my first grilled bananas!

I had my first grilled bananas!


They're very easy.


Just put the unpeeled, whole bananas on the grill.


Grill until they're dark.  


You need a spoon to eat them.  They're great with ice cream!

"shake and bake" chicken cordon bleu

I recently made my first chicken cordon bleu.

The other night I made it again, but differently.

This time I cut the chicken breasts in half before flattening them, as I realized I should have done last time.

Then, instead of stuffing them first, and then coating with parmesan bread crumbs, I shook the unstuffed breasts in shake and bake first.

I used classic chicken shake and bake.  Actually, the generic store brand version.

Then on top of the coated chicken, I put a slice of provolone cheese and a thin slice of black forest ham.

I think it needed more cheese, so I would most definitely add more cheese next time.  At least two or three slices instead of one.

And possibly add Brie cheese as well as provolone.  Brie is delicious too.

Into the oven at 350 until done.

I liked the "cut in half" chicken breasts better than the whole chicken breasts, as it gave a more even balance of chicken to ham/cheese.  

But, it still needed more cheese.  I like a lot of cheese.

Now it's honey mustard BBQ ribs!

In my previous post, I made honey mustard BBQ chicken.


I decided that the same recipe could be applied to ribs!


See, I had this bottle of French's honey mustard that I've been wanting to get rid of.  So instead of just throwing it away, I decided to use it up by cooking with it.


Strange as it may sound, that bottle of honey mustard was a gift.  And it was fine, but it was sitting in my pantry for way too long!


Anyway, I got some "pork finger ribs", which I'd never had before.  I usually get baby back ribs.


They were OK, but not as meaty and flavorful as baby back ribs.  So from now on, I'll continue to stick to baby backs.


I coated them with French's honey mustard, and KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce.  Also added some black pepper.


Slow roasted in the oven in a covered cast iron pot, at 250.


The sauce mixture was excellent, and I'm sure on baby back ribs, would have been great!

honey mustard BBQ chicken

So I saw a recipe on the back label of my bottle of French's honey mustard.


It was actually for chicken stir fry, but it called for marinating the chicken in a mixture of the honey mustard and BBQ sauce.


So, that inspired me to make honey mustard BBQ chicken drumsticks.


I marinated the drumsticks in a mixture of French's honey mustard and BBQ sauce.


Laid them out on a cast iron skillet.  Into the oven at 350 until done.


It was quite good, and very easy!

A revised recipe for hot artichoke dip

I previously posted in this article, my recipe for hot artichoke dip.


This past Friday night, I was at a party and someone brought in this amazing hot artichoke dip, and told me what she had put in it.


I combined her recipe and mine, to make a revised version of  that amazing hot artichoke dip!


Two cans of whole artichoke hearts, drained.  One block of cream cheese.  8 oz sour cream.  


Blend in a chopper.  Then pour the mixture in a cast iron skillet.


Add paprika, then add shredded mixed italian cheese.*


*This particular mix contained parmesan, romano, asiago, provolone and mozzarella.  But you can use any shredded italian cheese.


Also add some grated parmesan cheese (which is different from shredded).


Bake in the oven at 350.

I really tried to make bacon donuts

I really tried to make bacon donuts.  I really, really did.


While I'm sure they could be made from scratch by mixing bacon bits into the dough before frying, I went the quick and simple way and bought some donuts, with every intention of making bacon donuts.


Then I fried up some bacon.  Laid the donuts out on a cast iron griddle, and placed the bacon strips on top.


Warmed in the oven at 250.


They would have been great bacon donuts, I'm sure.


But when I took them out of the oven, I ate up all of the bacon.  


So then I had just regular donuts again.  Not bacon donuts.


Oh well.  Better luck next time... maybe.

It's the baked beans challenge!

I discovered earlier today, that I had LOST my recipe for baked beans.  Pff!


So I had to come up with a new one, and fast.


I decided to try making it two different ways, to see which one I liked better.


One was made with REGULAR mustard, and one was made with French's HONEY mustard.


I was betting on the one with the REGULAR mustard being better.  But actually, I found them both to be equally good.


The rest of the ingredients were exactly the same:  Pinto beans, brown sugar, ketchup, garlic powder, onion powder, dried minced garlic, dried onion flakes, bacon bits.


And then the mustard.  Regular or Honey mustard.


Bake in the oven at 350.

Eleventh recipe created by me: onion garlic salmon

This recipe was created by accident.  


I planned to make salmon and noticed that I had an onion that needed to be used before it went bad.


So I sauteed the sliced onion in butter in a cast iron skillet.


Added a fillet of salmon to the same pan with the sauteed onions.  


On the salmon I put McCormick garlic bread sprinkle, dried onion flakes, and dried minced garlic.


Then put the same pan in the oven, and baked at 350.


If you have fresh garlic cloves, feel free to add those while sauteing the onions.

my first chicken fried chicken!

No, that wasn't a typo.  I meant to say "chicken fried chicken!"


Chicken fried chicken has been my favorite at Cracker Barrel, for over 15 years.


Which says a lot, because I'm really not a big fan of chicken.  


Chicken fried chicken is a chicken breast fillet, that is cooked and served just like chicken fried steak.


It occurred to me the other day, that it would be very easy to make.  After all, I make chicken fried steak.


Cut some boneless, skinless chicken breast fillets in half.


If you want to save money, you can buy bone-in breasts and cut off the bone.


Flatten the halves with a mallet.


Mix two eggs with milk in a bowl.  Soak each half in the mixture.


Mix some regular flour with seasoned salt.  Coat each piece in the flour.


Fry in crisco until done.


For the gravy, use 1 tbsp butter, 1 tbsp flour, 1/2 cup chicken stock, 1/2 cup milk.  Double or triple if you want more.   


Whisk into gravy.  Add seasoned salt.

Dr Pepper marinade ribs?

I made baby back ribs the other day, with Dr Pepper marinade.


It literally was a bottled marinade I bought from the store, called Dr Pepper marinade.


It sure looked like barbecue sauce to me, so I imagine you can probably make your own, from Dr Pepper and barbecue sauce.


I took a slab of baby back ribs, and cut it in half so it would fit in my Lodge 7 quart dutch oven.


I put it in the pot, and poured the whole bottle of marinade over the ribs.


I covered the pot and put it in the oven at 300 degrees.


Roasted until done.


It was delicious.  


I'm sure it would have been just as delicious if you used canned Dr Pepper and BBQ sauce.

My first s'mores

This was my first time making s'mores, and actually my first time eating s'mores.


They're supposed to be done over an open fire, but I used my propane grill, and a pie iron.


You could also do this in a pie iron over your stove.


The recipe is very simple:  Graham crackers, marshmallows and hershey chocolate bar.


Break the graham cracker in half.  Put a piece of hershey chocolate on one half.


Then add a large marshmallow and then the other half of the graham cracker to make a sandwich.


Put it in the pie iron and toast.


You definitely want a serving spatula to remove the s'mores from the very hot pie iron.


S'mores are very messy.


You could also make them in the oven on a cast iron wonder skillet.

Found a recipe for bacon gravy, suggested alternative

Today I found a recipe for "bacon gravy" which I would like to share.


The drawback, while I'm sure it's very tasty, is that it's made with bacon fat.  


And I can't eat bacon fat.  It makes me sick.  


When I use bacon, I take the fat off, or I use Hormel real bacon bits.


So first I'll tell you the recipe, then I'll suggest an alternative way to make bacon gravy.


Cut up some pieces of bacon.  Fry in a cast iron skillet until crisp.


Remove the bacon pieces.  Add some chopped onions to the bacon grease, and cook until browned.  Remove.


Take 1 tbsp of the bacon fat and put in another cast iron skillet.  Add 1 tbsp of flour.


The ratio is 1 tbsp of fat to 1 tbsp of flour, so if you want more, use equal portions of fat and flour.


For every tbsp of fat/flour, add 1 cup of milk.  Whisk into gravy.


Add the bacon pieces and chopped onions.  Bacon gravy!


Now, for people like me who can't eat bacon fat:


What I would do is make a basic gravy with 1 tbsp butter to 1 tbsp flour to 1 cup milk.


Or, 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup stock.


Add bouillon or beef base if you want to.


Add Hormel bacon bits and chopped cooked onions.  

ground chuck for spaghetti sauce

For the past several years, I've always made my spaghetti sauce with 93% lean ground beef.

I use 93% lean, because I don't like greasy ground beef, at all!  

Which is why I never order a "ground beef" based dish at a mexican restaurant.

But today I decided to try ground chuck, because it was a lot cheaper.

I had to drain the beef after cooking; With 93% lean, you don't have to drain.

I noticed, though, that the ground chuck made the spaghetti sauce more flavorful.

A butcher once told me that ground chuck is best for spaghetti sauce-- and now I know he was right.

Ground chuck isn't as lean, but it's not very greasy either.

My recipe for spaghetti sauce is:

Brown ground chuck, chopped onions, minced garlic, and fresh mushrooms (or sliced zucchini) all together in a cast iron skillet.  Add italian seasonings, onion powder, garlic powder.

Drain.  Return to the skillet.

Add canned diced tomatoes, and your sauce of choice  (whether it's a jar, or homemade sauce).

Add italian seasonings (or oregano and basil), garlic powder, onion powder.

Simmer the sauce until it's ready.

tenth recipe created by me: bacon bratwurst

Actually, this recipe was going to be called "beef bacon bratwurst", since I used beef bacon to make it.


Did you know there was such a thing as beef bacon?  I did not, until I saw it in the grocery store, in the same section as the regular bacon.


Evidently, it's an alternative bacon for people who do not eat pork, for cultural or religious reasons.


This was my first time trying beef bacon.  


Frankly, I did not like the beef bacon, and it's more expensive than regular bacon.


So I'm going to call this recipe "bacon bratwurst", since I think regular bacon would be better.


It's very simple.  Grill some bratwurst.  Fry some bacon in a pan.


Serve the bacon on the bratwurst.


Alternatively, you can wrap the bacon around the bratwurst before you grill.


Finish in the oven at 250, to make sure it's cooked all the way through, without charring the outside.

bacon blueberry muffins?

Yes, my recent experience with bacon brownies inspired me to try bacon blueberry muffins.


It wasn't hard:  A box of Jiffy blueberry muffin mix and some bacon bits.


Most unusual, but good.


I will say that I liked the "bacon brownies" better than the bacon blueberry muffins. 


Must be something about chocolate and pork blending well together. 


They were still good, though.


Apparently there are also bacon chocolate chip cookies.  Which I do intend to try at some point.

Cast iron skillets in the shape of your state

Pictured above is a cast iron griddle in the shape of Louisiana.


Yes, apparently, you can buy cast iron griddles in the shape of your state.


But before you get too happy too soon... They cost between 500 and 2500 dollars.


They are crafted by hand in the USA.


I don't have one of course, and no plans to get one.


I mean, I love cast iron and all, but... 


Anyway, if you're interested in looking at them, you can browse this website.


Looking at the diameter of most of them, depending on the state, you can't cook much on them.  Maybe an egg or a pancake.


The Texas skillet, of course, has more cooking room.


They are mostly a novelty item, for decoration.

An unusual way to reheat your pizza

This photo was not taken by me, although it sure does look like my kitchen!


This was posted to the Lodge facebook page by Daniel E. Johnson, who has a most unusual way to reheat his leftover pizza.


He doesn't use the microwave; he doesn't even HAVE a microwave.  (And frankly, I rarely use mine, except for popcorn and hot water).


What he does, is invert the lid of his Lodge cast iron pot, on his gas stove burner.  (You couldn't do this on an electric stove).


Be sure it's a lid that has the "basting spikes" to allow for air circulation, so it doesn't scorch.


He uses a VERY LOW flame.  I would personally recommend a diffuser, which is a small metal plate you put on gas stove burners for simmering purposes*.


*You know, I take that back.  A diffuser is usually flat, and the lid has a handle.  That won't work.  Sorry.


He then covers it with a glass lid so he can watch it, and it takes about 15 minutes.


Sometimes he sprays a little water around the edges as it's cooking, which causes a "steam" effect, and believe it or not helps the crust crisp up.


That was a bit of a surprise to me-- I wouldn't assume that moisture would help for a crisp crust, but I guess I'll have to try it to find out!


I'd like to try this, since I do have a Lodge lid with basting spikes-- but, I'm not sure I have a glass lid!


I'll have to go looking through my cabinets, or perhaps use my crock pot lid, if it will fit.


It's a neat idea that I'd try at least once.  


Alternatively, you can just do what I've usually done for the past 3 years, and reheat your pizza on your trusty Lodge griddle, in the oven at 250.  


Yes, it takes longer than a microwave, but very worth it.  I always reheat leftovers in the oven now.


He went on to say that last night, he tried drizzling a small amount of olive oil on the crust, about 5 minutes before it was done, and it added some flavor.


He wants to try it with a little garlic butter next time.

Bacon Brownies?

Yes, I got an email advertisement recently, for bacon brownies.  


And I figured, instead of buying them, they would be very easy to make.


I would just take my usual boxed brownie mix, and throw bacon bits in it!


At my husband's request, I divided the brownie mix, so I would have one batch with bacon bits, and one without.  


I find the brownies with bacon bits, to be quite good!


My only regret is that I didn't put enough bacon bits.  Next time I'll add more.

Yes, there is an app for dutch oven cooking!

In my last post, I mentioned using a phone app to calculate the number of coals I needed.

Yes, there is an app for that!

For Android phones, there are two, called "dutch oven calculator" or "dutch oven gourmet."

Either app will help you calculate the number of coals, based on the size of your pot and what temperature you want.

I'm pretty sure there's one for the iphone too, but, I don't have an iphone.

There are as many different opinions on "the best apps to have" and "apps you can't do without", as there are people with phones.

And I realize this blog is "ramblings on cast iron" and not "ramblings on android apps", but for what it's worth, here is my opinion of really good apps to have.

Besides the dutch oven calculator, of course!

1. AM/FM find radio stations. This app will find the local radio stations, wherever you happen to be. It's handy when traveling, or just moving to a new place. Note it doesn't PLAY the radio, just tells you what the local stations are.

2. Flixster. If you like to go to the movies, then you need this app. It lists the local theaters and tells you what is currently playing, showtimes and all.

3. GD Mate. It opens and closes your garage door. Of course it requires a device to attach to your overhead garage door opener, which costs around $50.

4. Note everything. I use this all the time to make lists and notes to myself.

5. Ringdroid. Take a clip out of any stored mp3 file and make a ringtone out of it.

6. Soundhound. It tells you the name and artist of the song you're currently hearing.

7. Google maps, with navigator. Your phone should already have this.

8. Mr. Number. It is a free caller ID app, and you can block calls from specific numbers.

9. App2SD. This transfers some of your apps to your SD card to make more room on your internal memory.

10. Wifi File Explorer. It allows you to transfer files between your computer and your phone, over your wifi network.

11. Fresh Network. It refreshes your network connection if your data is stuck.

12. Spare Phone. This requires a google voice account, and allows you to make free calls to any number, over wifi. Why would you need this? If you're in a place with no reception, but you have a wifi connection, you can still make a call! Also handy for saving your minutes. This app does NOT require the other caller to also have the app, as many others do.

13. TextPlus. This allows you to send and receive free texts to any number, whether they have the app or not. You can also use it for calls over wifi, but you have to buy the minutes. The app assigns you a separate phone number for free texting.

14. Gas Buddy. It locates the cheapest gas near you.

15. Road Ninja. It tells you what services are available at each exit on whatever interstate you're traveling on.

16. Any Yellow Pages type app. There are too many to list here. Yellow Pages type apps help you find services near you. Other similar apps are called "Places", "Where", and "Poynt."

17. Latitude, Now, and Life360. I have all three, but they all do the same thing. You can find your spouse or children on a map, and know where they are. Since my husband works in the oil field, he could be anywhere within a 200 mile radius; These apps give me peace of mind, since I can know where he is, and whether or not he's headed home yet.

18. PDANet: This allows you to use your phone's internet connection to access the internet on your laptop. Requires the PDANet software installed on your computer, and a USB cable.

19.  Weatherbug.  It shows the current local weather, wherever you are, at your fingertips.

20.  Cam Scanner.  It basically turns your phone into a scanner / photocopier.  You take a picture of a document, which you can save either as a JPG or a PDF file.  Then you can email it, or transfer to your computer and print.

21.  WavPlayer.  My phone was not able to play WAV files, and if you get your home phone voice mail messages emailed to you, well, you need something to play WAV files so you can play the messages on your phone.  So, there you go.

Of course there are many other very useful apps. These are just my "top picks", my favorites.

Roasting a turkey outdoors using coals

Hey, not bad! This was my first time cooking a turkey outdoors using a camp oven with coals.

The charred spots are pieces of skin that were touching the lid. The rest of it is golden brown!

I was told later, that I could have put aluminum foil on top, to keep those spots from charring.

I used a Lodge 14 inch deep camp oven. I had to remove the breastbone so it would fit.

This was a 14 pound turkey, although I would have preferred a 12 pound turkey.

But as it's not thanksgiving, I didn't have a very wide selection to choose from.

Would I do this again? Probably not, but it was a great experience.

It's a lot harder to regulate the temperature using coals, than in a regular oven.

I used an app on my phone, called dutch oven calculator, to calculate how many coals I would need.

Using a 14 inch oven, you need 26 coals to make 325 degrees.

I'm wondering if, because it was hot outside, that made the temperature of the oven hotter.

I used 18 on top and 8 on bottom, although maybe I should have used half on top and half on bottom.

I'm still fairly new to the use of coals. The turkey turned out good, though.

I seasoned my turkey the usual way, with poultry seasoning, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, butter, and "better than bouillon" chicken base.

I made my cornbread dressing, and gravy, the traditional way-- indoors!

my first birthday cake

This is the first birthday cake I ever made, and it was for my own birthday.

In a Lodge 12 inch cast iron skillet, of course.

A 12 inch cast iron skillet is a similar volume to a 13 x 9 inch rectangular pan.

Which is important to know, if that's what the recipe calls for!

This is a yellow cake with chocolate frosting. I added pecans to the batter and the top of the cake.

It's probably the same birthday cake I had 30 years ago! I used to always ask for that cake for my birthday.

I used a Duncan Hines mix, and followed the recipe on the box.

If you're using cast iron, you need to make the oven temperature 25 degrees cooler than the directions state. For example, 350 instead of 375.

This is because cast iron retains heat much longer than aluminum and glass.

Also, be sure you wait until the cake cools before you add the frosting!

I learned that you should not attempt to make a cake without a cake mixer.

I used an immersion blender, which did the job, but initially made a mess on the floor and the cabinets!

Happy birthday to me.

can you steam in a crock pot?

Hi! Once again, I realize this is "ramblings on cast iron" and not "ramblings on crock pots."

Anyway, I previously posted about my Rival brand crock pot.

Rival's new design is flawed, rendering it useless as a slow cooker, and I'd encourage you to buy Hamilton Beach instead.

But I didn't want to just throw it away. So I wondered if it could be used as an electric steamer.

The short answer is yes. Put water or broth on the bottom, then whatever you want to steam, and turn it on high.

I used it first to steam lobster tails and frozen corn on the cob. Then I used it to steam salmon.

Both times it took about an hour, but it turned out good.

You could do the same thing with a covered cast iron pot on your stove.

Of course if you WANT an electric steamer, you're better off getting an electric steamer, or large rice cooker.

Don't buy a Rival crock pot just to have an electric steamer handy. Don't buy Rival crock pots at all!

But at least now we know that you can steam in a crock pot. And in a cast iron pot!

Don't buy Rival brand crock pots anymore

I realize this is "ramblings on cast iron" and not "ramblings on crock pots", but I'm deviating for a moment.

I'm sorry I haven't kept up much with this blog lately.

I've gone back to school for computer science, which has cut into my "experimental cooking" time.

Anyway, I advise you NOT to buy Rival brand crock pots anymore, and here is why:

They changed their design in the last couple of years, and it's a flawed design.

Do a search for recent reviews on the Rival brand crock pot; there are numerous complaints due to this new faulty design.

I recently bought a 4 quart crock pot from wal mart, which I thought for sure was defective!

The lid was not seating properly on the pot, causing a quarter inch gap, in which moisture was escaping.

As a result, the food was overcooked and dry, both times I used it.

So I called Rival to report that I had a defective product, and to ask for a replacement.

They told me that their crock pots are purposely designed that way now!

They purposely design it so that the lid does NOT fit. It's supposed to wobble and have a quarter inch gap.

WHY?

"Because customers were complaining that the food was being simmered, so we re-designed it to allow moisture to escape."

That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. The whole purpose of a crock pot is to simmer!

The new design renders the crock pot useless as a slow cooker!

The concept of SLOW cooking is to trap the heat in, and allow the food to simmer on low, for several hours.

And the ONLY reason I ever use a crock pot, is if I'm not going to be home to cook!

If I wanted to BAKE, I would use the OVEN and a cast iron pot!

I would encourage all of you, to buy a Hamilton Beach brand slow cooker instead.

Their slow cookers are still designed to work as a slow cooker.

I've also read reviews that the Cuisinart brand slow cooker has a "simmer" setting. I don't have one.

I plan to forward this article to the Rival company as soon as I post it. If they reply, I'll let you know.

brownies in an 8 inch square pan

This seems like something silly to write an article about.

After all, aren't brownies usually made in an 8 inch square pan?

Well, maybe, but I've never personally made brownies in my 8 inch square cast iron pan.

Since I've switched to cast iron, it's always been the wedge pan*, or a cornstick pan!

*Read more about the wedge pan here.

And I've been looking for ways to use my 8 inch square pan, which I don't use much.

So, there you go: brownies.

Be sure the mix you're using, calls for an 8 inch pan. Some require a 9 x 13 pan.

The mix I'm using tonight is from Sam's, and it's Hershey's ultimate chocolate.

I will say, it's more convenient to use that pan. Spooning the brownie mix in the individual wedges or corn molds, can be a pain, although I do like the edges.

"skip a couple of steps" chicken and dumplings

I've made chicken and dumplings before.

There are lots of recipes for chicken and dumplings.

Here's another recipe I tried, that "skips a couple of steps" over my previous recipe.

It is meant for a crock pot, but can also be slow cooked in a cast iron pot* or camp oven.

*When I slow cook in a cast iron pot, I prefer to do it in the oven at 250, over using a stove burner. It cooks more evenly that way.

Season raw boneless chicken*, with poultry seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper.

*I found that using "pre cooked" chicken makes it too dry.

Brown it in a cast iron skillet, then add to the pot.

Add 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1 can cream of celery soup.

Add equal portions of chicken broth and milk. More if you like it soupy, which I don't, so I add less.

Add your veggies. Normal veggies are carrots, onions and celery, but I used what I had in the fridge.

Those were carrots, mushrooms, and one red potato.

Some people like to add peas.

Let it simmer on low heat, until the chicken is all the way cooked. Use a meat thermometer.

Take a can of Grands biscuits and break them into small pieces.

Or you can use thawed frozen biscuits, if you don't like canned. (I don't usually).

Drop them in the pot and continue cooking until they're done. About an hour.

Season with more black pepper. Chicken and dumplings!

My first goat

Today was my first time eating goat; It was also my first time cooking goat.

I used a recipe from the cookbook Cast Iron Cuisine: From Breakfast to Dessert.

Actually I had used this recipe before, but it wasn't with goat, but with leftover lamb.

It took me a couple of days to make.

Cutting up a goat is an adventure; Do not attempt without a cleaver and bone shears.

Where I live, goat is sold by the quarter. I had a forequarter.

After I bought it, I learned that the hindquarter is more preferable for grilling or roasting.

But since this particular recipe is meant for tough meat, the forequarter was fine.

After you cut up the goat into manageable pieces, season them with salt and pepper.

Heat some cooking oil in a cast iron pot and brown the pieces of meat.

Then remove the browned pieces, and in the same pot, brown some chopped onions and whole garlic cloves.

Reduce heat. Put the meat back into the pot.

Add sundried tomatoes and sliced mushrooms*, and enough beef broth** to cover halfway.

*The actual recipe calls for bell peppers but I don't like them.

**You could also use wine, or any other liquid you want.

Put the covered pot in the oven on low heat (250) for a few hours.

Remove the meat and veggies from the pot and strain the broth into a bowl. Refrigerate until a fat cap forms. Remove the fat cap.

Put the meat, veggies and broth back into the pot. Put back in the oven on low heat to simmer some more.

This recipe can also be done in a crock pot, or outside over coals.

The meat was "fall off the bone" tender. It had a different taste. I liked it.

As I understand, the sun dried tomatoes should not be omitted from this recipe, because it makes all the difference in the taste.

The "way too processed for me" sauce

So I found a recipe on the internet, that to me, sounded terrible.

It consisted of a sauce made of velveeta, rotel tomatoes, and cream of mushroom (or chicken) soup.

Now, I've always liked the "velveeta and rotel" dip. It was one of the first things I learned how to cook.

And I've always liked the cream soups; My favorite is cream of chicken.

But together? Ugh! Nevertheless, a few friends told me how great it was and that I should try it.

So I made a sample yesterday, just to see if I'd like it.

While I have to admit that it tasted good, I didn't like the way it made me feel afterwards.

It's the same feeling I get after eating McDonald's. That "way too processed" feeling.

The sauce would have been fine without the addition of the cream soup.

Regarding velveeta, I've liked it my whole life, and have always sworn by it for cooking purposes.

But in recent months, that has changed. I actually prefer white american cheese now.

White american cheese can be bought from any store deli, sliced or not.

White american cheese melts great, and I think it tastes better and has a better texture than velveeta.

White american cheese is commonly used in mexican dishes, and is awesome.

You may think that white american cheese is the same as traditional yellow, but it's not. It has a fresher, less "processed" taste, and a better texture.

It's generally better quality because it's purchased in the service deli, and not on the store shelf.

If you're a velveeta fan, I'd encourage you to try white american cheese at least once. You won't regret it.

My first "mostly from scratch" french onion soup

I've made quickie french onion soup before, using campbell's canned french onion soup.

This was the first time I made it "mostly from scratch."

I say mostly because, I still used canned beef consomme and lipton onion soup mix.

But this time I cooked down the onions first!

Slice up a whole vidalia onion. Melt 1/2 stick of butter in a cast iron skillet.

Heat the butter until it's foaming, and then add the sliced onions. Cook down until caramelized.

While the onions are cooking, start simmering your broth in a small cast iron pot.

I used 2 cans of Campbell's beef consomme. You could use beef stock, or even venison stock.

After the onions are caramelized, add them to the pot of simmering broth and keep simmering.

Add your seasonings; I chose to use lipton onion soup mix.

You could use dried onion flakes, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, beef bouillon.

After it's simmered a while, add your bread and cheese.

I used freshly baked white bread and provolone cheese, with a little bit of white american cheese.

If I were to do this again, I'd use freshly baked french bread, in thick slices.

You can use most any white cheese, but I like provolone.

Into the oven at 400 degrees until the cheese is well melted.

It was the best french onion soup I ever had!

The only thing that might have made it better was, if I had added some red wine.

Should you use the 1 quart camp oven on the stovetop?

I used to think that you couldn't use a camp oven that has legs on the stovetop at all.

Which, for an electric stove, is mostly true.

It's not impossible, as the pot will heat up, but it is an inefficient use of fuel.

But then I got a gas stove, and discovered that if you take off the burner grate, you can indeed use a camp oven on the stovetop.

So, I figured the Lodge one quart camp oven would not be an exception; I was going to use it tonight, for the first time.

First, due to the legs being so close together, balancing it on the burner without it tipping, was "iffy". You can see how the center of the burner is raised a little.

Second, the flame from the burner rose up the sides of the pot, which would have burned me if I wasn't careful.

So, while not impossible, I don't recommend it. I ended up transferring the broth to another pot.

My first chicken cordon bleu

I made my first chicken cordon bleu!

I flattened some boneless skinless chicken breasts, then butterfly cut each one.

If I were to do this again, first I'd cut each chicken breast in half, and then flatten each half so they're really thin.

That would make it easier to stuff, and it would be a better balance of chicken to stuffing, instead of mostly chicken.

Then in each breast, I put one thin slice of ham, one slice of provolone and one slice of white american cheese.

I must warn you, american cheese will melt all over the pan. It was still VERY good, but if you don't want cheese all over the pan, then stick with the provolone.

You can use mostly any white cheese; Some recipes call for swiss.

Then I rolled each stuffed breast in parmesan bread crumbs.

Into the oven at 350.

The sauce is optional: Melt 2 tbsp butter, then whisk in 2 tbsp flour. Whisk in 1 cup chicken broth and 1 cup cream. Add black pepper and oregano.

It was very good, just too much chicken and not enough stuffing. Hence, next time I'll cut the breasts in half.

what about frozen steaks under the broiler?

I had never cooked any steak under the broiler, let alone frozen steak.

As I said in my last post, I like my steaks grilled from a frozen solid state; it turns out good that way.

Besides, that saves the hassle of having to defrost them!

I wondered how frozen steaks would turn out, cooked under the broiler.

After all, a broiler is just an upside down grill, right?

Put the top rack closest to the top BEFORE you turn the broiler on.

Then broil the steaks, turn once, broil some more until done. That's it!

I used the Lodge 12 inch square grill pan, which doubles as a broiler pan.

can you grill frozen steaks on a volcano?

As you can see from the picture, it had snowed.

And as a result, my propane grill in the backyard was covered in snow.

I wanted to grill steaks for dinner, but not in the middle of the snow!

I've decided that I like my steaks grilled from a frozen solid state; they turn out juicy and medium rare.

But I had never used a volcano stove to grill frozen steaks (only defrosted steaks).

So, I would soon find out that a volcano stove is indeed fine for grilling frozen steak.

Of course, you can't really marinate a frozen steak. I just add garlic salt and pepper afterwards.