Simple By Cindy

Skirt Steak and Shelley’s Barley

Aug. 3
2015

I must have at least one hundred cookbooks. Not kidding.

Many years ago my friend Beth bought me a cookbook, Jewish Holiday Baking by Marcy Goldman. I made some of the recipes and so many of them were so wonderful that I became addicted to cookbooks.

I am not a good baker at all. I would rather cook a meal than bake, but when you have a great cookbook or recipe it doesn’t matter…it just works.

I highlight the recipes that I might want to make in the future with colored tabs. In upcoming posts, I hope to share many of the recipes I love and know to be successful and delicious.

Many of my go-to recipes belong to my mother and good friends, but most of them come from my sister-in-law, Shelley.

Shelley and I share a passion for cooking and making holidays that bring the family together. We cook with love and our passion for entertaining is evident in the dishes we prepare. She has been an inspiration for me in so many ways and I look forward to sharing more of her dishes with you! This barley recipe comes from Shelley and is an easy to prepare, family favorite.

Ingredients for the Skirt Steak
I like to cook with kosher meat, but I will confess that in a pinch I will go to the butcher in my grocery store and buy my meat there.

For this recipe, I like to use what my butcher calls a “California cut”. It is thick and well-marbled and always comes out juicy and delicious. You can use a skirt steak from your grocery butcher too, as it works just as well. Just be careful about how long you cook them, because cooking time depends on the meat’s thickness.

Buy one skirt steak for each person you are serving.

You can make the marinade the night before or that morning.

Ingredients for the Marinade
½ cup beef broth
1/4 cup white wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup worcheschire sauce
Juice of 1/2 lemon
4 sprigs oregano or 2 tsp. dried
2 sprigs thyme or 1 tsp. dried
7 cloves garlic, smashed (you do not have to peel them)
2 tbsp Kosher salt
1 tsp pepper

Ingredients for the meat (My Essence)
2 tbsp. garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp oregano
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Mix all these ingredients together.

Take the meat out of the marinade. Place on broiler pan or in aluminum pan.

Turn oven to Broil.

Sprinkle both sides liberally with onion, garlic, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper mixture.

Place in oven.

Set timer for 5 minutes.

Turn meat over and set timer for 5 more minutes or until medium rare (the thickness of the meat will determine how much longer you need to cook). Set your timer for 2 minute increments until it has reached your desired preference.

You will set timer for 7 or 8 minutes each side for medium well meat.

Ingredients for the Barley
1 package toasted barley
2 packages Knorr’s French Onion Soup Mix

1 package fresh mushrooms or 1 can mushrooms (You can leave the mushrooms out if your family does not like them– the barley will still be terrific!)
1 stick margarine

Heat oven to 375.

Make the barley according to the directions on the bag minus 2 minutes. Do not salt the water.

Melt butter in microwave for 20 seconds.

Mix the french onion soup mix, mushrooms and melted butter in pot or baking dish that can go in the oven. You can add the mushrooms to this mixture if you are using them.

When barley is ready, drain and mix it in with the other ingredients.

Place in oven for 15 minutes uncovered.

Set your timer!

After 15 minutes, turn oven down to to 350 and cover the barley.

Cook for 20 more minutes. (remember to reset your timer!)

It’s that simple! Hope you enjoy! Thank you Simone!

“My Essence”

Jul. 31
2015

I always have “My Essence” ready to go anytime I need it. This is a combination of my favorite ingredients. You can make your own “Essence”. Just take a combination of your favorite ingredients, mix them all together and save it for when you need it. Now you have it ready when you want to get a meal on the table fast! Instant “dry rub”! Here is my formula:

Ingredients for “My Essence”
5 tbsp garlic powder
8 tbsp onion powder
4 tbsp paprika
4 tbsp oregano
4 tbsp thyme
2 tsp Kosher salt (you can add more if you taste it and think it may need it)
2 tsp pepper

Put all the ingredients in a ziploc bag. Shake it and mix it well. You can even keep it in the ziplock bag, though I find that pouring it from the bag is difficult.

Transfer the ingredients to a sugar shaker. You can keep any extra in the ziploc bag for storage.Use it on any meat or poultry you are preparing. If you don’t have time to marinade, then just shake this onto whatever you are cooking. It always tastes great!

It acts as a dry rub and is delicious every time. Use any ingredient that you like. Just sprinkle on and it is ready!

What’s your “Essence”?

I would love to know!

When cooking, just remember to “Set your timer“!

It’s that simple!

Chicken Cutlets and Broccoli

Jul. 29
2015

This is about as easy as it gets! The chicken cutlets don’t take a lot of time to cook and the broccoli is ready in minutes! I love the way broccoli looks after it cooked. If it is sautéed correctly, this beautiful bright green vegetable looks scrumptious!

You have to be very careful with the timing!

Take it off the heat as soon as it turns that radiant color because it will continue to cook after you take it off the stove. Nothing is more unappetizing to me than dark green, sad looking broccoli, so be careful and follow the directions!

Ingredients for Broccoli
Rinse broccoli and dry it very well. Drying thoroughly helps to keep it crisp.
1 bunch broccoli, chopped
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
5 cloves garlic, chopped very small
1/2 onion, chopped
Juice of 1 small lemon
4 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Todays Hint: Just to let those of you who do not like the stems of the broccoli, I have a suggestion. Peel the stems like you would peel a carrot. Taste!! It is amazing how different the stems taste when they are peeled! They are sweet and delicious! You might change your mind and use them from now on! Maybe even use them as a snack!

Add olive oil to pan. When heated, add onions, a little salt and pepper (save some for later).

Cook onions until they are translucent about 8 minutes.

Add lemon, red pepper flakes and garlic.

Cook garlic only one minute. It is important that you do not burn the garlic. Remember you have other ingredients to add and the garlic will continue to cook.

Now add the broccoli, and some more salt and pepper.

Mix ingredients well.

Cook until broccoli turns bright green about 10 minutes. Immediately take the pan off the heat. The broccoli will continue to cook after you take it off the heat. You want the broccoli to be crunchy, not soft and mushy. Taking it off the heat when it turns bright green will ensure that you have the perfect consistency and a beautiful side dish.

Ingredients for Chicken Cutlets
6 small boneless chicken thighs
2 cups flour
2 tbsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. onion powder
2 tbsp. oregano
1 tbsp. basil
2 tbsp. Kosher salt
2 tbsp. pepper
3 cups bread crumbs
3 eggs
1/2-cup olive oil.
Set oven to 350.

Mix flour, garlic powder onion powder, oregano, basil salt and pepper together in a plastic bag. Shake well to mix.

Make sure chicken cutlets are dry. Drop them into bag and shake well.

Beat eggs into bowl.

Place bread crumbs onto a paper plate.

Drop each cutlet into egg bowl, then into breadcrumb mixture. Make sure cutlets are evenly coated with bread crumbs

Heat olive oil in pan medium heat until sizzling. Drop cutlets into pan.

Each cutlet should take about 5-7 minutes to brown. Set your timer.

Do not crowd cutlets in pan. Do it in batches if you need to.

When you get to the second batch watch carefully. The oil is very hot the second time around, and the cutlets may take only 3-4 minutes to brown. You need to watch them so they do not burn.

Take chicken cutlets out of pan and place them on paper plate or board covered with paper towels. Let them sit a while to absorb the oil.

Place in aluminum pan and put in oven for 20 minutes. Set your timer!!

It’s that simple!

The Trick is in the Timing

Jul. 27
2015

The most important cooking skill to have is timing! I have acquired many timers throughout the years to make sure that nothing is over or under cooked. The timers with the long ring are my favorite because the ring continues long enough to redirect my attention back to the meal I am preparing. When you are preparing 4-5 dishes at once, you find that it’s easy to forget!

My kitchen is especially busy during Thanksgiving because I host 40-45 guests at my home. Timing and organization are critical and I frequently use 4-5 timers simultaneously during those insane days leading up to any family get-together. I always set the timer with a piece of paper under it that says specifically what the timer is for to organize the preparation process.

To avoid overcooking your meals, there are two things you must remember!

1. When cooking meat and especially fish, if the recipe tells you to take it out at a specific temperature, do not wait until it reaches that temperature in the oven. Take the meat or fish out when it reads 10 degrees below what the recipe directs. The recipe tells you the temperature it should be when fully cooked. However, it will continue to cook outside of the oven and your dinner will be dry if you follow the recipe instructions verbatim!

2. If a recipe calls for a specific time to cook any meat/poultry/fish, always set your timer for 1/2 hour or 20 minutes less. If it needs more cooking, set your timer to 5 minutes increments to make sure that you do not overcook! Remember to take it out before the meat/fish is fully cooked and give it time to cook outside of the oven.

It’s that simple! Thank you Simone!

Smoked Salmon Frittata

Jul. 24
2015

This recipe is courtesy of Ina Garten. What a gift! It is great for any brunch or it can be used a a side dish. I made it for Fathers Day this year as a side because I wanted to take pictures and prepare it for my blog. It worked just as well! I had also used it for my Mother’s Day brunch but no one complained! Everything about it is scrumptious! When it is finished it looks light and fluffy. This is so easy and a crowd pleaser every time. You really must try it!

Today’s hint: When cracking eggs, I tap them lightly on the counter into a separate bowl first. This way if any egg shells fall into the bowl you can scoop them out easily. If the egg shell is difficult to remove, try using a larger piece of egg shell to remove it. Works every time!

Ingredients for Smoked Salmon Frittata
1 medium onion, diced
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
12 extra-large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
4 ounces fresh goat cheese, such a Montrachet, crumbled
1/2 pound fresh smoked salmon, chopped
3 scallions, chopped, white and green parts
3 tbsp. chopped fresh dill
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350.

Sauté the onion in the butter in a 10 inch oven proof omelet pan over medium-low heat until translucent, about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs.

Add the heavy cream, goat cheese smoked salmon, scallions, dill, salt and pepper and combine.

Pour the mixture over the onions and place the omelet pan in the center of the oven.

Bake the frittata for about 50 minutes, until it puffs up and a knife inserted in the middle of the frittata come out clean. Serve hot directly from the pan.

It’s that simple! Enjoy!