Homemade tortilla chips

Happy Mother's Day, everyone!

Tell your mom how much you love her with chips.

Now, I know what you're thinking: why are you making chips, when you can buy a whole big bag of them for practically nothing? Well, 1) as an experiment, 2) this way I know exactly what goes into them, and 3) I can limit quantities this way. If I bought a bag of chips, my husband would have a bag of chips for dinner. When I make a small, hand-crafted batch, it's a special treat for both of us.

Essentially, you're deep-frying cut-up tortillas. That's it. That's the recipe. Cut up tortillas. Deep fry. Eat. If you have a deep fryer, it's super easy. I used whole wheat flour tortillas, which honestly were a little bready. Next time I'll use corn tortillas. But you know what--still good.

If my mom were nearby, I'd make her a nice Mother's Day brunch, with fresh-squeezed juice, maybe a zucchini-potato frittata, some artisanal bacon, and fresh rosemary bread. Actually, I think I may go make that anyway.

Zapp's potato chips

Another local find. Zapp's are made in Louisiana, and guess what--you can't find them in the rest of the country. (Naturally I only like things I can't actually get on a regular basis.)

Their Crawtator chips are my favorite. (No crawfish were involved in the making of these chips--they're covered with a spicy blend of flavorings typically used on seafood, kind of like Old Bay.) But the limited-edition Voodoo chips are a close second.

Whenever I visit my sister in Gulfport, I make sure to stock up on these chips.