Iron Out Smooth Cooking with Cast Iron Cookware

Perhaps you have resolved to eat healthier in 2010. Cast Iron Cookware can help you “iron out” some of the difficulty in preparing a healthier fare for your family.

The farm families who own Cabot have created a recipe perfect for any occasion.  We are grateful to them for a healthy recipe with a new “wrinkle” on healthy eating.

CHICKEN CORN TORTILLA SOUP

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 cups water

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon canola oil

4 cups reduced- sodium canned chicken broth

16 ounces fresh or frozen white corn

1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chilies

Corn tortilla Chips

6 ounces 50% Reduced Fat Cheddar, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)

Preparation:

1. In a cast iron sauce pan, combine chicken breasts and water. Bring to gentle simmer and cook just until set in center.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium cast iron skillet
   

   Lodge 10 1/4 Inch Skillet

   over medium heat, combine onion, garlic, and oil; cook, stirring until onions are tender. Set aside.

3. Transfer cooked chicken to plate to cool. Strain cooking liquid into another saucepan.
4. Add canned broth to cooking liquid and bring to simmer. Add corn and cook for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and reserved onion mixture and cook until heated through.
5. In each of eight large soup bowls, arrange about 8 tortilla chips. Shred cooled chicken and divide among bowls. Ladle hot soup over chips and chicken, top with grated cheese.

Cozy-up to a bowl of this soup with your family. You will love how it tastes cooked in cast iron that “allows you to taste the food not the cookware“.

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Mexican Casserole in Cast Iron Cookware

In these cold days of winter, what could be better than a flavor-filled  Mexican Casserole? In keeping with the “South of the Border” theme you might even want to plan an evening with family and friends and play “Mexican Dominoes“. It is a really fun game. Check it out.

Even better the Mexican Casserole is super easy to make, especially with an enameled casserole dish. Here is what you will need:

• one pound of ground beef (meat substitute works well for vegetarians version or use chicken or turkey).
• 1/2 cup taco sauce
• 1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded (soy cheese works but is pricey)
• one (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained
• one medium onion, chopped
• one (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
• one (8-ounce) bag tortilla chips, crushed

How to make it:

1. Cook the ground beef in a casserole dish.  Drain.
2. Mix together the taco sauce and mayonnaise for sauce in a large bowl.
3. Add sauce to the ground beef and set aside.
4. Combine the cheese, pinto beans, onion and tomatoes in a large bowl.
5. Stir in the beef mixture and the chips.
6. Pour mixture into an ungreased casserole dish. Cast iron is the truly non-stick cookware and is healthy by saving the use of grease or oil).
7. Heat in a 350-degree oven uncovered for 30 minutes.

Serves 6

With a cast iron enamel casserole dish that comes with a grill pan lid, you get two cast iron pieces for the price of one.

The casserole dish is so attractive you will want to use it to serve your guests at the table and it will keep your Mexican Casserole warm. Cast iron is great for its even heat distribution and heat retention.

TASTE THE FOOD NOT THE COOKWARE:  CAST IRON COOKWARE

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Get the Right Pan for the Job

When is comes to cooking, it is important to get the right pan for the job.

Cast iron cookware is a very old-fashioned manner of cooking. It has made a remarkable comeback over the last few years. There are reasons for this:

• even heating
• heat retention
• versatility
• durability
• non-stick, when properly seasoned

Cast iron cookware is made by pouring molten iron into molds to fashion the designed configurations for baking pans, skillets, dutch ovens, jambalaya pots and cornbread pans.  Cast iron cookware is not a thing of the past but the wave of the future to really make your cooking “pan” out as delicious and healthy. Make sure you get the right pan for the job.

What are the advantages of cooking with cast iron pans?

2. It is excellent for stewing, browning, frying and baking.

3. After seasoning, the surface of the cast iron is totally non- stick. You can cook  with little or no oil making it an exceptionally healthy form of cooking.

4. It is versatile, heavy duty, rugged, durable, sturdy and lasts for generations.

5. It is excellent for cooking when hunting, fishing, camping or scouting, back yard fire pits or even in your fireplace.

6. Using cast iron adds trace elements of iron into your diet.

7. Unlike much cookware on the market it is totally free of  additives that can flake off into your food.

8. It  is excellent for recipes that need to be cooked at high temperatures  as in searing or frying.

9. Compared to other cookware, it is one of the most versatile forms of cookware you can buy.

10. Cast iron cookware is unquestionably the best value cookware you’ll ever purchase. It can be used on the stove top, in the oven and on top of a fire. The fact that it lasts for generations means you will not be reinvesting in cookware every few years. Cast iron cookware is not a purchase, it is an investment. It will become a family heirloom to be enjoyed by your grandchildren and great grandchildren.

11. Cast Iron Cookware allows you to taste the food not the cookware.

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Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas in Lodge Enamel Cast Iron Casserole

Cheesy Chicken “Enchiladas”

Ingredients:
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 oz. reduced fat sour cream
8 oz. Ranch salad dressing
flour tortillas (10-15)
jar of salsa
shredded mexican cheese ( 3- 4 cups)

Directions:

Cook chicken breasts  until cooked through. A cast iron casserole works wonderfully and is non-stick when seasoned properly. Set aside to cool a bit.

While chicken is cooling, mix up the sauce. In a large mixing bowl, combine half of the sour cream and half of the Ranch dressing. In a small bowl, combine the rest of the sour cream and Ranch dressing. Stir both until well combined. Shred or chop the cooked chicken and add to the large mixing bowl. Mix well with sauce.

Preheat the oven to 375°. Spray the casserole lightly with vegetable oil Take one tortilla and top with a little less than 1 tbsp. of the sauce from the small bowl. Spread over the tortilla in an even layer. Add some of the chicken mixture to the center of the tortilla. Top with salsa to taste. Sprinkle with shredded cheese, to taste. Roll up tortilla and place, seam side down, in the casserole dish. Repeat with remaining ingredients (usually makes 10-15 enchiladas).

Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes (30 for a crispier tortilla). Allow to cool a few minutes before serving. The Lodge Red Enamel Casserole Dish is an attractive serving dish to take to your table and it will maintain heat to keep your enchiladas warm.

(Adapted from the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook)

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DAYS OF FOOD,FUN,FAMILY,FRIENDS AND FESTIVITY

HOLIDAYS:  Days of food, fun, family, friends
and festivity.

* Have fun with your friends.

* Enjoy food with your family.

* May the holidays be a festival of joy.

for you, for your family and for your friends.

Make your holiday funds go farther. Make your Holiday even more festive. Take advantage of our holiday sale; and give a gift of good taste.

10% off all Red Enamel Cast Iron Cookware, both Kinetic and Lodge. Order now to insure shipment arrives for your special holiday meal.

Shop early for your holiday gifts.

Sale lasts until November 30, 2009.

Watch for the Lodge Red Enamel products that are being added.

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Cast Iron Cookware Sales Rising

The International Housewares Association reports dollar sales
of cast-iron cookware are up 20 percent.

Why is this?

• Interest is growing thanks to pre-seasoned pans.
• Celebrities using the pots on TV cooking shows.
• Consumers’ growing concerns that nonstick coatings can flake off. Is it any wonder that simple, rib-sticking foods like bacon and eggs
  are back on the plate?

There is no better time than now to fall in love with cast iron cookware or fall in love all over again with the cookware loved by your mother and grandmother. There is nothing old-fashioned about the cookware that is the truly non-stick, lasts forever and allows you…

TO TASTE THE FOOD AND NOT THE COOKWARE.

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Cast Iron Cookware Shop Offers Tip on Buying Pots and Pans

Buying Pots and Pans

You do not have to be a professional chef to need good pots and pans. They are a necessary investment. Even to make a grilled cheese sandwich properly you need a good skillet (my personal preference is a cast iron skillet). But have you seen the prices of pots and pans lately? It’s no small investment so you need to choose wisely.  Here are a few tips  to help you choose the right cookware for you.

Tip #1: Keep a list of what you make for meals for one month and what  pots and pans you use. It may surprise you how many pots and pans you have that you rarely use. The ones you use on a daily or regular basis may need to be re[laced or upgraded.

Tip #2: If you’re still stumped about which pots and pans your kitchen absolutely needs, start with a 6-quart sauce pan, a 4-quart sauce pan, a 2-quart  sauce pan and a 10-inch sauté pan, says Maria Kopsidas, founder and owner of Cookology, a cooking school and retail store in Sterling. Real Simple magazine, on the other hand, recommends a Dutch oven, a roasting pan,
a pasta pot, a frying pan and a sauce pan.

Tip #3: Know what you’re buying. Pots and pans are made from different metals, such as anodized aluminum, cast iron, copper and stainless steel. Each type cooks the food differently. Anodized aluminum is good for slow cooking, cast iron is good for searing meat, copper is known for evenly heating up food and stainless steel is good for high-temperature cooking, according to Real Simple.

Tip #4: Kopsidas says cookware should last about 10 years. Cast iron cookware will last a lifetime and beyond. But if the handle starts to shake and Teflon is coming off, it’s time to toss them. Check if your cookware has a lifetime guarantee.  Lodge cast iron cookware comes with a lifetime guarantee. If so, you might be able to get free replacements.

Tip #5: Look at reviews of pots and pans. Kopsidas recommends
Cook’s Illustrated’s reviews. Only Cookware, Consumer Reports and Consumer Search also have reviews. And talk to cooking friends. Most have strong opinions on what works and what doesn’t.

Tip #6: If you’re ordering pots and pans online or through a catalog,
make sure you get a deal on shipping. Cookware can be bulky and heavy,
so any break on shipping would help. One word of caution. Some sites that offer “Free Shipping” have simply added additional cost to the price of the product.

Tip #7: Once you know what kind of pots and pans you want, shop around.
Prices vary widely. Kopsidas says some of the biggest sales on pots and pans are around the holidays.

Do your research and homework but be sure you consider the advantage of using cast iron cookware.

Cast Iron Cookware is not just a purchase. It is an investment. It has been in use for centuries. It is relatively low cost. Cast Iron Cookware meets all your cooking needs. Castiron is a heavy duty product that heats evenly and retains heat longer than other cookware. These dutch ovens, fry pans and griddles are made of iron alloys that give them additional strength. It is more versatile than other products. Fry, saute, brown, bake, grill, broil or stew. Use it in your home kitchen, travel kitchen or over your camp fire. The cast iron roasters and casseroles, along with all cast iron products, will go from stove top to oven to table trivet. The enamel paella pan and sauce pan, the pre-seasoned cornbread stick pan and biscuit pan as well as the camping dutch oven add variety to your Cast Iron Cookware selection. Invest in an heirloom. Pass it down to your children and grandchildren.You can’t afford not to invest in cast iron cookware!

TASTE THE FOOD NOT THE COOKWARE WITH CAST IRON COOKWARE

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