Simple By Cindy

Pot Roast

Feb. 15
2016

This roast is great to cook on a snowy day or on a weekend when you have the time.

It is also fantastic as a main dish if you are having company.

The chuck roast is inexpensive and makes a wonderful and beautiful presentation. It is well marbled, which gives it a tremendous boost of flavor.

Everyone you make it for will enjoy this warm, hearty meal. It is worth every minute you take to prepare it.

The best part is that you can not over-cook it! The longer it cooks, the softer and juicer the meat becomes!

This is another crowd-pleaser that is easy and so delicious!

A must-try!

Ingredients for the Chuck Roast

1 (4-5 pound) chuck roast
2 small onions, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tbsp. tomato paste
1 cup of good red wine
4 cups of beef broth
4 sprigs of oregano, chopped (or 2 tbsp. dried)
4 sprigs of thyme, chopped (or 2 tbsp. dried)
1 bay leaf
1 package mushrooms
4 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. kosher salt, plus 2 reserved
1 tsp. pepper, plus 1 reserved

Place olive oil in a deep pot or dutch oven over medium heat.

Sprinkle chuck roast on all sides with 2 tsp. kosher salt and 1 tsp. pepper.

When oil is very hot, place roast in pot to brown, about 5-6 minutes each side. You may need to lay the roast up against the sides of the pot to get every side brown. You can also prop it up with crumpled up aluminum foil. Make sure to brown on every side.

When roast is browned, remove it from the pot and set aside.

Spill out all but 2 tbsp. of oil. Place back on heat.

Place onions in the pot. Move them to one side and place the tomato paste on the other side to brown. This should take about 5-6 minutes. Onions should be translucent, not browned.

Mix together the onions and tomato paste .

Add the garlic to the pot. Cook for only 1 minute.

Pour the red wine into the pot to deglaze. Make sure to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Let wine reduce, about 5 minutes.

Add the beef broth to the pot along with the mushrooms, herbs, bay leaf and 2 tsp. of kosher salt and 1 tsp. of the black pepper.

Bring mixture to a boil and place roast back into the pot.

Bring to a boil once again. Reduce heat to low, cover the pot and let the roast cook slowly for about 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

You can not over cook this meat! The longer it cooks, the better it tastes.

When you test the roast to see if it is fully cooked, it should come apart very easily when you insert a fork and knife.

Cut the roast and serve!

It’s that simple!

Quinoa and Black Beans

Feb. 6
2016

My niece, Leslie, gave me this recipe a long time ago. I was reluctant to try it as I wasn’t confident how all the ingredients would combine and taste.

How I wish I had made this recipe sooner! It is delicious and definitely a “keeper”. I am putting it on my Thanksgiving menu for this year.

This is a healthy, yet hardy dish. The ingredients blend together to make a savory side dish that will leave your guests wanting more.

It has a little “kick” to it, so feel free to adjust the amount of the cayenne pepper to your liking.

We liked it exactly how it is.

This recipe is adapted from allrecipes.com. I substituted chicken broth for vegetable broth and added some extra garlic (the original recipe called for 3 cloves of garlic). You could certainly adjust it back to the original if you prefer.

Whatever you choose, this recipe is just plain scrumptious!

I just want you all to know that I will be on vacation until the 13th. I will not be posting while I am away.

Have a good week! I will be back soon!

Ingredients for Quinoa and Black Beans

3 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
3/4 cup of uncooked tri-color quinoa
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. of ground cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt, plus 1 tsp. reserved
1/2 tsp. pepper, plus 1/2 tsp. reserved
1 cup frozen corn kettles
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.

When hot, add in the onions and cook until slightly browned (about 6-8 minutes).

Add in the garlic and let cook for 1 minute.

Mix the quinoa into the saucepan and pour in the chicken broth. Season with the cumin, cayenne pepper, 1 tsp. kosher salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper.Bring the mixture to a boil.

Cover, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 20 minutes.

Stir the frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer for about 5 more minutes until heated through.

Mix in the black beans and parsley (or cilantro).

You are going to love this one! I hope you enjoy!

It’s that simple!

Simple Scones

Feb. 3
2016

I am not a big breakfast eater. I love breakfast foods like omelets and pancakes but I usually just prefer a simple latte in the morning.

On most Sundays in the summer, my husband and go to this wonderful pastry place not far from our home. It has the most delicious treats. Their biscuits and scones are scrumptious and I have to admit, I can’t resist.

I have always wanted to try and make the scones but I was intimidated because I thought they were going to be very difficult. As I have previously written, baking is not my forte.

To my surprise, this recipe could not have been easier. As I read through the recipe, I knew I had to try it.

This recipe is courtesy of allrecipes.com. The scones are delicious! They are perfect to share with family or friends for breakfast, brunch or lunch—or just for an ideal treat!

Whatever your reason, these scones are a must-try! You will love them!

Ingredients for the Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar, plus 1 tsp. reserved
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, (1 stick) frozen
1/2 cup raisins (or dried currants)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg

Preheat oven to 400.

Adjust rack to lower-middle position.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, 1/3 cup of sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Grate the butter into the flour mixture on the large holes of a grater.

Use your fingers to work in the butter. The mixture should resemble coarse meal.

Stir in the raisins.

In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream and egg until smooth.

Using a fork, stir the sour cream mixture into the flour mixture until large dough clumps form.

Using your hands, press the dough against the bowl into a ball. The dough may be sticky in places, and there may not seem to be enough liquid at first, but as you press, the dough will come together.

Place on a light floured surface and pat into a 7-8-inch wide circle about 3/4 inch thick.

Sprinkle with remaining 2 tsp. of sugar.

Using a sharp knife, cut into 8 triangles.

Place in baking pan lined with parchment paper about 1 inch apart.

Bake until golden, about 15-17 minutes.

Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.

Delicious! Enjoy!

It’s that simple!

Chicken Thighs with Roasted Tomatoes

Feb. 1
2016

I was planning my dinner for tonight and didn’t have time to run to the grocery store

Luckily, I had some defrosted some chicken thighs on hand.

Searching my refrigerator, I saw that I had 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, some white wine and tomato paste. It was time to use put these ingredients to use.

This recipe was such a success, my family asked me to make it again the following week.

It was an ideal way to use the ingredients I had in my home as well as creating a new favorite family recipe.

From my home to yours!

Ingredients for the Chicken Thighs

6 chicken thighs
2 small white onions, chopped (or 1 large)
6 garlic cloves, chopped
3 tbsp. tomato paste
1 cup of good white wine
3 cups of chicken broth
4 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped (or 2 tsp. dried)
4 sprigs of fresh oregano. chopped) or 2 tsp. dried)
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, cut into half
1 tsp. salt (plus 1 tsp. reserved)
1 tsp. pepper (plus 1/2 tsp. reserved)
3 tbsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 350.

Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towel. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.

Place olive oil in pan over medium heat. When the pan is very hot, add chicken thighs, skin side down. Set your timer for 7 minutes.

After 7 minutes, turn the chicken thighs over and cook for another 5-6 minutes.

Remove chicken thigh from pan and set aside.

Spill out all but 1 tbsp. of fat from pan.

Add onions and cook until translucent, about 5-7 minutes.

While onions are cooking, push them over to one side of the pot, and add tomato paste to the other side.Let it brown while onions are cooking about 5 minutes. Give each side a few stirs during this process.

Combine onions and tomato paste.

Place chopped garlic in the pan and let cook for 1 minute.

Pour in white wine and let it reduce for 5 minutes.

Scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

Add in the tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes.

Pour in the chicken broth and herbs and bring mixture to a boil.

Place the chicken thighs back into the pan (liquid should come up to half of the chicken thighs). Bring back to a boil.

Turn off the heat and put pan into the oven.

Bake for 20 minutes.

So delish!

It’s that simple!

Death By Chocolate

Jan. 29
2016

This recipe will surely be a hit at any celebration.

The layers in the trifle bowl give it a beautiful presentation that is sure to impress.

It is decadent and sinfully delicious.

The greatest part is that it is so fast and easy to make!

For all of those reasons, I knew that this recipe would be a success.

My niece, Lara, is my sous-chef for all our holiday dinners. She had made this recipe often, and it has always been a winner, making the decision to share it an easy one.

We are not sure where the dish originated from (my apologies) but we wanted to share it with all of you!

Ingredients for Death by Chocolate

1 box chocolate cake mix 
Kahlua (optional)
1 box instant chocolate pudding, or chocolate mousse
12 ounces Cool Whip, defrosted
6 Skor bars (Heath bars work well too)

Make the cake according to the package directions.

You will need only half of the cake for this recipe. You can freeze the other half.