A Cooking Class -- I'm a Student Not a Teacher!

One of our favorite places in our little town on the prairie is this store -- life+style.    I'm always finding new finds and it's the place where I teach most of my cooking classes.

We are so glad that Jim and Cynthia not only moved to Fort Scott but opened this wonderful store two years ago!

life+style

And from September through May, it's where every Thursday night you'll find the cooks of Fort Scott for it's "Cooking Class Night"!

The cooking class begins

Tonight I was there not as a Teacher but as a Student for Friend and Owner Cynthia taught a class on Pot Pies.

Everyone had The Frugal Gourmet cookbooks in the 80s

Her favorite recipe that she's made for years and years -- from The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American.

Chicken Pie with Biscuit Topping

A pot pie topped with biscuits rather than pie crust or puff pastry.    Pot pie is so good topped with biscuits for as Cynthia said, the underside is all "dumplingly" with the juices from the pot pie.

We each got a fair portion of the delectable entree along with a green salad and . . . a bonus was the

Easy Peach Cobbler with blueberries

Blueberry and peach "cobbler".     An old recipe that's been around forever.     Cynthia made it her own by adding blueberries and spices including ginger.  

The class can hardly wait for dessert.

Rosemary dishing up the cobbler which made a great dessert to a pot pie dinner!

It was fun to be a student and no matter how much one cooks or how many classes one goes to, you can always learn something!     Besides classes are always fun and everyone who attends has a common interest -- food!

Next Thursday, I'm donning my apron again as I'll be doing "A Whole Lotti Biscotti".    I hope to see you there!

"THE FRUGS" CHICKEN PIE WITH BISCUIT TOPPING

3 - 3 1/2 pound whole chicken

1 bay leaf

1/4 t. thyme

1 T. butter

1/2 yellow onion, peeled and chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

3 carrots, sliced

2 T. chopped parsley

2 cups chicken stock

4 T. butter with 4 T. flour cooked together to form a roux

1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced and lightly sauteed

biscuit dough

Place chicken in 2 quart saucepan and add enough water to barely cover.    Bring to boil and then turn down the heat to simmer.     Cover and simmer for 1/2 hour.    Allow the chicken to cool in the liquid.

Take the chicken from the pot, reserving the liquid and remove the skin and bones.     Cut the meat in 1/2 inch cubes, cover and set aside (you can do this the day before if you wish).

Place the bones in the cooking liquid and add the dry herbs.    Cover and simmer for 1 hour.    This will

provide you with the chicken stock.

Heat a frying pan and add a bit of butter or oil.    Saute the onion, celery and carrots until they just begin to brown.   In saucepan, add browned vegetables, parsley and 2 cups of chicken stock.

Prepare the roux and bring the vegetables and stock to a simmer.    Thicken with the roux.    Blend the sauce with the chicken meat and sautéed mushrooms.    Season with salt and pepper and place in deep 2 quart baking dish.

Prepare your favorite Biscuit Dough and roll out enough to make a lid for the casserole pan.    (Cynthia cut hers into "biscuits".

Bake in a preheated 425 oven for 20 minutes or until the top is high and lightly browned.

EASY COBBLER

(The Original Recipe)

1 cup white sugar

1/2 c. butter, room temperature

1 cup self-rising flour

1 cup milk

24 ounce can peaches

Preheat oven to 350.   In a one-quart baking dish, cream together sugar and butter.   Mix in flour and milk until smooth.    Pour peaches and their juice over the top.    Bake 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven until golden brown.

CYNTHIA'S CHANGES:

She added about a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice (with ground ginger added) to the flour, sugar, butter mixture.    he also added the grated rind of one orange to the flour, sugar, butter mixture.      Since she had a smaller can of peaches (16 ounces) -- she added about 1 cup of fresh blueberries as well.

It's Friday which means that it's Foodie Friday with Michael at Designs by Gollum.   Join her to see all the other good things to eat this Friday.