Cast Iron Week Inspirations

Cast Iron Week: The first week of January and only observed by yours truly.  This post was started during that time and completed a short while later.

I was excited [almost] beyond words  when I received my very first cast iron pan for my birthday this last December.  I hear a lot of hype about cast iron but really, can it make a noticeable difference??  I decided to do a 1 week test to see for myself and get the opinion of my daughter with her highly sensitive palette.

For once I planned out meals ahead of time but it didn’t last because let’s face it, I’m just not that kind of person.

And no,  I have not and will not take down all of my decorations yet.   (Keep in mind this was the first week of January.  I hope you are cutting me some slack right now.)

I want to share a few cast iron inspirations with you that I really enjoyed this week and maybe give you ideas that you can use in your own kitchen.

For featured inspiration number one:

Cranberry Apple Oatmeal

This cranberry apple oatmeal is so warm and comforting even if you are feeling under the weather.  Just chop some apples and toss in a pan with a handful of cranberries and a cup of water.  Stir for a minute or two and add cinnamon, ginger, salt and agave nectar to taste before adding more water and oatmeal.

I baked these cookies in this pan and it worked great!  What an excellent way to bake cookies and it’s more fun than a boring baking sheet.

I created this recipe to have a vegan and gluten free option to serve if I ever receive that request.  This is my first ever gluten free recipe and was inspired by a photo I saw but never found again.   So I made up a recipe.

Easy Breakfast Cookies – Vegan & Gluten Free

Recipe created by Dionne Baldwin

Ingredients

1/2 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup raw chopped almonds

2 tbsp. raw sunflower seeds

1 tbsp. flax seed meal

2 tbsp. agave nectar

1 banana

1 tsp. vanilla

1/8 cup raw unsweetened coconut

1/2 tsp. baking soda

a pinch of salt

For your convenience you may substitute the raw ingredients for roasted, toasted, etc. but for maximum health benefit I recommend using raw.  Combine ingredients with a potato masher until well mixed. 

Form into balls and flatten into cookie shape with your hands.  You may eat these raw or bake for about 10-12 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven.

I love biscuits and gravy but here is a random fact about me:  I’m more wild about the gravy.  I’ll put it on nearly anything!

Skillet Biscuits & Sausage Gravy

I baked the biscuits in one cast iron pan and made the gravy with another.

• The biscuit recipe I used can be found here.
• The sausage recipe I used can be found here although I used Italian sausage not maple.

For our grand finale, we had the one meal I think of every time I see a cast iron pan.

Steak & Eggs

Put your steak in your pan, cook it up and when you cook your eggs right beside it the steak juices hold hands with the egg and create this delicious harmony that is so simple you would never think it would be so enticing.

Thank you for checking up on me to see how this week went.   I hope you are having a good day and I am sending you hugs with this!

So what stance do you take?  Are you pro cast iron, not a fan or somewhere in the middle?

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