S'more-tilla

One concept I want Elli to understand early is that of a servant’s heart: serving others not out of selfish gain or a need for praise, or because a celebrity makes it vogue, but out of love.

This week I was humbled to serve lunch to those in need at a local church’s soup kitchen. I was put on coleslaw duty and somehow managed to be the only one on the line that shift to get reprimanded by the chef, twice. Turns out I was too generous in my portion size, and a lot of the coleslaw went to waste. Oops.

That day’s lunch inspired me to perpetuate the love, first by looking for opportunities to serve at a soup kitchen again and second by having Elli help me prepare a special treat for Daddy.

Daddy had to work that night, and it was just Elli and me for supper. We ate a simple meal involving cheese rollups made with tortillas. As I was asking her to please keep her food out of her hair, I realized that I had a practically full pack of tortillas to contend with.

My solution: Elephant Ears.

My favorite cookbook of all time is the 1999 Taste of Home’s Guide to Quick Cooking produced by the Aid Association for Lutherans. By now my mom has figured out that I quietly slipped this cookbook into a box when I was packing up to move out of the house many years ago. She has quietly ignored my crime.

One of the recipes is called Quick Elephant Ears, although the product goes by various names. They are fried tortilla halves rolled in sugar and cinnamon. Like a sopapilla but only in the respect that it’s fried and has sugar and cinnamon.

Knowing Daddy is a sugar fiend, I wanted to soup it up for him. And so were born S’more-tillas.

S’more-tilla

2 burrito-size flour tortillas, halved
½ c sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons oil for frying
Chocolate chips
Miniature marshmallows

On large plate or in a pasta bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon; set aside. Heat oil in a medium fry pan over medium heat. Place one-half tortilla at a time into oil. Fry for a few seconds on each side, or until tortilla begins to bubble. Remove tortilla from oil with tongs and press each side into sugar mixture; set onto another plate and quickly place 4-5 chocolate chips and 4-5 marshmallows into center and fold tortilla in half. Serve warm.

 I named the ingredients as I set them on the counter in front of Elli.


“Sugar. Oil. Chocolate,” I said.


“Too-ger. Oh-ell. Cha-ket,” she repeated. She didn’t even try to say “marshmallow” but she sure ate them well.

Her favorite part was mixing the cinnamon and sugar.

“Mix,” she said, right on the mark with her pronunciation. And mix she did. Repeatedly. I’m pretty sure she’s a rightie, because that’s the hand she always chooses to use to pick up the spoon, unless, of course, she’s using the spoon to bang on something. Then it doesn’t matter.


She is also suddenly ambidextrous when the bag of chocolate chips is moved from her right side to her left in an attempt to get her to stay out of the bag.


This was a very easy recipe for her to help with. Obviously the frying part and the dipping into the sugar mixture I took care of, but she was able to help tear the tortillas and load up the chocolate chips and mini-marshmallows.

I made an extra S’more-tilla for me to taste-test, as well as a mini-Elephant Ear for Elli to eat.

The one mistake I made with this is cooking and eating this snack right before bedtime. To counteract the effects of the sugar, the spun sugar and the chocolate sugar, I literally had her run through the house. Fortunately, she thought it was a game and laughed her way from room to room, chubby legs pumping and curly locks bouncy the whole time.

“Eddi run!” she said with her heart-melting smile.

She fell asleep almost instantly at bedtime.

We left a plate of the S’more-tillas for Daddy, who was very appreciative of the special gift. Anything that comes from the heart and has Elli’s touch will always be a treasure to him.

Things Elli could do:

• Tear the tortillas in half
• Stir the sugar and cinnamon in bowl
• Sprinkle on chocoalte chips, marshmallows
• Grab chocolate chips and marshmallows from bag with impressive agility and speed

S’more-tillas Ratings

5 being the best

Elli-friendly cooking: 5

Elli-friendly eating: 5

Simple: 5

Fast: 5

Frugal: 5

Where I buy

Aldi: Tortillas, cinnamon, oil

Hy-Vee: sugar, chocolate chips, marshmallows

Two-for

I also came up with another, shall we say “sophisticated” twist on the classic s’more.

Graham cracker halves

Fresh strawberries, halved

Cream cheese icing

Spread layer of icing on graham cracker. Top with strawberries. Enjoy.

It’s like a strawberry cheesecake but without the diet-shattering consequence.