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Returning home from a relaxing vacation is always like a slap in the face.  It is a sudden shock to the system to be thrust back into the throes of laundry, grocery shopping, meal preparation, shuttling children, scooping pet poop and paying bills.  It’s enough to make me turn around and drive right back to the airport.

But what if I lock myself into the bathroom (one of the only places where my children will grant me a moment of peace…sometimes) and think about the feeling of serenity that I felt at Club Med, Ixtapa over the holidays.  Memories of warmth, lavish meal buffets filled with fresh produce and seafood, tropical drinks, and children engaged with their peers…sigh.

I know, you are thinking, “A relaxing vacation with kids?  You are joking, right?  We usually need a vacation after being “on vacation” with our kids!”  But it is true – the kids enjoyed being in the Mini Club, where they learned to swing on the high trapeeze at the circus school, kayaked, sailed, swam and played with their new friends.  After an afternoon nap, they were out on the beach where they played with their cousins until dinner, and then stayed up for the entertaining shows that started well after their usual bed times.

Truly, though, my mind keeps wandering back to the food.  It was delicious.  I almost had choice stress, except that there was beer on tap and everything was already paid for… Fish was caught and served fresh, either raw as sushi or grilled to perfection.  Produce was delicious, and I could hardly restrain myself from the fresh corn tortillas and guacamole that were at most of our meals.  I would love to go back and follow the executive chef, John Black, around the kitchen and learn more about his craft.  If my Spanish were better, I would love to learn from the local Mexican women who prepared some of my favorite dishes of all… I wonder if the general manager meant it when he invited me to come and teach their Mini Chef program for a week.  I’d better find out!

In the meantime, I am ready to take myself back, even if it is only through a food memory.  Time to make some home-made corn tortillas with my kids.  Now if only someone else would clean up after me and do my dishes, it might almost taste like I was back on vacation!

Home Made Corn Tortillas
(Makes 16 tortillas)

2 cups Masa Flour (Maseca brand works well)
1 1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp. salt

1. Combine two cups of corn masa flour (not corn meal!), salt and 1 cup water.
2. Mix thoroughly.  If dough is still too dry, slowly add remaining 1/4 cup water.
3. Line a tortilla press with two sheets with thick plastic wrap.  You could also cut open a plastic produce bag if you want to recycle what you already have…
4. Break dough into 16 balls of dough, or form one ball at a time – they should be about the size of a golf ball.
5. Place one dough ball at a time between the plastic sheets on your tortilla press and press flat.
6. As you finish pressing each ball of dough, put it on a hot ungreased griddle or skillet.
7. Cook each tortilla for about 50 seconds per side.
8. Put finished tortillas on a plate and cover with a cloth napkin to keep them soft and warm.
9. Serve immediately.

A few more fun food photos from the trip…