Flour tortillas

https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/05/soft-chewy-flour-tortillas-recipe.html

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons lard or vegetable shortening 
• 3/4 cups warm water (approximately 110°F)

Directions

1. 1.
   Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Rub lard into flour mixture using your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add warm water and work dough with hands until completely combined and no dry flour is left in bowl.
2. 2.
   Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, about 1 minute. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces; roll each piece of dough into a ball. Cover dough balls with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let rest an additional 15 minutes.
3. 3.
   Preheat cast iron skillet, griddle, or comal to 500°F. Place one ball of dough on a lightly floured surface and pat down into a flat disc. Using a rolling pin, roll dough out to an 8-inch round. Place dough in skillet and cook until bubbles form on top side and bottom side has brown spots, 30-60 seconds. Flip tortilla and cook until second side develops brown spots, 30-60 seconds longer. Transfer tortilla to a plate and cover with clean dish cloth. Repeat with remaining balls of dough. Serve immediately while still warm.

Jambalaya

https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2017/03/creole-style-red-jambalaya-chicken-sausage-shrimp-recipe.html

Ingredients

• 1 (28-ounce; 795g) can peeled whole tomatoes, packed in juice (see note)
• About 3 cups (720ml) homemade chicken stockor low-sodium store-bought broth, plus more as needed
• 1 1/4 pounds (565g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon (15ml) vegetable, canola, or other neutral oil, plus more if needed
• 3/4 pound (340g) cooked Cajun or Creole sausage, such as andouille or chaurice (or other similar smoked or spiced pork sausage), sliced into thin rounds
• 1 medium yellow onion (8 ounces; 225g), diced
• 2 medium green bell peppers (10 ounces total; 280g), stemmed, seeded, and diced
• 4 celery ribs (6 ounces total; 170g), diced
• 4 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon (5ml) tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon (15ml) Louisiana-style hot sauce, plus more for serving
• 2 teaspoons (10g) minced fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon (5g) dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon (5g) dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups long-grain rice (12 ounces; 370g)
• 3/4 pound (340g) peeled and deveined shrimp
• 6 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced

1. Strain tomatoes and add juice to a 4-cup measuring cup. Place tomatoes in a medium bowl. Using your fingers, carefully tear each tomato open to release the liquid inside its seed compartments. Strain all this liquid into measuring cup. Crush tomatoes well with your hands. Add enough chicken stock to tomato juices to total 4 cups (960ml). Set aside.
2. 2.
   Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Season chicken all over with salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken and cook, turning, until browned on both sides, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes, then cut into 1/2-inch chunks and set aside.
3. 3.
   Meanwhile, add sausage to Dutch oven and cook, stirring often, until just starting to darken, about 3 minutes; lower heat and/or add oil at any point to prevent burning. Add onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring and scraping bottom of Dutch oven, until browned bits have come loose and vegetables just begin to turn lightly golden, about 8 minutes.
4. 4.
   Stir in tomato paste and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Add hot sauce, thyme, oregano, cayenne, garlic powder, and a very generous dose of black pepper. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato/stock mixture, diced chicken, and bay leaves and bring to a simmer. Season with salt, tasting liquid to ensure it is well seasoned.
5. 5.
   Stir in rice and return to a simmer. Cover with lid and transfer to oven. Bake until liquid is fully absorbed and rice is tender, about 40 minutes.
6. 6.
   Gently stir in shrimp and scallions and return to oven until shrimp are just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Cover pot and let rest 15 minutes. Remove bay leaves, if desired (see note).
7. 7.
   Serve, passing hot sauce at the table for diners to add to taste.

   
   

   
   

Blue Velvet cupcakes

https://juliescafebakery.com/amazing-blue-velvet-cupcakes/

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2 cups sugar
• ½ pound (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1 Tbsp Wilton royal blue gel food coloring
• 1 small dab of violet gel food coloring (I dipped in a toothpick and used that much)
• 2 ½ cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• For the frosting
• 1 pound cream cheese, softened
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (I hate sifting; I whir it up in the food processor instead to aerate and get lumps out)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F and line cupcake pans with liners
2. Cream sugar and butter in mixing bowl till light and fluffy, then add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each egg
3. Mix cocoa and food coloring together to make a paste -- this took a while to mix thoroughly with all gel, but it came together nicely; add this paste to sugar mixture and mix well again
4. Sift (or buzz in food processor) flour and salt, and add to creamed mixture a bit at a time, alternating with buttermilk, then mix in vanilla
5. Combine baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl and add to cake batter; mix just to combine
6. Scoop thick batter into cupcake liners, filling about 2/3 full, and bake for probably 25-30 minutes, but start checking at 20 -- mine were done at about the 22/23 minute mark; watch for toothpick inserted in center to come out clean
7. Remove cupcakes from oven and allow cool completely on a wire rack
8. Now make frosting!
9. Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla with electric mixer until nice and smooth
10. Add sugar gradually and beat on low till combined, then beat on high speed until very light and very fluffy