Burnt Blue Corn Tortillas

In among the leaves in this photo are burnt blue corn tortillas which were banished outside in an effort to keep the house from smelling like one big failed tostada.  I guess we’re due for another toaster oven, as the toasting part is out on this one, forcing us to use the oven function as a toaster for things like tortillas. Since there is no timer on the oven function, we have to keep an eye on the tortillas, and they have a way of suddenly getting very done and filling the kitchen with smoke.

Which reminds me of toaster ovens past, and the days when tortillas really got away from us, bursting into flaming tostadas.  Laurie had the routine down: unplug the toaster oven, flick the tortillas out onto a plate with a wooden spoon, and throw them in the sink.  One occasion, she opened the toaster oven and the flames burst forth, licking at the cabinet the toaster oven was installed under.  With visions of the house burning down, she yanked the toaster oven out of its mounting brackets, threw it on the floor along with the flaming tortillas, and stomped on the whole mess until the flames were extinguished.  Once I determined the pancaked toaster oven still worked, I pounded it back into shape and we used it for several more years!  After that experience we become more cautious, though, and have avoided flaming tortillas, settling for merely burnt ones that get tossed among the leaves.