I live alone.
I hate eating leftovers for a week straight.
I have barely any time to myself.
I am never home.
I wish I had time to cook for myself and could make a decent meal!

I’ve heard all of these a million times, and I’ve even thought it enough times myself. But, since being on my own, I have artfully begun to master the task of cooking for one.

Mexican food is by far one of my favorites, so margarita and taco night has become a somewhat regular thing for me. Even better, I’ve found a way to cook for just one night and not worry about having any leftovers (unless of course I want to have them).

The best thing about making Mexican food (or, Americanized Mexican food) at home is how easy it can be to make a meal.

With your choice of tortilla, meat (or none), vegetables, and toppings including salsa, tomatoes, onions, cheese and sour cream, you can make tacos, burritos, or quesadillas.

The best thing that I’ve discovered is that you don’t have to buy a whole bag of tortillas that will end up going to waste if you don’t use them soon enough. And the reason you don’t have to buy them: homemade flour tortillas are incredibly easy to make!

Ingredients you need

• 3 cups unbleached flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 4-6 tbsp. vegetable shortening
• about 1 1/4 cups warm water
• cast iron pan (but a large skillet will do the trick if you don’t have a cast iron pan)

What to do:

1. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Add vegetable shortening, using a fork or pastry cutter to cut in the shortening.
3. Next, add luke-warm water a little at a time until your dough is soft and not sticky.
4. Knead the dough for a few minutes.
5. Now you will pull off pieces of dough to form about 12 small dough balls. Let them rest for at least 10 minutes, longer if you like.

This is a good time to heat up the pan. Set it at medium to high heat. If it is too hot the tortillas will cook too fast. Also during this time, I like to prepare the insides for my tacos or quesadilla so they are ready to go once my tortillas are done.

Once the dough has rested, roll it out fairly thin. It is a good idea to dust each ball with a little flour just before you do this. If you’re wondering why I had you make 12 of these and said there would be no leftovers, it is because you should roll out what you want to use, then take the rest and wrap them in plastic wrap to put in the freezer. You can take them out to use as you please.

Lay your tortilla on the hot pan and keep an eye on it. It takes just a few seconds to cook. Flip to the other side. When they are done it should have a lot of nice brown speckles. Place them in a towel to keep fresh until you are ready to eat.

Ta da…a homemade meal for one, no leftovers!

What is your favorite “meal for one” recipe? Do you love Mexican food as much as I do?

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1. International Food Series: Taco Night
2. This Ain’t No Egg McMuffin
3. Health-i-tize Your Kid’s Favorite Dinners!
4. Men Cooking for Women in Small Spaces
5. Broccoli Cheese Soup “Disaster”

Tags: Burrito, Cooking, Flour tortilla, Homemade, How to, Mexican cuisine, Quesadilla, recipe, taco, Tortilla