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cast iron

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Cast Iron Apple Spice Cake

2019/11/07 By Melinda Leave a Comment

a lightly sweetened spicy cast iron “cake’’ that you can make as fancy or as straight forward as you want- if you have a mandolin to slice the apples a decorative pattern makes for a stunning presentation but equally tasty and almost as pretty is the apples cut into bite sized pieces. more things apple […]

Filed Under: Breads Biscuits Buns, Cast Iron, Quick Breads, Recipes, Sweet Tagged With: apple, apple cake, autumn, baking, Cake, cardamom, cast iron, holiday, spice

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graham cracker biscuits

2019/07/04 By Melinda Leave a Comment

this riff on cream scones is the perfect base for all your summer berries- try these graham cracker biscuits with a scoop of raspberry sorbet and whipped cream or topped with strawberries

Filed Under: Breads Biscuits Buns, Cast Iron, Quick Breads, Recipes, Sweet Tagged With: biscuits, cast iron, dessert, graham crackers, scones

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Cast Iron Asparagus Quiche w/chives and swiss cheese

2019/05/22 By Melinda Leave a Comment

Fresh Asparagus and chives together with Swiss Cheese in a brightly flavorful turmeric paprika all butter crust.

Filed Under: Breakfasty Brunchy, Cast Iron, Eggs, Recipes, spring veggies Tagged With: asparagus, cast iron, quiche

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Easy Asparagus Flatbread (in cast iron!)

2019/04/25 By Melinda Leave a Comment

This Easy Asparagus Flatbread, baked in a cast iron pan, is so simple and to the point delicious I hesitate to even call it a recipe. Cut it into tiny squares and serve this flatbread as an appetizer or do like I did and add an egg for an easy and complete meal. I used […]

Filed Under: Breads Biscuits Buns, Recipes, spring veggies, Veggies, Yeast Breads Tagged With: asparagus, cast iron, flatbread, recipe

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Savory French Toast with easy Hollandaise Sauce- for One

2019/02/27 By Melinda Leave a Comment

This Savory Herb French Toast topped with a simple yet bright lemony Hollandaise Sauce uses just a few pans and requires no special equipment.  A recipe written for one person (yes, you can brunch in style by yourself). Whether you dine alone or double the recipe this easy hollandaise uses the leftover egg mixture from […]

Filed Under: Breakfasty Brunchy, Condiments, Sauces, and Gravies, Recipes, Savory Tagged With: benedict, cast iron, eggs, french toast, hollandaise

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Upside-down Caramelized Orange Chocolate Tart

2019/01/18 By Melinda 1 Comment

a one pan cast iron orange chocolate tart perfect for two, perfect for date night, also perfectly acceptable for one or four

Filed Under: Cast Iron, chocolate, Fruit, Recipes, Sweet Tagged With: cast iron, dessert, orange, tart

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Bloody Mary Chicken Pot Pie with Olive Biscuit Crust

2019/01/16 By Melinda Leave a Comment

Part comfort, part Sunday morning this chicken pot pie flavored with an untraditional tomato  based sauce and topped with a tender biscuit topping studded with green olives can be on the table in less than an hour. If you want to serve it for valentines -hello bloody mary valentine!- but don’t have heart shaped cutouts […]

Filed Under: Breads Biscuits Buns, Cast Iron, Meaty Mains, Quick Breads, Recipes, Savory Tagged With: biscuits, cast iron, chicken, meals for two, olives, pot pie, tomato

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easy sautéed mushrooms: chanterelle, shiitake, or cremini

2018/11/13 By Melinda Leave a Comment

easy sautéed mushrooms: chanterelle, shiitake, or cremini in cast iron

Like all the best recipes these easy sautéed mushrooms allow for substitutions and modifications. chanterelles out of season?  shiitakes too darn expensive? cremini cramping your style? switch it out. just follow a few basic principles and you have a most simple, delicious, easy and satisfying side dish or garnish. Bonus points for being vegan and […]

Filed Under: Cast Iron, gluten free, Recipes, Savory, Sides and such, Veggies, Winter Holiday Tagged With: cast iron, easy, garlic, gluten free, mushrooms, stove top, vegan, wine

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Cast Iron Winter Squash Pie w/a honey whole wheat crust

2018/10/08 By Melinda Leave a Comment

overhead shot of cast iron winter squash pie in cast iron skillet

An autumn squash pie made with fresh roasted kuri squash (or your favorite pumpkin type winter squash), a not quite pumpkin spice blend of spices, and a don’t ask don’t tell one hundred percent deliciously graham cracker like honey whole wheat flaky pastry crust. Best of all this bad boy bakes up in an 8” […]

Filed Under: Cast Iron, Fruit, Recipes, Sweet, Winter Holiday Tagged With: cast iron, kuri squash, pie, thanksgiving dessert, winter squash

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savory skillet cornbread: tomato upside down cake

2018/08/07 By Melinda 2 Comments

There is something immensely satisfying about baking something that is both beautiful and tasty, add two notches of oh yeah for using up some garden fresh tomatoes.  With just a whisper of sweet, this mostly savory skillet cornbread does double duty as a summer tomato upside down cake. Whether you call it cornbread or corn […]

Filed Under: Breads Biscuits Buns, Breakfasty Brunchy, Cast Iron, Quick Breads, Recipes, Savory, Sides and such Tagged With: baking, cast iron, cornbread, dill, tomatoes

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quick and easy garlic ginger asparagus

2018/02/26 By Melinda 2 Comments

garlic ginger asparagus with a squeeze of fresh lime held aloft on a white plate

A simple side, delicious with coconut curry seafood chowder or with any Asian inspired main course. This asparagus came from Mexico because by February buying local kale and collards has become repetitive, boring, blah. I’m ready for spring, for asparagus, strawberries, tulips. For a few days it seemed spring was just around the corner, short […]

Filed Under: Recipes, Savory, Sides and such, spring veggies, Veggies Tagged With: asparagus, baked, cast iron, easy, garlic, ginger, gluten free, oven, quick, vegan, vegetarian

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Cast Iron Rhubarb Upside Down Cake with fresh strawberries

2017/06/20 By Melinda 2 Comments

Cast Iron Rhubarb Upside Down Cake with fresh strawberries and real whipped cream

Summer snuck up on me. The long hot days, fruit ripe and heavy on the vine, roses in full bloom- all clues I missed. Graduation ceremonies, squirrels doing mad dashes and dances on branches dappled green and shadowed, the sun high in the sky, the hum of air-conditioners, and the intermittent buzz of sirens. My […]

Filed Under: Breads Biscuits Buns, Cast Iron, Fruit, Quick Breads, Recipes, Sweet Tagged With: Cake, cast iron, Rhubarb, strawberry, summer fruit, Upside Down Cake

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Cast Iron Peach Clafoutis

2016/08/17 By Melinda 4 Comments

Cast Iron Peach Clafoutis

A soft vanilla scented batter, buttery crisp around the edges and loaded with sweet summer peaches.

Filed Under: Breakfasty Brunchy, Cast Iron, Fruit, Recipes, Sweet Tagged With: baked, cast iron, clafoutis, custard, easy, Flaugnarde, forbidden fruit orchard, peach

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Pan Fried Brussel Sprouts with crispy garlic and New Year’s Resolutions

2016/01/16 By Melinda 1 Comment

Free up the oven for holiday meals or any time you want a quick and savory autumn vegetable side dish. Fresh Brussels sprouts cooked in a cast iron skillet are greens that actually stay green with a crisp nutty flavor complimented with a healthy bite of garlic. Pan Fried Brussel Sprouts with crispy garlic and […]

Filed Under: Cast Iron, Recipes, Savory, Sides and such, Veggies, Winter Holiday Tagged With: Brussel sprout, cast iron, garlic, gluten free, paleo, vegan, whole30

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Potato Leek Soup Breakfast Bake with spicy bacon jam

2015/12/17 By Melinda Leave a Comment

  Like the time of year that birthed this recipe it is a jumble of comfort, decadence, spice, resolutions, and bacon. The creamy subtly earthy soup, the crispy cheese below, the melty cheese above, a peppery bite of arugula, a sweet salty swirl of bacon jam. Hello breakfast. Hello brunch. Hell no to boring leftovers. […]

Filed Under: Breakfasty Brunchy, Cast Iron, Eggs, Recipes Tagged With: arugula, bacon jam, breakfast, brunch, cast iron, egg, leek, Potato

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The Real Reasons I use Cast Iron

2015/12/15 By Melinda 4 Comments

These are the real reasons that I use my cast iron skillet to cook most everything. The opposite of fussy, Cast Iron is the one sort of pan you should own if you only own one. This is the first cast iron skillet I ever owned. At eighteen years she is the young filly in […]

Filed Under: Cast Iron, Resources Tagged With: cast iron

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Avocado and Egg Elevated: Avocado toast with broiled tomatoes and date vinegar

2015/09/26 By Melinda Leave a Comment

Avocado and Egg Elevated: Avocado toast with broiled tomatoes and date vinegar Homemade black pepper focaccia and some of the last garden fresh cherry tomatoes lightly brushed with Chardonnay Moroccan Grapeseed Oil and broiled to slightly charred and juicy perfection, served with lush avocado, a crispy egg, and a generous drizzle of Date Balsam Creme […]

Filed Under: Breakfasty Brunchy, Cast Iron, Eggs, Recipes, Savory Tagged With: avocado, cast iron, egg, ifbc2015, oil and vinegar, tomato

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Green Bean Frittata or: How I learned to ditch the binge and love the bomb

2015/07/08 By Melinda 4 Comments

Green Bean Frittata or: How I learned to ditch the binge and love the bomb I saw a headline the other day that said, “Study shows binge watching may be linked to depression and loneliness” No shit. I don’t need a study to know that I didn’t hide in a dark room and watch all […]

Filed Under: Breakfasty Brunchy, Eggs, Recipes, Savory Tagged With: cast iron, eggs, frittata, goat cheese, green beans, Potato, red onion, rosemary, thirty minutes or less

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Strawberry Honey Skillet Cornbread

2015/06/05 By Melinda 2 Comments

Tender moist cornbread swirled with fresh strawberries and honey. The strawberries, in addition to adding a whole new level of yum to the scent of baking cornbread are also the perfect foil for a tangy vinegar barbecue sauce. Delicious slathered with butter and topped with some of the remaining strawberry sauce. Sub this out for […]

Filed Under: Breads Biscuits Buns, Breakfasty Brunchy, Cast Iron, Fruit, Quick Breads, Recipes, Savory, Sides and such, Sweet Tagged With: cast iron, cornbread, strawberries, summer

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Pickle Pepper Ground Beef Grilled Cheese on Dark Rye

2015/05/18 By Melinda Leave a Comment

Pickle Pepper Ground Beef Grilled Cheese on Dark Rye

Tangy, sweet, hot and cheesy: Lean ground beef tossed with pickles and pickled peppers and cheddar cheese and then griddled in dark rye bread with even more cheese and spicy brown mustard. Last week was grilled cheese week at our house. No one complained. The excuse? The Wisconsin cheese board hosts an annual contest and […]

Filed Under: Cast Iron, Recipes, Savory Tagged With: cast iron, cheddar, fontina, grilled cheese, stove top, sweet hot peppers, sweet pickle relish

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cast iron sweet potato onion hash and eggs

2015/03/08 By Melinda 6 Comments

Buttery sweet potatoes slow cooked with onion and jalapeño. A simple one-dish breakfast you can make on your stove top.

Filed Under: Breakfasty Brunchy, Cast Iron, gluten free, Recipes, Savory Tagged With: breakfast, cast iron, eggs, hash, Onion, paleo friendly, stovetop, sweet potato

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Cornbread Tamale Pie with green chili and cheese

2015/02/23 By Melinda 2 Comments

  Baked in cast iron, like so many of the best things are, this pie that isn’t really a pie and only bears a corn kernel’s resemblance to a tamale is satisfying slightly spicy comfort food at it’s simplest. UPDATED October 10th, 2026- when I remade this to retake the pictures I proved to myself […]

Filed Under: Cast Iron, Meaty Mains, Recipes, Savory Tagged With: cast iron, chili, cornbread, green chile, green chili, ground beef

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cast iron quiche w/ham and sharp cheddar cheese

2015/01/04 By Melinda 10 Comments

There is something so satisfying about a deep dish quiche baked in cast iron. The tender crunch of a savory black pepper olive oil crust stuffed with hearty bites of ham and melty sharp cheddar cheese. Simple enough for a week night meal. Impressive enough for guests. Gratifying for even the hungriest diner. Serve with […]

Filed Under: Breakfasty Brunchy, Cast Iron, Meaty Mains, Recipes, Savory Tagged With: breakfast, brunch, cast iron, dinner, eggs, ham, lunch, quiche, sharp cheddar

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Cast Iron Tarte Tatin with easy food processor flaky crust

2014/01/31 By Melinda 5 Comments

Holidays or anytime Apple Tarte Tatin baked in cast iron and made with a quick to assemble food processor Pate Brisee Dough is the dessert you can make while doing other things.

Filed Under: Cast Iron, Recipes, Sweet, Winter Holiday Tagged With: apple, cast iron, dessert, tart, tarte tatin

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