Because it has a cat on it!

Good morning everyone! Still no rain here (about 60 some days and counting) but the temperatures and humidity are getting more enjoyable and Fall is almost here.  This morning I thought I'd share a link for a sweet freebie redwork design from Bird Brain Designs. I'm beginning to like the idea of stitching up my own hand towels. What a nice way to put some smiles into cleaning up around the kitchen! I'm also thinking about how to make this into a cute little wool pillow stitchery.  I have some vintage seeds sacks that I can also use to make a little pillow or use to make my own hand towels.  Might try it this weekend.

Last night I also tried my hand at making a "pasty" which is a really great dish for tight budgets.  It's a little like a pot pie without the pot! The pasty came from England to America when mining started going bad in England during the 1800's. No one knows for sure though whether the Cornish invented the pasty, or whether they picked it up from some other group. Regardless is really a delishious, simple meal!  Here are a few pictures of my first attempts at making it.  I've included a recipe if you've never tried it! I added some Emerl's Steak Rub for a little more flavor.  I've used just potatoes (Yukon variety), carrots, celery, and onion although some recipes call for rutabaga and other veggies.

Pasty Recipe
The amounts for ingredients can be adjusted to taste. If you like more ground beef or potatoes, add some. If you prefer less rutabaga or turnip, use less. This recipe makes about 8-10 pasties. Note: if you use a pre-made, frozen pie shell you will need one for each pasty.  Once made and baked they can be frozen for another meal.

• 2 lbs ground beef (uncooked)
• 3-4 good size potatoes
• ½ large onion
• 4-5 celery stalks
• ½ rutabaga (optional, but I suggest at least trying it.)
• ½ turnip (optional)
• 12-15 baby carrots
• Salt and pepper to taste 
•  Directions: Chop potatoes into small squares. About the size of a French fry, cubed. Chop rutabaga, carrots, and turnip into smaller squares. Chop onion into small pieces. Combine everything in a large mixing bowl. (By hand is easiest.) Roll out pie crust to approx. 9” diameter circles, one for each pasty. For each crust, put in about 1 cup of the mixture of veggies and ground beef, onto one half of the crust. As you scoop it into a cup, it’s easy to see that you get a good variety of all ingredients. Fold over the crust. Pinch together the edges. Place small slits in the top of the crust. Bake at 375 for one hour. They are ready to eat! Enjoy. You can eat them with ketchup and brown gravy is good too. But, they are a complete meal in themselves, so the ketchup or gravy isn’t even needed to enjoy your pasty! I eat mine as is. They can also be frozen if they won’t be eaten in the next couple days.

• For frozen pasties, they can be heated in an oven at 350 for about 40-45 minutes. After about 20 minutes, I cut them in half, to help the middle of the pasties thaw and heat thoroughly. As a variation, my sister adds a can of Cream of Celery soup to the beef and veggie mixture to help moisten it.

So what does this have to do with crafting? Well, nothing really. Although, re-heating, pre-made pasties for supper leaves SOOO much more time in the evening to enjoy your crafts!

BTW, did you notice the zip lock bag in the background full of veggie scraps? I save them and then use them to make vegetable stock/broth for soups and such.  Nice to have on hand, full of vitamins and minerals minus all the preservations and other mystery items found in canned goods today.  I will post about how to make this broth another day.

Have a great Friday and remember to hug you kitty today!