Saint Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe

                            
 We combined the celebrations for the Our Lady of Guadalupe and  Saint Juan Diego on Thursday. We chose to do this because  the celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe would normally occur on the 12th December and this year the 12th December is the date that the third Sunday of Advent occurs on. Naturally Mary's mission is only ever to lead us to her son and so the celebration of this particular Sunday(Gaudete) takes precedence)


Below is the recipes we use for  our Mexican meal
 
                           Flour Tortillas
• 3 c unbleached flour (or whole wheat, or regular all-purpose, if that’s what you’ve got)
• 2 t baking powder
• 1 t salt
• ¼ c (plus a little (1-2 T) extra – no need to measure exactly) vegetable shortening
• 1 to 1 ¼ c warm water
Sift the dry ingredients together into a large bowl. Add the shortening, and mix them together until the shortening is evenly incorporated.

Next, add the warm water a little at a time, tossing together until the mixture forms a soft dough that is not sticky. Go ahead and knead it a few times, adding a sprinkling of flour if needed, to make it smooth.


Now divide the dough into 12 evenly-sized balls, and let rest for 10-15 minutes, while you straighten up and set up your work area for rolling out!


Here’s how we do it: Each “roller” gets a piece of parchment or “press-and-seal” (sticky side down) sprinkled with a little flour. One dough ball is lightly flattened in the center of the paper, then sprinkled with a little more flour. On top of this, a piece of plastic wrap is carefully laid across. Then roll out a circle – starting each roll in the center. It helps if the first few rolls are done somewhat lightly, until a reasonably circular shape is achieved – though, of course, perfection is unnecessary. Roll them fairly thin, or to about 8-10” in diameter.

Then flip the two layers of paper with the tortilla in between upside down, and carefully peel off the parchment for re-use; the unbaked tortilla is then placed, plastic-wrap side down, in a pile with each of the other tortillas as they are rolled. If desired, a moist paper towel can be placed lightly on top of the pile to keep the top tortilla from drying out. (If you find that the tortillas are sticking to either paper, just use a little more flour when rolling out.)


Once the rolling is well-underway, heat a 12-15” dry frying pan over medium to medium-high heat. It should be well-heated and ready by the time the last tortilla is rolled.


Each tortilla is then peeled off the plastic wrap, and placed in the hot, ungreased pan to be cooked on each side. The tortilla may bubble slightly and appear slightly dry as it bakes, and will have brown speckles on the underside when it is ready to flip/remove. It will take less than a minute on each side, so watch them carefully!

Steak fajitas with avocado and tomato salsa

Ingredients (serves 4)

•            700g beef rump steak, trimmed, cut into strips

•            1 tablespoon olive oil

•            2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce

•            12 x 20cm flour fajitas or tortillas

•            1 1/2 cups grated tasty cheese

•            1 baby cos lettuce, shredded

•            Sour cream, to serve

Avocado and tomato salsa

•            250g grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered

•            2 green onions, trimmed, finely sliced

•            1 large avocado, peeled, stone removed, diced

•            2 teaspoons lime juice

Method

1.            Make avocado and tomato salsa Place tomatoes, onions, avocado and lime juice in a glass or ceramic bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine. Cover and set aside.

2.            Place steak, oil and sweet chilli sauce in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine.

3.            Heat a large, non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add steak mixture. Cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes or until browned and just cooked through. Remove to a heatproof bowl. Cover to keep warm.

4.            Meanwhile, heat fajitas or tortillas following packet directions.

5.            Place salsa and steak mixture on table. Place cheese, lettuce and sour cream in separate bowls on table. Place fajitas or tortillas on plates.