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This Spanish Assignment caused our family A LOT of grief!!  So glad it is done!!!

Can't wait for school to be OUT!!

Empanadas

Empanada dough (see link to recipe below)

2-3 chicken breasts (or 2-3 cups shredded cooked chicken)

1 bay leaf

1 chicken bouillon cube

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 large onions, chopped

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder (or to taste)

1.5 tablespoons sugar

salt and pepper

3 hard boiled eggs, chopped

1/2 cup green olives, sliced

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon water

Prepare empanada dough and chill.

Poach the chicken: Place the chicken breasts in a pot with the bouillon and bay leaf, and cover with water or chicken broth.

Bring to a boil, and simmer over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Let cool in the broth.

Shred chicken into small pieces, and moisten with 1 or 2 tablespoons of the broth. Set aside.

Heat oil in a skillet. Add chopped onions, paprika, cumin, chile powder, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste.

Cook over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until onions are soft and clear, and mixture is golden brown.

Remove from heat and stir in the chicken. For best flavor, refrigerate filling until the next day.

Stir chopped hard boiled egg and olives into filling mixture.

Separate empanada dough into golf ball size pieces, and roll each one into a smooth ball. Let rest 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

On a floured surface, roll each ball of dough into a circle about 6 inches in diameter.

Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of filling in the middle of the circle. Brush the edges of the dough along the bottom half of the circle lightly with water.

Fold the top half of the circle of dough over the filling to form a semicircle, and press edges together firmly to seal.

Brush the pressed edge with a little bit of water, and fold the edge over itself, pinching and crimping as you go to make a braid-like effect. Place empanadas on a baking sheet.

Mix egg yolk with water and brush mixture lightly over entire surface of each empanada.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and slightly puffed.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Hallullas

3 cups all purpose flour

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast (1 packet)

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup warm milk

1/4 - 1/2 cup warm water

1/4 cup lard (or vegetable shortening), softened

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water.

Place flour in the bowl of a standing mixer and stir in salt and sugar, using the dough hook attachment.

Add yeast mixture and 1/2 cup milk and mix with dough hook. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough comes together. Continue to knead until dough is smooth, elastic, and not sticky, about 10 minutes.

Add lard and knead until dough is smooth again.

Place dough in a oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest in a warm place until doubled in size.

Roll dough out on a floured surface until it's 1-2 centimeters thick. Dust dough with flour and fold in half. Roll out again and repeat folding two more times, letting dough rest at intervals to let the elasticity in the dough relax.

When dough is all rolled out for the last time to 1-2 centimeters thickness, let it rest for 5 minutes. Use a biscuit cutters or cut circles of dough and place them on a greased cookie sheet. Use the tines of a fork to make two rows of decorative indentations across the top of the dough.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cover rolls loosely and let rise until doubled in in height, about 30 minutes.

Bake hallullas until golden brown and puffy, about 20-25 minutes.

Remove and cool slightly before serving.

Churros

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup butter

pinch of salt

1 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 large eggs

vegetable oil for frying

1/2 cup sugar plus 1 tablespoon

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Place the buttermilk, water, butter, salt, and 1 tablespoon sugar in a pot, and bring mixture to a boil.

Stir in the flour all at once using a heat-proof spatula. Continue to stir until the mixture clumps together to form a ball. Continue to cook for a minute or two more, turning the dough over in the pot with the spatula. Remove from heat.

Add the vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. The mixture should just start to look shiny, but should not slide off the spatula easily. (It should be slightly stiffer than cream puff dough). If the mixture seems too thick and lacks shine, add an extra egg.

Place dough in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip that has an opening at least 1/2 inch wide. You can also use a round tip

Place a sheet of wax paper on a cookie sheet. Pipe lengths of dough (I usually make them 4-6 inches long) onto the cookie sheet.

Place cookie sheet in the freezer while you heat up the oil. Heat 1-2 inches of oil to 375 degrees. When the churros feel firm, carefully pick them up off the cookie sheet with a spatula and drop them into the oil. Work in batches, and fry the churros for about 2 minutes on each side, until they are golden brown. Cool them on a plate lined with paper towels.

Mix the 1/2 cup sugar and the cinnamon together, and place the mixture on a plate or in a pan. Roll the churros in the cinnamon sugar while they are still warm. To fill the churros, fit a pastry bag with a round (#4) metal icing tip. The tip should be small enough to pole into the end of the doughnut. Fill the pastry bag with your filling of choice.

Poke a skewer through the doughnut lengthwise, and pipe the filling into the hole. Serve Warm