Subbing cast iron skillet for oven
So....my oven has been out for a couple of weeks. The element actually caught fire one evening when I turned it on! My landlord is waiting for a new part to arrive (and is a little slow at repairs, too). And so I have been adapting dishes to stovetop with my trusty cast iron skillet.
Tonight I put together mac and cheese as I usually do, making the bechamel in a saute pan and adding cheese. Then I stirred in the cooked macaroni and then turned it all into my hot buttered cast iron skillet. Covered with some sliced Vermont cheddar and put on a lid. The hope was that the mac-cheese would brown a little bit on the bottom. And it did. Butter-fried mac and cheese. Slightly crispy on the bottom.
Last week I made eggplant parm by crisping up eggplant slices in the cast iron skillet and then putting a couple of slices on each plate, topping with tomato sauce laced with basil, then with mozzarella, and then with a gremolata that I had browned off in the skillet. Put it in the microwave to melt the cheese. Gremolata = stale sourdough or Italian bread crumbs whirled with chopped parsley, garlic, herbs, EVOO. Makes a very tasty savory crumb topping and is very adjustable. Umami.
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in the electric skillet kind of like pancakes. 
they were good enough we joke about making them that way on purpose sometimes.
... and I think you do
