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.

Rice a Roni IP with or without Chicken

Rice a Roni. With or without chicken.

Decide If you will be adding Chicken, I use Bone in Skin on Thighs. The recipe also includes instructions on the adjustments that you will need to do if you dont want the onion or if you dont want to do it with Chicken.
Make sure that if you are making Chicken with this that you DECREASE the Liquid by 1/4 c (you will use 1 3/4 c) this allows for the added liquid that the Chicken will make. If using Organic Chicken then ignore this note, (organic is not injected with liquids). You will need to Season and Brown it well on both sides while you sauté the rice, vermicelli and onion… then you will add it when it’s ready to put the lid on.

FOR THE CHICKEN:
4 bone in Skin on Chicken Thighs…. well seasoned on both sides with your favorite seasoning. (I use Johnnies seasoning.).
(Or use 2” chunks of raw Chicken but decrease the cook time to just 4/10NPR)
don’t forget to decrease water/ broth for the rice to 1 3/4c). * If you want to cut the Chicken into smaller 2” chunks, then you don’t need to pre Saute it, just toss it in and pressure cook for 4 min/10 min NPR. 2 Tbsp EVOO

FOR THE RICE -A-RONI:
1 1/2 cups Jasmine, Basmati or long grain rice.
1 c vermicelli.
1/2 stick butter.
1-1 1/4 c Onion-Chopped
1 clove Garlic- minced
2 cups Chicken Broth plus 1/4 tsp Salt (1 3/4 c if making the Chicken too) OR use water with 2 tsp Costco’s Reduced Sodium Better than Bullion Chicken).
NOTE: If you are making just the Rice-a-Roni alone and leaving out the Onions and Garlic, then and only then, you will increase the liquid to 2 1/2 c . Staying with the 1:1 rice to liquid ratio. Make sense?
If your not using Chicken then skip that step and continue on to “Turn the Instant Pot to Saute……” you will still turn the pot off after you brown the rice and vermicelli to deglaze…and then set the time to 4 min with 10 min NPR.


*If using Chicken, Use a separate frying pan on medium, with 2 Tbsp of Olive oil. Place seasoned Chicken Skin side down for about 5 min and carefully pull up and flip. It should be golden brown.
When the Chicken has browned, remove it from the pan and use some of the liquid for the rice mixture to deglaze the pan, stir it around to get all the brown off.
While Chicken is cooking….


*Turn the Instant Pot to sauté, Medium …melt butter and add the rice and vermicelli, stir continuously for a few minutes until rice starts to brown slightly. Add Onion and Garlic and continue to sauté for a minute and then add the Better than Bullion to the water, stir. Add liquid. Stir the rice mixture well to get the brown off the bottom.
Turn pot off. Add all the liquid to the rice mixture and stir around for a few seconds to get any brown off the bottom of the pot.
Gently add Chicken to the top…by just lightly Laying it on top of the Rice mixture and then turn the pot on to manual for 4 min…let it fully NPR, 15-20 min, or for smaller chicken chunks then NPR for 10min. Remove Chicken and fluff with a spatula or wooden spoon.

Toss the Butter, Rice and Vermacelli in and slightly brown. (stock photo. ) Then the Onion and Garlic, Sauté for a minute and then toss in the Chicken Broth or the water and Bullion.
BooYa!

If your adding Chicken…. see below starting with the Chicken in the frying pan.

this is before it cooks

GREEN GODDESS DRESSING

Add 1 Perfectly Ripe mashed Avacado to the Creamy Italian Dressing.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 c Mayo.
1/4 c EVOO.
1/4 c Basalmic Vinegar.
1/2-1 tsp Italian Seasoning.
2 tsp Grey Poupon Mustard.
1 clove minced Garlic.
1 Tbsp Worchestershire Sauce.
Salt and Pepper to taste.
1/4 tsp . Mrs Dash Onion and Herb seasoning

Mix together in a Bowl.

Use this recipe minus the Evoo and Basalmic Vinegar And use in the place of Mayo on sandwiches

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

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