Categories
Personal

Kim Howard – R.I.P.

Kim Howard
Kim Howard

My sister, Kim Howard, passed away on August 6, 2014 from cancer.

Here is her obituary and here is an audio recording of her funeral service.

Categories
Cooking

Oven Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and cheese
Cast Iron baked macaroni and cheese

I was talking with my youngest daughter about comfort foods that she found while she was living in China. While we were talking about that it reminded me of a favorite comfort food.  Macaroni and Cheese.  Many times we find ourselves reaching for the blue box.  I was wanting something like that, but maybe a little more homemade and more attention to the details.

I remembered a Macaroni and Cheese recipe that I found on the Reddit cast-iron forum.  One of the features of this dish is that it is baked in a cast-iron pan to help the dish develop a crisp crust on the bottom and sides.  This crisp crust contrasts nicely with the tender pasta and the creamy sauce.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb macaroni, cooked and drained
  • 1/2 stick of butter
  • 4 Tablespoons flour
  • 3 cups milk
  • 1/3 cup pre-cooked bacon bits
  • 1 Tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 cup parmesan cheese
  • 8 to 10 ounces medium cheddar cheese, grated
  • dried breadcrumbs

While cooking the macaroni, make the cheese sauce.  In a medium saucepan melt the butter and add the butter to form a roux.  Cook over a medium heat until the flour begins to turn to a golden brown.  Slowly whisk in the milk and cook over a medium heat.  Add the onion powder and cook until the mixture begins to thicken.  Add the bacon bits, 1/2 of the parmesan cheese and the grated cheddar cheese and mix until melted and combined.  Grease a cast-iron skillet and pour the drained pasta into the pan.  Mix the cheese sauce into the pasta and top with a mixture of breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese.  Bake in a 400° F oven for 30 minutes or until the top and edges have started to crisp.  Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Categories
Cooking

Breaking In New Cast Iron

Hash Browns
Hash browns in a new 12″ skillet

I was recently given two new Lodge cast iron skillets. They are the 12″ size and have been pre-seasoned. I like to work in my cast iron by making something fried. It tends to help build up the seasoning. For these skillets I decided to fry up some potatoes into hash browns.  Other than the normal pebbly surface of a new pan, these two skillets performed very well.  There was very minimal sticking and it all wiped out with a paper towel.

 

I basically cubed up some fresh potatoes and tossed them into the pans.  I had heated the pans over a medium-high flame to a point where the pan is starting to smoke.  I added 2 to 3 tablespoons of Canola Oil and let that heat for a moment.  Then the potatoes went into the hot pan.