Using those left-over tortillas

One thing I've found to be extremely different, food-wise, in Mexico are the tortillas. You just can't beat a tortilla fresh off the griddle! When I make them here, the kids usually snag the first half-dozen as they come out and eat them either plain or with a little butter on them. Yummy!

The second day, though, corn tortillas here start to taste like the ones we used to buy in the States: pretty dry and prone to crack when you fold or roll them. If not used by the end of the second day, fresh corn tortillas are only good for pig food.

So, since we don't have a pig, and I don't like to throw away good food, I've found a few ways to use tortillas which aren't as fresh as I'd like.

Now, I know that corn tortillas aren't as popular in the US as they are here. Nowhere near!!! There is no food in the States which compares to the popularity of tortillas here. It's almost like bread and butter in the midwest, but moreso because tortillas are served with every meal here. That leaves the potential for a whole lot of left-over tortillas!!!

One nice thing, though, is that large packages of corn tortillas are pretty cheap in the States and using these left-over ideas, you can make some quick-fix meals to throw in your freezer for a fraction of what you'd pay for the same pre-prepared food.

When you find corn tortillas on sale, or if the ones you bought fresh are seeming a little sad and tired, just throw them into your freezer in a plastic bag to save until you're ready to use them.

Here are some tortilla ideas. Click the link to go to the individual recipe (links will be added poco a poco!):

Quesadillas (pronounced kay-sah-DEE-ahs)

Tostadas

Taquitos (pronounced tah-KEE-toes)

Enchilada Casserole

Creole Casserole

Do you have a favorite use for corn tortillas? I'd love to hear it! I'm always looking for another recipe. Variety is a good thing!

Home-made laundry soap

Face it, our biggest grocery expenses are often NOT things we eat! Diapers, baby wipes, cleaning supplies, pet food, etc., all take big chunks out of our food budget (assuming, first of all that you have a food budget and second of all that you include non-food items as part of your monthly "grocery" expenses).

I've found a way to reduce my laundry costs to only a few cents per load...easily!!! In the States, I often made my own laundry soap using a recipe similar to this one from the Simple Dollar. As the writer of that recipe says, you'll reduce your laundry bill from $.30-$.40 per load to $.03-$.04 per load. Score!!!

I ran into a problem when we moved here. I couldn't find the necessary ingredients. Bar soap -- yes, no problem. Lots of that. Borax and washing soda??? No lo hay! (There ain't none!)

So I started experimenting and looking at what the nationals use. When we visit the States next time, I plan to check and see if this soap is available. I'll bet it is, if you know where to look!

Lirio.

At a cost of 8 pesos a bar (around 50 cents), you just can't beat this stuff. The ladies of the village here just use the bar as-is. Most of them don't have washing machines, so they just rub the soap on the clothes and scrub the clothes clean. I'm lazy. I have a washing machine. It usually works.

So, instead of rubbing the soap on the clothes, we experimented with some pre-made mixes.

Evie and a little friend, Ian, grated a bar of Lirio soap and I added some powdered oxygen boost stuff I found (NOTE: DON'T add water to Oxy-stuff. It foams uncontrolably!!!) and made a dry soap mix which could be easily added to the washer.

I had issues with the stuff not completely dissolving, though, so we continued to experiment.

Now, I think we have it perfected...

One bar of soap (grated)+ One gallon of water (mix well) = One bottle of laundry soap

I use about 1/2 cup of soap to a large load of laundry, so my cost is just under $.02 per load. Compare to a gallon of laundry detergent here (which I can't find for less than $10) and doing a load a day (which is low for our house!), I save $9 per month. I love saving money!!!

We find that we have to agitate the bottle a bit as it gets close to the bottom, because the soap wants to re-solidify. The washing soda and the borax in Simple Dollar's recipe will solve that problem.

Hey, if you find Lirio in the States, check the price and let me know! It will save me the search in August!

Tostadas

Summer time is a great time for get-togethers and youth hang-outs. Actually, I've found that youth like to get together and hang out pretty much all year long. And if youth are hanging out, they want to eat. Here's a great way to feed a large group on a small budget...and use up the leftovers you have lying around, as well!

The most expensive foods are convenience foods. Of course you know that if you've ever walked down the "Ready-to-Eat" aisle of the grocery store. Tortilla chips are cheaper than potato chips, but they can still be kind of spendy. Home-made tostadas and tortilla chips are easy and are about half the price of store-bought.

You'll need:

• a package of corn tortillas, fresh or frozen.If frozen, try to knock all the ice off of them, as the ice crystals will cause the hot oil to jump up at you. Painful.
• a rack or a collander to put the cooked tortillas into, in order to let the excess oil drip off
• tongs to retreive your tostadas from the hot oil
• a heavy skillet or deep-fryer
• about a liter of oil, but possibly less, depending on how many tostadas you're making
• salt

Pull your old tortillas out of the freezer and wrap them in a fuzz-free towel to thaw.

They may look a little ugly when you start, but that's ok!

Heat about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of oil (or shortening) in your skillet to very hot, but not smoking. You can deep fry them in a fryer, too, but I don't have one...plus, that uses more oil. ;^)

Gently slide the tortilla into the hot oil. Use your tongs to flip the tortilla. The longer they cook, the crispier they'll be. The ideal ones are lightly browned on both sides without turning black on the edges. Add more oil to the skillet as needed.

Under-done tostadas still taste fine, but are a little difficult to eat, since they stay chewy!

Here are tostadas on a cooling rack and a cute little red-headed kid trying to snag one before lunch. Caught ya!

Add a little salt at this point, if desired. Perfect! Tostadas ready for topping or dipping! Would you rather have tortilla chips? Before frying, use a pizza cutter to cut the tortillas into triangles. Add salt before the tortillas are cooled so that the salt will stick.


At this point, you decide how you'll use your tostada chips. They can be served with seviche (that's a very Sinaloan dish which you can read about over at Sarah's blog) or fresh salsa or topped with any of the following:

• Refried beans
• Rice -- red, white or whatever you have on hand
• Shredded meat
• Shredded cabbage or lettuce
• Radish or cucumber slices
• Chopped tomatoes
• Sauteed onions
• Sour cream or plain yogurt

Serve with lime wedges and picante sauce. Voila! Supper is served!!!

Cheapskate note: Don't throw away that used oil left-over in your skillet! It's only been used once and is still perfectly good to use in frying eggs, sauteeing onions or meat or just about anything else. It will have a slightly "corny" taste, but why waste it??? Let the oil cool completely and then use a funnel to pour the oil back into an empty oil bottle. Be sure to write "USED" on the side!