Cast iron woes

I just wanted to take a quick second and tell you all about my new cast iron skillet and dutch oven. We were at the BX (base exchange) and couldnt resist getting these for our new camping adventures. When we got home last night Pat and I were both eager to give them a try. Pat asked me to fry him an egg, but I wasnt sure an egg was the best thing to try out first on our new cast iron. Instead I noticed a bowl full of mixed organic apples that needed to be used soon. So I opted on making some homemade applesauce. We had some discusion on how to clean the cast iron and weather or not we needed to season them before cooking. Some how all this info went in one ear, translated to something completely obscure and with a quick rinse under some slightly less then hot water I started the apple sauce in the dutch oven.

The applesauce finished cooking in no time and smelled wonderful, warm and inviting. The thought of eating this made me feel all cozy inside. So with that I filled up two bowls with the piping hot applesauce. Pat was working up stairs on the computer so I brought him up a bowl and then went back down to indulge in my very own. I ate about half the bowl and decided that was more then enough for me. It wasnt nearly as wonderful as my moms or my aunts homemade applesauce. I figured it was because I used a mixed varity of apples and sweetened it with honey rather the sugar.

A little while later as I was (excuse me here) leaving the restroom I noticed in the mirror a dark shadow coming from within my mouth. I got closer, squinting through all the smudgy handprints my darling son had left on the mirror saw the horror left behind, from my not so fabulous first attempt at using cast iron. BLACK! My teeth were black and grey!!! I couldnt stop snarling my lips up in the mirror. Then I remembered Pat upstairs. I ran up, swung open the door and asked Pat if he noticed anything odd about my teeth. As I smiled his expression went from curious to horrified in two seconds flat! With out words I examined his teeth, I shook my head "yes," his too were black.

After much scrubbing our teeth came clean. For the next twenty four hours or more I noticed we kept secretly looking at each others teeth and then giving reasurring smiles to one another. Our teeth are now free of all stains but I cant help but wonder what our insides must have looked like after this little event.

Since then we have done PLENTY of research (thanks to the internet) and have sucsessfully cleaned and seasoned both cast iron pans. This morning I made pancakes and they were uterly fantastic. Hip, hip, horay, for cast iron sucess (after much error!)