Cooking in cast iron pans is not difficult, but you do need to keep a few basic rules in mind. First of all, once the pan is warm, it retains heat better than regular pans, so it is best to start cooking on medium high, then turn the heat setting to medium or low once the food begins to cook. Cooking on too high of a heat setting will cause the food to brown too quickly, or maybe even burn.
The other really important rule is never to set a cast iron pan that is cold, or even room temperature on a hot burner or in a hot oven. Also, do not add cold liquids to a hot pan. Cast iron will crack if the temperature change inside the pan is too sudden. If additional liquid must be added during cooking, warm it up before adding it.
Always use hot pads. Special hot pads are made specifically for cast iron pans because they get so hot and will quickly burn through towels or hot pads that are not designed to deal with high heat.
Now that you know some basic information about cooking with cast iron pans, here is how I cook a pot roast in a cast iron Dutch oven.
The first step is to gather all of your ingredients together. Here is what you will need:
2 teaspoons Butter
Beef pot roast
Meat rub
Garlic powder
Pepper
Salt
Worcestershire sauce
Potatoes
Carrots
Hot Water
Put the pan on the stove, turn the heat setting to medium high and add the butter. A wood fired stove that is just starting to heat up or a grill or campfire whose flames have died down will also work.
Allow the butter to melt, then add the pot roast. Season the top side of the pot roast with a teaspoon of meat rub, a teaspoon of garlic and pepper. Sprinkle each spice over the top of the pot roast.
Once the bottom of the roast is brown, which will take about 10 minutes, turn it over so the other side can brown.
Sprinkle enough Worcestershire sauce over the top of the pot roast to cover it. This will add flavor and help tenderize the meat.
Allow the meat to simmer in the butter, Worcestershire sauce and its own juices for about 10 minutes.
Add carrots and brown slightly.
Cut whole potatoes into thirds and add them. Once they are all added, stir the potatoes and carrots together, then carefully lift the meat up high enough so the meat lays on top of the potatoes and carrots. If you desire, add salt and additional seasoning at this point.
Add enough hot water to almost cover the potatoes and carrots. Put the lid on the Dutch oven and sit in on the top rack of your oven if you are using a stove, otherwise, simply put the lid on and continue cooking.
Once the pan is inside the oven, close the oven door, turn the heat to 350 degrees F and cook for 3 hours or until the meat is tender.
That’s all there is to it! Remember to remove the food from the cast iron pan as soon as it is finished cooking. Place the dirty pan in the sink, making sure to rinse it off well with hot water. It is not necessary to wash cast iron with soap and never use steel wool. If something sticks, use a wash cloth to scrub it off or a soft brush.
Once the pan is clean, place it back into the oven, or on top of a heat source so all the water can be removed. If this is not done, the pan will rust. Finally, spray the cast iron pan with grease or use a rag to rub it all over the pan if necessary. This is done to season it and prevent food from sticking.
Filed under Elegant Cooking Main Meals by on Jan 9th, 2011. 3 Comments. 
This should maybe be named how not to cut your head off when making your own home video! LOL! I like how the video itself turned out except for that one flaw, so I am uploading it! The salad contains a variety of greens, lettuce, red mustard, purple basil, rose petals, dill and parsley – all organically grown in my early spring garden. Enjoy!
Filed under Edible Flowers, Stylish Edible Decor by on May 31st, 2010. Comment.
The trick to creating the perfect herbal tea recipes or desert is moderation. You don’t want everything you serve to contain herbs or you may find your guests a bit burned out on the taste. Offer both herbal and non-herbal teas and deserts so that your guests may mix and match according to their personal preferences.
One of my favorite herbal tea recipes is for this Spring Garden Herbal Tea.
10 fresh sage leaves
16 fresh lemon balm leaves
12 small mint leaves
Petals from 1 red rose
2 rose-scented geranium leaves
6 cups boiling water
Add leaves to a pot and pour in boiling water. Allow to steep for 10 to 20 minutes.
This tea is great anytime of the year but was named because these are often some of the first herbs to come up in the spring garden.
I always use fresh herbs when they are available, however dried herbs are an acceptable substitute. If you purchase herbs or flowers to use, be sure that they have not been sprayed. An herb shop, grocer or health food store can often get these items fresh or dried throughout the year.
Herbal tea recipes are very easy to make. You can take a handful of your favorite herbs rather they are peppermint, chamomile or whatever your personal preference might be, steep them in hot water, add a touch of honey or milk if you prefer and enjoy. Pre-packed herbal teas may also be purchased although I prefer to use herbs from my garden.
Filed under Herbal Beverages by on Jan 22nd, 2010. 2 Comments.
If you heat with wood there is a good chance the top of your wood burner is cast iron or metal unless of course you have a fireplace. If the top of your stove is metal or cast iron there is no reason why you cannot cook on it. Before you begin, get a wood burner stove thermometer that will monitor the temperature of your stove. This little gadget is magnetic and should be placed on top of the stove.
The next thing you will need is some cast iron pots and pans. You can buy new ones or used ones. If you get a used on and it has rust on it, use steel wool to scrub it off.
Cast iron should be washed in warm soapy water before the first use. Do this by hand, then sit it on top of the wood stove to dry. Never allow cast iron pans to dry naturally. Always use heat to dry them. Once the pan is dry, oil it, especially if this is the first use, then dry again.
To season, heavily coat the inside of the pan with lard, vegetable oil or another type of edible oil, you can then let it dry on the stove or put it in an oven. If you use an oven, turn it to 300 degrees F and leave it in there for about two hours. Use caution when removing the hot pan or simply let it cool in the oven.
Now that your pan is seasoned you are ready to begin. Let’s say you want to make a roast. A cast iron Dutch oven would be the pan for the job. Fill the pan with carrots, potatoes, the roast, a cup of water and whatever other ingredients you wish. Cover the pan. If you prefer, you can brown your roast in the bottom of the pan before you add the other ingredients.
Check the temperature on your wood stove. It should be about 250 degrees to 300 degrees. You do not want it too hot since putting cold cast iron on a hot stove could cause it to crack. If you are satisfied that the temperature is right, sit the pan on top of the stove. Allow this to cook until the meat is tender. Remember to stir it from time to time so the roast does not stick.
If you wish to bake bread, biscuits or cornbread to go with your meal, you can use a Conservo Oven, which can be found at antique stores or flea markets, or simply lay the pan on top of two bricks and cover.
The more you cook on your wood stove, the more you will learn. The temperature is the most important part. Learning to control the temperature takes time and practice. Once you get a steady fire going though you can add small pieces of wood from time to time to help keep it going.
Filed under Wood Stove Cooking by on Jan 18th, 2010. Comment.
If you are growing your own peanuts or simply have access to a batch of peanuts at a good price, why not make your own peanut butter?
Homemade peanut butter is good for two weeks from the day it is made. It does need to be kept in the refrigerator. It is easy to make and tastes delicious. All you need to make your own peanut butter is 1 ½ cups unsalted, roasted peanuts and 1 tablespoon of oil. If you have peanut oil, that is the best choice, if not use what you have on hand.
For a smooth peanut butter, mix the peanuts and oil in a small dish until the peanuts are coated with the oil. Then put them into a food processer and grind until the mixture is smooth. Once you are satisfied with the texture, put it in a sealed container and refrigerate.
If you prefer crunchy peanut butter, simply omit ¼ cup of the nuts from the food processor. Process as above, then add the ¼ cup of nuts to the mixture and process again until you get the right texture. You will not want to process it the second time until it gets smooth, just until the nuts are chopped up enough ton suit you. This mixture will also need refrigerated.
Sometimes the oil will separate from the peanut butter. If this happens, simply stir the peanut butter up so the oil is mixed back in. Use this as you would any commercial peanut butter.
Filed under Peanut Butter by on Jan 9th, 2010. Comment.
Making your own butter is not hard, even if you don’t have milk animals. Butter can be made from cow, goat and sheep cream which comes from their milk. You can also buy heavy whipping cream at the store and make butter from it.
If you are using raw or home pasteurized milk instead of store bought, the easiest way to separate the cream from the milk is with a cream separator. However if you do not have one, the other way is to sit the milk in small containers such as canning jars in the refrigerator, once the milk is cooled. The cream will slowly rise to the top. This process can take several hours to overnight. Use a spoon to dip the cream off. You will not get as much cream, but you will get some.
To increase the amount of butter, feel free to add store bought heavy whipping cream to the cream you skimmed. You will get some milk in the cream you skim as well. Leave it in the cream. It will not hurt anything and will make the butter easier to churn.
Regardless of the type of cream you use, the easiest way to make butter is to use a standard kitchen blender.
Sit the cream you are going to use on your kitchen counter about ten minutes before you intend to churn it. The warmer the cream, the easier it will turn into butter.
When you are ready, put the cream into the blender and turn it on. If there is too much cream and not enough milk the blender will have trouble churning it. Simply add more milk to solve this problem. The butter should float freely in the liquid.
Once the butter is made, remove it from the blender with a spoon. The remaining liquid is buttermilk. It can be strained and put into a glass jar for use in biscuits, breads, pancakes or other recipes that call for buttermilk.
Once the blender is empty, rinse it with cold water, put the butter back in it and cover the butter with cold water. Blend briefly, dump the water off the butter and repeat.
Continue this process until the water runs clear. The more of the buttermilk you can remove, the longer the butter will last. When you are satisfied that the butter is clean, add salt to taste. You can also add herbs at this point.
Mix well with a spoon to distribute the salt and herbs. When you are satisfied that the ingredients are well distributed, put the butter in a covered container in the refrigerator and use as needed.
Filed under Butter by on Jan 5th, 2010. 3 Comments.
Once you have your solar cooker ready to use, you may want to try out solar cooked desserts. This is a great way to have baked items in the summer and not heat your kitchen up.
Try your favorite brownie recipe made in a solar cooker. Most brownies take about an hour to bake.
Use the cooker to melt butters, lards or other hard ingredients that need pre-melted.
Here are some other recipes for solar baked desserts.
Solar Baked Apples
These are not only delicious but a healthy alternative to sweets.
Mix together one cup white sugar and one cup brown sugar in a bowl and set aside.
Core the whole apples. There is no need to peel them. Fill the cavity of each apple with sugar, then sprinkle the entire apple with cinnamon. Place in a dark pan, cover and bake for one and a half to two and a half hours. The apples should be soft when done.
Cookies baked in a solar oven can be put onto a cookie sheet or baked in muffin pans. Some ingredients such as raisins can become crunchy if baked too long.
Cinnamon rolls are a delicious snack or breakfast food that does great cooked in a solar oven. They will need to be cooked for a little over an hour. Remember to test your food and experiment. If the food is not done to your liking, you can always return it to the solar oven or finish it using a conventional method of cooking.
This is just a sampling of what you can do with a solar cooker. Go ahead and try cakes or other favorite desserts. Remember the oven thermometer that lays in the bottom of the solar cooker will tell you how hot it is inside the cooker. Learn how to control the temperature of your cooker and you will be able to cook just about anything you wish.
Don’t get discouraged if your meals don’t turn out perfect the first few times you try. Remember to have a back-up meal plan just in case and also remember that pratice makes perfect!
Filed under Desserts, Solar Oven Recipes by on Jan 3rd, 2010. Comment.
Are you looking for a really cool project to chase away the winter blues? Why not make a solar oven? It is an easy project that you can make, possibly with materials you already have on hand. When spring comes around, you will be ready to set your new solar oven outside and see what you can cook with it!
Making a solar oven is not hard. You need a few simple things such as a two large cardboard boxes that can nest in one another, aluminum foil, black paint, perilite, tape, an oven thermometer and an old window.
Begin by taping the aluminum foil to the inside of both boxes. We used clear tape to do this so we did not cover any of the aluminum foil with dark tape that may have interferred with the solar cooker working well. As you can see from the first photo, over time, the clear tape begins to yellow. We chose to use duck tape on the outside of the box because we thought it would hold better than the clear tape.
Then cut enough one inch strips of cardboard to put every couple of inches inside the bottom of the larger box. Bend these strips so they zigzag, then lay them on their skinny sides in the bottom of the box. What you are doing is creating air space.
Pour in the bag of perilite. You want about an inch of this in the bottom of the box. Sit the smaller box into the bigger one and fill the sides equally with more perilite. Tape the two box flaps together and trim off the excess. You now have your oven assembled.
The next step is to cut a large piece of cardboard the size of the bottom of the smaller box. Cover it with aluminum foil, then paint it black. The black side will face up when it is set in the bottom of the oven and your pans as well as the oven thermometer will sit on top of it.
The old window will go on top of the box to seal it. You can use plexiglass if you prefer.
Your solar oven is now ready to try out. Recipes will be coming soon so keep a watch on this site for them!
Filed under Solar Oven by on Jan 3rd, 2010. 4 Comments.
Making your own cheese is easy. You can use fresh milk from a goat, sheep or cow or buy store bought milk. If you buy store bought milk, be sure to get vitamin D milk so it has plenty of cream in it.
The first step in making homemade cheese is gathering together your equipment. You will need a large pot, large enough to hold a gallon of milk. You will also need a strainer, thermometer, cheesecloth meant for food use, vinegar, milk, salt and herbs.
Once your tools are gathered, wet the cheesecloth with cold water and if possible, line the strainer with it and put it in the freezer. If you cannot freeze it, that is ok, but the colder the cheesecloth, the better.
Slowly begin heating the milk. You do not want it to boil, or burn. Heat up the milk until the temperature reaches somewhere between 100 degrees F and 125 degrees F. The warmer the milk gets, the drier the cheese will be. If your milk gets hotter than this, you can still use it but the cheese will be drier.
As soon as the milk hits the temperature you need, remove it from the heat and add in ¼ cup plain white vinegar. Let this sit, off of heat for at least 15 minutes, if it sits a bit longer, that is ok.
Put the strainer in the sink. If you have outdoor animals such as cats or chickens, you can sit the strainer in another large pot so you can catch the whey that drains off the cheese and offer it as a treat. Dump the contents of the pot into the strainer. The cheese will remain in the cheesecloth and the whey will drain through.
Once all of the whey is drained off the cheese, put the cheese into a small bowl. Add a pinch of salt and herbs to taste. We like to add 1 tablespoon of dill and 1/8 teaspoon of garlic. Mix well and refrigerate. This is delicious as a dip or spread.
Filed under Cheesemaking, Cow Cheese, Goat Cheese, Sheep Cheese by on Jan 2nd, 2010. 1 Comment.
An easy way to add an elegant touch to any meal is to dress up the butter. A plain glass dish will work fine for this. If you have a fancy butter dish, that will work too.
I use an ice cream scoop to dip the butter out of the large butter dish. I prefer the round shape, but if you have chocolate molds or candy molds, you can mold your butter into any shape you prefer.
Once the butter is molded, add edible flowers, leaves or even a sprinkling of your favorite spices. For the butter above, I chose lavender buds, dried dill weed and a sprinkling of chili powder. Since the butter was being used on dinner rolls, this combination of spices worked fine.
Experiment with your favorite combinations. Be sure to keep your butter refrigerated until time to serve it. You wouldn’t want to go to all that work to make an elegant presentation and find out it had melted before anyone got to see it.
My design above is random, but another idea is to use the flowers, herbs and spices to make a design. Have fun with this, don’t stress and remember if it doesn’t turn out right, no one will ever know. Part of the fun of edible art is eating your mistakes!
Filed under Butter, Stylish Edible Decor by on Dec 31st, 2009. 1 Comment.
