Brussel Sprouts and Bacon Marmalade

Alot of people are not to keen on there vegetables, nor should i say brussel sprouts.  I love them.  I grew up eating them all the time, you know the ones that were boiled so much they were at times well mush.  Here you can see that i peeled my sprouts.  it is a labor of love but well worth it.  You don't even need to blanch them ahead of time, and they cook up really well, tender and delicious.

Cast Iron Skillets

You know you have a great girlfriend when she tells you that she has a old cast iron skillet at her moms house and does not want it anymore.  I happily accept the cast iron skillet as i do not have one of my own.
It was in good shape, was starting to rust a little, but nothing that i could not tackle.  Once i brought it home i was able to give it a good scrubbing.  Since i was going to re-season it anyways, i could use some dish soap to help me out.  Using my stainless steal scrubby i gave it a good rogering.  Using really hot water i rinsed it off well and made sure all the soap was off of it.  I immediately wiped it dry for fear that it would start to rust right away.
I preset my oven to 400 degrees.  Once the oven was up to temp i put the cast iron pan in for just a few minutes to dry it out really well.  I then applied a good coat of oil to the pan.  Ideally you would want to use some vegetable shortening.  You then put a sheet tray on the bottom rack to catch any grease from spilling, then put the cast iron skillet on the rack above and let it stay in the oven for a good hour.  Turn off oven and let it sit in there and cool off.  This step can be repeated a few times to season your skillet.  Remember do not wash your skillet if you don't have too, wipe it out and or just use a little water if needed.  This will help build the layers of flavors and your well on your way to some great cooking over the next few years.  Have Fun!!!