Tortilla Cup Tutorial

This week has been a fun week with the kids. Not only have I increased the time I've been spending with them, I've also made a point of letting them help make meals. Being on vacation makes me crave our own cooking. Unfortunately, it's still hit or miss whether the kids will eat what make though. So, I got them involved.

This was lunch one of the days. We had some shredded chicken (boneless chicken breast, chopped bell pepper and onions, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper all put in a crock pot and turned to high) left over from the night before that I wanted to get them to eat... so I came up with these mini tostadas. Theirs didn't include lettuce - but they loved the little cups we made from tortillas and ate more than they would have ordinarily.

Anyhow, they were fun - we'll definitely do them again. I thought I'd share them here in case you wanted to give them a try as well.

Tortilla Cups

You will need:

* Tortillas (I used regular flour tortillas, but I bet the flavored wrap tortillas would be fun)

* Cookie cutter (I used a 3", but will use at least a 4" next time to give me more room for filler)

* Non-stick fry pan (or use an olive oil spray)

* Muffin tin

* Small plastic cup (that fits loosely into the muffin tin cup)

Step 1. Cut circles from the tortillas with the cookie cutter. I was able to get 4 of the 3" circles out of each tortilla. I imagine that you might be able to get 3 of the 4" circles. I'm sure this would also work without a cookie cutter - just cut the tortilla into quarters.

Step 2. With the pan on medium-high heat, place the tortillas in the pan and allow them to heat through - I like them to brown slightly in a few spots, turn and allow the other side to brown a little as well.

Step 3. Place the tortilla round on top of one of the muffin cups and push it down with the small plastic cup. The tortilla needs to be warm so that it is pliable. I use chopsticks to pick up the tortilla and place it on the muffin tin - those little tortillas get pretty hot!

Step 4. Pull the tortilla out of the muffin tin and allow it to cool for a minute or two. As it cools, it will crisp up and hold it's shape. You can see how this would have been a lot of fun had the sides been slightly taller, but they may be easier to eat with the low sides.

Step 5. Fill! We used shredded chicken, cheese and corn (mine also included lettuce and black beans). The corn adds a sweetness that really adds to the tostada. I have plans of also trying this with chili... and maybe even a Caesar salad. I'd love to hear your ideas as well!

Oh! And these would be perfect for the Muffin Tin Monday that Katy at Sycamore Stirrings holds every Monday! This weeks theme is children's literature. Robbie and I have been brainstorming ideas... we still haven't settled on a book... there are so many to choose from!