Retro Day and Ground Beef Pot Pie

Do you know how to tell if you are old? Your childhood toys can be found in Antique Shops and the things you remember fondly are suddenly “Retro”. Man, that’s old!

Just what is Retro anyway? I guess it all depends upon your perspective of the past. Retro would typically be looking back at a point in the past, one often associated with coming of age. Some say coming of age is something that happens in our twenties and associate it with college life. I say it happens when we still teenagers. To come of age really is about finding our own, breaking away from the identity of child to that of who we will one day be. Leaving the safety of family is a part of the coming of age process. When you look at the ceremonies often associated with this process, they tend to be when we are still in our teens.

Bar or Bat Mitzvah marks coming of age in Jewish homes. It signals a child’s entrance into adulthood, and happens when the child is but 13. Confirmation is the same coming of age as a responsible “adult” in the Catholic faith. Again, something we do as teenagers. While there is no official ceremony among Muslims, teens are considered adults, with the same obligations of faith, fasting and prayers as their parents. With roots in both Mexico and Europe, a Quinceañera marks a 15-year-old girl’s coming of age throughout Latin America. American hold Sweet 16 parties to mark their daughter’s departure from childhood to young womanhood. In certain social circles, a Debutante Ball is seen as a young lady’s right to passage, a proper presentation to society. Once upon a time coming of age was a very big deal, with all sorts of rules, pomp and circumstance.

What we view as Retro depends upon when you came of age. It is from this point that we often look back and say Remember when. For me, that would have been the 1960s.

But then again, the whole of the world seemed to experience growing pains and come of age in the 1960s.

I’m just glad a Retro dish, with a few modern conveniences and a little tweaking, can be just as delicious and family friendly today. Happy Retro Day!

Ground Beef Pot Pie
1 box Refrigerated Pie Crust (2 count)
1/2 medium Yellow Onion, chopped
3 medium Carrots, sliced
1 lb Ground Beef
2 teaspoon Garlic Salt
1 teaspoon Black Pepper
3 tablespoons Cornstarch
1/2 cup Beef Stock
20 oz package Diced Potatoes
1 (12 oz) jar Beef Gravy

Remove two-crust pie crusts from their packaging and place on the counter for 20 minutes. Then roll out to fit a 9-inch glass pie plate. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat oven to 450-degrees.

Cut onion in half from root to tip. Reserve half for another purpose. Peel and dice remaining half, set aside. Peel and dice carrots, set aside.

Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and onion. Season with garlic salt. Break beef apart as it cooks. Drain well and return to skillet.

Add cornstarch and beef stock into mixture, stir until blended. Add diced potatoes, carrots and gravy. Cook for about 5 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until hot, bubbling and thick. Remove filling from heat.

Lay bottom crust out in the pie pan, allowing excess crust to drape over the side. Spoon filling into crust-lined pie plate. Top with second crust; tuck top crust edge under bottom crust, pinch together to seal. Cut slits in several places in top crust. Use a pie shield or foil to protect the edge of crust. Place on a rimmed baking pan and place in the oven.

Bake in the heated oven for 20 minutes or until the top crust begins to turn a golden brown. Remove from oven, remove from baking pan. Cover top of the pie with foil. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes or until bottom crust begins to brown.

Remove from oven, uncover pie and let rest on the counter for about 5 minutes for the juices to settle. Slice and enjoy.

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The Lord will remember His covenant for ever and ever. Amen.