What to cook for Funerals and after being deathly ill

     It feels like forever since I cooked anything for the blog!  Ironically, I have been using my Instant Pot regularly, but I haven't been cooking with pictures or new and amazing recipes that you just have to try!  It also didn't help that I had a major cold that had me bedridden for almost a whole week not using anything other than the necessities.  Then, my friend lost her husband suddenly with absolutely no warning.  I have known her for what seems forever, but it has really been about a decade.  What really freaked me out was that he was only a couple of years older than me.  For me, that brought the reality of health into greater focus, especially after having been sick for more than a week. 
      Last week I made a bean soup with canned food that was tasty, quick, and hearty.  It had no meat, but had full, high quality, protein and was great with the blizzard that dropped 8 inches of snow on the valley floor and made our world into a snow covered frozen wonderland.  The instruction for it are here: http://adventuresininstantpotcooking.blogspot.com/2018/02/throw-together-soup-great-taste-from.html

     For my friend, who I know has her whole family back home to help her, mourn with her, and come to some kind of grips with the sudden death of a loved one, I wanted comfort food.  I decided to make enough to feed her family and hopefully have some leftovers.  I made this: http://adventuresininstantpotcooking.blogspot.com/2018/01/crack-chicken-stars-in-death-to-diets.html  with some modifications.  Here are the modifications that I made that my family loved, made it easier to prepare and able to feed more people.

Modifications: 

• I chopped up the boneless, skinless chicken breasts into small bites.  I cooked it according to the recipe, but left all the chicken stock and liquid after it cooked.  
• I substituted pepperoni for the bacon.  I love bacon, but it is very expensive, so changed it to pepperoni, which I diced into about sixth sized pieces and added it after cooking the chicken.
• I added a half pound of diced button mushrooms after the chicken was cooked and I was thickening the sauce.  
• I didn't use any thickener, but I did add about a half cup of sour cream at the end, which just made it smooth and tasty.  
• I whipped the cream cheese into the chicken stock/chicken and then added all other ingredients, cheddar cheese, pepperoni (diced), green onions(diced), mushrooms(diced), mayo, and sour cream and sauted it till it was bubbly and completely hot.  
• I served it over rice.  My kids loved it and I hope that my friend and her family enjoyed the meal as well.  

Creating an Instant Pot Meal with LEFTOVERS!

   

This is Leftover Artichoke Dip Noodles w/Mushrooms

      We all have leftovers in the fridge that get overlooked or go bad because no one wants to eat them.  My house is no different than yours in that respect.  My kids often make Mac and Cheese (Yes the boxed variety!) rather than eat leftovers with the exception of my Instant Pot meals. These almost always get completely devoured, although I have had some fails mostly through my own mistakes, for the most part my kids love it when I cook.  So last night, my son Nate who just got braces, begged off making dinner (The kids take turns.).  I decided to do something quick, in one pot, that tasted good and would effectively use the leftovers I had in the fridge.  Noodles are super easy and fast in the Instant Pot with no draining, not stirring, and perfectly cook pasta as long as you QR and don't let it sit. (Yes there is a story there, but its in one of my other posts!)  However, I didn't know what to do for sauce for those noodles.  My kids always make Mac and Cheese, so they are tired of that.  I realized that I had the remains of the Artichoke Dip that I doubled for Super Bowl Sunday.  I used the Paula Dean recipe available on the link.  It was delicious, but like many parties, we made WAY too much food.  I wanted it to be more substantial than just noodles with Artichoke Dip, so I sauteed about 8 oz. of button mushrooms in one cube of butter. 

     I cooked them down until they were perfectly cooked and added a tablespoon of minced garlic.  I then added a tablespoon of salt and stirred it in.  

     I then added 8 cups of water and the two 16 oz. packages of elbow macaroni I would be cooking and stirred it.  This is the perfect amount of water to make the macaroni Al Dente and not leave liquid in the pot.

     I closed the lid, hit Cancel to clear the Saute function, and then hit Manual for 4 minutes.  (I know some people want to know the exact timing including coming to pressure, but I never worry about it.  I do something like read a book, watch a show, or get work done while it is working.  The beauty is that I don't have to watch, stir, or even drain the pasta and it comes out perfect!)  20 minutes or so later the Pot beeped to let me know it was done.  I QR the steam and put on my 90 degree elbow to direct the steam.  You will get some liquid coming out of the vent.  My PVC elbow contains the liquid, but I put a small towel around it to soak up any that comes out.  After it finishes venting, I open it and stir up the pasta (PERFECT!).  I then add the microwaved remains of the Artichoke Dip and add it to the finished pasta.  My whole family loved it.  It was tasty, filling, and used up what might have gone to waste.  I would highly recommend it.  The recipe is below if you want to make it from scratch.  

Artichoke DIP Noodles w/Sauteed Mushrooms

Ingredients:

Artichoke Dip (I used about one whole recipe.)

2     16 oz. of Elbow Macaroni

1      pkg. 8 oz. Button mushrooms (I chopped them.)

1     cube   butter or oil to saute the mushrooms.

1     tbs.     minced garlic

1     tbs.     salt

1     tbs.     favorite hot sauce (optional)

1. Make Paula Dean's Artichoke Dip and enjoy. (I doubled it for my Superbowl Party and had about half leftover.  I blended the whole thing to make it more smooth and it made it easier to eat as well.)
2. Saute 8 oz. of Button Mushrooms in butter and add one tablespoon of garlic. If I had ham or bacon, I would have added it here. Cook until they are shrunken and brown.  (about 2-3 minutes).
3. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and any other spices or flavorings you want in your finished product.  (You could add a tablespoon or so of your favorite hot sauce to give it a little kick. I didn't because my kids don't like it.)  Cook for another minute or two.
4. Add 8 cups of as hot of water as you can get from your tap.  Add two 16 oz. packages of your favorite elbow macaroni and stir it till it moves easily.  I used American Beauty because we buy it by the case.
5. Place your Instant Pot lid on and set for sealing.  Hit cancel to stop the Saute function and then hit Manual and set it for 4 minutes. 
6. When it beeps, QR the steam.  (Oftentimes you get some spatter from the vent, so put your PVC 90 on top and rag around it to catch any drips or liquid.   (2 inch Schedule 40 PVC 90 elbow - This is exactly like the one I bought at Home Depot.  Its weight keeps it over the vent and it directs the steam away from my cabinets and contains any potential splatter.  I use it every time I vent. )
7. Stir the pasta and mushroom mixture to breakup any clumps of pasta.  Add the reheated dip mixture and stir until the two are completely incorporated together.  Serve while still hot.  

     I think next time I will add some meat (probably bacon or ham) and perhaps serve it with a side of garlic french bread.  Otherwise it was a hit that I will do again.

Throw Together Soup - Great Taste from Canned! (IMO)

     Seems like life takes over sometimes.  I had intended to post this prior to the Super Bowl, which at least was a good game even though I was more interested in the food than what happened on the field.  Made the Honey BBQ wings with Chicken Thighs and they were divine.  Of course I used my Instant Pot to cook the chicken to fall off the bone perfection in 12 minutes. I use this recipe Divine Honey BBQ Wings thanks Christine!  I also made Artichoke Dip, not in my Instant Pot (I know its a total sin!).  However the purpose of this week late post is to talk about what I call Throw Together Soup!  Here is the finished product:

     This was made with all canned vegetables, I added crushed chips (the last of the bag) and a little cheese at the end to finish the soup.  It was filling, had a wonderful touch of warmth, and had great flavor.  These are they ingredients:

     Throw Together Soup
1 can Cubano Refried Beans (It has Cuban spices and some peppers in it.)
2 cans of Kidney Beans (Black beans would work as well. ) 
2 cans of Green Beans
1 can of Whole Corn
1 tbs of Montreal Steak Seasoning
6 cups of Chicken Stock
(I added a hand full of already cooked bacon bits before the cooking phase, because Bacon makes everything better!)

Crushed Corn Chips to finish on the top
1 large pinch of Cheddar Cheese on top of the chips.

Instructions:

1- Make up your Chicken Stock (I use Knorr Chicken Stock.) I put mine in my Blendtec Blender.
     Pour half the chicken stock in to your Instant Pot and reserve the rest in the blender.  Turn the             Instant Pot onto Saute to get it heating. (This reduces the amount of time it takes to come to                 pressure!)

2- Open the refried beans and dump it into the blender.  Drain and rinse the Kidney Beans and also           dump those into your blender. (It is critical to rinse the beans as they will cause the soup to be             gritty if you don't.)  Blend the mixture until smooth.  Add the entire mixture to the Instant Pot             with the boiling Chicken Stock, it should be close to boiling, but it is not critical.  (I blend the             beans because my kids are not fans of the whole beans.)

3- Add Montreal Steak seasoning.  Drain green beans and corn and add to the mixture.  Close the             Instant Pot and set to sealing on Manual for 10 minutes.
4 - QR and stir the soup.  Spoon it into bowls, take crushed corn chips and cheese to garnish the top.  Enjoy!

     I liked this soup, because it was quick to make, tasted great, and was filling for me and my family.  It also answers that pernicious question of whats for dinner!  Good Luck in your Instant Pot Adventures and remember if you are not having fun, then you are doing it wrong!  ;)

Crack Chicken stars in "Death to Diets!"

     

This is how mine turned out over rice!  (It tastes divine!)

     I have been dreaming of Crack Chicken since I got my Instant Pot and heard about Aunt Bee's IP Crack Chicken which is linked.  But here is the problem, it is a devastator to diets.  I have been slowly losing weight by cooking more vegetables, decreasing my portion size, and being careful with what I eat.  However, this recipe drove all moderation out the door and chased it down the street beating it into submission!  I kid you not, I didn't want to stop eating it even after I was full (incidentally this is probably part of my "weight" problem.).  My kids had more than one bowl and three of us ate it for lunch the next day.  Unlike others, I doubled the recipe to make sure that we had leftovers. 

 This package of chicken had 8 chicken breasts.

I used precooked bacon, because it is easier.

     I started by putting the full 8 chicken breasts in the pot after having put a portion of the chicken stock  and dusting it with the dry Ranch dressing mix.  I then put the cream cheese on top of the chicken and poured the remainder of the chicken stock over the top.  (I used hot chicken stock and had the pot on Saute while I was doing all this to decrease the time it takes to come to pressure.)

This is the chicken before cooking in the chicken stock. (I would cube it next time!)

     I set the pot on Manual for 15 minutes and walked away.  (The only thing I will do differently next time is to dice the chicken prior to cooking to make shredding it easier after.)  About 25 minutes later it had cooked and Natural pressure released (NPR) for 5 minutes and I QR (Quick Released) the remainder of the pressure. 

This is when I QR the pressure.  (I hate that you cannot see the billowing steam!)  That is the PVC piece I use to redirect the steam away from my cabinets.  (Available here or at Home Depot.)

This is how the chicken looked after cooking and prior to shredding.

     The chicken was completely cooked and I chopped and shredded it, while periodically whisking the cheese and chicken stock mixture on Saute.  I deviated slightly by adding about 3/4 cup of sour cream.  The sauce thickened in the next 3-5 minutes.  I like my green onions slightly cooked, so I added them in when I added the chicken back in.  I then added the mayo, bacon (1 full cup of cooked bacon), and cheese and stirred it all up.  I then served it over white rice that I cooked in my rice cooker. 

This is how it turned out and it has been fantastic! 

(Yes Virginia, it is the same photo from the beginning!)

     I would recommend this recipe to anyone who wants very filling, hardy, excellent food that is visually, textually, and nose pleasing recipes that I have enjoyed cooking in my IP.  You go Aunt Bee!  This recipe is easy to follow, easy to prepare, and a joy to eat, but don't blame me if it causes an expansion of the waistline!  

Instant Pot Easy Beef Stroganoff

   

My family loves my Beef Stroganoff and I have been making it traditionally for years, so it was a no-brainer for me to convert it to the IP.  The Instant Pot makes it quick, one pot, and easier than I ever did it before.  I start with frozen hamburger, but you could use fresh or utilize other cuts of beef for it. (I have actually used chicken breast as well! - frozen too)  Back then,  I would steam/boil it in water and spend tons of time breaking it up as the exterior thawed and removed the thawed beef and have to watch it to make sure portions of the beef didn't burn.  Now I add two cups of water to the bottom of my Instant Pot:

     I use as hot water as my tap will produce and then I turn it on Saute while I work on getting the hamburger out of the freezer bags we put it in.  (We buy the 10 pound sleeves and then divide it into ten equal segments and freeze them.  It is more useful to have it in one pound segments.) 

This is what they look like going in completely frozen:

     I use two pounds in my recipe, but you could cut it in half if your family is smaller.  My kids love this recipe and will often choose to eat leftovers for lunch/snack the next day or even the next evening, so it never goes to waste.  In my opinion, that is a win!

     I then push off and then manual and set it for 10 minutes.  I put the lid on and set it for sealing. It looks like this on the front of my IP:

     I then get working on the rice.  I know, you say why don't you cook the rice in your IP?  I say, because I like a LOT of rice and I have a perfectly efficient rice cooker that can cook up to 10 cups.  It will be finished in time to eat with the perfectly cooked stroganoff and dinner is on the table, with me being able to catch up on my reading, clean the kitchen, or play a game with the kids.  You see the power of the IP is that I can walk away and let it do it's thing while I do something else.  (Before I would have to watch it almost constantly to make sure it didn't burn.)

     I utilize an Aroma Rice cooker that was given to me by a friend who had outgrown it with just her and her husband at home, thanks tons Stacy!  For my 7 person family, it was a gift from God.  We eat rice at least twice a week, so having enough to have leftovers is just great.  You can get one on Amazon here:  Aroma 20 Cup Rice Cooker.  I have really love having it. 

     I start with 5 cups of rice:

     I like my rice sticky, so I added 6 cups of water, one tablespoon of chicken stock, and two tablespoons of butter.  I like Knorr Chicken Bouillon, because it comes in a solid container and has great flavor.  

     I stir the water and rice a couple of times.  I use Basmati Rice: Member's Mark Basmati Rice.  I get it at Sam's Club and we go through 20 pounds in about two months and it is cheap.  $8.34 for the whole bag.  I don't wash it beforehand and it turns out great every time.  I put it on cook and then go relax until the IP is finished with the hamburger.  This is what the rice looks like after I have mixed it up when it is done.

     This becomes the base for my stroganoff.  It also gives me plenty to take to lunch at work the next day or to send with my adult children.  All in all it works out great.  After 15-20 minutes, the IP will finish cooking the hamburger and will beep and then start counting how much time since it finished cooking.  This shows up as L 0000 and counts up form there.  I QR the pressure and divert the steam using my 90 degree 2 Inch Schedule 40 PVC piece:

     Flip the steam release to release and place the PVC over it to redirect the steam.  Occasionally, I get some drips, so I place a washcloth to catch any drips.

Ironically, you cannot see the steam coming out of the PVC, but I assure you it is coming out!  Once your valve drops, you can remove the PVC, wipe any moisture off the top.  Then open your lid to your nearly finished hamburger base.

      This is with using Manual and cooking it from frozen to thawed and ready to be browned in 10 minutes, after it comes to pressure.  (Incidentally, this is why I use really hot water and turn it on Saute while I get the beef out of the freezer bags.)  Drain the hamburger by using a lid from another pot.  I have a Pyrex lid that fits nearly perfectly!

     Break up the hamburger and Saute it for 8-10 minutes until is as brown as you like it.  Add 2 tbs. of Montreal Steak Seasoning, 1 tbs. of Minced Garlic, 2 tbs. of Chopped Chives (fresh or dried) and complete the cooking of the hamburger.  It should look something like this when you are done:

     Add 6 cups of Milk (I use whole but other types work well.), 3/4 cup Sour Cream and two cans of Cream of Mushroom Soup.  Leave the Instant Pot on Saute and let the pot continue to heat up the mixture.  Stir occasionally as it comes to a slow boil.  While it is doing so pour 1 cup of milk into a Measuring Cup and mix in 3 tbs. of Corn Starch and mix it well. (This is the thickening agent that you will add next.)

    When the mixture it starting to boil, then add the Corn Starch mixture to it and continue stirring it for 5-8 minutes and it will thicken relatively rapidly.  When it is as thick as you like it, we like it really pretty thick, then serve it over the rice that will by now be ready.  The sauce should look like this after you have added the thickener.

This is how I serve it up to my family and they usually come back for seconds!

     When I have fresh mushrooms, I add them during the Sauteing of the hamburger.  I use button mushrooms and put about a half pound into it cut into fourths.  The following are the things that went into this recipe and the actual recipe is below.  

Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff by Carv

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs.        Hamburger (Frozen)

2 tbs.        Montreal Steak Seasoning

2 tbs.        Chopped Chives (either fresh or dried like mine)

1 tbs.        Minced Garlic

6 cups      Milk (I use whole, but any regular milk will work.)

3/4 cup    Sour Cream

2 cans      Cream of Mushroom Soup (Mine were Western Family)

Thickener

3 tbs.        Corn Starch (Argo for me)

1 cup        Milk

DIRECTIONS

1. Put 2 cups HOT water in the IP set to Saute.  Place 2 lbs. Hamburger into the IP.  (It takes me a minute or two to get the hamburger out of the freezer bags we have it in and the water is heating up while I do it, thus reducing the time it takes to come to pressure and cook.)  Push cancel and then Manual for 10 minutes and put your lid on and set it for sealing.  
2. QR when the timer beeps and wait for your valve to drop.  (Be careful the steam will be very hot!)  Remove the lid and set it aside.  (You might want to hold it sideways over the pot as it usually has some moisture built up.)  Drain the water from the hamburger and place the liner back into your Instant Pot.  (Make sure that the outside of your liner is free from moisture, oils or anything before you do.)  Hit cancel again and again set it to Saute.  Brown the hamburger and add the seasonings, chives and garlic while you are cooking.  (Approximates 8-10 minutes)
3. Leave it on Saute and add milk, sour cream, and cream of mushroom soup. Stir every couple of minutes as it comes to a slow boil.  While it is heating prepare your thickener by mixing the corn starch with one cup of milk.  (Mix it completely so that you don't have clumps.)  When it starts to boil, add the thickener and stir it until it is thick and creamy.  (about 5-8 minutes.)
4. Using a ladle, serve it over rice, noodles, or bread.  

     My family loves this recipe.  I let them salt it to their taste.  You could add some jalepenos if you wanted to kick it up a notch or diced chiles.  However, my family loves the meaty, rich, creamy, and tasty way that I cook it.  Good Luck and have fun with your Instant Pot!

Cleaning that annoying spot at the top of your pot

     In the Instant Pot community, we regularly have visitors ask how everyone keeps the spot at the top of your pot clean.  I have literally responded to that question a few times and I thought perhaps I would post what my solution is to the problem.  

     I have seen fancy solutions that involve specialized tools that you have to order on Amazon, which isn't a bad thing, just more than I was willing to do.  Then I saw microfiber wash cloths at All a Dollar:  

     I took one and put it in soapy water and rolled at illustrated.  Then I take one end and thread it under the metal flanges on the top of the IP and pull it in a circle to the back part of the IP where it is easy to access any gunk that comes out.  Like this:

     This is me pulling as explained:

Normally, I would use both hands as it sometimes wants to pop out where it is slightly thicker!

     I end up with a clean pot and it takes little to no time to do it.  I do it first with my hot soapy water when I am cleaning up the mess from cooking, which thanks to the IP isn't much!  Mostly it consists of measuring spoons, cups, and clean plates after dinner.  

     I hope that this is a helpful tip!

It's Creamy Potato Soup Time

    Tonight I am going to make Creamy Potato Soup, because it is date night and my wife and I will be gone.  I still want my kids to have a healthy, flavorful dinner that they enjoy.  I don't know about your kids, but mine will play games and forget about food, so my wife and I like to give them some good options.  This is the recipe that I will be following: Instant Pot Potato Soup, thanks Tricia!  I already know that I will be modifying it slightly.  I love the addition of other vegetables, but also some color, so I will be adding carrots, and chives for their color and flavor.  (One of the reasons that I love the IP is it is easy to make soups and stews with little to no prep time, especially if you have a dicer like this: OXO Good Grips Vegetable and Onion Chopper with Easy Pour Opening - except mine is the old version, which was round and I long since lost the base, but it sure does process veggies fast!) This is my old dicer!

      I wash my veggies, slice the potatoes into about half inch rounds and push them through the dicer.

     I do the same with the carrots.  You could also use it for the white or yellow onion, however I just cut up my green onions or chives.  I toss all of it in to the Instant Pot with the chicken stock made to instructions (I am told that better than bullion is amazing, though I haven't tried it yet.  I use Knorr because it is cheap and easy. This is the blended chicken stock with garlic tossed in.

  I will toss in the garlic and some Montreal Steak seasoning from McCormick, along with some shredded chicken that I have leftover from another meal.  Once it has finished cooking, then I will add the shredded cheese, a half cup of sour cream (rather than cream cheese), and I love cream of chicken soup , so will add that to make it extra creamy.  I don't have any bacon right now, but it should taste pretty good.

This is my version:

     The soup turned out great.  All my kids loved it and it was finished in less than 30 minutes.  I would call that a success by any measure.  Even cooler, I had left overs to enjoy tomorrow!

I know you didn't come to my blog to learn about movies, but I have to give a shout out to one of the best movies I have seen in years: The Greatest Showman!  The music is spectacular, the story true or otherwise is compelling, and the quality is on a par with Les Miserables.  It is the first soundtrack that I have purchased in over a decade. In my opinion, the critics are fools.  It is a great feel good movie and left you joyous and happy as you left the theater.  Hugh Jackman once again shows his singing and dancing chops.