Reasons to Use Cast Iron Pans

(My favorite cast iron pans)
This past year I was looking to replace some of my non stick pans. While I use mostly cast iron I do still have some non-stick pans. Non-stick pans have been known to cause problems. Many of you may have heard that you needed to be careful using non-stick pans in households with birds as they give off a gas that can cause birds to die. Canary in the coal mine, anyone?
When I decided to replace non-stick pans I turned to cast iron. I had several already, and I must admit they are my favorite skillets. Still not sure why I had that pan In the picture above, never mind used it way past its prime
Cast Iron once well seasoned are such a kitchen essential, that I often give cast iron pans at wedding showers. Everyone needs to have at least one in their house.
Why should you use Cast Iron?

1. Properly cared for they last forever. I do not have any that belonged to my grandmother, but some of my have belonged to someone’s grandmother.
2. They are fairly inexpensive, yes you can pay a lot for a fancy enamel coated one from France, but you can also find them at yard sales and in flea markets for as little as $1. Yes, I have found them for that price.
3. They are easy to clean up – you can’t wash them in the dishwasher but you don’t want to either, as they will absorb soap and detergent. To clean them simply scrub with a stiff brush and some water.
4. Using cast iron may be more energy efficient, since cast iron retains heat you may not have to cook for as long.  I can attest to this as I have a vintage (1960’s) cast iron stove, while it takes longer to heat up it stays hot longer than a new or stainless steel oven.
5. Well seasoned, a cast iron pan is as non-stick as any Teflon coated pan.
6. Cast Iron is perfect for cooking outside, whether over an open fire, such as camping or on the grill. I once roasted a Thanksgiving turkey this way.
7. Cooking with cast iron can help boost your iron levels, especially when you cook acidic foods like tomatoes.
8. You may be able to cook with less oil, because cast iron are non stick..
9. There are no adverse effects to cooking with cast iron, unlike Teflon that can give off harmful gases, cast iron is toxin free.
10. Most cast iron sold in the United States is made here (80%) by Lodge Logic.

I have slowly been replacing all my pans, but I am still looking for some sauce pans. Do you use cast iron pans? Do you have a favorite one?

this post has been shared at Frugal Days Sustainable Ways

On the Third Day

On The Third Day He Rose from the Dead.


Have a blessed Easter!

Getting the Most out of Easter

When I say Easter do you think of this ?
(Peanut at 9 months)

or do you think of this?

So often in our culture we put the emphasis on the worldly, the material. In the case of Easter it would be the basket, the bunny the new clothes and the food.  There is nothing inherently wrong with these traditions but how do we shift the focus and celebrate Easter the HOLY Day instead of Easter the Holiday?

• Make attending mass or church together as a family the priority. That means the whole family, not just mom while the kids stay home because they are hyped up on candy. 
• Mass comes before the baskets, many families wake up to the Easter baskets. We started right from the beginning with Mass first. While we were at mass the Easter Bunny would drop off the baskets for the kids to find.  At our house the Easter Bunny drops off the goodies and Mom (me) reuses the baskets filling them and hiding them.
• Keep the TV off on Easter, send the kids outside to play, weather permitting.
• Make Resurrection Cookies – best done on Holy Saturday before.
• Take the Bunny out of the basket. Some churches have the tradition of Blessing Easter Baskets, this does not refer to the the candy baskets but rather a basket of food preparing Easter Dinner. Instead of chocolate bunnies in the basket include a lamb or crosses.

Now it is your turn. How do YOU put the emphasis on Christ in Easter and not the bunny?

Experience Stations of the Cross for Kids

this picture was taken by dh at a Living Stations of the Cross several years ago.

One of my most indelible memories of Lent growing is Stations of the Cross.  We not only attended regularly during Lent, most Friday’s growing up, and definitely on Good Friday, but we also attending special Stations of the Cross events that had us traversing across cities and towns. I remember going to one Stations of the Cross where the priests carried a very large cross from station to station. I also remember attending regularly on Fridays during Lent. What makes these events so memorable is that I attended these when I was young, the same ages as my kids.
When Deacon G and I started having kids, we found ways to take the kids to stations of the cross, Outside Stations are a great option for children especially on Good Friday, where many places do the stations at 3pm, usually a good time for little ones. Outdoor Stations of the Cross are great for little kids, as they are not as confined, they can “wander” a little bit more. Outside stations are more mobile too. Since you move from station to station you are not staying in a pew.
If you are lucky enough to have a living stations of the cross near by I recommend going. One of the Parishes in the big city here does a very dramatic Stations of the Cross, complete with horses. The photo above is from when Deacon G attended with our oldest one year. As I was looking through these pictures, my youngest said “that is soo cool, Can WE go this year?”. I don’t recommend living stations for all ages, because it can be graphic, but apparently my 7 year thinks he is ready.
Some Resources for Stations of the Cross and Children
Printable Stations of the Cross at Catholic Icing
Children's Prayer Stations of the Cross
Catholic Mom - Kid's Stations
I do hope you will consider attending Stations of the Cross this Good Friday with your family.  PS. You certainly don’t have to be Catholic to participate, experience or learn from going to the Stations of the Cross. Don’t worry that your child is too young to get much out of Stations, they will get something out of it. Even the youngest child will pick up on the tone and understand that people were said or that Jesus suffered.
As for my family we will be attending the traditional Good Friday Stations of the Cross at 3pm. Come join us if you are local. I would love to see you there.

The Jelly Bean Prayer

 (I am not a fan of Jelly Beans, never liked them but I know many of you do thought this would be cute to use with kids for Easter)
RED is for the blood He gave.
GREEN is for the grass He made.
YELLOW is for the sun so bright.
ORANGE is for the edge of night.
BLACK is for the sins we made.
WHITE is for the grace He gave.
PURPLE is for HIS hour of sorrow.
PINK is for our new tomorrow.
A bag full of Jelly Beans, colorful and sweet. is a prayer, is a promise, is a friend's small treat.

1 Year Blogaversary

Well another date has sneaked up on me. I started Granola Catholic one year ago today. I was thinking it was more like April 15 but my very first blog post was April 3, 2011.  You can read my first blog post here. You may be wondering how an important milestone in my blogging could sneak up on me.  Seriously I thought my blogaversary was April 15th. I know that is tax day.
I never realized how much writing for an audience would change me, mostly for the best. First of all I wasn’t even sure if people would be interested in what I was, but I thought there would be an audience. One year later and I am proud to say that I have more people reading this that I do not know personally. Though some I feel I have gotten to know in the last year.
I  originally thought about doing a personal blog a couple of years ago. but really it was Father Kirby who urged me to write about so much more. He was positive that I had an audience.  I guess he was right.
Along the way I have been inspired by some bloggers.

• Kitchen Stewardship – Katy is a Catholic mom who does her best to cook real food for her family
• Minimalist Mom – I have been working to simplify our lives now for about 5 years, I used to think if I was more organized, but you can’t organize a cluttered house and schedule.
• Balancing Beauty with Bedlam – The name says it all – doesn’t it – a Frugalista after my own heart
• Sorta Crunchy – another Oklahoma Mom with a love of things crunchy, frugal and peaceful
• The Nourishing Gourmet – for my inner foodie
• Food Renegade – for the healthy food in me
• Crunchy Betty – for “food on my face” and other Natural Beauty tricks

Along the Way I have “met” some new blogging friends. Look through the comments you are bound to see some of them there.

•  House Unseen 
• I Thought I Knew Mama -
• Good Girl Gone Green
• Working to Be Worthy
• The Peaceful Housewife
• Retro Housewife Goes Green

I wish I could say I had a plan on where this blog is going but I don’t know where it will take me, only time will tell. It has come much further than I thought it would when I started, and I would like say that I am so happy you have joined me on this adventure.

Make Your Own Natural Bug Spray

Did you know that the main ingredients in most commercial bug sprays and repellents, Deet, is a neurotoxin and is harmful to the brain. Yup you read that right, harmful to our brains. If you do use deet it is recommended that the bug spray not be applied to the skin, but rather to the clothes.  I have never been a fan of deet before and avoid bug sprays for my family and myself, lucky for us we don’t get many bites these days. Something about a good diet makes you a bad target.
For years I have sworn off bug repellants of all sorts. I have instead incorporated plants into the landscape that help to repel the bugs. This works well when we are at home, but now that kids are old enough to go off to camp they need something to take with them.
Last week I wrote about natural methods to combat fleas and ticks on pets, many of the same methods used on our pets can be used on us; diet, essential oils and vigilance.
Making your own bug spray is not that hard. It is just as easy as making your own cleaners. My favorite bug sprays are easy to make. You can take some of your favorite essential oils and combine them in a spray bottle for a safe and easy effective bug spray.
In an opaque spray bottle combine

• fill about 1/2 full with distilled or boiled water
• fill almost to top with witch hazel
• add 20-30 drops of essential oils of any of the following essential oils: rosemary, lemon eucalyptus, citronella, clove, lavender or tea tree oil.  – The more oils you use the stronger the spray will be

  It took me longer to write this than it did to mix it up . Do you have a favorite remedy for repelling bugs?

This post is linked up to Frugal Days Sustainable Ways, Wildcrafting Wednesday, Your Green Resource