Hamentashen

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
variety of fillings

Directions
1. Beat eggs, add oil and mix. Add the sugar, vanilla, baking powder and salt. Add the flour gradually and mix well. Don't overwork it though!
2. Refrigerate a few hours or overnight in a sealed container.
3. Kneed dough until it becomes soft enough to roll. Cut dough with three inch cup or three inch round cookie cutters. Put about 1 tablespoon of pie filling into the middle of each circle. Fold up the edges of the circle into the middle and pinch together.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) for 20 minutes.

NOTE: This was very tasty. Just make sure you roll the dough fairly thin and don't overstuff them. I had a few turn inside out and the filling on the sheet pan.

Pie Crust

Ingredients
1-½ cup Crisco (vegetable Shortening)
3 cups All-purpose Flour
1 whole Egg
5 Tablespoons Cold Water
1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
1 teaspoon Salt

Preparation Instructions
In a large bowl, with a pastry cutter, gradually work the Crisco into the flour for about 3 or 4 minutes until it resembles a coarse meal. In a small bowl, beat an egg with a fork and then pour it into the flour/shortening mixture. Add 5 tablespoons of cold water, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir together gently until all of the ingredients are incorporated.
Separate the dough into thirds. Form 3 evenly sized balls of dough and place each dough into a large Ziploc bag. Using a rolling pin, slightly flatten each ball of dough (about ½ inch thick) to make rolling easier later. Seal the bags and place them in the freezer until you need them. (If you will be using it immediately it’s still a good idea to put in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes to chill.)

When you are ready to use the dough to make a crust, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw for 15 minutes. On a floured surface roll the dough, starting at the center and working your way out. (Sprinkle some flour over top of the dough if it’s a bit too moist.) If the dough is sticking to the countertop use a metal spatula and carefully scrape it up and flip it over and continue rolling until it’s about ½ inch larger in diameter than your pie pan.

With a spatula, lift the dough carefully from the surface of the counter into the pie pan. Gently press the dough against the corner of the pan. Go around the pie pan pinching and tucking the dough to make a clean edge.

Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients
2 pounds potatoes, such as russet, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup vegetable broth, chicken broth, or a packet of chicken seasoning
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
1 3/4 pounds ground beef
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
6 tablespoons stick margarine (so you can divide it easily)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup beef stock or broth
2 teaspoons Worcestershire, eyeball it
1/2 cup frozen peas, a couple of handfuls
1 teaspoon paprika

1 pie crust (optional)

Directions
Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and pour them into a bowl. Add 2-3 tablespoons of margarine and a splash of broth or chicken seasoning to potatoes and mash until potatoes are almost smooth. Taste potatoes and add more broth/seasoning as necessary.

While potatoes boil, preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to hot pan with beef or lamb. Season meat with salt and pepper. Brown and crumble meat for 3 or 4 minutes. If you are using lamb and the pan is fatty, spoon away some of the dripping. Add chopped carrot and onion to the meat. Cook veggies with meat 5 minutes, stirring frequently. In a second small skillet over medium heat cook butter and flour together 2 minutes. Whisk in broth and Worchester sauce. Thicken gravy 1 minute. Add gravy to meat and vegetables. Stir in peas.
Preheat broiler to high. Fill a small rectangular casserole or pie dish with meat and vegetable mixture. Spoon potatoes over meat evenly. Top potatoes with paprika and broil 6 to 8 inches from the heat until potatoes are evenly browned. Top casserole dish with chopped parsley and serve.