Cast Iron--How to Protect and Maintain Your Cookware

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As a transplant--this is my husband's term for a city-born person gone country--I was raised eating foods cooked in aluminum, stainless steel, and Teflon coated cookware. Not that these items are reserved just for city folk, but they were what I was familiar with. My husband, however, was raised on a small farm and was no stranger to cast iron. So four years ago, when he brought home a cast iron skillet he'd purchased at an auction, I didn't know what to do.
     
I stared at the slight rust on the handle, the black coating, and bit of grime on the bottom and sides and curled my lip. I knew that cast iron, like stoneware, couldn't be washed in hot, soapy water so.... Ew!

"I got it for a dollar," my husband said proudly. "It's a Griswold, and it's pretty old."
"Yes. I can see that." I love all things antique and vintage the same as he does, but did I want to cook in something I couldn't wash? No.
     
Every day he'd come home from work, smell dinner on the stove, and ask if I'd used my new-old skillet yet. "Not yet, but I will." Eventually.
     
I think more than anything, I was afraid of the unknown. At the time, we had satellite television and the Hallmark channel played around the clock (well, until all the guys got home anyway). I got hooked on Mad Hungry, a cooking show hosted by Lucinda Scala Quinn. She has three boys too and can relate to the exhaustion of a mother who's constantly trying to fill their bottomless bellies! Finally, an ally.
     
A few weeks after my hubby's proud purchase, Lucinda hosted an episode dedicated to properly seasoning, cleaning, and caring for cast iron cookware. Be brave, I told myself. Give it a try. Using her instructions, the skillet transformed into a rust-free, grime-free, shiny black beauty. The more I cooked in it, the more the fear subsided. Now, cast iron is my go-to choice for cookware. Over the last few years, I've collected many sizes of skillets, and sometimes I even bake in them.
     
In fact, I'm so obsessed with cast iron that my initial reaction to the scene in the Disney's Tangled when the hero and heroine meet for the first time was, "Ooh, I wonder if that's a Griswold number seven."
     
I'd like to use this post to inform others of the joys of cast iron, not only to clean and maintain your already existing cookware, but also to ease the fears of anyone else who might be apprehensive. I hope you find these links helpful:

Clean and Refurbish Cast Iron
A great article from HobbyFarms.com that gives step-by-step instructions on how to burn off baked-on mess, how to remove rust, season, and maintain your cast iron cookware.


Martha Stewart--How to Season Old and New Cast Iron
This great YouTube video instructs on how to properly wash and season new and old cast iron cookware, brought to you by the knowledgeable Martha Stewart.

Cast Iron 101
Basic tips and techniques from FrugalLivingNW.com


I prefer to clean my pans using the oil/coarse salt method, but it may not be for everyone. For more information on cast iron cookware, including sizes, availability, and uses, visit Lodge website.

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Candice Sue Patterson is the author of Bright Copper Kettles and Silver White Winters. She lives on a hobby farm with her husband and three sons in a restored farmhouse overtaken by books. When she's not tending to her chickens, splitting wood, or working in the vegetable garden, she's working on a new story. Candice writes inspirational contemporary romance. Visit her website for more information. Follow Candice on Facebook and Twitter!

Beyond All Dreams by Elizabeth Camden

Anna O'Brien leads a predictable and quiet life as a map librarian at the illustrious Library of Congress until she stumbles across a baffling mystery of a ship disappeared at sea. She is thwarted in her attempts to uncover information, but her determination outweighs her shyness and she turns to a dashing congressman for help. 

Luke Callahan was one of the nation's most powerful congressmen until his promising career became shadowed in scandal. Eager to share in a new cause and intrigued by the winsome librarian, he joins forces with Anna to solve the mystery of the lost ship. 

Opposites in every way, Anna and Luke are unexpectedly drawn to each other despite the strict rules forbidding Anna from any romantic entanglement with a member of Congress. From the gilded halls of the Capitol, where powerful men shape the future of the nation, to the scholarly archives of the nation's finest library, Anna and Luke are soon embroiled in secrets much bigger and more perilous than they ever imagined. Is bringing the truth to light worth risking all they've ever dreamed for themselves?


Author: Elizabeth Camden (Dorothy Mays) 
Publisher: Bethany House, 2015
Cover Design: Jennifer Parker
Cover Photography: Mike Habermann Photography, LLC


My Review
This is the first book I've read by Elizabeth Camden, and I've found a new favorite author! Her captivating storyline and attention to detail had me struggling to put the book down at night to sleep. I can't wait to read more books by this author.

The story opens in Washington, D.C, 1897, with a humorous scene in the Library of Congress where Anna O'Brien works as a librarian in the map room. An ordinary day quickly turns into a strange encounter with a handsome congressman Luke Callahan from Maine. His goal is to demote the Speaker of the House, who blocks Luke's advances at every turn. He suspects foul play and enlists the research abilities of the spunky librarian, Anna, to help him with his plan. Her goal is to find the real reason her father's ship went down fifteen years ago, and why the Navy is covering it up. It's a tough time for a single, female librarian, and her prying into the military--and her time spent with the congressman--could cost her her job. Will she risk it all, or choose to live a quiet life in the map room forever? 

I loved the setting and the rich history of Washington, D.C. the author uses in this book. I gave Beyond All Dreams 5 stars! 

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Elizabeth Camden is the award-winning author of six books, including Against the Tide, a winner of a RITA Award, Christy Award, and Daphne du Maurier Award. She lives with her husband in Florida and is a research librarian by day while scribbling away on her next novel by night. Visit her website at www.elizabethcamden.com.

A Child's Perception

This picture was drawn by my four year old son in his Sunday school class. The lesson was about John the Baptist, baptizing Jesus. Afterward, he was asked to draw the scene. Apparently, he thinks John baptized using a dunk tank. 

I chuckled about this all afternoon. I love how his little mind works. When something isn't clear or he doesn't understand, he computes it into something he's familiar with.

This drawing is one of many in my keeper pile.

My Top Book Picks for 2014

January first, I set a Goodreads goal of reading 30 books in 2014. I surpassed my goal by 235% by reading 73 books. (If you're wondering how I did this, I don't really watch TV. I'm able to block out surrounding noises, which enables me to read in the evenings in the same room with my family while they're watching TV.) So, without further ado, here are my top book pics for 2014.

Novels

These ten romances received 5 stars from me because once I started I couldn't put them down, the swoon factor was astronomical, and the story stuck with me for days afterward. 

                  Once Upon a Prince by Rachel Hauck                  

  

Walker's Wedding by Lori Copeland

                                                                                                             

                                         Meant to Be Mine by Becky Wade                                     

Love In the Balance by Regina Jennings

          

                                          

                                                Dancing With Fireflies by Denise Hunter                                                 

 Fair Play by Deeanne Gist

The Wedding Game by Amy Matayo

A Match of Wits by Jen Turano

Five Days in Skye by Carla Laureano

A Most Inconvenient Marriage by Regina Jennings

Series

These romance series are my top pics because once I read the first book, I devoured them all. Each individual book received 5 stars from me. 

*The Witness Protection Program Series is not deemed Christian Fiction. However, these romance stories are clean, though the characters' actions and choices are riskier than Christian Fiction. 

*This series absolutely blew me away. I read all three books in a week. Deep emotional, soul-stirring content. Pair with a box of tissues. 

Novellas

These romance novellas were short yet satisfying. All received 5 stars from me. 

Waiting for Lily Bloom by Jericha Kingston

Appalachian Serenade by Sarah Loudin Thomas

Devotionals

These books challenged me with the Word of God and deepened my knowledge of the scriptures. 

Jesus, the One and Only by Beth Moore

To Live is Christ by Beth Moore

*A study of the apostle Paul

Non-Fiction

These books both taught and challenged me.

Here is Where by Andrew Carroll

*Discovering America's forgotten history

Romance-ology 101 by Julie Lessman

*How to write captivating romance scenes

That's my list! What were your favorite books of 2014?

Christmas Eva by Clare Revell

A voice in the light woke her from a coma. 

But can the man pull her from the darkness of her life?

Eva Anderson is trying to rebuild her life after a devastating accident. The first voice she hears when she awakes is actor Harry “Matthew” Lyell—A man she could love. But left in a wheelchair, she’s withdrawn into herself.

Harry Lyell often wonders about the woman he met at the theatre door and then again, when she woke from a coma. Trusting in his faith in God, he knows there must be something special in Eva. 

As Christmas approaches, Eva and Harry's lives are drawn together in a way neither imagines. Can Harry help Eva find the Christmas miracle she needs or will a simple article destroy any future they might have?

Author: Clare Revell

Publisher: White Rose as part of Pelican Book Group’s 2014 Christmas Extravaganza

Cover design by Nicola Martinez

My Review

What a delightful book just in time for Christmas. Eva Anderson, pronounced Ava, attends a stage play with her best friend one very rainy night in hopes of getting her favorite actor’s autograph after the show by waiting at the back door. Her dream comes true, and Matthew Lyell even calls her beautiful. The night couldn’t get any better. But it could get worse… While crossing the street in the pouring rain to make their way home, Eva and her friend are struck by car. With her best friend dead and Eva’s legs no longer mobile, Eva wants nothing more than for her family to let her wallow in her depression. But when her path once again crosses with Matthew's, perhaps God has a bigger plan.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the setting, the British phrases, and the humor. This is the first book I've read of Clare Revell’s, and it certainly won’t be the last. I give this book 4.5 stars!

A Most Inconvenient Marriage by Regina Jennings

Abigail Stuart thought she was Jeremiah Calhoun’s widow. 

But Jeremiah Calhoun is very handsome, very alive, and very perplexed. 

Most inconvenient indeed.

With few options of her own, nurse Abigail Stuart agrees to marry her patient, a gravely wounded soldier calling himself Jeremiah Calhoun. They arrange a quick ceremony before he dies, giving Abigail the rights to his Ozark farm and giving Jeremiah the peace of knowing someone will care for his ailing sister after he’s gone—a practical solution for both of them.

After the war, Abigail fulfills her side of the bargain—until the real Jeremiah Calhoun shows up, injured but definitely alive, and wastes no time in challenging Abigail’s story. Abigail is flummoxed. After months of claiming to be his widow, how can she explain that she’s never seen this Jeremiah Calhoun before? How can she convince him that she isn’t trying to steal his farm? And will she find a way to stay, even though this practical arrangement has turned into a most inconvenient marriage?

Author: Regina Jennings

Publisher: Bethany House, 2014

Cover by John Hamilton Design

My Review

I’m a sucker for marriage of convenience stories—or inconvenience in this case. I love how this author put a fresh spin on an old concept. As with all of Regina’s stories, I was hooked from the first page. “First, you’re going to write a good-bye letter to my sweetheart, and then you’re going to marry me.” 

Abigail thought she was marrying Jeremiah Calhoun, until months later, after moving in with his ma and sister and claiming her land, the real Jeremiah shows up, exhausted from fighting a war, weakened from an injury that didn't heal properly, and determined to marry Laurel, his only love, and the woman whose memory coaxed him to survive. But returning to home to find himself already married ruins Jeremiah’s plans, and the fact that he’s not dead ruins all of Abigail’s. An inconvenience on both sides.

This story is well-paced, full of emotion and humor, and a swoon-worthy romance. Regina has easily made her way to my list of favorite historical romance authors. I give this books 5 stars!

*A free copy of this book was given to me in exchange for my honest review. 

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Regina Jennings is a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University with a degree in English. She is the author of Sixty Acres and a Bride, Love in the Balance, Caught in the Middle, and she contributed a novella to A Match Made in Texas. She and her family make their home in Oklahoma City. Regina can be found online at www.reginajennings.com.

Silver White Winters Giveaway!

Today's the official release date for Silver White Winters! To celebrate, I'm hosting a giveaway. Lots of great prizes. See picture and restrictions below. Ends 12/20/14.
**After following the directions to place an entry, you MUST click the blue button in the bottom right hand corner to complete your entry. Otherwise, it will not be counted.

A winner will be announced on this blog and my Facebook page. Share with your friends!

Click here to enter!

*Yankee Candle, Bath & Body Works, Google, and Facebook are not affiliated with this giveaway.

Silver White Winters is available for download at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Pelican Book Group, and Christianbook.com