I've been right here all along

Where've I been? Right here for the most part.

But we had a visitor for two weeks. My friend Margaret, from northern England, arrived June 6 for a two-week visit with us.

When she asked me last December if we were up for a houseguest for two solid weeks, I was apprehensive, to say the least. I've had overnight guests, and guests of a few days, but two weeks??

I wasn't sure I could handle it. Ken and I lead a rather quiet life, and I certainly enjoy my daily routines. I wasn't sure I'd be able to handle having all of that disrupted.

As it turned out, I needn't have worried. Margaret was a wonderful guest to have in one's home. She made no demands, was up for whatever we suggested, and truly appreciated her "trip of a lifetime," as she called it.

We took her to Bailey and Orr's Islands (in the top two photos).

To the Maine Fiber Frolic in Windsor. Margaret's a knitter, just as I am, so our day at the Fiber Frolic was a highlight of her stay for both of us.

To Perkins Cove in Ogunquit

To Nubble Lighthouse in York

To MANY yarn shops. In fact, I gave Margaret a spare tote for her trip home. Her suitcase was full of yarn, so the tote held the clothes she'd brought with her.

To Portland Head Light

For a ride in Ken's Model A

To Boston for a land tour AND a boat tour

 I taught her the tricky kitchener stitch for finishing off the toe of a sock. I was quite proud of myself for this, I must admit, since I've been knitting for only nine years; Margaret has knitted since she was five years old. She can still knit two socks to my one, though, so she's the more experienced and faster knitter.

We went to Camden for a day and enjoyed lobster rolls and clam chowder at Cappy's Chowder House.

We drove up to Bridgton, Ken's home town, to show her the beauty of Hio Ridge, then on to North Conway, NH, and into the White Mountains.

Here Margaret and I are on Cathedral Ledge, North Conway.

The final day of Margaret's visit came much too soon. Here Ken highlights for her on a Maine map the various places we visited during her stay.

We had few language difficulties. There was that one time when I was discussing "cowls" and didn't realize Margaret was discussing "owls" until we were well into the discussion. I segued to "owls" and the conversation was a success.

It was hard to say goodbye to Margaret. She cried; I cried. The two weeks went by much too quickly.

My love affair... with cast iron

I attended a lovely bridal shower recently. The
bride-to-be received everything a modern-day bride wants: beautiful linens, pretty china,.... But imagine my surprise when she unwrapped a cast-iron skillet!

I don't mean the gift was not wonderful, because it was. I mean I didn't suppose anyone would think, in this day and age, to give such a practical and useful gift.

I've been using my cast-iron skillets and a Dutch oven since I was married in 1970. The large skillet was a wedding gift, in fact. I don't remember where I got the other pieces. As I wrote in my last post, I'm now the proud owner of TWO Dutch ovens, so I feel especially rich.

The first thing a cast-iron cookware owner must do after bringing the new beauty home is SEASON it. It's critical to season cast iron. You can find directions for seasoning and explanations of why this is necessary on many websites. I used this site when I seasoned my "new" old Dutch oven last week, and I seasoned my old-old Dutch oven at the same time, for good measure. I rubbed canola oil over the pots, inside and out, placed them upside down in a 350°f oven, and let them season-away happily for one hour. Then I shut off the oven but left the pots inside to cool as the oven cooled. (My old Dutch oven hasn't aged a bit in the last 44 years. Wish I could say the same for the cook.)

Sources differ on how to keep your cast iron clean, but I follow the "no soap" and "no soaking" school of thought. Once the item has been used, I rinse it, shake salt in it, grab a paper towel, and remove all the food residue. I then rinse it again, dry it, and set it on my stove top to totally air dry. Cast iron pots with lids should be stored with the lid OFF. If moisture gets inside, rust will form. The rust isn't harmful, and it can easily be removed, but it looks as if the cast-iron treasure is being neglected. (If not using soap to clean the cast-iron bothers you, consider this: Ken and I have been married 44 years this summer and haven't died yet.)

Why use cast iron cookware? It heats evenly, it holds the heat unbelievably well, and this probably sounds crazy, but to me, the food tastes better after being cooked in cast iron. I remember my English department chairman, a lovely lady, telling me when I was a new bride that cast iron is healthier to cook with than stainless steel. I don't know if this is true or not, but it does make sense to me that the cast iron imparts a little much-needed iron to one's system, keeping the blood's iron at a healthy level.

So, the big question: What does one cook/bake in a cast-iron pot or skillet?

Bacon and eggs, of course. Bacon, eggs, and homefries. Omelets. Back in our camping days, when Ken and I took a trip each summer to Prince Edward Island or Nova Scotia, Quebec, or Vermont,...or even from Maine to British Columbia a couple of times, the Dutch oven went along with us for delicious early-morning breakfasts over an open fire. I feel nostalgic just mentioning this memory.

When I make chicken cacciatore, I absolutely must make it in my Dutch oven. As I said before, food cooked in a cast-iron pot tastes better. I make spaghetti sauce in it, too.

Recently I discovered the recipe for possibly the best bread on earth, the Crusty Bread. I bake it in my Dutch oven, 1/2 hour with the cover on, 15 minutes with the cover off. It's an artisan bread that will make your dinner guests swoon and beg for more. (If by chance you have any bread left over, it makes delicious toast the next day. Don't plan on having any left over, though.) I wrote a post about this bread a few months ago. If you're interested, it's here somewhere and worth the search.

So that's the story of my love affair with cast iron. I'm hope the new bride joining our family this summer will enjoy her cast-iron skillet as much as I enjoy mine. I think she will.