Cast iron skillets are one of the most popular kitchen tools and at times, intimidating. Cleaning, seasoning, and proper maintenance can be overwhelming and time consuming. The reward in proper cast iron care, is very fulfilling. Especially when the cast iron is handed down to the next generation for memories. To maintain cast iron, a few extra steps are needed to protect the seasoning. 1: Don't use cast iron for acidic baking Acidic foods can cause the seasoning to peel off or weaken the seasoning. When using acidic foods, enameled cast iron is the better option. Enameled cast iron should be ..read more

A few years ago, I was helping my father-in-law with kitchen organization. When I was pulling out one of the drawers, I saw several index cards in the very back. As I started to pull out the index cards, I realized they were his mother-in-law's recipes. He had no idea that they were back there. I sat down at the red bricked fireplace and started to read all the index cards. Her cursive writing was very elegant and spectacularly neat. I felt like I was reading a letter from Dowton Abbey's Crawley family, in their beloved estate. One of her recipes caught my attention. When I realized that potat ..read more

I've had a few cooking failures in my lifetime. One of my continual failures has been mashed potatoes. I couldn't seem to get the hang of making mashed potatoes. The first time I made mashed potatoes, I was surprised my husband didn't leave me. Gosh, they were horrible! A few times after that, I failed again. I decided that I just wasn't a mashed potato making person. My mom and Mammie seemed to have the perfect hand at mashed potato making. Evidently, I wasn't blessed at that hand a few years back. A few years ago, I decided to make mashed potatoes again. I came across the Pioneer Woman's rec ..read more

I was never raised around influential cast iron cooks in my family. I never saw a cast iron skillet dish nicely prepared for our family gatherings. I honestly don't remember seeing any cast iron at all. I only remember the glassware that was used on my Mammie's wooden kitchen table. The dishes she used weren't fancy; most had chips on the end or had fractured areas at the bottom. I was surprised they never gave way in the years that she used them. Every Sunday, Mammie made a remarkable cucumber and tomato salad. Her salad hit the spot on hot summer days. I could eat the whole salad in one gulp ..read more

Growing up, I was raised on meat and threes. Every time I went to Ponderosa, I wanted meat and threes. I didn't like to venture out of that category. Then I got married. My husband can't stand meat and threes. His mom was a wonderful cook, but hardly made any meat and threes. I actually don't remember her every making meat and threes. One dish I was hesitant in trying, was her Mexican stacked supper. I wasn't a big fan in having things stacked and touching. I gave it a whirl after my husband explained to me what I need to do. Change tasted good. At first I didn't understand the setup until my ..read more