At California Casualty – we love doing things for the folks who do so much for our communities. As a way to say thanks, we are running a March Madness Bracket Challenge for the NCAA tournament. The contest is open to anyone who is an educator, peace officer, nurse, or firefighter.
The premise is simple – make your tournament picks, and the entrants that get the most correct will win the following:
– 1st Prize, iPad 2
– 2nd Prize, $200 Visa Gift Card
– 3rd Prize, $100 Visa Gift Card
Today, an 8.9-magnitude quake struck Japan, causing widespread devastation and setting off a chain of tsunamis that are affecting coastlines as far away as California. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those whose lives have been turned upside-down by this historic disaster.
When things like this occur – it’s important that we remind ourselves of steps to take in the face of disaster.
Earthquake safety is all about preparedness. We found a list of 7 Steps to Earthquake Safety, and wanted to share them with you here:
– Identify hazards such as heavy items that aren’t secured, and repair them
– Create a disaster plan
– Prepare disaster kits that contain first aid items and fresh water
– Identify building weaknesses and repair them
– Drop, Cover, and Hold on
– After an earthquake, check for injuries and damage
– Follow your disaster plan
Get in the Mardi Gras spirit with this great recipe for King Cake!
This traditional Mardi Gras dessert makes two king cakes each topped with a creamy glaze and festive gold, purple, and yellow sugar sprinkles.
Yield: Makes 2 cakes (about 18 servings each)
Ingredients
1 (16-ounce) container sour cream
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 (1/4-ounce) envelopes active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
6 to 6 1/2 cups bread flour*
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Purple-, green-, and gold-tinted sparkling sugar sprinkles
For the Glaze:
3 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 to 4 tablespoons milk
Stir together first 4 ingredients. Stir in 2 tablespoons milk, adding additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until spreading consistency.
Cake Preparation
Cook first 4 ingredients in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring often, until butter melts. Set aside, and cool mixture to 100° to 110°.
Stir together yeast, 1/2 cup warm water, and 1 tablespoon sugar in a 1-cup glass measuring cup; let stand 5 minutes.
Beat sour cream mixture, yeast mixture, eggs, and 2 cups flour at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until smooth. Reduce speed to low, and gradually add enough remaining flour (4 to 4 1/2 cups) until a soft dough forms.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes). Place in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease top.
Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until dough is doubled in bulk.
Punch down dough, and divide in half. Roll each portion into a 22- x 12-inch rectangle. Spread 1/3 cup softened butter evenly on each rectangle, leaving a 1-inch border. Stir together 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle evenly over butter on each rectangle.
Roll up each dough rectangle, jelly-roll fashion, starting at 1 long side. Place one dough roll, seam side down, on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bring ends of roll together to form an oval ring, moistening and pinching edges together to seal. Repeat with second dough roll.
Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 20 to 30 minutes or until doubled in bulk.
Bake at 375° for 14 to 16 minutes or until golden. Slightly cool cakes on pans on wire racks (about 10 minutes). Drizzle Creamy Glaze evenly over warm cakes; sprinkle with colored sugars, alternating colors and forming bands. Let cool completely.
Cream Cheese-Filled King Cake: Prepare each 22- x 12-inch dough rectangle as directed. Omit 1/3 cup softened butter and 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon. Increase 1/2 cup sugar to 3/4 cup sugar. Beat 3/4 cup sugar; 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened; 1 large egg; and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly on each dough rectangle, leaving 1-inch borders. Proceed with recipe as directed.
Tomorrow is national Read Across America day – as well as Dr. Seuss’s birthday! As a way to celebrate this important event – we wanted to share our own recipe for Green Eggs and Ham!
We encourage you to join with thousands of educators across the nation in sharing a love of reading with our children…and maybe share in the preparation of this unique breakfast. Would you try them?
Ingredients:
– 8 eggs
– 2 tbl milk or cream
– salt and pepper to taste
– 1/4 cup of chives
– 1/8 cup chopped, fresh parsley
– 4 oz of cubed cooked ham
– 1/4 cup of your favorite cheese, grated
– extra parsley, chives, or tomatillo salsa for garnish
Directions:
Mix all ingredients except the garnish and ham in a large bowl. Place a pat of butter (or a healthier oil) in a hot skillet, and saute the ham until heated through. Pour in the egg mixture and scramble until the eggs are cooked to your preferred consistency.
One thing I love about working here is that I hear a story about how someone made a customer’s experience wonderful on a nearly daily basis. The folks here at CalCas take a great deal of pride in the care they give customers, and it shows when we receive letters like this, from Joseph and Hilary in Oregon (edited a bit to remove some personal information).
Fred –
My wife and I have been with California Casualty for many years and have always enjoyed your competitive rates. Not until recently have we had to deal with your claims department and to be honest hopefully we don’t have to again for some time as being in an accident is not fun.
However it is important that you know how AMAZING our experience was with the claims department. We had a bad accident which caused a tremendous amount of stress in our lives. It was quickly determined that we had a total loss and Richard took over our claim. He quickly reached out to us to informed us of how the process would work.
Richard kept the communication lines very open and we felt that we were truly appreciated as customers throughout the entire process. We felt that Richard went out of his way to show us that he and your company cared about helping us move past this unfortunate situation. Here are a couple of the things that really stuck out from our interaction with him however there were many other moments that he exceeded our expectations with his service……
-Our claim was on his desk to be processed on the 31st of January. We had a new car in mind that we were getting at a discount but must be purchased that day due to end of the month push. I informed Richard of this the morning of the 31st and asked how much our settlement would be for so that we could determine if this was the right choice for us. He moved us to the top of the pile and got the info back to me within about 3 hours. This allowed us to save a good amount on our new car purchase.
-Richard made the process of getting the funds released quickly very easy on us. He gave simple instructions of what he needed from us and informed us where we were at along the way and we now have the settlement check (much faster than anticipated I should add).
-I am not sure how much say Richard has but we were also very happy with the settlement amount and Richard’s explanation of how it was determined. This prevented in arguing back and forth about what we were entitled to.
Again there was more but we don’t want to go on too long. I know from our interactions that Richard is a great asset to your team and brings a real value to being a California Casualty client!
Richard told us in an email that he still holds onto “the belief that you pay premiums for coverage AND service”. Before this accident my wife and I didn’t believe this. We do now!!!!!
If we can give any other feedback on our service from your claims department (specifically Richard) please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
At California Casualty – we love doing things for the folks who do so much for our communities. As a way to say thanks, we are running a March Madness Bracket Challenge for the NCAA tournament. The contest is open to anyone who is an educator, peace officer, nurse, or firefighter.
Get in the Mardi Gras spirit with this great recipe for King Cake!
Tomorrow is national