Cast Iron Fridays Books & Recipes Lots of Photos

              I have started up a cast iron sharing event. 
You are most welcome to join in with a post (new or old) just link up back to here to help spread the word. 
    If you no longer use cast iron but still have a favorite recipe or method please feel welcome to share. This is a learning and sharing event for all of us interested.
    Any of you that have used your cast iron at events or camping are most welcome too.
   This is for anything cooked, grilled, baked indoors or outdoors in cast iron. This also includes cast iron dutch ovens with the legs and special lids to hold the hot coals.  This event also includes cast iron pieces enameled 

     Happy Cast Iron Fridays everyone and Welcome.

  I want to share a couple of books I have picked up. Just a note: one does not need special cookbooks for cast iron cookware and bakeware but they usually also include tips about caring for your pieces too and recipes give you great ideas for using your pieces. 
    I love cookbooks, have way too many for sure but I love reading them.

  If you are familiar with Mary Jane Farm's magazine and her forum online you know she also writes excellent books. In her magazines she always shares recipes for cast iron too.  Mary Jane's Cast Iron Kitchen is a beautiful book and loaded with recipes and photos. She always includes gluten free options too for many of the recipes. The link goes to her site where you can request her autograph, for me personally her shipping charges are too costly so I look online elsewhere for her books.

From hmBooks I would like to share Skillet Desserts. I bought a copy for myself and a friend for Christmas last year. This is by the same publisher as the magazine Southern Cast Iron that I shared last week. Their books are gorgeous and the recipes are great. This is a really good one and am happy I bought a copy for myself. Note: if you go to their website some of the recipes are online as well. Also, one can find a better price elsewhere online unless you catch one of their good sales.

If you are on Pinterest Southern Cast Iron is on there with lots of recipes by catagory  I am on Pinterest too and I have a board for cast iron, wood fire, woodstoves etc 

This recipe Roasted Chicken with Spring Vegetables was in my newsletter this week-looked so good so had to share with all of you.


    I want to share the recipe for Chocolate Chip Bars that I made in my square cast iron pan over the weekend.
  I searched online for a recipe, some said that the original cookie recipe would not work as well-I think it would work though as I have made bars before with the original Toll House recipe.  I ended up using one by America's Test Kitchens as I have had good results with their recipes. The instructions for this recipe was unique to me and the results were delicious. Here is the recipe
   What was different for me was browning the butter first, whisking in the sugars, then the eggs. This was whisked for 30 seconds. Rest 3 minutes and repeat for a total of four times.  My changes to the recipe was coconut sugar instead of brown sugar and splenda instead of white sugar (to keep the sugars down for my Hubs)  Normally when I bake I use coconut oil instead of butter but because of the technique I kept the butter.

  Don't walk away while browning the butter as all of a sudden it will just be browned-next step is burnt

When I made this recipe the first time somehow I forgot to add the eggs to this butter sugar mixture, I remembered when I added the flour and knew something was wrong-lol so I beat in the eggs and it still baked up good.  
     when I made a gluten free version with the eggs at this step the mix was thick as described in the recipe. See second photo below

 Big difference with the eggs

This is the batter without the eggs-I took the photo before I realized this dough was way too thick-I just grabbed my hand mixer and added in the eggs

Since it was still March I used these green mint chips with regular chips that I found in my stash 

Below photo is a baked gluten free version of recipe. I used Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free all purpose flour

This week I also wanted to share with you my all time favorite corn bread recipe. I love this one because it has only cornmeal no all purpose flour.
   I found this recipe back in 2004 at King Arthur's Flour site. I have looked for it again and they have either changed the name of it or just took it off their site, which is a shame. My personal opinion this is just the best recipe for cornbread-it stays moist, not sweet, bakes up perfect every time and gluten free. A perfect recipe for cast iron

          Not-Northern Cornbread by King Arthur Flour 2004

(I believe the name comes from not having the white flour in the recipe)

Note: I always double this recipe to fit into my 9" square cast iron pan. When I first made this recipe which calls for an 8" pan my cornbread was very thin-did not like that, when I double the recipe it raises high in the pan.

4 teaspoons bacon drippings or butter or oil of choice-I use olive oil
1 cup yellow cornmeal divided
1 teaspoons sugar-I use splenda
1/2 teaspoon salt-I omit
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup boiling water
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 large egg slightly beaten

Decide what fat you are going to use and put in an 8 inch cast iron skillet. Place the skillet in a preheated 450 degree F oven and let the fat melt and get hot while making the recipe

In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together 2/3 cup of the cornmeal, the sugar,salt, baking powder, baking soda. Set aside.

 In a small bowl combine the remaining 1/3 cup of cornmeal with the boiling water, stirring to blend. Add the buttermilk whisking till most of the lumps are gone. Stir in the beaten egg

Stir together the wet and dry mixing till just combined. Remove the hot skillet from the oven and pour any excess fat into the cornbread batter (I always forget to do this part) Spoon the batter into the skillet spreading evenly
   Return the skillet to the oven and bake the cornbread for 20 minutes, till it is starting to brown around the edges and the center springs back when lightly pressed with your fingertip. Remove the skillet from the oven and transfer the cornbread to a cooling rack. It will slide out of the pan easily enjoy warm yields about 8 servings.

  I always forget about pouring the hot fat into the batter, but it still turns out awesome the edges get nice and crispy leaving the fat in the pan

As you can see no sticking to the pan

Did you notice in my photo with the cornmeal a bag of popcorn meal?-I now combine these two half and half in the recipe-it does not give a popcorn taste but I think it adds to the moistness of the bread If you have an Amish grocery store nearby they usually sell it, can also find it online. Both yellow and white popcorn meal

Now it is your chance to share a cast iron post.
Thanks so much for visiting.