Miss Kay's Duck Commander Kitchen (2 page)

Cast-Iron Skillet

For most of my recipes, I use a cast-iron skillet or cast-iron Dutch oven. This is how I learned to cook, so of course I think it’s the best. In our earliest colonial days, the cast-iron skillet was used because modern stoves hadn’t been invented. Entire meals were cooked in cast-iron pots. The pots needed to be hung over a fire, so they had a handle, or just stood in the fire on legs. After modern stoves came into use, the legs came off and other types of handles were added. These days, cast iron can be bought preseasoned, which means it’s ready for use. If a skillet isn’t preseasoned, seasoning it is essential.

Seasoning is the process of treating the surface of a cast-iron skillet so your food won’t stick and your skillet won’t rust. Seasoning is done by applying a thin layer of oil and then heating the skillet. I’m going to quickly tell you how it’s done. First, you should wash and thoroughly dry your pan. Then coat it inside and out with any cooking oil. Don’t forget the lid and outside of the pot. Next, put the skillet in the oven and heat it at 300°F for about 30 minutes or at 200°F for 2 to 3 hours. Let it cool to room
temperature while in the oven, then repeat the process three or four times. Your skillet will now be ready for all these delicious recipes. Be sure to thoroughly dry your skillet and spray it with cooking spray or oil after each use.

I love cast iron because it heats up quickly and distributes heat more evenly than other cookware materials. You can use it on top of the stove or in the oven. And it can be used for quick frying or slow cooking. At one point in American history, cast iron was considered part of a woman’s dowry. Well, I didn’t come with cast iron, but I sure learned how to use it and love it. I hope you do, too!

1.

Cooking for Phil

We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout.

—June Carter Cash

Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ’s love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. And that is how husbands ought to love their wives. They’re really doing themselves a favor—since they’re already “one” in marriage.

—Ephesians 5:28,
The Message

Phil’s Favorite Recipes

Pork & Chicken Chow Mein

Pecan Pie

Chocolate Pie

Swiss Steak & Sautéed Mushrooms

Egg Custard Pie

Red & Green Fruit Salad

Fried Round Steak & White Sauce

Pinto Beans & Sausage

Cheesy Corn Casserole

Phil’s Famous Pralines

Turnip Greens, Fried Chicken, & Gravy

One day, when we were first married, I had gotten a mess of turnip greens and really didn’t know what to do with them. I did figure they had to be washed, so I rinsed them off and threw them in a pot to boil. Later that night Phil came in the kitchen, took the lid off the greens, and chomped down a big bite. His face looked a little odd. Then he said, “Did you add sugar to the greens?” I said no. He looked down in the pot, then looked at me with another odd look and said, “How many times did you rinse them?” I said, “Once.” He calmly put the lid back on the greens and just said, “Dirt.” I didn’t know that turnips greens had to be washed over and over again to get the dirt out. Apparently Phil did.

We’ve come a long way in our forty-plus years of marriage. This picture was taken in 1969, when Phil had just graduated from college.

Another time I was so excited to cook some chicken and gravy for my hungry man. In those days, you didn’t buy chickens all cut up in nice pieces; you had to do that yourself. No one had ever given me a cutting lesson, so I got that whole chicken and cut and cut. Phil said it was so hacked up he didn’t know what part was what. That might not have been so bad if it wasn’t for the gravy that was intended to cover it up. Somehow I got the amounts mixed up and added more flour and less water than was supposed to be mixed together. That gravy looked more like
brown custard than it did gravy.

We love getting our big family together. Just after we took this photo, the kids ran to the swings and the adults sat around and talked. Even a photo shoot can be fun!

These stories are two of the many that we have laughed at when we remember our early years of marriage. Neither one of us was perfect then, nor are we now. Many times young people get confused, thinking they can find the “perfect” mate. I want you to know that “perfect” people don’t exist. I married Phil when I was sixteen, which was young to marry even for the 1960s, when the average marrying age was around twenty. Marrying that young is not something I would ever recommend, but I do know this: marriage isn’t about finding the perfect person and then settling down for the perfect life. It’s about living up to a commitment you made and learning to love the person you are committed to.

Trust me, we have been through some hard times, worse times than bad gravy on chopped-up chicken and dirty turnip greens. But we stuck together and are so proud of the family we have now. We have four incredible sons, four loving daughters-in-law, fourteen God-honoring grandchildren, and two beautiful great-granddaughters—all because we chose to stay together and love each other.

Pork & Chicken Chow Mein

Makes 6 to 8 servings • Large skillet with a lid

¹
/
₄
cup vegetable oil

4 boneless pork chops (about 1 pound), cut in small pieces

1 bi-pack can (42 ounces) chicken chow mein dinner

1 can (28 ounces) chop suey vegetables

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons teriyaki marinade and sauce

Just Right White Rice
, for serving

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and brown the pork pieces.

2. Stir in the chow mein, vegetables, soy sauce, and teriyaki marinade. Put the lid on and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the pork is cooked through and the vegetables are hot.

3. Serve over rice.