A.D. Livingston, an Alabama outdoors writer, has been fascinated with cast iron ever since college, when he met a student who swore that his grandma had a skillet that hadn't been washed in more than 100 years. She just wiped it out. Talk about seasoning. This breakfast recipe comes from Livingston's book "Cast-Iron Cooking."

Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk the egg and mix in the buttermilk and bacon drippings. Mix the contents of the two bowls, stirring until you have a smooth batter. Heat your griddle, but do not grease it. Drop the batter onto the griddle by the spoonful, allowing almost 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. Cook until bubbles appear on the top. Turn and cook on the other side. (Usually, the underside will be ready when the top side responds to the touch test. Stick your finger lightly into the pancake, and then quickly draw it back. If the finger leaves a deep indentation, the pancake isn't ready. When done, the pancake will more or less spring back into shape.)

Per serving: 301 calories, 11 grams fat, 64 milligrams cholesterol, 1, 158 milligrams sodium.