Whole Wheat Tortillas

Inspired by Rachel, I decided to try this recipe for Whole Wheat Tortillas. After reading comments and reviews I modified it slightly, using 1/3 cup olive oil instead.

{I was a little concerned because the dough was REALLY sticky. When I put it on my cutting board to divide it, I gave it a light dusting of flour and rolled it around a bit. That seemed to help. Until I started rolling it. Um, I must have measured flour wrong or something. I ended up kneading a little more flour into each of the 12 balls as I went.}

The first 5 or so were crazy, but then I think I got the hang of it. My tortillas came out. I was a little concerned because of the stickiness of the dough, but they were DELICIOUS! (I melted a little butter and sprinkled cinnamon on the very last one out of the pan - before the kids could come home and get jealous!) They were sorta crisp after I cooked them, but I stacked them on a plate, covered with plastic wrap, and stuck them in the fridge until dinner time. They still weren't flexible enough to make burritos, but they were perfect for tonight's dinner.

I made the following recipe for dinner with my tortillas. Here are the modifications I made:
1. I used Trader Joes refried black beans.
2. I used a bit of enchilada sauce (from a can because I still had one in my pantry - next week I will try out a recipe for enchilada sauce) instead of salsa, because I know my kiddos wouldn't eat the recipe with salsa.
3. I added corn
4. I used a grated Mexican cheese blend.

The Chicken Tortilla Pie was tasty, but a little dry. I think I could probably fix it next time around. So this will make a repeat appearance on the menu.

And of course some rice: ANOTHER bad attempt at Spanish Rice. This time I took elements from two friends' recipes and combined them (used fresh tomatoes instead of sauce, used chicken stock instead of bouillion, minced garlic instead of garlic salt)... but the result was dreadful. I used 1 1/2 cups brown rice and a total of 8 cups liquid to achieve "not crunchy" rice. Even looking at the bag of rice, I should have only needed 3 3/4 cups water.

I am a little discouraged about Spanish rice. There is a pre-made one that I LOVE that they sell at Costco (in southern California). It is yummy, dry not mushy, and doesn't have chunks of anything in it. I WANT TO MAKE RICE LIKE THAT. I think I have several things going "against" me here - one being elevation and the other using brown rice. Both take more water and time, but I don't know what that perfect combination is.... Oh well - maybe one day I will figure it out!

(Sorry no pics - my camera battery was dead!)