I love having pasties in the freezer. I have always baked them first. They heat up in the microwave just fine. Pasties Dough 4� C unbleached all pupose flour 1 Tabsp sugar � tsp salt 1 C shortening 1 C unsalted butter, cold, cut in pieces � C water 1 lg egg 1Tabsp vinegar In large bowl or food processor, combine dry ingrediens, cut in shortening and butter, to the size of small peas. Combine in a small bowl, water egg and vinegar, gradually add to flour mixture tossing to combine. Donot overwork. If it seems dry, gradually add more cold water, Tablespoon at a time. You need a firm dough, that is not sticky. If I am going to double the recipe, I make the dough in my food processor up thru cutting in the butter, in single batches, then empty the processor into a lg bowl, doubling the egg mixture and tossing it all together at once. Form dough into a disk shape and refridgerate until ready to use. Filling 2 Lbs coarsly ground beef 1 Lb coarsly ground pork Note: I have used different cuts of lean beef and pork, grinding it myself using the grinder of my KA. If you use a knife, mince it well, no larger than � inch pieces, smaller is better. 3 C finely chopped potatoes 2 C finely chopped rutabaga 1 C finely chopped carrots 2 med cooking onions, finely chopped 1 Tablsp minced garlic 1 tsp salt � tsp pepper butter, approx � C Combine all, EXCEPT butter, in a large bowl. I use a food prosessor on the vegetables, but be careful not to grind them too much. You want chunks. Preheat oven to 400� Roll out dough , leaving it a little thicker than you would for pie crust. Cut into 6-8 inch circles. HINT: I use the lid from an older 3 qt saucepan. It has a sharp enough edge to use like a giant cookie cutter. If you have to, use a lid and cut around it with a knife. Fill with about 1 cup of filling and dot with a teaspoon of butter. Fold in half and use a fork to press the cut egde to seal. You might want to moisten the cut edge with a pastry brush dipped in water to insure a good seal. You can also roll the edge a bit before using the fork if your pastry is uneven. Combine 1 egg and 1 Tabsp of water, brush top of pastie and with a small sharp knife, slash the top about 1 inch. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet, Bake 1 hour, or until a fork inserted through the slash meets no resistance, and pastry is golden. Special Gravy Brown 2 C of filling, in rendered fat or butter. You can use more or less depending on what you have left over, but I always save at least 2 C. When browned add 2 cups of water and simmer until vegetables are well cooked,about 15 min. Mash with a potato masher or tranfer to food processor bowl and pulse to smooth slightly. Return to pan,if you like lots of gravey, you can add etra beef stock or water at this point. Bring to a boil and thicken if needed with � C of flour mixed with � C of water. Add gradually to meat mixture, to desired gravy consistancy. Ladel over hot pastie or serve on the side. Salt and pepper to taste. You should get about 6-8 pasties from this recipe, depending on size and amount of filling you put in each one. I like to double or triple the recipe as they freeze very well, I freeze the gravey also, in small amounts. Nancy

I learned to make pasties from my mother in law, who was born and raised in Houghton, MI. She always used beef suet and butter in the crust with the flour, salt and water. They called pasties with rutabegas Finlander pasties. The ones I make call for cubed top sirloin, potatoes, onions and topped with salt, pepper and butter. I haven't made them since DH had coronary bypass surgery....and it is difficult to find good beef suet in our area. DH's family always used a lot of catsup on theirs but I like hot Mexican salsa or pickled jalapenos on mine.

purpleinopp, there are turnips and then there are turnips. I grew some this year that were so strong and bitter that I couldn't eat them, I don't think the cows even liked them very much. My extension service tells me that the heat makes them bitter and "strong" (we had lots of days over 90 and several over 100, very unusual for Northern/Western Michigan). Well I guess it sure did! Good turnips, though, are delicious, mild and sweet, I like to eat them raw. LOL, dcarch. Peppi, I have never waxed any of the root crops, that's why I put the turnips in the freezer already. Parsnips, I'm not so sure about. My garage is good right now, but it'll get below freezing by Christmas. My basement is too warm. The cellar at the farm is pretty good, but I've always just stored parsnips in the ground, covered with a layer of mulch and dug them as I wanted them. These, I just don't know about. So, how do I wax them? Paraffin? Hey, I'd share!!! Annie

Turnip Fries Ingredients: * 8 medium turnips (about 2 1/2 pounds) * 1/2 cup heavy cream * 1 teaspoon Splenda * 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg * 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper * 1/4 teaspoon salt (sea salt works best) * 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese * Olive oil spray * Lime juice Peel the turnips with a vegetable peeler, slice and cut into 2 1/2-by-1/2-inch sticks. Pour 1/2 cup heavy cream into a large bowl and place the turnip sticks into the cream. Fill bowl with cold water until the turnips are completely covered. Add 1 teaspoon Splenda. Swirl a bit to mix and allow to sit in cream mixture for 10-15 minutes. (This cream-soaking step removes the "bite" flavor of the turnips, leaving them with a milder, more potato-like flavor.) Rinse in colander with cool water and pat dry. Preheat oven to 425°F. Combine turnip sticks with the nutmeg, pepper, sea salt and Parmesan cheese in a large plastic (Ziploc-type) bag. Seal the bag and shake well to coat the turnip sticks. Spray 2 large baking sheets lightly with the olive oil spray. Spread the turnips in a single layer on the sheets and spray again with the olive oil. Bake in a preheated 425°F oven for 15 minutes. Turn the fries over and continue baking for 15 minutes, until the fries are tender and golden in color. Serve hot with a sprinkle of lime juice. ** some people like to sprinkle a little chili powder or cajun seasoning on for extra spice. Some recipes say to leave the skin on, feel free to try it either way, I think the skin makes them rubbery and more tart. Makes 8 servings. Approximately 4.5 carbohydrate grams per serving. I don't remember where I got that recipe but I liked them. Crab Bisque The Soup Nazi's Crab Bisque Ingredients: * 4 pounds snow crab clusters (legs) * 4 quarts water (16 cups) * 1 small onion, chopped * 1 1/2 stalks celery, chopped * 2 cloves garlic, quartered * 2 small turnips, peeled, chopped * 1/4 cup fresh chopped Italian parsley * 2 teaspoons mustard seed * 1 tablespoon chopped pimento * 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground pepper * 2 bay leaves * 1/3 cup sugar-free tomato sauce * 2 tablespoons half and half * 1/4 cup unsalted butter * 1/4 teaspoon thyme * 1/8 teaspoon basil * 1/8 teaspoon marjoram Remove all the crab meat from the shells and set it aside. Put half of the shells into a large pot with 4 quarts of water over high heat. Add onion, 1 stalk of chopped celery, and garlic; then bring mixture to a boil. Continue to boil for 1 hour, stirring occasionally (The white part of the shells will start to become transparent), then strain stock. Discard the shells, onion, celery and garlic, keeping only the stock. Measure 3 quarts (12 cups) of the stock into a large sauce pan or cooking pot. If you don't have enough stock, add enough water to make 3 quarts. Add turnips, bring mixture to a boil, then add 1/2 of the crab and the remaining ingredients to the pot and bring it back to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for 4 hours, uncovered until it reduces by about half and starts to thicken. Add the remaining crab and simmer for another hour until the soup is very thick. Note: This is a very slightly altered version of the soup that is Jerry's favorite from the Soup Nazi episode of Seinfeld. The recipe was naturally very low-carb. This is likely to be the best tasting crab bisque you've ever tasted and has no sugary fillers like commercial crab bisque. Makes 6 servings. 5 net grams of carbohydrate per serving.