Pasties (pronouced past-ees. Not paste-ees!)

For our second anniversary we went to Mackinac Island, Michigan. Located at the "tip of the mit", the island is a former French trading post and British fort. Since the 1800's it has been one of the hottest vacation spots in Michigan. To get to the island you take a ferry from one Mackinac City. No cars are allowed on the Island, making it a great place for hiking and biking.

My grandmother used to live about twenty miles from the Mackinac City. I spent summers there going to military re-enactments and eating the local favorite - fudge. In fact, the area is so popular for fudge that the locals refer to the tourists as "fudgies." (By the way, we tried Murray's and Jo-Ann's fudge, and definitely preferred Murray's. Much creamier and no sugar crystals.)

After crossing the famous Mackinaw bridge, I returned to my homeland, the UP (Michigan's Upper Peninsula.) The UP is known for its pasties. It is basically a meat pocket served with either gravy or ketchup. The miners in the area used to cook the pasties on their shovels. Although they probably didn't have any ketchup with them.

To order frozen pasties I like Dobbers. check out http://www.dobberspasties.com/v2/
If you want to try making your own, here is a recipe that I found at http://kenanderson.net

Cornish-Finnish-Michigan Pasties

Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup shortening
1 1/4 cups ice water
1 teaspoon salt
5 1/2 cups thinly sliced potatoes
2 carrots, shredded
1 onion
1/2 cup diced rutabagas
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound lean ground pork
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons monosodium glutamate
1 cube beef boullion
1/2 cup hot water

1. Whisk together flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut shortening. Make a well in the center of the mixture, and quickly stir in ice cold water. Form dough into a ball. Set aside.
2. Dissolve the boullion cube in the hot water. Combine uncooked vegetables, uncooked meats, salt, pepper, monosodium glutamate, and boullion.
3. Roll out pastry dough into 6"x8" rectangles. Place about 1 1/2 cups of filling in the center of each rectangle. Bring 6" sides together and seal. Cut a slit in the top of each pasty. Place on a dull, not black, baking pan.
4. Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 C) for 45 minutes.