Great Grandmother's Kitchen

I usually talk about very women-oriented stuff on here...today is an exception.

One of my favorite sites these days is The Art of Manliness.   No, it's not geared towards me, by any stretch of the imagination.  Instead, this site generates a feeling that is the online equivalent of the now extinct Men's Lodge,
the place everyone who could afford to used to spend a night or two a week once the Industrial Revolution sharply divided men's and women's roles, leading men off to work outside of the home, and leaving women to clean, take care of the children, and make doilies.

This site, though, is not negative or misogynistic in tone. Instead, it focuses on the positive aspects of men in the past few generations, encouraging men to be mature, well-read, and considerate, with a sense of humor and love of the vintage.  I often find the articles entertaining(particularly to my Steampunk sensibilities),  and much of the information is useful to anyone:  tips on car care, and how to find a real barber for my husband have been invaluable.

So what does the Manly Bachelor eat?  Some excellent one-skillet meals.  This post seriously made my day.  It feeds my love-affair with my cast-iron cookware (a post for another day), and provides several easy, healthy meals for one or two people.    Just take a look at this:

Roasted Salmon with Sliced Sweet Potatoes and Asparagus – when preparing entire meals in one skillet, it’s important to utilize different techniques and divide ingredients amongst the surface. In this recipe, we will begin by utilizing the entire surface of the skillet to cook the potatoes. As we add more ingredients, we divide each area of the pan until we finally have 3 distinct cooking areas for each ingredient. This entire dish is cooked in the oven, adding our ingredients at different intervals to ensure each item is cooked appropriately. Pair with Pale Ale (Beer) or Zinfandel (Wine).

1 Sweet Potato, diced into ½ inch cubes
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Fresh Cracked Pepper
1 8 oz Salmon Filet
1 Handful Fresh Asparagus, stem removed, sliced in half
½ Lemon, juiced

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lay out diced potatoes into single layer in the cast iron skillet. Drizzle with oil and season potatoes with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper; toss to coat evenly. Add skillet to oven and roast potatoes 20 – 25 minutes. Meanwhile, coat the salmon filet and asparagus in a thin layer of remaining olive oil and season lightly with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Remove skillet from oven, push potatoes to one side and add salmon filet, flesh side down to the surface of the skillet. Return skillet to oven and roast 3 – 4 minutes. Remove skillet from oven, flip salmon filet, and place to the side to create room for asparagus. Add asparagus to the skillet and drizzle the juice of ½ lemon over the asparagus and salmon filet. Return to oven and roast for another 5 – 7 minutes, or until asparagus is tender and salmon is cooked through. Remove entire skillet from oven and plate. Serve.

Is your mouth watering yet?  I know mine is. Just wait until you see the roasted Chicken Breast with Tomatoes and White Beans, or the simple Shrimp and Chorizo Paella.  Personally...this is a post I'd leave somewhere my husband will see it.