Heritage...

This Cinco de Mayo I got to thinking about my heritage. Some may not know, and definitely cannot tell, that I am 1/4 mexican. Crazy, right? My great-grandparents on my Mama's side migrated to the U.S. from Jalisco, Mexico, in 1917. They first lived in Arizona, but then moved to San Francisco, which is where I remembering visiting my bisabuela. Their names were Manuel Gomez and Maria de Jesus Ramirez Gomez. My grandmother, Esperanza, was one of four children, and the only girl. My great uncles were named Maximo, Alfred, and Manuel. Bisabuela passed away when I was 12, and I remember that hers was the first funeral I attended. I didn't know her well, and I never met my bisabuelo. What I remember most about visiting her in San Francisco was the wonderful meals she prepared in anticipation of our arrival. She made the most delicious tamales I've ever had. She spoke english, but not very well, so it was sometimes difficult to have a conversation with her. I loved to listen to my family members speak spanish. My grandmother, whom I call Mimo, taught me some as a child. I felt that was something special we shared together. While growing up in California we would go visit Mimo's brother, Al, every so often. He was such a fun guy. He was the only other member of her family that I really got to know. I was amazed as a child because he trained two squirrels to come into his apartment to get peanuts. He and I would walk to pick up dinner at a great chinese place down the street from his apartment in San Mateo. He and Mimo were so very close. It broke my heart when we found out that he passed away this February. I guess I need to get started on geneology and temple work...

My mother-in-law has always prepared mexican food on Cinco de Mayo, so I decided to make homemade flour tortillas. They were super easy to make and so incredibly tasty. Aaron has talked me into avoiding store-bought tortillas from now on. We'll see how that goes. Here's the recipe I used. It would also be something fun for kids to help with.

Flour Tortillas

3 cups flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. oil

Hot water (to make dough smooth)

Combine dry ingredients; add oil. Begin adding enough hot water to make a smooth dough. Knead dough about 1 minute; let rest. Divide dough into small balls. Roll each ball into a thin circle. Cook on a hot, dry griddle, each side about 30 seconds, until bubbly. Turn and cook until done, about 1 minute.