Other Things | Simple By Cindy

Mustardy Smashed New Potatoes with Jalapeño Gremolata

Jan. 24
2019

“But our goal, remember, is to feed around our table the people we love. We’re not chef’s or restauranteurs or culinary school graduates, and we shouldn’t try to be. Make it the way the people you love want to eat it.” – Shauna Niequist, Bread and Wine

Shauna Niequist’s book, a collection of love stories that are about how we connect to each other through food and at the table resonates with me deeply. All the cooking I do is for one purpose, to bring people to my table. I consider it one of the most important things I do.

I always made dinner the most important part of my family’s day. When my kids were young, I cooked every day except for Saturday. That would-be date night for me and my husband.

Then our two children went off to college and we found ourselves to be empty nesters and I still cooked most nights. It was a time for my husband and I to connect, to relax and catch up. Now they are both back and living at home, and dinner continues to be the most important part of our day. I can see that my boys appreciate it even more, this time. We have reconnected in a different way. They seem disappointed on the days when my husband and I go out. It helps too, that they love my cooking. Our dinners are something that will be with them forever. I am extremely grateful for that.

So, if you feel like gathering at the kitchen table, this is one recipe that will steal everyone’s hearts. The potatoes roast beautifully to a golden brown in the oven and are fluffy on the inside (the secret to that is boiling them first). The gremolata is the gem of this dish. The whole grain mustard seeds cause quite a bit of pleasant pucker, while the parsley and dill bring it back to savory. This dish will be a perfect side to any main dish you prepare.

This recipe is courtesy of Beautiful by Athena Calderone, and will serve 4 to 6 people who enjoy good food as much as they enjoy good company.
Ingredients for Smashed Potatoes with Jalapeno Gremolata

2 pounds baby new potatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Small handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped
Small handful fresh dill, roughly chopped
2 jalapenos, 1 seeded and finely diced, the other cut into rounds
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 lemon
Zest of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
Flaky sea salt for serving

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Add the potatoes and simmer until they are tender, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of your potatoes.

Drain in a colander.

Using a flat-bottomed cup or mug (I used the back of a large spoon), gently smash the potatoes.

Turn them onto a baking sheet; use two sheets if necessary to avoid overcrowding.

Drizzle the potatoes generously with some oil and season with salt and pepper.

Roast until they are golden, about 15 minutes, then flip and roast until golden and crisp all over, about 10 minutes longer.

In a small bowl, mix together the parsley, dill, diced jalapeno, and garlic.

Zest half of the lemon over the mixture, add the olive oil and toss to combine.

Season with salt and pepper.

Toss the roasted potatoes with the mustard, then arrange them on a platter.

Spoon the gremolata over the potatoes and scatter them with the jalapeno rounds.

Zest the remaining lemon zest over half the platter.

Drizzle the potatoes with lemon juice from one lemon half.

Sprinkle with flakey sea salt and serve immediately.

It’s that simple!

Seven Layer Bars

Dec. 31
2018

Many of us make resolutions for the new year. Many of us also make them and never follow through. Even if we don’t follow through, the resolutions are always on our minds.

Maybe if we make a resolution about something we are passionate about, then we are more likely to carry it out. I set cooking goals for myself all the time. Not unobtainable ones, just small ones! If you are passionate about cooking I have some thoughts for you for this new year.

Ordering in: try to be prepared for your meals so you order less take-out. I recommend buying fresh meat from a butcher so you can freeze it and take it out when you need it. I will take out a steak from the freezer the night before I am going to cook it and place it in the refrigerator. Then, I quickly sauté or roast a vegetable with it. That’s it! Dinner is done and it is fresh and healthy.

Cookbooks: go through your cookbook collection and pick out some new, interesting recipes you want to make in the new year. Make a copy of it and take it with you so you have the ingredients on hand the next time you are at the grocery store.

Spices: be honest, how old are they? Are you keeping them in a dark, dry cabinet? The shelf life for spices is about eight months. If it is New Years, and you haven’t used it since this time last year, then it is time to throw it out and get a new one. Try to remember to put the date on them when you buy them. (I am guilty of not doing this too!)

Chicken: teach yourself how to roast one. It just needs a few spices. Throw some salt and pepper on it and some lemons or oranges and herbs in the cavity. Roast it at 350°F for about 1 1/2 hours. Then you have some free time to prepare a side or relax and read a book. It doesn’t get any easier than that.

Now that you have made some resolutions, here is an easy, sinfully delicious recipe to make in the New Year. I tasted one at a Christmas party and knew I had to try to make them. It has a buttery graham cracker crust that is covered in layers of chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and chopped nuts. It is then filled with a coating of sweetened condensed milk that is topped off with coconut. You can substitute any kind of chips such as peanut butter or semisweet, to make it perfect for you. It has become my all-time favorite bar, and I will be making it often. So should you! Perfect to bring to any New Year celebration, these bars will be the hit of the party!

I want to wish all of you a very happy and healthy New Year, and thank you all for support and wonderful comments. I have been lucky I have such kind followers like you.

This recipe will make about 12 bars that will captivate each lucky person who dives in.

Ingredients for Seven Layer Bars:

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups graham crackers crumbs
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup chopped pecans
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups shredded sweet coconut

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Place butter in a bowl in microwave oven until melted (about 1 minute).

Pour butter into 13 x 9-inch baking pan and swirl it around to coat bottom and sides with butter.

Spread graham cracker crumbs evenly over bottom of pan.

Spread milk chocolate chips over graham cracker crumbs.

Layer butterscotch chips over milk chocolate chips.

Sprinkle in chopped pecans.

Pour condensed milk over mixture.

Spread coconut over condensed milk.

Bake until edges are golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Let cool before cutting into squares.

It’s that simple!

Spinach Gratin

Dec. 13
2018

It’s important to do something you enjoy every day. For some of you, it might be meditating, yoga, knitting or sitting down with a good book. All of us need to learn how to indulge in more “me” time. Allowing ourselves to have self-care routines is so important for our health and happiness! I would like to share with you why I get so much joy out of cooking. It gives me the chance to be creative and have some “me time”. Chopping, stirring, mixing, and tasting are pretty much my therapy. It relaxes me and helps me unwind. All of the little steps are like meditation for me and clear my mind quickly.

Cooking is fun to do together as well. Preparing meals with my sister-in-law, my nieces, nephews, and cousins have become both mine and their favorite way of spending time together. We share some of our best memories and laughs during holiday cooking.

Dinner time at my house was always sacred. Everyone knew they had to be present. Even my husband, who has a demanding schedule would make sure he was home for dinner every night. When he knew he would be late, we waited for him. Why? Eating brings people together. It focuses on being with the people you love, and in the company of food, what can be more important than that?!

I am pretty sure this recipe is a no-stressor for the holidays. It is a “short-on-time” or “make-ahead” that will please anyone who is at your table. The cream and milk provide that cozy comfort food feeling. The cheeses add a scrumptious gooey goodness and the nutmeg gives it a wonderful savory flavor. This going to make your holiday meal truly special.

This recipe is another great one courtesy of Ina Garten, and will feed 8 people who will never want to leave the table.

Ingredients for Spinach Gratin:

4 tablespoon (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
4 cups chopped yellow onions (2 large)
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups milk
3 pounds frozen chopped spinach, defrosted (5 (10-ounce) packages)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium heat.

Add the onions and sauté until translucent, about 15 minutes.

Add the flour and nutmeg and cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes.

Add the cream and milk and cook until thickened.

Squeeze as much liquid as possible from the spinach and add the spinach to the sauce.

Add 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and mix well.

Season to taste, with salt and pepper.

Transfer the spinach to a baking dish and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and the Gruyere on top.

Bake for 20 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Serve hot.

It’s that simple!

Mazel

Spice-Roasted Butternut Squash

Dec. 10
2018

I have a love-hate relationship with snow. I love it when it is falling and the trees and ground are magically dusted white. I love the stillness and the quiet of falling snow. The snow causes stillness in us as well, so many of us are working or running around every day, and the snow gives us an excuse to pause. I often keep a brisket or some other comfort food in the freezer so I can take it out the night before a snowy day and cook a hearty meal for my family. I enjoy having to spend the entire day at home because I do not get many of them.

Then there is the other side to snow. The cleanup. The shoveling. The hazardous driving. The ugly dirty snow on the side of the streets. The cold wetness. We had a very treacherous snow day on the east coast this year right before Thanksgiving. Not one weatherman called it right. They told us it would be only about 3 inches. I happened to be out that day.

As I left to go home, I noticed the street I usually take home was at a standstill. I thought maybe there was an accident, so I patiently waited.. and waited. 2 1/2 hours later we began to move, slowly. Cars couldn’t get up even the smallest of hills. I prayed that would not happen to me. There were an unfathomable amount of jams in both directions because of people trying to go around the stuck cars. I tried to avoid the traffic, often ending up in even worse traffic. That evening a 10-minute ride home from the grocery store took me 3 1/2 hours. Everyone was blindsided by this storm and everyone driving was frustrated and scared.

If I hear snow in the forecast, I will be staying home.

That said, here is a recipe that you can make quickly on a snow day and have the rest of the day all to yourself. This butternut squash dish has all the right ingredients for an aromatic comfort food. The cumin and coriander add a savory deliciousness. The cayenne pepper packs in just the right amount of heat. This is a dish that is so easy to make and so yummy to eat.

This recipe is courtesy of Food and Wine and will serve 6 people who will want to be snowed in with you during every storm!

Ingredients for Spice-Roasted Butternut Squash

One (3-pound) butternut squash peeled seeded and diced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425°F.

In a large bowl, toss the squash with the olive oil, cumin, coriander and season with salt and pepper.

Spread the squash on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast in the oven for about 40 minutes, until tender and slightly browned, tossing once halfway through.

Transfer to a bowl and serve.

It’s that simple!

Beautifully carved watermelon at our hotel in Barbados!

Shredded Parmesan Brussels Sprouts

Nov. 26
2018

It is a good thing I have good friends and family who live close to me. I am usually preparing posts for my blog right before dinner. Unfortunately, my family doesn’t always like the food I prepare for my blog, so I also make something I know they will enjoy. For example, I am the only person in my family that likes Brussels sprouts, so I made them some baked potatoes.

When this is the case, I get the chance to give these experimental dishes to friends and extended family. For this reason, I am very well-liked around here, especially by my friends who work full time. One less thing for them to do!

As for as my immediate family, they are missing out on so many great meals. But they are proud of my website, so they don’t mind waiting the extra minute or two if I have to take pictures. By now, they are used to it, and often help me with suggestions on what to place in the photo. If it is a dessert, they will make me a cup of coffee for me to place in the picture. And I enjoy giving away some of my meals. I get feedback on them and I do enjoy knowing that the people who eat it love what I make.

This recipe is so simple and easy to get to the table fast. The Brussels sprouts are perfectly cooked and caramelized. The lemon juice and zest add a tarty zing to it. The Parmesan cheese tops it off with cheesy deliciousness. When you find yourself short on time, this is the ideal recipe for you.

This recipe will serve 4-6 people who will fight for the last savory bite!

Ingredients for Shredded Parmesan Brussels Sprouts:

1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Zest of 1/2 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

In a food processor fitted with the slicing blade, pulse the Brussels sprouts until coarsely chopped.

Place them in a medium sized bowl and toss with olive oil, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper.

Transfer to a baking pan, and spread them out evenly.

Roast in oven for 30 minutes, until the Brussels sprouts are tender and slightly browned.

Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese, bake for another minute.

Transfer to a bowl and serve them hot.

It’s that simple!