Fried Tortilla Pies

Fried Tortilla Pies

(The I've run out of everything breakfast)

Sometimes life throws us curve balls.  This past month we were served several in a row.  That meant that I had to rely on our supplies instead of going to the store all the time.  Frugality has been the name of the game.  So when it came time for breakfast the children gave me sad looks when I offered oatmeal or grits (again).  They brightened up when I offered biscuits....but sadly not enough Bisquick for that.  HMMMMM So I looked in the fridge and a half a pack of flour tortillas caught my eye.  I remembered my mom used to make fried tortillas then put butter and sugar on them.  An idea came to light.   Tortillas, jam, butter, sugar, cinnamon!  Fried tortilla pies.  

Ingredients needed

Flour tortillas

Strawberry Jam

4 TBL butter

2  TBL virgin coconut oil

cinnamon (to taste)

1/4 cup sugar

whipping cream (optional)

1. Heat oil and butter in a frying pan. I did mine on medium.

2. Place a small amount of jam in  tortillas and roll up.  I secured mine with a tooth pick,  

3. Fry tortillas till they are golden brown 

4. Place on paper towel and drain then top with cinnamon and sugar 

5. Place a small bit of whipped cream on it and enjoy!

Incidentally. the children loved them.  I am sure they would make a fabulous dessert as well as they are mostly devoid of nutritional value, but oh were they good!

Homeschool Reason #4 Your children are safer in your home

Homeschool Reason #4

Your children are safer in your home

I have waited a month to do this post; mostly because it is ghastly.  So many innocent children died and there are no answers forthcoming.  We cannot just say, "oh this is terrible, but some good will come out of it."  No, a mad man took innocent life and there it ends.  Schools do their best to protect children.  The days of complying with the attacker, calling the police, waiting for the negotiator to arrive in the hope of a safe release, are a distant memory. Schools can have alarms, buzzed locked doors, an armed guard, and still, evil can visit itself there.  The very setting of a traditional school lends itself to mass casualties.  There are many defenseless children who are cared for by disarmed teachers and administrators. It is an inviting target to those who want to do as many terrible acts as possible in the shortest amount of time.  The best thing I can think of to immediately make our schools safer is to simply allow teachers and administrators to take courses on weaponry and to carry concealed.  Criminals are generally cowards who look for the easy target. I know this proposal is fraught with questions and fears, but pilots are armed now and terrible atrocities have not happened as a result.   You cannot legislate evil away.  You cannot fix evil by eliminating tools, and there will always be another tool to use if a person really wants to do evil things.  The best you can do is be prepared to defend yourself and those you love.

Now can evil visit me at home?  The simple answer is, "Yes. Certainly."   However, when you home school, you are less of a target for a madman than a whole host of innocent young ones.  Unless we are being stalked, a homeschooling family is simply less visible.

Beyond anonymity,  a homeschooling family may add many security features to their home to make it more secure. You can bring in a pet to alert you to the presence of someone not in the family.  You have the freedom to arm yourself. If you are threatened with lethal force, you can return in kind. 

Let me perfectly clear, if someone comes in to my school to do evil, the principal and vice-principal won't be defenseless.

Teriyaki Chicken over rice

Chicken teriyaki 

over rice with stir fried veggies

(How to get kids to eat cabbage)

It is New Years again.  We were at the store picking up small family New Year's party items; chips, dip, stuff to make pigs in a blanket, and the Little Debbie version of twinkies.  Walking through the produce section I picked up the compulsory head of cabbage and black eyed peas for the new year.  My beloved husband gave me a sideways look and said "you know you'll be the only one eating that right?"  I nodded my head, but after this past December we need all the the luck we can get.  Walking through the store I saw split chicken breasts on sale and an idea began to take root.   The kids love Asian food.....Asian food sometimes has cabbage in it.......hmmmmm,

This is an adaptation of about 5 different recipes for chicken teriyaki.  Adapted because I don't usually carry sake (/ˈsɑːkeɪ/ or /ˈsɑːki/) in my kitchen and I was fresh out of fresh ginger.  

This makes enough to feed 6 people for dinner and have enough leftovers for 1 lunch.

Prep
Chop 2 chicken breasts and pound them (with a meat mallet) into smallish bits.
Put it in a zip lock bag or marinating bowl and add a quarter cop of soy sauce and a dash of sesame seed oil.
Set aside.  I marinated mine for about an hour.

Get your rice going

4 cups chicken broth (or water)

2 cups rice (I use basmati)

Salt 

Pepper

Combine, bring to a boil, then lower heat. Cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed
Stir occasionally. Remove from heat when no more liquid.

Now make the the sauce

1/2 cup soy sauce

10 table spoons brown sugar

3 table spoons honey

1 teaspoon powdered ginger

1/2 tsp powdered garlic

1 cup water

Combine and simmer. Set aside for plating.

Vegetable stir fry

Chop 1/4 head of cabbage

1/2 small yellow onion (chopped small)

2 cloves garlic chopped

2 carrots peeled and chopped

1 head if broccoli broken up 

3 TBL coconut oil

1 splash of wine vinegar

 Heat up coconut oil on medium.  Once oil is hot, sauté veggies about 10 minutes, at 5 min mark add splash of vinegar.  Then add 1/4 cup of teriyaki sauce (above). Cover and steam for 5 minutes. 

Chicken 

Take the cooked veggies and put them in a bowl for serving.
Take the same pan (without washing) and add the chicken and marinade.
Take marinated chicken and sauté over med heat adding 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce (above) about half way.

Serve
layer as follows:
Rice
Veggies
chicken
3 tbl's of teriyaki sauce on top