Something new--making flour tortillas

Flour tortilla recipe (makes 8)

• 2 cups flour (all-purpose or bread flour, cake flour should be avoided)
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 11/2 tsps salt

I mixed all the ingredients in my KitchenAid using the pastry paddle 'til it was a nice stretchy ball of dough.

Then I divided the dough into eight round-ish balls.

While heating up the heaviest frying pan I own over medium heat (Rachael Ray always says have the pan waiting for you, not the other way around) I began rolling out the tortillas. (Note: the heavier the pan the easier it is to control the heat. A cast iron fry pan would be ideal for making tortillas.)

Sprinkle some flour onto the counter or use a Silpat mat and roll out each ball of dough into a flat circle about 6 inches in diameter. Don't worry if they're not perfectly circular.

Place your tortilla directly into the frying pan. You don't need to add any oil to the pan, they won't stick.

When you see bubbles popping up all over the top of the tortilla, it's done.

Take it off the heat and cover with a clean dishtowel as you repeat the process.

You don't need to cook the tortillas on both sides as they're so thin they'll cook through from the bottom. Cooking on only one side will make a better tortilla.

I filled ours with shredded beef (leftover from a pot roast), a "secret sauce", then topped with cheese.

As you can see, they were a huge hit with Dan and I. If I had offered the kids the ingredients separately and allowed them to make their own, they might have been more apt to eat them.

I think the entire process was 15 minutes start to finish. I told a friend I was going to try tweaking the recipe to add some healthier flour, and up the amount of water while reducing the amount of shortening.