Here they are: the remaining 50 (or so) recipes from last month’s Cast Iron Skillet Recipe Contest. Some might call them The Recipes That Didn’t Win. We call them … The Delicious Runners Up!
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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!
And the FIRST-PRIZE WINNER is…
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!!)
| 2 pkgs Jiffy cornbread mix | 2 eggs |
| ²⁄3 cup milk | 1 can cream style corn |
| 1½ lbs hamburger | 1 pkg taco seasoning |
| Water as needed for taco seasoning | 8 oz shredded cheese |
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.
The Runner-up! | 4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided | 2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes |
| 1 tsp. salt | ½ tsp. black pepper |
| 1 large green pepper, cut into strips | 1 large red pepper, cut into strips |
| 1 large yellow pepper, cut into strips | 1 large yellow onion, cut into strips |
| 1 packet (1.25 oz.) taco seasoning (such as Old El Paso brand) | 2 boxes (8.5 oz. each) corn muffin mix (such as Jiffy brand) |
| 2 large eggs, slightly beaten | ½ cup milk |
| 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish | 1 small jalepeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped |
| 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided | |
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!
And finally … A Very Honorable Mention:| Topping | |
| 4 tablespoons butter | ¼ cup brown sugar |
| 4 tablespoons molasses | ½ cup chopped pecans |
| 3 medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced very thinly | |
| Gingerbread | |
| ½ cup sugar | ½ cup butter |
| 1 egg | 1 cup molasses |
| 1½ teaspoon baking soda | 1 teaspoon ground ginger |
| ½ teaspoon cloves | ½ teaspoon salt |
| 2½ cups plain flour | 1 cup hot water |
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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Lately, I am yearning to sink my teeth into something straight from the
ground. My nose is already sniffing for the sweet smell of thawing earth beneath the snow, and my hands are missing the dirt as much as my palate misses fresh-grown flavors. Alas, there is still a lion’s share of winter yet to come.
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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Feta cheese in its infancy (all photos by Jennifer Shue).
It’s an ancient art that’s making a huge comeback: making your own cheese at home.
“Whoa – hold on there!” you exclaim. “I can bake bread. I know how to use a canner. But cheese making? That sounds pretty complicated … even dangerous!”
Take heart, greenhorns (or green cheeses): like many things, making your own cheese is not nearly as difficult as you think. Depending on what type you want to make, you probably don’t need a lot of fancy, expensive supplies - just a few necessary ingredients, patience and time.
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I’m crazy about coffee, I won’t deny it. But there is something special abou
t a hot cup of tea — something a bit subtler, something unquestionably comforting. Since it doesn’t pack the caffeine punch of coffee, tea has the power to soothe rather than rev, and there are so many tea tastes to try! Each variety of tea has its own unique healing properties. So, whether you need a simple winter warm-up or a targeted health boost, there is a tea to attend your every whim.
Tried ‘n’ True Teas
Technically, “tea” means the dried leaves of the evergreen Camellia sinensis bush, which gives us black, oolong, green and white teas. Each is processed differently in terms of wilting and fermenting in order to achieve their unique “colored” characteristics. While herbal teas like chamomile and rose hip possess a variety of virtues, only true teas contain antioxidant compounds
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Submit your favorite cast iron skillet recipe by January 22nd, 2010 for a chance to win
a $100 Lehman’s gift card! The winner and runner-up will be announced in February, and all recipes will be published on Countrylife.net.
(No purchase necessary. Lehman’s employees and families are ineligible.)
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Super foods. Vitamin enriched. Nutritionally dense. These 
are terms that are becoming common in the nutrition world as well as in our grocery isles. But how do we get our families to actually eat the foods that are good for their bodies and minds? This is a question that meal planners have been struggling with forever.
A good starting point is to plan your meals around the rainbow. Beneficial foods are rich in color. Offering your family a variety of them keeps the winter doldrums away, too.
That starts with thinking outside of the box – tried and true recipes are great but sometimes you really need to be creative.
Very Veggie: Don’t save setting out raw veggie platters only for company.
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I recently discovered the root of some health issues I was concerned about. I couldn’t put my finger on what exactly was troubling me. I just knew something about my body chemistry was “off.” Turns out, my thyroid was not functioning at its finest, and a simple homework exercise revealed the culprit: iodine.
Like many other women my age, I was low on 
this essential mineral. Even for those of us who eat a nutritious diet, it’s surprisingly easy to skimp on the daily amount of iodine we need. Deficiency doesn’t necessarily lead to the telltale goiter that is often associated with thyroid problems. It can reveal itself in rather ambiguous ways, such as dry skin, hair loss, fatigue, cold extremities and slower reflexes (a few of which I experienced). But I wasn’t comfortable resorting to pharmaceuticals to fix the problem. So often, pills only mask symptoms and end up throwing our systems further out of whack. Nor was I comfortable with chemically iodized salt, which doesn’t react in the body the same way natural iodine does.
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With entertaining this holiday season there can come some risks and 
hazards. Good preparation and planning is vital to make sure your celebrations being healthy and fun.
Many times we only think of food borne illnesses as a threat in warm summer weather. That is a perfect environment for food borne illness –but not the only one.
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Here they are, the tried-and-true’s, the never-fails, the holiday recipes we pull out year after year, lest our families tar and feather us for NOT making them! Try them yourself – who knows? They may become part of your Christmas recipe arsenal.
Marshmallow Fudge - from Ginger, Lehman’s Warehouse
This recipe is from my boys’ Great Grandmother Naomi.
1 can evaporated milk
4 cups sugar
2 sticks margarine
3- 6oz packages of semisweet chocolate chips
2- 7oz jars of marshmallow creme
Place first 2 ingredients in a pot and bring to a hard boil. Allow to boil for 10 minutes while stirring CONSTANTLY. It will burn if you stop. Remove pan from heat and stir in margarine, chocolate chips and marshmallow creme and beat until creamy. Place in a sprayed 13×9 pan. Let set up in fridge and cut into pieces.
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