What's For Dinner?

[trailmix 77]

Well yesterday I made shortcrust pastry. We were watching Emeril the other day and he made some Cornish Pasties - sooo that is what is for dinner. I'll post the recipe if they taste good.

[Carlawarla 1]

Well yesterday I made shortcrust pastry. We were watching Emeril the other day and he made some Cornish Pasties - sooo that is what is for dinner. I'll post the recipe if they taste good.

Mmmmmmmmmm pasties sound delicious. I haven't made them in about 20 years! Yes, please post if they are good.

[Krikit 1,164]

where I make at least four loaves every other weekend. Which reminds me, I have to grind my berries for flour Friday night so I can bake early Saturday.

We're having Cowboy Casserole tonight....baked beans (from the can), ground beef topped with cornbread mix and cheese, baked in the oven. Smells good...maybe it'll be a keeper.

Grind your berries for flour? What does that mean? I puzzled and puzzled and I still can't figure it out.

How did your Cowboy Casserole turn out?

my hubby keeps bugging me to make pecan pie.. but I have never have made it before... I found a bunch of recipes on recipezaar and the majority of them have the same ingredients... margarine, corn syrup, eggs, vanilla and of course pecans.... I found one recipe that used brown sugar... which to me might be better.. the corn syrup might be too sweet...

what do you all think? do you have a good recipe for pecan pie? I just need the filling part. I already have a crust recipe that hubby really likes...

Unfortunately I am not near my recipe books at the moment, but I know I use corn syrup for buttertarts and they turn out fabulous. (Same recipe I would use for pecan pie.) The problem is that you can't get golden corn syrup in the US.... it's clear. Or, at least you can't get it in Florida. So the last time I made buttertarts with a US corn syrup my buttertarts turned out horrible. Give the brown sugar recipe a go and let us know how it turns out, Marilyn.

[Cassie 8]

where I make at least four loaves every other weekend. Which reminds me, I have to grind my berries for flour Friday night so I can bake early Saturday.

We're having Cowboy Casserole tonight....baked beans (from the can), ground beef topped with cornbread mix and cheese, baked in the oven. Smells good...maybe it'll be a keeper.

Grind your berries for flour? What does that mean? I puzzled and puzzled and I still can't figure it out.

Probably wheat berries.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheatberry

[Krikit 1,164]

Probably wheat berries.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheatberry

Ohhhhh, okay. Thanks Cassie.

[Cassie 8]

Probably wheat berries.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheatberry

Ohhhhh, okay. Thanks Cassie.

I do what I can!

Meanwhile, I haven't a sweet clue what we are having for supper tonight!

[Krikit 1,164]

Meanwhile, I haven't a sweet clue what we are having for supper tonight!

My Mom's making a full roast beef dinner for the family tonight because she and my Dad are going to Buffalo tomorrow for the long weekend and I'm heading back to the US on Monday. Won't see them again until the summer.

Oh. Now I feel sad.

[trailmix 77]

Awww don't feel sad krikit! Nice and sunny here in Florida, rain this weekend

Ok, so the pasties. They were very good really, the pastry is really nice, however I would change a few things (and I did change a few things).

- We rolled the pastry out to 1/4 of an inch, I would roll it to 1/8 of an inch.

- I added worcheshire sauce to 1/2 the meat and curry powder to the other half (also didn't use carrots).

- I precooked everything a bit first (meat, potatoes, onion)

- I didn't brush the pastry with egg - just because

These are ours:

These are Emeril's:

Cornish Pasties

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2007

For the Short-crust Pastry:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3 ounces cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces

4 ounces lard or vegetable shortening, cut into pieces

1 egg yolk

6 tablespoons cold water

For the Filling:

10 ounces chuck steak, trimmed and cut into scant 1/4-inch dice

1 small onion, very finely chopped

1 medium carrot, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 small Idaho potato, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 egg, lightly beaten

For the pastry:

Sift the flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt into a mixing bowl and add the butter and lard. Using your fingers, 2 knives, or a pastry blender, cut the butter and lard into the dry ingredients until mixture resembles fine crumbs. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk and water together and add to the flour mixture. Mix quickly, but thoroughly, until mixture just comes together to form a dough. Knead briefly until pastry is smooth with no cracks; the trick to making this delicate pastry easy to work with is kneading it just enough so that it can be rolled out and manipulated without breaking but yet retains its lovely crumbly texture. Press into a flattened disk shape and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight before proceeding.

Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and unwrap. Allow to soften slightly, then place on a lightly floured work surface and roll the pastry to a thickness of 1/4-inch. Using a small plate or saucer as a guide, cut out 6 (6-inch) rounds. (Scraps may be combined and reformed if you cannot get 6 rounds out of the first batch.) Stack the pastry rounds onto pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper (with pieces between each round to keep them from sticking together) and refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

For the filling:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove the pastry circles from the refrigerator. In a mixing bowl, combine the meat, onion, carrot, potato, salt and pepper and mix until thoroughly combined. Place the pastry circles on a clean work surface and place about 1/2 cup of the filling in the center of 1 side of the pastry. Using the beaten egg, brush the edges of the pastry and then bring the unfilled side over the filled side so that edges meet. Press edges together to seal and then crimp using your fingers or a fork. Repeat with the remaining turnovers and then transfer to a baking sheet. Brush the tops of the turnovers with the remaining egg and then cut several slits into the top of each pastry. Bake for 20 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown around the edges. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and continue to bake until the pasties are golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

*Chef's Note: If you find that the pastry breaks when you try to roll it out, simply gather it together and add a bit more water and knead lightly so that it comes together in a smooth ball. Allow to rest briefly then try again. This pastry is delicate but worth the extra effort.

[KarenCee 3]

Sowwy....I should have been a bit more clearer on the berries thing. Yeah, I grind my own flour to make bread. I've been milling my own flour for a while now...makes a very good loaf of bread, no preservatives, and when the flour is used within 72 hours it retains all the nutrients. It's not as much trouble as it sounds.

As for dinner tonight...Joel and I are attending Relay For Life at the high school in the county where I teach, to walk some memory laps. There's gonna be lots of food to be had. We're walking in memory of his dad (David Pothier...passed October 2001 ) and my momma (Jerrie Ann Edwards...passed December 2005 ).

*sigh* I really miss Momma...she got me in the kitchen when I was 10 and started teaching me how to cook. For me, it's hard in so many ways...but especially when I cook. I don't have her here to call and ask "...now how did you do this?"

[Cassie 8]

Sowwy....I should have been a bit more clearer on the berries thing. Yeah, I grind my own flour to make bread. I've been milling my own flour for a while now...makes a very good loaf of bread, no preservatives, and when the flour is used within 72 hours it retains all the nutrients. It's not as much trouble as it sounds.

As for dinner tonight...Joel and I are attending Relay For Life at the high school in the county where I teach, to walk some memory laps. There's gonna be lots of food to be had. We're walking in memory of his dad (David Pothier...passed October 2001 ) and my momma (Jerrie Ann Edwards...passed December 2005 ).

*sigh* I really miss Momma...she got me in the kitchen when I was 10 and started teaching me how to cook. For me, it's hard in so many ways...but especially when I cook. I don't have her here to call and ask "...now how did you do this?"

*hugs for Karen* I've been a part of three Relay For Life (my mom and dad organize the one in my hometown) and they are amazing events. I know that it will be hard for you tonight as you and Joel honour the memory of your mom and his dad. Will be thinking of you both.

[KarenCee 3]

Sowwy....I should have been a bit more clearer on the berries thing. Yeah, I grind my own flour to make bread. I've been milling my own flour for a while now...makes a very good loaf of bread, no preservatives, and when the flour is used within 72 hours it retains all the nutrients. It's not as much trouble as it sounds.

As for dinner tonight...Joel and I are attending Relay For Life at the high school in the county where I teach, to walk some memory laps. There's gonna be lots of food to be had. We're walking in memory of his dad (David Pothier...passed October 2001 ) and my momma (Jerrie Ann Edwards...passed December 2005 ).

*sigh* I really miss Momma...she got me in the kitchen when I was 10 and started teaching me how to cook. For me, it's hard in so many ways...but especially when I cook. I don't have her here to call and ask "...now how did you do this?"

*hugs for Karen* I've been a part of three Relay For Life (my mom and dad organize the one in my hometown) and they are amazing events. I know that it will be hard for you tonight as you and Joel honour the memory of your mom and his dad. Will be thinking of you both.

Thanks Cassie...May is a hard month for me anyway, for reasons other than Joel's dad and Momma. I've done Relay For Life for the last four years and each one was emotionally hard. I definately appreciate the thoughts.

[Krikit 1,164]

Awww don't feel sad krikit! Nice and sunny here in Florida, rain this weekend

Ok, so the pasties. They were very good really, the pastry is really nice, however I would change a few things (and I did change a few things).

I like rain!

Mmmmm, those look nummy Trailmix. I especially like the fruit and foliage background display. A little gecko peaking out would be fun next time.

Sowwy....I should have been a bit more clearer on the berries thing. Yeah, I grind my own flour to make bread. I've been milling my own flour for a while now...makes a very good loaf of bread, no preservatives, and when the flour is used within 72 hours it retains all the nutrients. It's not as much trouble as it sounds.

As for dinner tonight...Joel and I are attending Relay For Life at the high school in the county where I teach, to walk some memory laps. There's gonna be lots of food to be had. We're walking in memory of his dad (David Pothier...passed October 2001 ) and my momma (Jerrie Ann Edwards...passed December 2005 ).

*sigh* I really miss Momma...she got me in the kitchen when I was 10 and started teaching me how to cook. For me, it's hard in so many ways...but especially when I cook. I don't have her here to call and ask "...now how did you do this?"

Wow. I'm impressed about grinding your own flour, Karen. I bet your bread is awesome. And (((((((BIG HUGS)))))))) for your memory laps tonight. I taught my daughter to cook and she still calls me (or asks me when I'm at her house) for a recipe or to find out how I do certain things or how I know something. That is one of the reasons she is getting her own recipe book as one of her wedding shower gifts. I received one put together by my family and friends and it's the most amazing gift I have ever received in my life. Two contributing family members have passed on since then and their recipes and funny comments would have been gone forever if I had not received it. I highly recommend it for those who are looking to give a unique and very personalized gift.

[Cassie 8]

we ended up getting pizza from Papa Johns. Soooooooo good.

[Cassie 8]

That is one of the reasons she is getting her own recipe book as one of her wedding shower gifts. I received one put together by my family and friends and it's the most amazing gift I have ever received in my life. Two contributing family members have passed on since then and their recipes and funny comments would have been gone forever if I had not received it. I highly recommend it for those who are looking to give a unique and very personalized gift.

Two of my favourite recipe collections are by my grandmother, and the book my sister-in-law put together of their family recipes. Priceless.

[trailmix 77]

Mmmmm, those look nummy Trailmix. I especially like the fruit and foliage background display. A little gecko peaking out would be fun next time.

rats....didn't think to put a gecko in there