Oh That Cast Iron Skillet

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šŸ³ Cast Iron Adventures & a Rule-Breaking Apple Pie

Weā€™ve been busy in the kitchen latelyā€”Skillet Meatloaf (a personal favorite), Apple Pancakes, and even a quick Skillet Lasagna. But let me be clear: tomato sauce and cast iron skillets donā€™t mix. The acidity can damage the seasoning. Still, itā€™s a great weeknight lasagna recipeā€”just use a different pan.

Apple Pancake

 

But today, weā€™re talking cast iron. And pie. Specifically, a skillet apple pie that made me break all my pie rules.

šŸ„§ My Pie Rules

Before we dive in, hereā€™s what you need to know about me:

  • I love apple pie. The only pie I love more is strawberry rhubarb.
  • My mom was a champion pie baker. We always had pie, especially around the holidays.
  • My dad and I once ate an entire apple pie by ourselvesā€”just one more little slice at a time. Itā€™s a family legend.
  • I donā€™t bake pies anymore. Itā€™s just me, and I donā€™t need all those sweet calories.
  • When (if) I do bake pies, I NEVER use refrigerated pie dough. I ALWAYS make it from scratch.

So now that you know the basicsā€¦ Iā€™m about to break every single one of those rules.

šŸ Easy Skillet Apple Pie

This recipe popped up in my feed from the Southern Living Test Kitchen. I set it aside, but like a magnet to iron, I kept coming back. Eventually, I gave in and headed to the grocery store.

Granny Smith apples? No problem. Braeburn? Never heard of them. They didnā€™t have any, but they did have Honeycrisp and my old standby, McIntosh. According to Google, there are seven good substitutes for Braeburn. I went with the familiarā€”McIntosh.

Then came the refrigerated pie dough. Cue dramatic pause. Iā€™m not a fan. I prefer flaky, tender crusts made with lard or Crisco. But I promised myself Iā€™d follow the recipe. Soā€¦ refrigerated pie dough it is.

šŸ“ The Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs. Granny Smith apples
  • 2 lbs. Braeburn apples (I used McIntosh)
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • Ā¾ cup granulated sugar
  • Ā½ cup butter
  • 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1 (14 oz) package refrigerated pie crust (2 crusts)
  • 1 egg white
  • 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
  • Ice cream or sharp cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions:

Step 1: Prepare the Apples
Preheat oven to 350Ā°F. Peel apples and cut into Ā½-inch wedges. Toss with cinnamon and Ā¾ cup granulated sugar. Set aside.

Step 2: Prepare the Crust
Melt butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add brown sugar and stir constantly for 1ā€“2 minutes until dissolved.
Remove from heat and place one pie crust over the brown sugar mixture.

Step 3: Add the Filling
Spoon apple mixture evenly over the crust.

Step 4: Add the Top Crust
Top with the second pie crust. Whisk egg white until foamy and brush over the top. Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp granulated sugar.
Cut 4ā€“5 slits in the top to allow steam to escape.

Step 5: Bake
Bake at 350Ā°F for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly.
Shield with foil during the last 10 minutes if needed to prevent over-browning.
Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before serving.

Serve with ice cream or a slice of sharp cheddar cheese.

šŸ§¼ Notes & Tips

  • Use a drip pan or line the bottom of your oven with foilā€”this pie bubbles over, and cleanup without protection is no fun.
  • Surprisingly, the tougher refrigerated crust holds up well against the gooey filling.

Now Iā€™m stuck with a delicious 10-inch apple pie. Guess Iā€™ll just have to take one for the team. Iā€™m going to enjoy every biteā€”and I hope you do too.

šŸ‚ Welcoming Haven Picks (Affiliate Links)

If youā€™re inspired to try this recipe, here are a few cozy kitchen picks from Welcoming Haven that fit right in:

As an affiliate, I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through these linksā€”thank you for supporting Around Dusty Roads and Welcoming Haven!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Legendary Beasts

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šŸ‰ Whispers in the Wild:Ā  Legendary Beasts That Might Have Been Real

Every legend starts with a whisperā€”something glimpsed in the shadows, heard in the distance, or passed down around a fire. As someone who finds magic in the rustle of leaves and the flick of a catā€™s tail, Iā€™ve always been drawn to the creatures that blur the line between myth and reality.

So when I stumbled across a story about 13 legendary beasts that might have been real, I was hooked. These arenā€™t just bedtime storiesā€”theyā€™re echoes of something deeper. Something wild. Something possible.

Letā€™s take a walk through the misty woods of folklore and science, where imagination meets evidence with 7 of the 13 legendary monsters.

šŸ¦‘ 1. The Kraken

Sailors once spoke of a sea monster so massive it could drag entire ships beneath the waves. Today, we know of the giant squidā€”elusive, real, and up to 43 feet long. Itā€™s easy to see how a rare encounter could birth a legend.

Kraken Sea Images ā€“ Browse 24,416 Stock Photos, Vectors, and ...

šŸŗ 2. The Chupacabra

This blood-sucking creature of Latin American lore may actually be coyotes or dogs suffering from mange. Hairless, gaunt, and nocturnal, theyā€™re eerie enough to spark stories of monsters in the moonlight.

šŸ¾ 3. Bigfoot

From the Pacific Northwest to the forests of Massachusetts, tales of a towering, ape-like creature persist. Whether itā€™s a misidentified bear or something more, the mystery keeps hikers glancing over their shoulders.

šŸ 4. The Loch Ness Monster

Nessieā€™s long neck and aquatic grace have been compared to ancient marine reptiles like plesiosaurs. While no fossil has surfaced in Loch Ness, sonar blips and blurry photos keep the legend alive.

Loch Ness Monster may be a giant eel, say scientists

šŸ¦‹ 5. Mothman

With glowing red eyes and wings like a cloak, the Mothman haunted Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Some say it was a sandhill crane out of place. Others believe it was a warning of disaster. Either way, itā€™s become a symbol of eerie intuition.

āš” 6. Thunderbird

In Native American lore, the Thunderbird is a sky-spanning creature that brings storms. Could it have been inspired by sightings of massive birds like the extinct teratorn? Or is it something more spiritualā€”an embodiment of natureā€™s power?

The Giant Thunderbird Returns

šŸ¾ 7. The Yeti

High in the Himalayas, the Yetiā€”also known as the Abominable Snowmanā€”has left behind footprints and fear. Some scientists suggest itā€™s a bear. Others arenā€™t so sure.

Abominable Snowman PNG Clipart Bundle - 44 High Quality PNG - Instant Download - Calendar Card Mug Tumbler Sublimation Design PNG

šŸŒ² Why These Stories Matter

Whether rooted in biology, misidentification, or pure imagination, these creatures, in the end, remind us of something essential: the world is still full of wonder. Even in our age of satellite maps and DNA tests, there are mysteries that resist explanation.

And maybe thatā€™s the point.

I sit in my cozy corner in Taunton, my cats curled nearby, listening to the wind rustle the trees. Nature keeps her secrets close, and I feel her quiet magic. Sometimes, she invites us to believe.

šŸ§­ Explore the Wild Side

If youā€™re as enchanted by these tales as I am, consider adding a few mythical touches to your home or adventures:

Affiliate links support Around Dusty Roads and Welcoming Havenā€”thank you for keeping the legends alive!

 

The Year Pumpkin Pie Froze Over

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šŸ„§Ā  Colchesterā€™s Canceled Thanksgiving of 1705

ā„ļø A Cold Snap and a Sweet Shortage

In the crisp autumn of 1705, Colchesterā€™s settlers faced a pie-loverā€™s nightmare. They had to postpone Thanksgivingā€”not for lack of turkey, but because they couldnā€™t make pumpkin pie. A sudden cold snap in October froze the Connecticut River solid. The frozen river cut off supply routes from Norwich and New London. Snow piled three feet deep. Icy winds howled. The townā€™s few families were strandedā€”no sugar, no molasses, no pie.

šŸ„„ Why Molasses Mattered

Molasses wasnā€™t just a pantry stapleā€”it was the sweet soul of colonial cuisine. Imported from the West Indies, it was cheaper than sugar and essential for flavoring baked beans, brown bread, and most importantly, pumpkin pie. By 1705, pumpkin pie had already become a beloved Thanksgiving tradition, thanks to Native American influence and European adaptation. Without molasses, the settlers couldnā€™t sweeten their pies, and without pies, Thanksgiving just didnā€™t feel complete.

šŸ—“ļø A Feast Deferred

The townspeople originally scheduled the holiday for November 4, but they voted to postpone it. Records show that the townspeople agreed, ā€œour present circumstances being such that it cannot with convenience be attended on that day.ā€ The celebration was rescheduled for the second Thursday. It wasnā€™t just about foodā€”it was about community, gratitude, and tradition. And in Colchester, pumpkin pie was tradition.

šŸ‚ A Slice of Colonial Quirk

Today, we might chuckle at the idea of rescheduling a holiday over dessert. But Colchesterā€™s molasses crisis reminds us how deeply we weave foodĀ  into our rituals. Itā€™s a tale of resilience, resourcefulness, and reverence for the humble pumpkin pieā€”a dessert so iconic, it once held an entire townā€™s Thanksgiving hostage.

 

It’s National Chaos Day

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Celebrate National Chaos Day

For years that was my life – rush here, Put out a fire there. Now it centers on cat puke and zoomies. So what is Chaos? Let’s look a little closer shall we?

šŸŒ€ Chaos Theory and the Butterfly That Broke My Brain

Or: Why Your Cat Knocking Over a Vase Might Be a Meteorological Event

What Is Chaos Theory Anyway?

Chaos theory sounds like something invented by a sleep-deprived philosopher with a whiteboard and a vendetta against weather forecasts. But itā€™s actually a legit scientific field that studies how seemingly random systemsā€”like weather, traffic, or your catā€™s moodā€”are governed by underlying patterns.

Itā€™s the science of unpredictability. The art of finding order in disorder. The reason your perfectly planned picnic gets rained out because a butterfly flapped its wings in Brazil. (More on that in a minute.)

Chaos Theory vs. The Butterfly Effect šŸ¦‹

Letā€™s clear this up: chaos theory is the big umbrella. The butterfly effect is one of its sparkly, winged children.

  • Chaos theory says that complex systems are sensitive to initial conditions. Tiny changes can lead to wildly different outcomes.
  • The butterfly effect is the poetic metaphor: a butterfly flaps its wings, and weeks later, a tornado hits Kansas. (Dorothy was not amused.)

In short: chaos theory is the science. The butterfly effect is the drama.

5 AMAZING FACTS ABOUT CHAOS THEORY

  • šŸ§© Thereā€™s a pattern
    Chaos theoryā€™s core belief: even the wildest messes have hidden patterns. Like your sock drawer. Or quantum physics.
  • šŸŒ Itā€™s interdisciplinary
    Chaos theory moonlights in math, biology, meteorology, philosophy, politics, and probably your last group project.
  • šŸ† Itā€™s award-winning
    Edward Lorenz, chaos theoryā€™s founding father, snagged a Kyoto Prize for his work. He also accidentally invented the butterfly effect while trying to predict the weather. Oops.
  • šŸ§  It makes the complicated simple(r)
    Chaos theory helps scientists predict unpredictable systems. Like climate change. Or your catā€™s 3 AM zoomies.
  • šŸ”¬ Itā€™s widely used
    Chaos theory isnā€™t trending on TikTok, but itā€™s still a staple in scientific research. Itā€™s just become so normal, itā€™s practically boring. Like gravity. Or coffee.

Final Thought: Embrace the Chaos

Next time your day spirals into a tornado of spilled coffee, missed buses, and mysterious glitterā€”just smile. Youā€™re living proof that chaos theory works. Somewhere, a butterfly is laughing.

 

 

Paws, Purrs, and Powerballs

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šŸ€Ā A Cozy Tale of Luck, Cats, and Dreaming Big

Thereā€™s something about autumn that makes dreaming feel easier.

Maybe itā€™s the hush of early evenings, the rustle of leaves, or the way the world seems to slow down just enough for a little magic to slip through. As the days grow shorter and the nights stretch long, I find myself curled up with Banner and Balboa, sipping tea and wonderingā€¦ what if?

What if this is the week I win the Mega Millions?

šŸ¾ Feline Fortune-Tellers

My cats have a knack for timing. They know when the treat jar opens, when the sunbeam hits the couch, and when I need a nudge to stop working and start snuggling. So when Banner pawed at a crumpled lottery ticket on the counter, I took it as a sign.

 

Balboa promptly sat on it. Clearly, the numbers were blessed.

šŸŽ± Numbers from the Heart

I donā€™t play every week, but when I do, I let whimsy guide me. A birthday here, a lucky street number there. Sometimes I pick numbers that feel like poetryā€”soft, round, and full of possibility.

This weekā€™s picks?

  • Main Numbers: 3, 14, 27, 35, 48
  • Mega Ball: 7
    Inspired by forest trails, feline moods, and the quiet hope tucked into every ticket.

šŸ›ļø Cozy Dreams of Winning Big

I donā€™t expect to win. But I love the ritualā€”the moment of imagining what Iā€™d do with a windfall. A cabin in the woods. A donation to the local zoo. A heated cat perch for Banner and Balboa. Maybe even a luxury automatic feeder that sings lullabies.

Until then, weā€™ll keep dreaming. Wrapped in blankets, surrounded by purrs, and holding onto the kind of luck that lives in everyday magic.