T-A-T-O-E-S. Growing up my mom used to make a simple chicken dish whenever she needed a really fast dinner, where she would just put chicken or pork chops and a can of cream of mushroom soup in a pan and heat it up and serve it over rice. As I've grown up I rarely make this dish, preferring more complex flavors like rosemary chicken, but I didn't feel up making something quite so laborious. Hence I made this "cheat" for rosemary chicken that ended up more of a hybrid than a cheat. It served FANTASTICALLY with creamy mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli and cauliflower. And with minimal effort it was on the table in less than 30 minutes. Let me know if you enjoy it as much as we did.

Rosemary Mushroom Chicken
2 Tbls EVOO
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (you could easily substitute thighs)
1 tsp dried rosemary (or 1 TBLS fresh)
salt & pepper
1/2 can cream of mushroom soup

In a large skillet heat the EVOO and garlic, about 1 minutes. Sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper and rosemary on both sides and add to pan. Brown chicken, about 5 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Add soup, turn heat down to low, cover, and let simmer about 5 minutes. Serve the extra sauce as a gravy.