Charm of the Carolines

Cast Iron Heaven

Last week I mentioned in a post that I hated to admit I didn't own an iron skillet. Not sure how this atrocity happened, but there is no point in regrets or assigning blame. For fear I would be asked to relinquish my Southern Belle card, two thoughtful and generous readers came to my rescue, my friend Tim and my momma!

A whole new world of cooking has been opened up to me, Cast Iron Cooking. I might have to take a class. It's offered through Women in the Outdoors program through the Tennessee Wildlife and Resources Agency. A few summers ago I signed up for a WoW weekend in Crossville, TN, and took classes in fishing, archery, hiking, and outdoor photography. It was fabulous, but so hard to choose. They offered so many wonderful, wonderful classes.

In researching recipes for cast iron I ran across this one that looked particularly good and wanted to share:

Sweet Potato Banana Mash

3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes

2 bananas, ripe or over ripe

1/4 cup brown sugar, or maple syrup, or honey

3 Tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Boil sweet potatoes in a pan of water until tender, about 20 minutes.

In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients and mix well. Pout into iron skillet, dot with small pats of additional butter, and bake for 10 minutes on 350 degrees, until butter is melted and dish is heated through. Top with chopped nuts, optional.

A new reader, Wendy Pashman of Entertainment Company, a catering business in Chicago, suggests topping with crumbled ginger snaps. Yum!

Skillet Scallion Biscuits

Biscuits are a regular breakfast treat, usually dripping with butter and honey or preserves, or toasted and topped with cheese. Baking biscuits in a cast-iron skillet develops a crisp bottom that gives them a great bite. Use these scallion biscuits either for breakfast, topped with scrambled eggs and gravy, or as a savory dinner side with baked ham.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ cup vegetable shortening

1 cup buttermilk

½ cup chopped fresh scallions, white and green parts

1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water for egg wash

Preheat oven to 375 F

Combine the flour with the baking powder, sugar and salt in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.

Add the shortening and mix on medium speed until a mealy consistency is reached. Mixing on low, gradually add the buttermilk, until just combined. Add the scallions and mix just enough to incorporate.

Empty the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead into a rectangular shape. Roll the dough, with a floured rolling pin, to about a ½” thick rectangle.

Cut out the rounds using a 2 ½” round biscuit cutter. Drop the biscuits in the bottom of a well-seasoned, lightly oiled 10” cast-iron skillet.

Brush the tops with the egg wash and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are browned and the insides are firm. Serve warm.Excerpted From Cast Iron Cooking By Dwayne Ridgeway – Quarry Books

If you would like to participate in the events offered by Women in the Outdoors, it is an organization with events in every state taught by experts and trained professionals in a noncompetitive environment. I loved it! For more information, visit www.womenintheoutdoors.org.

2009 Cosmic Corn Maze and Hayride at Rippavilla

Looking for something unusual to do with the kids any weekend in October? Check out the Cosmic Corn Maze at Rippavilla Plantation historic home on Highway 31 in Spring Hill, TN. But don’t be in a hurry. To find your way to the center of the maze and out again could take a couple of hours. Rippavilla staff members are posted throughout the maze for those who truly get lost or severely frustrated. The maze opens at 3pm on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, at 10am on Saturdays and noon on Sundays from now until the end of October. And when the weather turns a wee bit cooler, and it will, you can enjoy part of your evening warming up with hot chocolate by the bonfire on Friday and Saturday evenings. This year Rippavilla has paired history with astronomy to offer unique activities for the whole family. Star gazing opportunities are included with paid admission on September 26, October 10 and October 24 and are provided by The Astronomy Channel. Admission for both the maze and the star gazing is $7 for adults and $5 for children 6-12. Children under 6 are admitted free of charge. Beginning Friday, September 25, the Headless Horseman Hay Ride is also available for $8 per person on the evenings of each weekend. We have been assured neither the maze, nor the hayride will be haunted at any time. So bring a date or the kids and pack a flashlight for an interesting, autumn southern tradition. For more information on the hayride, please call 931-796-5937. Coupons and additional information on the Corn Maze are available online at www.rippavilla.org.

Dierks

One of the many features of living in middle Tennessee is the many successful and talented friends and neighbors living amongst us. My brother has played on a community men’s hockey league for years, even before he learned to ice skate! One of the players on the team he currently plays for, the Mad Cows, is multi-platinum country music artist, Dierks Bentley.

Not only do I enjoy watching this man play hockey or listening to him sing, but I also admire his generous spirit. Dierks recently announced the list of artists participating in his fourth annual "Miles & Music for Kids" celebrity motorcycle ride and concert scheduled for Sunday, October 11, in Nashville benefiting the Monroe Carell Children‘s Hospital at Vanderbilt. Among the list include fellow Franklin High School Class of 1982 member, Wynonna Judd.

This year "Miles & Music" will provide an afternoon tailgating experience with live music, food and family fun on the river before the Tennessee Titans take on the Indianapolis Colts later that evening. (And for those of you who don’t know, we also claim Peyton Manning as one of our own, having played quarterback for the UT Volunteers for four years in the mid-90s, but I digress)

Tickets start at $20 and are still available for the ride and concert through Ticketmaster. The ride departs Cool Springs Harley Davidson at 1:00pm and will travel through beautiful Williamson County and downtown Nashville, culminating in a jam session at Riverfront Park. To date "Miles & Music for Kids" has raised more than $500,000 for the Monroe Carell Jr. Childrens Hospital at Vanderbilt.

This year, Bentley has joined forces with Nationwide Insurance, CMT ONE COUNTRY and the Children's Miracle Network to expand the successful "Miles & Music for Kids" event to six cities across the country in 2009 and 2010, with all proceeds benefiting Children's Miracle Network hospitals in those areas.

For more information on Dierks Bentley or the "Miles & Music" event, visit www.dierks.com. For more information on the men's community hockey team, the Mad Cows, visit www.nashvillemadcows.com.

Adventures of the Traveling Shroom

In honor of the 50+ year football rivalry and upcoming game between the University of Tennessee Volunteers and the University of Alabama Crimson Tide scheduled for October 24, our favorite traveling mushroom has donned it's colors anticipating the event. This is THE Game in the South; no other comes close. And I don't care how big your tailgating cocktail party is. We're here for the Football!

For those of you who have not followed the incarnations of the Traveling Shroom, allow me to display a pictorial history. Where will our little friend show up next?

Spring Hill Country Ham Fest

On October 3 on the grounds of the Tennessee Children's Home from 10am to 7pm you will find the 6th Annual John Maher Builders Spring Hill Country Ham Festival off Kedron Road.

Events include a country ham contest, arts and crafts booths, plenty of musical entertainment, fireworks and good eatin'!

For more information visit www.countryhamfest.com. And if you are ever in the Boro, Murfreesboro, that is, visit JRs Foodtown on West Main Street. You can purchase 1/2 side of country ham for the same price as most grocers will sell you a slice, less than $10. If you do fry up some country ham, don't forget the red-eye gravy.

Red Eye Gravy

All you need is Country Ham and strong Coffee

Fry the ham.

Remove ham from the skillet and add a cup or so of strong coffee. Turn up the heat and loosen the bits stuck to the bottom of the skillet. Let the gravy simmer a minute to cook down. It doesn't really thicken much.

Serve over biscuits, scrambled eggs, and country ham.