I was feeling a little more ambitious than usual, so I attempted a somewhat complicated recipe.. Jamaican beef patties. Jason and I feel in love with some meat and cheese patties at a restaurant called Caribbean Spice while in college and we’ve never found anyone else who makes beef and cheese patties. Until now… me! :) And if you have a little extra time on your hands and love Jamaican patties like we do, you might want to try out this recipe too. The patties are absolutely delicious! I should add that they are not spicy. The flavor is great, and I seriously love them, but if you like your patties spicy (and I do), I suggest adding a little something extra for kick. And let me know what you add so I can add it next time. :)

The ingredients. Minus the onion and sharp cheddar cheese. It’s my first photo recipe. Cut me a break.

Ok, let’s get started. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of curry powder, and a pinch of salt. Add 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup vegetable shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Then, stir in some water and mix it all together with your hands.

Keep mixing and mixing and mixing until you can form a ball with the dough.

My photos came out pretty good for a little point and shoot, didn’t they?

Next, form the dough into a log and cut it into 10 equal sections.

Or not-so-equal sections if you’re anything like me. I rolled my sections into balls so I could adjust the size and make them more equal. You can skip this step if you’re better at equal cutting than I am.

Now the fun but tedious part. This would definitely go faster and be more fun if you cook with a friend, but how often does that happen? Not often enough.

Roll each piece of dough into a six inch circle. If you’re doing this by yourself, you’ll be thankful at this point that you didn’t double the recipe.

I covered a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and sprayed some Pam cooking spray on the foil. Then I put the first three rolled out shells onto the foil. Look, Mickey Mouse!

I laid out the rest on some parchment paper. Once they’re all assembled, they will all fit onto one cookie sheet. So don’t go crazy lining multiple cookie sheets.

Now we move to the stove. Yay! No more dough to roll! If you’re anyone but me, you’ll buy a small onion and cut it up. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat and toss in the cut up onion. Me? I hate chopping onion. I don’t even really like onion all that much, but somehow I keep picking recipes with onion. And they still taste good. Go figure. :) Anyway, I buy chopped onion in the grocery freezer section so I don’t have to chop my own. I tossed what I figured was roughly one small onion’s worth into my 2 tablespoons of heated butter and cooked until translucent.

Then add one pound of lean ground beef (or ground turkey, or ground chicken, or ground chuck if you like your food nice and fatty). I used lean ground beef and it was perfect.

Then toss on top 1 teaspoon each of curry powder, salt, black pepper and dried thyme. Mix it all up, raise the heat to medium high, and brown the meat.

Once the beef is nicely browned, add 1/2 cup of beef broth and 1/2 cup of bread crumbs. And mix it all up. Reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid is all absorbed. Remove the meat from the heat and let it cool. Now go to your computer and catch up on your friends’ blogs. By the time you’re done, the meat will be cool and ready to add to the shells.

Now is a good time to heat your oven to 400 degrees. Then, evenly distribute the meat mixture on top of the ten shells.

Then top with some sharp cheddar cheese. For some reason, no one else does this, but I absolutely love my beef patties with cheese.

The shells are a little dry from sitting out, so wet your finger with some water and moisten the edges. And if you take pictures of your recipes, choose a prettier shell than this one.

Now pick up your shell, fold it over the meat so the edges touch, and press the edges together.

It’ll look something like this. Put it onto the cookie sheet, and seal around the edges with a fork.

Now, the final step before putting it in the oven is to brush some beaten egg over the top of each patty.

I don’t have a pastry brush, so I just used my hands. And I didn’t want to touch my camera during that process, so you’ll just have to use your imagination for that one. I think you can handle it.

Cook the tray of patties in a preheated 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Once they’ve cool slightly, serve them to your husband and he’ll love you forever. And eat one yourself too. And then email me and thank me for introducing beef AND CHEESE patties into your life.

Jamaican Beef and Cheese Patties

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 dash salt
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 egg, beaten

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder, and pinch of salt. Cut in 1/4 cup butter and shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water until mixture forms a ball. Shape dough into a log, and cut into 10 equal sections. Roll each section into a six inch circle (approximately 1/8 inch thick). Set aside.
2. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until soft and translucent. Stir in ground beef. Season with 1 teaspoon curry powder, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Cook until beef is evenly brown, stirring constantly. Stir in beef broth and bread crumbs. Simmer until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat. Let cool.
   
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spoon equal amounts of meat filling into each pastry circle. Top with cheddar cheese. Fold over and press edges together, making a half circle. Use a fork to press edges, and brush the top of each patty with beaten egg.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Last night before bed, I brought Halle upstairs into her room where normally she does a puzzle or two and then we read books and go to bed. But yesterday she wanted to draw on her magna doodle instead of doing puzzles.

So she takes out the magna doodle and first she makes a couple “H for Halle”s and some circles and stuff, then she announces that she’s going to draw Elmo. And sure enough she draws a circular shape for Elmo’s head, then says “eyes” and draws two eyes, then says “nose” and draws a big circle nose right where it belongs, then says “mouth” and draws a line for his mouth and it really looks a lot like Elmo! This was the first time that she drew a face correctly, so I was super happy just for that reason alone (normally she says all the body parts she’s drawing, but they just look like squiggles on top of each other). The fact that it ended up resembling Elmo was just icing on the cake. I screamed downstairs for Jason to come up with the camera, but he was in the garage and by the time I turned back around, she had erased him anyway. Then she announces that she’s going to draw something else, and I thought she said “Pablo.” But she really said “pillow” and drew a little rectangular shape on the far right. Then she said “bed” and drew two lines coming from the pillow and a line to connect them. She freaking drew a bed! Then she said “blanket” and colored in between the lines up to the pillow, but not inside the pillow. I was totally blown away at this point. Then she hands the pen to me and says, “Draw Ella on the bed.” I couldn’t believe it! My little girl just thought of something to draw completely on her own, drew it for the first time perfectly executed, and took it one step further asking me to add her friend into the scene. I know toddlers do this stuff all the time and I knew it was coming, but watching it for the first time… just blew my mind. I’m always amazed when she can do things that she couldn’t do the day before. And I always knew her fine motor skills were one of her greatest strengths. I am so proud of her!! Tonight you can bet I’ll be bringing the camera upstairs with me just in case we get a repeat performance!

Also, doesn’t she look cute in her “jacket hat?” I took the pic this morning before she left for school. :)

I just couldn’t wait any longer to try one the many new recipes that has caught my attention lately. First up is Pioneer Woman’s Sleepin’ In Omelette. Although for me, it was a Wakin’ Early Omelette, because I had to get up early enough to preheat the oven and cook the dish before Jason left for work. But it was worth it. The onion rolls and chives gave it a nice oniony flavor, which I really enjoyed (and I’m not that big on onion). Soaking overnight made the bread wonderfully moist and the eggs came out nice and fluffy. I definitely recommend this recipe. I made it in two 8×8 pans. Froze one to give to Erica later (we’re exchanging our make-ahead-meals.. so I get to try her Tequila Lime Chicken and Shanghai Stir Fry!). Even cooking only half the recipe is way too much for Jason and I. The half recipe is enough to feed us for three days. Next time, I might split it into quarters. I followed PW’s recipe exactly, but reduced the cooking time by 15 minutes since it was a smaller portion.

Stay tuned for my next cooking adventure. I’m going to attempt Jamaican Beef Patties. :)

As promised, my neighbor brought us another delicious meal today.  This time it was a macaroni bake with cheddar cheese and pasta sauce (yum!), garlic bread, kielbasa, and some chocolate peanut butter balls (yum yum!).  And she brought apple slices with a peanut butter marshmallow dipping sauce for Halle.  What a sweet woman.

After dinner, Halle kept hiding in the pantry playing a peek-a-boo type game with us.  One time before she went in the closet she said, “Bye, Mommy! Bye, Daddy! Bye, Baby ‘Ena!”  How cute is that?!!!

Looks like Elena is staying put right where she is.  Another week, another doctor’s visit.  And once again, no change.  This is a very good sign that she’ll make it “full term” to 37 weeks, which is only five days away now.  Which also means… five days til I’m off bed rest!  Although, I’ve really lightened up on the “bed rest” these past couple days anyway, but ssh, don’t tell.  :)

Every year my step-dad’s family meets at the Disney Vero Beach Resort over Memorial Day weekend.  I didn’t think I was going to make it this year, but I’m sooo glad that I did!  The vacation is always just two or three days and mostly involves hanging around the resort’s pool area and beach during the day, and going out to dinner and then returning to the rooms to play games and hang out.  It’s a great family tradition and we all really, really enjoy it.

The highlight for me this year was, of course, watching Halle have a blast.  She had so much fun playing in the pool, going down the slide, hanging out with her family.  I have a bunch of pictures posted in our gallery…

…including pictures of Halle’s first writing!  She learned how to make the letter H, and she just kept making H’s over and over.  It’s so fun to watch your kids learn new things!  It’s funny because every time she made an H, she said to herself “H-A-L-L-E”… as if she was writing her whole name.  She talks faster than she writes, so by the time she finishes spelling out her name, she has only written the H, but it’s so cute.  And I love that she makes the connection between writing the letter H and spelling out her name.  She’s such a little smartie!  :)

Go to the gallery and see the pics!

And just for fun, here are the pics from last year.  :)

Check out the fabulous dinner that Justin made for us!  Fennel encrusted pork loin, orange mint sugar snap peas, wild rice, and an arugula salad with lemon, olive oil, parmesan, and homemade ciabatta with garlic croutons.  Every bite was fantastic!

He followed it up with a fresh fruit salad filled with mango, pineapple, bing cherries, orange slices, kiwi, strawberries, raspberries, coconut… and even made fresh whip cream  just before he served it!

You can say what you want about me, but I sure know how to pick my friends!  Haha!  :)

Went to the endocrinologist today (gestational diabetes doctor) and she took my blood, asked a few questions and said, “Get the heck out of my office and don’t come back!”  Not in those words, of course, but because my numbers have stayed low, even on bed rest, she finally conceded that I don’t have a problem with my blood sugar.  And I don’t have to go back.  They’ll test my levels before and after I deliver, but based on my history the past however many weeks its been, she doesn’t anticipate any issues.

Yay!  No more “pretend diabetes!”

… to Tales of a Spoiled Life.  And here’s why.

Over the weekend, a neighbor who we don’t know very well asked Jason if she could bring us dinner on Wednesday.  She knew that I was pregnant and heard about the preterm labor and bed rest and wanted to do something nice for us.  So tonight she brought us our dinner.

Door bell rings and there’s our neighbor, with a wagon full of goodies.  A vase with flowers.  A stack of magazines.  A casserole dish filled with smothered chicken.  A plate of pierogies.  A dish full of green beans.  A basket with rolls.  And a plate covered in cookie sandwiches.  The kind Jill makes with the icing in the middle.  Some were sugar cookies with regular white icing.  Some were chocolate chip cookies with coconut pecan icing.  Oh my goodness, it was all divine.

She left saying, “Seeing you next Wednesday with more food!”  She wants to cook for us every Wednesday until the baby is born (Wednesday is her day off).  How sweet is this woman?  She also said any Wednesday or Sunday that we want a break from Halle, she’d be happy to watch her for us.  She doesn’t have grandchildren and she loves kids, and clearly she’s a wonderful person.  And clearly I’m one lucky lady.

Speaking of lucky.. Justin is coming over and cooking for us tomorrow!  I sure do get spoiled on bed rest!

Just got back from the doctor’s office.  He checked my cervix this time and… no change! I’m still just 1cm dilated, which is fantastic news.  Maybe bed rest is actually working.  :)  This makes me hopeful that I’ll make it until at least 37 weeks, then I’ll be doing squats every day after that.  I really don’t want to go 40 weeks or have a 9 pound baby!  :)