Here are some empanada and pastie recipes from Spain: (on the leftof the photo) These are wonderful little turnovers (empanadas) made from spinach, pine nuts and raisins. The dough: 8 oz water 4 oz olive oil 4 oz. orange juice 100 grams lard (just under 1/2 cup) 1 egg 700 grams flour (5.5 cups) The Filling: 3 bunches spinach, washed, drained and chopped 100 grams seedless raisins (3/4 cup) 25 grams pine nuts (1/4 cup) 3 spring onions, washed and chopped fine sweet paprika - to your taste salt olive oil - 2 TBS 1) Put oil in saucepan and lightly stirfry the onion, without browning them. Add the spinach, salt, raisins and pine nuts and stirfry a few moments more. Remove from heat and add paprika. Mix well and reserve. Put egg, orange juice and lard in a large bowl and mix with fork until creamy. Add water and oil, mix again. 3) Add flour a little at a time to make a consistent dough. Roll out into circles, fill by putting a spoonful of filling in the centre of each circle and fold over, press edge. Roll up edge over filled part and shape into corded edge, as in photo. Place on greased cookie sheet in 350F oven for 20 minutes until golden. Source: Chatbalear.com Here is a delicious sweet potato pastry turnover which is typical to Canary Islands, and which I love: Filling: 2 1/4 cups sweet potato (batata) (500 grams) 2 cups ground almonds (250 grams) 1/2 cup fine granulated or castor sugar 3 egg yolks grated rind of 1 green lemon anisette liqueur \- a few drops rum \- a few drops 1 teasp powdered aniseed 1 teasp powdered cinammon pastry: 3 TBS lard 1/2 cup olive oil 4 1/4 cups flour (500 grams) Preparation: 1\) Filling: Boil, peel and mash the sweet potatoes and mix with the ground almonds, lemon rind, sugar, yolks, a dash each of anisette and rum, and a teaspoon each of powdered aniseed and cinnamon. 2\) Pastry: Mix the lard, oil and flour to a consistency suitable for pastry. Leave for half an hour, then roll out thinly on a floured board. Cut out saucer\-sized circles, place some filling on one side, flip over the other side to cover, press the edges together and flute with a fork to decorate. Pierce one side of each trucha lightly with a fork. 3\) Finally fry pasties in abundant hot oil, drain on kitchen paper, sprinkle with sugar and arrange on serving dish. These pasties will keep well in an airtight tin. (My advice \- best keep in the fridge in warm weather if not eaten all at once.) Source: 'The Best of Canary Island Cookery' Centro de la Cultura Popular Canaria SharonCb ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tuna PatTurnovers (Empanadas de Atun) \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- 3 different recipes for the pastry: Recipe 1: 4 cups (500 grams) all purpose flour 1 TBS cooking oil 1 TBS baking powder 3/4 cup cold water Method: Put flour in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Put the oil, salt and baking powder in the well, add the water and mix together. Mix with hands until the dough no longer sticks to hands. Then roll out with rolling pin and cut out circles with saucer. Fill each with mixture, fold over to form half moon and close with tines of a fork. Deep fry in abundant oil. Recipe 2: 3 TBS lard 1 small glass (4 oz) olive oil 4 cups (500 grams) all purpose flour Method: Mix the lard, oil and flour to a consistency suitable for pastry. Leave for half an hour, then roll out thinly on a floured board. Cut out saucer\-sized circles, place some filling on one side, flip over to the other side to cover, press the edges together and flute with a fork to decorate. Pierce one side with a fork and fry in abundant hot oil and drain on kitchen paper. Source: The Best of Canary Island Cookery Recipe 3: 2 1/4 cups +2 TBS (275 grams)all purpose flour 1/2 cup (100 grams) butter or lard 1/2 teasp salt 6 1/2 TBS (100 ml) water or wine Method: Place the flour in a bowl and add chilled butter or lard, cutting it in with a knife until mixture is crumbly. Add salt and then the liquid. Mix into a ball and knead very briefly on a floured board. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least two hours. Roll out the pastry dough and cut into circles about 4 in (10 cms). Place a teaspoon of filling on each pastry round and fold over, closing and crimping the edges with the tines of a fork. Fry the empanadas a few at a time in hot oil until golden or bake in a preheated hot oven. Source: The Best of Spanish Cooking \- Janet Mendel Note: The above pastry recipe of Janet Mendel is used for Pork Pasties, in which case the filling will be as follows: FILLINGS: \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- Pork Pasties: 7 oz (200 grams) minced pork 2 TBS oil 2 TBS minced onion 1 clove of garlic \- minced 3 TBS tomato sauce 1 TBS chopped parsley 1/4 teasp crushed oregano 1 TBS brandy or sherry 2 oz (50 grams) pitted or stuffed olives, chopped 1 egg, beaten salt & pepper Method: Fry the minced pork in the oil until browned. Add the minced onion and garlic. Then stir in the tomato sauce, parsley, oregano, brandy and chopped olives. Simmer until the liquid is reduced. Stir in the beaten egg and season with salt & pepper. Fill according to pastry recipe above. Tuna Paté \- 4 recipes Recipe 1: 2/3 cup (150 grams) butter 3 hard boiled eggs 11 oz (approx 300 grams) drained tuna in oil 2 small tins anchovies pepper Method: Soften butter and put in blender, adding all the other ingredients. Blend until smooth. Put in container in fridge or spread on pastry rounds to make deep fried turnovers. Recipe 2: 1 tin tuna drained 1 small tin red sweet pimento drained 3 small triangle portions of soft spread cheese (eg Laughing Cow) Method: Blend together and put in fridge or make into tuna paté turnovers. Recipe 3: 2 tins tuna in olive oil, drained 1 small tin anchovies, drained 1 hard cooked egg Method: Chop together and blend until smooth, using a bit of oil from the tins to moisten. Use as paté or in turnovers. Recipe 4: 2 eggs 1 tin of tuna in oil 1/2 red pepper, finely chopped 1/2 onion, minced Method: Boil the eggs 10 minutes until hard cooked. Finely chop together the tuna and hard cooked eggs, the red pepper and the onion. Fill the circles of pastry, fold over and close with tines of a fork. Deep fry until golden. SharonCb

I still have fingernails! It didn't really start rising until after 2 hours! I put a pan of hot water in the oven with it, and that helped. I wonder if buttermilk isn't a great liquid for dissolving yeast. The buttermilk was almost as thick as yogurt. I used half for the crumb cake and tried to shape the other half into balls for buns, but I could see it was too wet and would just meld together. So I put the other half in another pan and sprinkled coconut on top. I'm going to try to recreate what we called coconut buns growing up. They are glazed after baking. I'm letting them rise overnight in the fridge. I think they'll be all right. I just hope they taste good! I'd hate to waste all that butter, sugar, etc. But nothing ventured, nothing gained. If it's anything to be proud of, I'll take photos. ;)

This is a t/t that I have used for years. This recipe is from Philomena Romero, who had a local restaurant. It does have Crisco, but I would think you could sub with butter, but they probably wonÂt be as flakey. I have never used pumpkin filling, but have used the dough for mincemeat and fruit filling. 1-1/2 cups lukewarm water ½ pkg. of yeast 1 T sugar 1 tsp. salt 3 T Crisco 3 to 3-1/2 cups flour Dissolve yeast in sugar and water. Add salt, Crisco and 1 cup flour, mix well. Continue adding flour gradually, adding enough to make a easy to handle dough. Do not let the dough stand or rise. Roll out half of the dough at a time. Roll to 1/16 inch. Cut out rounds 3 inches in diameter. On half of each round place about 2 tsp. filling. Bring other half of dough over filling. Press ends together to seal. Holding turnover in left hand, with sealed edge facing right hand, start at top end of turnover pressing edge with thumb and fore finger to right hand, hold pressed edge and give inward twist. Work down entire side of sealed edge, always overlapping previous twist with the next one. This will make a completely sealed turnover. Use rest of dough and filling in same manner. Do not allow empanaditas to stand too long as dough will rise and become unsealed. Fry is deep hot oil (370F). Brown on both side  drain on paper towels. Serve warm. May be refrigerated or frozen. Donna

I think this is what you had. I remember you liking them. Here they're called Pates but they are really our version of an empanada. VIRGIN ISLAND SPICY MEAT PATES (16-20 appetizers) Pastry: 2 cups flour 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 cup butter, chilled 1 tsp pepper 5 TBL cold water Filling: 1 lb extra-lean ground beef 1 large onion, minced 1 large green bell pepper, minced 1/2 to 1 habanero pepper, seeded & minced 1/2 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs 1/4 cup pimento-stuffed green onion, minced 6 oz canned tomatoes, drained & chopped 4 TBL apple cider vinegar 1 tsp crushed oregano 1/2 tsp allspice Salt & pepper to taste 1 cup sharp grated Cheddar Sift the flour, salt & pepper into a large bowl. Using 2 knives or a pastry cutter (I used a processor), cut the butter into the flour until coarse crumbs form. Work in the water & chill in the refrigerator 1 hour. In a large skillet, cook the meat, onion, garlic & peppers. Drain & rinse the meat in a collander using hot water. Most of the fat will run off, leaving the flavor. Stir in breadcrumbs, olives, tomatoes, vinegar, herbs & spices. Preheat oven to 425°. On a well-floured surface, roll out the dough & cut in 4" circles. Spoon filling into the centers, top with grated cheese & pinch shut with wet fingers. Bake on a lightly greased baking sheet until golden, about 15 minutes.~~A Taste of the Caribbean Let me know if this isn't it.