A New Addition

Well, I'm back from trip #2. This time I went to good ole' Milton, PA, to visit my family.I had a great time; however, I do have to admit, that seeing family wasn't the only reason for my trip.

There is a town next door, Watsontown, that I am quite fond of. It's a very tiny town, but it holds great memories for me. My grandmother and grandfather lived in Watsontown and we visited with them quite often while I was growing up. Every friday night from August through November, my sister and I would spend time there, watching Nickoloden (which we didn't get on our country-bumpkin tv) and eating cookies, while mom watched dad coach the high school football team.

My grandmother would often take us to the candy store or the park, and sometimes my grandfather would push us on the little, wooden tree-swing while we kept watch for Sammy (the snake).

Once a year, Watsontown had held community-wide yardsales. Almost everyone in town participated. Everywhere you would turn, you would see books or trinkets - things people no longer had use for.
This year was no different. And I was looking for something: Cast-iron.

Well, I'm sad to say that all I found were a $2 Ralph Lauren sweater, a 50 cent book by Michael Lee West (Crazy Ladies), and an orangish, porcelain Santa plate that cost me a quarter. No cast-iron. I've been told it was there, but I must have looked at the wrong houses.

Despite not finding cast-iron at the yardsales, I picked some up anyway. My momma had bought me some. Yay!

I'm now the proud owner of a Lodge brand, Corn Bread Pan (I'm sure there are other ways to use it. I'll figure those out later).



Of course, I won't be able to season or use it for a while though. We leave again tomorrow - California this time. We're jet setters apparently.

Before I go, let me share a recipe that I've been making for a while, and finally tried in the new skillet. I call it Creamy Mustard Chicken, but please, feel free to change the name. It doesn't sound nearly as appetizing as it actually is.

Creamy Mustard Chicken
1tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 insanely large Chicken Breast (or 2 normal sized ones), cut into bites
1 can of Cream of Celery Soup
1/2 c Apple Cider
2 tbsp Spicy Brown Mustard
1 tbsp Honey
1 c. Egg Noodles

1. Heat your skillet over medium-high. When warmed, add oil and chicken. Brown chicken; remove to plate.
2. Add soup, cider, mustard, and honey. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add chicken and simmer 10 minutes.
3. While simmering, cook egg noodles as directed on package (boil 3-4 minutes).



If by chance you have a better name for the recipe, please share!

Sin City Skillets

Whew! I feel like it’s been such a long time since I’ve last posted.

See, we went out West. We’re actually doing quite a bit of traveling this month. Tomorrow we head to Pennsylvania and on Tuesday we head to California.

But this past trip…We went to Las Vegas and Northwestern Arizona.

I was worried about what I would be able to write about when I got home. I haven’t cooked in a week. My poor skillet sat on my stove top, all cold and lonely. But, I was in luck.

While in Vegas, we went to Mario Batoli and Joseph Bastianich’s restaurant, Carnevino. I had an interesting experience while there. See, I was a bit ill prior to dinner so I wasn’t feeling so much like eating. But as it was 9:30 at night and we hadn’t eaten since 11am, I knew that I needed something in my belly. Of course, Sumo ordered the steak – and it was good (he always lets me try at least 1 bite). But I didn’t want a steak – it sounded too heavy. So, I ordered an appetizer: Eggplant.

Imagine my surprise, and joy, when the eggplant was seated in front of my face served in none other than a cast-iron mini-skillet. The skillet was so darn cute and the eggplant looked beautiful. It tasted wonderful, too.

Now, I’m sure it wasn’t cooked in the mini-skillet, just plated on it. But still, a skillet makes a wonderful serving dish.

What a versatile instrument of cooking! See why I love it yet?



Of course, I also ate some great food in Arizona – and I have a few skillet ideas…

Everything's Coming Up Bacon

It's official. Sumo has become spoiled. It's my fault, too. I should have known it would happen. You can't make a man bacon for breakfast one day and then not expect him to want it for breakfast each day. Have I created a monster? A bacon-loving monster?

Anyway, I've been making him 2 slices of bacon with his breakfast each day for about 2 weeks now.  We were running low the other day, so I headed out to Giant. There I found Smithfield Bacon being sold at a significantly reduced price. Instead of their delicious pork-product costing $5.99, it was now only (gasp!) $3.99.

I knew what I needed to do. I needed to stock up. Pronto.

No I didn't go all crazy coupon lady on Giant, I didn't buy out the shelf, and I don't even have a bacon coupon. But I did buy a few packs of varying flavors.

I got Hometown Original Bacon, Naturally Hickory Smoked Thick Sliced Bacon, Naturally Hickory Smoked Cracked Peppercorn Coated Bacon, and Naturally Hickory Smoked Maple Flavored Bacon. Wow, I feel like Bubba, talking about his shrimp varieties.

Anyway, at 2 slices a day, 7 days a week...

Here's hoping Sumo's arteries don't clog.