When Brittany and I sent out a letter in 2009 asking for recipes, we received the following message from Sherry Daniels, who is the wife of Casey’s cousin Bobby. It was only months later that she began her courageous battle with ovarian cancer. The last four years have been an exhausting roller coaster for Sherry and her family as the disease came and went and came again. This lovely lady whom her husband described as “Gentle in spirit and strong at heart” is now at peace with the God that she loved and trusted so much. I’ve never read more beautiful and inspirational messages about what that fight for your life with cancer is like, than those that were posted on her Caring Bridge website. What an incredible, ethereal soul. I am transcribing her letter to us in its entirety so that you can sense the depth of her kindness and sincerity.
“Thank you so much for this inspiring letter. It has come to me often in the last few weeks. I am here in Colorado with my children and their new children, my grandchildren. Grandchildren are such a reminder of the cycles of life. So many memories have come to me about my children when they were little, and then my own memories about my childhood, and you have even inspired me to go back to when my Mom was little. She is still living at 91 with dementia, so many memories are gone. When I call her to talk the conversations can be quite a challenge, your letter inspired me to talk about cooking; making Pasties in particular. It was so fun because she could still give me a bit of advice and history. My Mom is from the upper peninsula of Michigan, lots of Scandinavians in that area, so Pasties may actually be from that area of the world. She lived in the small town of Wakefield and mining was the work of many. These meat pies were wrapped in paper and sent into the mines with the men for a hardy midday meal.
You inspired me to pull the recipe out and deliver the pasties to my children and their families. It is a way for me to pass on the memory of my heritage and remember my Mom and her family since she does not remember much for herself at this time. She loved to makes pasties with us kids and have them when her sibling came over. It would bring them back to their roots; I could feel it as a little girl and hear the conversations of their youth be rekindled.
It is a great winter meal to have warm and fresh, or heat up later. Serve with lots of ketchup and some great dill pickles. My family has added a bit of tobacco sauce or Cholula
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to share, Hilary and Brittany. With Love and Compassion, Sherry Daniels.” 2/27/2009
2 lbs. lean ground beef
1/2 lb. ground pork
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
4-5 medium potatoes, cubed
1 medium rutabaga or turnip, grated
Mix the above in a large bowl. Do not cook, this is the stuffing for the pies.
I use 4 pie shells for this amount. Use the ones that you unroll. Cut the shell in half and roll just a bit bigger. Put one heaping cup of the meat mixture on the crust, add a pat of butter, and fold over. You may need to trim a bit of the angle off. Pinch it all closed and put three small slits on top.
Put the pies on a cookie sheet and cook 15 minutes at 450 degrees and then 45 minutes at 350. Serve warm, reheat, or eat however. Take to family and friends or on a hike or picnic.
Note: Right now I am thinking that sharing this letter from Sherry may be more than enough reason for Heronearth to exist , so thank you My Dear, for that as well. We dedicate this post in loving memory of Sherry Daniels and her family.
Photo by Heidi Chowen
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