Corn tortillas

BLACK-EYED PEAS - (or Cowpea) - A oval, creamy white bean with a black "eye." Soft textured.




Oh what or what shall I do with this bean - pea or whatever you wish to call them? Don't remember where I got them or how long I've had this bag of them but it is high time I used them up. That was my thoughts a few days ago when I put a batch of them in a crock pot. For years now I've just bottled beans and then used them. A real handy method but I'm almost completely out of canned beans. I've a few black beans and a few kidneys but that's it. The temperatures have been in the 90's F. Hardly canning weather. Mighty hot for September.  

I got to wondering, how come I've never crock potted beans before? I think it was the fear of it taking forever for them to cook. Now that was crazy. I just put the beans in the crock over night and ta da in the morning they were done. With half the beans I added the rest of the goodies to make ham and bean soup. The other half of the beans went in the refrigerator until today. The leftover ham for the beans was from another meal.

The other half of the beans in the crock pot I put in the refrigerator to make refried beans today. Half of the hamburger and onions I cooked to go in with the refried beans in a tortilla shell I put in the crock pot with stewed tomatoes, a small can of tomato sauce, and a can of tomato paste to make a red sauce for lasagna tomorrow. I really need to use up the cans of tomato sauce and paste. I've bought a case of them over a year ago and I just don't seem to use much anymore. It is getting to be more and more home-made around here as the more I learn about food from the store the less I am inclined to use it.

That doesn't mean my grocery bill isn't still high but hey, I'm working on it.

I've been making my refried beans for years. You just put cooked beans in a fry pan or an electric skillet with a bit of oil and mash them a bit. These beans were a good choice since they are naturally soft and they were yummy. The traditional bean used is pintos but I don't like pintos much and why not be a bit creative. I used the same electric skillet I had just fried up the tortilla shells in. I added some garlic powder, chili powder, salt, black pepper, and dried onion tops. Remember the ones from the garden last year that didn't make full onion size so I dried the tops and bottoms.   

 
Today I made the Cook's magazine's corn tortilla recipe. It isn't a true corn tortilla. It is simply a 1/2 cup of corn meal put into a flour tortilla recipe. The best part is the corn meal was mine from my Painted Mountain corn grown a year ago. I'd like to give you the recipe but I can't find it on the Internet and my daughter informed me it is a no, no to simply give the recipe to you even though I give them credit. I'm suppose to talk about the recipe and give a link. Live and learn something every day.




This recipe appealed to me because the traditional corn tortilla is made using masa harina and that has to be bought.  I did make a mistake though. This recipe rolled out beautifully thin and I got carried away.  See how much thinner the corn tortillas turned out in comparison to these flour ones. I should of made the corn tortillas thicker as they became brittle and broke apart. We each had one and then I did the best to roll up the rest with some refried beans, sour cream, and cheese. I put those in a glass pan and put them in the refrigerator. Tomorrow I'll add some more cheese and enchilada sauce and bake it. Add some salad on top and yum, yum!!


This is how I need to start cooking again. This is the way I did when the kids were little to try and conserve food. This is what I did to conserve money. That is my new resolution for the fall is to figure out ways to save money and time.

Well, it is time for a little shut eye as we are hauling hay real early in the morning. Next time I'll talk about what I learned about corn silks and their medicinal value.