Tamale Bake, An Introduction to Cast Iron

   About 6 months ago my mother-in-law to be gave me a 10" old cast iron skillet. I had never used one before. I have to admit I was a little intimidated by it. No one in my family used cast iron. So I did a little research and re seasoned it.
   Now I am hooked. I look everywhere for recipes that exclusively use cast iron. I cook everything in it that I possibly can. If you haven't tried using cast iron yet please do! It's cheap, and will last you at least a lifetime. Yes, you will have to give it a little more love and care than some of your other pans but it is so worth it.

   Once you have acquired your cast iron you should season it. I would even season it if it says that it has been pre seasoned. You will want to preheat your oven to 350 degrees and place either some aluminum foil on the bottom rack or a large cookie sheet. This is to catch any dripping oil.
  Next, take one potato and slice it in half. Take some coarse salt, I use sea salt, and put about 2tbs into the pan. Grab one of the potato halves and scrub the pan with the salt. Especially if this is a dirty pan that you are re seasoning, you'll want to dump out the salt and repeat.
   Dump out all of the salt.
   Pour about 1tbs of oil into the pan. I use Vegetable but I suppose you could use just about any oil. Rub the oil all over the inside of the pan.You want just a light coating of oil.
   Last, place the pan upside down in the oven for 1 hour or so. I typically don't leave mine in for that long, I usually pull mine out after about 30 minutes. Make sure there's no excess oil, if there is just wipe it with a paper towel.

   This is a great beginner recipe for someone getting acclimated to their cast iron skillet, or someone who is new to cooking. It'll require a seasoned 10" skillet.

Tamale Bake

Yields about 6 servings

1 tbs Olive Oil
1 pound lean ground beef (make sure it is lean or you'll have soupy tamale bake)
1 1/4 cup chopped  sweet yellow onion
1 whole jalapeno, seeded and finely minced
1 can of diced tomatoes, unseasoned and drained
1/4 cup good ketchup
1 tbs organic apple cider vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tbs chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 1/2 cups shredded mexican cheese
1 (8-ounce) package of corn muffin mix, I used Jiffy
1/2 cup whole buttermilk
1 large egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In your 10" skillet heat the olive oil over a medium high heat. Add the ground beef stirring occasionally until browned (no red).
Add the onion and jalapeno. Cook until softened.
Stir in the canned tomato, ketchup, mustard, vinegar, and spices. Bring to a simmer for one minute, then remove from heat and sprinkle with 1 cup of your cheese. I try to make sure that the cheese is at least covering the whole top, it may take a sprinkle or two more than 1 cup.
In a bowl, combine the muffin mix, egg, and buttermilk. Mix until there are no more lumps. I like to use a good fork.
Pour the batter over the ground beef mixture.
Sprinkle your remaining cheese over the top.
Bake for approximately 15 minutes, until golden brown.