Prepared for Open Fire Cooking

We have a chain store Ollie's selling new or reconditioned new factory items. You know, the stuff new returned due to defects that gets repaired or Martha Steward stuff that is so hard to use cause it's last years style. To save on returns you do need to look things over more than twice. Yesterday Oneson got new towels and wash clothes, has some that are fine but think he may be treating himself with some new found self love. He bought fantastic thick sets, dark burnt red-orange that won't need bleaching. Washed and dried they are still original color devoid lots of lint. Didn't look till finished to find ya they were Martha's quality stuff at 5.50 a set for the huge size bath size. (always washed things first, but these days do it and use dryer due to the bed bug problem coming out of warehouses)

We must of had burnt oranges on our mind as I found a Paula Dean ceramic coated cast iron baking casserole with lid and matching Perk Coffee Pot, both are shaded med. burnt-orange with black-brown speckles, like antique spatter ware. Purchased to use on grill or open fire, coffee pot is non- electric. Wanted one for years now, old one long gone and all they offered was aluminium. This is ceramic coated inside and out for $14, and the cast iron casserole is so heavy you can barely pick it up only $39...I can see how the color wasn't every ones favorite, but it's fantastic 1960's retro when we had orange and green kitchens, this is a current product perfect for outdoor cooking as it may blacken a bit from open flame. Oneson took all our camping stuff when he originally left the nest, using it well over the years with horse camping, so some got lost some just needs replacing. New cast iron made in China is a waste as it doesn't season like old USA cast iron it's to porous. Think we may have to hit antique shops for old ones as with work they season back to new. Oneson has a prized large frying pan that I'm not to touch. Thinking also of making a second trip to pick up other style pans as ceramic if used with care cleans easy. Their is a round griddle perfect for eggs or pancakes which is even better than the cast as it's easy cleaning. Most of what they offer these days is nonstick pots and pans which are dangerous to our health, did you know that? The non-stick surface is constantly leaching toxins into food and eventually chips from scratches get into food. We've changed up to heavy Stainless Steel for cookware on the indoor range. Extra work cleaning or not, our body is worth the non-toxins. It cleans like new if you occasionally polish it with the cleaner they use for wood stove glass doors. Figure if the electric goes out again we now have the ability to cook on an open camp fire without destroying less sturdy household equipment with handles that burn. Since we are getting more rain from the gulf storm we may be camping out as some of the neighbors don't yet have electric from our hurricane last week end, who knows how stable it is with the ground so soaked.

Actually the wood fire food product is much better than the gas grill which is no different than cooking on gas stove inside except the work is done outside. People in all their new fan-dangled invention efforts destroyed the whole object of cooking outside when they eliminated the open wood fire. It has a taste like no gas grill can give you, even though there is extra cleaning of utensils there is no stove counter or other kitchen work to the clean up.......it's a perfect exchange.