Well, first, let me tell you something: my uncles are probably the cheapest individuals alive… even more cheap than me ( and, forgetting a few electronic splurges, I am exceptionally “cheap”). So, anyway, my uncles frequent a grocery store called ALDI. It is a very cheap, minimalistic (and cheap) place to shop. One of the things they buy there are frozen burritos… and at less than 30¢ a piece – they are not that bad. They are not that good either.
So, where am I going with all of this… last time we went to ALDI – we didn’t buy the frozen burritos. In the spirit of cheapness we bought the ingredients to make burritos. We made them – we froze them – and we’ve been munching on them for about a week and a half now. Not only are they much much better than the frozen things, but they are a little cheaper. By about 2¢ a piece.
The biggest cost – adding a whopping 10¢ per burrito – was tortillas. So, today – I have successfully mastered home-made flour tortilla making. It wasn’t that hard, but the result is scrumptious. Not to mention at least 7¢ a piece cheaper.
The next thing I’m working on mastering are good hash browns – I’ll keep everyone posted.
Oh, yeah and here is the recipe I used for the tortillas (in case you’re cheap too) 😉
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Ingredients:
* 2 cups all purpose flour
* 1/4 cup vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* 1/2 tsp. baking powder
* 3/4 cup warm water
Directions:
In a bowl, blend flour, salt, baking powder and shortening until it resembles fine meal.
Add warm water, a little at a time, to flour mixture and toss until liquid is incorporated. Water amount will vary with different flour types.
Form dough into a ball and kneed on a floured surface until dough is smooth and elastic. Divide, and make 12 smaller balls. Cover and let stand at least 30 minutes.
Cooking Tortilla:
Roll each ball of dough on a floured surface to make 6 or 7 inch sized tortillas. Place on a pre-heated griddle or cast
iron skillet and cook till medium golden on both sides.
Remove to a basket lined with a cloth towel or put between a towel until cool. After the tortillas have cooled completely, store them in a plastic bag. This recipe will make approximately 12 flour tortillas.
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P.S.
to make these as cheaply as possible buy flower in 25lb bags… no, I’m not kidding…