Mama’s Hot Tamale Pie

Corn meal mush:  
1 cup cornmeal 
3 cups water 
1 teaspoon salt  

In a saucepan, bring water to boil and add the salt. 
Slowly add the cornmeal and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes, or 
until thickened, stirring constantly.  Taste for saltiness.  
Pour 2/3 of the hot cornmeal mush into a 2 quart casserole dish. 
Using the spoon, bring it up the sides as far as it will reach. 
If mush is too thick to spread, add a little boiling water.

Filling:
2 lbs. Ground chuck                 
Chili Powder                        
1 Lg. Onion chopped
1 Lg. Bell Pepper chopped
2 ribs of celery chopped
1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tsp. Red Pepper                          
1 sm.Can Tomato Sauce -  if needed – 2 tsp. Tomato Paste

Cook meat and drain.  Add veggies and chili powder, salt and red pepper 
and 1 can of tomato sauce.  When mush is cooked – spread it in the bottom 
of a casserole dish.
(Save enough to spread on the top.)  Then add all of the meat mixture and 
top with the remaining mush.  Bake at 350 deg. until the top is slightly 
brown.