Cassie’s Ruminations

Baked French Toast à l’Orange

Another recipe from Central Market. This originally called for marmelade as well, but Shaun isn’t a fan, so we skipped it. They have a great “Ultimate French Toasting Bread” from the local Brenner Brother’s Bakery, which is thickly sliced and light and wonderfully absorbent.

We didn’t like the baking method as much, as it was impossible to get the slices all crispy, and there was baked custard at the bottom even after soaking overnight. Next time I’m going to fry these up in a skillet. The orange flavor was there, but not as prominent as we were hoping, so I’ll add some orange zest next time as well.

Baked French Toast à l’Orange
Serves 6-8

8 eggs
1/3 cup milk
2/3 cup orange juice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
8 slices thickly sliced bread or 16 regular slices of sandwich bread

Whisk together the eggs, milk, orange juice, and nutmeg. Lightly spray a 9″ x 13″ baking dish with non-stick spray. Dip each piece of bread in the egg mixture to coat and layer in the baking dish. Pour the excess mixture evenly over the top of the bread. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour and up to overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the plastic wrap and cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until golden brown and slightly puffed. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

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Corgi Secret Santa

I joined a secret santa this year with a group of bloggers who own corgis. My secret santa was D Ruiz, and my draw was Jenna Z..

D Ruiz sent me a great pair of corgi socks to add to my collection 😀

Posted in Corgi, Ramblings | 3 Comments »

Christmas Eve Dinner

For Christmas Eve dinner, we steam some crab and make bacon wrapped shrimp. It’s a delicious and easy celebratory meal 🙂

Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
Serves 4 as an entrée (about 10 shrimp per person) or 12 as an appetizer (about 3 shrimp per person)

1 pound easy peel shrimp (36-40 per pound)
1 pound bacon (not thick sliced)
40 toothpicks

Preheat the broiler (high setting if you have a high and a low setting) and place a rack on the very top shelf. Cut the bacon into thirds. Defrost the shrimp under running cool water. Peel them and de-vein if necessary. Wrap a piece of bacon around each shrimp and secure with a toothpick if desired. Line a rimmed cookie sheet with foil and place a metal cooling rack inside. Place the shrimp on top of the rack and put the pan under the broiler. Broil the shrimp for about 5 minutes or until the shrimp are cooked through and the bacon is turning crisp. Flip the shrimp and broil for another minute on the other side to finish crisping the bacon.

Steamed Crab Legs
Serves 2

2 large king crab legs (about 1 lb)

Soak 4 paper towels with water and wrap them around the crab legs loosely. Place the crab legs into a plastic bag and tie closed leaving a small hole to vent. Microwave until hot – about 5 minutes if the crab is thawed or about 7 minutes if frozen. The crab will be perfectly hot and steamed without overcooking.

Posted in Food, Holiday Cooking, Seafood | No Comments »

CSA Winter Box Week 9

This is the last box of the season. The selections were getting pretty slim, but the quality was great as always. I’m already looking forward to next spring 🙂

Apples – Jazz
Apples – Jazz
Free-Range Eggs
Winter Squash-Bush Delicata
Winter Squash-Bush Delicata
Potatoes-Mixed
Potatoes-Yellow Storage
Potatoes-Yellow Storage
Potatoes-Red Storage
Potatoes-Red Storage
Carrots-Orange
Carrots-Orange

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Sister Point Oysters

Another week, another weight loss, and some new oysters to try 🙂 These are from Sister Point, in the southern part of the Hood Canal. These are a little smaller variety, very briny, and some of my favorites so far! They’re a little bit beyond my current level of finesse in shucking, so I had to pick off a few shell fragments before eating, but they were very well worth it.

Posted in Food, Seafood | 1 Comment »

Snugglebug Emma

She insisted on getting on the pillow between me and the couch arm, even though I’d been leaning there, and then she wrapped herself around my shoulder got all snuggly. She almost looks like she’s trying to read my computer screen 🙂

Posted in Corgi, Ramblings | 1 Comment »

Hama Hama Oysters

Another month, another weight loss goal, and another treat of oysters 🙂 I got some Hama Hama Oysters this time, grown near the Hood Canal. I’m slowly but surely getting better at shucking. Still a couple shell fragments inside, but they were larger flat bits that were easy to pick off before I enjoyed the oysters. I didn’t like these quite as much as either the Quilcene or Penn Cove flavor-wise, but they were still quite enjoyable. I think the “cucumber” was a bit too strong. I like it as a finish, but I prefer the brine to be more prominent, and a bit of a sweet finish is nice too. Gotta love the side effect of this goal of mine of developing a palate for oysters 😛

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CSA Winter Box Week 8

Second to last box! I got some brussels sprouts even though they weren’t in the order list because I asked for them in the comments and they did have a few on hand. Yay! I love these guys 😀

Apples-Honeycrisp
Apples-Honeycrisp
Free-Range Eggs
Lettuce Mix
Lettuce Mix
Shallots
Potatoes-Gold
Potatoes-Gold
Garlic-Bulb
Garlic-Bulb
Beets-Red Ace
Beets-Red Ace
Your comments: “If you have any of the little brussels sprouts that you had that one week after the snow, I’d love some of those in place of the shallots. Thanks!”

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Some of What We’ve Been Eating

Here’s some of what we’ve been eating:

Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Italian Stuffed Zucchini

Chicken Cacciatore

Teriyaki Chicken with Mushrooms and Zucchini

Lemon Garlic Roasted Chicken

Grilled Rib Eye Steaks

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Chocolate Fudge with Marshmallows

This is a treat I make most years around Christmas time. It’s very easy, rich, and delicious. I made a double batch, using a 9″ x 13″ pan, cut it into smaller pieces, and I’m taking most of it into work. 🙂

Chocolate Fudge with Marshmallows
Makes 1.5 lbs

Ingredients:
18 oz (3 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup mini marshmallows

Line an 8 inch or 9 inch square cake pan with parchment paper.

Put the chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and butter into a large microwaveable bowl. Heat the mixture on medium high (70%) for one minute. Stir the mixture with a spatula and return to the microwave for another minute at medium high heat. Stir again until the mixture is smooth and well combined. If your microwave does not do power settings, do this in 30 second bursts, as the chocolate can burn. Stir in the vanilla and salt to combine well, then fold in the marshmallows. Pour the mixture into the cake pan and smooth into an even layer.

Chill in the fridge for 2 hours or until firm. Turn the fudge out onto a board and cut into 16 squares. Store the fudge in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator or at room temperature.

Posted in Candy, Desserts, Food | No Comments »