Chicken Pot Pie

This is an awesome Chicken Pot Pie recipe. It takes a little work but it is amazingly worth it. I started with a recipe from a Paula Deen cookbook but I wasn't happy with the use of canned ingredients so I revamped it & made it all from scratch.

Cream of Cheddar Cheese & Celery
2 stalks celery (chopped finely)
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cup milk
1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
salt & pepper, to taste

Melt butter & celery in a saucepan over medium-low heat, saute lightly for just a minute or two; add flour and whisk until smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat; gradually add milk, whisking to keep smooth. Return to heat and bring to a gentle boil, whisking constantly until thickened. Add cheese and stir until melted. Add salt & pepper to taste.

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Pot Pie Ingredients~
Recipe cream of Cheddar Cheese & Celery Soup (recipe above)
1/2 cup milk
1 chicken, skinned, cooked, boned, and cubed
1 medium onion, diced
One 10-ounce package frozen green peas (or one 8-ounce can, drained)
3 carrots, sliced, cooked, and drained
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pastry for top and bottom (recipe below)
Butter to dot pastry

In a large saucepan, heat soups and milk. Stir in chicken, onion, peas, carrots, and salt and pepper. Cook until mixture boils. Remove from heat. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour into a pastry-lined 13x9x2-inch pan. Cut pastry for top into strips. Lay over pie filling in a lattice style. Dot with butter. Bake for 45 minutes until golden brown.

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Pastry Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup Crisco shortening
Ice water

Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Cut in shortening with pastry blender until pieces are the size of small peas. Sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons of ice water over part of mixture. Gently toss with fork push to side of bowl. Repeat until all is moistened. Form into 2 balls. Flatten each on a lightly floured surface by pressing with edge of hand three times across in both directions. With a floured rolling pin, roll out on floured surface. Roll from center to edge until 1/8-inch thick.