Cat Tale & Recipes

 A montage of Squeak photos before the tale of all the trouble I've had with her these last few weeks.

Squeak, shortly after I got her 6 years ago.

She'd been found, crying piteously, inside the hood of a car.

 

Squeak's first Christmas

 

Squeak's way of saying, "Treats, now!"

Looks like the perfect angel, right? Well, she cost me an enormous vet bill last week for tests to discover if her recent abnormal behavior was due to illness. It was not. It seems my 2-day attempt to introduce a second cat into the house had lingering effects (stress that could last up to 6 months, the vet said!) In other words, my cat needed a "catyatrist." I was told I had to buy her an entire new litter box and it was suggested I buy an anti-stress spray that turned out to be something PetSmart kept under the checkout counter! (Marijuana for cats??) All this because I tried to do a good deed for Anastasia, the absolutely lovely little kitty our church has been feeding for months. The tale ends happily with the church secretary adopting the kitty, and Squeak going back to her good manners after getting a new litter box. She is still leery of lying on my bed as she used to and sometimes stops and looks all around as if she expects poor little Anastasia to pop out at her at any moment. But all in all, she's back to about 90% of normal. And I'm no longer getting unexpected wet spots all over the house, including the middle of my bed!

~ * ~

 

 THREE RECIPES I'D LIKE TO SHARE

 I ran across a recipe in my Bisquick cookbook that I felt I had to share. It's pure comfort food - simple and amazingly tasty. I suspect it also freezes well but have not yet tried the batch I froze. 

COWBOY CASSEROLE

1 lb lean ground beef

1 can (16 oz) baked beans

½ cup barbecue sauce

2 cups Original Bisquick mix

2/3 cup milk

1 tablespoon butter, softened

½ cup shredded cheddar (2 oz)

Heat oven to 425°. Cook beef over med-high heat 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in baked beans and BBQ sauce. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Pour into 2-qt casserole.

Meanwhile, in medium bowl, stir Bisquick, milk & butter until soft dough forms. Drop dough by 12 spoonfuls onto beef mixture.

Bake, uncovered, 18-22 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake about 3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

*  * *

 I recently bought a folding omelet pan, adapted a recipe I found online - results below. (True chefs may groan, but I heartily recommend the results of using a folding pan.) The pan I bought could easily accommodate a larger omelet than the one in the recipe below.

Grace note:  the original recipe called for 2 teaspoon butter plus ½ teaspoon olive oil. I simply used PAM olive oil spray.

3 eggs

sea salt & pepper

a sprinkle of dried minced onion or garlic (opt.)

Whisk eggs and seasoning briskly. Spray folding pan. Preheat to Med-high. Add egg mix, using fork to draw aside mix and allow uncooked egg to run beneath. Continue until omelet is set but still soft. Scatter toppings on both sides. (See "Filling" below.) Fold.

Suggested fillings - pick & choose or use them all. Or think up some of your own.

Fresh herbs, chopped

Grated cheese

Bacon, fried to crisp & crumbled

Deli ham slices

Sliced green or black olives

 * * *

I updated my favorite steak recipe this week for a couple who really don't cook (!), and also enjoyed a beef tenderloin cooked to perfection (if I do say so myself), so decided the time was ripe to repeat "Sirloin Roast." Follow the directions and you'll have a steak that rivals one cooked in the finest restaurant. (Until I found this recipe, I was a total failure at cooking steak.)

 

SIRLOIN ROAST

1-2 sirloin, T-bone, rib-eye, beef tenderloin, filet mignon (but NEVER round steak or flank steak). I usually buy tenderloin or filet mignon.

Marinate 3-8 hours.* Remove from refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.

Preheat oven to 400° (before searing steak)

Spray cast iron grill pan** with PAM olive oil spray.

Sear steak on one side in grill pan.* Turn steak & finish in oven. For medium rare:

       1" steak - sear for c. 3 minutes; roast for c. 3 minutes.

       1½” steak - sear for c. 4 minutes; roast for c. 4 minutes.

Remove. Brush with pan juices; tent with foil; rest 3 min. (Do NOT skip these steps.)

 

*Any store-bought marinade or make your own

**My pan is 10.5 inches. If grilling more than 2 steaks, you will need a 12" grill pan.

~ * ~

 

Coming soon  

The Crucible Kingdom, a spin-off from the Blue Moon Rising series 

 ~ * ~

 For a link to Blair's website, click here.

 For a link to Blair's Facebook Author Page  click here.

 

Thanks for stopping by,

Grace (Blair Bancroft)