The Black Skillet

If you do not own a good cast iron skillet then you don't know what you are missing. I like to cook and have always been a fan of gadgets in the kitchen. This meant all the latest greatest , ground breaking technologies in the world of cookware. Things like the MANY variations of non-stick Teflon coatings , ergonomics shapes, oven friendly and on and on and on. Guess what, all of those features existed hundreds of years ago and are still available today in the good ole cast iron skillet. Properly seasoned they are non stick. They are easy to maintain if you know how,mainly is no dishwasher. They last forever, as a matter of fact, the older the better. They are a joy to cook with as they heat evenly and hold heat a long time. Why would you not have at least one??
I know I have only discussed the skillet aspect of the cast iron wonder , but there are so many options when it comes to size and style of cast iron cookware as a whole. You have deep sided fryers, dutch ovens, camp skillets, pots and so much more. These are all items that once you buy you can pass down for many generations. That is , if you educate your family on the usage and benefits of cast iron.This may be the biggest obstacle of all in that we don't cook or share as a family like our past generations. I will not head down the path of fast food and microwaves in this post ,,,but I am warning you its coming.
My challenge to everyone is grab you children , get them in the kitchen and enjoy your cast iron cookware. Share your recipes and techniques with your family and then when the time is right pass on a wonderful piece of history in the way of a well seasoned, great cooking black skillet. -Jeff

Family

After spending a long holiday weekend with my family it made me think about how families functioned in the past.I know that family members have moved away since the beginning of time so the thought of family always living nearby may not be applicable. I do think the core principles should still apply and I will speak along those lines.
I heard a saying the other day and I wanted to pass it along , it went something like this: Being raised in the South meant that every child was taught 3 things, you always go to church, you always say yes/no - sir and mame and you always help your neighbors. How simple a statement yet how profound. If you break it down it makes perfect sense and if applied across the board today , may help this country.
Sorry for going down that rabbit trail but I felt I needed to share .
In dealing with family we can apply a similar principle and that is we should always be there for our family members no matter how close or distant in either relationship or miles. In this day and age we should at least be able to count on family in the case of need. If a family member has a need we should all be able to put aside any differences and come to their aid, no questions asked. Go above and beyond for family should be the rule not the exception. I see so many people devoting time to help strangers either through physical acts or through monetary contributions, but yet ignore the needs of their family members. I don't think the needy public would mind if you decided to help your family first.
A sub point to this is kind of key, communicate with your family. How do  you know if your family members have a need if  you don't communicate?? Today we have so many technologies in which we can communicate there should be no excuse why we wouldn't know if a family member is in need. Yes I am once again pointing the finger at myself. To make it even worse, I work for a communications company. Shame on me........
Everyone should reach out to their family members, share your wealth (knowledge and wisdom), help whenever possible and pass down family stories and heirlooms. Don't let your family heritage die with you. What a waste.      -Jeff