Thanksgiving and a Restoration

There are a thousand tutorials on how to restore old cast iron

so I won't bore you with the how-to's of it.

But. . . 

I did want to share.

You might already be aware that 90% of my cooking arsenal

is cast iron or terra cotta.

Love them both!

For the longest time, I had what I called "a stew pot," of cast iron,

but I really wanted a true Dutch oven.

I wasn't really impressed with the poor quality or the high price

 of the new ones available in stores.

My mother-in-law is just awesome.

She likes to go to yard sales etc.

so I let her know a couple years ago that I would like one.

Not long ago, she sent me the following picture

with a message that read "$25 ???"

I said "YES!"

Brought it home, hubby took the wire wheel to it,

then I scrubbed and seasoned it.

And the results~

Oh but there is more :-)

It wasn't evident in it's rusted state,

but after cleaning it up,

we saw that it had one of our family names

 that is not entirely common

engraved on both the lid handle and bottom of the pot.

That makes it even more special.

MIL is going to go back over and ask about where they got it

as she kinda knows who the folks are who had the yard sale.

Until she finds out for certain,

we will be left to wonder.

I've not had a chance to use it yet,

but oh I will.

I am just thrilled to have it at hand.

Also, I wanted to wish each of you a very

happy Thanksgiving.

I hope you find the day enjoyable and are able

to give thanks for the many blessings received.

We are taught that we should be thankful not only for our easy times

but for our trials as well.

I know first hand how difficult that can be.

But, if that Dutch oven could feel & speak,

I have a feeling it would have known even in the rusted state

 what it was made of

regardless of what was present on the outside.

Because life isn't pretty at the moment,

doesn't mean it won't be beautiful 

in what is yet to come.

And yes, I see cast iron as a thing of beauty😊

If life is trying for you right now,

I would like to wish you even a greater blessing

in that there is beauty yet to come.

Happy Thanksgiving dear friends.

Six Bean Soup Mix

This is really a Gift in a Jar idea.

The thing is that it can be a gift 

for someone else or for yourself.

I like to make up three or four at a time

for our own use.

These are wonderful both to give and to receive.

It's something that saves time

and can be used up.

Six-Bean Soup Mix

1/2 cup each (dried):

red beans

navy beans

pinto beans

lima beans

kidney beans

Great Northern beans

Then in a small zip-lock bag:

2 bay leaves

2 Tbl. dried minced onion

1 Tbl. dried parsley

1 tsp. dried minced garlic

1 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

And on top:

1 beef bouillon cube

1 vegetable bouillon cube 

Then for cooking:

1 can diced tomatoes

1-2 lbs. cubed ham, bacon, or sausage

To cook, remove seasoning packet & bouillon cubes.

Place beans in large pot with seven or eight cups water.

Let soak overnight.

Bring beans to a boil - let boil 2-3 min.

Remove from heat and let sit 15-20 min.

Pour off water.

Add 5-6 cups water, spices, bouillon, diced tomatos, and meat.

Now you can either bring it to a boil then reduce heat

and simmer for an hour and a half to two hours,

or my favorite...

Put it all in a crock pot or Dutch oven with low heat and leave it alone

until dinner time.

This is one of the ways I use up left-over ham.

Mr. LB loves it and even likes to have them reheated for a second meal.

Until next time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches