Sunday Morning Tradition

Well, I guess this is the end of my Thanksgiving "break." I didn't do much but sit around and think. I didn't go black friday shopping as I'd hoped, I plan to make up for it online on Monday. I just wasn't feeling being around people. Yea, it was just one of those weeks.

It's Sunday. I have a tradition that I started this quarter. Given time, I should make something that I can be proud of on Sunday mornings. I've baked, cooked, did it all, and photographed it. It just reminds me to take the time to actually make time for ME and my love of cooking, and also take the time to take care of myself. There are no short cuts, no prepackaged goods, or going out.... I try to just make it so I appreciate the meal... and appreciate the work involved into making it.

My diet is crashing again... and when I say diet, I only mean the foods that I eat. Last night, I ate oreos and fries for dinner, and my lunch was peanut butter crackers, fruit snacks, and tea. I just didn't feel like eating. Yes, I know that is a problem. I have a rationale, and those of you who know me know why. It just wasn't a great break. I am incredibly behind in everything. This is going to be one of the hardest month in my life, and another miserable holiday season.... my sacrifices for dental school are adding up...making me ask again.. is it worth it? Hopefully, tomorrow will make me realize that I am meant to be a dentist.

This morning, I woke up craving something savory. That could be a given since I haven't really had a meal in a day. I decided to make Jamaican Beef Patties. They're basically beef filled pies. I've never had an authentic one, but I can imagine. I'm sure it a lot better, but hey, there were pretty darn good as well. I've made them before, they weren't juicy enough, and I didn't make them spicy because it was for a party. The filling was just beef, onions, garlic, and a bunch of spices I had on hand.. I made it spicy and added a lot more ketchup.... The crust had some curry/tumeric in it, and well.. as an added touch I decided to make it festive by putting holly leaves and uh... random flowers here and there... I should have added berries.. but was too lazy to roll up little balls...so these decorations don't make a whole lot of sense.

Spicy Beef Pockets

Makes 6

Crust : 

1 cup AP flour

5 tbsp butter

1/2 tsp tumeric 

1 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp salt 

a few shakes of ground black pepper 

1/3 cup iced water

Filling :

1/2 lb ground beef

1/2 sweet onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced 

3 tbsp ketchup

1 tsp sriracha 

Seasonings to taste- salt, pepper, cayenne, rosemary, harisa, thyme, 

water or broth

Dough : Mix flour and spices together, add butter, mix in the butter to flour with fingers to make a coarse meal. Add enough ice water to make it come together. Place in freezer for 10 minutes. 

Filling:

Saute onions and garlic with a bit of olive oil. Add beef and spices. Cook for 5 minutes. Add water and ketchup just enough to cover the meat. Let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes until half of the water is absorbed.. roughly. let it stand for 5 minutes without the lid, and then place a lid on it when rolling out the dough

Assembly:

Cut up the dough in 6 sections, roll them out with flour on both board and rolling pin. Invert a medium size bowl onto the flattened piece to make a nice circle. Place aside and continue with the rest. Place in filling on one side, fold one side over and seal with a bit of water. Press the fork tines to seal it. Brush with egg. 

Bake:

Preheat oven at 375 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes  or until brown. 

Adapted from : http://www.stabroeknews.com/2010/the-scene/tastes-like-home/09/18/tastes-like-home-patty/ 

You should look at those instructions as to how to assemble them... I'm not too great at explaining this 

Spicy Beef Filling! ... and my Konad Nails :)

I wanted a more rustic look to the seam, so I pleated it.. the  dough was too soft,it I gave up and just used a fork for the next ones 
A thing I picked up this week was nail art. I've been watching a ton of youtube videos about hair, makeup, and nails. I know when time is not really there, I tend to just let myself go. I mean, who really cares what I look like. In clinic, I'm wearing this blue gown, a surgical mask, and nerdy looking loupes... my hair is tied up, and I wear flats. Yea, not so attractive, but the thing I realized is that when I try to make myself look better, I feel more confident. The past few quarters, I tried to make more of an effort. I've actually worn nail polish almost every day for the past 2 quarters... yep, my hands go through everything in school... whether it's working on dentures, wax ups, or pouring up models, my nails are the first to go... next up.. my skin. So yea, even though the polish doesn't last too long, I still make an effort to put something on. I bought a nail stamping kit by Konad (Konad's French Tip Kit ~ $20 for 2 polishes, 3 plates, a stamper and scraper, and eraser pen) the other day. It arrived a few days back. It's kind of too cutesy, but I don't care, it's simple, and clean. I wiped my nails clean and stamped a few designs on... sealed it with my favorite top coat : seche vite, and I was good to go.