Here is a delicious recipe for excellent banana nut muffins-enjoy:

~2 eggs
~2 ripe bananas (mashed)
~1 cup of buttermilk
~1 stick of butter (softened)
~2 cups of flour
~½ cup of chopped pecans
~1 cup of granulated sugar
~1 teaspoon of vanilla
~1 teaspoon of salt
~1 teaspoon of baking powder
~½ teaspoon of baking soda

Preheat the oven to 400 F and prepare one of your cast iron muffin pans.

Beat together butter and sugar, then add eggs and beat thoroughly, then beat in bananas until the mixture is smooth.

Mix together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, and then stir the flour mixture and buttermilk into the egg mixture.

Stir in the chopped pecans and vanilla.

Spoon batter into the muffin pan, filling each tin about 2/3 full.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Here’s a delicious and simple recipe for a Southwest inspired egg omelet. In addition to the ingredients, you’ll need a hot surface, one of your cast iron pans, and a spatula.

Ingredients:

3 large eggs
½ cup grated pepper jack cheese
1 chopped jalapeno

Directions:

Crack your three eggs and place them in the nonstick cookware pan, then mix them around a bit.  Turn your hot surface to medium-high heat, and place the pan on top.  In about 2-3 minutes, the eggs should start to become hardened on the bottom.  This is when you will want to place the grated cheese and chopped jalapeno on one side of the egg.  Wait another minute, and then flip one half of the egg onto the other, creating the omelet.  Quick and easy, and a great way to kick off your day!

Now that colleges around the country are back in session, many students find themselves presented with plenty of food options. While it’s easy to fall into a trap of an unhealthy diet born out of convenience, it’s quite simple to create gourmet meals in a snap. In fact, you’ll still have plenty of time to study or party until the break of dawn. Just bust out some of the student cook’s secret weapons: grill pans. The following grilled fish sandwich recipe can be prepared to eat on the spot, or saved for lunch on the go.

Ingredients:
1 cup cooked cod
1/3 cup mayonnaise
¼ tsp. salt
butter
slices of bread
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce – or a dash of horseradish
2 Tsp. onion, chopped fine
1 tsp. lemon juice

Directions:
1. Flake the fish together with the mayonnaise, salt, Worcestershire sauce, onion and lemon juice.
2. Spread the mixture onto a slice of bread and spread butter on the outsides. Pan fry the sandwich on a grill pan until it achieves a golden brown color.
3. Any leftover spread can be saved in the refrigerator.

An omelette or omelet is a combination of beaten egg cooked with butter or oil in a frying pan, usually folded around a filling such as cheese, vegetables, meat (often ham), or some combination of the above. Traditionally, omelettes are partially cooked on the top side and not flipped prior to folding. To obtain a fluffy texture, whole eggs or egg whites are usually beaten with a small amount of milk or cream, or even water. Below is my favorite omelette recipe.

 2 eggs
- 1 tbs milk or water
- The fillings of your choice (I like to use 50g mushrooms, thinly sliced; 1 rasher bacon or ham, finely chopped; 1/2 tomato, finely chopped and a small amount of red bell pepper and onion)
- Salt & freshly ground pepper
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 5g butter
- 1/4 cup grated cheddar

Step 1
Use a fork to whisk eggs and milk together. Season well with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Step 2
Heat oil in a small (16cm base) non-stick frying pan over medium high heat. Add onion, red pepper, mushrooms and bacon or ham. Cook for 3 mins or until mushrooms soften. Stir in tomato. Cook 1 min. Remove from pan and set aside. Wipe pan with paper towel.
Step 3
Melt butter in the frying pans over medium-high heat. Add eggs to the pan. Use a fork to quickly draw the cooked egg back from edge of pan to allow uncooked egg to run to the edge. Continue until egg is almost set. Cook for a further 30-45 seconds or until egg is just set.

Step 4
Spoon mushroom mixture over half the omelette. Sprinkle over cheese. Use a fork to lift one side of the omelette over to enclose filling. Carefully slide onto serving plate.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 medium tart apples, unpeeled, cored, quartered, and sliced
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 to 3 tablespoons sugar

Preparation:Melt butter in a medium heavy skillet over medium heat. Add apples to a cast iron skillet; cover and cook for 5 minutes, or until apples are juicy. Turn and sprinkle with 1/3 cup sugar. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes longer. Uncover and cook 2 to 3 minutes longer, or until sugar is absorbed and apples are lightly browned on bottom. Remove from heat and sprinkle with a few more tablespoons of sugar, depending on tartness of apples. Serve hot as a side dish to ham or pork meal, or with breakfast.

Serves 6.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 medium tart apples, unpeeled, cored, quartered, and sliced
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 to 3 tablespoons sugar

Preparation:
Melt butter in a medium heavy skillet over medium heat. Add apples to a cast iron skillet; cover and cook for 5 minutes, or until apples are juicy. Turn and sprinkle with 1/3 cup sugar. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes longer. Uncover and cook 2 to 3 minutes longer, or until sugar is absorbed and apples are lightly browned on bottom. Remove from heat and sprinkle with a few more tablespoons of sugar, depending on tartness of apples. Serve hot as a side dish to ham or pork meal, or with breakfast.

Serves 6.

This is the best fried chicken recipe I have ever tried!

The real secret to great fried chicken isn’t just the herbs and spices.  The covered cast iron skillet is just as necessary as the chicken and the flour.  (I found some very reasonably priced deep cast iron skillets at www.CastIronDepot.com)

Please note: All measurements are approximate.  Miss Vivian seasons her flour according to smell.

3 cups flour

2 Tblsp. Lawry’s seasoned salt

1 Tbslp. black pepper

2 tsp. poultry seasoning

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp sage

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

Mix all ingredients in an extra large bowl.  Start with the largest pieces of chicken first.  Bury cut up chicken pieces in the seasoned flour for about 10 minutes.  Then set the pieces aside on a rack.  Add more chicken pieces and proceed as above. 

Heat 1″ to 11/2″ of cooking oil until 1 drop of water dances.

Remove 2nd batch of chicken pieces from flour to a rack and return the first pieces of chicken to the flour.  Dust chicken gently before placing them in hot oil.  Turn heat to medium and cover.  Brown on first side and turn pieces over.  Leave lid off to finish browning.  Remove chicken to a baking pan and place in a warm oven.

Add chicken pieces from second flouring to skillet and continue as above until out of chicken.

* 2 tablespoons cornstarch
* 1/4 cup cold water
* 1 1/2 cups sugar
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 4 cups blackberries, picked over, rinsed & drained
* 1 cup flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 6 tablespoons butter, cold, cut in small pieces
* 1/4 cup boiling water

PREPARATION:
In a large bowl, stir together the cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water until cornstarch is completely dissolved. Add 1 cup sugar, lemon juice, and blackberries; combine gently. Transfer to a cast iron skillet, about 8-inch.

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1/2 pound bacon, sliced in small pieces
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 diced onion1 diced red bell pepper
1 diced green bell pepper
Two 33-oz. cans of pork and beans
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce
2 Tablespoons of white vinegar

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Want to know how to make your basic Southern Cornbread in your Cast Iron Skillet? It isn’t that hard all you need is your skillet, 6 Tablespoons of shortening, an egg, 2 cups of self-rising cornmeal mix, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1 3/4 cup of buttermilk.

Heat your oven to 450 degrees and follow this simple recipe:

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