Today was our first cooking school in our new gourmet kitchen here at Simplicity Gourmet! We were so excited and the place was packed with all our new friends and many of our regulars. This is second year that we have kicked things off with a “Customer Cook Off” - actual customers submit recipes and we cook them anonymously. The crowd votes and it’s the people’s choice who gets the prize.Today, the people’s voice was heard, and Mexican Lasagna was the winner. Coming in a close second was Uncle Larry’s Gumbo - both were INCREDIBLE!!!! Georgia Pecan Pie and Baked Rotini came in 3rd and 4th.

We also live stream videoed the school on the internet today, for those of you who had the chance to view us, what did you think? What tips and tricks do we need to post on here for you? Let your voice be heard! So, with no further ado, here are the recipes - happy cooking!

Miss K

#1 GEORGIA PECAN PIE

UTENSILS: large bowl

INGREDIENTS:

1, 9″ Pie Shell/Crust,1 cup Light Corn Syrup,1 Cup firmly packed Brown Sugar,3 eggs, slightly beaten,1/3 Cup butter, melted,¼ tsp salt,1 tsp vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine corn syrup, sugar, eggs, butter, salt, & vanilla. Mix well. Pour into unbaked pie crust and sprinkle with pecans. Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until the center is set. Cool completely before serving.

#2 UNCLE LARRY’S GUMBO - RUNNER UP

UTENSILS: 5 qt slow cooker

INGREDIENTS:

½ Cup Peanut or Vegetable Oil,1 lb Andouille Sausage (skin/casing removed),2 lbs Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs,1 lb Shrimp,Chopped Okra (Optional),1 medium onion (½ lb diced),½ Cup of Pillsbury Shake and Blend Flour (OR ½ cup of Gold Metal Wondra Flour),1 level tsp Tony Chachere’s seasoning,¼ tsp Black Pepper,¼ tsp Granulated Garlic,½ tsp Salt,1 heaping TBSP Dried Parsley Flakes,¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper,1 level tsp Kitchen Bouquet, 5 tsp Wyler’s Granulated Chicken Bouillon,½ Gallon of Water,*Serve over cooked white rice*, ** Feeds 7 Hungry Eaters**

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Combine the Tony’s, salt, black pepper, cayenne, granulated garlic, bouillon, and parsley flakes in a measuring cup and mix well. Prepare all ingredients to be readily available; the first few steps go quickly.
• Turn your slow cooker to high and allow to preheat with the peanut oil. Once heated, sauté the diced onions in the peanut oil for 5 minutes. Add the andouille; sauté for 5 more minutes.
• Add the chicken pieces; then add your blended seasonings to the pot. Stir and cover; allow to cook until water begins to bubble around the edge.
• Add the 1/2 cup of Shake and Blend flour and continue to stir for 2 minutes to insure that the flour is incorporated into your mixture. Stir often to prevent burning.
• Add the water & okra and stir your gumbo to loosen all ingredients. Cover and allow to cook on high until water begins to bubble around the edges.
• Uncover and add the Kitchen Bouquet & stir. Cover, and cook on a medium heat setting for 15 minutes. Start making your rice. TIP: Use chicken stock instead of water to cook the rice, much more flavorful!
• Reduce to low and allow to cook for at least 15 more minutes or until you are ready to serve. When you have about 8 minutes left, add the shrimp and recover. Skim the oil from the top and serve over warm rice. Serve & Enjoy!

#3 MEXICAN LASAGNA - WINNER

UTENSILS: Electric Skillet, Small skillet, 10″ Saute Pan, Master Kut

INGREDIENTS:

1 to 1 ½ lbs Lean Ground Beef,½ cup bell pepper,½ cup onion,1 can cream of mushroom soup,1 can cream of chicken soup,1 16 oz jar salsa,1 can tomato paste

1 pkg taco seasoning,½ cup Uncooked White Rice,10-15 Flour Tortillas,8 - 12 oz Cheddar Cheese, shredded,8 - 12 oz Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded,To serve: tortilla chips and sour cream

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Heat the small skillet & the saute pan on medium heat. When the skillet is preheated, add the beef. Cover, whistle open, and cook on medium heat. When the Saute Pan is preheated, add the onions and bell pepper. Saute on Medium heat until the meat whistles.

• When the whistle sounds, uncover and stir. Drain off any excess fat and add the onion and peppers. Add the soups, salsa, tomato paste, rice and taco seasoning. Bring to a simmer on Medium heat. Simmer for 5-7 minutes on Medium Low.

• Shred your cheese on the #2 cone. Set aside.

• In a cold electric skillet, layer the lasagna in this order: sauce, tortillas, cheese, repeat. Repeat until the skillet it full. Cover and cook on 350 until water begins to bubble around the edges. Unplug the unit and allow to stand, covered, for 15 minutes.

• Serve with Tortilla Chips and Sour Cream.

#4 FANCY CHICKEN

UTENSILS: Electric Skillet

INGREDIENTS:

12-14 Chicken Tenders,1 Cup Swiss Cheese,1 Cup Cheddar Cheese,1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese,1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup w/ Herbs, 1 Soup Can of Water, ¾ Bag Pepperidge Farms Herb Stuffing, ½ stick of melted butter & ½ cup chicken broth (for lower fat, you could use 1 cup of broth and no butter)

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Spray the electric skillet with a non-stick spray (to keep the cheese from sticking). Layer the chicken in the bottom of the pan.
• Mix the cheeses together and cover the chicken.
• Mix the soup with 1 soup can of water and pour over the cheese.
• Sprinkle with stuffing and cover with the melted butter or chicken broth to moisten the stuffing.
• Cover and cook on medium heat (350) until the water seal forms. Reduce to low and cook for 20 minutes.

#5 PEPPER JACK CHICKEN

UTENSILS: 6 qt Roaster, Large Skillet, 10″ Saute pan

INGREDIENTS:

4 chicken breasts (or 10-12 tenders), 1 TBSP Olive Oil (for flavor), 2 Cups Heavy Cream, 4 tsp Flour,4 tsp Melted butter, 6 Sandwich Slices of Pepper Jack Cheese, Blackened Cajun Seasoning,Emeril Essence Seasoning,Garlic Powder, Pepper,Angel Hair Pasta

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Preheat the large skillet on Medium heat with the Olive Oil. Meanwhile, season the chicken with garlic salt and Cajun Seasoning. When the pan is preheated, add the chicken and cover, whistle open. When the whistle sounds, remove the lid, flip and recover, reduce the temperature to low and close the whistle.

• Meanwhile, bring the pasta water to boil in the 6qt. Add the pasta and turn the burner to low. Allow to cook for 11-12 minutes. Drain, add back to the pan and cover until you are ready to use.

• While you are waiting for your pasta water to boil, in the 10″ Saute Pan, heat the cream on medium until it simmers (stirring to keep from scorching). Mix the butter and flour until the flour is dissolved. Whisk into the cream. Add the cheese. Add Blackened Cajun Seasoning, Emeril Essence, garlic salt, and pepper to taste. Simmer on low for about 10 minutes until it has thickened.

Serve layered: pasta, chicken, sauce.

#6 BAKED ROTINI

UTENSILS: 6 qt, Large Colander, Small Skillet, Master Kut

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb ground sirloin,1 box Rotini Noodles,2 Jars of your Favorite Pasta Sauce,1 Small container sliced mushrooms,2 Cans Seasoned Diced Tomatoes,2 oz of 2% Mozzarella Cheese, 4 oz 2% Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Parmesan Romano Cheese, ¾ Cup Red Wine, Lawry’s Seasoned Pepper, McCormick Grill Mates Roasted Garlic & Herb, Dried Crushed Red Pepper to taste (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Heat the small skillet. Add the ground sirloin and cover, whistle open, and cook on medium heat. When the whistle sounds, stir, and recover, whistle closed. Continue to cook on Low heat. Until the meat is browned through.
• Add the rotini, pasta sauce, mushrooms, diced tomatoes, wine, and spices to the 6 qt and cover. Cook on Medium Low heat, whistle open.
• When the meat is ready, drain and add it and the rotini pasta to the sauce until well blended.
• Shred mozzarella and cheddar cheeses on the #1 Cone. Add the cheese and stir until just blended in.
• Continue to cook on medium low, whistle open. When the whistle sounds, turn to low and cook for 15-20 minutes.
• Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with Parmesan Romano Cheese and serve.
• Serve with a salad or green veggie and garlic bread.

#7 Ho-Bo Casserole

UTENSILS: 8″ Chef knife, Paring Knife, Large Skillet

INGREDIENTS:

5-6 Boneless Pork Chops (could use hamburger patties or boneless, skinless chicken breasts),1 Small bag of Baby Carrots, 4-5 Squash, sliced, 4-5 Potatoes, cubed, ½ Stick Butter,Darn Good Seasoning

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Heat the skillet on Medium heat. Brown the meat for 4-5 minutes and flip.
• Meanwhile, prep your veggies.
• Layer the veggies on top of the meat in this order: Potatoes, sprinkle of darn good, squash, sprinkle of Darn Good, and carrots.
• Melt the butter and pour over the top. Sprinkle with Darn Good.
• Cover, whistle open, and cook on medium heat. When the whistle sounds, close the whistle and turn the burner to low. Allow to cook for 10 minutes.
• Turn the burner off and allow to cook (covered) for 8-10 more minutes or until the potatoes are done.

Cabinets continue to be built. We have to decide on countertops… Corian… Granite… laminate… Silestone… Tile? Well, we have several women in the office and, of course we all have an opinion about why we think we should or shouldn’t use this material or that material. Granite is heat resistant and the hottest trend in show kitchens…. Corian, you can sand out light stains and burns, but holds bacteria…. Laminate isn’t deserving of our test kitchen and is sooo boring (snore, snore) but comes in boat loads of colors…. Silestone is limited and doesn’t have a good color to go with our kitchen and it can’t be repaired if you break it but it is very heat resistance…. Good gracious girls let’s just decide!

We are so excited here at Simplicity Gourmet!!! This week started the building of our gourmet test kitchen (FINALLY!!!) and let me tell ya, it will rival any gourmet kitchen out there. This has been a longtime goal of SGI and to see it come to pass has the entire staff so excited!!! We all feel as if we are getting a giant Christmas present.

We had an extremely small kitchen before that was not designed for show at all. We taught cooking classes once a month. We were very limited in space. Our new kitchen will provide us the opportunity to develop new recipes and a whole slew of new classes that will range from beginner to advanced and we will be able to hold several a month.

We thought it would be fun for you to see the step by step progress and walk down this path with us. So, each day, we will give you a play by play of how we are progressing and our bloopers. Enjoy the process and check back often to see the test kitchen unfold

Day 1:

All the cabinets arrived and had to be built. We used IKEA for our cabinets and Nashville Cabinet Company to build and install them. W LOVE Andy the owner of Nashville Cabinet! He has had several ideas that have made the IKEA cabinets stronger and through installation sturdier.

So…did you know that once a month, the local Nashville, TN office has a FREE cooking class for all current Simplicity Gourmet customers?!? Each month, we all gather and our resident expert waterless cooking gurus (Erica, Stella, Phillip, Bobby, or me) cook through 5-6 meals in about 2 hours. Pretty fancy, huh? J

In all seriousness, we have an incredible time together each month. We review care and cleaning tips, introduce new products, and always have a class special to get you wish list items at an amazing price. Each participant gets a full recipe packet to take home and gets to sample all the tasty foods prepared.

For me, personally, what I have gained most from cooking schools is just the opportunity to really sew into the lives of my customer’s and visa-versa. I sincerely look forward to seeing them each and every month and miss them when one of our regulars has to be absent. Many of our customer’s have become much more than that to me; I am honored to call them my friends as well. Recently, we’ve all started emailing and calling about waterless cooking ideas and experimenting together to create something new…company and customer working together to get the most out of a lifetime product. Even after all these years, many of us veterans are still learning new and interested tricks of the cookware. For example, Erica and I recently learned how to boil an egg without using any water which, in turn, we demonstrated at our last cooking school.

So, if you’ve discovered some handy waterless cooking tricks or yummy unique recipes, tell us! We would love to get the word out – and of course give you all the credit! J If you are in the Nashville, TN area,  we would love to have you join us! We have four classes left for the rest of year for 2008: July 19, August 23, September 20, and November 8. Contact us at info@simplicitygourmet.com to get more information and to confirm your seats. See you soon!

Hugs! ~ Miss K

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Pink Apron Preview, hosted by Simplicity Brides, received a warm thank you from an attendee recently; I just wanted to share…

From: marshell sartor [mailto:bubblesthe1unv@yahoo.com]
Sent: Friday, July 11, 2008 4:36 PM
To: Info
Subject: his and hers aprons

Hello,

My name is Marshell Sartor.  I wanted to send this email to thank simplicity gourmet for the inviting me to the show and for the vacation package and also the free his and her aprons.  So here it goes: Thank you very much!

from Marshell