On the Road: Man Crafts

Normally this blog is full of estrogen-fueled ideas.  But today, I happily present an example of a totally male creation.

I recently attended the Continental Cup International Ski Jumping Championship on Pine Mountain in Iron Mountain, Michigan.  The event spans several hours each day for two days and, take my word for it, it is extremely cold.  Locals and ski jumping fans literally claim a spot days in advance and build little makeshift shelters.  Some have tarps to block out the wind, others literally build little houses with windows.  Turnout is estimated between 5-10,000, with athletes from all over the world competing in a very small town in the middle of rural America.

The most popular spot at each makeshift viewing station is generally the heat source/cooking device.  In this case, one crew had used a barrel to handcraft a stove, with a two-tier cooking rack on top.

Yes, it actually made the food boiling hot.  The food in Michigan generally involves lots of bratwurst, chili, and venison.  The male maker of this fireplace stove welded on feet, a door, and even a ventilation tube in the back.

He loaded it up with firewood to keep the flame going.  It let off massive heat.  For the record, I'm sure nothing about this would pass any legitimate codes inspection, so I am in no way condoning this and I certainly don't want anyone to try this at home.  But, nobody can say we don't appreciate man crafts occasionally here on Crafty Life and Style.  One more thing...next time you are irritated that the hubby still hasn't gotten around to that project around the house you've been bugging him about...take a look at all of the energy that went into these little creations.  Priorities.

Admiring From Afar

I just wanted to share a little observation I made during a recent vacation.  Earlier this week I wrote about my trip to the Continental Cup, an international ski jumping competition in Northern Michigan.  The event is full of men, dressed in hunting gear to keep warm, watching hours of competing.  They are camping out, roughing it in the mud, sitting on hay for seats, and full of sports-loving testosterone.  So, I had to smile a bit when one of the men pulled out his wife's scrapbook.  He brought it along because it showed pictures of him visiting that same competition on Pine Mountain 40 years ago.  These men, in camouflage coats, thick boots, and full beards...gathered around this scrapbook on hay seats surrounded by dirt and reminisced about old times.  While they often act disinterested in our crafty habits and dismiss it as ladies stuff...we all know, deep down, they are delighted by our scrapbook albums, even if they act too tough to admit it.

Tasty Tuesday: Pasties Pie

This Tasty Tuesday is brought to you by a travel loving Crafty Cat.  Destination:  Michigan.  Dinner:  Pasties.

Whenever I visit a new place, I love to soak up local color with local treats.  I had never heard of pasties until I visited Michigan.  Before your mind runs amok...it is a food....pasties, the meal.  I'm not talking about any other kind of pasties.  The writer in me feels compelled to tell you that it is pronounced past-ee...NOT paste-ee.  They are a meat, onion, and potato filled pastry.  There are numerous restaurants in Michigan that serve them.  The examples you see here are actually made in a small take-out shop called "Jean Kay's Pasties". 

They actually are tasty, but simple.  A sophisticated palette may long for something more spicey.  But, they are perfect for the meat and potato type of person and kids.  I'm told some people add ketchup, others add gravy.  I had mine plain in order to really experience the taste.  The meat in my take-out meal is tiny steak strips, the potatoes are diced very small, and the onions are hardly visible, but infused into the pastry pocket.  Hungry?  Come to Michigan...you'll find plenty of them.  Until you make it there, a local offered me his own recipe to share.  He grew up eating pasties in a community with lots of Norwegian settlers.  Keep in mind, his version won't produce exactly what the restaurant version did, but it is still tasty and you can adapt it to your own taste.  My father made it with sausage and loved it.

Pasties Pie Recipe:
1 pound of hamburger, or sausage, or a half pound of both
3 large potatoes
1 medium onion
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 box of Pillsbury Pie Crusts
Several slices of REAL butter

Cube the potatoes very small, about the size of your pinky nail (that's my measurement). Dice up your onion. Mix the meat, pototoes and onions all together in a bowl with the salt and pepper adjusted to your level of taste.

Line the bottom of a glass pie plate with dough to make a bottom crust. Pour the meat, potato, and onion mix into the pie plate. Put pads of real butter on top of the mixture...and be generous with that butter, so it isn't too dry. Cover with pie dough.

Make a few slits on the top of the crust. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about an hour. If your potatoes are diced larger, it will take longer to cook. Check to see if potatoes are done and serve.

*Note: This will look more like a pie.  But, if you would like to make individual servings, as seen in the pictures here, simply wrap the meat mixture in the pie dough, rather than lining a bowl, and bake the pastry pockets. Make sure you add slivers of butter to each pocket before you wrap them to add moisture and flavor...and only use REAL butter.  Bon Appetite!