Deep Dish Pizza
Making your own deep-dish pizza couldn’t be any simpler than when you cook it in your cast iron skillet. Both the bottom and the sides come out crispy and brown while all the toppings are cooked and the cheese is melted perfectly to make strings as you eat it. This homemade crust is one of the best ever, but you can use a store bought package to make your crust much faster.
Crust Ingredients:
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
- 1 1/8 cups warm water
- 3 cups flour
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
Dissolve the yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand for about 10 minutes until the yeast makes a creamy foam.
Combine yeast mixture with all other ingredients and knead it until it forms a sticky ball.
Place crust in a bowl with melted butter, turning to coat it. Cover with a towel and allow to rise until double in size about 4 to 6 hours.
Punch dough down and let it rest for 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit will dough is resting with your cast iron inside the oven. Remove the cast iron cookware and press dough down into the bottom and up the sides.
Put any choice of pizza sauce, tomato sauce, meats, cheeses and vegetable of your choosing.
Bake for 30 minutes until toppings are cooked, cheeses are melted and the crust is golden brown and crispy.
Baked Buffalo Wings
These wings are the easiest of all recipes to make in your cast iron. They actually come out as crispy as fried wings, but you have a leaner recipe so that means you can eat more of them.
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup flour
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 20-25 chicken wings (cut into two pieces)
- ½ cup melted butter
- ½ or more cups of hot pepper sauce
Pour flour, cayenne pepper, salt and garlic powder in a resalable bag. Shake to combine ingredients. Add a few chicken wings at a time to coat them and place them on a cookie sheet lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray. After coating all the wings place them in the refrigerator for about an hour for the coating to set.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees with your cast iron cookware inside it.
Whisk melted butter and hot sauce together. Dip the wings in the sauce and place in preheated cookware. Return your cast iron to the oven and bake the wings for about 45 minutes total, while turning them about half way through the baking time.
You can add more or less hot sauce to your taste or make a batch that is super hot and one that is mild to suit everyone’s taste.
Beer Cheese Dip
Who doesn’t love beer and cheese dip? How about making a smashup of the two in a beer cheese dip for your superbowl party.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon of dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt and pepper
- 1 cup lager beer
- 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
Place your cast iron skillet on a stove burner on medium heat. Allow it to heat for about 5 minutes.
Add flour and butter and whisk together. When it is combines and the butter is melted add all powdered seasonings and salt and pepper. Cook about 2 minutes.
Add the beer and combine it. It will thicken to a gravy consistency.
Add shredded cheddar cheese and warm until cheese is melted.
Turn the burner on low to keep the dip warm.
Serve pretzels, or chips with the dip.
Mexican Cheesy Chicken Dip
This dip combines authentic Mexican flavors with cheese and chicken for a hearty game day dip.
Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 pound shredded rotisserie chicken
- 1 package taco seasoning
- 1 14.5oz can fire roasted crushed tomatoes
- 1 4.5 oz can chopped green chilies
- 2 cups shredded pepper Jack cheese
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees with your cast iron skillet inside it.
Remove the skillet and add all the ingredients. Stir them to mix them well. ( use the liquid from the fire roasted tomatoes and the green chilies)
Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes until it is bubbly around the edges.
Serve with your choice of tortilla chips.
You can provide garnishes of sour cream, jalapenos, green onion slices and chopped tomatoes.
Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies
This superbowl snack will disappear first, so you may want to make multiple batches. Who wouldn’t love bacon, sausage and brown sugar all carmelized into perfection?
Ingredients:
- 1 pound bacon
- 1 14oz package of Little Smokie Sausages
- 1 cup brown sugar
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees with your cast iron cookware in it.
Cut the bacon into approximate thirds.
Wrap bacon pieces around each little smokie and secure with a toothpick.
Place on a plate until all pieces have been wrapped and the oven and skillet are preheated.
Place all of the pieces in your cast iron skillet and sprinkle the brown sugar over all of them.
Place in the oven and cook for 45 minutes until the bacon is crispy and the brown sugar is melted and caramelized.
Make additional batches if need be and place them in a large dish in the oven while leaving it on warm to keep the snacks warm for your guests.
The beauty of using your cast iron for these types of dishes, is that cleanup is a breeze with no large pile of dirty dishes to do after the game is over.
