You may be able to chase down the ingredients from that faded and bespattered recipe card, you may be able to talk to relatives that remember seeing it cooked, or maybe you scoured the Internet for countless recipes in an attempt to match the taste of nostalgia. But there’s always something missing, right?

What if I told you that the secret to what you crave lies solely in the vessel it’s cooked in? I’m talking about that gorgeous, seasoned, cast iron skillet that lived on Granny’s stovetop.

Cast iron skillets and cookware have been around for hundreds of years. Ever since the discovery of mixing pig iron and steel to make cookware, people have relied on cast iron to do their best cooking, whether it’s searing steaks, baking bread, or making that pot of stew that signals the start of cooler weather.

No other material holds heat as evenly as cast iron does. No Teflon-coated pan that needs coddling and will start to flake within five years is as nonstick. And not even the most modern, multiple-ply cookware that costs more than your first car can compare to a properly seasoned cast iron skillet. Cast iron cookware is more non-stick, more durable, and better for cooking ANYTHING than that costing double, triple, or even quadruple the price. And while cast iron often gets a bad rap for being heavy or too hard to maintain, when you get past those misconceptions, you’ll find that centuries of cooks just might be on something.

Don’t be scared. Taking care of a cast iron skillet is really quite simple. New skillets come from the factory with a “seasoning” already baked on to it. Seasoning simply refers to the polymerization of fats onto the skillet’s surface, which will continue to happen the more you use the skillet. Each time fat is introduced to the skillet, some will chemically bond to the surface. This increases the skillet’s “non-stickiness” and adds to that deep, dark coloring that is typical of a heirloom piece of cookware just like your grandmother had in her kitchen.

Once Granny used the skillet, she would probably let it cool down slightly before simply rinsing it with warm water. Then she would do is put it back on a hot stove eye to make sure it was completely dry before wiping it down with a small amount of oil or bacon grease to make sure it didn’t rust. And that, my friends, is the secret to making sure that skillet lasts for generations. There is a myth that I feel needs to be dispelled. Adherents of stainless-steel cookware will tell you that you can’t use soap on cast iron. You can, as long as it’s a mild soap. Use a non-abrasive sponge to clean it, but always be sure to thoroughly dry it before applying a light coat of oil to prevent rust.

Rust is cast iron’s enemy. Rust can mean death for cast iron, but usually a rusty skillet can be restored. There are several methods for restoring rusty cast iron that can be found on the Internet, but each comes with their own list of pros and cons. The best way to bring Granny’s skillet back to life is to let a professional handle the process. Using electrolysis [a process in which an electric current is passed through a vat of water in which the cast iron has been suspended to do some complex chemical reacting], the cookware is stripped down to the base metal, removing all the rust that has accumulated. Unfortunately, the electrolysis also removes all the seasoning, so the skillet is coated with a high-smoke-point oil and baked in a 500-degree oven. Once this process is completed several times, the skillet will look just as it did on Granny’s stove and is guaranteed to last for years to come.

If you have cast iron cookware that’s been in your family for as long as you can remember that you would like to use but are unsure of how to start, do a little digging on social media. You’ll be able to find a person or group with all sorts of information to help you on the road to years creating great food and, even better, cooking up memories of your own.

The post Your Granny’s Skillet first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

For years I have been spending upwards of $1600 a month for our family of six, and some months are closer to $2000 (thanks, gas prices and inflation). According to the Motley Fool, food expenses are third in line behind housing and transportation for where Americans spend the most each month. But that isn’t the case for my house. The money we spend on my modest Subaru, my husband’s Jeep, and the gas we use don’t come close to feeding four hungry kids.

(If you’re expecting me to write about coupon clipping and using the same ingredients from meal to meal, that isn’t what I’m sharing. This is about being creative with what you have.)

We hardly ever eat out unless we are out of town, so I can’t even blame that on why our food bills are so high. It all had to do with my grocery shopping habits. I had to do something to stop the bleeding. I think I knew deep down I had the solution all along, but it takes planning to bring those grocery bills down, and I am not a planner.

Here is where I started: the pantry.

Why do I have so many half-open packages of pasta, rice, and beans? And why do I have so many canned goods that I buy every trip thinking I need to have every nook and cranny of my pantry filled. I won’t even get started on all the frozen veggies in my freezer, but here, my friends, is where my solution began.

Breakfast is usually yogurt or toast with peanut butter. Lunches are usually sandwiches, soups, salads… whatever we have on hand plus fruit, chips, and granola bars making their usual appearance in lunchboxes

For dinners, I brainstormed with my husband since he’s the main cook. Together, we came up with ways to make a dent in the pantry.

• Monday
  3 half bags of egg noodles + 4 frozen steaks that were on sale + mushrooms = Beef stroganoff!
• Tuesday
  Buy one get one pork tenderloin deal + rice + can of peas = Roasted pork tenderloin and sides. I got to use a pantry bouillon cube to season the rice. It’s all about using those pantry items.
• Wednesday
  Frozen hot dogs + crescent rolls = pigs in a blanket + mustard (not every meal is gourmet – we being frugal here!). I had some frozen mozzarella sticks I added to the “feast.”
• Thursday
  So many half-full jars of olives + can of garbanzo beans + feta + tomatoes + cucumber + a half bag of frozen chicken = Greek salad with grilled chicken. I made my own salad dressing with red wine vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, and various spices. The kids gobbled this up (well, the oldest only ate the chicken, but three out of four ain’t bad!).
• Friday
  Frozen salmon + quinoa + frozen veggies. Here’s where I got creative. Those frozen veggies needed heeeelp. I found a recipe on Bon Appétit that has you toast panko with spices that you mix with the sautéed veggies in butter right after they are cooked. It took my sad frozen cauliflower and brussels sprouts to another level. Here’s a link: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/skillet-roasted-cauliflower-with-panko (I didn’t have any pine nuts, so I skipped that).
• Saturday
  Any leftovers you have – or whip up a butter noodles or spaghetti and meat sauce. It’s Saturday, and no one felt like preparing a huge meal.
• Sunday
  Eggs + frozen veggies + cheese on hand = veggie soufflé! Soufflés sounds intimidating, but they’re not. And I got to use the bits of feta, parmesan, and mozzarella I had. Is it worthy to be served at Rise? I think decidedly no, but this is a delicious meal, and you will be surprised how easy it is to make and how much you can go through those bits of things in your kitchen. Same goes for quiche if you prefer them. You can work in ham or bacon if you need to use up the meats in your fridge.

My grocery list included pork tenderloin, crescent rolls, mushrooms, onion, frozen chicken, cucumber, tomatoes, two bags of lettuce, and then all the stuff I buy weekly like chips, granola bars, yogurt, milk, butter, and fruit – lots of fruit, as my kids go through pounds and pounds per child per week. Admittedly, this is where a large portion of my bill is, but I know how healthy it is for them.

Last week, my grocery bill was UNDER $300! Don’t forget we have four teenagers/tweens who eat all day long. This is a huge win for me. And if I keep it up, we will save over $10,000 this year on our grocery bills.

The post Using What You’ve Got – A Grocery Trip first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Whether you’re a novice gardener or a veteran green thumb, you may find some inspiration here to get working in the soil. Read along to see how I’m planning my fall garden this year.

Location & Design

Planning your garden’s location and design is so time consuming, and personally, it’s my least favorite aspect of gardening. If I could bypass that whole process, I would to be able to get straight to planting! But thoughtful effort ahead of the game always pays off in the end. I was fortunate when I came across a cheap and simple system for building raised garden bed. Lowe’s carries retainer wall blocks that essentially serve as the cornerstone for any length of lumber boards that simplify building a raised garden bed. I chose an area with the most optimal access to full sun, water, and good drainage for our garden. If you do not have much ground area to build a garden, don’t let that dissuade you. Container gardening can be just as effective as well as a fun way to beautify your residence with foliage.

What to Plant

Most nurseries and garden centers will carry plants and seeds seasonally for their most suitable planting time. A good hack is reading the planter label or the back of the seed packet to see months to plant and harvest. In addition, you will want to familiarize your hardiness zone (an area defined by its climate for planting – Fort Worth is in the USDA Hardiness Zone 8) as this will give you a more information of how different plant species handle your local temperatures. Additionally, there are a lot of resources online. A great one if the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension website. Thankfully, many everyday veggies are so universal like greens and tomatoes that with proper care, they’ll do well almost anywhere!

This month, I am planting a lot of quick harvest veggies such as lettuces, heirloom kale, spinach, radishes, green beans, and carrots. Most of these can be directly seeded, but if you want to skip the step of thinning them out after germination, you can plant your seeds in individual seed starters or make your paper egg cartons. If you don’t feel confident enough to grow from seeds, your local nursery or garden center have a good variety of vegetables!

Care & Pest Prevention

Many of the veggies I mentioned are very low maintenance. For the most part, they need nutrient rich topsoil, sunlight, and proper watering to grow and thrive. Though, one tricky thing to remember is that there are others who also enjoy fresh veggies; critters and creatures from deer to tiny snails may invade your growing produce which is why is important to familiarize what types of pests and animals your garden is most susceptible too, so that you can take the necessary precautions to keep these unwanted guests out of your diligently tended garden. These could be something as simple as natural and safe pesticides, fencing or garden netting to set you up for the best harvest possible.

Have Fun!

Gardening can be so therapeutic and cathartic, but trial and error comes with the territory. Remember to have fun along the way while you learn and experiment!

From my garden to yours, I wish you best of luck on your gardening ventures and a plentiful harvest this fall! Happy Gardening!

Gretta Hendricks is a multidisciplinary creative who has been a chocolatier, baker, birth-doula, performance artist, and freelance writer, although her favorite job to-date has been becoming a first-time mama to her beautiful rainbow baby, Ofelia, born in January of 2020. Gretta has enjoyed writing for as long as she can remember and is passionately interested in the ways she can both learn and share from the art of storytelling. Alongside her husband and daughter, she loves living in and exploring Fort Worth as well as pouring into her church and local community.

The post A Guide to Planting a Fall Garden first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

photo credit: Shilo Urban

Grab a globe or world map and start your adventure by choosing your destinations. You can focus on just one city, country, or continent, but for a true around-the-world experience, pick four or five locations that are spread out around the globe. Try to visit places that intrigue you, and your enthusiasm will spill over to your family.

Download free printable passports for kids (there’s a good one on MakeAndTakes.com) to keep track of your journey, and then gather your resources and start planning. The best way to make your lessons fun and memorable is by engaging your children’s five senses: taste, smell, sound, sight, and feeling.

photo credit: Shilo Urban

Stimulating the senses of taste and smell is easy: try the cuisine of the destination that you’re exploring. Cook a recipe together with older students or order takeout from a local restaurant. For busy moms and/or picky kids, just do something simple and snack-ish, like French baguettes and Brie cheese. You can shop for a variety of ethnic foods at local groceries. Before you eat, Google the name of the food you’re trying plus the phrase “fun facts” (e.g., “lomo saltado fun facts”) to discover fascinating tidbits to talk about. And don’t just chow down – really smell your food, taste it, feel it (if it’s not too messy), and talk about what makes it similar and different than what your family usually eats.

Music is the easiest way to incorporate sound into your globe-trotting adventure. Search Spotify, Pandora, or YouTube for playlists that will transport you to foreign lands. Traditional music and folk sounds are good but be sure to play tunes from the modern era, too. While France’s Edith Piaf is an undeniable musical legend, most young French people would rather listen to L’Impératrice, Lomepal, or Petit Biscuit, and your kids probably will, too.

photo credit: Shilo Urban

Engage the sense of sight with eye-candy travel pics and videos. Record family-friendly travel shows on good old PBS (channel 13), including “Globe Trekker,” “Rick Steve’s Europe,” and “Expedition.” You can also watch videos on streaming sites (like Netflix and Hulu) and cable (try the Discovery Channel, Science, or National Geographic). The Fort Worth Public Library maintains a stash of travel DVDs you can borrow plus numerous travel books and guidebooks with useful maps and information. There are plenty of travel videos online, of course, but your kids are probably already staring at their computer screens all day long. Keep things interesting by changing the setting. Hook up an old DVD player and hang blue sheets for a trip to the Greek Islands. Look at pictures of Egypt in the sandbox. Sit on the floor to read about Thailand, just like Thai schoolchildren do. A small change in your environment can make a big difference.

“Feel” your destination by getting hands-on. Rip out pictures in travel magazines and create collages. Design Indonesian-inspired textiles with markers and graph paper. You can also feel the enthusiasm of a person who’s been to the location that you’re studying. Do you know anyone from Paris, or who has visited South Africa on vacation? Many travelers are keen to talk about their trips and show off their photos. If they have souvenirs to pass around – postcards, foreign currency, ticket stubs – so much the better. These will give your kids a real, tactile connection to the country. If you need an excuse to shop, you can also find decor made in other countries at stores like World Market and HomeGoods. Or simply search your home for elements that evoke the spirit of a place, like brightly colored blankets for Guatemala or seashells for the Philippines. Bring all your plants into one room to visit the jungles of South Africa or cut the A/C low to explore the coast of Iceland.

photo credit: Shilo Urban

Most of all, let your children’s interests and unique personalities guide you. Have fun together and just do the best that you can—and perhaps someday, you can experience these far-away lands for real on a family vacation.

Raised in the Fort Worth area, Shilo Urban moved to Austin, Maine, Paris, Seattle, New Zealand, and Los Angeles before finding her way home a few years ago. Along the way, she has had over three dozen different jobs, including high school French teacher, record label manager, and farmhand for endangered livestock breeds. She’s traveled to more than 50 countries and always has the next trip planned. Shilo has been a freelance writer for over a decade and has published in Fort Worth Magazine, Fort Worth Weekly, and Afar. Her interests include lost civilizations, jalapeño peppers, and Game of Thrones. She is currently writing a thriller and lives in Fort Worth with the stars of this article, Steve and Lenny.

The post Destination Living Room: How to Take Your Kids Around the World in a Pandemic first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

With three locations triangulating central Fort Worth, Shoot Smart is not only easily reached by everyone in town, it just happens to be one of the nicest places to shoot in the entire Metroplex. Clean and brightly lit with the best range equipment around, Shoot Smart is a step above other facilities. I really appreciate the friendly staff, all of whom are helpful and not the least bit intimidating or forceful. Very reasonably priced private lanes provide a great place to concentrate on your marksmanship or hang out with a friend or family member.

Now, all that may mean very little to you if you’re not into shooting sports, but if you have been thinking about learning to shoot for self or home defense, or because you think it looks like fun, I have some really exciting news for you. Beginning on the 20^th of this month, Shoot Smart will be participating in the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s First Shots program.

In case you’re wondering, the NSSF has developed First Shots to help shooting novices take the mystery and intimidation out of taking up a new and fun sport. For newbies, shooting, like any new venture, can be a little overwhelming at first.  It’s tough to know where to begin and, let’s face it, if you don’t really understand them, guns can seem a bit scary at first.

The pros at Shoot Smart who oversee the First Shots program will de-mystify shooting for you by teaching comprehensive firearm safety and handling techniques. In fact, about half of the First Shots program will spent in a classroom setting learning all about guns, how they work, and how to safely handle them before you even step on the range.

When you do hit the range, Shoot Smart instructors will oversee your shooting with a careful and professional eye. Joining each Shoot Smart instructor will be an experienced shooter who was once in your shoes. A complete novice who was intrigued by the idea of learning to shoot. Their presence will help make the entire process more approachable.

If you decide you want to try First Shots, the process is really simple. Just, register for the location and date that is most convenient for you and show up at the appointed time. Shoot Smart will take care of everything else. They will provide an easy to shoot .22 caliber pistol, ear and eye protection, targets and all the instruction you need to have a fun and safe first foray into the world of shooting sports. By the way, did I mention the price? First Shots is only $30! You simply can’t beat that. Finally, the whole family, including kids over 8, are welcome to participate.

So, if you’ve been considering trying shooting this is probably the best chance you have to receive professional instruction at a beginner’s pace for an unbelievably low price. Click the link to register.

http://www.shootsmart.com/firstshots/

The post First Shots at Shoot Smart first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

When in doubt, go back to the basics. Keep it simple.

These wise words were given to me the day before my first paid photography job. My mentor also advised me to talk slower and remember: I am not the center of the universe.

Almost 20 years later, I still get paid to do what I love.

The photography world encompasses an enormous amount of creatives at all skill levels. From melting cheese slices over a steamer for the perfectly built hamburger to getting a claw-footed bathtub with steaming water dropped off at a field in the middle of nowhere, I have seen a lot. Through school and learning on the job, a strong foundation of skills makes it possible to go back to the basics when evaluating a challenge.

The following steps should act as a foundation on which to build. I wish you luck and many fun times capturing your perspective on this Earth.

Buy a filter to protect your lens. The filter shatters instead of your lens glass. The sticky hairspray hits the filter instead of the lens. The list goes on!

photo credit: KBB Photography

Practice composition with your lens fixed on 50mm. If your lens is a zoom, keep it on 50mm and leave it there. This helps with understanding your lens and focal length. If you’re not close enough to the subject, walk closer instead of zooming. It will get you more comfortable shooting people and at the same time works great for composing landscapes. When a pose or angle is not optimal, walking closer or taking a step to the side can be better than moving a subject or zooming.

photo credit: KBB Photography

Try this aperture exercise using these F-Stops: 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, and 22. Place your camera on a tripod or somewhere stable. Turn off autofocus and manually focus on an object. Keep your camera there with the same focus point for the whole exercise. Shoot one frame for each of the above F-Stops back to back. You can shoot in aperture mode for this. Afterwards, examine what happens to the background in each of the shots. The aperture affects the depth of field!

photo credit: KBB Photography

Shoot in Manual Mode for a week. Not shutter or aperture mode. This begins to teach the trifecta of ISO, shutter speed, and aperture. This was the best advice I got from an editor.

Keep a step stool in your vehicle. You never know when you may need it shooting! Also, never leave your camera in the vehicle unattended. Many professionals have gotten equipment stolen when just running inside to grab a cup of coffee to go.

Thanks for reading my advice on first steps to take with your new camera! I hope it helps. For now, I leave you with this thought.

Food photography is great backlit, while babies are better frontlit.

Kim Burnstad is a professional wedding and portrait photographer and owner of KBB Photography. She is also a wife and mother of two children under the age of three! In her spare time (!), Kim is a photographer for Madeworthy magazine and TanglewoodMoms.com.

The post Bringing Home Your New Camera first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.