Red Mountain Makers Fundraiser and Open House

   

Birmingham, Alabama was once well known for its  iron and steel industry.  

There was a running joke when I went off to school, that if you were from Birmingham, Alabama your Daddy worked at one of the steel mills. Not always true but, close. 😊 

Though the steel mills have closed, their  history will never be forgotten. Steel was the bread and butter income of many families.  Sloss Furnace,  now a historic landmark, was once a blast furnace producing pig iron. It was open from 1882 until 1971.

 Further notoriety of the iron and steel business in Birmingham, Alabama is seen through it's permanent fixture of  the cast iron statue atop Red Mountain, known as Vulcan, 

Signage could have been a little better. Had to walk two blocks to the entrance

 Jiggly octopi made from 3-D Printer

The welding I did not get to see because I didn't want to wear a sweaty welding hood

Auto darkening hood

that unknown other people  had been wearing.        Icky!! 😖

I did get to see blacksmithing and the forging of a sword.

 

Red Mountain Makers is not only paying homage to the city's steel and iron industry. It is keeping alive many of the crafts and vocations that might otherwise be lost without those who continue to practice them.

That's it 🔥🔥🔥

COOKING FOR ONE> maybe two APPLE COBBLER

 I've been trying out many of the recipes at One Dish Kitchen.  She has some great, conservative ways to make the most of food prep especially with the  high grocery prices. Sometimes you want just enough for you and another person (or  two for you).😄 The key is measurement conversion for more or less. In this case less. I'm not the best mathematician so my version of this One Dish Kitchen dump apple cobbler is my own.

Joanie, the author of One Dish Kitchen suggests using ramekins. She featured many styles and a link to where they could be bought if you choose to purchase online or in store.

 I bought these from Amazon.

This one's a winner and I'll be making it from time to time.🏆

Footnote: I also bought the silicone baking mats from Amazon. I'd been wanting one of these for cooking and crafting. This box came with two. I used the mat to save on clean up. It worked perfectly. Just a swipe with a damp cloth and the cooking juices were gone . I was left with a clean baking sheet underneath ready for the next project.👍

That's it ***

SWEET POTATO SALAD

 

SWEET POTATO SALAD

I’ve had them baked, candied, chipped and fried. What about in a salad? Would it be the same as a white potato salad? Turns out there’s more than one version, which I expected.  I  consulted many recipes. Among them  All the Healthy Things, tasty.co , eating bird food and more. I  eventually put together my own spin  based on what I had at home.  

One constant in all recipes was that the potatoes needed to be peeled, cubed, drizzled with oil and baked in the oven until tender. 

My salad included:                                       Their salads included:

bed of mixed greens  →                                   kale

charred sweet potatoes➡➡                             same

chopped pecans➡                                            walnuts, chick peas, red beans,

                                                                          avocado,  more  

cheddar cheese➡                                              feta, parmesan          

raisins→                                                            dried cranberries, & more

                                                                           

bacon bits→                                                       chicken, ham  

bottled raspberry vinaigrette🠆                            homemade  vinaigrette                                                                                                            

 

Did I mention I'd made a large casserole of macaroni and cheese?

So, in order to balance things out I had the salad and a portion of mac & cheese.  The rest of this casserole  will be portioned out and frozen for those days when I want mac & cheese. 

SECOND DAY

This time I topped it off with chicken and the vinaigrette.

This salad is a winner in my book. I will be making it again.