Huge Mistake: Cast Iron Skillet

I scraped out the remainder of my Blackberry Cobbler, scrubbed the skillet clean and threw it in the dishwasher. I pulled it out the next day and realized:

Apparently, those instructions on my skillet that said soap and dishwasher can "damage the finish" actually means "do not, under any circumstance, use soap OR the dishwasher." My pan was so rusty, I thought I was going to have to throw it away and take the trash out before Vasily got home so I wouldn't have to explain to him that I'd bought a one-time-use skillet.

Instead of throwing the skillet away, I thought I could try to take Laura's advice via The Kichn.

Turns out, all you have to do to get from this to this

is scrub the rusty ol thing with a little warm soapy water,
dry thoroughly,
lightly grease with vegetable oil on a paper towel.
Heat your oven to 325,
put the newly clean, greased pan upside down in the oven for 1 hour.
Read a crazy-good book while you wait.
When the timer goes off, finish your page and turn the oven off, open the door to the oven.
Let it cool down, then take it out of the oven,

And we're all back in business!

Am I the only one who has done this? What have you learned the hard way?

From Market Square to Blackberry Cobbler

I went to the Market Square Farmers Market just to browse. And if you're anything like me, you realize that "browse" means "spend all the cash you have in your wallet." Saturday, I had $20. So I bought some of these zinnias,

a carton of blackberries

and a carton of blueberries.

I found this recipe for Blackberry Cobbler that A Thoughtful Eye shared from the Blackberry Farm cookbook. I was surprised at how not complicated it was, so decided to give it a shot. 

Blackberry Farm's Blackberry Cobbler

3 cups fresh blackberries
1 1/4 cups sugar (1 cup goes with the blackberries, 1/4 goes with the flour.)
Zest and juice of 1/2 lime
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt (didn't have this, used regular salt. Don't know what I'm missing out on...)
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and chilled
1/4 cup buttermilk (don't buy buttermilk! Do this instead.)

Preheat your oven to 350.

Pretty little lime zest. 

In a large bowl, toss the blackberries, 1 cup of sugar and lime zest.
In a small bowl (cereal bowl works great), whisk together the lime juice and cornstarch until smooth.
Drizzle the lime juice mixture over the blackberry mixture and toss to combine.
Scrape the blackberry mixture into a 10-inch cast-iron skillet and set aside. (*You can use a normal baking pan. But if you're like me and jump at any chance to buy something else to clutter your kitchen cabinets, I found mine at Target for $15.)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 1/4 cup of sugar.
Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour mixture until it is the texture of coarse meal.

(I have no idea what that means. I just kind of blended it all together and the butter was still in little chunks. I tried rubbing the butter into the flour with my fingertips, but it was more than I wanted to commit to this endeavor. Choose your own adventure -- mine didn't include a "coarse meal.") 

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.

Pour the buttermilk into the well and stir with a fork until the mixture comes together.

Crumble the dough evenly over the top of the blackberry mixture in the skillet.

Bake the cobbler until the blackberry filling is bubbling and the topping is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Let the cobbler rest (and cool the heck down) for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 8.

Like most cobblers, this one plays well with ice cream. 

This tastes like summer. Enjoy! 

Knoxville Pimento Cheese

Last night, Vasily and I celebrated our one year anniversary! (Yes, one year. I know, I can't believe it either. Thank you.)

And since we've been on the road so much, we decided to have a little stay-cation while Stella was at the vet getting fixed. She's not too happy with that decision.

For dinner, we tried Knox Mason. It definitely hit the top of my "favorite restaurants" list with just one meal.

French Broad to drink. Yum.

The food we ordered was really good - I don't think you could go wrong ordering anything here.

We started with the Pimento Cheese. I wouldn't have chosen this had I not seen almost everyone else in the restaurant starting with this. How good could Pimento cheese be? BUT OMG IT IS.

I ordered a plate for us, because everyone else was doing it. And I've never been more excited about pimento cheese. I told Vasily that I could eat that for the rest of my life.

And now I will attempt to make homemade pimento cheese because we have to stay in with our cone- head puppy:

Pimento Cheese, according to Paula Deen.

3 oz of cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup grated sharp cheddar
1 cup grated Monterey Jack
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon House Seasoning (recipe below... but if you're not feeling it, just throw in some salt and pepper and no one will be the wiser.)
2-3 tablespoons pimentos
1 teaspoon grated onion

In case you were as confused as I was: a grated onion is just what it sounds like. (Googled it.)
Take an onion, peel the outside like you normally would to cut it, pull out your cheese grater and go to town.

Throw the cream cheese into your electric mixer and beat until it's smooth and fluffy.
Add all of the remaining ingredients into the mixer and beat again until well blended.

Paula's House Seasoning:
1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder
Mix all of this together.

This makes a ton. A cup of salt? Really, Paula?

I tried to make 1/3 of this, but confused myself trying to figure out 1/3 of 1/4, so I just kind of eyeballed it. It tasted fine to me... I guess the trick would be more salt than black pepper and garlic powder, but Paula probably won't be checking your work, so it's all good. (Give me a break -- it's been a long time since Kumon.)

Pimento cheese mid-mix. 

I was very pleased with my first pimento cheese attempt. My trendy sister said that pimento cheese is "in" now, so go ahead -- impress all your friends and/or trendy sisters. 

Friday Funnies

How Animals Eat Their Food

Which is your favorite?

I think mine might be the T-Rex aaand the fact they're drinking out of pink sippy cups.

Happy weekend, Eaters!

Go to there: The Pinewood

 

[whiskey on whiskey on whiskey.]

Last week, Amanda called me up (and by that I mean g-chatted me) to see if I wanted to join her for dinner and cocktails at The Pinewood in Decatur, known for their whiskey selection and home of Whiskey Wednesdays (50% off whiskey cocktails!). She had an awesome ScoutMob Hand-Picked deal (sorry, it's over) that was going to expire, so off we went!

When they opened at 6, we were one of the first parties in the door. It was such a fun, not-overly-hipster atmosphere with a very cool looking bar and all the staff looked like they walked out of a Madewell magazine.

[The menus were in up-cycled legal file folders.]

The menu--food and cocktails--had us drooling as soon as it was handed to us (and by that I mean when we looked it up online earlier that day). I ended up going with a whiskey drink called the Day That I Die, with a big slice of ginger in it! Amanda went with the Van Lear Rose, gin mixed with rosewater.

[left, Amanda's Van Lear Rose. right, my Day That I Die]

Both were so beautiful and delicious that we had to try more. But first, the food.

[see that? that's andouille. in the dressing.]

We started with the jumbo sea scallop because, when you have a deal like this one, of course you go for the most expensive thing you can get! It was served on a bed of creamy grits and frisee with an andouille vinaigrette. You know something is good when there is sausage in the dressing. It didn't have the crisp you hope for in a scallop, but overall very, very tasty.

[photo from The Pinewood's website. I was too hungry to take one myself.]

I was thrown off by one of the items on the menu--a bolognaise pasta with a fried egg on top. What. I had never heard of such a thing. So I asked our waiter about it and he said it was his favorite dish on the menu. So of course that's what I ordered. and it was delicious indeed--such an unusual combination (to me) but the egg married so well with the spices in the sauce. I was very happy with my choice.

[That's a gala apple puree on top.]

Amanda ordered the grilled pork chop with sweet potatoes. It looked, smelled and tasted divine (isn't that just what you hope for in a meal?), and I know this because she was kind enough to share a bite with me. The sweet potatoes were caramelized so they were slightly sweet, which was just right with the pork chop.

So now, our second round of cocktails. We both chose from the "Monday laundry list" of New Orleans-inspired specials--a French 75 for me, and an absinthe frappe for Amanda.

[so pretty and elegant!]

I love a good French cocktail (champagne and gin. heaven.) so I was thrilled with mine. The only thing that could have made it better would have been drinking it in actual France.

[crushed ice = frappe.]

Amanda's, on the other hand, was super bizarre. Probably shoulda guessed that from the phrase "absinthe frappe," but still, we were surprised. It was exactly what it said it would be, with a heavy licorice flavor from the absinthe. Probably wouldn't choose it again, but the fault was ours, not theirs.

I'm eager to go back to Pinewood for Whiskey Wednesdays and try more of their cocktails. and food. Maybe the ScoutMob gods will hear our roar and have another Hand-Picked deal.

In the meantime, get yourself there! It's on the opposite side of the block from TacoMac. and remember they open at 6--so if you get there at 5:45 you'll have to kill time in the shops next door. or so I hear :)

    

Go to there: Buttermilk Kitchen

Since the first time I saw this logo, I've wanted to eat here. 

Vasily and I went to Athens on Saturday, but had no time for the pilgrimage to Mama's Boy. After I was finished pouting, I realized that we could still get a yummy brunch on Sunday! So I suggested we check out Buttermilk Kitchen. And holy cow am I glad we did.

Located off of Roswell Road in Buckhead, this little gem is a breakfast and lunch concept from chef Suzanne Vizethann who, I learned mid-bite-of-biscuit, won Season 8 of Chopped! 

from Buttermilk Kitchen

I was too excited about the food to take pictures. 

We ended up sitting at the bar and had so much fun peeking into the kitchen (couldn't see everything, but I knew things were happening.) 

Bartender Brian told us his favorite things on the menu and all of them sounded freaking amazing -- I ended up getting the Pimento Cheese Omelet and Vasily got the Chicken Biscuit. (Not just any chicken, though -- the chef soaks the chicken in sweet tea overnight! YUM) Both were fantastic. The atmosphere was really fun, too. 

Even the woman at the other end of the bar was singing Buttermilk Kitchen's praises -- she said this was her third day in a row to eat there and she takes a to-go biscuit every time. She was superskinny though, so the biscuits are probably zero calories. In fact, they're probably so good / good for you, I bet you burn calories eating them. Yes. So I should go every day. 

pulled from Buttermilk Kitchen's site

This is definitely my new favorite brunch place. You've got to check it out. 

Oh and don't go without me. 

Links to Ruminate On

So I found these things... 

1. This beautiful Measuring Guide by 9th Letter Press. Lovely, practical and letterpressed! Yes, please.

2. A pizza stone. Ok, so I didn't exactly just find it: this was one of my most favorite wedding gifts (thanks, Amy & Justin!) and I really love it. I'm not sure that I've completely tapped into its full potential, but it makes pizza (even frozen) super fantastic. Vasily wants to try cookies... Stay tuned. 

3. I can't wait for Michael Pollan's new book "Cooked" to come out! April 23 is the expected release date! 

4. This shop - Harvest Haversack- has the cutest eco-friendly kitchen accessories. 

And if this week has been a complete doozy, this should at least hold you over til quittin' time.

Have a great weekend! Happy Eating! 

Buttermilking the heck outta Banana Bread

I freaking love Banana Bread, so Banana Bread Week is like Christmas in Springtime. 

I've been nervous to try it because I love it so much and I don't want to ruin something so perfect. But I tried it anyway. (Mainly because spending $3 on a slice at Starbucks is bananas.)

I Tastespotted and found a recipe that I really like on a little blog called Just a Taste. It's my favorite because of the streusel topping (hello) and the buttermilk. Nom. 

Banana Bread with Streusel Topping
Makes 1 9-inch loaf. Needs to bake for 50 minutes. 

For the bread:
2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 very ripe, darkly speckled large bananas, mashed well (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup buttermilk (See Laura's post about this.)
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
6 Tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup walnuts, pecans, chocolate chips or shredded coconut (optional)

For the streusel topping:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons butter, slightly softened and cut into pieces

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Line a 9-inch loaf pan with parchment then grease the parchment with cooking spray.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

Mix mashed bananas, buttermilk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla in a medium bowl.

Lightly fold banana mixture into dry ingredients with rubber spatula just until combined and batter looks thick and chunky. Stir in any desired add-ins. (I always vote chocolate or butterscotch chips.) 

Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan.

Prepare the streusel topping by combining all ingredients in a bowl and using a fork to cut the butter evenly into the dry ingredients.

Lightly sprinkle the streusel topping over the unbaked loaf. (Go easy - you don't want this to be too thick or it just gets dusty.) 

Bake the bread for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Allow the loaf to cool in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer it to a cooling rack to continue cooling. Slice and serve.

Once it's cooled, make sure you store it sealed up. Great banana bread becomes less so when it's dried out. 

You can also make muffins to easy sharing / less guilty devouring. (And these only have to  bake for about 20 minutes.) 

I'm curious to know, what's your tried and true banana bread recipe? 

Did your momma give you the Chicken Talk?

Last night, Vasily and I were going to throw together some dinner and rush out the door for the Maroon 5 concert. 

So. Good. 

I was driving home from work, talking to my mom when Vasily called in. I switched lines, asked him to thaw some chicken for me really quick while I drove home because I forgot to set it in the fridge the night before. So he put it in a bowl of hot water. I switched back to mom, told her sorry that I had to ask Vasily to thaw some chicken and she goes,

"How's he thawing it?" 

"In a bowl of hot water." 

"WHAAAAT!!! NO NO NO! Tell him to put it in cold water!" 

"Huh? Cold water? Why? We always do it this way?" 

"WHAAAAT! You shouldn't! Bacteria grows and it's... I can't believe you haven't Googled this."

I sheepishly called Vasily back, told him the deal. He switched it to cold water but by the time I got home, I'm pretty sure Mom had read aloud the entire "Safe Thawing" section of the USDA website and I wanted to both hurl and never eat chicken again. So I took one look at the chicken in the bowl and threw it out. Luckily, we had another package in the freezer so I put that in cold water. I made my rice (successfully, mind you) and continued to stare at the still-frozen chicken. 

This is the pic I sent my mom "Is this right?"

"Vasily! Let's go. We're eating out." 

Aaand we went to Chili's. Not bad, but... you know. It was Chili's. So I didn't Instagram anything.

And just in case your mom didn't give you the Chicken Talk, you might want to know:

FSIS recommends three ways to thaw chicken: in the refrigerator, in cold water, and in the microwave. Never thaw chicken on the counter or in other locations. It's best to plan ahead for slow, safe thawing in the refrigerator.  

We've never really gotten sick thawing it wrong (that I know of)... but I'm wondering if any of yall have? Or did everyone know this?

Is it Pimm's o'clock yet?

It's been raining all night and day here in Atlanta and I can't help but echo Amanda's yearning for warmer weather. 

My most favorite drink of all time is a Pimm's Cup. Most people say this is a summer drink, probably because it's the official drink of Wimbledon, but I think it's just too good to only drink in the summer. 

[doing a little research at Leon's Full Service in Decatur. So good.] 

Pimm's No. 1 is a gin-based liquor made in England. 

The best part is - it's super easy to make at home! 

Traditionally, the English put 1 part Pimm's No. 1 and 3 parts chilled lemonade. Then throw in some cut fruit (strawberries, cucumbers, lemon) and mint leaves. 

If sparkling lemonade doesn't strike you, you can do an easy swap for ginger ale. (Although technically, this would make your beverage a Pimm's Ginger.) 

[does this look like a little happy family or what?] 

I recently learned that Pimm's was first made by James Pimm in 1823, an owner of an oyster bar in London, to aid in digestion. So, it's healthy to drink. Or whatever you need to justify this deliciousness.

[For more recipes, check out Pimm's website.]

So what are you waiting for? Throw all that goodness into a glass and look at your watch -- "It's Pimm's o'clock!" 

Pimm's Original:
1 part Pimm's No. 1
3 parts chilled lemonade
Add mint, cucumber, orange and strawberry

Pimm's Ginger:
1 part Pimm's No. 1
3 parts ginger ale 
Add a slice of lemon and a sprig of mint


That does it for drink week! Did you try any of these? Beer? Hot Toddy's? What's your go-to beverage?