About the Author

Why the Iron Skillet Diaries?

Nothing beats a good old cast iron skillet; it is the versatile workhorse of the kitchen. You can throw it over a campfire to fry up some fish that you caught that morning, put it in the oven to make a blueberry cobbler or use it on the stovetop to perfectly sear and butter baste a fillet mignon. It can do a little bit of everything, from down-home comfort to five star fancy. Best of all, it doesn’t let you down. Unlike its modern Teflon counterpart, it can withstand the test of time. A well-cared-for skillet can be passed down from generation to generation, only getting better with age. It also serves as an accurate metaphor for my kind of cooking and the kind of recipes that I want to share with you all. No, not every recipe I share will involve a skillet. They are, however, recipes for good food that fills the stomach and feeds the soul, and much like my grandmother’s cast iron skillet, many of them have been passed down in my family and perfected with time.

Me making jam to give to my guests for favors at my wedding. Yes, I made over 100 jars of jam that year and am still recovering from it three years later.

Hi, my name is Samantha and I live in New Jersey with my husband, young son and crazy dog. I grew up in a family that knows how to do food. If someone ever left hungry from my mother’s or grandmother’s kitchen it was their own fault, because lord knows there was plenty to eat. I grew up at my mom’s side in the kitchen helping her to knead bread and measure out the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies before I even knew my ABCs.

My mom really enjoys cooking and it is definitely one of the ways that she expresses her love. Now that I’m grown with a family of my own I find myself falling into familiar habits. I enjoy cooking for my family; the whole process is often very relaxing for me. I love the challenge of trying new things and the familiar comfort that comes from making a recipe that has been in my family for generations. I also love being able to share my food with the ones I love. Through this, a love of writing and a fear of losing family recipes (since no one writes these things down), I have decided to start this blog.