Tortillas taste like heaven…amen.

For most of my life I lived in a border city where the only tortillas that existed were those that had been made by hand with love and…lots of lard.  Lard=good stuff.  After living in New Orleans for a while I reduced my ego and tried store bought tortillas.  What. A. Joke.  Soon I realized they were better for ultimate frisbee than tacos.  Naturally the next step was to google (or yahoo, or bing, or whatever you’re ok with) a recipe for tortillas and give it a go.  Here is what you’ll need to make these little clouds of heaven.

 Forgive the poor image quality…my digital camera grew legs and ran away with my ipod charger cord thingie.  I hope they’re happy together.  These were taken on my phone. At night. With poor lighting. And a bad photographer. I digress.

2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup plus two extra tablespoons of shortening or lard

1 cup of very hot (not boiling) water

This recipe takes a little time.  So if you have a life…maybe just find a friend who doesn’t and get them on top of it.  Start with mixing the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.   Then drop in spoonfools of the lard.  I break it up into smaller pieces and place them over the entire plane of the flour mixture.  This makes it easier to cut together. 

Cut the lard together with the flour mixture until it resembles course crumbs.  Pour in the hot water to the course crumbs and mix together with your hands.  Knead the dough in the bowl until it forms a cohesive ball.

Cover the dough and let sit for at least one hour.  Next, divide the dough into roughly 16 ping-pong size balls. 

Let these set for at least a half hour before you roll them out.

Next roll out your tortillas to about 7 inches in diameter.  Or wider if you like them thinner, smaller if you like them thicker.  They will shrink a little when you put them on the skillet.

Please ignore my freaky shaped tortillas.  The first few are always pretty wonky.  Hey…I don’t judge you.

Place them in an ungreased skillet or griddle at medium-high heat and let each side cook for roughly 30 to 40 seconds.  You want them soft.  Place your cooked tortillas in a cloth to keep them warm. 

Load one of these hot bad boys up with plenty of butter and give em a taste. Now try to eat just one.  Pshh.  I work hard for my muffin top.

Peace, LOVE, and Lard–

The Hungry Wife