Oh boy! Little Miss City Girl is needing help in this area! I get myself all inspired by reading blogs like
Sugar Pie Farmhouse and
Pioneer Woman and go out and by myself my first iron skillet at the store. I guess I shouldn't say first because my sweet brother bought me a flat iron skillet a
very long time ago. I was miffed because I had absolutely
no idea why he'd by me such a thing, let alone attempt to use it.
I was intimidated by the whole seasoning ordeal. I thought it was too much trouble. I think I still have it and will pull it out to see how I do with it. Of course it's not seasoned so I will have to do that first!
Right now I have a Lodge medium frying pan and have cooked on it about 3xs.
Earlier in the week I made the mistake of warming it, putting on butter to melt and walking away for a few minutes.
BURNT BUTTER STINKS!
In case you wondered...
After clearing out the smoke and starting over I managed to make some pretty good fried eggs and blueberry pancakes.
Today I tried my hand at it again and did great with the eggs but the 2nd batch of pancakes were on the burnt side. As the skillet got hotter the pancakes were cooking a little too fast. Ugh!
I will say that I do love that the pan is very hot and it doesn't take much to cook evenly on my electric stove. I finally can fry an egg and turn it without breaking the yolk!
I may be converted to using an iron skillet often! I just have to remind myself over and over to NOT touch that handle without a mitt. After years of cooking with non stick pans and in the microwave it's something that can easily be forgotten. Next up will be trying out baking in that pan!
That's one thing I love about myself - a willingness to learn things later in life and give it a go!
image from Pioneer Woman
Mmm see the above picture of PW's skillet apple cake? I'm thinking I need to try this recipe in the Fall. When all the apples are harvested and nearby Nebraska City has their Applejack Festival.
Ingredients
•4 whole To 5 Whole Granny Smith Apples, Peeled, Cored, And Cut Into Six Equal Pieces
•1-¾ stick Butter
•¾ cups Sugar
•_____
•FOR THE CAKE:
•1 stick Butter
•⅔ cups Sugar
•1-½ teaspoon Vanilla
•2 whole Large Eggs
•½ cups Sour Cream
•1-½ cup All-purpose Flour
•1-½ teaspoon Baking Powder
•1 teaspoon Salt
•½ teaspoons Cinnamon
•1 whole Small Granny Smith Apple, Peeled, Cored, And Chopped Finely
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a 9 to 10-inch skillet, melt 1 3/4 sticks butter over low heat. Add 3/4 cup sugar to the pan and stir around, then place apple slices, wedge side down, in the pan. Don’t pack them too tightly, but try not to leave overly large gaps. Allow this to cook over low/medium-low heat while you make the cake batter.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat 1 stick of butter and 2/3 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla and eggs. Add sour cream and mix well. Gradually add flour mixture until just combined. Gently stir in 1 chopped apple.
Remove skillet from heat. Spoon batter over the top, then spread gently so batter is evenly distributed. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until cake is golden brown and bubbly. Allow cake to sit in skillet for five minutes, then invert onto a serving plate. Don’t worry if some of the topping isn’t perfect—it’ll taste perfect!
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Let me know if you try this and how it went!
