Mom's Whole Wheat Tortillas & Chicken Ranchero

When I was growing up, my mom would make homemade whole wheat tortillas....she would even grind her own wheat.  As a kid, I don't think I fully understood how awesome it was to have HOMEMADE TORTILLAS!  I didn't especially appreciate them in my school lunches either.  I can still remember the smell of tuna fish wafting out of my lunchbox as I removed a soggy, rolled-up tuna concoction bundled in plastic wrap.  The juices from the tuna would seep through the tortilla and then somehow find their way out of the plastic wrap and onto everything else in my lunch.  It makes my stomach turn just thinking about it....not to mention being the kid who smelled like tuna the rest of the day.  {I might have a few unresolved issues with this - can you tell?}

I did really enjoy them for breakfast, however, when Mom would serve them hot off the stove, spread them with some melty butter and sprinkle them with cinnamon and sugar.  Mmmmm.  Now THAT'S how I like to remember her tortillas.

With the amount of these things we ate at our house, you'd think we would have tried them with Mexican food....but I don't think we ever did.  So, here I am carrying on my own version of this family tradition.

Ingredients:

2 cups fine-ground whole wheat flour {sifted}

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. oil {I used extra virgin olive oil}

3/4 cup warm water {approx.}

Sift dry ingredients together in a bowl.  Add oil and water and knead for 2 minutes.  

Cover and let sit for 5 minutes.

Cut dough into 8 equal parts.  Roll one piece at a time between two pieces of wax/parchment paper until it's paper thin.

Cook in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until it bubbles.  Flip tortilla and cook on the other side.  {These only take about a minute....keep an eye on them.}

Makes 8 tortillas. 

Mine turned out a little thicker than I wanted {more like a thin flatbread}.  Next time I'll have to roll them out a little more....I'm not quite the expert my mom is.

I served them up with super-easy chicken ranchero.  I found this recipe on Pinterest a long time ago, but when I went to look it up, the page was gone.  Thanks to whoever posted this recipe.  It's delicious!

Ingredients:

4-6 chicken breasts {I used frozen}

1 15oz. can or approx. 2 cups chicken broth

1 packet ranch dressing mix {3 Tbsp.}

1 packet taco seasoning {1/4 cup}

Cook in slow cooker until tender enough to shred, approximately 4-6 hours. 

Remove chicken breasts and shred using two forks.  Put chicken back in the cooking liquid.  Serve warm.

Enjoy!