Empanadas

Empanadas. For some reason before taking an empanada making class I had never even thought about making them. They seemed tricky, like you had to have some special dough making skills passed down from your Latin American great grandmother. Of course, those skills wouldn't hurt to have, but for the gringos out there like me, I found out you aren't too far away from being able to make the fresh baked pillowy pockets. You can make them baked or fried and fill them with whatever your heart desires. I think this might just be one of those most versatile foods ever! Vegetarian? Fill them up with black beans and cheese or some fajita veggies. Have kids? Stuff them with cooked hamburger meat and cheese. (I know that's not traditional, but what kid and parent doesn't love their own hand held self contained dinner?) Below are 3 more ideas to get you started. The first 2 are from our class, the last one we made up. Have any filling ideas to share?

A German Feast. Rouladen, Knodel and Red Cabbage with Black Forrest Cherry Cake for Dessert.

Oh yeah, we wore these while we cooked.

I have Oktoberfest on the brain! Last weekend Ron and I slaved away in the kitchen making a German feast. I am excited to compare it to what we have in Germany. We usually only make this meal for a special occasion like Christmas dinner but I just couldn't wait! If you have some time on your hands you should give this one a try. And a special thank you goes to Ron's parents who introduced me to this dish and taught me how to make it.