Join us on FB Homemaker Geek for a more personal connection! Recipes, Restorations and Projects for the home. For smaller devices, to find the Search Window on the Home/Main Menu page, scroll to the bottom where the Search window is. On larger devices it will appear below the main site Picture on the right.
Category: General Recipes
General Recipes include those that do not need to be done using a special cooking tool like the Instant Pot or Breville Oven. They are usually stovetop or oven baked.
it’s Absolutely crucial to use FRESH Popcorn like Orville Redenbacher’s
Turn pot to Sauté, wait till the Pot says Hot, immediately pour a couple Tbsp of Oil in the pot, then immediately pour the popcorn into the oil and jiggle the pot without lifting it out. Occasionally shake the whole pot a little to make the corns fall to the bottom to stay hot .
This isn’t the traditional fried Rellenos, nor is it cornbread, and it’s not tamales either, unique in its own right, packed with flavor, leftovers reheated in the microwave on defrost for a minute, even better. Serve as is, or with Salsa, Queso sauce or Chili.
7 Aneheim Peppers or Poblanos or Hatch..Blistered under the Broiler for 5 min per side and sweated in a gallon baggie for 15 min, then peeled, sliced down the Middle and Carefully de seeded.
7 chunks of Oaxaca cheese. 3/4” X 1/2” thick.
2/3 c Flour
1/3 c Masa Harina
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Salt,
1 tsp Chili Powder (add a few shakes of Cayenne if you like Kick.)
1 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Garlic, granular or Powder.
3 Egg Yolks
4 egg Whites Stiffly Beaten with 1/4 Tsp Cream of Tartar
1-2 Tbsp Melted Lard
1 c Buttermilk
1 1/2 c. Mexican Cheese blend
OPTIONAL: add Fresh 1” pieces of Okra.
Preheat the Oven to 375°
Mix the flour and other dry ingredients together. Set aside, mix the Buttermilk, eggs and lard together and set aside while you whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. Spray a metal 9×13 metal cake pan with pam, and if you followed the directions on the peppers they should be peeled, slit and filled with pieces of theOaxaca Cheese. Pour all of the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir quickly with a fork or rubber spatula to blend well but don’t over mix, it will start to react so don’t over do it, carefully fold all of the egg whites into the batter. Now pour half of the batter in the bottom or the pan and gently and quickly spread around evenly, now lay the Stuffed Peppers evenly on the batter, then pour the rest over the top of the peppers and smooth out evenly. Move fast and get it into the Oven. The position of the rack is the second from the bottom position in the Breville. Bake for 20 min, take it out and add the Mexican blend Cheese on top. Bake for another 10 minutes.
I use my Meat Grinder to make these delicious tender Meatballs , but you can use pre ground. If You do use PreGround meat your Meatballs will hold their shape a little better than mine. Serve them with my fresh made Marinara Sauce.. also listed below. Marinara Sauce with fresh Roma Tomatoes Mushrooms and Basil IP Or, for that Cream Sauce Craving, make an Alfredo Mushroom Sauce for them . Recipe below, Scroll to the bottom. Or maybe even For those Swedish Meatballs use this Mushroom Cream Sauce
To make these without having to grind op your own meat, just use pre ground and chop the veggies really fine .
INGREDIENTS: 1 1/2 lbs ground Pork 1 1/2 lbs ground Chuck. 5 mini Sweet Peppers ( or 1 Serrano or 1 Jalapeño, your choice) chopped fine. 5-6 cloves garlic minced 1 c very finely chopped Vidallia Onion. 3 pieces of toast crumbled. 1/2 -1 tsp Salt. 1/2 tsp Pepper. 1/2-3/4 c Parmesean Cheese. 1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning. 2 Tbsp Worchestershire Sauce. A few shakes of Fish sauce (about 1/4 tsp). 2 eggs beaten. 2 Tbsp Mustard. 1/4 c EVOO for cooking
I use a food processor to save time, toss in the garlic and pulse til the garlic is finely minced . Then rough chopped the Onion and toss it in the Food Processor as well and pulse until the onion is finely chopped. In a separate bowl, Break up the meats and Gently and loosely mix them together with all ingredients just until mixed. Over mixing the meat makes it tough. Refrigerate for about an Hour if you have time, it will make forming them easier. Using a Spoon, get enough meat mixture to make a ball a little larger than the size that your middle finger tip and thumb tip almost touching each other makes. (Leave about 1/4-1/2” gap between them. Yup that size. Remember they will shrink as they cook). Set the balls in the frig as you cook them 6 or 8 at a time or so. preheat a Frying pan to Med to Med Hi, and when it’s hot, pour in 1/4 c EVOO. Then add 6 Meatballs, gently and carefully into the hot oil. Try not to deform them. Let the Meatballs cook for a couple minutes and then turn them to another side and repeat til they are cooked through. About 8 min. As the Balls finish cooking in the pan, remove them to a paper towel and set aside. Add a new batch of raw Meatballs, and cook them. Repeat until all have finished cooking.. you can keep them warm in an oven.
NOTE :
To cook with Marinara Sauce in the IP. Weather it is homemade or jarred, use PIP (pot in pot method) add the marinara sauce and hot meatballs into a stainless steel bowl . Pour required amount of water in the inner pot, add trivet and then the bowl of sauce with the meatballs. Put the lid on And set the time for 4- 5 min, and allow for a 10 min NPR. This allows the Meatballs to absorb the sauce for extra flavor as though they have been cooking all day. If the meatballs are cold from the refrigerator, then cook for 10 min with 5 min NPR.
Serve with your favorite Pre-Made Red Sauce, or my Homemade Marinara sauce. Recipe in files. See pic at the bottom.
Serve with my “Marinara Sauce with fresh Roma Tomatoes Mushrooms and Basil” it can be Made on the stove top or Instant Pot. Recipe in files.
1 c heavy whipping cream. 6 Tbsp butter. 2 cloves Garlic minced. 1 c Parmesean Using a smaller frying pan or sauce pan, on medium, melt the butter and add the garlic, sauté for about 30 seconds before adding the Cream. Stir well to heat through, add the Parmesean cheese and mix well. Do not boil.
What a simple and delicious snack if you are fortunate enough to have access to fresh, raw Peanuts. I’ll never forget the first time that I saw and tasted this treat. We were returning a rental car to the airport in Texas and we stopped at a little gas station to fill up. I went into the little store to get some snacks for the plane, saw them in a soup pot and I scratched my head and thought, “What in the world?”? Just had to try them! They were messy and slurpy, soupy good and the peanuts were soft, salty and a bit spicy, pretty much just like my homemade Pinto beans. (Recipe in the files) What a treat, so now I cook them the same way that I do my pinto beans except that I use more salt. The water has to be salty to penetrate the peanuts. Boiled Peanuts, a southern tradition usually takes all day to cook right, but the Instant Pot makes this deliciousness happen in just a few hours. (2 hrs plus some NPR time.).
1-24 oz pack of fresh Raw Peanuts cleaned and washed
9 c Water
1 regular sized sweet onion, rough chopped
6 cloves Garlic, rough chopped
1/4 c SEA Salt (yes 1/4 CUP) needs to be salty . If using regular Salt..taste after 3 Tbsp. It needs to taste like SALTY Sea Water.
1 Tbsp Oregano
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 Tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 Tbsp Evoo or 2 slices Bacon chopped
Make sure Peanuts are sorted and washed. Dump Peanuts and all other ingredients into the pot. Invert a lotus steamer and push it down on them…see pic, to hold the peanuts under the liquid, and weigh it down with a measuring cup full of water, or find something heavy. Put the lid on and set the time for 2 hours on HI pressure. Allow 20 min NPR. Open the lid, remove the weight and steamer, stir the Peanuts into the juice. Dish some up in a Bowl and get a little of the broth. Get a couple of Napkins! Careful, they are hot, you may want to cool them to touch before eating. Pick one up with your fingers and suck the juice out of it then bite down gently to pop it open, then squeeze with your fingers to open. ENJOY! Uh….you got something on yo face?.
This is what I found at my local Mexican Marketplace I invert the lotus steamer and push down to ensure that the peanuts stay submerged. I put the water in a container on top for the weight to hold the steamer down too.
INGREDIENTS: 1 1/2 lb Chuck Roast cut into 1/2” cubes. 4-5 nice hefty Short ribs well seasoned with Johnnies Seasoning salt or equivalent. Or you can just salt and Pepper. 1 1/2 c Beef Broth (Perfect use for leftover Pot Roast juice, in my case I used frozen Braised Short rib juice). 1 Onion chopped. 1/2 c dehydrated peppers (Or 1 green pepper and 1 red Bell) 6 cloves Garlic. 1 Aneheim and or 5 sweet mini Peppers. 1/2- 1 Serrano or Jalapeño chopped fine. 2 -3 Tbsp Chili Powder ( 2 to start). 3 Tbsp Cumin. 1 tsp Oregano 1/4 c Tomato Powder. … or 1/2 c Tomato Paste. 1 tsp Salt. 1 Tbsp Sugar 2 Tbsp EVOO
GARNISH: Scallions, Cheese. Sour Cream
DIRECTIONS: Set the Oven to 325° You will turn it down to 300° after an hour…. Or be prepared to cook stove top. For Stove top cooking you will just turn this to Simmer lowest setting and let it cook for 2-3 hours. Stirring occasionally.
To save time, I use a Cuisinart food processor to mince the Garlic first and then add rough chopped Onion and Peppers.
Have a 2.5 qt Dutch Oven ready to use. Use a frying pan on Medium HI, add EVOO and sear the Ribs until brown on all sides. Remove them from the pan and set aside when they are Brown. This is where you can use the Dutch Oven, but it’s easier to just brown all Meat in the Frying Pan so that is what I do, so add the Chuck to the Frying Pan in and sear that up until brown. Preheat the Dutch oven to Med Hi while the Chuck finishes cooking Pour the Browned Chuck into the Dutch Oven. Add Onion, Garlic and Fresh Peppers. Sauté for a minute and toss in the rest of the ingredients except for the tomato powder or paste. Nestle the Ribs down into the mixture. Now add the Tomato Powder or Paste to the top and very lightly stir it under the surface just to get it added so it’s not laying on top. Put the lid on and set the Dutch oven on the bottom rack of the Breville or Oven and let it cook for 1 hour and then turn the Oven down to 300° to finish cooking for the rest of the time. At 2 hrs, check for doneness. You may want to go the full 3 hrs. If it’s a bit thin for your taste when it’s done, then just turn the pot off and back on to Sauté, and reduce it down for a few min.
Serve with grated Cheese, Scallions, and Sour Cream.
This was an IP batch, (but you still sear the meat and add the veggies)
I made the wrappers from unbleached wheat flour but they can be made from rice flour as well. There are recipes on line.
1 recipe of wrappers as follows: or You can just use store bought.
Wrappers:
2 1/4 c flour unbleached AP
1 c hot …not boiling Water
3 Tbsp Corn Starch
1/2 tsp Salt
I use a food processor with my dough blade on it
pour flour salt and Corn Starch in the processor, pulse it a few times to mix ingredients together. While processor is running, slowly add all the water. Let the processor run until the dough forms a ball, stop, scrape sides, process again for about 1 minute. Dough should be handleable, not sticky. If sticky, add a couple more Tbsp Flour and knead it in . . Sprinkle surface with a lil flour, …if you don’t have a cutter, then roll dough into a snake and cut pieces the size of walnuts off. Roll into circles.
if you do have a cutter, flour surface lightly and Roll out the dough. ….cut the circles with a tool or do 3” circles with a biscuit cutter.
Filling:
1 Lb ground pork or Sausage
1/2 c shredded carrot
1/2 c shredded Celery
1/2 c finely shredded Cabbage, (Napa is ok too)
2 Tbsp Scallion chopped fine
2 Tbsp Cilantro finely chopped
1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
1 tsp minced Ginger
1 tsp Sesame Oil
1 tsp Yoshidas or Hawaiian BBQ sauce (similar)
Gyoza sauce for serving. You can get store bought but, I like to make a sauce mixing sweet chili sauce and Yoshidas teriyaki sauce for dipping, add plum sauce to it if you like or even Thai Chili paste.
Mix the Filling. Take out about 1 Tbsp and microwave it for about 30 seconds, let cool and taste. Now is the time to add more of this or that if you like but be careful with more veggies because the liquid in them comes out when you fry them. Take one wrapper, and shape it into about a 3” circle…dampen the entire edge all the way around. (Not too wet). Use a rounded tsp of filling and place it in the middle of the wrapper. Fold it up like a purse and pinch the edges gently I use a fold and pinch, fold and pinch method. It takes practice and mine aren’t always pretty? The little maker doesn’t work that well on fresh made but may for store bought. I freeze these flat on a cookie sheet and then add store them in a plastic baggie, and just take out what I need.
I fry the first freshly made batch in a few Tbsp of vegetable oil on medium for about 3 min on each side. serve them with your favorite Gyoza sauce or Yoshidas mixed with a bit of sesame oil and Thai chili hot sauce if you want some kick.
To fry frozen Gyoza, heat frying pan to Med Hi and add about 1/4” of vegetable oil to the pan, let it heat til it shimmers, drop one tiny drop of water into the oil and if it splatters or sizzles , your oil is ready. Drop the Gyoza, 6 at a time into the oil and fry for about 3-4 min on each side. Drain on paper towel before serving, repeat until they are all done.
For dumplings in broth, I just put some in boiling broth. The frozen Gyoza will cool the water to a simmer. Let it simmer very gently for about 10 minutes until they are cooked through. Don’t boil or they will fall apart.
This delicious and satisfying Breakfast Casserole is a meal in and of itself. But, you can also serve it up with slices of Avocado, Cottage Cottage, Tomatoes. More suggestions in the Optional comments.
1/2 of a 2.4 oz carton Hash browns, (Or 1- 1.2oz ) Reconstituted… Makes about 1 1/2 cups packed.
8-10 Beaten Jumbo Eggs . (12 regular large)
1 1/2 c Cheese grated. (I use cojack)
1 c Heavy whipping Cream
8 precooked Sausage links, cut up.
4-6 slices Chopped and pre cooked Bacon
2 c Bread cubes. (Brioche is perfect for this)
6 Tbsp melted Butter
1 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
2 Tbsp or 1 small green onion chopped
Optional: 1 tsp Tabasco or Red Pepper flakes, chopped Tomatoes, Avocado, cooked Mushrooms… etc also for toppings if you want, you could use Sour Cream and chopped Scallions, or Salsa etc…use your imagination.
Preheat the Oven to 350°
Mix the beaten Eggs, Cream, Cheese, ….everything except the meats…in a bowl. Set aside.
I used a stainless steel skillet, but you can use any Oven Proof Frying Pan that fits in the oven. I also had raw bacon to fry up so I did it first. I turned the heat off….Keep the grease in the pan and add the butter and sausage. Tip the pan to coat the sides with the grease. The heat will melt the Butter. Pour all the egg mixture into the skillet . Place into the Oven for about 20-30 min, just until set in the middle. Remove from oven and let cool for a couple of minutes. Loosen the casserole from the sides of the pan as you serve.
This is a quick 3 part process. Not quite “throw it in and walk away”, but close to it. Compared to stove top Risotto this is a snap! The Old Bay seasoning adds a tad bit of kick to take it up a notch. I can feel the spice a bit but, my husband still adds hot Sauce. Arborio rice makes this one happen. You may also be interested in my Risotto with Broccoli and Mushrooms…link here. Risotto with Broccoli & Mushroom. IP
Serves 2 large servings with some leftovers
1-16 oz Bag of raw Frozen Shrimp (I use peel-ON Shrimp) You will need to partially thaw them in cold water just until they are peel-able and partly thawed. It’s ok if they thaw before you put them in but they need to be really cold because they cook fast. ( 3-5 min). 1 c onion Chopped into small pieces 3 cups Chopped Broccoli (smaller pieces). 1 c Arborio Rice. 2 Tbsp Garlic. 2 Tbsp Costco’s Better than Bullion Chicken and 2 3/4-3 c water (or 2 3/4- 3 c Chicken Broth + 1/4 tsp Salt and 1/4 tsp sugar) 3 cups makes it creamier. 3/4 stick Butter. 1 Tbsp Evoo. 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning (more if you like it more spicy but it has salt in it so adjust elsewhere for salt if you use more)
Optional: 1/2 c Parmesean to be stirred in at the end. Hot peppers ? for garnish if you like heat .
Turn Pot to Sauté Low, (Low prevents browning Butter and Rice on the bottom) and toss in the EVOO and Butter, let it melt, then stir before adding the Onion and Garlic. Stir around for a few seconds and let them cook for about 2-3 minutes then throw in the Arborio Rice . Stir a few times and let set and sizzle for about 2-3 minutes. Add the Old Bay and Then the water/broth/ bullion and deglaze any brown that may have formed on the bottom.
Set time for 4 min/ 10 min NPR. While it’s cooking Turn the Pot off and Back onto Saute..
Stir Risotto, add Broccoli and stir It in… put the lid on for a 3 minutes, and let it set to cook a bit. You may have to toggle between sauté and off so that the rice doesn’t burn. Do this next part fast so that not too much steam escapes….Take the lid off quickly and stir the Risotto, then add the Shrimp and bury them Deep into the Rice and Broccoli . Put the lid back on and turn the pot completely off. You will have to toggle between off and on to sauté again, turning it back on and then off a couple of times. Leave the Shrimp to cook for 3 minutes. Stir again and bury any undone Shrimp… It will still be bubbling. Once the Shrimp are all done, Open the lid and add Parmesan Cheese if your using it. Stir once more scraping the bottom to get any browning rice off. Serve up and enjoy.
Add Shrimp after Broccoli has cooked for a couple of minutes. Don’t let the Shrimp Overcook. They are done when they are in a loose C shape and just past grey, (in other words they just turned pink. If there are a couple spots not quite pink, just bury them in the rice. They will get done.Add Parmesan if desired.This batch was with 2 1/2 c liquid….I prefer it a little creamier. See below for creamier pic using 3 c.It’s creamier using 3 c liquid. Add Hot peppers to kick it up.. if you dare.
Makes enough for 2 with leftovers. If you don’t have Cooked Chicken, use Raw and throw it in on top of the noodles.
FOR THE SAUCE: 1 cup Cooked Butternut Squash. 1 clove Garlic 2 Eggs. 1 Tbsp Costco’s Better than Bullion Chicken 1/2 c Heavy Whipping Cream. 1/8 tsp Nutmeg.
DIRECTIONS:. Using a Food Processor, toss in the Garlic and give it a good spin. Add the Butternut Squash and pulse a few times until it breaks down, then add the Cream, Better than Bullion Chicken and Eggs. Process until the sauce is creamy. ? Pour the Sauce into a Sauce Pan and heat slowly, stirring constantly, over medium heat until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon . Do not boil. Set aside. See Below For Pics.
FOR THE CARBONARA : 2 pre cooked Chicken Thighs chopped (use Raw if you don’t have cooked. Just chop into 1” pieces and toss in on top of the noodles to cook with them). 5 pieces of pre Cooked Bacon Chopped (even though it’s cooked, I Crisp it) 1 c Onion Chopped finely. 2 c fresh chopped Spinach. 2 c sliced Crimini Mushrooms 8 oz Spaghetti Noodles broken in half. 1 1/2 c water (Your Onion and Mushrooms will add more liquid to cook the Noodles). 2 Tbsp Butter. 1/4 tsp Salt. 1/4 tsp Pepper. 1/4 c Parmesean Cheese ( for after its done).
DIRECTIONS: Set the Chopped Bacon and Chicken aside. (If using Cut up raw Chicken, put it in on top of the Noodles) Pour the Water into the Pot, add the Noodles in a staggered pattern and swish it around in the water to get them all wet, then add the Onion and Mushrooms, along with the Garlic, Salt, Pepper and the Spinach on top. Do Not Stir. Set the Time on the Pot for 3 min. Use QR. Let set 1 min before opening lid. After opening the Lid, let the Pasta set if it needs another minute to absorb the rest of the water that it will. Pour the Squash Sauce in with the cooked Pasta and add the Chicken (if you didn’t put raw chicken into the pot to cook). Stir to heat the Chicken. Do not Boil. Add Cheese. Stir and add Bacon Last. Serve up.
This Quiche can be done in a frying pan or in a pie pan Crust. Recipe includes Pie crust. Use your choice, ready made or your own. See my Pie Crust Recipe in the Files.
1 Pie Crust
1 c Heavy Whipping Cream
6 Large Brown Eggs Beaten ( I used Costco’s )
2 Scallions chopped
1/2 -1 c grated Cheese (Cojack)
1 c Ham diced
1/4- 1/2 tsp Salt
1/4- 1/2 scant tsp Pepper
1-2 Tbsp Bacon Grease or Butter
Optional: 1/2 c cooked Spinach, or 1 Chopped cooked Asparagus
Preheat your Oven to 400°
If you are using a Pie Crust just pour everything into a Mixing Bowl to combine and pour into the Pie Crust.
FOR BAKING IN A SKILLET…NO CRUST: Put your Stainless steel Skillet on the stove top and preheat the pan for just 2 minutes…just to Warm it up to melt the Butter, add the Bacon Grease or Butter and let it melt. Tip the pan to let the grease coat the sides of the Pan. Add everything to mixing Bowl, stir and pour into the Skillet.
Bake in Oven for 10 min @400° Then turn the Oven to 350° and bake for 15-20 min more. Watch it carefully so that it doesn’t overcook. cool for about 5 minutes and then Loosen from the sides of the Pan with a silacone Spatula.
Garnish with sliced Tomatoes, Cilantro, Sour Cream, green or red Salsa, Or Tobasco. Etc