Month: November 2019

VINEGAR AND OIL SALAD DRESSING

Showing off one of my Garden grown Carrots.

1/4 c Evoo Oil or Walnut Oil
1/4 c Basalmic Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar.
1/4 c water.
1 small clove Garlic crushed and minced.
Salt and Pepper to taste.
1/4 tsp Mrs Dash onion and herb.
1/4-1/2 tsp Italian seasoning.
Adjust to taste …sometimes a dash of sugar.
Add Parmasean

CEASAR SALAD DRESSING

INGREDIENTS:
1 coddled egg (raw Egg dipped in boiling Water for 1 min).
2 tsp Anchovy paste.
1/4 c Evoo.
1 Tbsp Grey Poupon Mustard.
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce.
1 clove Garlic crushed and Minced.
Juice of 1 Lemon.
1/4-1/2 c Parm.
Cracked pepper.
Salt

DIRECTIONS:
Whisk together and taste. Adjust for flavor.
At this point, you can take your chopped Romain or other Lettuces, and pour dressing over it and toss the salad and serve with croutons and Parmesan Cheese on top or use as a spoon on dressing.

BLUE CHEESE SALAD DRESSING

I love to make the wedge Salads and use this as the dressing…add crumbles of fresh cheese and Bacon to the top… soo good !

1/2 c Gorgonzola or Stilton Blue cheese crumbled.
1 c Mayo.
1/4 c Buttermilk. (Or Greek yogurt with 1 tsp lemon juice)
1 clove Garlic crushed and minced.
Salt and cracked pepper to taste.
1-2 Tbsp Lemon juice.
1/4 tsp Italian Seasoning.
1/4 c Parmesan Cheese
2 Tsp Dijon Mustard

*Add more Parmesan if you like
or add a splash of Basalmic Vinegar

Chicken Cacciatore IP

I grew up with this delicious Italian Dish. Mom use to make Spaghetti Noodles and then she would pour the Sauce over them to let them soak up more of the Sauce before she served it up.

I don’t put the Bell Peppers, Celery or Olives in it but you certainly can.

IP Sauce is thinner than Stove top so it needs to be thickened or reduced. See below
There are many ways to make Chicken Cacciatore, including Stove Top or in the Oven, however this Recipe is for the Instant Pot method.
It like it with Pasta, Spaghetti Squash, Zoodles and or Garlic Bread.
Use a whole cut up Chicken if you prefer or that is what you have.
Even though this is cooked in the IP, I do brown the Chicken in a good Frying Pan, but if you have any of the Air Fryer lids for the IP, then you are in for a game changer! Use it! See Air Fryer below
If you want the Sauce thicker, you can dip the Chicken in flour Before Searing it, it will thicken the Sauce some.. you still may want to reduce it more at the end. See Directions.
You may also want to make and use your own Sauce.. Recipe at the Bottom for one easy Sauce. I also have a Marinara Sauce Recipe here.Marinara Sauce with fresh Roma Tomatoes Mushrooms and Basil IP

This batch is with Homemade Marinara Sauce, below. (You would have to make this ahead.)


Thicken or reduce the Sauce when the Cacciatore is done, To thicken with a slurry, remove Chicken first, turn the Pot off and back on to Sauté and use the Slurry drizzled and stirred into the the hot Sauce. Let it cook for a minute to cook the slurry.
To reduce the Sauce, remove the Chicken, turn the Pot off and then on to Sauté and let it come to a Boil and reduce for 5 min or so.
*If you are making Pasta, it can be made ahead in the IP, or on the stove top, and can be served with Sauce on top or be added to the Sauce after it’s done . Your choice. If you choose not to add them TO the Sauce, then you may want to thicken the Sauce to pour over them.
Make Noodles according to how much you want to make and according to Package directions.
You can substitute Chicken Breast, or any other pieces of Chicken if you want.
I also use a whole cut up Chicken as mentioned above. Don’t worry about the fat on top, it brings flavor to the Sauce and can be skimmed off after it all cooks and you will also drain a lot of it out of the frying pan before adding the Chicken to the Pot..

INGREDIENTS:
5-6 large Chicken Thighs, bone in skin on (or 1 cut up Chicken)
1/4 c Evoo for Frying chicken.
1/4 c Butter for sautéing Mushrooms and Onion
4 large cloves Garlic minced.
1 chopped Onion.
6 large (or 8 Oz) Crimini Mushrooms sliced.
1/2- 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1- 1 1/4 tsp Salt. You can add more later
1 tsp Pepper.
Hand full fresh Basil.
1/2 c Red Wine.
2 Tbsp Sun Dried Tomatoes chopped.
1 jar Spaghetti Sauce, about 16 oz. but you can use more. Just remember that the Chicken will add juice to the recipe. You can also Make your own. Recipe below
2 Bay Leaves.
1/4 c water or broth to Deglaze the frying pan

SLURRY.
1 Tbsp.
1 Tbsp Flour .
1/2 C Water.
Mix together and set aside
Optional: 2 tsp Costco’s Better than Bullion Chicken, but use less Salt if you use this. It can also be added After you taste the Sauce at the End.

FOR PASTA:
If your making Pasta. You can either make it on the Stove Top or in a separate IP, or you can even make it in the IP prior to cooking the Chicken. In that case you would just hold it aside, then when the Chicken is done, add Pasta to the Sauce to reheat it. Just remove the Chicken from the Sauce and toss the cooked Noodles into it and they will absorb some of the extra liquid from the Sauce.
To make Pasta in your other IP:
1 c water to 4 oz Pasta. Manual 4 min QR) Set aside..

FOR THE AIR FRYER LIDS.
This is where the game changes! Use it! Skip the Saute step below, and simply seasoned and Flour the Chicken and set it on top of the Onion and Mushrooms, put the Air Fryer lid on. Set the temp to 400° and cook for 15 min. (The pic is 12 min). Then switch the Air a fryer lid for the Pressure Cooker lid and proceed

SAUTÉ:
While the Chicken can be sautéed in the IP, it’s much more effective and faster in a large Frying Pan, so I do it in a Pan. Turn the burner to Med- Medium Hi. Add the Evoo when the pan is hot.
Season both sides of the Chicken well with the Italian seasoning and Salt and pepper to taste, then Dip into Flour and Sauté the Chicken in the Evoo, Skin side down to begin with. About 5 minutes till browned and lets loose of the pan.
Flip Chicken and brown the other side for another 5 min, take it off burner, drain the Fat off into a bowl and set the Chicken aside.
Discard the Fat or save it to make Biscuits at another time or you can even add some to the Butter for Garlic bread.
Deglaze the Frying Pan with the Water or Wine after you load the Chicken into the Pot.

BEFORE YOU SAUTÉ:
Should I Sauté the Onion, Garlic, Mushrooms before loading the Pot?
I have learned that you can actually skip this step and just load the Pot at this point, (Wine, water, Onions and Garlic then Mushrooms then Seared Chicken, Sauce last etc) but if you want, and have the time, you can turn Pot on to Sauté, let it heat up for a couple of minutes and then add the Butter, let it slightly brown, then add the Onion and sauté for a minute, add the Garlic and sauté until Onions are translucent, add Mushrooms and sauté till slightly soft. Deglaze pot with the Wine and Water. Make sure to get all of the brown off the bottom. Stir and the turn the Pot off.

ADD CHICKEN:
Add the Chicken the top of the Onion and Mushrooms. Pour the Sauce on top of the Chicken.
Deglaze the Frying Pan with the 1/4 c water or Broth. Pour the Drippings over the Chicken so that it dribbles down to the bottom of the pot.

PRESSURE COOK:
Put the Lid on and turn the Vent to Sealing .
Set the time, Pressure cook or Manual for 4 min.
When the Pot beeps, allow 20 min NPR.
When the time is up, open the lid, skim the fat off the top, then carefully scrape the Sauce off the Chicken into the rest of the liquid.
At this point decide if you are going to thicken the Sauce up or if your going to add the Pasta to the Sauce as is. Skim the Fat off the Top of the Sauce.

THICKEN OR REDUCE YOUR SAUCE:
If your thickening the Sauce, remove the Chicken to a plate, cover with the lid and keep it warm while you thicken the Sauce. Turn the pot off and then on again to Sauté Hi. Slowly drizzle the slurry into the Sauce while your stirring it and stir until the sauce is thickened. Turn the Pot off and then back on to Keep warm. Either add Noodles to the Sauce or serve Sauce over the naked Pasta. Serve the Chicken beside the Pasta and Sauce.
To Reduce the Sauce, turn the Pot to Saute High and let it boil down for about 5-10 min.

The first pic Below is using the Air Fryer lid to brown the Chicken before adding the Sauce on top.

If you have the Air Fryer lid …this is after loading the Onion Mushrooms and broth, but it is browned Before adding the Sauce and switching the lids out to the Pressure cooker lid.. you can air fry the chicken right on top for 15 min. This is 12.
If you choose to use a frying Pan….Season the chicken well with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
I do this in a frying pan because I have more control, especially when making a big batch,

This pic is to show that you can use homemade sauce, below, it needs to be thick and still goes on top.
This is jarred sauce.
This is homemade sauce..this one is a thinner sauce. Can be thickened up with a corn starch slurry.
This is jarred sauce.

Serve with Spaghetti Noodles. We also like Penne Pasta.
I use Jarred Sauce when I am not wanting to mess with doing it totally by scratch now because its fast, cheap and available but not how momma made it!!!

If you prefer to make your own Sauce. Here is an easy way, this is what Mom did… or look up my Marinara Sauce here. Marinara Sauce with fresh Roma Tomatoes Mushrooms and Basil IP

Evoo.
1 can hunts whole Tomatoes chopped up.
1 can Tomato Sauce (add to the top)
1 can Tomato Paste. (Add to the top)
1 Onion chopped.
6 cloves Garlic.
1 tsp Basil.
1 Tbsp Oregano.
Salt n Pepper to taste.
1 tsp Sugar.
1 Bay leaf

In the IP: Sauté Onion in evoo till translucent, add Garlic and sauté for a minute more.
Except for the Tomato Sauce and Paste, Add the rest of the Ingredients. Add the Sauce and Paste on top last and don’t stir. Put lid on. Set the time to 4 min. Let NPR 5. QR. Use as any Pasta Sauce.

Marinara/Spaghetti Sauce with fresh Roma Tomatoes Mushrooms and Basil IP

Pulled Pork Butt/Shoulder IP

For richer and darker meat like in this Batch, i recommend Searing it really well on all sides. take the extra time. you wont be disappointed. See bottom pics.

BRING MEAT TO ROOM TEMP BEFORE COOKING

We love this with Cole Slaw on the Sandwich. Link here .Coleslaw . Or a few sides here .Potato Salad and Mac Salad at the same time IP Mac Salad sweet IP Mac n Cheese IP Baked Beans IP or Baked Beans, Simple..Oven or IP

This Recipe works for all sizes of Pork Shoulder or Butt. You are going to cut the Roast….3-7 lbs… into large pieces and rub with a Dry Rub. If the Roast has a Bone, you can quickly Broil it to add some flavor or just toss it in with the seared Meat. I make my own Dry Rub, but you can get a Recipe for one on line.
I use a couple Tbsp of the mixed Spices.

The Spices are basic…Chili powder, Cayenne, Salt, Pepper, Garlic, Italian Seasoning, Paprika, Celery powder or seed…a touch of Sugar.
Coat it all really well. You can use a Plastic Bag….then either Marinade it over Night or not.

1/2 -3/4 c Apple Juice or Water 1 tsp Reduced Sodium Better than Bullion Chicken
2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar, ( helps with tenderization. Or You can use Wine, or Chicken Broth with 1 tsp acv..).

1 tsp Liquid Smoke

1 tsp Dark Soy Sauce

1/2 Sweet Onion Sliced thin

Use a separate Frying Pan to Sear all of the Meat pieces until well Browned on all sides, the longer you Sear it the better this turns out, so get it nice and brown.. (about 15-20 min total on Medium) See Pics at the Bottom.

I cut and Sear the Meat before adding it to the Pot.
This was a really big roast..so I cut the pieces smaller. (10 lb)

Add the Onion to the bottom of the Inner Pot. Add the rest of the Ingredients to the Pot, and then add Seared Pork pieces to the Pot. Bone included ( you can quickly season and Broil for even more flavor). Deglaze the Pan with the juice or water. Add the juice to the Meat.
Put the lid on, press Manual or Pressure Cook and the timer +- to 25 min. Let the pot fully NPR 30 min. OR 45 min and 15 min NPR.
*NOTE: [IF your doing a 10 lb roast, increase time to 30 min manual with full 30 min NPR].
Transfer the Meat out of the Liquid into a bowl. You will use some of it for the dipping Sauce. Save the rest to make Beans or something later.
Shred Meat with two Forks.
Don’t use a Mixer on this one, it will pulverize it!.

I like to make a hot dipping sauce with juice, sugar, garlic, vinegar and hot sauce. Going to do that now!

FOR THE HOT DIPPING SAUCE :

2 cups Pork Juice.
1/2 c Apple Cider Vinegar.
6 Tbsp Brown Sugar or Sugar in the Raw.
3 Tbsp Tobasco Sauce.
6 cloves Garlic minced.
Mix and Taste, adjust to taste.
Add About 1/2- 1 cup of this juice back into the meat before serving.
Serve about 1/3 c each In a small bowl to dip Sandwich in.

After draining liquid off and Before pulling. Deliciousness.
Serve with Cole Slaw! On the side or on the bun with a pulled pork Sandwich.


The total cook time, if you add the 10 min that the pot needs to come to pressure, and the cook time, (25-30 min) plus the NPR time, (20-30)then your at just over an hour, sooooo…In a perfect world, if you add that time to another hour plus some to bring the roast to room temp before cutting it up, seasoning and sear times to that… your total time to create the Pulled Pork is about 2 1/2 hrs.


As you can see below in the pictures from this batch, the longer you sear the Meat, the better it will turn out, so if you have time, spend the few minutes on the front end getting that nice color on the Meat.

Season Well with the Rub. about 1 1/2 Tbsp.
I seared Some on the Griddle.
This was about 5 1/2 lbs of Meat after cutting the Bone out.
I Added 2 Tbsp sweet Chili Sauce, 1 tsp Liquid Smoke, 2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar and 1 Tsp Dark Soy.
And I Air Fried some
Nice and Brown air fried for 10 min and flipped then 10 more as the other Meat Seared
Seared on each side, around 20 min Total.
Deglaze the Griddle and pour that juice onto theMeat in the Pot.
Pour the Deglaze Juice on top of the Meat
Add the Better than Bullion

My Pot Roast #1 IP

We like a couple of the soft Carrots but have other Veggies with dinner too.

One Pot Meal, with Potatoes and Butternut Squash. Most of the Veggies that are cooked in with the Roast on the Bottom can be blended up into the gravy.

As with all meats, bring it to room temperature before cooking. It helps to keep the juices in to prevent dryness.

Every time I make a Pot Roast, I’m like… “Ohhhh! best one yet!” But this one…absolutely best one yet!

You will notice, I use very little Water/Liquid. This is because…rather than use boxed Broths…, I “sacrifice” the Onions and other Veggies that create a ton of Broth on their own, (which by the way, are also ingredients in those boxed, pre made broths). We don’t always eat those, we have others. You can Vitamix blend them into that broth to make fantastic gravy, or save them for Soup or Stew another time. You will be shocked at almost 6 cups of Broth at the end.
It does take about 10 min or so to sear the Meat well but total time start to finish is like 1 hr and 15 min total. (10 min to sear, 10 min to come up to pressure 25min to cook, and 30 min npr. Not bad!?)

Your going to cut the Roast into 3 and season it well and then Sear in Extra Virgin Olive Oil well on all sides, About 3-5 min per front and back. Less on the sides.

Brown well…Important step to make that rich flavor come out
These are the sacrificial veggies to make all that good broth…add the ones to eat with the meal on top.

You will need:

3 lb Chuck Roast.
1/2 lg Sweet Onion, about 2 c coarse chopped.
2 regular Carrots chopped in 2” pieces.
2 ribs Celery cut in 2” pieces.
1 Tbsp of Shriracha Catsup *Optional. You can use plain catsup if you want or skip it. Your choice.
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning.
1 Tbsp Lower Sodium Better than Bullion Chicken.
2 tsp regular Better than Bullion Mushroom.
Use 3/4 c of Beef Broth with 1 tsp apple cider Vinegar OR use the wine and water below.
1/2 c Red Wine and 1/4 c water-( vinegar or wine tenderizes and adds a richness like Beef Bourguignon and tenderizes) so if you don’t like Wine, substitution…Chicken Broth and 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar.

TO BE PUT ON TOP:
1 large Potato quartered (You can use more).
1/2 Butternut Squash quartered (More if desired)

FOR THE GRAVY:
1/2 c flour for slurry.
1/2 c milk
Mix Flour and Milk together well and set aside.

[Second option for the Slurry: you can use 1:1 cornstarch to water if you prefer it to flour and milk. So 3-4 Tbsp Cornstarch to the same amount of water. Stir well.]


DIRECTIONS:
Cut the roast in like 3 pieces and season all sides well with Johnnies Seasoning and Montreal Seasoning .
On Med HI heat, heat a large frying pan with oil in it , and sear the seasoned meat as shown above. Get it nice and browned.
Drain all but 2 tbsp fat in the pan. Pour the following liquid in the pan to deglaze.
Meanwhile….. add everything except the meat and liquid to the pot.
Add the Roast back in the pot on top of the veggies.
Deglaze the pan with the liquid, and pour it over the veggies and roast.
Set Lotus steamer on the meat with the potato and Squash on it.
Put the lid on, and Vent to Sealing. 
Set manual 22 min.
NPR for 30 and QR the rest out.
Take lotus steamer out, set aside and potatoes in bowl and mash with a fork and add 2 tbsp butter and some heated cream. Set aside.
Pull the meat and set aside.
Use slotted spoon to get the carrot onion and celery out. You will be left with the broth for the Gravy.

Whisk the flour and milk together for the slurry.
Turn the pot off, and back on to sauté “More”. While stirring, add the slurry slowly to the broth and stir quickly, allow to thicken for 4-5 minutes.

The pot roast goes on top of the veggies or settled down into them
I mashed these potatoes in a small bowl and added a little cream and butter in, and I fork mashed the butternut on the plate, add some good butta salt and pepper, and for some…. a sprinkle some brown sugar.
All that broth made from the liquid in the vegetables, and meat! After you take the meat out you can scoop the veggies out and save or blend them at the same time, with the slurry and immersion blender or Vitamix right into the gravy.