a tortilla problem solved, it seems

I’ve written here about buying a tortilla press and making my own tortillas. I have written about my struggles in getting things right. And I have never been totally satisfied. One of my problems was when we would make fajitas (or soft tacos, depending on your perspective) the tortillas would split.

When I bought masa I would always buy Bob’s Red Mill. The company is known for its quality, and I thought it a good choice. The last time I was planning on making tortillas, however, I was shopping at Sprouts. They carry the Bob’s Red Mill brand, but not the masa. They did have a brand called Gold Mine, so I bought that. The Gold Mine brand looked smoother and less grainy than the Bob’s.

When I went to make the wet masa mixture (I dive in with my food handling gloves) it definitely felt smoother and less grainy. I started to make the tortillas and I had a mess. They kept falling apart. But I knew what the problem was: too much water. I asked Terry to add more dry masa to the bowl. (Once again I was wearing food handling gloves and my hands were covered with the masa mix.) That did it. Terry and I got our tortilla production line going.

When we sat down to eat and I put the beef and toppings on the tortilla, folded it and began to eat there was no split! Wow. And that held true for two more tortillas.

I never thought that the brand of masa would make a difference, but it did. Bob’s Red Mill has a great reputation, mostly well-deserved, but it seems their masa is not the best choice for making tortillas. I’m delighted to have found Gold Mine which gives me the result I am looking for.

and now, interesting lunches

Lunch around here has been a rather boring affair except for those times when we go out to eat. Often I’ll heat up a frozen meal. Terry will open a can of soup. Sometimes we’ll make sandwiches using deli meat from Sprouts. Really pretty pedestrian.

I was thinking about this when my dad asked for the second time what we wanted for Christmas. I don’t recall what jogged the thought, but it occurred to me that a Panini press would be really nice. I checked with Terry and she agreed. I looked on Amazon and found the Hamilton Beach 25460A Panini Press. It’s not expensive and it is quite compact (something that matters in our kitchen). I passed that information on to my dad.

Dad is really great when it comes to follow-through on Christmas presents. That is exactly what we got for Christmas. On the 26th I headed straight over to Sprouts (carrying a gift card from my brother and sister-in-law) and bought a bunch of deli meat along with a small loaf of sourdough bread. There was also that bottle of Sriracha mayonnaise that looked so inviting.

Terry and I got creative and we were both pleased with the outcome. I’m not sure why the same ingredients cold or heated in the toaster oven are so everyday but become transformed into such a tasty delight when made in the Panini press.

But they do.

Add to that the fact that my brother and sister-in-law gave us a copy of The Ultimate Panini Press Cookbook, which is full of tempting and mouthwatering recipes, many of which scream, “It’s not just for lunch!”

Much to learn. Much to explore. Much to enjoy.