It’s a new year, which means here at Simplicity Gourmet, it’s Bridal season! YEAH! We love the excitement and energy that brides bring to the table - it’s so contagious! With the coming of the brides and grooms, comes lots of new cookware out there, so, I thought that this week, I should pull the reigns in a bit and focus on getting back to basics for our young couples.

So, first things first, wash your cookware! I know this may seem simple enough, but our cookware arrives at your home with a shiny, new mirror finish and this finish is achieved with manufacturing oils being buffed into the surface. So, when you wash your new cookware, you will need to use something acidic to cut off those oils and prevent them from burning onto the surface when you start to heat things up.

We recommend soaking your new cookware in hot, soapy water with 3-4 cups of white vinegar for about 15 minutes. Then, follow up with washing the bottom and insides really, really well with a stainless steel cleanser. We have a helpful section on the DVD that arrives with your set that will walk you through this process step by step.

I know the very first thing that you and your sweetie will want to try is the chicken and veggies that were just soooo yummy at your demonstration, right? So, leave it to Katie’s Kitchen to satisfy those taste buds! Most all of our hosts use Darn Good Seasoning on the chicken and veggies they served you, so, if you want the same exact flavor, give me a call and I’ll hook you up with some Darn Good of your very own - I use it on almost everything at home - it’s the best: Katie ~ 866-897-7676

Greaseless Boneless, Skinless Chicken

• Heat the skillet on medium heat (NOTE: For gas stoves, this is about a 3 - just when the flame touches the bottom of the pan, but no more than that). When you can sprinkle a drop of water on the surface and it rolls around like quick silver, it’s ready to go (this should take about 1-2 minutes).

• Place the chicken in the pan, season (we use Darn Good), and cover, whistle open (line the flat side of the knob up with the notch in the metal on the lid - when you flip the lid over, you should see the whistle hole).

• When the whistle sounds, uncover and flip the chicken. Season that side and recover. Turn the knob to “C” for closed, making sure the “C” is lined up with the notch in the metal of the lid. Turn your burner to low and allow to cook for 12-15 minutes longer.

NOTE: For Frozen meat, do NOT preheat the pan before it whistles. Place the meat in a cold pan with 2 TBSP of water to start. Season and follow the directions above from this point.

Waterless Veggies

• Place your frozen or fresh veggies in a cold pan with 2 TBSP of water or chicken broth. Cover, whistle open (reference above), and cook on medium heat.

• When the whistle sounds, turn the knob to “C” for closed (do NOT remove the lid), and turn the burner OFF. Allow to stand covered until you are ready to serve dinner.

NOTE: Turn the veggies on when the chicken whistles, this will time everything so that it’s done at the same time.

It’s that simple - juicy, healthy chicken and flavorful, fresh veggies in 20 minutes - hassle free and no pot watching…doesn’t get much better than that! In the days that follow, my fellow Simplicity Gourmet bloggers will be sharing their “Back to Basics” tips and tricks, so, be sure to check back over the next week.

What’s the first thing you tried, are going to try, or would like to try in your new cookware? I’d LOVE to know!

Happy Cooking!

~ Miss K

During the summer months, the heat gets the best of everything.  It gets hot outside, inside, and sometimes you just can’t escape it.  Unfortunately the heat can make smells worse than ever.  I am such a clean freak that smells just drive me crazy and sometimes our kitchen sinks just STINK! So, I am always looking for those effective cleaning tips to bring simplicity into my life.  So LADIES, here is a little secret of mine to help clean those stinky kitchen sinks:

Pour down several quarts of boiling water to flush out grease. Do double-duty by adding 1 cup of baking soda followed by 1 cup of white vinegar down the drain; then sprinkle more baking soda in the sink to scrub clean.

The best part about this cleaning tip is the products you use are cheap and most everyone has them already on hand.  So, here’s to keeping the kitchen sink clean and to bringing that word I love “Simplicity” back into our lives!

Sometimes I feel as though all I do is clean my kitchen; and I don’t really like to clean.  I have two kids, a dog, and of course my husband and I dirtying it up all day long and sometimes it just never stays clean long enough.  I have found a few ways I can cut down on the time it takes me to get my kitchen clean and presentable.  Simplicity is key here.  I do deep cleaning on specific days and otherwise i move quickly.  The first thing I do is give myself a time limit.  This is how long I can spend.  It makes me move faster.  Next, I unload my dishwasher as soon as it finishes the cleaning cycle so it will be ready for the next load of dishes going in.  I don’t know how I would function without my dishwasher.  I find that the area that has the ability of getting messy the fastest is the sink.  Every product I use in the kitchen is dishwasher safe.  That is a must in my house.  As I use dishes throughout the day, I load as I go.  This gives me less to do at the end of the night after dinner.  I also use a spay bottle of 1 part vinegar and 1 part water to mop my floor.  I spray the solution onto the floor and then mop it right up.  This way I don’t have to wring out my mop each step of the way; and I don’t have to wait as long for the floor to be dry.  I also love the pre-moistened kitchen wipes.  I hope these suggestions help you spend more time with those you love and less time cleaning a dirty kitchen.

�

So…I have animals in my house…two dogs…one cat…small house. Get the picture? I love to have people over and cook for my friends and show off my fabulous culinary skills (which is a total scam…it’s all because of the cookware…I have nothing to do with it!). People who don’t have animals notice instantly that my house may “smell” different than another house. Not a bad smell, just “animal” smell - which I am completely immune to. I love my little munchkins but I certainly don’t want to put a bad smell in someones nose when they come to visit me! I always send them on a little vacation to the back yard but what to do about the “animal smell”? One night, I was making one of my most favorite meals for a of couple friends of mine: Citrus Tilapia and Orange, Almond Basmati Rice. For the talapia, I use lemon, lime, and orange slices and of course, orange zest for the rice. So, I had my cutting board out on the counter and I had sliced up half of each of the citrus pieces, I had zested the orange into a little ramikin, and had the slices all fanned out on the cutting board and the open halves just kind of to the side. Well, one of my guests arrived early and she came in my side door which leads right into my kitchen. She immediately said, “Wow! You’re kitchen smells so clean and fresh! I would never have thought of that - and it looks so colorful!” Well…while I was certainly happy for the compliment - it took me a second to follow her gaze to where she was looking and realize she was talking about my citrus on the cutting board. As I glanced over to it, it seriously did look like a picture right of a magazine with the halves strewn about haphazardly and the slices all fanned out. The color was really amazing and all night long, everyone commented on how fresh smelling the house was. So, I’ve figured it out - I’ve started slicing up citrus peices on the cutting board about 15 mintes before people come over and it fills the whole area with this amazing fresh, clean smell and it certainly brightens up the kitchen - and not to mention is makes me look like the perfect little Simplicity Gourmet Homemaker! Martha…watch out!!!