DIY Monday: Baking Nigerian meatpies

It was a very fun weekend. My youngest sister was visiting after a week long training course in the DC/MD/VA area. It was so nice to spend some time with her and the best part is that she got to spend time with her nieces. JOE couldn't wait for her to arrive last Friday and all week, she kept talking about the fun things she would do with her Aunty JJ. It really is nice to see how excited she gets when she spends time with extended family. 

On Saturday, true to her words, my sister decided to make meatpies with JOE. This was by far the highlight of JOE's weekend. She stood there the entire time (only taking breaks to use the potty) and watched/helped my sister. It was really sweet to watch. 

It was hair wash day and I had just taken JOE's hair out. Spent time keeping JAE away from her hair because she seems to enjoy pulling JOE's hair. 

Recipe for meatpie:
- 3 cups flour
- 2 sticks cold butter (should be cold enough to work with but not so cold that you can't crumble it)
- 1-tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup water & a table spoon to add the water
- Ground meat (chicken, beef or turkey)
- Maggie cubes (2 depending on how "stuffed" you want your meatpie). Also known as bouillion cubes.
- Paprika
- Salt
- Pepper (I used dried habanero peppers)
- Ginger
- Thyme
- Mixed peas and carrots (from the frozen food aisle)
- Cut up onions (optional)
- An empty round tomato can for making the pie shapes
- An egg and 2-table spoons of water. Mix together (for the egg wash)
- A fork

Directions for dough:
- Put the flour, baking powder and butter in a bowl and mix it all together. It should form small crumbles when all is mixed together
- Add a tablespoon of cold water just to bind it all together
- Form a ball with the dough
- Use shrink wrap to wrap the ball and store in the refrigerate

Directions for meat:
- Brown the meat. There's no need to add any oil unless you are working with ground chicken. If working with ground chicken, you can use cooking spray or a table spoon of olive oil. 
- Add the onions, maggie cubes, paprika (as much or as little as you want), salt to taste, pepper, ginger and thyme. Cook it all together. When it is all almost done, add the peas and carrots and cook until everything is fully done.
- Remove meat from heat and drain it if necessary. I like it with some juices but if it is too juicy, it can get runny. You can also add a tablespoon of flour to make it thicker. 

Directions for pies:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees farenheit
- Roll the dough as flat as you can with a rolling pin
- Use a round container (I prefer an empty large tomato tin) to cut the dough
- Add the meat mixture in the middle
- Dip your finger in water and put some around the edge of the dough then fold in 2
- use the girl to compress the edges and poke some holes in the pie.
- Once formed, use a brush to apply the egg wash and into the oven it goes
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown
- Remove and allow to cool. 
ENJOY!

After JOE and Aunty JJ made the meatpies, we all got ready and headed to the mall. We had dinner at California Pizza Kitchen and celebrated my sister's birthday. 

While waiting, we stopped by Paul's French Bakery. YUM! We planned on going back there for dessert but completely forgot. 

JOE certainly loved looking at all the yummy french pastries. 

It was definitely a fun weekend and I enjoyed having my sister here.  We are all looking forward to having family in town again soon for JAE's different celebrations. Woohoo!!!

AyoBE Handmade Wear

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