Cassie’s Ruminations

A Nice Friday Off

Today was my Friday off, and as I had to drop Shaun at the airport, I took the opportunity to explore the Southcenter Mall. It’s the newest mall in the region and was very nice. Many many stores that enginerd me could not care any less about, but also some fun ones like the Tokyo Lifestyle store that had tons of fun bento boxes, Japanese candy, toys, and kitchen gadgets. I restrained myself and only got a small Totoro plush keychain that I’m going to hang in my cubicle at work. I ended up trying two restaurants there as well.

First I tried the chowder sampler at Duke’s Chowder House. I enjoyed them all, but my two favorite were the classic clam chowder and the lobster bourbon chowder. They brought out 5 little bowls that each held 2.5 ounces of soup, so I got to try all 5 in a nice portion that ended up being a great first course for lunch. Duke’s was a bit pricey, but tasty. I’d definitely consider going again for a special occasion.

After walking around the mall some more, I found the food court, which had quite a few good looking options, but I decided I had to try Chicken Now. They do made to order fried chicken fingers. They don’t have any heat lamps or steam trays. You order your chicken and only then do they put it in the fryer. They had the temperature perfect, so I got two gorgeous deep golden brown chicken fingers that were not at all greasy and a small side of piping hot fries.

All in all a very nice afternoon! I hope that Shaun has a good flight and as good a weekend as possible. He is looking forward to seeing his dad and stepmom.

       

Posted in Food, Ramblings, Restaurant Review | No Comments »

Tuckered Emma Girl

Shaun had some Navy obligations this past weekend, so it was just me and the pup. Saturday we went to the dog park, where she made friends and got to run full throttle 🙂 Afterwards, she thought that being flat was the way to go. One of these days I will remember to take the camera to the park 😛

Zonked

Posted in Corgi, Ramblings | 1 Comment »

Sausage and Mushroom Calzones, Take 2

This is another iteration on calzones. This time I cut up some Isernio’s Chicken Italian Sausage links into rounds for the protein. These were great, and we both thought that with a can of diced tomatoes instead of the tomato sauce, this would be great on pasta as well. The chicken sausage is a great leaner option.

Sausage and Mushroom Calzones
Serves 2 generously

non-stick cooking spray
1 package chicken Italian sausage links, 12 oz
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 small can tomato sauce (8 oz)
1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
⅛ tsp onion powder
1 (13.8 ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Spray a large skillet with non-stick spray. Turn the heat to medium-high and add the sausage pieces. Cook 1-2 minutes, until browned on one side, then flip and brown the other side. Add the mushrooms and water to the skillet and cover. Cook for 2 minutes or until the sausage is cooked through and the mushrooms are tender. Uncover and turn the heat to high to boil off most of the water. Add the tomato sauce, basil, oregano, and onion powder and stir to combine. Turn the heat to low, and let simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool somewhat.

Unroll the pizza dough and divide into four equal pieces. Stretch each piece slightly into a rectangle. Spoon one quarter of the filling onto one of the dough rectangles and fold the dough over the top. Pinch the edges together, folding inwards, to seal the calzone. Repeat with the other dough pieces.

Place the calzones on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray or lined with parchment. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Posted in Food, Italian, Pizza, Poultry, Vegetables | 1 Comment »

Refried Black Beans

I got the inspiration for this recipe from One Particular Kitchen.

We had these with chimichangas and chipotle tomatillo salsa. A nice filling and healthy meal!

Refried Black Beans
Serves 2

4 medium cloves garlic, unpeeled
2 tbsp bacon drippings
1 15-oz can black beans (I like Bush’s brand)
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin

Place the garlic cloves in a dry saucepan over medium heat. Cook the cloves for 5-7 minutes, turning occasionally to toast all the sides. When the papery peels are mostly golden brown to black, remove them from the pan and take off the peels.

Add the bacon drippings to the pan and swirl to melt. Add the roasted garlic immediately and press them with a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon to crush into small pieces. Add the beans, salt, and cumin to the pan and stir to combine. Squish about half of the beans with the potato masher. Add a tablespoon or two of water to thin the beans to a more spoon-able consistency if desired. Serve hot.

Posted in Beans, Food, Mexican | 1 Comment »

Broiled Butterflied Leg of Lamb

I picked up a little butterflied leg of lamb that was just two pounds – perfect for Shaun and I for dinner and some leftovers for lunch the next day. I stuck with a simple preparation – rubbing with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic, and broiling it for a few minutes. This would also work very well on a grill in the summer months. This turned out very nice – tender and flavorful while letting the natural flavors of the lamb to shine. Green salad was our accompaniment tonight. If you’d like the lamb more well done: after the broiling, turn the oven on to 400 degrees and let the roast cook until done to your tastes.

Broiled Butterflied Leg of Lamb
Serves 4

1 small butterflied leg of lamb, about 2 lb
1 tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp black pepper
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tbsp olive oil

Preheat the broiler on the low setting. Mix together the salt, pepper, garlic, and oil, and rub the mixture all over the lamb. Place the lamb on a rimmed baking sheet and put under the broiler. Broil for 10-15 minutes or until the top is getting nicely browned. Flip the meat over and broil the other side for another 10-15 minutes or until turning golden brown as well. Remove from the oven, cover with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes before cutting into slices and serving.

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Chipotle Tomatillo Salsa

This is another great recipe from The Border Cookbook : Authentic Home Cooking of the American Southwest and Northern Mexico. I omitted the cilantro called for in the recipe, grated my onion instead of chopping, and poured the whole lot in my blender to get a nice smooth sauce. We tried this with a few chips tonight, and greatly enjoyed it. We’ll be having it with chimichangas in a couple nights. The cookbook also recommends a very similar sauce with grilled chicken, and we might try that too.

Chipotle Tomatillo Salsa
Makes about 3 cups

1 pound tomatillos (about 10 medium)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small sweet onion
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
1 tsp kosher salt

Preheat the broiler in the oven to high and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

Husk the tomatillos and cut them in half longitudinally. Place them cut side down on the baking sheet and broil for 10 minutes or until the skins are browning well.

While the tomatillos are cooking, grate the onion. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes or until soft and just barely starting to brown. Mince the chipotles and add them to the skillet. Stir to combine.

Remove the tomatillos from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Add all of the ingredients to a blender and cover loosely, placing a dish towel over the top. Holding down the lid with the towel in place, pluse the blender 10 times then turn onto a low setting for 15 seconds to puree the mixture. Pour into a serving dish and serve warm or refrigerate and serve chilled.

Posted in Appetizers, Dips Spreads Sauces and Condiments, Food, Mexican | 1 Comment »

Etta’s Salmon

This was a really easy and tasty meal – 15 minutes from grocery bag to table! The store had a big sale on coho salmon today and they were doing samples with Tom Douglas’ Rub With Love Salmon Rub. This is a combination of brown sugar, smoked paprika, kosher salt, black pepper, and thyme. They sold me on a container of the rub and a couple nice little salmon fillets with the wonderful smell 🙂 This simple recipe is on the lid of the rub, which states that it’s used at Tom Douglas’ Etta’s Seafood Restaurant in downtown Seattle, thus the name of the recipe. They sauteed theirs with a mix of olive oil and butter, while I did mine under the broiler. I served this with some asparagus that I broiled at the same time.

Etta’s Salmon
Serves 2

2 salmon fillets, about 1 lb total
4 tsp Rub With Love Salmon Rub

Set an oven rack about 6 inches below the element. Preheat broiler on low setting.

Arrange the salmon on a cooling rack nested in a rimmed baking sheet or on a broiler pan. Sprinkle the fillets with dry rub and pat it evenly over the fish. Broil for 10-12 minutes or until the fish nicely flakes but is still moist.

Posted in Food, Seafood | 1 Comment »

Chicken Fried Rice

This is an easy and tasty meal that uses up leftover steamed rice. Next time I’m going to add a little fresh garlic just before adding the rice to the wok. This was very good but could use just a little more flavor to push it to excellent.

Chicken Fried Rice
Serves 4

1 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs
kosher salt and black pepper
2 tbsp canola oil, divided
3 eggs, lightly beaten
6 cups chilled leftover rice, fluffed with a fork to separate the grains
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1 cup frozen petite peas, thawed

Cut the chicken into small bite-sized pieces and season with the salt and pepper.

In a large wok or skillet, heat 1 tbsp of the oil over medium high heat. When it just starts to smoke, add the chicken pieces and spread into a single layer. Let cook for 2 minutes without stirring to get good browning, then stir to cook through, about another 2 mintues. Remove the chicken to a bowl, leaving as much of the oil as possible in the wok.

Add the eggs and stir to scramble well until just cooked through and set, breaking up into small pieces. Remove to the same bowl where the chicken is resting.

Add the other tablespoon of oil and allow to heat for 30 seconds or until just smoking. Add the rice and spread into a thin layer. Let cook for 1-2 minutes or until the rice is sizzling well. Toss well and let cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Sprinkle the soy sauce over the rice and stir well to coat all the grains. Add the peas, chicken, egg, and sesame oil and toss to combine. Let cook for 2-3 minutes more until all the ingredients are sizzling.

Serve hot.

Posted in Asian, Food, Leftovers, Poultry, Rice, Vegetables | No Comments »

Some of what we’ve been eating

Not a lot of posts recently. Here’s some of what we’ve been up to:

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Smoked Salmon Fra Diavolo

Another re-jiggering of my fra diavolo iterations. This one uses some tasty local salmon, from SeaBear. I chose the sockeye, as it has a more robust flavor to stand up in the spicy sauce. Even then it melded more with the sauce than the other versions I’ve tried. This is not a bad thing, as it lent a nice subtle smokey undertone to the sauce. This time around I also toasted the red pepper flakes in the oil with the garlic to help release the essential oils. It was a successful experiment that stretched a little protein a long way, which is good for our health and our wallets 🙂

Smoked Salmon Fra Diavolo
Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil
6 cloves garlic
2 cans diced tomatoes, 14.5 oz each (I used one plain and one fire roasted)
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp dried basil
¼ tsp black pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp tomato paste
6 oz hot smoked salmon

1 lb pasta of your choice (I used spaghetti here)

Boil salted water for the pasta. Add the pasta to the water when it reaches a rollicking boil. Cook as directed on the package.

As the pasta boils, press the cloves of garlic into the olive oil and add the red pepper flakes to a medium saucepan. Turn the heat to medium. When the garlic is just starting to turn golden and is fragrant, add the tomatoes, oregano, basil, black pepper, and tomato paste. Bring to a gentle boil then turn the heat down to simmer. Add the salmon and flake it into the sauce, making some very small bits and leaving some larger pieces. Let simmer until the pasta is done. Drain the pasta and serve hot over the noodles.

Posted in Food, Italian, Pasta, Seafood | No Comments »