Cook up a goodly amount of delightful and intriguing Jamacian Meat Pies.
Take them into the work place or to neighbors and share them with all people.
Invite and encourage discussion of family and community with all. Savor the good food and friendship available between all men.
Kingston Meat Patties, Eric V. Copage
Spicy meat-stuffed pastries with a distinctive yellow crust are sold by street vendors all over jamaica. You can make them with any ground meat you fancy--Lamb, pork, or even turkey.
Pastry:
2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 t. curry powder
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. cayanne pepper
3/4 C. vegetable shortening, chilled
1/3 C. ice water
Filling:
2 T. butter
1 Lb. ground meat
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 fresh hot chili pepper, preferably scotch bonnet, seeded and minced.
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T. all purpose flour
2 t. curry powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. dried tyme
1/4 t. ground allspice
2 T. tomato paste
2T. water
1 large egg beaten
1. Make the pastry dough: in a medium bowl, stir together the flour,curry powder and salt and cayenne. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the shortening until it resembles coarse meal. Tossing with a fork, gradually sprinkle in the ice water, mixing just until the mixture is moist enough to hold together when pinched between your thumb and fore finger. Gather the dough and form it into a flat disk, wrap it in waxed paper and refrigerate at least one hour or overnight.
2. Make the filling: Heat the butter in a large skillet. Add the ground beef and onion and chili pepper and garlic. Cook over medium high heat, stirring often, until the meat is no longer pink, about 5 minits.
Then add the flour, curry powder, salt, thyme, and allspice, and stir for 1 min. Stir in the tomato paste and water and cook until thickened, about one min. Remove the skillet from the heat and allow the filling to cool completely.
3. Position a rack in the top third of the oven, and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. lightly grease a baking sheet.
4. On a floured work surface, roll out the dough to form a 12 by 14 inch rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. Cut into eight 6 by 3 inch triangles.Place about 1/4 cup of the filling in the center of each rectangle, fold it over to enclose the filling, and press the edges with a fork to seal them. transfer the patties to the prepared baking sheet, and brush them with lightly beaten egg.
5. bake until a golden brown, 25 to 30 minits. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.
games to play...
songs to sing...
Cat and Mouse
One child is the cat and hides. The rest of the children are mice and sneak up to the cat's hiding place and scratch. This is the signal for the cat to chase the mice and try to catch one. Then choose another child to be the cat until each child has had a turn.
Have children lying on the floor, pretending to sleep as the set up for this song. It can be done even in a relatively small space.
All the bunnies fast asleep
All the bunnies not a peep
If I should sing my song today
Will all those bunnies get up and play?
(Children get up and hop around room)
Get up little bunnies hopping, hopping
Get up little bunnies hop, hop, hop.
Get up little bunnies hopping, hopping
Get up little bunnies hop and stop!
I do this several times in a row, and preschoolers just love it. The song can easily be adapted for any other animal or theme. ie.balloons - floating, frogs - leap, etc.
Paint the bottom of the child's feet. Make imprints of each foot with the big toe facing outward and the outer edge of the feet touching each other. You will notice the results looks like a butterfly. It helps to clean one foot before you paint the other. Can't seem to keep the little ones still? I do this project while they are in high chair eating a favorite snack.
blue jello mix
gummy fish
crushed graham crackers
Teddy Grahams
gummy Lifesavers
Sea creature crackers
paper umbrellas
clear plastic cups
This is the blue jello ocean cups with a little twist. Mix the jello according to the package. Pour the jello in clear plastic cups and add in gummy fish (you may want to wait until the jello starts to firm up a little so the fish don't all sink to the bottom). Let the jello set in your refrigerator. Once set, take finely crushed graham crackers and sprinkle along one side (on the top) of the jello cup to resemble a beach. Next take a Teddy Graham and insert half way in a gummy lifesavers. You may want to pre-stretch the lifesaver so the bear will fit in easily. Then, stick the feet of the bear in the jello. This should look like a bear with a float around it's waist floating in the water. Then, add a bear to the sandy area with a few starfish crackers. Last, insert the umbrella at an angle in the beach area.
Enter to win this set of 4 wonderful plastic placemats for kids!