Do you have a palate for spicy and hot? JAMAICAN BEEF PATTIES-Recipe included

I love ethnic foods, I can name a few that I really loved some are spicy and some are mild.  And to top it all off, with my voracious cravings and tastes for ethnic dishes, there was a time when I was in Morocco, tasted all their foods whether it was in a restaurant or street vendors, I became ill, could not attend some sight-seeings with the group of tourists and no desire of getting out of the hotel...due to this I learned my lesson, never taste something that is not cooked when you're away on vacation outside North America, do not eat fresh salad or fresh fruits as they might have not been washed.  :-)

Here is my take on some global dishes that most of us might like to taste.  "Jamaican Beef Patties" are very common in North America, especially in Toronto, Canada.  I craved for them as their hot and spicy, the crust is crispy.  You can make them at home and serve them for snacks or dinner with iced cold tea. 

JAMAICAN BEEF PATTIES

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. margarine
• 1 lb. ground beef (90% or 85% less fat)
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 tsp. curry powder
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. rosemary
• 1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
• 1 tsp. hot sauce or Tabasco sauce (depending on your likeness of spiciness)
• 1/4 cup red bell peppers, chopped and diced
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1 egg, beaten to use as eggwash

Preparation:

• Brown ground beef with margarine in a skillet over medium heat.  drain the fat off.  Add onion, curry powder, dried thyme, chili powder, rosemary, salt and pepper.  Let it cook for 3 minutes, then add beef brothm red bell peppers, hot sauce or tabasco sauce.  Cook for another 3 minutes until all ingredients well blended.  Let it cool while preparing for the pastry dough.

PASTRY DOUGH:

• 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. turmeric or curry powder
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
• 1/4 cup ice water

Preparation for Pastry Dough:

Blend together butter, turmeric or curry powder sea salt, and flour in a bowl.  Using fork or a pastry blender (or pulse in food processor) until mixture turns coarse with some roughtly pea-size butter lumps.  Drizzle at least 3 tbsp. of ice water evenly over the mixture and gently stir with fork until mixture incorporates.  Squeeze a small handful, if it doesn't hold together, add more ice water.  Do not overwork the pastry as it will become tough.

Turn dough into a lightly floured surface and divide into 6 portions.  Using heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to distribute fat.  Gather pastry dough together, wrap in a plastic wrap until firm.  Chill in the refrigerator for an hour or so.  When ready, PREHEAT the oven to 375 degrees F.  Take the pastry dough out, roll it out on a lightly floured surface pressing it to make a round dough at least 1/4 inch thick.  Spoon filling over the dough, wash the edges with either ice water and close the dough by using a fork to close the edges.  Brush top of the patty with eggwash.  Place them in the oven for at least 20-25 minutes until golden brown.  Enjoy and I hope this will inspire you to make your own Jamaican Beef Patties.

CHRISTMAS FABRICS

My idea this Christmas is to give a new outlook, make a new Christmas tree skirt, placemats, table covers, and chair covers with Christmas motif fabrics.  These are the materials I have stashed or put away for a year and perhaps start sewing.....:-)

 

MORE JEWELRIES~NECKLACES

These are some of the beads that I recently purchased from the my favorite internet store of beads and gems..."FireMountains Gems and Beads", I tried to make some plain and simple ones as these were very minute beads...because of the beads minute sizes, I used "beadalon" monofilament illusion cord, silver plated findings and clasps.

An 18 inch necklace made pebble like green aventurine beads and nugget like light green glass beads.

Another 18 inch necklace made of carnelian beads and quartz with silver plated findings and clasp.

ROSARY NECKLACE ~ made of different kinds of beads with bronze wirings and antiqued bronze medallion and crucifix

Back to my jewelry making projects before the end of the year, due to have ordered several beads at my favorite internet store of gems and stones, I tried to minimize my inventory of beads and gemstones in my craft room to give more room for the fabrics I purchased from Hancock Fabrics and some of my old fabrics which I have from Toronto, Canada.  This is a "rosary necklace" a 22 inch size and made of swarovski crystals, thimble-like peridot beads, freshwater cultured copper pearls, bronze wirings, antiqued bronze, clasp, antiqued bronze crucifix, and antiqued bronze medallion.

I also added some oval puffed venetian glass beads to give more glitter to the necklace as well as the swarovski crystal beads.  In my inventory of beads, I still have quite a few to get rid of...........

 

ROSARY NECKLACE

Back to my passion, jewelry making.  What I have here for you is an 18 inch "rosary necklace" made of gold filled wirings, gold plated crucifix, gold plated medallion, and freshwater cultured copper pearls. 

Country Style Floral Prints Pillow Cases

Left over fabric from the country style *floral prints* that I made as curtains in our bedroom.  

Fabrics I brought from Toronto, Canada

Cut up 26 1/2 " length X 20 1/2" wide for the 2 pillow cases with binding and cut up 31"X20 1/2" for the easy to sew pillow cases.

These were the 2 pillow cases with binding.  I made my own binding on these two.

These were the easy to sew pillow cases.



This how it looks in the bedroom......Curtains behind the headboard and 4 matching pillows.

 2 meters of fabric left from the panels of curtains, I decided to make pillow cases to match with the country style curtains I made recently...they were 2 pillows with binding and 2 simple and easy to sew pillow cases.  The above picture was when I made my own binding for the 2 pillow cases.

ANNUAL FLOWERS in TORONTO, CANADA

These flowering plants grew annually, they usually grow back in the spring time....They were located at the front yard, beautiful colors, although the weather had been chilly in Toronto, they're still blooming...

 

 

 

A bee seeping nectar from the flower.