CAST IRON COOKWARE BEST FOR CORNBREAD

Nothing   tastes better with a meal than good corn bread

and nothing bakes cornbread better than cast iron corn bread pans. You can bake your corn bread in a good ole cast iron skillet, cast iron muffin pan, or a cast iron corn stick pan or cornbread wedge pan. The cornbread stick pan or cornbread wedge pan will give you more tasty and crispy crust.

CHAMPIONSHIP CORNBREAD (Recipe by Chef Bobby Flay)

Prep Time: 5 Minute(s)
Cook Time: 25 Minute(s)

1 package (8-1/2 oz.) corn muffin mix
1 can (11 oz.) Mexican-style corn, drained
1/2 cup Hellmann’s® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise
1 egg, slightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Spray cast iron cornbread pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

2. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl until moistened.

3. Spread evenly into your cornbread pan.

4. Bake 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
   

   Lodge Logic Cornstick Cornbread Pan

TASTE THE CORNBREAD NOT THE COOKWARE WITH CAST IRON COOKWARE

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Eat Pecans for Your Eyes. Use Cast Iron for the Your Palate

In a study conducted by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), it was found that pecans are particularly rich in antioxidants. The National Eye Institute Age Related Eye Diseases Study reported that patients with macular degeneration who had adequate intakes of antioxidants were 29% less likely to experience disease progression than those with lower intake levels. The most serious of eye diseases, including cataracts and macular degeneration, are caused, in part, by free radicals. The antioxidants you get in nuts and other plant foods fight free radicals to help keep the eyes free of disease.

Heart Healthy Bonus from Pecans: Vitamin E found in pecans reduces the tendency of LDL cholesterol to oxidize and stick to the walls of your arteries. Pecan are also high in phytosterols, plant compounds that are similar to the active ingredients in cholesterol-lowering margarines, such as Benecol.  (Bottom Line’s Health Breakthroughs 2009)

Here’s a recipe from About.com Home Cooking using pecans.

Maple Pecan Scones Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour
• 1-1/2 Tablespoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup cold unsalted butter
• 1 cup pecans, chopped
• 2/3 cup maple syrup, plus additional for brushing
• 1/3 cup heavy cream

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with a cast iron drop biscuit pan or a cast iron muffin pan.  (Alternatively, grease and flour the pan.)

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry blender, two butter knives, or use your fingers, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in pecans.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together maple syrup and heavy cream until smooth.

Make a well in the flour mixture. Pour the cream mixture in the center. Stir briskly with a wooden spoon until mixture begins to come together into a dough. Do not overmix.

Drop dough into lightly greased muffin or biscuit molds.  Brush tops with maple syrup.

Bake scones 15 to 20 minutes until lightly browned. Serve warm with butter.

Yield: about 12 scones

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Visit the Happiest State in the USA

Consider yourself invited to visit the “Happiest State” in the USA. If you already live in Louisiana, may you contine to enjoy happiness. To refine the search even more, you are invited to visit, what I consider the Happiest Town in Louisiana, Natchitoches.

“Happiness” is difficult to define. A study by the University of Warwick in Britain and Hamilton College in the United States, done over several years and with 1.3 million people, has found that Louisiana is the happiest state in the union. Hawaii, Florida, Tennessee and Arizona round out the top five.

So, how did the study reach its conclusions?

• Maybe it’s LSU Tiger football or the New Orleans Saints
• Could it have to do with boiled crawfish and other seafood delicacies?
• Louisiana is a Sportsman’s Paradise of hunting and fishing
• Maybe it’s Friday lunch at Galatoire’s
• Perhaps its the Christmas Festival/Festival of Lights in Natchitoches.
• Maybe it’s bonfires on the levees, Jazz Fest or a beignets in the French Quarter
• Maybe it is related to the “joy of life” generally found among the people of Louisiana
• Could it have to do with cornbread cooked in cast iron corn bread pans? Works for me! This Blog has some cornbread recipes posted.
• Maybe it it has to do with the way Louisiana cooks!  Could it have something to do with the fact that cast iron cookware is big in Louisiana?

• 

  Lodge Cornbread Wedge Pan

It could be some of these factors plus a lot more that makes Louisiana’s “joie de vivre” a reality. It is a fun place to live, dine, visit and enjoy. The people of Louisiana really do know how to live a good life, and as they say in South Louisiana, “pass a good time“.

In case you are interested, here are the top ten states:

1. Louisiana

2. Hawaii

3. Florida

4.Tennessee

5. Arizona

6. Mississippi

7. Montana

8. South Carolina

9. Alabama

10. Maine

1. 

   Cornstick Pan

   

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TURDUCKEN FOR THE HOLIDAYS

A little boy was asked how he liked the holiday turkey. He replied “I like the bread he ate“.  If he had been served turducken I suppose he would have said he liked the chicken and the duck. What is turducken? It is a chicken stuffed inside a duck which is then stuffed inside a turkey. The term turducken comes from the combination of tur(key), duck, and (chick)en. It has fast become a popular recipe for the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays.  Each slice contains portions of chicken, duck, and turkey with stuffing in between the layers. Allow adequate preparation time. It’s not difficult to make, but it is a little time-consuming. The end result is a worth the effort.

(Recipe Peggy Trowbridge, Home Cooking Guide)

You will need:
• 10 to 12-pound turkey, deboned, except for wings and legs.
• 5 to 6-pound duck, completely deboned.
• 3 to 4-pound chicken, completely deboned.
• Prepared stuffing (see recipe).
• Metal skewers.
• Large roasting pan.

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 4 hours

Ingredients:

• 2-3/4 cups prepared savory bread stuffing, at room temperature, divided use
• 2 cups prepared cornbread stuffing, at room temperature, divided use
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
• 1 (10 to 12-pound) turkey, deboned
• 1 (4 to 5-pound) duck, deboned
• 1 (3 to 4 pound) chicken, deboned
• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 3 cloves garlic, cut in quarters
• 6 fresh sage leaves
• 2 Tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
• 1 Tablespoon browning sauce (such as Gravy Master® or Kitchen Bouquet®)
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Have the turkey, duck, and chicken already deboned (save the bones for stock) before you begin to assemble the turducken. Keep all of the poultry stuffing. refrigerated until you are ready to use it. Do not assemble turducken until you are ready to bake it in order to avoid food-borne  illness from contaminated  stuffing.

Measure out 2-1/4 cups of bread stuffing and set aside. Place remaining 1/2 cup of bread stuffing in another bowl and add 1/2 cup of the cornbread stuffing along with the whole berry cranberry sauce and pecans. Toss gently to combine. Place remaining 1-1/2 cups cornbread stuffing aside. You should have 3 separate stuffings.

In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine butter, garlic sage , and thyme until herbs are finely chopped.

Run your hand under the skin to separate and make a pocket, but do not separate skin completely from the meat. Distribute the butter herb mixture evenly under the skin.

Rub the skin of the turkey with the browning sauce (promotes even browning but doesn’t add flavor), then the olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and freshly ground pepper .

Flip the turkey over so it is open and skin-side down. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 300 F.

Spread bread stuffing evenly over turkey cavity. Place duck on top of bread stuffing, skin-side down.

Spread cranberry nut stuffing on top of open duck cavity. Top with chicken, skin-side down.

Spread cornbread stuffing on top of open chicken cavity. Skewer the back of the chicken closed. Bring up the sides of the duck to cover the chicken. Skewer the back of the duck closed. Repeat process with the turkey. Carefully turn the turducken over, so it is seam-side down and breast-side up. Remove all skewers except the last one holding the turkey together.

Place turducken in a heavy roaster. Roast 3 to 4 hours, until meat thermometer inserted in the very center of the chicken stuffing reaches 165 F. Baste once per hour with pan juices. If turducken begins to get too brown, tent loosely with heavy-duty aluminum foil that has been coated with vegetable spray.

Let turducken rest 30 minutes before carving. To serve, slice turducken across the breast to show off each layer.

Yield: 12 to 14 servings

TASTE THE FOOD NOT THE COOKWARE WITH CAST IRON COOKWARE

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Cast Iron Cookware Helping You With Your “Dogs” and “Brats”

Before you get too excited, this is not an offer to sit with your children. It is not an offer to kennel your dogs. What we can help you with is to introduce you to Rome Industries Cast Iron Hot Dog/Brat Cooker

Forget sticks and coat hangers for a wiener roaster! The Rome # 1905 cast iron dog n’ brat/cornbread cooker is here.This convenient, long-handled, hinged cast iron hot dog cooker holds three dogs or brats and roasts without charring. Use the camping hot dog cooker as a hot dog cooker, sandwich maker or camp cornbread maker. For quality and durability, Rome hot dog cookers, Rome cornbread makers and Rome cast iron camping products are unsurpassed. Beer dogs, brats and onions, grilled sausages? No problem. They all are yours with a minimum of fuss with the cast iron hot dog cooker, The Dog n’ Brat/Cornbread Cooker lets you cook them all over the fire and at the same time seals in the juices.You will not have your family and friends waiting because with this cast iron sandwich maker the cooking cavity holds 3 at a time. Just because it is referred to as a camp wiener roaster do not let that fool you. This versatile camp cookware accessory is also a camp cornbread maker. Cornbread and other quick breads are simple to make as well. The Rome cast iron camp wiener roaster is designed to give you meat that sizzles without being charring. Product dimensions are:30”L x 6-1/4”W x 3-5/8”H.

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