Cast Iron Quicky

      

   Today I made a couple of quick meals in my favorite cast iron skillets using leftovers and a four-ounce frozen experiment. They both turned out awesome. 
At breakfast Sunday after church I took home from the restaurant two slices of bacon and all my hash browned potatoes. Not because there was anything wrong, I was full.

A frittata was the perfect dish to enhance those leftovers.  I had some other fresh vegetables in the fridge, anything could work. I used fresh mushrooms and spinach for this dish. I combined the chopped spinach, hashbrowns, and some grated cheddar cheese with four eggs in a bowl seasoning with fresh ground pepper and a pinch of salt. I sauteed the bacon and sliced mushroom in some melted butter in the skillet and when the mushrooms were tender I mixed in the egg mixture. Into the oven for twenty minutes @350 degrees. A frittata is so flexible a meal. I enjoy a slice for breakfast or lunch with a side of fruit and even for dinner with a nice side salad. Leftovers in the company of food. 

   At the same time, the oven was on after all, so I made a pizza. 

 I purchase a sleeve of pizza dough and made a pizza with some of the dough.

I portioned and froze 4 oz. portions of the leftover dough in lidded souflee cups, as an experiment. I took one of the cups out and it defrosted in five minutes and was ready to roll.  Perfect. Once again, I raid my fridge for any vegetables or toppings that sound good. This time I found some frozen slices of pepperoni. A little sauce, spices, cheese, and pepperoni topped the dough in the cast iron skillet. I had turned the oven up to 450@ and it cooked in a mere twenty minutes. 

   Now the only problem was which one do I eat for dinner? Delicious choices in the company of food. 

   

An apple a day

   You know the old saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away!", right? But how many of us reach for an apple snack instead of a cookie or bag of chips.
                            Guilty!
In an effort to consume more of these healthy treats I had to get creative. First and foremost,  I never did like sinking my teeth into a whole, hard apple. It almost seemed barbaric. In addition, if you do not eat the whole apple in one seating the rest turns an unappetizing brown color.
                            Wasteful!

   My first idea came about purely by accident.  My granddaughter, who loved eating fresh cut up apples, lost too many of her front teeth to bite into the skin of an apple. I thickly cut the skins off her apple and gave her thin slices of the apple meat. On a lark, I cut the apple skins into bite-size chunks and threw them in the freezer. Much to my surprise, they were a delicious, refreshing treat that I always have in the freezer now for a healthy snack. 

   My favorite apples are Honey Crisp. They are a bit more expensive so using all the apple tickles my frugal bones.
    The frozen apple skins have just enough meat on them to taste delicious and do not have to be treated with any lemon or lime juice to retain their color. 

   Many times an apple will be my dessert for lunch and I always freeze the skins and then cut slices off the bare apple. The other day, my apple was so big, I was too full to finish the meat closest to the core. What to do?

What to do? Make a mini apple crisp appetizer, was the answer.  I cut all the meat off as close to the core as possible and cut the pieces into thick squares. Then I spread them with peanut butter and dipped the peanut butter side into honey nut granola. Lastly, I sprinkled them with honey. They were a delicious dessert served cold and even better when warmed in the microwave. 

   Now I can get the benefits of eating an apple a day without boredom. I think my favorite is the frozen apple chips, however. All the nutrients and a refreshing treat on a hot summer day. This is how to enjoy apples in the company of food.