Denninmi took the words right out of my mouth, starting with "Here in Michigan..." Heck, up here, the average last frost date is May 26, but the range is so wide that there is really no way to plan. Sure, I may get a frost on June 1st, but that is after 2 Warm, frost-free weeks. Weeks that I won't waste waiting for a maybe-frost. So, yes, never, ever, throw away an old blanket, sheet towel, tarp, etc. I don't like using those small tomato cages but I have tons of them from a MIL who love to go garage saling. They are great for laying down between plants to hold up the sheet. And yes, even a sheet is enough protection for a light frost. It isn't the cold that kills the plants. It is the formation of ice crystals on the leaves and stems. A sheet will take on the ice chrystals, leaving your plants safe for another day. Kay. ps. Basil. In the garden. In APRIL! I am sooooo jealous.

I can't really come up with a dough that you would be able to BOTH bake and steam. The two cooking methods require two different doughs. For baking a hand held meat pie I would use a pizza dough, the other type of doughs such as puff pastry and pie dough don't seem to be what you require. For steaming would a Pierogi type of dough work? Pierogies 6 servings 2 Eggs 1/2 c Water 2 c Flour 1/2 ts Salt Pepper to taste Mound flour on kneading board and make hole in center. Drop eggs into hole and cut into flour with a knife. Add salt and water and knead until firm. Let rest for 10 minutes covered with a warm bowl. Divide dough in halves and roll thin. Cut circles with a large biscuit cutter. Place a small mound of filling a little to one side on each round of dough. Moisten edge with a little water, fold over and press edges firmly together. Be sure they are well sealed to prevent the filling from running out. Drop the pierogi into salted boiling water. Cook gently for 3 to 5 minutes. Lift out of water carefully with a perforated spoon. The dough has a tendency to dry while you are working. A dry dough will not seal completely. We suggest rolling out a large circle of dough, placing small mounds of filling far enough apart to allow for cutting, and folding the dough over the mounds of filling. Then cut with a small biscuit cutter and seal firmly. Never crowd or pile pierogi. The uncooked will stick and the cooked will lose shape and lightness. Note: Pierogi can be frozen after boiling and they keep well. I prefer all my pierogi fried in butter and onions and seasoned with salt and pepper. They should be fried on a medium low heat till golden brown. Beef Filling 4 serving 1 lg Onion, sliced 2 tb Margarine 1 3/4 c ground Beef 3/4 c Cooked rice 2 ts Beef broth 3 ts Hot water 1 tb Parsley, chopped Salt and Pepper to taste Sautonion in margarine. Stir in meat and rice. Dissolve bouillon in hot water. Add to meat mixture with parsley and salt & pepper to taste. Cabbage Filling 12 serving 1 Head cabbage 7 Cans of sauerkraut 10 oz. cans 1 Small onion 1 Clove of garlic 10 tb butter Salt and Pepper to taste Parboil cabbage in boiling water for ten to fifteen minutes. Rinse, drain, cool, and thoroughly wring moisture from cabbage and sauerkraut; set aside. The drier the cabbage and sauerkraut the less time required to complete cooking. Sauté onion and garlic in 2 Tbsp. butter. Add cabbage and sauerkraut and remainder of butter; cook for approximately one half hour or until cabbage is soft and mixture is "reasonably" dry. It is important that the mixture not be too moist in order to prevent wetting dough during the filling process ... wet dough will cause pierogi to break open during cooking! Allow mixture to stand in refrigerator (in covered bowl) for twenty four hours prior to filling pierogi dough. Cheese Filling 8 servings 2 c Cottage or farmers cheese 2 Eggs (slightly beaten) 2 tb Sugar 2 tb Butter 6 tb Currants (optional) 1/2 ts Cinnamon (optional) 1/2 c Raisins (optional) Salt and Pepper to taste Cream eggs and butter together. Add other ingredients and mix well. Note: If using cottage cheese, use only the egg yolks. Fruit Filling 4 servings 2 c Pitted cherries, blueberries, or apples 3/4 c Water 1/3 c Sugar (optional) 1/2 ts Cinnamon or cardamom 1 ts Lemon juice 3 tb Dry bread crumbs Salt and Pepper to taste Combine fruit water and sugar in saucepan. bring to boil. Simmer until fruit is tender and water is almost gone. Remove from heat. mash slightly with potato masher. Add cinnamon and lemon juice. Cook and stir over low heat until thick. Stir in enough bread crumbs to further thicken. Mushroom Filling 4 servings 2 pkg Mushrooms, soaked and chopped 1 lb Button mushrooms 1/2 Medium onion, chopped Salt and Pepper to taste Soak Shitake mushrooms in warm water for at least an hour. Chop 1 lb button mushrooms roughly and 1/2 medium onion and sauté in butter until mushrooms cook down. Chop Shitake mushrooms fine and add mushrooms (and water they have been soaked in) in the to pan & simmer 5-6 min, until liquid starts to evaporate. Salt & pepper lightly. (This holds nicely in the refrigerator - if you make the mushrooms the day before you make the pierogi, they will absorb more flavor from the cooking liquid - or so it seems, but I'm not a chemist). Potato Filling 12 servings 2 lb Potatoes (6 medium) 1/2 lb Butter 1 Minced onion (optional) Salt and Pepper to taste Cook potatoes till tender, drain well. Add butter, salt and pepper, onion and mash. When mixture is cool it is ready to use. Note: You may wish to combine cheese, or sauerkraut with potatoes; if so, it is best to combine 2/3 mashed potatoes to 1/3 other ingredients. Sausage Filling 4 servings 10 oz Kielbasa, skin and chop 1/2 c Cheese, grated 1/2 c Mushrooms, chopped 1/4 c Bread crumbs, fine and dry 1 Egg Salt and Pepper to taste Fry the kielbasa in a pan and mix all ingredients together. Unfortunately, eating out of hand could be messy....LOL Nancy

I couldn't live without peas. I grow the green English type and also the garden pea like cream peas or Crowder peas of blackeyed...I put up enough to last me a long time. I'd suggest squash summer and winter types, okra....I put up lots and lots of salsa because I use it to cook with the way most people use tomato sauce. Cilantro is a must here too. I put peas in the ground already, and have cabbage and broccoli planted with lots and lots of onions. I have asparagus too but not enough to make lots for canning or freezing so I watch the flyers/ads and one of our stores uses it every spring for a loss leader...a $1.00 a pound so I usually buy 40 lbs and put it in the freezer. another one that we love is greens of any kind...I grow spinach, kale, turnip, mustard, collards etc etc...yum yum...

Thinking about it, if you do freeze it you should probably cook it frozen, like you do a frozen pot pie...if you thaw it first, I suspect the pastry would turn to mush. I'd probably just eat it. ;)