Trego's Mountain Ear

"Serving North Lincoln County"

Author: Off Grid Gals

  • Skillet Chicken Pot Pie

    Skillet Chicken Pot Pie

    I’ve looked at many recipes for making Chicken Pot Pie using my cast iron skillet and didn’t find one in particular that fit into my “how can I make this with the least amount of work” philosophy. So I combined a few different recipes and this chicken pot pie is easy to make and the crust is flakey and very tasty. Enjoy!

    FOR PIE CRUST:

    • 8 tablespoons cold butter cut into cubes
    • 8 tablespoons cold shortening cut into cubes
    • 2 3/4 cups flour
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 cup cold water
    • (I have a 12″ skillet, so I make 1-1/2 times this recipe so I have plenty of dough). I put the butter and shortening in the freezer for a few minutes to harden and then cut them into your flour/salt until clumps form. Then pour in water and mix until dough ball forms. Cut the dough in half and form into two flattened round disks. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until ready to use.

    FOR FILLING:

    • 2 tablespoons butter
    • 1 tablespoon oil
    • 2 stalks celery, diced
    • Frozen carrots
    • Frozen peas
    • Frozen or diced potatoes
    • 1 onion, minced
    • 1 clove garlic, minced
    • 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
    • 3 cups chicken broth
    • Salt and pepper to taste
    • 2 cups chicken, diced
    • (Flour and chicken broth can be adjusted based on size of pan–I use 1/2 cup flour and 5 cups chicken broth)Preheat oven to 400. Add butter and oil to large pan and melt. Sauté celery, onion, and garlic until soft, about five minutes. (If you are using uncooked chicken, at this point cook chicken until its internal temp reaches 165 and remove from pan), if not, add frozen vegetables and sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir until evenly coated and cook for a few minutes. Then add chicken broth a little at a time and whisk after each addition until mixture begins to resemble a thick pudding. Once this consistency is reached, remaining broth can be added in. Stir in cooked chicken and salt and pepper and simmer until thickened.
    • Roll out pie dough until it is 1/4″ thick. Lay one dough across bottom of skillet (no need to oil/butter skillet). Add chicken/vegetable filling. Roll out second dough and place it over skillet. Crimp edges together. Cut vent holes in center of pie.
    • Bake for 20 minutes at 400. Then reduce temperature to 350 and bake for 25-28 minutes more, or until top is golden brown (you may need to wrap edges of pie with tin foil if the edge gets too dark. Allow 15-20 minutes before serving.

  • Easy Homemade Coleslaw

    This easy coleslaw recipe my mother shared with me. Friends and family that don’t particularly like coleslaw, love this recipe. It goes good with fresh caught fish! (See picture below that was featured last month in fish tacos with homemade tortillas)

    When preparing this recipe it’s important to remember when you shred cabbage, there is a lot of moisture in it that you wouldn’t find in bagged pre-shredded cabbage, so it is easy to make this recipe too soupy.

    • 1/2 a cabbage- shredded
    • 1 carrot shredded
    • 1/3 c. mayo
    • 2 tsp sugar
    • 1 1/2 tbs apple cider vinegar
    • 1/4 tsp garlic powder

    Shred cabbage and carrot into a bowl. Use a separate bowl to mix the rest of the ingredients. I usually dissolve the sugar and vinegar together and then add the mayo and garlic powder. Then pour the mixture into the cabbage. Let chill for 10 minutes and serve.

  • Homemade Tortillas

    Homemade Tortillas

    This is a tortilla recipe which requires no special equipment. Just simple ingredients found in the cupboard. I use this recipe when making fish tacos (See pic below-fresh perch taco with homemade coleslaw and tortilla…Yummy!). They don’t refrigerate well, but they’re so easy to make, you can make them fresh for the meal and impress your guests! Recipe makes 6-8 tortillas.

    • 1 cup flour
    • 1/2 cup cornmeal
    • 1/4 tsp salt
    • 1 egg
    • 1 1/2 cups water
    • Whisk all ingredients together. Pour enough in a hot nonstick pan and swirl to make a tortilla (about 1/4 cup). Don’t use oil in your pan. Cook until the edges turn up and flip to the other side to continue cooking. Cook a couple minutes on each side. Keep warm in oven until use.

  • Caramel Corn

    Caramel Corn

    This delicious recipe is a yummy treat and always a favorite at gatherings or for a cozy afternoon at home. It is not quick to make but well worth the time put into it.

    Carmel Corn

    • 1 c. butter
    • 2 c. brown sugar
    • 1 c. light corn syrup
    • 1/2 tsp. salt
    • Bring to a boil over medium heat
    • Simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add:
    • 1 tsp vanilla
    • 1/2 tsp baking soda
    • Pour over six quarts of popped popcorn…using an air popper works best (I fill a large roaster and separate the unpopped kernels first…no sense breaking a tooth)
    • Bake in oven at 250 for one hour…stirring every 15 min.
    • Enjoy!
  • Muffins Delish

    Muffins Delish

    Wondering what to do with all those beautiful huckleberries in the freezer? This is a super easy family recipe, great for breakfast or an afternoon snack. Any type of fruit or none at all works in these ‘melt in your mouth’ muffins.

    Muffins Delish

    • 1/4 c. oil
    • 1/2 c. sugar (I add a little more for sweeter muffins)
    • 1 egg
    • 1/2 c. milk
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 2 tsp baking powder
    • 1 1/2 c flour

    Mix all ingredients together and stir until just blended. Then add 1/2c. to 3/4 c. berries. Spoon into buttered muffin tins (because butter is so much better than oil!). Bake at 400 for 15-18 minutes. Makes 12 muffins. Enjoy!