Tales From A Kitchen Illiterate: OH it's SO EASY.......NOT!

I only get 5 recipes a week from TheFresh20 so the weekends are up in the air. I decided that Sundays would be "left-over" day to clean out the fridge for the new week. However, Saturdays I'm on my own *GULP*.

I had purchased some ground turkey last week that had a great sounding taco meatball recipe that called for taco seasoning mix. In trying my best to keep to the rules of the 10 day pledge, I googled and found a homemade taco seasoning recipe that is fantastic!

I also wanted to try my hand at Lisa's whole wheat tortilla recipe. It SOUNDED easy! Putting it into practice was another story. I REALLY need to make sure I read every direction properly HA!

After realizing that you can't get 12 equal pieces of dough from rolling it into a log and cutting in the middle, then cutting those in the middle, etc. (yeah, go ahead try it. I really WAS following her directions at this point) I did it my way. I then misread again and lay the already rolled out tortillas on top of each other to "rest". Of course, they stuck together. After, re-cutting and re-rolling it was finally time to fry them up. I'm not even sure I did THAT correctly! Oh well, they tasted good and the meal, as a whole, was a HUGE hit with the family!

Mexican Night

Taco Seasoning:
2 Tbs chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp paprika
1 Tbs cumin
2 1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Store in a tightly closed container. Use approximately 2 Tbs seasoning mix per pound of ground meat (more or less to taste).

Turkey Taco Balls

1 pound ground turkey
1 egg
taco seasoning mix

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix until well blended. Roll into approximately 1" balls and bake on a cookie sheet (I used a mini muffin pan) in a 350 degree oven until brown.

Slow Cooker Refried Beans

1 onion, peeled and halved
2 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed
1/2 fresh jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
one big pinch of cumin
6 cups water

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on high for 8 hours or overnight while you are sleeping. Remove the bigger onion chunks and drain the excess liquid. If desired, save excess liquid until the final product is desired consistency. Mash remaining beans with a potato masher and serve!

Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp salt
1 cup warm water (heat in microwave 1 minute)

In the bowl of a table mixer set with dough hook, pour int he flour, oil and salt. Mix on medium until crumbly about 3-5 minutes. Scrape the sides as needed. With the mixer running, gradually add the warm water and continue mixing until the dough is smooth, about 3 minutes. Take out the dough and divide it into 12 equal pieces ( I will leave out her rolling the dough into a log, then cutting in the middle and cutting those pieces in the middle as it's physically impossible to cut each in the middle and end up with 12! HA!). Roll each piece into a ball and flatten it out on a baking tray or board. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes or up to one hour.

Heat a cast iron skillet, griddle or 12-inch pan over medium high heat. The pan should be fairly hot before you begin cooking the tortillas. On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball into an 8-10 inch circle. Be careful not to use more than a tsp or two flour when rolling out each ball because too much flour will burn in the pan. Grease the pan with a touch of oil and then carefully transfer each tortilla, one at a time, to the pan and cook until puffy and slightly brown, 30-40 seconds each side.