It's unprecedented - two posts in one day from me! But our internet/cable went out earlier due to the storming here in middle Tennessee, so I had nothing to do but cook.

Before we begin, don't start this recipe unless you have a lot of time and maybe a masseuse; by the time I was done with this, my back was killing me from standing over the counter. BUT it was worth it - these things are really good. These would make really good finger foods at the next potluck you get stuck going to, or at a Christmas party or something.

Sour Cream Empanadas

PASTRY INGREDIENTS:

2 cups flour (sifted)
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup Crisco
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
1 egg yolk

FILLING INGREDIENTS:

3/4 lb ground meat (beef or turkey, thawed)
1 large onion, chopped finely
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp pepper
1 egg
2 tsp water

You're going to make your pastry first. Now, if you were with me for the fruit cobbler, you already have a pastry blender, a rolling pin and a flour sifter. If you weren't, well, you're going to need one of each.

Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl, and add the sugar and the 1 tsp of salt. Use the pastry blender to "cut" the Crisco into this mixture, just until it's kind of crumbly. Now, this won't get as crumbly as the pastry we made for the cobbler, so don't freak. Once the Crisco's all blended in, stir in the cup of sour cream and the egg yolk. Stir this all up and form the pastry into a ball (you'll want to make sure all the pastry is mixed up while you're doing this; I did the last of my mixing with my hands). Put the pastry back in the bowl, cover it with Saran wrap or something like that, and stick it in the fridge for at least two hours.

Once you're ready to begin, put your ground meat and onions in a skillet and brown them together. Then drain off the grease and stir in the 1/2 cup of sour cream, the 1/2 tsp of salt and the oregano. Set this to the side. At this point, preheat your oven to 450.

On a floured surface (just like we did for the cobbler) you want to roll out your pastry to about 1/8 inch thick. You don't want it too thin, but you don't want it too thick either. Cut out 3 inch circles from your pastry, scrunch the leftovers together, roll them out, rinse, lather, repeat until you run out of pastry.

Now, here's where things can get sticky if you aren't careful. You only want to do these a few at a time; I learned with my first batch. You're going to take a spoonful of meat and put on a pastry circle, then fold the pastry over to make a little clamshell. Squish the edges together, and use a floured fork to squinch down the edges a little more. Make a note - if you put meat on too many pastries at once, the pastry will get wet and stick to the counter. You don't want that.

Put the folded empanadas on a greased cookie sheet. Take the last egg and the 2 tsp water and beat them together in a bowl, and then, using a basting brush, brush the tops of the pastries with this mixture. Pop them in the oven and bake them for about 12 minutes. These are very good, and also very filling.

Everything laid out to get started