Cast iron is my choice for cooking every day. I am a farm girl at heart and just love the simple ways of life best. I have never been into electronic gadgets-except my computer keeps me linked with friends, and I do love my tv in the evenings. (we have no use for a smart phone here in our woods with no wifi available)
My Mom was brought up a farm girl in every way. A wood cook stove and no indoor plumbing for her til she left home to go to college and then get married. A few years after that her parents decided on a more modern kitchen and indoor plumbing. I have always wanted a wood cookstove but this home has no place for one.
So with those as my roots, I still love to cook with cast iron, experiment cooking and baking outdoors, and I still love to can and put up allot of our foods. Although retiring here to the Ozarks in Missouri has stopped allot of my large space gardening and canning as it is just so difficult to garden here; nothing at all what I am used to with so many obstacles against a good garden with loads of produce. The trade off though is we love our woods and wildlife. An inspiring place to retire.
A few things I have made this week in cast iron-pork chops grilled indoors with my cast iron grill pan-those were super. Thursday I decided to make stuffed poblano peppers. I used a cast iron skillet to saute, leeks, garlic, sweet bell pepper, and the hamburger. I decided to mix the spiced up meat mixture with red quinoa instead of rice, used some of my own canned tomatoes and also a small jar of Classico brand basil-tomato sauce. I combined everything and instead of using the oven I am baking them in a slow cooker. What ever meat filling is left over I just pile it on the tops and sides.
This dinner turned so tasty, sorry I didn't think to clean up the plates for better viewing (like food network ha ha) I cut the peppers in half instead of stuffing whole. I made a large tossed salad to go with.
I have not baked up a sweet for us for a bit-so I grabbed a gluten free brownie mix added fresh blueberries to the top and baked in a square dutch oven skillet. Yum
With the summer holidays coming up and well just fun summer get togethers I thought I would share some easy and fun recipes that you can make indoors or outdoors with your cast iron.
This collection of links and photos is from Lodge cast iron's site
Skillet S'mores
Steak Mac'Cheese for cast iron dutch oven
Gooey Chocolate Skillets
Baked Stuffed Apples dutch oven
these would be great camping or bake in your oven
Garlic Parmesan Stuffed Mushrooms cast iron griddle or skillets
Thank you for dropping by
Lots of fantastic recipes Cathy! Have a fun Friday, hugs, Valerie
ReplyDeleteThanks Valerie, enjoy your weekend
DeleteOhh Kathy this selection of recipes and the photos of the things you have been making look delicious. Its bedtime here, but they can still make me feel a little hungry.
ReplyDeleteHave a good weekend.
Yvonne xx
Hi Yvonne, you have an awesome weekend too-hugs Kathy
DeleteMy Mother’s upbringing was the same a your Mother’s, but it didn’t get passed along to me. I love conveniences! Electronic gadgets are OK too, they are helpful. But overuse and addiction is rampant. I don’t like that, and I’m ready to go back to one phone in the house sometimes!
ReplyDeleteoooh, those recipes look so good!
ReplyDeletePS...your cast iron food is wonderful, Kathy. You have a gift for cooking!
ReplyDeleteI still haven't dug out my one cast iron piece I have. I can't seem to get my act together long enough to do it, I also haven't made art in what seems like days, worked on my ATCs for the swap next week, or started this weeks 365 something squares. I'll get my act together soon, I hope.
ReplyDeleteI want to save that mushroom recipe and I want some of those peppers without meat sauce (grin).
Speaking of gardens, mine has not been planted yet, and the plants I bought have died. I hope your garden does better.
Sorry, but I can't live without indoor plumbing. I can't even conceive it.
i swear i gained at least two Pounds just by looking at all this delicious Food!! (and i´m going to vienna tomorrow, which also is famous for calories, oh my!!) wishing you a happy Weekend, xox johanna
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend Enjoy Vienna
DeleteGosh you always make me hugry with your cast iron Fridays! You are such a fantastic cooker! Amazing!
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend!
Hugs, Susi
Thanks Susi, enjoy your weekend-
DeleteYou eat so well Kathy. I can't wait until I retire so I can craft more, cook more, read more and garden more. 2 more years to go...meanwhile I will have to drool over you yummy food. :) I can say I haven't done hardly any cooking since I got back from Japan- just a bit...between getting over jet lag and then being very busy with school. Maybe this weekend. Anyhow, your food always looks yummy...thanks for inspiring me. Hugs-Erika
ReplyDeleteYes retirement has been the best thing for me-we worked sooooo many hours before-it actually took me a full year once retired to feel like myself again. and I do love my crafts and cooking and baking. it's the best-except for the getting older part lol
DeleteI still haven't replaced my cast iron, but I'm thinking your stuffed peppers and the mushrooms are too tasty-looking to wait. Yummm!
ReplyDeleteYou will love cast iron again-it's always been my go to choice in the kitchen
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