It was never my intention to leave this little slice of the world on the wayside. Life has a way of sneaking up on you, and leaving you with this feeling that everything on your To-Do list needs to be checked off before you can take the time to write in your beloved blog.
But, I had a little a chat with my To-Do list, and it told me not to worry, and go do what you love. And that is why, here I am, back today sharing with you. I missed you.
These past few months Jon and I have pulled out our teaching hats again, and are in full swing teaching three business courses and English. We also completed an advanced computer class for the employees of a local university.
In February we also got to celebrate carnaval. Our town has the second biggest celebration in the country so we had the pleasure of hosting 14 other volunteers in our home and getting to watch scantily clad women with big feathers walk down the sambodromo. Allison blogged all about it.
(Yes, we cook on a camping stove and use matches to light it up every.single.time)
And for even bigger news, last weekend Jon and I were invited to our first ever quinceañera, my excitement for this event was through the roof. The quinceañera was for an English student of ours who loves all things Korean, specifically KPop, so her party was Asian themed. There were even chopsticks for us to play with. We each also got glow in the dark bracelets, masks, Mongolian hats, a ceramic Asian doll, candy galore, and super sweet Bratz socks with grips on the bottom. I provide you with a couple of images of the party extravaganza.
Though, let’s not forget the most important topic at hand, these homemade tortillas. I made these for a national Peace Corps publication (which makes me practically famous, thanks Mary!), and was surprised how easy and slightly soothing it is to make them. The key to getting them perfect is to roll them out as thin as possible. And yes, these guys are far superior to the store bought ones. Enjoy!
Homemade Flour Tortillas
Makes 12 tortillas
Ingredients:
3 cups of Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoons Baking Powder (optional*)
⅓ cups Canola Oil or Melted Butter
1 cup Hot Water
Instructions:
1. Mix flour, salt, and baking powder together.
2. Add oil/butter and mix together with fingers until all of the oil is incorporated and the mixture has the texture of cornmeal.
3. Pour the hot water into the mixture.
4. Mix everything together with your hands until a ball forms, then transfer the ball to a floured surface and work dough until it’s smooth and round.
5. Let the dough rest covered with a dishtowel, or similar, for at least 30 minutes.
6. Divide dough into twelve balls.
7. Flour your surface and roll out balls as thin as possible (you can use a wine bottle or similar type of receptacle), approximately 8 inches across.
8. Cook in a frying pan or griddle on medium heat (with no oil) until it bubbles slightly and turns a golden brown in some areas. Flip tortilla, then remove from griddle when both sides are perfectly browned.
*You can omit the baking powder and the tortillas will still be delicious, the baking powder just makes the tortillas slightly more puffy and lighter.