Cassie’s Ruminations

No real recipes from this weekend

September 7, 2008 – 8:16 pm

Poor Emma got spayed on Friday. She was so out of it when we brought her home that evening. I hated seeing her all drugged up and zombie-like 🙁 Saturday she spent most of the day sleeping, but she was more herself, and by Sunday she was bouncing on and off the couch like her usual nutty dog self despite our best efforts to keep her from jumping. She despised the cone, and since she can’t seem to reach the stitches and seems to have no interest in them anyway, we’ve just taken it off. She gets the sutures out next Monday, and we’re supposed to limit her activity until then. Wish us luck! Our headstrong little girl is not taking well to the idea that she’s supposed to be convalescing.

So since we’re preoccupied with Emma, food has been pretty simple. Beef burritos tonight. Grilled hot dogs for lunch Saturday, potstickers (Ling Ling, from Costco) and jasmine rice for dinner. Sunday brought beanie weenies with Bush’s Baked Beans for lunch and sourdough bread “pizza” made in the toaster oven for dinner. I suppose I can share my pizza sauce recipe. It’s very simple.

Pizza Sauce
Makes enough for 1 large pizza or several smaller ones

1 small (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 large clove garlic, pressed
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
⅛ tsp onion powder

Mix ingredients together, crushing the oregano and basil between your fingers as you sprinkle it into the bowl. Taste and add more seasonings if necessary.

Nutritional Information Per ¼ Cup Serving

Calories	15
Fat	0 g
Saturated Fat	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Sodium	360 mg
Carbohydrates	3 g
Fiber	1 g
Protein	<1 g
Vitamin A	4%
Vitamin C	6%
Calcium	0%
Iron	4%

Posted in Corgi, Food, Italian, Ramblings | 1 Comment »

Grilled Carrots and Asparagus

September 4, 2008 – 8:10 pm

Foil packets are a great way to cook delicate things on the grill. Tonight’s salmon was cooked in foil, as were the asparagus and carrots accompanying the meal. I got thin asparagus spears and julienned the carrots so that they would cook in about the same time as the salmon. I just gave them a couple minutes head start while I sliced up the lemon and sealed up the salmon packet. This method really works well with just about any vegetable. Harder veggies like broccoli will take longer, as would bigger chunks of carrot. Just adjust as necessary to get the tenderness that you’d like.

Grilled Carrots
Serves 2

2 large carrots, peeled and julienned
1 tsp olive oil
pinch kosher salt

Place the carrots in the center of a large piece of tin foil. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Seal up the pouch by gathering the edges of the foil together and squishing to make a sort of a purse. You want it fairly well sealed so that the carrots can steam, but don’t worry about getting it airtight. Grill over medium heat for 15 minutes or until the carrots are tender.

Nutritional Information Per Serving

Calories	50
Fat	2 g
Saturated Fat	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Sodium	50 mg
Carbohydrates	7 g
Fiber	2 g
Protein	1 g
Vitamin A	241%
Vitamin C	7%
Calcium	2%
Iron	1%

Grilled Asparagus
Serves 2

1 bunch of thin asparagus spears, tough ends snapped off
1 tsp olive oil
pinch kosher salt

Place the asparagus spears in the center of a large piece of tin foil. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Seal up the pouch by gathering the edges of the foil together and squishing to make a sort of a purse. You want it fairly well sealed so that the asparagus can steam, but don’t worry about getting it airtight. Grill over medium heat for 15 minutes or until the spears are tender.

Nutritional Information Per Serving

Calories	70
Fat	2 g
Saturated Fat	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Sodium	50 mg
Carbohydrates	8 g
Fiber	4 g
Protein	4 g
Vitamin A	10%
Vitamin C	15%
Calcium	2%
Iron	2%

Posted in Food, Grilling, Sides, Vegetables | 1 Comment »

Grilled Salmon

September 4, 2008 – 8:08 pm

This is a very simple and delicious way to prepare salmon. Shaun called it restaurant quality. It really allows the flavor of the fish to shine, so get a high quality fillet. I used some local wild-caught coho salmon. The same method works wonderfully for a whole salmon as well. Just add more lemon slices and increase the cooking time to about 25 minutes. The rule of thumb is 10-12 minutes per inch of thickness measured at the thickest part of the fish.

Grilled Salmon
Serves 2

1 fillet of salmon, about 0.75-1 lb
⅛ tsp kosher salt
½ of a lemon, sliced into rounds

Preheat the grill to medium heat. Spray a large piece of tin foil with non-stick spray. Place the fillet skin side down in the center of the foil. Sprinkle lightly with salt and place lemon slices on top. Fold the tin foil in on top of the salmon to make a sealed packet. Grill for about 12 minutes or until the salmon flakes easily but is still moist. Serve warm.

Nutritional Information Per 3 oz Serving

Calories	160
Fat	6 g
Saturated Fat	1 g
Cholesterol	45 mg
Sodium	45 mg
Carbohydrates	0 g
Fiber	0 g
Protein	23 g
Vitamin A	4%
Vitamin C	4%
Calcium	8%
Iron	6%

(information from http://www.northwest-seafood.com/)

Posted in Food, Grilling, Seafood | 2 Comments »

Cornflake Chicken

September 3, 2008 – 7:29 pm

This is a recipe of Shaun’s. It’s a tasty way to bake chicken. Now that we’re getting some cooler fall temperatures, we can turn on the oven again for longer periods of time and enjoy meals like this one. I served these with roasted brussels sprouts and baked white rose potatoes, which cooked at the same temperature for about the same time.

Cornflake Chicken
Serves 2, generously

2 split chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
2 tbsp butter
1 cup cornflake crumbs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Melt the butter in a wide shallow dish. Pour the cornflake crumbs into another dish. Dredge the chicken in the butter and then in the cornflake crumbs, coating completely. Bake for 70 minutes or until an internal temperature of 165 degrees is reached and the coating is nice and crispy.

Nutritional Information Per 8 oz Serving

Calories	360
Fat	20 g
Saturated Fat	11 g
Cholesterol	130 mg
Sodium	612 mg
Carbohydrates	6 g
Fiber	0 g
Protein	36 g
Vitamin A	13%
Vitamin C	2%
Calcium	2%
Iron	18%

Posted in Food, Poultry | 2 Comments »

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

September 3, 2008 – 7:23 pm

This is a great way to prepare brussels sprouts. Give this a try, even if you think you don’t like them. The roasting brings out the vegetable flavors without any unpleasant sulfurous odor or aftertaste, and the crispness of the outer leaves makes a lovely contrast to the tender interior.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Serves 4

2 lbs small brussels sprouts
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Remove any discolored outer leaves from the brussels sprouts and trim the ends if necessary. Cut in half (or quarters if especially large) and toss with the olive oil. Place on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 45 minutes or until the outer leaves are turned to a dark golden brown. Serve hot.

Nutritional Information Per 8 oz Serving

Calories	118
Fat	3 g
Saturated Fat	1.5 g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Sodium	72 mg
Carbohydrates	20 g
Fiber	9 g
Protein	8 g
Vitamin A	34%
Vitamin C	322%
Calcium	10%
Iron	18%

Posted in Food, Sides, Vegetables | No Comments »

Restaurant Review – ZAB Thai

September 1, 2008 – 7:54 pm

ZAB Thai is a great little Thai place just off Highway 99. It’s located in a strip mall, and doesn’t look like much from outside, but the moment you step inside you are greeted by a soothing water wall, authentic decor, and a friendly staff. The food is very flavorful, the menu varied, and you can pick your level of spice from mild to extra hot. I usually get the “hot” level of spice – right in the middle. It has a kick, but the spiciness doesn’t overpower the other flavors in the dish. Lunch specials are a great deal, and the dinner entrées are big enough to share. For tonight’s visit I had the “Sea Grilled” plate, which was a plate of grilled scallops, shrimp, mussels, and squid served with a spicy garlic lime dipping sauce and some grilled veggies. The plate seemed a bit sparse for the price, but it was very artfully arranged, and the seafood was well cooked. Shaun got the chicken pad thai, which was excellent. The balance of flavors was perfect. I highly recommend this restaurant.

Posted in Food, Restaurant Review | No Comments »

Grilled Pork Chops

August 31, 2008 – 7:30 pm

Not much of a recipe here, but they were another tasty and fast grilled dinner 🙂

Grilled Pork Chops
Serves 2

2 pork loin blade chops, bone in (about 1 lb total weight)
Montreal Steak Seasoning

Heat the grill to medium low heat. Sprinkle both sides of the chops generously with Montreal Steak Seasoning. Grill for 6 minutes on each side or until cooked through and nicely marked.

Nutritional Information Per 8 oz Serving

Calories	255
Fat	14 g
Saturated Fat	4 g
Cholesterol	103 mg
Sodium	660 mg
Carbohydrates	0 g
Fiber	0 g
Protein	32 g
Vitamin A	0%
Vitamin C	0%
Calcium	3%
Iron	6%

Posted in Food, Grilling, Pork | No Comments »

Blueberry Muffins

August 31, 2008 – 9:30 am

This recipe is from Nigella Lawson’s How To Be A Domestic Goddess (a very tongue in cheek title, by the way, so don’t be intimidated). These were okay, but I would have liked a bit more flavor in the batter, and all the blueberries sank to the bottom, so they were a bit messy to unwrap and eat. It was a very easy and fast recipe to throw together though, so I can’t complain too much. I did get muffins for breakfast, after all 😉

Blueberry Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

6 tbsp unsalted butter
1 ⅓ cups all purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
¼ cup sugar
pinch of salt
½ cup plain yogurt
7 tbsp milk
1 large egg
7 oz blueberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Melt the butter and set aside to cool. Mix together the dry ingredients in one bowl. When the butter is no longer super hot, beat in the yogurt, milk, and egg. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir to just combine. Lumps are just fine. Fold in the blueberries. Dollop the batter into a 12 muffin tin lined with paper baking cups. Bake for 20 minutes or until tops are just turning golden brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes before turning out onto a tea towel. Serve warm alone or with some butter.

Nutritional Information Per Muffin

Calories	146
Fat	7 g
Saturated Fat	5 g
Cholesterol	37 mg
Sodium	165 mg
Carbohydrates	18 g
Fiber	1 g
Protein	3 g
Vitamin A	6%
Vitamin C	4%
Calcium	8%
Iron	4%

Posted in Baking, Food | 1 Comment »

Restaurant Review – Blazing Onion

August 30, 2008 – 7:40 pm

Blazing Onion is a great local burger joint with lots of menu variety. The atmosphere is casual, but nice, and the food is high quality. I got the Log Cabin Steak Dip, which was an actual top sirloin steak, tender and cooked to order, on a light fluffy white roll with swiss cheese and tomato slices. A cup of excellent au jus was provided for dipping. The sweet potato fries (for a bit extra) are a perfect balance of sweet and salty with a very pleasant outer crunch surrounding a tender interior. The regular french fries were also excellent, obviously cut fresh. Shaun’s buffalo chicken sandwich was also quite good, after the kitchen speedily corrected an error they’d made in his order. All in all I’d heartily recommend this place.

(pictures courtesy of Blazing Onion website)

Posted in Food, Restaurant Review | No Comments »

Slashfood’s 100 Must-Eat American Foods

August 29, 2008 – 9:12 am

A take off of the omnivore’s 100, Slashfood writer Emily Matchar has composed a list of 100 American foods to eat in your lifetime. Similar to below, I’ve bolded one’s I’ve had, put in italics ones I want to try soon, and crossed out ones that I have no interest in ever trying. Not too shabby this time around 🙂

1. New York pizza
2. Hoppin’ John
3. New Mexico green chile
4. Homemade buttermilk biscuits
5. Tasso
6. Whole Maine lobster
7. Calabash-style shrimp and hushpuppies
8. Kansas City barbecue ribs
9. Hot glazed Krispy Kreme
10. San Diego fish tacos – Rubio’s is one of the places I really miss, having moved to the Pacific Northwest. Baja Fresh is just not the same.
11. Cheese curds
12. Key lime pie
13. Philly cheese steak
14. Memphis pork barbecue sandwich
15. Lowcountry boil
16. Huckleberry pie
17. New England clam chowder
18. Boiled peanuts
19. Buffalo burger
20. Eggs Benedict
21. Pastrami on rye
22. Corned beef and cabbage
23. Pancakes with maple syrup
24. Everything bagel with cream cheese and tomato
25. Thin Mints (preferably frozen)
26. Frito pie
27. Potato knish with mustard
28. Silver Queen corn on the cob – better yet – fresh Olathe corn
29. Soft pretzel from a street cart
30. Fresh-picked blueberries
31. Sourwood honey – I get great local honey from Foster’s Farm. It’s not Sourwood, but I think I’m following the spirit here 🙂
32. State fair funnel cake
33. Chesapeake crab cakes
34. Candied yams
35. Oyster dressing
36. Snow cone or snowball
37. Wild Alaskan salmon
38. Sautéed morels
39. Persimmon pudding
40. General Tso’s Chicken
41. Frozen custard
42. Italian sausage with peppers and onions on a hoagie bun
43. Chili dog
44. Buffalo wings with blue cheese
45. Spam musubi
46. Saltwater taffy
47. Fluffernutter sandwich on Wonder Bread
48. Black and white cookie
49. Frybread
50. BLT with thick-cut applewood bacon
51. Baked beans
52. Pumpkin pie
53. Collards with vinegar and Tabasco
54. Tex-Mex fajitas with skirt steak and sautéed peppers
55. Fried green tomatoes
56. Succotash – not a fan. Somehow the combination is just wrong, even though I like all the ingredients.
57. Shrimp and grits
58. Hot water cornbread
59. Barbecue chicken pizza with red onions
60. Chicken fried steak
61. Carnitas burrito
62. Apple butter
63. Geoduck
64. Soft-serve ice cream cone dipped in chocolate shell (especially Dairy Queen)
65. Pecan pie
66. Catfish supper at a church or fire station – this must be a southern thing, but I have had countless pancake breakfasts and a few chili dinners. I’ve also had catfish, so I’m going to count this one.
67. Oysters Rockefeller
68. Homemade cranberry sauce – every Thanksgiving for sure, and more often if I can get the cranberries
69. Pimiento cheese
70. MoonPie washed down with R.C. Cola
71. Pickled watermelon rind
72. Cracker Jacks at the ball game
73. Smithfield ham
74. Meatloaf and mashed potato blue plate special at diner
75. Chicken and waffles
76. Po’Boy
77. Green bean casserole with French’s fried onions
78. Stuffed sopaipillas
79. Turducken
80. Shad roe on toast
81. Sweet potato casserole with or without marshmallows
82. Cioppino
83. New York cheesecake
84. Pan-fried river trout – fresh caught from a Colorado steam
85. Jambalaya
86. North Carolina pig pickin’ – I’ve had a hawaiian version, both in Hawaii and in a tiny town in southern California
87. California rolls
88. Burgoo
89. Penuche fudge
90. Fried peanut butter and banana sandwich (the Elvis)
91. Scrapple or livermush
92. Elk medallions in red wine reduction
93. Muscadine grapes
94. Cheeseburger at backyard barbecue
95. Open-face turkey sandwich
96. Chicago deep dish pizza
97. Cobb salad
98. Peach pie a la mode
99. Macaroni and cheese with Tillamook sharp cheddar
100. Root beer float

Posted in Food, Ramblings | 2 Comments »