My wife is trying to get me to eat more healthy, so for breakfast she is trying to get me to give
up the eggs in the morning. She wants me to eat oatmeal because it’s really good for you. I said
I would give it a try. I pulled down one of my cast iron cooking pots and cooked up the oatmeal.
It didn’t smell to bad but when I tasted it, it was horrible. Since then I have tried every brand and
mixed everything you can think of into it to make it taste good and I still can’t stand it. How do people
eat that stuff. I finally gave it up, I would rather starve. Not all is lost though, I have cut down on the
eggs. Now I am eating yogurt and banana’s for breakfast with a piece of toast. I gave it a try but that
oatmeal is so bad, if I was a kid I would just sit there and cry.

Normally we use our cast iron trivet for hot food. When we take a hot
dish to the table we always put the trivet under it. This stops the table
from getting burnt or discolored from the heat. We found another
use for it last weekend when we had a party. We had a ice bucket full
ice that we put on the table for guests to get ice for their drinks. It sat
on the table all night with the ice. When the party was over we removed
it from the table and low and behold, the cold from the ice bucket had
discolored our table. As an experiment we put the ice bucket back on, but
this time using the cast iron trivet. No discoloring from the cold.

I don’t know how many of you like to go camping or just cook outdoors.
But if you do, have you ever noticed how much better the food tastes.
If you cook breakfast at home in you cast iron pans and then cook the
same thing outdoors, the outdoor breakfast tastes so much better.
Maybe it’s because of the fresh air or maybe it’s because you are away
from home and work and just relaxing. Everything seems to smell better
when your cooking outdoors. Even if you get a little dirt in the pan or
burn the food slightly it does not seem to matter. If you have never tried it,
give it a go. Get out for the day or weekend and enjoy life and see how much
better the food tastes.

My Mother in law was just here for a visit. She’s a big tea drinker
so we made her some tea in our cast iron tea kettle. She really
liked the looks of the tea pot but what she liked the most was
the way it stayed warmer than the one she used at home. She
wanted to take it with her but I said no. My wife argued the
point for her mother and I finally relented. The deal was she
had to make me 6 apple pies before she could have the kettle.
My Mother in law is a great baker so I think I made out pretty
good on this deal as long as I don’t share the pies with my wife.

You don’t have to be a farmer or rancher to own a tractor
seat. Tractor seats are now being used for backyards and
on patios. There are cast iron tractor seats that come on
pedestals or you can buy them without the pedestal and mount
them on anything you want. If you don’t want cast iron, there
are other metal ones out there, they just won’t last as long.
We keep 4 of these around our horseshoe pits so the old guys
can sit down and relax when it’s not their time to throw.

If your like us, you are probably trying to eat a little healthier. We have been using the 96%-4% fat hamburger.
The trouble is that without the 20% fat, the burger just does not taste as good. A simple thing to do to add more
flavor is to add 1 – 1 1/2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce to to burger. Mix it well and cook on your cast iron flat grill.
We like ours medium rare. If you cook it to long, it seems to lose a lot of its flavor. You can also saute some sweet onions
with mushrooms on you flat grill and pile it on your burger. Sorry, not cheese. Remember it’s supposed to be healthy.

If you like french fries, try making your own. They are very simple, taste great and are cheap to make and are
pretty healthy. Buy some russet potatoes and cut them into wedges. Put them on your cast iron pizza pan,
lightly coat with olive oil and some chili powder and salt. Put them in you oven at 400 degrees and bake for
about 15 minutes, turning once. You can make the wedges fat like steak fries or thin depending on you taste.
Not only are they delicious, but much cheaper than the store bought brands.

I just went to an auction on Friday where they were selling hundreds of items.
One item they were selling was a huge cast iron dutch oven. This thing was so
massive, the lid must have weighted 30 pounds. The whole thing was probably
around 75-80 pounds. Before you purchase any cast iron products, make sure
it is the size you want and will fit your needs. Also, look at the weight. If you are
going to camp with it, you will be moving it around a lot. Bigger is not always
better, just buy what you need and what will fit your means.

No only is cast iron cookware as popular today as ever, but all types of cast iron products
are popular today. Most any item you want in cast iron can be found on the Internet if you
look. Whether you want cookware, coat hooks, tea kettles or tractor seat, you can find them
in cast iron. When you go to auctions, flea markets or garage sales, keep your eye open for them.
Most people don’t know what they have and you can usually get them for a great price. Plus, it’s
fun to look around and the exercise wont hurt you.

If you are cutting up raw onions for a hamburger or you want to
saute some in your seasoned cast iron skillet, the thinner you slice
them, the better they taste. Take this test and see if you agree. On
one burger put on a big chunk of onion and on the other with the
same amount of onion, dice it very small. See which one adds more
flavor without being over powering. When sauteing onions in your
skillet, use a small amount of extra virgin oil and cook on low to
medium heat to soften them or caramelize them. If the onion is a
bit bitter or you want it sweeter, just add a pinch of salt.