Wednesday, October 26th - Another great night

Conditions at 6:00 am: 8' and overcast
Expected later: l8' and rain

Well, our classes are going by pretty quickly. This week we decided to go Mexican. It was a pretty busy schedule but we managed to get everything done in time. We made some spice mixes for both Fajitas and Tacos, that everyone could take home. Then we made some fresh Salsa, as well as Guacamole.
We rolled out some Tortillas and cooked them and then made Quesadillas as well as Burritos. We even finished off the night with some authentic Margaritas.

The results were positive for the most part. The salsa was a bit lacking but I think it just needed some more time to sit to let the flavours blend together. But everything else seems to have been well received. Not to mention a great time was had by all while making everything. We have a really great group this year and each class is so much fun.

It was raining all day so Brenda came over at 6:00 and we loaded everything in the back of the Volvo and headed out. She also helped unload everything and put it away when we got back. I can't imagine how much work this would be without her help. But it's actually a lot of fun and this year - being finished work that half hour earlier makes all the difference in the world.

Here are the recipes from last night:

Homemade Flour Tortillas

4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons lard 1 1/2 cups water

INGREDIENTS:

DIRECTIONS:

1.

Whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder together in a mixing bowl. Mix in the lard with your fingers until the flour resembles cornmeal. Add the water and mix until the dough comes together; place on a lightly floured surface and knead a few minutes until smooth and elastic. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball.

2.

Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Use a well-floured rolling pin to roll a dough ball into a thin, round tortilla. Place into the hot skillet, and cook until bubbly and golden; flip and continue cooking until golden on the other side. Place the cooked tortilla in a tortilla warmer; continue rolling and cooking the remaining dough.                                                                   Easy Guacamole Ingredients: 2 avocados 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 ripe tomato, chopped 1 lime, juiced salt and pepper to taste Directions: 1. Peel and mash avocados in a medium serving bowl. Stir in onion, garlic, tomato, lime juice, salt and pepper. Season with remaining lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Chill for half an hour to blend flavors. Fresh Salsa Ingredients: ·                         3 tablespoons finely chopped onion ·                         2 small cloves garlic, minced ·                         3 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeds removed, chopped ·                         2 hot chile peppers, Serrano or Jalapeno, finely chopped ·                         2 to 3 tablespoons minced cilantro ·                         1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons lime juice ·                         salt and pepper Preparation: Put chopped onion and garlic in a strainer; pour 2 cups boiling water over them then let drain throughly. Discard water. Cool. Combine onions and garlic with chopped tomatoes, peppers, cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours to blend flavors. Makes about 2 cups of salsa.