A Steak Dinner for My Hubby!

Since my hubby's been gone all week, I wanted to make him a manly steak dinner on his first night home. I found this recipe for Savory Garlic-Marinated Steak and decided to give it a try. It turned out AMAZING! The Liquid Smoke made the steaks taste fresh off the grill even though I cooked them in my cast iron and finished them off in the oven. It was the perfect combination of sweet, savory, tangy and spicy! I served my steaks over some mashed potatoes and my hubby was REALLY happy to be home!

Finally A Sweet Cornbread!

I'm a sucker for Savory Cornbreads with lots of cheese and herbs. Tonight, however, I was craving something sweet so I made a raisin and walnut cornbread. I made it in my trusty cast-iron skillet and it turned out just perfect. Not too sweet and very moist with just the right amount of crunch from the walnuts.

Ingredients:


1-1/3 c all-purpose flour
2/3 c yellow cornmeal (not coarse)
1/3 c sugar
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1-1/2 sticks (3/4 c) unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1-1/2 c well-shaken buttermilk
1/2 c raisins
1/2 c walnuts, coarsely chopped


Prep:


1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Melt butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat.


2. Stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together butter, eggs, and buttermilk in another bowl and add to flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Stir in raisins and walnuts.


3. Pour batter into skillet and let stand 10 minutes. Bake in middle of oven until the top is pale golden and a tester comes out clean, approximately 35 minutes. Let cool in the skillet for 10 minutes, then invert to cut and serve.

Baking with Berries and Wishing It's Summer!

The produce that goes on sale is very random around here. It's definitely NOT blackberry season but they're on special so I bought some. Baking with berries always make me think of summer and I totally wish it was June right now and not January! I found this recipe for Blackberry Ricotta Cornbread and thought it would be the perfect treat on my day off. I've never made cornbread with fruit before and the combination was great! I didn't have any corn so I just increased the amount of berries to 1-1/2 cups. The bread wasn't too sweet and really moist from the blackberries. I just love baking in my cast iron for an easy cleanup! Is it summer yet?

Not the Prettiest Thing I've Made

Meatloaf does NOT photograph well and this was no exception. I only wanted to share this picture cuz I've discovered a new use for my cast iron pan. I don't cook with it nearly enough besides making skillet cornbreads once in a while and I'm always looking for new recipes to make in it. This meatloaf had the most amazing crust on the top and bottom thanks to the cast iron and it stayed really moist inside. The combination of beef and pork gave it great flavor along with the tomato sauce and cheese. I also loved the idea of browning the onions first and then baking the meatloaf in the same skillet. We were definitely in meat heaven tonight!

Ingredients:


2 Tbsp salted butter
1 c chopped yellow onion
1 c fresh bread crumbs
1 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
2 large eggs
1 c grated cheddar cheese
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp Italian seasoning
Ketchup, for serving


Prep:


1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350ºF.


2. In a 10 or 12-inch cast iron skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the onions and cook for 3 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Place all the remaining ingredients in the bowl with the onions, and mix together with your hands until well blended. Form into a football-shaped loaf in the same cast-iron skillet.


3. Place the skillet in the oven and back until the center is no longer pink, about 1 hour. Let cool for 10 minutes. Pour off the excess fat and juices. Slice and serve hot with ketchup for dipping.