mini empanadas and a teeny, tiny pie

Lucy has a love/hate relationship with her cooking class at school.

She LOVES to learn how to cook.

I mean, she wants to be a chef in real life some day if she had her dreams come true.

But man alive it’s tough for a girl who can’t see very well.

She is working her hardest to keep up. To practice the recipes the day before.

We have to print out the recipes all huge for her on “lab cooking days.”

But she’s DOING it and I’m so proud of her.

A few weeks ago she needed to practice her skills at making empanadas, which was kind of fun since I have never made those suckers.

Making the crust reminded me of my own culinary class clear back in junior high SO many years ago.

The recipe called for ground beef, but I’m sure you could use any combination of foods to put in there (I think the last time I bought ground beef was many years ago, but it was pretty good I have to say!). I’ll just share the recipe as is for anyone who wants to try it.

Mini Empanadas

6 oz. lean ground beef or chicken
2 teaspoons taco seasoning mix
¾ cup salsa (any variety)
¼ cup finely grated cheddar cheese
3 Tbs. cream cheese
1 egg
Pastry dough (see below)

In skillet, heat oil over medium heat; crumble in ground beef or chicken. Stir in taco seasoning; cook for 5 to 8 minutes or until browned. Drain any fat from meat. Stir in 1/4 cup salsa; cook for 2 to 4 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated and pan is dry. Stir in cheeses and let cool.

Preheat oven to 400° F. Beat egg with 1 tablespoon water; set aside. Cut out 32 rounds from rolled pie dough, about 2 1/2 inches each, discarding scraps.

Place 1 tablespoon beef filling in center of each round; brush outer edges with egg wash. Bring edges of pastry together to create half-moon shape and enclose filling; crimp edges with a fork to seal the dough.

Brush tops with egg wash. Arrange on large baking sheet lined with parchment paper; bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with remaining salsa, guacamole and sour cream.

Pastry Dough

2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup shortening
6-7 Tbsp ice water

In a medium bowl, combine flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut shortening into flour until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle water 1 tbsp at a time, while tossing and mixing lightly with a fork. Add water until dough is just moist enough to form a ball when lightly pressed together. (Too much water causes dough to become sticky and tough; too little water causes edges to crack and pastry to tear easily while rolling).

Shape dough into 2 balls. Flatten balls to ½ inch thickness, rounding and smoothing edges. On a lightly floured surface, roll from center to edge into 11-inch circle.

Lu also practiced making a mixed berry pie with the same pie crust recipe.

We were pretty proud of her work, and Dave was a pretty great “taste-tester.”