Proper Care of Cast Iron Cookware

by Ellie Weightman

Cast iron cookware needs special handling after using.  Use a good liquid detergent that DOES NOT HAVE any citrus scents, the best I have found so far is Dawn Original, yes the old Dawn without any special scents or additives.  Use a brush or scrungie to clean the pot/pan. When done, dry completely with a towel.  Put the pan back on your stovetop and pour about 1/2 tsp or any light oil (sunflower works well) into the pan.  Using a paper towel, wipe the oil all over the inside of the pan. Let it sit one hour or so to soak up the oil then wipe again with a dry paper towel, then store.  When storing if you have to stack with other pans, put a towel or paper towel in between the pans.  It is preferred if you can use a special stacker to keep pans separate.  I have one for my cast iron pans and will add a picture soon to show you what I mean.

It is also beneficial to once in a while instead of just letting the pan sit to soak up the oil to put it in a 350 degree oven to prime it.  I usually put my favorite cast iron skillet in the oven after wiping it with oil and the next time I preheat my oven, it will also prime my pan.  Be careful ALL PARTS OF A CAST IRON PAN WILL GET HOT, INCLUDING THE HANDLE.

Cast iron pans (I like the Lodge brand) are great for recipes like home fries or steaks that get seared on the stovetop then put in the oven to finalize.  My favorite Eye Roast of Beef is done this way.

Cracker Barrel's Hash Browns Casserole - Copycat

Posted by Jennifer Bertotti


I got this from recipezaar.com; it is a copycat of Cracker Barrel's famous recipe but I made some changes.  We made it with eggs tonight, and it was fantastic! 

Ingredients


2 lbs frozen hash browns (thaw first)
1 (10 1/4 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
8 ounces sour cream
1/2 cup onion, peeled and chopped
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F and spray an 11 x 14 baking dish with cooking spray.  Brown onions if you want before mixing.
Mix the above ingredients together, place in prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes or until brown on top.  We had to add 15 minutes.  Make sure you stir halfway through.

Pan-Seared Tilapia with Hot Orange-Ginger Sauce

Just got done making this for dinner.  Chris and I both thought it was excellent!  Adapted from a recipe in the "Cuisine at Home" magazine.  Had with mixed veggies and teryiaki rice.

Ingredients

• ½ teaspoon Chinese Five-Spice Powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1 lb talapia fillets (4-6)
• 2 tablespoons minced scallions
  

 

Directions

Mix five-spice powder, salt, and cayenne pepper with 2 tablespoons oil in a small bowl.

Pat fillets dry; brush both sides with spice mixture. 

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until skillet is lightly smoking.

Add fillets; saute 3 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with scallions. Serve with Hot Orange-Ginger Sauce.

HOT ORANGE-GINGER SAUCE

¼ cup orange marmalade
¼ cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon minced fresh gingerroot
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Salt to taste

Whisk marmalade, orange juice, vinegar, ginger root, and pepper flakes together in small bowl.

Saute garlic in saucepan with oil over medium-high heat for 30 seconds. Add marmalade mixture and simmer, stirring continuously, until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Season with salt.

Italian Bread with Oregano

by Ellie Weightman - I adapted this recipe using my Aunt Jeanne Reeves' recipe for Italian Rolls also posted on this blog.  Great for a spaghetti night!

Uses 1 1/2 lb bread machine for dough cycle only.

Can also be made without parmesan, oregano, basil and garlic for a plain Italian Bread.

Bread ingredients:

3 cups flour

1 cup warm water

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

2 tsp yeast

2 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated

4 cloves roasted garlic, mash

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

Egg Wash

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp water

Set bread machine on white dough cycle. Add all bread ingredients. When complete, roll into Italian bread size, put on cookie sheet on top of parchment paper. Cover with wax paper and let rise 45 minutes. Make a single slice down the center of the loaf or 4 crosswise cuts.  Combine yolk and water in small bowl and whisk. Brush egg wash over top of bread.

Bake at 375º for 25 minutes or until brown. When done, cool on wire rack at least 1 hour before slicing.

Sesame-Teriyaki Chicken Thighs

Adapted from Ellie Krieger’s “The Food You Crave” Cookbook Recipe
Ingredients:

Teriyaki Sauce

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 tbsp dry sherry
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 garlic cloves, crush with garlic press
1 tsp peeled and finely grated fresh ginger
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Combine all ingredients in small bowl, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Refrigerate left overs for one week.

Chicken:
1/4 cup Teriyaki Sauce (prepared as above)
4 bone-in chicken thighs with skin removed
1/2 tblsp sesame seeds

Pour the sauce into a zip-lock bag and add the chicken. Seal the bag and marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.

Preheat the broiler. Remove the chicken form the marinade and arrange it on broiler pan skin side down (as if the chicken still had skin). Discard the marinade. Broil the chicken until brown and crispy about 8 to 10 minutes, then turn the pieces over and broil until amost cooked through, about 8 minutes longer.

Sprinkle the chicken with the sesame seeds and cook until the seeds turn golden brown and the chicken is done, 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Perfect Eye-of-Round Roast

by Ellie Weightman - Adapted from Paula Deen's recipe in "Kitchen Classics" Cookbook

A cast iron skillet is needed for this recipe.

Ingredients:
1 beef eye-of-round roast (2 ½ to 3 lbs)
1 tblsp sunflower or vegetable oil
1/4 tsp Liquid Smoke
1 tsp Seasoned Salt (optional)
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground or fresh ginger

Directions:
Make sure of the size of your roast, look at the label on the piece of meat or use a kitchen scale if you have one on hand. It matters for the cook time.

Preheat oven to 500º. Mix oil and liquid smoke in small bowl.  Rub the roast with oil/smoke mix. Mix all the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Completely coat all sides of the roast with the seasonings. Place roast in a 12 to 15 inch cast iron skillet. Put roast in the oven and immediately lower the temperature to 350º. Roast the beef for 20 minutes per pound (this is where you need to know the weight of your roast). Use a meat thermometer and cook to 125º for medium-rare or 135-140º for medium. Cool for 15 minutes before carving. Cut into thin slices across the grain of the meat.

Good leftover too!

Spinach Fusilli Salad / Side Dish

by Ellie Weightman - I threw together this recipe one night to use as a side dish with chicken teriyaki, you can vary the ingredients and the amount of servings to your liking.  This serves 2-3 adults as a side dish.

Ingredients:
2 cups dry Spinach Fusilli pasta
Olive oil
2 slices bacon, fry and crumble
10-12 cherry tomatoes, sliced OR ½ whole tomato, sliced
1 garlic, minced
1 tblsp dry minced onion
1 tblsp fresh parsley, chop
1/3 tblsp fresh basil, chop
1/4 tsp fresh oregano
Salt
Pepper

Directions:
In a 2 qt saucepan, fill 3/4 with cold water. Add the dry minced onion, a dash of salt and 1 tblsp olive oil.

Bring to boil and add pasta, prepare as directed on box, drain and rinse to cool (some of the minced onions will stick to pasta – that’s fine.

Combine tomatoes, garlic, parsley, basil, oregano, dash salt and pepper in bowl. Drizzle a little olive oil over the mix and stir to blend. Add in crumbled bacon. Pour on top of cooled pasta.

Other ingredients may be added to your liking or substituted for any of the above. Suggestions: mushrooms, sub can diced tomatoes for the cherry tomatoes, fresh onions, broccoli, etc.