What a great Monday! How about a recipe that you can use with any pan, but tastes better when cooked in cast iron? Although you normally think of Fridays when you think of fried fish, this is a perfect Monday for a pan-fried catfish recipe. Gives you the rest of the week to go fishing and bring home the fish!
Pan-Fried Catfish:
You will need:
Medium cast-iron dutch oven
Deep fry thermometer
4 catfish fillets, 5 or 6 ounces each.
1/2 t. ground pepper
1 t. salt, if you want to add salt.
1 c. white cornmeal
1 T. plus 1 t. Old Bay Seasoning or similar fish seasoning mix
1/2 t. celery salt
1/4 t. cayenne pepper, ground
Enough vegetable oil to fry the fish, this will be about 8 or so cups
Season each fillet with pepper and salt, if you like.
Put all of the other dry ingredients into a large plastic resealable bag. Put each fillet, one at a time, into the bag and shake until coated thoroughly with the cornmeal mixture.
In a medium Dutch oven (4-6 qt), pour in the oil and heat over medium heat until it registers 360F on a deep-fry thermometer.
Fry the fillets all in one batch until they are golden brown on both sides, this will be about 3 or 4 minutes. Do not overcook. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels, serving at once.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Friday, October 1, 2010
The Friday Dog Blog
This poodle and bulldog pair are the bravest dogs I've seen - as long as there is a fence around!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
How About A Few Home Remedies?
Sometimes you need quick action and you don't have the right medication or the proper name-brand cleaner in your house. Here are a few "in a pinch" remedies using items that are usually in most everyone's cabinet....
1. Splinter - Use your bottle of white Elmer's Glue-All. Pour it on the splinter, let it dry and then peel it off your skin. The splinter should stick to the glue and be pulled right out.
2. Skin blemish - Before bed, cover it with honey and put an adhesive bandage like Band-Aid over it. It should be much better in the morning because the honey speeds healing and kills bacteria. It also keeps the skin sterile.
3. Arthritis in your hands or fingers - Try oatmeal - Mix 2 cups of oats and a cup of water and cook in the microwave for a minute. Let it cool a little, then apply the warm oatmeal to your hands. It provides a soothing relief to arthritis.
4. Broken blister - Pull out the Listerine. Dab it on the blister to disinfect it. Might burn a little, but you're tough, right?
5. Muscle ache from the flu - Horseradish to the rescue! A tablespoon of horseradish mixed with a cup of olive oil provides a terrific massage oil after you let it set for about 30 minutes.
I'll be back in a week or so with a few more home remedies....
1. Splinter - Use your bottle of white Elmer's Glue-All. Pour it on the splinter, let it dry and then peel it off your skin. The splinter should stick to the glue and be pulled right out.
2. Skin blemish - Before bed, cover it with honey and put an adhesive bandage like Band-Aid over it. It should be much better in the morning because the honey speeds healing and kills bacteria. It also keeps the skin sterile.
3. Arthritis in your hands or fingers - Try oatmeal - Mix 2 cups of oats and a cup of water and cook in the microwave for a minute. Let it cool a little, then apply the warm oatmeal to your hands. It provides a soothing relief to arthritis.
4. Broken blister - Pull out the Listerine. Dab it on the blister to disinfect it. Might burn a little, but you're tough, right?
5. Muscle ache from the flu - Horseradish to the rescue! A tablespoon of horseradish mixed with a cup of olive oil provides a terrific massage oil after you let it set for about 30 minutes.
I'll be back in a week or so with a few more home remedies....
Monday, September 27, 2010
The Monday Recipe Blog
Today we have another recipe that is terrific when cooked in a cast-iron skillet. This cobbler is a traditional cast-iron dish, but our ancestors would have frowned on today's recipe. It uses canned peaches and the crust is super-easy. It's almost a dump recipe. I should have gotten mine browner (see picture on the left), so use that picture to know what NOT to do :)
Super-Easy Peach Cobbler:
You will need:
1 stick of butter
1 c. sugar
1 c. flour
1/4 t. salt
2 t. baking powder
1 c. milk
1 large can sliced peaches - don't drain them
Melt the butter in a 10 inch cast iron skillet.
Mix the sugar, flour, salt, baking powder together, then add the milk and mix well.
Pour this into the buttery skillet, spread to the edges, then add the can of undrained peaches.
Bake 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees until golden brown.
Friday, September 24, 2010
The Friday Dog Blog
Sofi the Talking Schnauzer has teeth like little razor blades, but can't pop a balloon. What gives???
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Have You Had Your Identification Stolen?
Hello....As we approach the holidays, identity theft becomes more prevalant. There are a few precautions that we can take to ward off these attacks on our privacy....
1. Use your work phone number on your checks instead of your home phone number. The less information that you can hand to people, the less chance you have of getting your identity stolen. If you feel comfortable using your work address on your checks, do that as well.
2. Don't sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put "Photo ID required". If your cards do get stolen, and the cashier is alert, this may stop the bad guy in his tracks.
3. Keep a photocopy of your passport in a safe place - a safety deposit box or a very safe place in your home.
4. Empty your wallet contents, spread the cards across the photocopy machine and make a photocopy of every card in the wallet, including your drivers license. Then turn them all over and photocopy the backs. Keep the photocopies in a safe place in your home or in a safety deposit box. If your wallet is stolen, you will know immediately what cards must be replaced, and each card should have a phone number that you can call immediately to cancel. Time is of the essence if your cards are stolen - Before you even realize they are gone the bad guy will be using them in gas pumps at convenience stores. They know to use these cards immediately, and they know where to use them.
5. File a police report quickly, and do it in the jurisdiction where the theft occurred. You probably won't get your property recovered and there may not even be an investigation, but filing the report shows your credit card providers that you are serious and diligent and that you are doing all you can to minimize the damage.
6. Place a fraud alert on your name immediately. You have to call three national credit reporting companies to do this, but it is essential. After you file this alert, any company issuing new credit in your name has to call you for your permission first. I believe the free fraud alert lasts for 90 days, but I'm not sure about this. Here are the three numbers to call:
Trans Union - 1-800-680-7289
Equifax - 1-800-525-6285
Experian - 1-888-397-3742
7. Finally, call the Social Security Administration fraud line and report that your number may be used by a thief. 1-800-269-0271.
Be prepared, and hopefully you will never have to go through an identity theft.
1. Use your work phone number on your checks instead of your home phone number. The less information that you can hand to people, the less chance you have of getting your identity stolen. If you feel comfortable using your work address on your checks, do that as well.
2. Don't sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put "Photo ID required". If your cards do get stolen, and the cashier is alert, this may stop the bad guy in his tracks.
3. Keep a photocopy of your passport in a safe place - a safety deposit box or a very safe place in your home.
4. Empty your wallet contents, spread the cards across the photocopy machine and make a photocopy of every card in the wallet, including your drivers license. Then turn them all over and photocopy the backs. Keep the photocopies in a safe place in your home or in a safety deposit box. If your wallet is stolen, you will know immediately what cards must be replaced, and each card should have a phone number that you can call immediately to cancel. Time is of the essence if your cards are stolen - Before you even realize they are gone the bad guy will be using them in gas pumps at convenience stores. They know to use these cards immediately, and they know where to use them.
5. File a police report quickly, and do it in the jurisdiction where the theft occurred. You probably won't get your property recovered and there may not even be an investigation, but filing the report shows your credit card providers that you are serious and diligent and that you are doing all you can to minimize the damage.
6. Place a fraud alert on your name immediately. You have to call three national credit reporting companies to do this, but it is essential. After you file this alert, any company issuing new credit in your name has to call you for your permission first. I believe the free fraud alert lasts for 90 days, but I'm not sure about this. Here are the three numbers to call:
Trans Union - 1-800-680-7289
Equifax - 1-800-525-6285
Experian - 1-888-397-3742
7. Finally, call the Social Security Administration fraud line and report that your number may be used by a thief. 1-800-269-0271.
Be prepared, and hopefully you will never have to go through an identity theft.
Monday, September 20, 2010
The Monday Recipe Blog
Hello....Fall is fast approaching, finally!! Here's another recipe that works great when using a cast-iron pan. You don't normally think of cast-iron when you think of these sandwiches, but try it - you'll love it!
Monte Cristo Sandwiches:
For 4 sandwiches, you will need:
8 slices of white sandwich bread
2 t. Dijon mustard
8 oz. thinly-sliced roasted turkey
8 oz. thinly-sliced smoked ham
8 oz. thinly-sliced Swiss cheese
4 large eggs
1/2 c. milk
1/2 stick butter, unsalted
Spread 4 of the bread slices with 1/2 t. of Dijon mustard. Place on each of the mustard slices 1/4 each of the turkey, ham and cheese, then top with the other bread slices to make 4 sandwiches.
Put the eggs and milk in a medium bowl and whisk until blended well.
In a large cast-iron skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.
Dip each sandwich into the batter. Turn the sandwiches to let the sandwiches absorb the batter well. In the buttery skillet, cook the sandwiches until they are crispy on the outside, the cheese has melted and they are golden brown. This will be about 2-4 minutes on each side.
Cut each sandwich on the diagonal to form two triangles and serve quickly.
Monte Cristo Sandwiches:
For 4 sandwiches, you will need:
8 slices of white sandwich bread
2 t. Dijon mustard
8 oz. thinly-sliced roasted turkey
8 oz. thinly-sliced smoked ham
8 oz. thinly-sliced Swiss cheese
4 large eggs
1/2 c. milk
1/2 stick butter, unsalted
Spread 4 of the bread slices with 1/2 t. of Dijon mustard. Place on each of the mustard slices 1/4 each of the turkey, ham and cheese, then top with the other bread slices to make 4 sandwiches.
Put the eggs and milk in a medium bowl and whisk until blended well.
In a large cast-iron skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.
Dip each sandwich into the batter. Turn the sandwiches to let the sandwiches absorb the batter well. In the buttery skillet, cook the sandwiches until they are crispy on the outside, the cheese has melted and they are golden brown. This will be about 2-4 minutes on each side.
Cut each sandwich on the diagonal to form two triangles and serve quickly.
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