Tomato Gravy.. Stovetop or IP PIP method

Different than Marinara sauce, this delicious sauce is great for many things. My daughter came back from Spain and had pictures of it on a Steak, Salami, grilled Cheese Sandwich covered with more cheese and an Egg with a bit thinner smooth Red Gravy.
If you want yours smoother, just pour the sauce into a blender after it’s cooked and blend for about 30 seconds, or if you make it in a pot, you can use an immersion blender.

Makes about 3 cups

2 strips of chopped bacon.
1 c finely chopped sweet Onion.
2 c diced tomatoes, (like Campari’s from Costco) or 1 can including juice
1 1/2 Tbsp Flour.
1-2 Tbsp Butter.
1/4 tsp Salt.
1/4 tsp Pepper.
2 tsp Sugar if tomatoes are not sweet enough this can also be added at the end.

Using a medium sized frying pan on medium heat, fry the Bacon until almost done but not crispy. Leave the grease, add Butter and Onion and stir until translucent. Add the Flour, stir til it turns slightly browned. Add Tomato, Salt and Pepper and stir until thickened. Mash tomatoes that are chunky. Turn down to Simmer and let simmer for 20 min or so.
Serve over Biscuits, Eggs, Grits, Potatoes, Noodles, Toast, Crackers, Bread…etc.

FOR THE INSTANT POT PIP METHOD:

See pics below.. if you choose this method you will need to saute the onions first. The tomatoes will taste fresher too. (Also see below for a food processed version for the IP but it requires sautéing after it’s done.)
This can easily be made in the Instant pot using the PIP (pot in pot)method. You can fry the bacon and onions in the pot, but for simplicity I use a fry pan to fry just the bacon and onion, then add it to a medium sized flatter bottom stainless steel bowl, add the flour and stir together, then add everything else into the bowl, stir well. Pour recommended amount of water into the inner Pot of the Instant Pot, put the trivet in and lower the bowl down onto the trivet. Set the time for 6 min and allow for 10 min NPR.. when it’s done, QR the rest of the pressure out. Open the lid and stir well. If you want it smoother, then use an immersion blender at this time. Taste. Since tomatoes vary in flavor, Now is the time to add more butter, salt, sugar if you want. If it isn’t done quite as much as you like, pour the water out of the main pot and pour the sauce directly into the pot, turn pot off and back on to saute hi, and boil for a minute or two.

With This batch, I used an immersion blender in the Pot that I made it in.
Another shot of the sandwich that it smothered. This sandwich is Steak, Salami and Cheese, Grilled and then layered with more Cheese and served with an Egg on top and Smothered in the Red Gravy. You can thank me later??

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FOR THE INSTANT POT VERSION and a Food processed version.

sauté onions til translucent .
This time I used a food processor, but it will require sautéing after it is done in the Instant pot
1 1/2 to 2 Tbsp flour…more flour can be added at the end as well …(will require sautéing)
Sauce will look like this, use an immersion blender to smooth out if desired. Also at this point, you can blend it right in the bowl and then pour the water out of the pot and pour the sauce into the main pot and turn the pot off and onto saute. Boil for a couple of minutes until it is done to your taste.
This is After hitting it with the immersion blender.

Mac n Cheese with Meatballs and Green Beans IP

This delicious simple one pot meal does the trick for that comfort food craving when you just don’t want to COOK after a busy and tiring day!. It’s fast and easy, and even older kids that know how to use the pot can make it up, unsupervised. Recipe can be doubled in a 6 q. Pot. Some noodles absorb differently so be sure to have milk or cream on hand if you need some more.
Also…The general rule of thumb for pasta is for every 4 oz of pasta you use 1 c liquid.

For about 3 servings:
1/2 bag of Frozen pre made type..Meat balls …Bite sized.
6 oz of elbow Macaroni. (A little less than 1 1/2 c)
1 1/2 c water.
Dash of Salt.
Dashes of Pepper.
1/2 cube of Philadelphia Cream Cheese.
1 c Heavy Whipping Cream. More for after .if needed.
4 Tbsp Butter.
2 cups worth of Fresh Green Beans, and or Baby Carrots…leave Whole
OPTIONAL: 1/2 c Grated cheese.

FOR 4 Servings:
3/4 bag of Meatballs.
8 oz Macaroni.
2 c Water.
Dash Salt.
a few dashes of Pepper.
3/4 cube of Phili.
1 1/4 c Heavy Whipping Cream more for after it’s done.
5 Tbsp Butter



Pour your Macaroni into the Pot, then the Water, stir to get the Macaroni wet. Quickly add the rest of the ingredients… Meatballs on top….then DONT stir. Add a lotus steamer with handle, right onto the top of the Meatballs and put your Green Beans in the steamer.
Put the lid on the Pot. set the Time for 4 min.
When the Pot beeps, do a CONTROLLED release (CR…tap tap tap, with a dish rag handy,… if it spits, close the Valve and try again in a few seconds, repeat until you know that it won’t spit.) take the Lid off…remove the Lotus Steamer onto a plate, and carefully fold the Mac n cheese, over and over to coat the Meatballs with the Sauce, add more Cream if needed …grated cheese if you want more cheese.
Mixture will thicken as it sets and as the Macaroni noodles absorbs more of the Sauce.

Buttery Cookies

Perfect Coffee or Tea cookie.
You would think that this is a commercial for Costco’s ingredients? but it’s not. If you have other Nut blends, Cereal blends and sweetener blends then use those.
Do you buy Costco’s addictive “Cashew Clusters” and wonder what to do with all of the good crumbs in the bottom of the bag? With these cookies, you will use them up and can even food process some of them to make these treats, a sweet, biscuity, shortbready cookie in texture, these are a bit like a ranger cookie in flavor. Makes 1 dozen or more depending on size. They are great dunkers the next day. This one is a keeper.


Oven 375°.
1 1/4 c Buiscuit mix (see my recipe below)
1/2 c butter Softened
1/4 c Lakanto brand Monkfruit Erythritol mix
2 Tbsp Sugar
1/4 c Mini white Chocolate Chips.
1 large egg.
1 tsp vanilla.
1 c Costco’s Kirkland brand “Cashew Cluster” Crumbs. (Or 1/4 c candied pecans and 3/4 c mixed nuts all chopped fine.)
3/4 c Mountain Summit cereal (or bran flakes with nuts cranberries and berries)

Preheat Oven to 375°

Using a stand mixer, Cream Butter and Sweetener together until light and fluffy, add the egg and beat well, add Vanilla, then add the White Chocolate chips and the Cashew Cluster Crumbs, mix in, then add Biscuit mix all at once and mix well. Dough will be stiff. Lastly, add Mountain Summit cereal and mix in.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone liner.
Scoop out walnut sized to golf ball sized pieces into your hand and shape and flatten a little.
Place each cookie on to the cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for about 1-12 minutes, until slightly golden in color. Remove from the oven and transfer cookies to a cooling rack. Cool before eating. Perfect tea cookie.

Air Frying? Tip..Flip the Trivet for Air Frying Duo Crisp 80+Air fryer.

If you have this trivet, it flips inside out.

This is the Trivet that comes with the Duo Crisp 80 +Air Fryer. You may have to adjust adapt the one that comes with the 6 q. In This pic, I have a round rack on top of the flipped trivet. .
It will gently click and hold.

This information is included in the manual that comes with the Air fryer Lid, but this shows how to use it while cooking. The other tips are to add about 1/2 c water to the pot, and spray the trivet and upper part of the pot with pam, this makes for much simpler clean up, and save that juice that drips in the bottom.for soups.

If you have the air fryer lid with your IP Duo Crisp80+Air Fryer, you may consider setting aside the Basket that comes with it. It does add quite a bit of clean up to your Air frying.
If you flip your long handled trivet around or inside out, to make the handles into long legs, it slightly locks into place and it will create a platform for your foods like pork steak or Chicken Hind Quarters etc etc. you will have more surface area to cook your food on and it will allow for more pieces to cook at the same time, often reducing the need to do more than one batch. Adding the rack that comes with the basket will help as well for smaller pieces like wings.
This flipping of the Trivet also works for some foods to go above things like roasts or chicken when you are pressure cooking inside the pot, for cooking more than one thing at a time.

Recipes for what you see are on the website under “Air Fryer”

Country Chicken Air fried. Duo Crisp 8+ air fryer or any air fryer really

My mom use to fry Chicken but not deep fry it, it was just seasoned and dredged in flour and fried in a little oil. We ate it up! Now days, we don’t even need the oil. This air fryer version of moms chicken that is super juicy an full of flavor will satisfy that comfort food craving for sure. Not low carb? if you want to though you could try using almond flour.

3 chicken hind quarters, brought to room temp.
1 Tbsp or more Johnnies seasoning salt or equivalent. For kick, use Slap ya mama or Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning.
1/2- 3/4 c all purpose, flour .
Pam or Evoo spray.

Use a gallon sized baggie for the flour.
Set aside the basket that comes with the Duo Crisp, and flip that trivet over to make it tall. Set the rack on top . You will need every square inch of surface that you can get. Spray it and the top sides of the stainless steel inner pot with pam.
Preheat the Air fryer setting to 400°. You can preset it to 35 min and then re-adjust it as you put the chicken in. you only need around 25 min so the other is extra time in case you have to flip or cook longer.
Season both sides of the chicken and drop them into a gallon sized baggie with the flour in it. Shake the chicken in the flour. Lay each piece on a plate so that you can spray both sides with pam Or generously spritz with Evoo pump spray.
when the air fryer is heated, lay them strategically onto the rack. Check the time and make sure that you set it using the +- button on the time to 28 minutes. Set another timer for 13 min.
Carefully flip the Chicken at 13 min. Ignore the turn food notice. Finish cooking and remove when the pot beeps. Check the internal temp for doneness. 165° Closest to the thigh bone is good for Chicken.Serve with my Colcannon recipe in the link here…Colcannon IP, Irish Mashed Potatoes with Cabbage or other root Veggies.

See the pics. Colcannon is an Irish Mashed Potato Medely, with cabbage, or in my case, That day, it was Brussel Sprouts, Carrot, Onion, Parsley, Bacon Costco’s Better than Bullion Chicken, Butter and Cream. It turns out pretty delicious and is so easy to make in your other IP, however, if you don’t have another IP you can always make the Colcannon first in the bottom of the inner Pot using the Pressure cooking lid and then either remove them to mash in a separate container or do it in the pot and then simply switch lids, and set the trivet legs right down into the mash…put the rack onto the trivet and spray then set to air fry and preheat the pot. This will keep the Potato Mash hot while the Chicken Air fry’s.

Shake off excess slightly.


Chili with PIP Corn Dog Bread IP


This delicious Chili packs about 2-2 1/2 ** out of 5 for spiciness/heat, and has a slightly more Tomato flavor due to the Tomatillos. Corn Dog Bread recipe below. The great part about doing the Cornbread in at the same time as the Chili is that the flavor infuses into the Cornbread…. these are both made in the same pot for the same amount of time. Will fit in the 6 or 8 qt. Scroll down to the Bottom for the Corndog Bread Recipe. Includes DIY corn bread mix.

For a version using your own cooked Beans, click here for a Recipe to make homemade Beans. Beans Pintos and others cooked In the IP
For My other Corn Bread or Chili Recipes …links here.
Corn bread IP with Cheese, Onion, and Sour Cream …Also includes Corn Dog Bread.
Chili: made with Braised Short Ribs and Chuck. No Beans.. Breville or Stove top.
Chili Easy IP.
Chili IP..includes 2 recipes….2nd one includes Oven Roasted Pork


INGREDIENTS:
1 Lb lightly browned Chili Meat
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp Cumin,
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
2 1/2 tsp Oregano
1 1/2 Tbsp Costco Reduced Sodium Better than Bullion Chicken
1 Tbsp dried Onion Flakes
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1/3 c mild Mixed Dried Pepper Blend (you can use a couple of fresh deseeded Anaheim’s instead if you don’t have these… but include them with Peppers below)
3 Tbsp Garlic minced
1 can Rotel
1 can Black, Pinto or small red Beans drained (or use 1 1/2 cups of your own pre made)
3-4 Tomatillos,
1 1/2 c chopped Bell Peppers
1 c Onion
1 Tbsp Tomato Paste.

FOR THE SLURRY TO THICKEN THE CHILI.
1 Tbsp Corn Starch and 1 Tbsp Flour mixed with 2-3 Tbsp Water.

DIRECTIONS.
Mix all of the DRY Ingredients for the Corn Bread and set aside, then mix all the WET Ingredients of the Corn Bread, set aside. Mix together only just before you are ready to close the put it in the pot.
continue on and make your Chili and then come back to the Corn Bread. You need a Bundt Pan to do this that fits the Pot.

Layer as shown in Pics below.
Meat and Veggies on the bottom and then don’t stir, just add the rest on top moving slightly so that the Trivet can fit in. See pic.
Put a long legged Trivet down into the Chili mixture, then put the sprayed Bunt Pan on top of that filled with the Corn Bread mixture.
Cover that with a rack to keep the Paper Towel from falling in, then put the Paper Towel on top to keep too much Liquid from getting in the Corn Bread. Tuck the edges between the sides. See pics below.
Put the Lid on, set the Pot for 20 min on Hi pressure, then let it NPR for 20. Carefully remove the Corn Bread and dab any liquid off the top or edges….then loosen it from the Bundt Pans Chimney and sides. Invert onto rack to cool.
Thicken the chili with 1 Tbsp Corn Starch and. 1 tbsp Flour mixed with 2-3 Tbsp Water. Stir while adding.
Let set for a couple minutes while they thicken up.
The neet thing about this cornbread in the Pot with the Chili, is that the Chili flavor infuses into the corn bread. This batch because of the 4 hotdogs and Cheese added the way I did it, turned out more moist than the plain, and a little more dense almost like spoon bread. A

Notice how the rack fits, leaving room for the lid anti block shield and pin so there is no interference with the function. This is critical.

Microplane

Both of these work Great! The long one is Chefstyle.

Do yourselves a huge favor…GET ONE THAT WORKS!

I realize that the goal is to take off zest only, not the white pulp.

I just thought that my son was wrong when he said that my microplane stunk! I spent years struggling, thinking that my new microplane was just the way they were… workin up a sweat to get that coveted Zest. Just thought my fruit wasn’t fresh, but a couple weeks ago I had fresh lemons….it wasn’t that.
But I kept watching the Chefs on TV whipping their way through, gliding with ease. Piles of grated Lemon zest and parmasean. And I was just thinking …what a whimp you must be Mary!

GUESS what! My brand new Micro plane just stunk!

Soooo, I’m at the store today. 63 yrs old and picked one up and touched it…well, if your microplane doesn’t bite you and try, or just about wanna cut you when you press the opposite direction….THROW IT OUT!?

I am now in heaven with not just one , but TWO Good microplane/graters WITH protective sleeves! oh happy dance!???

If you have one of these….GET RID OF IT! Don’t argue, just do it?

That pile of zest here….DIDN’T come from this one. I scraped 5 times and got nothing. THROW IT OUT , It’s been FIRED?

Tangy Lemon Curd Pie..IP and oven. Pucker up?

 Don’t let this sweet and innocent looking little piece of pie fool you! Do you love Lemon Meringue and Pie or Lemon Curd, but worry about the sweetness being a carb overload? Do you remember sour patch candy? This delicious and quite tangy, small sized Pie is more like a Tart than a Pie really, but it is also not as sweet as typical Lemon Pie and packs a punch to satisfy your sweet and sour cravings. The filling can also just be poured into 6 individual Ramekins to serve with sweeter whipped cream, cottage cheese or yogurt. You can either buy or make a regular crust or even make a shortbread or graham cracker crust and you cans also make individual desserts.
For a small crust like the kind that Keebler makes, I use my small 8” Cuisinart omelet pan, With weights to make the small one. Yes it goes in the oven. I don’t mind if the crust slides down some, while cooking because I want the crust thick.
*Note if you don’t want to use the Monk fruit Erythritol blend, you can use 1/2 c sugar total, including the 2tbsp in the recipe.

1-small pre made and cooled Pie Crust. See my pie crust recipe in the files if you want a recipe to make your own. Set aside. Keebler makes graham cracker crusts that will work.

5 solppily separated large eggs, (meaning about 3 yolks and 2 whole eggs).
7/8 c Lemon Juice
1 tsp Lemon Zest if ya like it.
8 Tbsp softened Salted Butter
3 rounded Tbsp Sugar in the raw
3 rounded Tbsp of Erythritol and Monkfruit blend
1 Tbsp heaping of Cornstarch
1 pinch Salt

Use a food processor or beater to mix the butter and sugar with monkfruit and Erythritol until light and fluffy, scrape sides down and add eggs. Mix well until light and well blended. Scrape down. Add the lemon juice and zest, and the rest of the filling ingredients… mix for about a minute more.
One of the rare times that I use glass in the IP full knowing that there is always a chance of breakage, I use a rubber made 5 cup food storage container… the ones with the thick lids…I don’t use the lid for this.
Pour the filling into the Container.
Pour Required amount of Water into the IP inner Pot, and add the long handled Trivet, then set the filling container onto the Trivet. Cover with foil or in my case, the rack that comes with the duo crisp, the one with holes in it…another Trivet works too. Cover that with a Paper Towel so no Water gets into the filling.. Put the lid on and set the time for 4 min on hi pressure, then allow 10 min NPR before opening. Stir well with a spatula . It will all come together as you stir. Let it cool and then pour about 2 1/2 cups into your cooled Pie crust. Set in the frig for a couple of hours. It will not set up stiff like a Lemon Meringue Pie does but it is cuttable, and holds.
Serve with whipped cream. .

The Curd can also be stored into small individual pots and served with Whipped Cream, Yogurt or even Cottage Cheese.

One of the rare times that I use glass in the IP full knowing that there is always a chance of breakage, I use a rubber made 5 cup food storage container… the ones with the thick lids…I don’t use the lid for this.
pour the filling into the container.
pour Required anoint of water into the IP inner pot, and add the long handled trivet, then set the filling container onto the trivet. Cover with foil or in my case, the rack that comes with the duo crisp, the one with holes in it…another trivet works too. Cover that with a paper towel so no water gets into the filling.. Put the lid on and set the time for 4 min on hi pressure, then allow 10 minNPR before opening. Stir well with a spatula . It will all come together as you stir. Let it cool and then pour about 2 1/2 cups into your cooled Pie crust. Set in the frig for a couple of hours. It will not set up stiff like a lemon meringue pie does but it’s cuttable, and holds.
Serve with whipped cream. .

The curd can also be stored into small individual pots and served with whipped cream, yogurt or even cottage cheese.

One of the rare times that I use glass in the IP full knowing that there is always a chance of breakage, I use a rubber made 5 cup food storage container… the ones with the thick lids…I don’t use the lid for this.
pour the filling into the container.
pour Required anoint of water into the IP inner pot, and add the long handled trivet, then set the filling container onto the trivet. Cover with foil or in my case, the rack that comes with the duo crisp, the one with holes in it…another trivet works too. Cover that with a paper towel so no water gets into the filling.. Put the lid on and set the time for 4 min on hi pressure, then allow 10 minNPR before opening. Stir well with a spatula . It will all come together as you stir. Let it cool and then pour about 2 1/2 cups into your cooled Pie crust. Set in the frig for a couple of hours. It will not set up stiff like a lemon meringue pie does but it’s cuttable, and holds.
Serve with whipped cream. .

The curd can also be stored into small individual pots and served with whipped cream, yogurt or even cottage cheese.
This is what it looks like after you pour it from the food processor

This is what it looks like after you open the lidKeep stirringReady for the frig

Dirty Rice with Chicken and Queso Sauce IP

3 bone in, skin on Chicken thighs seasoned well with Evoo, Johnnies, and Mrs Dash. If you don’t want to mess with them, just use boneless skinless Thighs.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE RICE:
1/2 c dried Black Beans Presoaked 8 hrs/over night.
3/4 c regular White Rice.
 2 tsp Cumin.
1 tsp onion powder.
1 tsp Garlic powder.
1 Tsp Oregano.
1 tsp Corriander powder.
1 piece of bacon chopped 
2 Tbsp Jalapeño chopped.
1 1/2 c water.

DIRECTIONS:
Add everything to the IP except the Chicken. Stir, then lay the Chicken on top. Put the lid on and set the time for 12 min. Then when it’s done, QR, but don’t touch it (you don’t want the Chicken to over cook is the reasons for the QR)…then… just let set another 10 minutes. Open lid, fluff with a fork and remove the pot from the Base.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE QUESO:
Make this while the Beans cook.
3 Tbsp Butter.
3 Tbsp Flour 
3 c Chicken broth (or  water with 1 Tbsp Costco Better than Bullion Chicken).
1/2 c Cream
1 Tbsp Better than Bullion Chicken  (check flavor first after sauce is made).
1 Tbsp chopped  Jalapeño 
1 chopped Tomatillo.
2 chopped Mushrooms.
1/2 c Queso cheese.. broken up. melting cheese. Oaxaca cheese.

DIRECTIONS FOR THE QUESO:
Using a Sauce pan with the burner turned onto medium heat, add the Butter and Flour, stir to make a Roux and then add the Broth or Water and stir to thicken.
Add all the other Ingredients. Stir and let simmer for a few minutes, then remove from the heat. Set aside . When the Chicken, Beans and Rice are done, remove the Chicken and fluff the Rice. Turn the IP off and remove the inner Pot from the IP. Cut the chicken from the bones and cut it into 1” chunks.   
Back to the Beans and Rice, add the Chicken back into the IP and Pour the Queso over all of that. Carefully stir the Sauce down  into the Rice mixture  with Chopsticks.
Serve with Chips on the side and Veggies.

 Back to the beans and rice, add the chicken back into the IP and Pour the Queso over all of that. Carefully it stir sauce down  into the rice mixture  with chopsticks.Serve with chips on the side and veggies.

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Sauce, includes choice of Monkfruit Blend sweetener.

You know the deliciousness of the cinnamony goo that is inside of Apple Pie. Well this is it! This Sauce is fantastic on Vanilla Ice cream, and so many other things.

Not to be confused with Caramel for caramel apples.

1/4 c concentrated apple juice from frozen ( or reduced from 1/2 c bottled juice).
1/3 c Sugar (or a combo of 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar and 3 1/2 Monkfruit Blend Sweetener although this will have a slightly different consistency it is lower carb content. But it will separate after it sets for several hours so refrigerate )
1/4 rounded tsp ground Cinnamon
4 Tbsp salted Butter.
2 pinches Salt

In a Sauce pan add all ingredients and bring to a rolling boil.
remove from heat. ( If using Erythritol Monkfruit blend, you have to let it boil for about a minute to really melt it into the sauce). Sauce thickens as it cools. It gets really thick. Just heat up to use on Ice cream. If you want to thin it down, just add some apple juice.

Serve Over Ice Cream , or use as a dip for Banannas and Peanut Butter or get creative….chocolate… cheese, celery and peanut butter….etc yum!

This is hot. Notice how thin it is. All sugar batch hot..
All sugar batch almost cooled. It’s thick when done.
This is what the batch made with Monk fruit blend comes out like, when hot.
This is Monkfruit blend sauce almost cooled, it will thicken a bit more.
Both Sauces, totally cooled. Just heat up for ice cream!