Cheesy Appetizer Crackers and Pasties (Recipes 21-22)

Book Club food was a hit. I cooked both a Recipe Challenge Recipe, Cheesy Appetizer Crackers, and a non-challenge recipe detour Vegan Baked Penne with Pumpkin Cream Sauce. Yes, I do recognize the oddity in serving a vegan recipe with one that is almost entirely based on change, but I contain multitudes! The verdict on the four-ingredient crackers: "it's just like sugar cookies, but with cheddar in place of the cheese". This was one that I'd never baked before, but picked up a copy of the recipe from the staff room table after a Staff Association event. The savory penne was a surprise to most of the guests and my husband, who originally said this would be the perfect recipe to make when he was not around.

Monday's dinner was pasties, an old-family recipe (from four generations total if you include this one!) that I received from Kim and Phil (good friends that I met in the dorms). Kim gave it to me at my bridal shower and then cryptically told me weeks later, "I think I gave you the wrong recipe". For whatever reason, I'd been content to just eat them whenever Phil baked them, but I'm so glad I finally got the corrected version (made with a combination lard/butter crust instead of the original two cubes of margarine). This may be my favorite recipe so far! One warning: do not look at your potatoes, decide that they are too small and use four instead of one. I ended up with so much filling that I made Shepherd's Pie the next day, which is certainly not the worst problem to have. Amount-wise, you'd probably also be better off with 4 oz. of mushrooms instead of 8, but mushrooms are awfully yummy.

Pasties

Cut together with pastry cutter or food processor until coarse like
cornmeal (or even coarser):

• 2 cups flour (heaping)
• 1/2 cup lard, 1/2 cup butter (I used a mixture of shortening and butter)

Stir in till forms into ball:

• 1/2 cup very cold water (if too sticky, add more flour)

Place ball in refrigerator to chill.

Pasty Filling:
Trim excess fat from and chop into 1/2 inch cubes:

• 1/2 lb. beef steak
• 1/2 lb. pork

Peel, chop & mix well with meat

• 1 carrot 
• 1 onion
• 1 potato 
• 1 small rutabaga
• 4-8 oz. sliced mushrooms

Stir into mixture:

• 1 tsp. salt 
• 1/2 tsp. pepper

Remove dough from fridge & cut into 8 parts. Roll out into circles and place 1/2 cup mixture onto dough. Fold dough & seal. Trim pasties. Place on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake 30-45 minutes at 400 degrees.