There Is a Recipe for Tortillas

Tortillas have been a staple in the Mexican culture for generations. But women who have handed this tradition down have done so without a recipe. Now, you can add this great alternative to bread to your own cuisine.

INGREDIENTS:

3 1/2 cups Wheat Flour
1 Tablespoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 cup + 3 Tablespoons Water (as hot as you can stand it)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Combine the first three ingredients.
2. Add vegetable oil to these dry ingredients, and mix well.
3. Add water all at once.
4. Knead ingredients until you have a smooth and stiff dough. (about 10 minutes)
5. Let dough rest 10 minutes.
6. Take a palm-full of dough and roll in a ball.
7. While holding the ball against one hand, fold the edges into the middle and press. Turn. Repeat. The process of folding, pressing, and turning goes quite fast. You will end up with a pad that fits within the palm of your hand.
8. Set aside. Continue making the pads until all your dough is used up.
9. Let the pads stand for 15 minutes. (If you let them stand longer, that's fine.)
10. Put a griddle, cast iron skillet, or comal (a round, iron cooking surface that fits over one burner) over medium-low heat. (There is no need to grease the surface.)
11. Place a towel or soft cloth into a large bowl so that you can put the cooked tortillas in the bowl, and fold the towel to cover them.
12. With a rolling pin, roll out the pads into tortillas.

Rolling procedure:

a. With each roll, you will be placing the rolling pin in the middle of the pad.
b. Roll down, then, up.
c. Lift the pad at the 10 o'clock position, and turn it in a 1/4 rotation.
d. Again, roll down and then up.
e. Do not repeat this procedure more that 5 times, as the dough will become hard to handle.
f. Your tortilla should be about 6 inches wide.
13. Place the tortilla on the hot pan, and cook.
14. You can use personal taste as to how well you want your tortilla cooked. Use a pancake turner to flip the tortilla when one side is cooked.
15. Place cooked tortilla within the folds of the towel or cloth.
16. Continue the cooking process until all pads are rolled out and cooked.

TIPS

This recipe makes 14 tortillas. Try to make 14 pads from the start. This guarantees the right size for easy managing.

Using a small rolling pin, about 1 inch in diameter, makes rolling out the pad easier.

When cooking the tortilla, there should be no 'shiny' parts left. (The shiny parts are sections left uncooked.)

You can experiment with the temperature of the skillet. But using medium-low heat allows for even cooking without burning, and time to roll out the next tortilla.

Store unused tortillas in a plastic bag in the bread box. Reheat right on the gas burner (some people like the taste of burnt sections), or covered in the microwave.

Once you've mastered the rolling out process, use 2 skillets, griddles, or comals.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

Spread butter on the tortilla straight off the skillet.

Make tacos with: (use separately or combine any two)

scrambled eggs
refried beans
fried potatoes
cream cheese
chicken
bar-b-qued beef

The kids love a tortilla with peanut butter and honey.

**Now you have a tradition to pass on to your next generation. But as you get better, it probably won't be a recipe you'll be handing down.**

Passing Shadows in the Sky

Passing shadows in the sky are called eclipses. People find these events so interesting that they travel to the places where they can best see them. Scientists take the time to study the shape of the shadows so they can learn more about the earth, moon and sun.

In order to understand the properties of the eclipse, we must remember two things.

1). Our point of view is from the earth, and
2.) When you hold your hand out in the sun, it casts a shadow on the ground. It's that simple.

In a solar eclipse, the moon is in line with the sun, and casts a shadow here on earth. For a few minutes the day will grow darker without a cloud in the sky. This darkness gives an eerie feeling to the earth dweller. That is probably why ancient man thought the world was coming to an end when they viewed a solar eclipse.

Sometimes this shadow will look like a crescent (the shape of a thumb nail) covering the sun's surface. This is a 'partial' eclipse. In a 'total' eclipse, the moon will cover the entire sun. An 'annular' eclipse is when the moon leaves only a glow around the sun's edges, because the moon's size cannot fully cover the sun.

More facts on the Solar Eclipse:

1. A year can have anywhere from 2-5 solar eclipses, but most people on earth don't see them because the path of the shadow is so narrow.
2. View a solar eclipse through protection equipment only. The brightness of the sun's ray will hurt your eyes.
3. A solar eclipse can only be seen during the day.

For a lunar eclipse, our point of view now faces the moon. As the earth comes in line with the sun, the earth's shadow can be seen on the moon. Again, during the 'partial' eclipse we will only see a crescent shadow. A 'total' eclipse is when the entire moon is covered by the passing shadow of earth.

More facts on the Lunar Eclipse:

1. In a year there will be between 0-3 lunar eclipses.
2. We can see the eclipse only if the moon is full.
3. A lunar eclipse can be viewed only at night.

What is Graphoanalysis?©

If your friend doesn't get as excited as you do when you start a new project, you may think that she doesn't care. That may not be the case at all. Perhaps she knows that you can't finish what you start. (Aptly shown in your handwriting by an unfinished T-bar).

Or maybe she herself isn't the exciteable type. (If her handwriting has little or no slant, she will not jump up and down for much of anything.) Either way, you can find out by learning the science of Graphoanalysis©.

Graphoanalysis©, the science of analyzing handwriting, identifies the personality traits and tendencies of the writer. What reveals these characteristics are the STROKES of the handwriting, not the letter formations. So a trained Graphoanalyst© could analyze the strokes in a foreign language and even shorthand.

There are a number of ways one could use the science of Graphoanalysis©. In analyzing your own handwriting, you can learn more about yourself. You will be able to find out what your special talents are and pursue them. A love of music, literary qualities, and athletic ability all show up in Graphoanalysis©.

Another reason to learn this science is for protection. By analyzing the handwriting of a stranger, you would be able to recognize the strokes of a scoundrel.

You could also use this knowledge for profit. By choosing this as a career you could work for law enforcement agencies. You would also be able to tell companies whether a person is right for a job just by studying an application.

Even if you decide not to earn a living using Graphoanalysis©, Greg Greco, President of the International Graphoanalysis© Society, feels everyone can benefit by knowing this science. He says that "a study of handwriting actually improves your capacity for living a happier life, maintaining emotional stability in the family, getting along with neighbors, and progressing on the job."

So your friend may not jump up and down in excitement at your new project, but you'll be able to depend on her in an emergency. Her handwriting will tell you she'll stay cool.

To find out more about the science of Graphoanalysis©, contact the International Graphoanalysis Society, which teaches the copyrighted, American System.

The International Graphoanalysis Society©
111 North Canal Street
Suite 399
Chicago, IL 60606
(724) 472-9701

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A FEW STROKES AND WHAT THEY MEAN.

IF YOU WRITE:------------------------------------------------YOU SHOW:

An underlined signature --------------------self reliance.
A well-balanced 'f'-------------------------organizing ability.
Looped 'd's and 't's------------------------sensitivity.
Frequent breaks between letters-------------you rely on your instincts.
Open 'a's and 'o's--------------------------open with others.




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