Elle here, bringing you an old time recipe of the alcoholic beverage variety. Simple, homemade, Appalachian and sweet, this fruit-infused brandy is beautiful to look at and to sip on after a long summer day. Since brandy is usually made from grapes, the liquor pairs very well with other fruity flavors like blackberries, blueberries or mulberries! A few days ago, while reading the magical adventure-packed book Redwall, I stumbled upon this delightful description

He licked his lips at the thought of barrels of nutbrown ale, strong cider, creamy stout, and the little kegs — ah, the dear little kegs! — full of elderberry wine, mulberry brandy, blackcurrant port and wild grape sherry.

and I decided that I should try my hand at a fruit-infused brandy. Blessedly, there is a large, heavily laden mulberry tree that sits atop the hill overlooking our community garden. Alex and I took a small basket and collected just enough to make a small batch of drink.

Today I picked up a bottle of brandy and got to work. I love how simple this recipe is! There are so many variations and methods, but I went for a very straight forward, old timey approach.

First, I washed the berries and put them in a clean glass jar. After all our picking, we ended up with just about 2 cups of berries.

Next, I added about 1/2 cup of sugar and used the handle of a wooden spoon to mash the berries into the sugar, just enough to release some juices, but not to the point of reducing the berries to a messy liquid.

Then, I added 3 cups of brandy, whichever variety you prefer! Screwed the cap on, gave the jar a little shake, and tucked it into a dark cabinet where it will sit for 2–4 weeks. We will give it a taste now and again to see how it fares, and when we call it good and done, we’ll strain it and store it in the fridge or a cool, dark place.

Alex and I look forward to tasting this sweet treat and to experimenting with other homemade infusions and brews. We’ll be sure to share recipes and methods on here!

Cheers!

Elle

I did not own a muffin tin until three days ago. There are lots of ways in which our little kitchen is lacking (lots of ways that it is charming and wonderful, too!) but I did not realize how deeply we were missing out until I stumbled upon this recipe for Earl Grey Blueberry Muffins and promptly remembered that I do not own a muffin tin. So, I remedied that right quick and got busy making muffins, only to remember I hadn’t bought muffin cup liners. So, I remedied that by cutting little squares of parchment paper to use as liners, which worked surprisingly well. So, here we are, against all odds, with muffins.

This recipe is from the wonderful cookbook Half Baked Harvest, given to me by my mother-in-law, that is making its way to my heart. I’ve been cooking out of it exclusively all week long and it has not failed me yet. From homemade BBQ sauce to apple cider pork chops to these delicious muffins, each of the recipes has a unique twist and an effort in healthiness!

So, now onto the muffins. If you’d like to try your hand at making these delightful muffins, here’s…

What You’ll Need

1 cup milk

3 Earl Grey tea bags

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup honey (I used maple syrup)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 plain yogurt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 large egg

2 egg yolks

3 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, cut into cubes

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup walnuts, chopped.

What You’ll Do

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the wells of two muffin tins with paper liners.

In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a gentle simmer, then remove from heat. Do not let it boil! Add the tea bags and steep for 15 minutes, then discard tea bags.

In a large bowl, combine oil, honey, 1/4 cup of the brown sugar, the yogurt, vanilla, egg and egg yolks. Stir it all together until pale in color. Add the steeped milk and stir. Add 3 cups of flour, the baking powder, and the salt and stir until just combined. Gently fold in the blueberries. Do not overmix, unless you want blue batter! Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling about three-quarters of the way full.

To make the cinnamon streusel,

Combine the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour, the butter, cinnamon, and nuts. Mix together with your hands until crumbly and mixed. Sprinkle streusel topping over the batter, dividing it evenly.

Bake for 15–20 minutes.

The Earl Grey tea is a subtle but special addition and the muffins are not overly sweet, so they work perfectly as a quick breakfast.

Beginning the day with a warm muffin and a hot cup of coffee is setting yourself up for goodness, as far as I’m concerned.

Until next time,

Elle

Below I have attached some photos of our garden from last year, just for kicks and giggles. As I mentioned in my previous blog post, last year we ripped up Alex’s grandma’s back yard and planted everything from okra to snap peas.

While it was a wonderful experience and a garden that I will keep in my heart forever, we decided to approach the growing season in a different way this year…

This season, we rented two No Dig 10 by 32 foot plots at a community garden in our neighborhood. No Dig is a non cultivation method of gardening that allows nature to carry out most of the work, meaning the soil is not tilled! It is also called “do nothing” gardening. To establish a No Dig garden, the easiest method is putting cardboard down and adding 2–6 inches of compost atop that. The cardboard will kill any existing weeds while simultaneously decomposing beneath the compost. This way, the network of microorganisms that support the soil are not disturbed and the soil health is increased. It is a fascinating process and we are excited to try our hand at this new method.

Here are some photos of one of our plots before we started doing any work on it.

And here are some photos of the work we’ve done so far! A slow process, but it’s coming along.

We have another few days of work until we can start putting in some of our early crops, like peas and beets. Until then, cardboard and mushroom manure it is.

Well, thank you for reading our little blog and following along on our garden journey. It’s a beautiful Sunday morning and we are headed out into the country for a hike beneath the sun. Have a blessed day, all!

Until next time,

Elle

Spring is truly here in western Pennsylvania. Wild crocuses and mini daffodils have popped up in fields and at the bases of trees. Birds greet us. The earth is warming up. The days are longer, the sun is stronger, the urge to be outside is overwhelming. I saw my sister recently and her freckles have returned all across her nose…a sure sign of spring.

A few evenings ago, we visited Alex’s grandma. She is a beautiful and special woman. Last year at this time, she let Alex and I, newly weds, live with her for three months while we waited for the lease on our apartment to begin. It was not the easiest chapter of life, for any of us, with the pandemic washing over the world and whatnot, but one of the bright spots of that time was the garden. Alex’s grandma graciously let us dig up her backyard, put up a fence and a wooden gate, and plant a vegetable garden. While we made a lot of mistakes, we also spent countless hours outside together learning the names of flowers, digging up carrots and potatoes, warding off groundhogs, and working together on something worthwhile.

Seeing that garden again was like seeing an old friend. I was reminded of how uncertain things felt just a year ago and how much hope that garden offered me on a daily basis.

There are bursts of life everywhere you look. Sage and thyme, lavender and hyacinths, chamomile and daffodils…all returning from last season! And, much to my surprise, parsley! I had forgotten that parsley is a biennial, returning for a short time in early spring. I gathered what I could of that and brought it home to make Parsley-Garlic Butter, which is heavenly, if you don’t already know.

To make this delicious butter, you need:

about 1/2 stick of butter, softened

2 garlic cloves

a small bunch of parlsey (about 1/4 oz)

1/4 oz of grated cheese (optional)

salt and pepper

First, roast the garlic in an oven heated to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Make a little boat out of aluminum foil and place the peeled garlic in the boat. Roast for about 20–22 minutes. It should be easy to mash once roasted.

Meanwhile, mince the parsley.

In a small bowl, combine the butter, parsley, roasted garlic, cheese (if using) and salt and pepper to taste. Mash it all up until it’s well combined.

Last night, I mixed some of this butter into mashed potatoes, but it’s also wonderful atop pork chops or spread on fresh bread. Not only is this recipe simple, it is a great way to spruce up a basic and fundamental item in most kitchens (and one of my favorite items in existence) : butter.

Until next time,

Elle

Pork chops used to intimidate me. Silly, I know.

I spent four years of my early adulthood eating as a vegan and vegetarian, so when I eventually made the decision to reincorporate animals into my diet, preparing meat was not exactly within my realm of comfort. At first I stuck to ground meat, because it seemed easier, but soon I began to challenge myself with larger cuts and I realized…there was a big, big world of meat preparation out there and I knew very little. I’ve come a long way since then and by a long way, I mean I can almost not overcook steak and chicken breasts! Baby steps. While I have ambitious dreams of one day preparing my own prosciutto, hams, and black pudding (like Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall on the ever inspiring River Cottage), I am satiated in the present with comfortably cooking pork chops and caramelized onions in my rental kitchen. It feels like a win. Five years ago, I probably didn’t even know that pork = pig. That’s an exaggeration. My point is, the fact that this recipe is now a go-to is a sign of growth, a sign of skill expansion and personal journey.

Not only is this meal quite simple, it is tasty beyond measure. Honestly. The first time I made it, Alex said “Wow, these don’t even taste like onions” and he scarfed them all down. Which is a miracle, because he is normally picking the onions off of meals. If I’m feeling uninspired in the kitchen or a bit too tired to get super creative, I fall back on good old pork chops and caramelized onions. Growing up, my mom would always serve apple sauce alongside pork chops. I didn’t have apple sauce in my pantry, so I served a dollop of sauerkraut on the side. Our guts were happy.

The key to good caramelized onions is to slice them very thin and cook them for as long as they need, at a moderate heat so as not to burn them! We want them soft, candied and browned, but NOT charred. Normally around 10–15 minutes. This meal takes, at most, about thirty minutes. It’s great for a week night, when quick and easy is all that you can muster.

What you will need (for two chops)

1/8 cup butter

2 pork chops

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary (I’ve also used sage)

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh garlic

How to make it

Melt butter in skillet, add pork chops. Cook over medium-high heat, turning once (about 8–10 minutes)

Season with salt and pepper.

Remove chops to serving platter, keep warm.

Place onions in skillet with pan juices, sprinkle with rosemary. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 8–10 minutes or until onions are caramelized. Stir in garlic, continue cooking 2–3 minutes until garlic is softened.

Return chops to pan. Continue cooking 4–5 minutes, until pork is no longer pink.

So, here’s to Pork Chops and Caramelized Onions! To learning what you like and falling back on it when needed! To quick meals on a Monday night! To celebrating growth and your personal food journey! Here is to simplicity…

Until next time,

Elle

Today I am counting my blessings.

I feel blessed to live within walking distance to a natural foods market, a hardware store, two coffee shops and an ice cream parlor. I feel blessed to live on a street lined with trees. I am blessed to be married to a man who lights candles at dinner each evening, and it is an honor to be in possession of Alex’s Omi’s beautifully intricate candle douter.

It makes the simple act of snuffing a candle flame feel sophisticated and important. And I for one believe that it is important, for the simple rituals of every day life are what I live for.
The warm flickering radiance of a candle is unparalleled. Everything about the way a candle burns feels magical to me. It brings the pace of an evening down. It draws people in. It symbolizes relaxation, care, refreshment and comfort. As I learn more about keeping a home, I am realizing the importance of atmosphere. This is where we hunker down, where we create, where we feel safe, where we dream. Lighting a candle feels a bit like blessing the space. There are multitudes of candles to choose from out in the world, but my favorite has quickly become beeswax, for it burns slowly, melts romantically into yellow globs, and smells magical.

So, I set out to make my own candles, wick and all! Partly to see if it would save money, partly to avoid buying online, but mostly just to challenge myself in learning a new skill.
One day we will keep bees of my own and harvest the wax ourselves, but until then, I must find it elsewhere. Blessings abound and I found that the natural market down the street carries the most beautiful bars and molds of beeswax (harvested at a local Pittsburgh farm!). So, over the course of a few weeks, I bought about 12 ounces of beeswax.

I picked up a roll of pure cotton twine from the hardware store and a box of Borax from the grocery store and I was in business. (I know Borax isn’t the greatest product around, but it keeps the candles burning longer and brighter)

To make the wicks, I dissolved salt and Borax into warm water, then soaked a few lengths of cotton twine in the solution.

I hung the twine up to dry overnight (using the most beautiful drying rack that my mother-in-law bought me for Christmas. Thank you, Becky!)

The next day, I melted some beeswax in a rigged up tin can double boiler and dipped the twine into the beeswax. Hung those up, let them dry. And there you have it…candle wicks! I trimmed them down later to fit the jars.

For the candles themselves, I prepared a few empty glass jars by taping the wicks to the inside base of the jar. Then, I melted down about 12 ounces of beeswax in my tin can double boiler.

Added some coconut oil for two reasons. One, it is supposed to help the candles to burn slower. Two, it helps retain scent if you want to add essential oils, which I did. I added lavender essential oil. Stirred it all up and then poured into the glass jars! In true Curly fashion, I rigged up a clothespin hold to keep the wicks in place while the wax dried. There are many different ways to do this. Mine was certainly not the most effective, but it did the trick!

By the evening, the wax had set and the candles were ready to be lit. I was a bit nervous that they wouldn’t light, but they lit up perfectly and burned with a wild crackling, tall, blazing flame for the first thirty seconds, then settled down into a warm, flickering light.

Even though dinner was nothing fancy, Alex and I burned our candles. It has become a ritual, a sacred part of our day, where we sit across from each other and trade stories over the the wavering flame of a candle. It’s wonderfully reminiscent of a campfire. While soon enough camp fires will be roaring through summer nights, I am blessed in the Now with beeswax candles, chilly March evenings and Alexander by my side through it all.
And when dinner is over, we snuff the flame with Omi’s candle douter and call it a night.

Until next time,

Elle

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of American fare? Probably a cheeseburger and fries. The fries may be French, but the burger is All American and I challenge anyone who says otherwise. A tender, juicy chunk of ground beef, garnished with an infinite possibility of glorious accoutrements, smashed between two sides of a dense bun, served with a heaping side of salty, crispy, thinly chopped potatoes.

Of the myriad toppings one may choose to decorate their American burger, two have risen above the pack. Lettuce…and Tomato. Just kidding! The best burger toppings are obviously cheese and bacon. Other quality choices include the aforementioned vegetables (I know Tomatoes are a fruit, but Istanbul was once Constantinople, and New York, New Amsterdam), onions of all types, fried egg, apple, pickle, pineapple, avocado, ketchup, mustard, bbq sauce, mayo, etc… Tonight I’ve decided to grill up some pineapple slices for one of the toppings, and sausages for on the side.

And then there’s the fries, French, Freedom, or just plain old fries — steak fries, crinkle fries, skinny fast food-looking fries, sweet potato fries, curly fries — I like mine curly and sweet but what we’re having tonight is more traditional, somewhere between steak fries and skinny fast food style. For tonight’s dinner I’m chopping six russet potatoes and dousing them with salt, pepper, and olive oil before baking them in the oven for roughly thirty minutes, turning them every five to ten.

A Burger and Fries, what could improve upon it? An ice cold American Lager is what. But we haven’t got any. What we do have is a different kind of brew — our homebrewed Kombucha. The tart effervescence should compliment the burgers just as well as any lager, while the live and active cultures promise to keep our gut microbiomes healthy and balanced. With tonight’s meal, we’ll need the help.

The burgers came off the grill absolutely perfect. Tender, juicy, flavorful, just a little bit pink in the middle. Before grilling, I lightly seasoned them with salt, pepper, and onion powder — just enough to add a little extra flavor, as the beef by itself is quite flavorful when cooked right. The fries were at once dense and crispy, and for burger toppings we went with spinach and arugula, tomatoes, bacon, white cheddar cheese, pineapple, apple, ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce, and in proper Pittsburgh fashion, fries. It was a marvelous dinner of classic American fare, Curly Cottage style.

Until next time, AK.

My first introduction to Julia Child was watching a rerun of the Dan Aykroyd parody on SNL and hearing my parents laugh. I remember feeling like I was missing out on the joke! When I asked who Julia Child was, my dad answered “She’s a lady who had a cooking show and a funny voice.” As a teenager, I watched the book-to-movie adaptation of Julie & Julia, which I adored and have seen quite a few times since then. It’s the story of a woman who works her way through Julia Child’s famous cookbook from cover to cover, blogging about each recipe as she goes, while simultaneously telling the story of how Julia Child learned to cook. It is utterly inspiring and I cry every time. When I was 22, my dad bought me said famous cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, for Christmas and I was ecstatic.

For the last few years, I have been paging through this extensive collection of techniques, suggestions and recipes, tentatively trying a roast chicken here, a strawberry tart there. I’ve had to overcome a sense of intimidation, for this is not a modern cookbook and the instructions are long with many warnings about what may happen if I mess up! It truly feels like she is schooling me.

With all of that being said, it has become my most beloved cookbook in the kitchen because I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that whatever recipe I choose to follow, no matter how tedious it may seem, will result in a spectacular, timeless, simple yet wonderfully flavorful piece of art! And then Alex and I will scarf it down and it will be gone forever… but it’s beautiful while it lasts and it’s so worth struggling through the pages of instructions! Thank you, Dad, for this worthy addition to our kitchen! I’ll use it until it’s too stained and soggy to use anymore.

Last night for dinner, I made Bitokes a la Russe, or, in English, Hamburgers with Cream Sauce. Julia Child humorously writes in the introduction “Shock is the reaction of some Americans we have encountered who learn that real French people living in France eat hamburgers. They do eat them…” But let me tell you, these are not like any hamburger I’ve ever eaten. They are extraordinarily simple yet so completely perfect in their flavor combination, that Alex and I barely talked for the first few minutes of dinner, and instead just cleaned our plates.

These hamburgers are not served with the traditional American fixins (although Alex expressed that it would pair nicely with some “French bacon, French ketchup, and French BBQ sauce” to which I lovingly rolled my eyes) and in fact, I didn’t even serve them on buns! Just plated with some braised root vegetables and covered in a delicious butter-parsley cream sauce. It was perfect.

Here are some simplified instructions for Julia Child’s Hamburger with Cream Sauce.

What you need

for the burgers: (makes 6 burgers)

3/4 cup finely minced yellow onions

2 tablespoons butter (for sauteing)

1 1/2 lbs ground beef

2 tablespoons softened butter

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon thyme

1 egg

1/2 cup flour

for the cream sauce:

1/4 cup beef stock or water

2/3 cup cream (I used milk)

salt and pepper

pinch of nutmeg

drops of lemon juice

2–3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons minced parsley

How to make it

Cook the onions SLOWLY in butter. You want them soft, but not browned! Then place in a mixing bowl.

Add the beef, butter, seasonings, and egg to the onions in mixing bowl. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until nice and blended! Form into patties 3/4 inch thick.

Roll in flour just being sauteing.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet. Saute patties for 2–3 minutes on each side (adjust saute time depending on how you like your burgers!) Arrange patties on a serving platter while you make the sauce.

Pour the fat out of the skillet. Add the stock and boil it down rapidly until it reduces almost to a syrup. Pour in the cream and boil it down until it has thickened slightly. Season to taste with salt, pepper, nutmeg and lemon juice.

Off heat, swirl in the butter little by little. Stir in the herbs. Spoon sauce over hamburgers and viola! French hamburgers.

Eating a hamburger without loads of cheese, condiments and bread allowed me to truly appreciate the beef and taste a familiar dish in a whole new way. I will definitely be returning to this recipe over the years, though nothing can ever replace a good ole American burger…with all the fixins.

Until next time,

Elle

My maiden name, Wallace, is a Scottish surname that means “Welshman”. Though I don’t know the specifics of my paternal ancestors’ lineage or immigration to the States, I can assume my father’s people started out somewhere in the Scotland/England/Wales regions. I can feel that lineage when I listen to Scottish music and I am repeatedly drawn to recipes that originated in those areas. So, when I stumbled upon a recipe for one of Wales’ national dishes, Cawl Stew, I knew I had to make it, even though I didn’t have most of the ingredients in my pantry!

A brief history, gathered from reading a multitude of different recipes online, is that Cawl is a Welsh broth traditionally made from lamb shoulder and leeks. It is more specifically called “Cawl Cymreig”. As I scrolled through recipes, I noticed that each one was different. Some called for beef shank, some for bacon, some for swede (which I just learned is rutubaga!), some called for hours of simmering and others for chilling the broth overnight! One recipe suggested serving the broth separately from the meat and potatoes, while another recommended serving it all together with bread. So, I decided to get creative, follow my heart, and use what I had in my kitchen to make my own version of a Cawl Welsh Stew. Food is personal, afterall, and we make it our own whether we realize it or not.

Though I didn’t have all the proper ingredients and my arm was sore from a day of carrying my radiant niece around the thrift store,

I was determined to make Cawl Stew! It ended up being a sweet evening, with Alex as my food photographer and a spirit of creativity in the air.

So, here is a compilation of ingredients for Cawl Stew. As long as you simmer a combination of these into a tasty broth, all will be well.

List of ingredients

lard/butter

lamb shoulder/beef shank (or as I used, beef stew cubes…because that’s what I had)

onions, roughly chopped

rutabaga or swede, roughly chopped (I didn’t have any, used celery instead)

carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

leeks (I didn’t have any of these, either! I didn’t have a lot of things…)

potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped ( I prefer using small red potatoes and leaving their skin on)

bay leaf, thyme and parsley

salt and pepper

How I Made the Stew

In a stockpot, brown the vegetables in butter (leaving out the potatoes). Remove the vegetables from the pot and add the meat, browning on all sides. Return the vegetables to the pot with the meat. Add bay leaf and herbs. Cover everything with cold water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for an hour or two, until the meat is tender! Then add potatoes and simmer for another half hour. Add salt and pepper. Serve hot.

I read that allowing the stew to chill overnight gives it tremendous flavor the next day, warmed up and served with cheese and bread. (I am popping back on here the following evening to confirm that the stew does indeed increase in flavor after chilling in the refrigerator.)

Speaking of bread, I made a loaf of sourdough in my Dutch Oven last night and WOW, what a difference it makes. The crustiest, fullest loaf I’ve ever made.

So, to wrap things up, I made something like Cawl Welsh Stew, though there was no lamb nor were there leeks. It tasted delicious and we used what we had. We were nourished. That’s the important part. I think there’s something to be said for pressing on and doing something even if you don’t have all the “proper” tools. Next time though, I’d like to use lamb, and make something a little more like Cawl…

Until next time,

Elle

p.s. Thank you to my husband Alex who spent the evening lighting candles, moving bowls of stew, and slicing bread in order to take some beautiful photos!

This is the breakfast with many names…Dutch Baby, Puff Pancake, Dutch Pancake…
I prefer the name Yorkshire Pudding, because telling people that I am making a Dutch Baby for breakfast always causes a bit of confusion. Whatever you want to call it, this delightful, buttery, custardy breakfast dish has become a staple in our home. I make it at least once a month, for our Sunday brunch. I made it Christmas morning. I’ve even served it as dessert at a Kroll family dinner. What I love about this dish is the surprise it offers! As the mixture of butter, eggs, milk and flour bakes, it puffs up and curls in on itself like an ocean wave. It bakes differently every time and I love that. Yorkshire Pudding never looks the same from time to time, but it is always delicious. The first time I tasted it, I marveled at its thick, custardy texture. I was expecting, by the look of it, to taste something light and fluffy. But instead it is a solid, filling, simple custard pancake. That’s the best I can do in describing it. You’ll just have to try it…

My intention in sharing recipes on this blog is not to suggest that I know best or that the way I do things is correct! In reality, I am a twenty four year old woman who is bright eyed and bushy tailed in her endeavors to cook, but who is just beginning to learn the basics. Rather, I am sharing these recipes to document the foods that bless our taste buds here at the Kroll cottage. I do not put heavy emphasis on doing things right in the kitchen but instead I like to embrace an element of chaos and spontaneity (I believe I can thank my mother for this approach to cooking. Thank you, Mom! I love you.) With that being said, I do love to follow recipes. It lends a structure, a comfort and a guiding hand through challenging dishes or it can just be a reference point, a starting block, for your own creativity.

So, here is the recipe I use for Yorkshire Pudding…

What you will need:

baking dish- this could be a cast iron skillet, or (as I use) a pie dish
a hot oven — 400 degrees fahrenheit
6 tablespoons of butter (or more, if you’re like us and butter is a main food group)
3 eggs
3 tablespoons of sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/4 cup whole milk
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt

Instructions:

First, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Put the butter into your cast iron skillet/pie dish. Place in the oven until butter is melted.
Meanwhile, combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla, milk, flour and salt in a bowl.
Remove hot dish from oven once butter is melted. Swirl the butter all around until the dish is completely coated! Pour the batter into the dish like this:

Then, return dish to oven.
I like to place a baking tray under the pudding because the butter tends to drip while it bakes.
Bake for about 20–22 minutes, until the “pancake” is puffed in the center and golden brown all along the edges. Mine always tend to have a puddle of butter in the center that sort of crusts over at is cools and it is SO utterly wonderful for the taste buds.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle with powdered sugar, if you’d like.
The puff WILL deflate as it cools. Fret not, it loses none of its tastiness.
I love cutting it into pie slices and serving with jam or a dollop of yogurt.

There you have it! Yorkshire Pudding! And my first recipe blog post. And Alex made us delicious coffee.

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Elle