Cast Iron For Life

by jenna on January 4, 2010

Hey guys :)

Hope y’all had a good Monday. I had a great afternoon of girl talk over soy awake tea lattes with Kelly!

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Girlfriends are the best, aren’t they?! Whenever we get together we talk non-stop and then look at our watches and realize it’s been, like, three hours. That’s the mark of a good friendship!
For a snack after tea, I had a half cup of TJ’s yogurt with Kashi:

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Got some work done this afternoon and then for dinner I got creative.

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Technically, yes I do own a microwave…..BUT it’s in my garage because it really doesn’t fit in my kitchen and I never use it because it’s a pain to haul in the house. And why microwave when you can do pretty much anything in a cast iron??! Tonight I heated up some frozen broccoli and edamame in the good ol’ skillet and then added some shrimp and some TJ’s harvest blend quinoa (LOVE that stuff). I then tossed the whole concoction with some delicious sauces I found in zee fridge:

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To produce:

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Twas lovely. Really. And oh so healthy, too!
However, after said healthy dinner my sweet tooth really started talking to me and I ended up going to Yogurt Time and getting this bad boy:

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Un-freakin-believable. I went to town. This was mint frozen yogurt with (get ready) a little bit of oreo, chocolate chips, graham cracker crumbs and (here it comes) CARAMEL SAUCE! I am 100% a caramel sauce girl. I love chocolate like none other but when it comes to sauce on my ice cream, I go caramel all the way. This reminded me of my favorite collegiate treat of TCBY white chocolate mousse froyo with caramel sauce on top. We had a drive through TCBY in Tuscaloosa and it became an addiction.
I thought the contents of my fridge were funny so I decided to photograph them for you.
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Don’t you love the randomness of my million lemons, ultimate burn hot sauce (this is the hot sauce I acquired from the legendary “let’s get hot and sauced party” at Adam and Rocky’s house), sourdough starter and piece of ginger? I need to make something lemony tomorrow for sure. Good times.
I keep procrastinating but I need to write my Health.com article tonight still.
Goodnight!

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{ 61 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Karmen @ Fit Twentysix January 4, 2010 at 8:41 pm

Mmm cast iron cooks it all =) That frozen yogurt looks amazing! Great. Now I’m gonna go to bed dreaming of yummy frozen yogurt lol.

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2 Kara (@Kara's Marathon) January 4, 2010 at 8:48 pm

I need to get a cast iron skillet! It is the one essential kitchen item missing from our place :(

Also, white chocolate mousse was my fave TCBY flavor back in the day! Haven’t seen one of those around in years…

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3 Anna January 4, 2010 at 9:00 pm

I can’t imagine a world without Starbx soy awake tea lattes!!!!

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4 Mama Pea January 4, 2010 at 9:04 pm

Your hot sauce is scandalous. Sexist, yet entertaining :)

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5 Rosey Rebecca January 4, 2010 at 9:05 pm

Your dinner looks wonderful! And your fridge is hilarious! Why do you have all of those lemons? That hot sauce sounds awesome!

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6 Cynthia (It All Changes) January 4, 2010 at 9:06 pm

I love those conversations. Those conversations are always the best.

I have randomness in my fridge too. Right now I have tofu, apple cider, pitas, greek yogurt and crescent rolls.

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7 Danielle (Coffee Run) January 4, 2010 at 9:06 pm

I think veggies taste so much better out of a skillet than a microwave! And you keep crackers in the fridge? lol does that serve a purpose?

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8 amber January 4, 2010 at 9:08 pm

wow that looks delicious!

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9 skinnyrunner January 4, 2010 at 9:08 pm

i just had caramel flavored frozen yogurt for dessert but your little treat looks much better!

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10 La January 4, 2010 at 9:09 pm

I loooooove seeing inside other people’s refridgerators! Kinda creepy, I know.

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11 Sarah January 4, 2010 at 9:29 pm

Yogurt time is sooo good – I wish we had frozen yogurt like that here – all I’ve found is the tart or soy kind ;(

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12 Heather @ The Joyful Kitchen January 4, 2010 at 9:36 pm

love froyo…SO wish there was a place close by that had some! and who needs a microwave when you can cook on the stove anyway? have a good night writing!

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13 ellen eats beets January 4, 2010 at 9:38 pm

broccoli and hot sauce is the BEST combination. That ultimate burn must be killer!

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14 Hillary @ Nutrition Nut on the Run January 4, 2010 at 10:16 pm

I’m curious & jealous of how many friends you’ve made since you’ve been in CA. I know you’re outgoing & bubbly, but it seems like you’ve had these friends forever. How do you do it? : )

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15 Karla January 4, 2010 at 10:24 pm

I’ve never had a tea latte. They sound sort of interesting.

Your dinner looks delicious!

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16 Madelin @ What is for breakfast? January 4, 2010 at 10:34 pm

Mmm your dinner looks choice! It is quite funny how many similar items are in my fridge…

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17 Lisa(bakebikeblog) January 4, 2010 at 11:07 pm

ooooh that is one AWESOME looking dinner :)
And I TOO am a complete caramel girl – love it!!!

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18 Tamzin January 5, 2010 at 2:14 am

I love love quinoa its my favorite grain for sure! I’m also loving the look of your yogurt ummmmm mint yum! x

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19 candice January 5, 2010 at 3:03 am

I’m one of the oddballs who actually prefers caramel over chocolate. Like, in anything. I’ll take a sea salt caramel over sea salt dark chocolate any day! :)

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20 Chelsea (Chelsea's Chew and Run Fun) January 5, 2010 at 3:33 am

Cast iron pans are an amazing addition to any kitchen. Meticulously seasoning and coating them is a fun process. Looks like that dinner turned out incredible!

Also, it is (in my book) nearly impossible to go wrong with caramel sauce. Any sweet sauce (chocolate, caramel, etc.) will do.

Glad you had a great time with your friend! I love friendships that involve timeless conversations.

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21 Jessica @ How Sweet It Is January 5, 2010 at 3:41 am

I love my cast iron pan – I used it all the time!!

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22 Whitney @ Lettuce Love January 5, 2010 at 4:08 am

I never use a microwave. The stove is the way to go!

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23 Frogs and Men@ Paris Food Blog January 5, 2010 at 4:10 am

i completely agree with you concerning the microwave. you can do it all with a skillet! and it tastes better!

your dinner looks delicious! i love curry….

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24 Alison January 5, 2010 at 4:44 am

I’m a caramel sauce girl, too.

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25 Paige (Running Around Normal) January 5, 2010 at 4:46 am

That dinner looks delicious! I’ll bet those sauces combined are wonderful.
Holy froyo that looks amazing. You really did go all out. Love it :D

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26 Cassie @ A Very Busy Mind January 5, 2010 at 4:49 am

“let’s get hot and sauced party” – bahahahahahaha! I remember you going to that party, but I must have missed the name of it. Sounds just like a name my friends would come up with (or me? ;) )

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27 Jil January 5, 2010 at 4:55 am

my fridge looks frighteningly similar. hahaha and i love my cast iron!! i need to season it better though — i just haven’t had the time.

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28 amanda January 5, 2010 at 5:04 am

Ohhh wow, I forgot about the white chocolate mousse from TCBY. That was my favorite!!! Also I have the huge container of you lettece, however mine is raw spinach at the moment. Yumm!

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29 Sarah (Running to Slow Things Down) January 5, 2010 at 5:24 am

Girly times are so great! :D Glad you had fun!

I love cast iron skillets! :D

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30 Carolyn January 5, 2010 at 5:34 am

I wish we had a yogurt place closer to us. :(

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31 Niki January 5, 2010 at 5:49 am

Yum! Your froyo looks great! I am definitely a caramel sauce girl too!

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32 Cait (Cait's Plate) January 5, 2010 at 5:49 am

Yeah get on that Health.com article! We’re waiting!! Haha, just kidding. I work for them so I’m allowed to joke about that right??? ;)

I’m so jealous of your frozen yogurt!! Every time I see it I think you’ve picked the best combo of flavors…EVERY TIME. Haha

Have a great day Jenna!

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33 rungirlrunn January 5, 2010 at 5:51 am

I’ve got to try one of those awake lattes…every time I walk into Starbucks the cinnamon dolce lattes just call my name instead :)

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34 Diana @ frontyardfoodie January 5, 2010 at 5:54 am

mmmmm I’m more of a caramel syrup girl myself when it comes down to it. I like chocolate for everything else. Maybe it’s because our chocolate syrup is generally really crappy but you can get good caramel.

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35 Louise January 5, 2010 at 5:55 am

I don’t refrigerate my almond butter because it makes it impossible to spread. What is your secret?

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36 Tracey @ I'm Not Superhuman January 5, 2010 at 6:06 am

The dinner looks great. Yum. I have those same crackers (the cheesy, pumpkin seed ones from Whole Foods) but I don’t store them in the fridge. Is there a reason you do?

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37 Jenny January 5, 2010 at 6:11 am

I really don’t think I could live without my microwave — is that pathetic? Goal for future is to increase my cooking skills with better kitchen utensils, i.e. a cast iron skillet ;)

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38 Rachel January 5, 2010 at 6:30 am

That ice cream looks delish!

I love seeing inside of other people’s refrigerators. I read an article once about an artist or journalist who had taken pictures of like 50 people’s refrigerators & listed them by where they were from & their ages, etcetera. It was cool to see the differences between what some people ate and what others ate. And sometimes a bit scary, haha.

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39 kate January 5, 2010 at 6:36 am

I have to agree that cast iron is the best cookware and everything that comes out of it just tastes so good. Your dinner looked great. Btw, when are you going to put that starter to use? I love sourdough bread, but every time I’ve tried to make my own starter I fail miserably.

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40 Jenny January 5, 2010 at 6:37 am

Good friends are the best, I love long convos that only seem like they last 5 minutes :)

Thanks for sharing the tip about your cast-iron with us. I’m trying to decide on a few kitchen “essentials” to purchase (I’m in dire need of cookware). That looks like a good one!

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41 Brynne January 5, 2010 at 6:44 am

I am DYING for some more froyo places around! New England has not caught up with that amazingness and it’s not fair at all!

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42 Morgan @ Healthy Happy Place January 5, 2010 at 6:45 am

TCBY white choc mousse is my absolute favorite!! what happened to all the TCBY stores anyway? I can only find them at select airports now :)

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43 Anna @ Newlywed, Newly Veg January 5, 2010 at 6:47 am

LOVE white chocolate mousse TCBY. I always got that with the sugar-free fudge sauce. Mmmm…

I SO miss frozen yogurt now. There’s nothing in Altoona in the way of fro yo :-(

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44 Casey @ Spicy&Sweet) January 5, 2010 at 6:47 am

Your dinner looks so yummy! And I LOVE carmel sauce and will probably think about it all day now. :) Happy Tuesday Jenna!

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45 Kati @ Living Well January 5, 2010 at 6:54 am

Your quinoa/veggie dinner looks soo pretty! I need to give quinoa another shot.

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46 lindsay January 5, 2010 at 7:00 am

Your frozen yogurt creation is pretty incred… I’m a caramel sauce girl too :)

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47 katherine January 5, 2010 at 7:18 am

I’m with you – I far prefer caramel sauce to chocolate sauce on ice cream. Of course, I’m happiest if I’ve got some chocolate chips in the mix as well though ;-)

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48 Beth @ DiningAndDishing January 5, 2010 at 7:37 am

I never got into TCBY but that yogurt sounds really great!! Not that I need another addiction in my life :O).
Can’t wait to see what lemon recipe you come up with!

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49 Katharine January 5, 2010 at 7:53 am

Love love love TCBY! They are hard to find these days, too! My fave flavor was a tie between white chocolate mousse and peanut butter. Now my stomach is starting to growl…

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50 Heather (The Single Dish) January 5, 2010 at 7:58 am

I miss TCBY, they went out in my hometown, I used to LOVE that place! Your dinner looks great, might have to try that recipe :)

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51 Anne Marie@New Weigh of Life January 5, 2010 at 8:07 am

Your dinner looks fab!

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52 Naomi (onefitfoodie) January 5, 2010 at 8:10 am

love the sirachi hto sauce! they were doing a special on good morning america on the newest hottest foods fro 2010 and sirachi was one of them! he said we will start seeing it as often as ketchup!

do you keep your dr krackers in the fridge?!?! hmm havent seen that before!

you meals look FANTASTIC!

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53 David January 5, 2010 at 8:20 am

I’m not sure exactly what was all in the dish you made but you were right. It was lovely and looked good too. Thai red curry paste is one of my all time favorites.

Thanks for sharing!

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54 Bethany January 5, 2010 at 8:25 am

I haven’t been reading your blog for very long, so I didn’t realize you went to Alabama. So did I! My friends and I visited that TCBY drive-thru A LOT!!! Roll Tide!! Just a couple of days to the big game!

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55 Ali @ Food, Fitness, Fashion January 5, 2010 at 8:45 am

That dinner looks SO.GOOD! I love your addiction to Hot Sauce. I am the same way!!! It makes everything better!

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56 Tracy January 5, 2010 at 8:58 am

Mmmm Siracha is so yummy…my fiance got me addicted to putting it on every rice dish and eggs!

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57 Amanda @ Cakes and Ale January 5, 2010 at 10:34 am

Do you keep your crackers in the fridge?
Also, thai curry paste pretty much tastes good on anything. I learned how to make a couple different kinds from scratch on a trip to Phuket, Thailand, and it is just like none other!

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58 Lizzie January 5, 2010 at 11:46 am

I just said bye (well, not bye . . more like see you later :) ) to one of my BF’s at the airport – urgh!! Yuck! I miss her heaps already. But we did have a fabulous time together and as she pointed out, we’ll see each other in 6 months and it’s already this year, so not that far away and something to look forward to!

Glad you had a good time with yours :O)

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59 Jenna January 5, 2010 at 12:19 pm

Dinner looks great Jenna!
But I must say your fro yo looks even better!
You are so lucky to have such cool froyo shops in Cali, we don’t have a lot up here in new England!
Jenna

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60 Audrey January 5, 2010 at 6:00 pm

I’m going to try a soy awake tea latte tomorrow! I hope it does as promised and keeps me awake while I read my nursing books!

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61 liane January 5, 2010 at 8:22 pm

I’m very jealous of the frozen yogurt! I don’t have places like that in my town :(

and of course, that is all I can think of now!

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