Okay, so here is an update on the cookbook journey Jason and I are undertaking. We’ve decided to one cookbook a month. This will ensure that we don’t just try one recipe and make a judgement on the whole book. Our first choice to start in is the Dutch Oven cookbook. We picked this up last year on our way to Nashville.   We went up in July and of course I was very pregnant at that point and had to stop a couple of times on the trip to walk around, use the bathroom, and well etc.  On I-24, just off of the South Pittsburgh exit there is a Lodge Outlet store.  Both Jason and I wanted to try to find it and see what we would discover.  We really do love our cast iron.  (Ask us about The Hammer sometime.)  So we find the store and we were impressed by the quantity and variety of cast iron they had.  In fact they even had a wok.  Seriously?  A cast iron wok?  This thing was so heavy, but it would be a great heat conducter.  I want it just because.  Anyway this is where we found the Dutch Oven Cookbook.

Our first recipe was Yukon Gold Potatoe and Leek Soup.   I ended up making a double recipe, so we could freeze some to have later.  Overall we liked the soup, and after a day in the fridge it tasted a little better.   Even with the comingling of flavors we would do some tweaking of the recipe.  For example the leeks are sauted in olive oil.  Better would be leeks sauted in butter and bacon grease.  (sorry Mom, but it really would taste yummy)  We would also add some more salt and pepper to the mix.  We might even add some crisp bacon as a finish just before serving.  Admit it, bacon just makes a lot of things better.

This cookbook has a huge variety to recipes, so look back to see what we make next.