Nothing on this earth like good fried taters!

Beans and taters aka bratkartoffeln.

I've got an experiment going.
I think it's going to be more landscape rocks.

In spite of doing everything wrong.
Using baking powder that said best if used by 2019 but still powder not a solid brick.
No real measurements at least not with an eyedropper and scales.
Over working the dough.
Just using water.
And so on.
They came out fantastic.
I used 2 cups of flour.
Two teaspoons baking powder.
Enough used lard to make flour stick together a bit.
Pinch of salt.
Used pastry blender to incorporate everything.
Added a little water at a time and mixed with hands until I made a dough I could still work with hands with no problems.
Just past the rags stage.
That's the hard part to explain but the dough was just before getting too wet to deal with.
A teaspoon of water can make all the difference at this stage.
As you can see in the picture.
Rolled into balls but still with folds in the balls.
Baked in 400F oven until just cooked.
Probably around 25 minutes or so.
I had one with butter right after they came out.
I wanted something to go with my ham beans.

Funny, will be making ham and beans this evening, share some and canning some up over the weekend for later. Monday may put up some raspberry jam if the berries taste good.

Mexican rice.
FAILURE WARNING.
Not for sure how it's going to turn out and I might not like it.
And it sucked.
But the sauce is good by itself cold.
Fried rice in skillet with some of the carnita lard.
Used a whole 15 ounce can of tomato puree.
And about an extra cup of water.
In this I added....
1 tablespoon of HEB brand chili powder.
1 tablespoon of Knorr beef bullion powder.
1 teaspoon of ground cumin.
And mixed.
After the rice browned I dumped the sauce in the rice turned on low and set timer for 20 minutes.
Either it will or it won't turn out.

Well that was a total failure.
Some rice cooked and some didn't.
Trying to get the uncooked rice to cook the cooked rice over cooked.
Gave up and tossed the whole mess outside because I can't tolerate overcooked mushy rice.
Obviously it was too much tomato puree and I knew it before I started.
Total cost of failure was about $1.50.

Awesome! Brand new item on the shelves today! This stuff is pricey. 7.49 for a 4 lb bag. Hope it is the right stuff. They also had the King Arthur brand, same price but half the amount, only 2 lbs. That is also new.

Sue_CT wrote: ↑Thu Dec 29, 2022 6:11 pm Awesome! Brand new item on the shelves today! This stuff is pricey. 7.49 for a 4 lb bag. Hope it is the right stuff. They also had the King Arthur brand, same price but half the amount, only 2 lbs. That is also new.

It's jumped up to a whopping $4.10 for 4 pounds here in Bastrop.
There is one same brand also made for tamales that is a little coarser grind but they are all basically interchangeable.
They also have yellow masa harina too.
Meseca is pretty much the gold standard around here.

Wish I found it for that price around here, lol.

I saw it for the almost 8 dollar mark at a Mexican market in Elgin the other day.
I can't believe they were changing that much.
Not seeing the big 25 pound sacks right now.

LOL, I wouldn't invest in a 25 lb sack before making my first tortilla. But never say never. I bet it would be pricey though. Hey, wonder if Costco carries it? I will have to take a peak next time I am there. Knowing Costco, they might have 25 lbs for the price of 8lbs this way.

Waiting for my Tortilla press to arrive. tap, tap,tap...fingers on the table. It says out for delivery, tap, tap, tap...

Do you also have your masa harina?

Photo of Masa Harina, above, lol.

I missed that - thought it was Worth's photo. That's the brand I get here, too.

Its heeerrrrreee!

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Hefty, sturdy, looks like it will do the job an last a while. OK, truthfully, I still want the 10 inch, but if I play with this enough, maybe I can convince someone to get it for me for my birthday or next Christmas.

Can I cook the tortillas in advance and then how do I keep them fresh until I use them and how long will they stay fresh, since there won't any preservatives? Should they be frozen, refrigerated? Or should I just freeze them uncooked? If I freeze them uncooked how do I cook them later before using them? Put them right in the pan from frozen, thaw first? Sooooo many questions, lol!

Sue_CT wrote: ↑Thu Dec 29, 2022 6:11 pm Awesome! Brand new item on the shelves today! This stuff is pricey. 7.49 for a 4 lb bag. Hope it is the right stuff. They also had the King Arthur brand, same price but half the amount, only 2 lbs. That is also new.

One local store had a pallet of the stuff last year. It arrived in February 2021, but the bags had an expiration date of March 2021. At $2.99 a bag, I bought one, then went back a month later and they were all gone. I don't know if they sold, or were removed.

Sue_CT wrote: ↑Fri Dec 30, 2022 7:57 pm Can I cook the tortillas in advance and then how do I keep them fresh until I use them and how long will they stay fresh, since there won't any preservatives? Should they be frozen, refrigerated? Or should I just freeze them uncooked? If I freeze them uncooked how do I cook them later before using them? Put them right in the pan from frozen, thaw first? Sooooo many questions, lol!

Don't count your chickens before they hatch.
First you need to perfect the fine art of making the corn tortilla.
And it's not going to come easy.
I have yet to get them to puff up consistently.
It takes the right temperature and the perfect amount of time on each side.
The 3rd flip is when it puffs up.
The amount of water is important as well.
Most people don't put enough in the dough.
Lastly the reason for making your own is to have them fresh.
Most of these Mexican ladies you see doing this so easily have been doing it since they were little girls.
Most importantly don't get disappointed and give up..