Lehman's Country Life

We asked – and you answered. We received over 50 great recipes for our Cast Iron Skillet Recipe Contest. I tell you, it was a tough job, but someone had to do it. Narrowing down the stack of mouthwatering recipes was one of the most difficult projects we’ve tackled in months. After an inner-staff taste-test and vote, three recipes emerged as the clear winners.  However, even if these three don’t sound delicious (and we’re not sure how that could be…), we plan to publish the other 50 recipes in a future post, so watch for it! For now, read on…we promise you’ll be getting hungry very soon!

Mexican Casserole – Harriet Engle
Harriet will receive a $100 Lehman’s gift card. Congratulations, Harriet!

Here’s my recipe, passed down from my mom (who still does it better than I do!!)

In a bowl, mix the cornbread as directed with the milk and eggs; add the cream corn, set aside. In a 12″ skillet, brown the hamburger. Drain the grease, then add the taco seasoning and water, simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the meat from the skillet. Pour half of the cornbread into the skillet, spread the meat and cheese on top. Finish with the other half of the cornbread mix. Bake at 350°F for 50 minutes, serve with taco sauce. If you have your own cornbread recipe or taco seasoning recipe, go right ahead and use them. This is a quick tasty dinner that also freezes well. If your skillet isn’t big enough, you can do this in a dutch oven or 13″ x 9″ cake pan, too.

Preheat the oven to 375° F. In a large cast-iron skillet, heat 2 Tbsp. of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breast and season with the salt and pepper. Cook until golden brown on all sides, 6 – 8 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Add remaining 2 Tbsp. of olive oil to the cast-iron skillet and set back over medium heat. Add the green, red and yellow bell pepper strips and the onion strips and cook for 5 – 7 minutes or until softened. Add the reserved browned chicken back into the skillet and stir in the taco seasoning. Mix well and turn off the heat. In a large bowl, combine the corn muffin mix, eggs, milk, fresh cilantro, jalepeno pepper and 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese. Mix until just combined, then spread the mixture evenly over the chicken, peppers and onions in the skillet. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheddar cheese over the top of the batter. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the cornbread is golden brown. Garnish with additional fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve warm and enjoy!

Heat oven to 350° F. In a 12-inch cast iron skillet, melt 4 tablespoons butter to begin the topping mixture. Stir in brown sugar, molasses and pecans. Evenly layer apples over the sugar mixture. To make gingerbread, cream butter and sugar and add egg. Add molasses. Stir together dry ingredients and slowly add to molasses mixture. Add hot water and mix well. Pour batter on top of apples. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until gingerbread springs back lightly when pressed with a finger. Remove skillet from oven and invert onto a heatproof serving plate. Serve warm or cold. Very good with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Serves 8.

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Once upon a time, about thirty years ago, we lived on twenty acres in western South Dakota.  My husband and I decided that these twenty acres would make a nice “homestead,” just about the time that the modern version of that word was becoming popular.

I have loved ducks for as long as I can remember.  I have WANTED ducks for as long as I can remember.  Once we got our homestead, I worked on Norm for a very long time to allow me to get ducks.
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Chocolate and roses are two words that seem to go together like peanut butter and jelly.  They are the old stand-by for a romantic gift and can be a very expensive purchase.  What if there was a way to combine them together into a gift that didn’t put a dent in your wallet but still showed you cared?  Well, there is.  Kiss roses make special and unique gifts that don’t cost a fortune.

Begin the process by gathering your supplies.  For this project you will need:  floral stems, floral tape, foiled Hershey Kisses, plastic wrap, ribbon for roses, and foliage (optional).

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Lately, I am yearning to sink my teeth into something straight from the

But I’m not one for sitting idly by when there is a glimmer of possibility waiting to be cultivated. Sure, my outdoor garden may have to wait a while longer, but I think I’ll jump-start a little sunshine-inspired food right here in my very own kitchen. What do I have in mind? Carrots!

Yep, carrots are just the cure for my cravings. Growing them indoors provides a mini-gardening experience and a delightful dose of freshness and color — all in one countertop crop. Carrots will grow quite contentedly in containers because, unlike the ground, potting soil is perfectly loose and well drained; plus, there’s no competition from grass and weeds.

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Editor’s Note: This humorous story comes to us from Judith’s (wise and witty) husband, Jurgen F. Haver.

There are things we don’t identify as stupid until after we’ve done them.  We blindly act with no idea that disaster is approaching us at warp speed.  I learned this on a humid, mid-August day in 1946.  I was a city kid spending a summer vacation on his Unce John’s Nebraska farm.

Uncle John had just told me to get on the tractor.  “Drive the hay wagon up to the house.  I’ll take the truck and meet you there. We’ll have supper and then unload the bales. You do remember how to drive the tractor like I taught you, don’t you?”

Hey, does 14-year-old know how to drive a tractor?  “You bet!  No problem!”

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