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.
Lima Beans or Butter Beans with Ham Hock This is a simple side.
Total time 55min.. 10 to pressure 30 to cook 15 NPR
2 tsp Slap ya Mamma season. 2 cloves minced Garlic. 2-3 tbsp minced dry Onion or 1 chopped 1/2 lb lg dry Limas rinsed. 1 Ham Hock. 6 c Water. 2 Tbsp Reduced Sodium ( Costco’s) Better than Bullion Chicken.
Optional ***add red pepper flakes for some kick if you like that.
Put everything in the IP Lid on Vent to sealing Hit Beans or manual and adjust time to 30 min. 15 min NPR lots of good sopping, so make cornbread or biscuits.
Im serving with oven roasted Asparagus , and Pork on a bed of cabbage, and biscuits. Check out my Biscuits in the Recipes. For the stove top method, see below.
FOR STOVE TOP:
Use what you like….Ham Hock, smoked Turkey Neck, Kielbasa, Andouille Sausage, Or Ham Bone.. Recipe is for 1/2 lb. double it if you like.
1 ham Bone or Hock or your choice of meat. (amount is up to you) 1/2-1 lb Lima’s or Butter Beans (big Limas). 1 chopped Onion (1 c) PER 1/2 lb beans used. 1-2 cloves Garlic PER 1/2 Lb. 1/2 Tsp Italian Seasoning. 1/2 Tsp Old Bay Spice Water to cover and more as it cooks. You will be simmering them without the lid on so will need to watch them.
Sort and Rinse Beans. Use a Pot that holds 4 q….6 q or bigger for more Beans. Cover Beans with Water by 3” and add Ham bone or other Meat, Onion, Garlic, Spices and all ingredients. Turn the burner to Medium High and Bring the Beans to a Boil, then turn down to a low Simmer. Allow Beans to cook for 3-4 hours. Keep Checking them every half hour to be sure they don’t simmer dry, especially at the beginning because the Beans will absorb a lot of liquid at the start. Add more water as needed. beans will be soft to mushy when done, remove the bones and take the meat off the bones, mash a few Beans in the pot to make the liquor. Add the Meat back into the Beans. Stop them when they reach a point of softness that you like.
Turn down to simmer when Beans start to swell.This is how much that you will have in the pot after cooking for 4 hrs and removing meat from the bones…without the ham added back in.This is after Ham is added back in.
This Pic above shows the Peas, Pork and Greens all made together in the same Pot for the same amount of time. 30min with 20 min NPR. The Peas naturally stay on the bottom, layer them first then the meat and then the greens.
*Substitute Ham Hock or Bone for the Pork if you like. (But skip the Better than Bullion and Only add 1 tsp Seasoning Salt)
*If you are doing the Greens too and want to do them at the same time and in the same Pot, please read to the bottom before doing them. There are several ways including making the Black eyed Peas, Pork and Greens in the same Pot at the same time. Including Cornbread if you want. All the Recipes are on the website. The process can be done in reverse as well. Pork and Greens on the bottom and Peas with Bacon in a bowl on top of the Pork and Greens.
This is for the Pork and Peas only:
1 lb Pork Shoulder/Butt cut into 1” wide strips about 6” long seasoned with Johnnies seasoning 1/4 Large Onion chopped. 2 cloves Garlic chopped. 1 heaping tsp…full salted Better than Bullion Chicken A few shakes Johnnies Seasoning, Slap ya Mamma or Tony Chachere’s Season. 2 cups Dried Black eyed Peas. Culled and rinsed. 5-6 cups water Note … if your using Costco’s Reduced Sodium Better than Bullion, use a bit more and add more shakes of Johnnies. Put the Lid on. Vent to Sealing. Set manual and the +20 min. Allow 10 min NPR, before opening. If doing Greens at the same time, Have a Plate ready to put the hot Bowl of Peas or Greens on as you take it out.
*If you are going to add the Greens in their own Bowl at the same time, use a long legged trivet and put it down into the Black eye Peas and Pork. But if you are doing the Pork, Peas and Greens together….. you will only need 5 cups of water to the Peas because the Greens make a lot of their own broth that will be in with the Pork and Peas… make sense?
FOR THE GREENS in a separate Bowl: PIP on top of the Pork and Peas…: 1 bunch Collards or Kale chopped. 2 cloves Garlic chopped. 1/4 Large Walla Walla Sweet Onion chopped. 3 strips Bacon 3 tbsp Butter. 1 tsp of the Fully salted Better than Bullion Chicken, (not Costco). A few dashes of Johnnies seasoning. 1/4 c Water
Use a stainless steel flatter bottom bowl that will fit about 1 inch or more below the rim of the pot, it is ok if the greens are a little high as long as you can get the lid on well and the vent is not blocked when you lock it on. Use a long handled trivet or create a sling, or have a pot lifter available so that you can get them out to get to the pork and peas on the bottom…….(they will be hot)..so put the bowl on the trivet and add the water to it. Chop Greens and put about 2/3 of them into the bowl, smash them down, add the rest of the ingredients, then top with the rest of the greens so that as they wilt, they will wilt down into the bowl. Dont worry if some of that juice drips into the pork and Black Eyed Peas. Put Lid on, vent to sealing, set manual to 20 min. 10 min npr. stir the greens together to get the flavors in them all. Remove Greens bowl and set them aside onto a plate,( they will have their own juice in the bottom).
This Pic above shows the Pork and Greens cooking together in the bottom with the Peas and their liquid in their own stainless bowl put on top of the pork and greens.This picture above shows that in this batch the pot has black eyed peas and seasoning, bacon, garlic, onion on the bottom then seasoned pork, then the greens, some more onion, garlic, bacon then the long legged egg trivet, then the half recipe of corn bread, covered with a paper towel, 17 min/12 min NPR .The black eyed peas in this batch were put on top. PIP. See pic belowLike this.
This is basic but you can add hot peppers to it if you like.
You can also make it alll in the same pot using PIP if your not making a ton. Yall think I’m in trouble with the black eye peas liquid up there so close to the top of the bowl? Nope.. Use a stainless steel bowl. I didn’t have one at the house I was making this at. As the Greens cook, it will cause their level to go down, so, as the greens drop, so will the bowl, but as it drops, the water level in the bowl with peas will also go down because the peas will be absorbing it as they cook, it will go down evenly, so it shouldn’t spill over inside. Not that it will hurt the Greens, but it could dry the peas out too early if it does so you want to pack the greens so that as they wilt they will do so evenly, you could also put a long legged trivet in to be sure that the peas don’t tip.. but the greens should wilt down and drop the bowl straight down into it all.
Recipe. 1 bunch collards chopped. 1 bunch Kale chopped. 4 cloves garlic chopped. 1/2 big Walla Walla Sweet Onion chopped about 1 cup. 3 strips bacon 3 tbsp butter. 2 tsp full salted better than bullion chicken. A few shakes of johnnies season (1/3 tsp). 1 1/2 c water
Make sure that with the collards, the woody spine is removed. Rinse and chop Greens and put them in pot Add the rest and turn it to 20 min. 10 min NPR
BLACK EYED PEAS. PIP.
1 c Onion chopped. 2 cloves Garlic chopped. 2 heaping tsp full salted Better than Bullion Chicken ( Or 1 Tbsp of the Costco kind) A few shakes Johnnies seasoning, Slap Ya Mama’s or Tony Chachere’s. 2 cups dried Black eyed Peas, culled and rinsed. 5-6 cups water
Note… if your using Costco’s better than Bullion Chicken, use a bit more and add a couple more shakes of johnnies. Lid on. Vent to sealing. Set manual and the +20 min and let er rip. Do 10 min NPR, before opening. Taste, and add more Better than Bullion Chicken if necessary.
RICE A RONI. Do this in a Separate pot (better get 2 pots?
1 1/2 cups jasmine rice. 1 c Vermicelli. 1/2 stick butter. 1 c sweet Onion chopped. 1 clove Garlic minced. 2 cups Chicken broth (or water with 2 tsp Better than Bullion Chicken)
Turn pot to sauté, melt butter and add the rice and vermicelli, stir continuously for a few minutes until rice starts to brown, add Onion and Garlic and continue to sauté for a minute and then add the bullion, stir. Add liquid. Stir well to get the brown off the bottom. Turn pot off and then on to manual for 4 min…let it fully NPR, 20 min, fluff with a spatula or spoon.
Cream of Asparagus Soup. Sometimes I will pressure cook my broken off end pieces in broth in the IP for added flavor. I slice them down the middle before cooking them in Chicken Broth before making my soup. Then I pour the Broth from that through a colander to get just the Broth.. Discard the spent Asparagus ends.
4 cups Chicken Broth (homemade is best, made with vegetables). 1 Onion finely chopped (1 c) 4 c Chopped Asparagus. 1/2 c Mexican Crema. 1/2 c Heavy Whipping cream Salt and Pepper to taste. Do this after it’s done. Because of the chicken broth and better than bullion. 1/8 tsp Italian Seasoning. 1 Tbsp Costco Better than Bullion Chicken. 1 Tbsp flour and 2 Tbsp milk, Make a slurry.
Turn the Pot on to Manual 5 min. Pour everything except the Whipping cream and Crema in.
Lid on. Vent to Sealing. When it Beeps, let it go for a minute or two and do a QR. Scoop out a Half of the Asparagus. Use an Immersion Blender to blend up the Asparagus. Or just leave them all in and don’t blend it all. Pour the Cream and Crema in and add the Asparagus back in, and stir. Turn pot off and back on to Keep Warm or Slow Cook Medium/Normal for warmer temp. Adjust seasoning…if you think it needs more flavor try more Better than Bullion Chicken.
2 tsp Johnnies Seasoning or something like Lowery’s
1 c Melted Butter
1/2- 1 c Sautéed Onion ( I like 1)
1 c (if using the IP) or 2 c Beef Broth (homemade is better made with vegetables added)
8 oz Crimini Mushrooms sliced
3/4 c tomato juice
1/2 c cooking Sherry
1/4 c flour and 1 Tbsp Corn starch for shaking meat in before sautéing..
1 c sour Cream Season the meat with Johnnies or Lowery’s… if you like a bit of kick, you can use Slap ya Mamma or Tony Cachers Creole, or a combination of all. I mix them.
Add the flour and corn starch to a gallon sized baggie and add the meat and shake it up to coat well.
In a frying pan, fry up the meat in batches, in the butter until nice and brown, while it’s browning (you can Layer the onions on the bottom of the IP, then the Mushrooms, don’t stir) then add the fried Meat. Deglaze the frying pan with the Sherry, and broth.
Pour over meat, and pour the tomato juice over the meat.
Don’t add the sour cream until done.
Set Manual for 15 min, and do NPR for 15 min. QR the rest out, and open lid.
Turn the pot off and on to sauté med or normal. Stir up your sour cream and add some of the meat mix and broth to the s c first to thin it out before adding it into the meat mixture. Heat until it starts to bubble, and turn off and back to Keep Warm or Slow Cook Normal for warmer temp.
*If making this in the Oven, use a Dutch oven to brown the meat and add everything to that (using 2 cups beef broth instead of the 1 c that you use in the IP)…put into the Oven and cook at 350° for 1 1/2 -2 hrs before adding the sour cream.Serve over Egg Noodles. Or rice…
Partially Brown sausage in Butter and add the flour , the brown it together. This will make a good Rouix for the Gravy Add the Milk, Half and Half, Better than Bullion Chicken Salt and Pepper.
Stir well and allow to barely simmer for about 15 min to bring the flavors out and finish thickening.
Serve over Biscuits or waffles, and Scrambled Eggs as a side. Biscuits
I have been doing this Bread for well over 30 years. You can also use this Spread for Oven Roasted Cauliflower! To make that you will still Preheat the Oven to 350° and then you will need to invert a head of Cauliflower into a pot of Boiling Water for 10 min, drain well, place on a cookie sheet, and then Spread the mixture all over the Head, Bake in the Oven for about 15 min until Golden Brown and where a sharp Knife is inserted into the Flowerets comes out like it would with a Baked Potato. See the Pic at the end for the way it comes out when spread on a Cauliflower slab.
1 Loaf french Bread cut in 1/2 the long way.
1 c Mayo. Best Foods
1 c Parmesan
4-cloves or more Garlic, minced
2-3 tsp Oregano or more to taste. (Mine is home grown and really potent.)
Feel free to play with the amounts of Cheese, Mayo, Garlic or Oregano to make this your own. The Recipe is a place to start. I normally don’t measure, and I usually rub the oregano between my palms before adding it into the bowl to release the flavors.
Cut French loaf in half between top and bottom Push down a little on the halves to compress the Bread some. Mix topping taste it and add more Garlic or Oregano or both if needed, then Spread on to top and bottom halves of bread to about 1/8”- 1/4” Thick.
Bake till golden brown and bubbly remove from oven
Cut Into 2 1/2” wide pieces. Serve hot…careful not to burn the top of your mouth. This spread can be made and stored in the frig. It can Also can be used for individual servings.
This is half of a batchMy oregano is really strong, so I start with less , I ended up with 2 tsp though in just half a recipe. The leftovers can even go on toast and lasts in the frig for a long timeThis picture is of The Spread piped onto a Cauliflower Steak.
1 c chopped Carrot or 1 1 1/2 c chopped Celery or 2 ribs. 1 1/2 c chopped Onion. 2 c Chopped White Potatoes into 1/2” squares. 4 slices bacon. 1 lb Seafood Medley Mix …thawed ..reserve liquor (hold seafood til end). 2 6 oz can Clams with juice. (Hold the Clams with the Seafood Medely until the end). 1/2 tsp Salt. 1/4 tsp white Pepper. 1 Tbsp Ghee or Butter. 1 tsp Costco Better than Bullion Chicken. 1 Tbsp Corn Starch. 1 1/2 Tbsp flour. 1/2 c Mexican Crema. 1/2 c Cream
Optional: 1 small Leek, very thinly sliced
Note: You can also add evaporated Milk after.
For another version of Clam Chowder click link Clam Chowder IP
Thaw the Seafood Medley, save any liquor from them.
Turn pot to Sauté, more.. add the Ghee.
Sauté the Bacon, until it brown a tad, leave the grease in…toss in the Onion, Celery, Carrot, Garlic..and just the Clam juice. Hold the Clams out until the end.
Add the Salt and Pepper, stir then put the potatoes on top…Sprinkle the flour and cornstarch evenly on top of the potatoes. Try not to clump it, Don’t Stir! Turn the Pot Off then back on.
Notice the flour and cornstarch sprinkled on top…it will thicken the chowder when it’s done…just stir it in.
Set Manual 3 min, Lid on, Vent to Sealing. When it beeps, give it 2 min Npr then QR the rest.
Open and stir. Add all the Seafood and let the pot come to a boil and immediately add the cream, heat, but don’t boil….stir again, and taste it… Adjust the taste if desired.
Can be doubled. This was made in my 8 q pot, so you know that the liquid is enough. You May need about 1/2 c more liquid for the 10 q. * I have an alternative Recipe for Mushroom Cream Sauce if you would rather use canned cream of Mushroom Soup type….that can be used with this recipe for extra creaminess without full size Mushroom slices. you can chop them up really fine if you want. you would add about 1 1/2 cup of the mixture to the top of the meat and add 1 min to the cook time . Add Sour cream after cooking as usual. see link here. http://Mushroom Cream sauce.
INGREDIENTS: 1 lb Chuck Roast or Steak, cut into 1/2” x 1/4” x 3” strips, (you can use Hamburger too). 1 1/2 Tbsp Flour to coat the Meat. EVOO 2 Tbsp. 1 whole chopped sweet Onion. 2 c. (This adds Liquid to the pot as it cooks down.) 1 large clove Garlic minced. (1 Tbsp ish) 8 Oz Crimini Mushrooms sliced. 1/2 c Red Wine. 1/4 c Chicken Broth or Water. Salt and Pepper. 1 1/2 tsp Johnnies Seasoning Salt or equivalent. 1 Tbsp Costco’s Low sodium Better than Bullion Chicken if desired. 1/4 c Water to deglaze Fry Pan 3/4-1 cup sour Cream. (Add at the end) 6 oz wide egg Noodles, or Pappardelle Noodles. see below.
Make sure that you get some of the meat nice and brown.
DIRECTIONS: In a plastic bag add the seasonings and Flour. Add the Meat and shake it with the seasonings and Flour…. then using a Frying pan, using 2 Tbsp Evoo, Brown the Meat on Med Hi until nice and brown, Emphasis on the Brown. This is where your flavor comes from. …That and the Wine. The Wine also tenderizes the Chuck. Taste the Meat to see if it needs more seasoning, add salt and pepper after its cooked, when you taste it then. Meanwhile, in the IP, Layer the raw Onions, Garlic and Mushrooms on the bottom and then add the Wine and 1/4 c Water with Better than Bullion Chicken. Add the Meat, use the 1/4 c water to deglaze the Frying Pan and then reduce the liquid to 2 Tbsp liquid in the Pan. Add this to the pot, Don’t stir. Don’t worry about adding more liquid than that. The Onions will make the liquid to bring the Pot to pressure and make the Broth. (See the pic of the Meat in all the broth that it makes). Put the Lid on, Set the time to 10 min, HI Pressure, then when it’s done and beeps, let it do a 10 min NPR. Stir and taste, and add Salt and Pepper if needed. After the Meat is done, Add 6 oz Noodles to the Beef Broth created by cooking. Close lid, and set the time to 4 min. When it’s done, do a QR, add Sour Cream. Stir well. But Before you do this…read the alternative and decide if you want to put the Noodles in with this PIP.
*Below is an alternative way to cook the Noodles at the same time. This process shortens the total cook time .
You can also do the Noodles PIP method in the Pot at the same time. Just use a stainless steel Cake Pan that will fit into the Pot. Add 6 oz Egg or Pappardelle Noodles and 1 1/4 c Water, (you can also add a tsp of Costco’s lower sodium better than bullion to it for flavor). Put the long legged Trivet down into the Beef and Veggies and set the stainless Cake Pan on the Trivet. See pictures below. When the Pot Beeps and the Meat is done the Noodles won’t be all the way done so dump them into the Meat and Sauce, and turn the Pot Off and back to Sauté and Sauté for a couple of minutes until the Noodles are done. Then add the 1 c of sour Cream, and heat but don’t Boil. Enjoy!
Coat the Meat with the flourMix wellWhile meat is browning, Layer the onions, Garlic and then MushroomsAdd the Meat on top and do not stir. Add wineIf you are PIPing Noodles, add long legged trivet, or lotus steamerNotice the water does not cover the noodles…they will not be all the way done but they will finish off after the meat is done. This shortens the cooking processNotice the meat mixture in the bottom.Noodles won’t be quite all the way done on top. Dump them in the meat and stir. The Meat will look like this when done.The PIP cooked Noodles added after the meat is cooked will soak up more sauceThe Stroganoff May be not quite as saucy depending on the Noodles.
Enjoy.* note, you can add the Costco’s Low Sodium Better than Bullion for extra flavor.
