Chicken Pot Pie with Cornbread Crust

I saw this recipe on the Oprah show, and just had to share. It is a recipe created by Cristina Ferrare, who has cooked for the big O a long time. With cold weather coming to the Ozarks, this just sounded like a great meal. It would also be a good recipe to make to use up left over baked chicken. Write us and tell us what you think.

This is a feel-good meal! It's traditional without a catch but very satisfying—not to mention easy and fast.
Ingredients:Filling:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 medium Onion , chopped
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup frozen sweet petite peas
1 potato , diced and boiled
1 1/2 cup chopped, cooked carrots
1/2 tsp. salt
Cracked pepper
Dash of Tabasco® sauce Crust:
3/4 cup white or yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup milk
1 large egg
2 Tbsp. canola oil
To make filling: Preheat the oven to 400°. Spray a 2-quart casserole with cooking spray. In a large sauce pan, heat olive oil and unsalted butter together. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 4 or 5 minutes. Add in flour until blended. Slowly stir in 2 cups of heated chicken stock, whisking well. Cook mixture over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, about 4 minutes. Stir in chicken, peas, potato, carrots, salt, pepper and Tabasco®. Pour into a 2-quart casserole dish coated with cooking spray and cook until heated and thickened. Spread evently into an ovenproof dish. To make crust: In a bowl, stir cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Stir milk, egg and canola oil until well combined. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Spoon the batter evenly on the filling. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 22 to 25 minutes.

A Different Take on Baptism

I grew up in the United Methodist Church! For those not familiar with our beliefs on baptism, I can sum it up: 1)infant baptism yes, 2)baptism at an older age yes, 3) we pour, sprinkle, and immerse! Kind a got the whole gambit covered! The baptism, for most, comes as an infant from having some water sprinkled on the head. If a person joins the UMC from another faith tradition, we accept the baptism as valid. Baptism is a "God act" of marking us as God's own.

In recent days, many of our churches are installing a baptistry (a king of small pool that can be used for full immersion baptism). Many of our youth are finding the experience meaningful. Why? Not as many children are being baptized in our churches as infants. Many of our faithful were not a regular part of church themselves as children and young adults!

All is good, hopefully. In this attempt to help a new generation find meaning in baptism, I hope we do not lose our emphasis on: 1) excepting as valid the baptisms of others; 2) offering all possibilities previously mentioned. It fits for me: open minds, open hearts, open doors! I invite you to respond.

Ray Province, The Celtic Ozarkian

Chicken and noodles

It has started to get chilly here in the Ozarks and that always makes me think of comfort food! What better way to welcome the family home than to have them come in the house and smell a big pot of chicken and noodles on the stove? Unfortunately, this is not a 30 minute dish, but the left over chicken can be. So you need to start this one when you have at least 2 hours to get supper on the table. Here is what you need:

1 whole chicken (what ever is on sale)
1 onion (yellow or white- what ever is cheaper)
1 package of noodles- more on that later
1 can of chicken broth- optional
bouillon cube-optional
carrots and celery- optional
garlic salt
pepper
Greek seasoning

Remove any innards from the chicken- I don't use the giblets in my soup because we don't care for them, but I do use the neck. You can save the giblets for other uses, or I sometimes lightly saute them for the dogs to eat. In a large stock pot or soup pot place your rinsed chicken (inside and out) neck and broth if you are using it. Now you need to add about 4-6 cups of water, enough to give you plenty of soup to cook your noodles in later. Add salt, pepper and Greek seasoning to taste. I start with about 1/4 tsp each of the salt and Greek seasoning and a good dose of the pepper depending upon your family's taste. If you don't use the broth you will need more salt and seasoning. Chop the onion and add to the broth mixture.
If I have carrots in the house, I give them a chop and toss them in, if I don't have any, I don't make a special trip to the store. You want about 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped carrots. I never add celery because again we don't care for it, but if your family likes it toss in some. The nice thing about using the vegetables this way is that you get all the vitamins that are cooked out in the broth since you are eating that too!
Bring to a boil and then simmer until the chicken is done-about one hour. Remove the chicken and the neck from the broth and put on plate to cool.
Taste your broth and adjust any seasonings as needed. Also, check to make sure you have enough liquid to cook your noodles. If not add more water or broth as you desire. You can also add water and a bouillon cube if you like to adjust the taste. Now is a good time to skim extra fat from the broth if you desire.
Now here is the really fun part, the noodles. I use lots of different kinds of noodles depending upon my mood for the day. The choices are almost endless. Last night I used wide egg noodles, but we also love the freezer kind. I sometimes get Amish noodles from the bulk store and my Mother always made her own. (I am not that good) Pick what ever your family loves!
Return the broth to a boil and add your noodles and cook according to package directions. If I am feeding a whole bunch, I make lots of broth and add the whole package. If there are just a few of us I cook just enough for that meal and maybe a lunch for me later.
While your noodles are cooking, take the meat off the chicken. the neck takes a little work for not much meat, but every little bit helps in this day and age. The skin and bones go in the trash, and all that wonderful chicken meat is left. I add about 1/3 of the meat in the noodles as they are cooking or at the end which ever comes first. If you like yours with more meat in it, add more!!!
When your noodles are done, your soup is ready to serve. Yumm!!
And you have left over chicken for another meal or two. We like to make fried rice with some, or for a quick meal, I add some of the chicken to spaghetti sauce and then serve over elbow noodles. Add a tossed salad and you are good to go. Easy, fast meals that are so yummy

Robin's Banana Bread

Who says old bananas are good for nothing! As the fall slowly sets into the Ozarks, it becomes time to do some wonderful, homemade breads. This one is a family favorite!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of melted butter
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 tsp. of baking soda
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 cup of sour cream
1 cup of mashed banana (the older the sweeter!)
9"x5" loaf pan

Let's get to it:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together butter, sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Combine dry ingredients. Stir into butter mixture. Beat until smooth. Fold in bananas and sour cream. Bake for 1 hour, or until the bread passes the dry toothpick test!

Eat and enjoy!

Hillbilly French Onion Soup

Try this one out next time you want to make a simple, but elegant soup. It is so simple, you can even make it on a camp out! A little homemade bread, and some wine, and you got yourself somethin'.

Ingredients:
1 aluminum foil pot pie size pan.
1 small onion cut into fourths (Vidalia Onions of the summer are the best)
1 beef bullion cube
1 pat of butter
1 sheet of aluminum foil big enough to wrap your soup dish.
1 piece of cheese big enough to cover the little pan. (Swiss or Provolone are my favorite)

Preparation:

Place the onion, bullion cube, and butter in the pan. Add 1/4 cup water for soup. Place cheese on top. Cover in the aluminum foil. Place in a 350 degree oven for an hour.

How's that for simple! This is a great kid friendly recipe also. Enjoy.

slainte!

Ray Province
Ozark Hillbilly Cookin'

A Rhetoric of Hate

To some extent, I am glad the last of the Presidential debates takes place tonight. When the political gloves come off, it can get ugly. The problem for this, this year, has been the hate rhetoric.

I am still in shock over the the scenes I have seen of good, common folk calling for the death of one of our political candidates for President. Why would anyone think that would be okay? No doubt, there may be others who would call for the death of the other candidate as well.

No one should have to die for us to exercise our constitutional right to elect a new President. The differences in political opinion keep us strong. Being Irish, my family will even give you a good argument! In the best of our arguments, no one has had to die.

Eight plus years ago, our country witnessed a peaceful transition of power that was settled by the Supreme Court. Al Gore and George W. Bush both sat on shaky ground. Neither had a clear mandate to declare victory in the election. It took a bit to settle, but our country got it done. George W. Bush became our President. No one had to die.

As a people of faith, it is imperative we raise our voice to this type of rhetoric. We need to call the hand of any who would head down this most ugly road. It is a matter of principle to me. It is a matter of faith.

Ray Province
The Celtic Ozarkian
www.celticozarkian.com

Black Bean Soup from the Hills!

We are starting to gets some nights in the low forties in the Ozarks, so it is time to get the soup to cookin'. Try this Ozark favorite on for size, with a good book and fire!

Ingredients:
1 lb dried black beans
1 lb spicy stuffed sausage that can be cut into pieces.
3 large onions-finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic-finely chopped (yes, we like garlic!)
3 green peppers -finely chopped
1-2 hot peppers-finely chopped (don't be a chicken!)
1 tbs wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
3 Bay leaves
A pinch of ground basil, freshly ground black pepper, and salt (all of this is to taste)
1 cup of cooked rice of your choice
Directions:
Wash the beans. Place beans in large pot and cover with cold water, and let set over night. Next day, dump the water, and fill to cover again with cold water. Cut sausage into 1" pieces. Dump them into the pot, and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Saute your veggies in the olive oil, then add the mess to the pot. Add Bay leaves and the Basil. Cook until the beans are tender. Remove 1 1/2 cups of black beans and place in a blender with salt and pepper. Add the wine vinegar. Blend until it forms a paste (I like to call it gunk!). Add back into the soup, and blend all well. The soup is ready to go.
Serving:
Place 1 tbs of rice in a bowl, and pour hot soup over the top. Mmmm. Set the Tabasco out for the hearty! This recipe serves 8-10 civilized people, or 2 hillbillies! Enjoy!

Frozen Whiskey Sours!

There's more to good Ozark drinks than moonshine! Try this little number out for your next party, but remember to drink responsibly!

In large container that is suitable for freezing combine:

1 cup of whiskey
1 cup of sugar
6 cups of water
1 large can of frozen concentrated lemonade mix (Minute Maid is my favorite)
1 small can of frozen Orange Juice Concentrate (again Minute Maid rocks!)
2 cups of hot weak tea (make the tea with only one tea bag)

Freeze, stirring often to turn it to slush, drink!

There

Welcome to Hillybilly Cookin!

We have created this site to have a place to share recipes of all types! We will be specifically sharing the best of Ozark Hillbilly cookin, but we won't ever turn our nose up at a good food! We hope you enjoy!

The neat thing about most good Ozark cookin is that it is peasant food! Most of the recipes are cheap to make! Plus, anyone livin' in the Ozarks can tell you that the best food comes from the peasants!

Robin Province
Born and raised in the Ozarks
www.celticozarkian.com