How to Quickly and Easily Get a Wood Fire Going and Cooking On It

Welcome to The Cherry On Top.

I'm back with more tips on how to cook on a wood stove and I'll show ya how to get that durn fire started.

I was hoping I wouldn't need my wood stove after a lovely sunny, warm winter reprieve, but alas, no luck. Are you well versed with fire starting? I am new to the process and until yesterday, I was terrible at getting a fire started. It literally took me over an hour at times!

Check out this crazy easy step by step and then wag your finger at me for being so naive. I'm shaking my head at how simple it is.

First, get some cardboard, paper or paper stuffing. I often use the paper from Amazon packing boxes and other deliveries. I kind of fold the rigid paper to give it dimension so it's easier to light up and I ball up the thinner types of paper. Lay them on the bottom of your stove.

Strategically place part close to where you can light it.

Second, dump in a bunch of kindling. When I go for walks I pick up branches, dry grape vines and washed up smaller logs from along the river and in the woods. This way I do some nature cleaning and don't have to buy fire starters. It's free! Don't be stingy with this part. Fill the bottom of your stove with a sweet layer of your kindling at least several inches tall. You could add a few more pieces of paper if you want to be sure.

Third, add a few logs to the top and if you like, a piece of cardboard or 2 all in between. Fill your stove. I really like using those long wooden matches the best. They slide right through the grating and have great reach and of course, they just burn right in the fire.

Don't forget to make sure the thingy in the back is open (vent/damper?) so the smoke goes through the chimney. If it's getting smokey in your house, then it's probably closed. Speaking from experience! If you've got a regulator, make sure it's cranked up until your stove is nice and hot. Same with the vent thingy. Only close it when your stove is hot. Make sure the front door is closed tightly once your fire has been going awhile. I often open the front if my fire ain't raging. I prefer loading from the front and the hubs likes to add through the top. Just use caution, either way.

Heat your water for your tea and coffee, the dishes or if you need to add some to whatever it is cooking on the stove top, like mine pictured, below. You can make just about anything on the stove. The key is having very heavy pots and pans. Cast iron if you've got it.

We got an awesome tip from our chimney sweep. To clean your glass, simply dampen a rag, dip it in some of your wood ash and start scrubbing. You don't even need too much elbow grease to get it sparkling. Of course, ya might want to wait until everything is cool. Letting your fire rage can also clean your windows.

Look at the difference.

Get out a good, heavy pan. Cast iron is the best. I let it get nice and hot and slowly add my veg according to how long the veg needs to cook. For example, onions, peppers, garlic and carrot would go first and then shrooms, cabbage and things like spring onions that don't need as long to get tender. My hubs puts the meat on first and browns it well before anything.

I've got onions, garlic, pepper and bratwurst here. Then I added a little cabbage and shrooms. I've got the hot water kettle right there incase I need it, but I didn't this time.

I did bluss(?) the holy trinity with sherry before adding the meat and other veg. Just a little drizzle. You can also add porto to moisten a dish and add another flavor.

Finally, I add the small, fresh pasta. This is spatzle. You could use orzo pasta or any really.

Another tip to speed things up or if you're not a pro on using fresh or dry herbs is to use these fun, mixes. These are suppose to be used to make dips. I add the mixes to cream cheese for some zing and I use them all of the time for in my meals or even to season some meat before throwing it in the pan or on the grill. I bought these, beyond delicious mixes in Zell, Vino et Cetera-Weingut Haas-Lenz. You can get so many cool things in there. It's dangerous when I go in! They have super cool gift ideas, too. It's really fun to shop there. Sprinkle a little over your meal, take a taste and add until it is to your liking.

This is how my meal turned out. When I'm on my own, I often cook a larger meal so I can eat it over several days or put some in the freezer. This way I'm not always cooking. It's a new thing for me to cook well for myself. I know a lot of people don't do this and it's wrong. It is! No more excuses. I wrote a blog about this if you want to check it out. I have no regrets since I started.

The second time I ate this meal, I reheated it on the wood stove and added some older, spicy cream cheese that needed eating and sprinkled some fresh shredded cheese over the top. Delish!!! Since I'm on my own, I even ate right out of the pan.

Thanks for popping by The Cherry. 

Best of luck with your wood stove and future meals from the stove's top.

 

Cooking On A Wood Burning Stove, Easy Cake Recipe and Cute Winter Birdie Free Design

Welcome to The Cherry On Top.

Winter is very near. The days are shorter and the wood stove's been on for over a month, now. I cook nearly everyday on the wood stove. It saves us a lot of energy. Did ya know you can even bake on a wood stove? I'm learning, too.

Everything tastes better when cooked on the wood stove. All four of us agree. Everything cooks slow and low. I guess that's the flavor trick. Hehehe...Here's a blog with various apple recipe ideas for ya. Most of them can be made on the wood stove.

Above is my first winter birdie design for you. I'll be back with another very soon. Use it for cards, stickers, sublimation projects like Christmas ornaments, too.

Here's a look at our stove. It's a Vermont Casting stove and it is amazing. You can regulate the heat very well. We can go to bed at night with the stove on, wake up at 8:00 am and it's still going. I've never worked a wood stove until we bought this one. It's pretty darn easy to work once you get used to it. We did a lot of research before we bought this one. We payed around 5,000 Euros for everything including that glass floor protector and installation. This model is the Encore model. We don't put the heat on when we run this and the entire house stays warm. The back rooms are cool, but doable. The entire front part of our home stays cozy.

I baked this cake last weekend. If you follow me all of these years, you'll know I'm not a fantastic baker and I only do easy, healthy recipes. I've shared several recipes with this pancake recipe on the blog. Even a fun, huge sheet pan pancake. It's mega easy and looks very impressive. Grab a recipe from Pinterest or use the one we used.

Just look how high this cake got. I was really surprised it got to this height. I baked it in a really good, hefty cast iron pan. Heavy pans are key for cooking on a wood stove. I used to be so afraid to cook in a cast iron pan, but not any more. I've put on my big girls panties! Hehehe...Just let it get really hot before you put anything in it. Give it time.

Just in case you didn't know, you do NOT use soap to clean your cast iron. Just use hot water. I did not know that. Two pans later...

Here are a couple of pictures of some meals and dishes I've made on the wood stove to give you some more ideas. Once ya start doing this often, more and more ideas will come to your mind.

Start with your meat if you're using it and brown it on a higher setting. Then add your onions, garlic and peppers if you're using those and let them cook for a few minutes. Add bouillon if you need or other liquid like water or stock. Cover it and let it simmer and make sure your stove is on the lowest setting for this part. Keep your eye out for the ideal moisture level. I might guess the above photo is for paella. It could be for many, many meals.

Spaghetti is ideal for the wood stove. Let your sauce cook long and slow. I can slide over this big pot and even make pasta next to it.

If you are in a hurry, cooking on the wood stove is not ideal. Though it can go fairly quickly for recipes like oatmeal and other meals that just need to be warmed through. Warm left overs on the stove. It is a lot healthier and tastes much better than in the microwave.

Have you ever made home made cranberry sauce? It is crazy easy! You'll shake your head at how simple it is. It's as easy as rinse your berries, chuck them in a pot, add a cup of oj, apple juice or water, let it simmer until you hear popping, add your favorite kind of sweetener like sugar or honey, stir and then let it set and cool. That's it!

Cranberry sauce and jams are ideal for on the stove. Just don't forget it! I recently made hot chocolate, too. Save energy and get the benefits from a wood stove. The warmth that comes from a wood stove is like no other. You'll love it!

You can throw your cake in a regular oven if you like or bake it any way you want.

The recipe card provides the way I make mine. Your stove is going to determine a lot. If it runs too hot, it might get a bit tricky. If you see it's not going well, put your cake in the oven to finish it off.

My cake cooked a lot like a pancake. It got all bubbly on the top. Then the sides got nice and firm. When I first checked, the cake was a bit wobbly in the middle. So, I let it cook further. When the sides easily pulled from the pan and the cake was nice and firm, I flipped it on to a plate with a large, metal spatula and then put the cake back in the pan with the cooked side up and added the lid. Let it cook until it's done. Mine was just under 15 minutes. Use a toothpick or cake tester to see if it is finished.

Obviously, I'm not a professional. My main point of this particular entry is to let ya know that you can bake on a wood stove. I find it really cool and a great way to save energy. An oven sucks up a lot of it.

Feel free to download the recipe card I provided. I hope it works out for ya. It certainly can be a bit daunting. I would have never dared this recipe without my years of experience, but I'm kind of a wuss when it comes to baking. Hehehe...

Thanks for checking out The Cherry.

Happy cooking!