Corn Pone Pie

Cody Person

My father has always been somewhat of a self-taught cook. He doesn't really rely on recipes to cook, but usually goes by his head. There was no written recipe for his famous Corn Pone Pie, so he wrote one out to the best of his memory. Corn Pone Pie is home-made chili that has corn bread baked right on top of it. It is a great hot meal to have after a cold day outside, and it's not too hard to make either.

I believe this recipe originally came from my grandmother's chili recipe, which my dad has added his own variations to. My grandmother is great at cooking, which is most likely where my dad got most of his skills from. My dad is very good at winging it with limited supplies; he can make a good meal out of some leftovers.

The first time I ever had Corn Pone Pie, it was a snowy winter day. My dad had been cooking the chili for several hours that day on top of our wood stove. That night, it immediately became my favorite home-cooked meal. The best time for this meal is at the end of a cold fall or winter day because it's hot and filling.

The chili is usually made with regular beef hamburger, but my dad sometimes likes to use ground deer meat. Some people do not like to eat deer just because it's deer, but I prefer it to beef because it is leaner and tastes better. Making corn pone pie shouldn't be too difficult for anyone who knows their way around a kitchen. The most difficult part is saut�ing the onions and cooking the meat.

Corn Pone Pie is good served by itself becuase it's an entire meal in one. It should be served in its casserole dish with a large spoon to serve it with. Hopefully Corn Pone Pie will be one of your favorite fall or winter meals, too.