OOPS

 September 24, 2021

Friday night 9:30 pm.  

 I really messed up today making soup.  I put my Instant Pot on sauté while chopping vegetables.  Added some butter and olive oil, then dumped the veggies in.  I opened a new bag of baby spinach and dumped half of it in the pot.  Something told me to taste the spinach so I did.  Yuck.  It had a musty taste and luckily I'd only put it on top. So I scooped it out and put it back in the bag.  I poured the chicken broth in and added my spices.  But I forgot to push the steam valve toward the back. I pushed pressure for 9 minutes and left the room. 

Next thing I heard all this hissing.  Being in the middle of something on my iPad I decided to wait a bit. Bernie came in and said, "Is the Instant Pot supposed to be hissing like this?"  I hurried into the kitchen and steam and liquid was coming out like it was natural releasing. The silver button was up but the pot wasn't counting down.  Hmm, I thought, what do I do next?  I turned it off, pushed the hissing valve back and turned on the pot again.  But it still didn't count down.  So I carefully pushed the valve forward again and let it release all the steam.  Liquid was still coming out making a mess on the lid. Finally I was able to open the pot and the soup looked ok.  I'd sautéed the stuff a while before and the pressure did build.  Nothing was raw and one can drink the broth right out of the carton. 

 So I decided I'd serve the soup anyhow.  Some of the vegetables were a tad more crunchy than usual but on the whole the soup was good.  This was the first time in 3 years that I forgot to push the steam valve back so I didn't beat myself up.

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Thank you for reading.

Loving My Instant Pot - Day 13

  I wanted a pressure cooker for many years and actually bought one from QVC but I was scared to use it.  It sat in the box for a couple of years and I'd feel guilty every time I looked it.  We end up donating it someplace.

Fast forward a few years.  I started hearing about this thing called an Instant Pot.  Not knowing what it was I googled it and found links to You Tube videos showing what to do with them along with delicious sounding recipes.  So I binged watched many, saved links and talked to people who swore by their Instant Pot.

By then I had to have one.  So I ordered this from Amazon and started playing. It is over 3 years old and well used.

We love tender pot roasts so I decided to buy a Chuck roast. I had to cut it into chunks because it wouldn't fit in the pot whole.  I chopped up some onions, mushrooms, garlic and carrots.  First I turned the pot onto Sauté.  When it gets warm enough it will show HOT.  I poured some olive oil and butter in, then some onions, garlic and the meat.  I browned the meat but had to keep scraping off the browned bits because if I didn't it would stick to the bottom of the pot and it wouldn't go up to pressure.   If food sticks to the pot where the Off is, it would read BURN.  

Next I added the rest of the onions, mushrooms, carrots and garlic along with a can of Beef Consume.  Yes beef broth is good and so is water.  I added some more water (don't remember how much, I play it by instinct now days).  I added garlic powder, some what's its here sauce (worchestire sauce however you spell it) and salt and pepper.  You can add what you want.  When everything was in the pot, I put the lid on, moved the nozzle on the top toward the back.  I pushed the off button and pushed the manual to on and moved it up to 60 minutes. When the little silver pin pops up then the pressure has begun and the numbers on the front start counting down.  I found through trial and error that we liked the pot roast cut into cubes and cooked longer.  A wire rack comes with the pot so I peel two large potatoes and put the rack on top of the food and place the potatoes on the rack, then close the lid and set the time.  They are a little soft but delicious. When the pot reads LO 00 then you push the lever at the top of the lid forward carefully because steam will pour out and you don't want to get burned. I use a long handled wooden spoon and pull it forward with that.  When the silver pin at the top drops down that means you can open the lid safely.  I usually let anything I cook with beef do a natural release meaning let it count down without forcing it.  I find the meat is more tender by releasing naturally.

There are a lot of recipes online and many have videos that go with them.  I belong to several Instant Pot groups on Facebook that have been a lot of help.  So if you are thinking of buying an IP I would say go for it. Watch the videos first if you want as they helped me to decide which model I wanted and gave me so many hints.  I'm thinking seriously of buying a second one because I can cook pot roast in one and the most delicious mashed potatoes in the second.  I mash the potatoes right in the pot and they are so good.  Here is the pot roast finished.  



I've made fresh vegetable soup with chicken broth.  If you're vegetarian you can use vegetable broth or make your own. 

P

A big cup of finished soup

Spaghetti, oh my!  Yes you can put the uncooked spaghetti in the pot.  Here is a recipe . It's my favorite.    A word of warning.  Before you put the spaghetti in make sure you have scraped all the bits of browned meat, onions off the bottom because if you don't you could easily get a BURN notice. Or it might count down without the burn notice and you will have burned food on the bottom of your bowl.  Yes you can eat it if you want, I have.  Also I had to add some more water with this recipe.  

I made Instant Pot Pasta Carbonera  ,  Banana Bread  too. Corn takes 3 minutes, asparagus 3 minutes  and oh hard boiled eggs!  5, 5, 5.   You can even cook potatoes under the eggs for potato salad!!!  

So I hope this has wet your appetite for the Instant Pot. They even have a model now with a browning lid for air fry. People swear by it but I don't have one. 

Happy Pressure Cooking.

I am having so much fun blogging every day in April with my blogging buddies in Effy's blog-a-thon.

http://effywild.com 

Stick A Fork In Me - Day 7

 I woke up around 4:30 this morning feeling like I needed to re check a credit card and I'm glad I did.  Little charges at first, then unauthorized bigger ones.  My card has been stopped and I'm getting credit. Whew! 

At 10:30 I did a chat reading with a reoccurring client.  I used to worked for a company and all we did was chat and email readings.  13 years.  I got really good at reading typos.  LOL

Then my brother called to see if he could get my printer working through remote.  He did and then it went offline again.  Guess he needs to come over and check it out.  We're both vaxed so wearing masks we should be ok.

Hubby warmed over last night's leftover stir fry and rice for me and I so appreciated this.  All along I'm thinking about my blog.  I'm a little late but I'm here.

Around 5ish I cut up onions and garlic, peeled two potatoes and started browning a chuck roast in my Instant Pot.  Oh how I love my IP.  I've had it for 3 years now and I am considering buying another.  Like today, the pot roast was cooking but I wanted mashed potatoes.  I could have cut them up, covered them with water and cooked them in the IP for 8 minutes.  I've done it before and I can mash them right in the pot.  They are the best mashed potatoes I've ever eaten. Eight minutes under pressure and they are done!  Today I put the two potatoes whole in the rack that came with the Instant Pot above the meat.  71 minutes later the meat was so tender I could cut it with a fork.  While I was making gravy I put a bunch of washed and trimmed asparagus in the instant pot inner pot and cooked it for 4 minutes.  The dinner was delicious and there are leftovers.

So that's my day.  Stick me with a fork, I'm done!

I'm blogging for 30 days in April with Effy Wild's blogalong.

http://effywild.com

The Joys of Summer

Hubby said, "Let's do something different today."
"Like what?"  I asked.

We talked about different things, then I suggested the Farmer's Market for one.  He liked that, especially for the juicy peaches.  So off we went.

I love this time of year seeing all the fields being planted and watching vegetables already growing in others.

The Farmer's Market is a nice drive from our house and the morning was cool so we drove with the windows open.  Later it got too hot and we had to fire up the air conditioner.

We always shop at one place as we've gotten to know the Jarvis family. 

Bernie goes right for the peaches.  

Juicy peaches

 While I head for the squash. 

Yellow Summer Squash

Zucchini squash

I make a lot of stir fry meals with squash, onions, garlic, red peppers, button mushrooms a dollop of low sodium soy sauce, garlic powder, chicken broth and lots of cheese. We eat them with Quinoa.  Rice or pasta would be delicious too.
I love the yellow summer squash cooked with butter, salt and pepper. I remember eating that for the first time at my aunt's house in Bryn Mawr, Pa.  I was a child and loved this ever since.

Another way I love to use squash is making soup in my Instant Pot.  I saute onions and garlic, then add cut up squash, seasonings, and sometimes cabbage or bagged spinach.  I've even put beans in at times.  Depends what I have in my refrigerator.  I then add a whole big box of chicken broth and push the manual for 6 minutes. I let the pressure go down on it's own for a few minutes, then I release it manually.  When the little silver pin goes down I open the pot, and use my immersion blender until the soup is smooth. Then I add a big handful of cheese and half and half.  We eat it with crackers.  It goes so good with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. 

The tomatoes are big and oh so good. They are grown locally too. 

Lake Lure, NC

Tomatoes

I used to say there was nothing like a Jersey tomato but since I've been away from that state for quite awhile I can say I love these gorgeous, juicy North Carolina tomatoes.  What's better than sliced tomatoes on bread with mayonnaise? Or a BLT?  Even a slice or two of a sweet onion and salt and pepper too.

I don't want to forget the luscious corn and green beans.  We cook our corn in the Instant Pot for 3 to 4 minutes, quick release the pressure and the corn is sooo good.  I have yet to try cooking the green beans in the IP but I'm looking forward to it.

Fresh corn

Half Runner Beans

There are all kinds of pickled foods in jars too.  Here are some of them which I haven't tasted yet.

Just writing this and seeing the delicious produce has made me hungry.  I think I'll go in the kitchen and start prepping for a yummy stir fry dinner.

I Felt Weird so I cooked - 24

This morning I started feeling weird.  Kind of restless, not knowing what I wanted to do.  I allowed myself to sit with it and tapped on feeling odd.  It wasn't a scary type of feeling like something was wrong, just uncomfortable.   It could have been because hubby was outside trimming bushes and a part of me felt like I "should" be out there helping him, although he didn't ask me to.  Before we moved, as we were discussing where we wanted to live, I told him that I did not want to be doing yard work.   I started feeling a tad better when he was finished.  After nearly  61 years of marriage and me having tried to be the "best wife", it is still a bit difficult to be doing my thing while he is doing stuff that might need help.  Being raised in the 40s and 50s I learned well the duties of a good wife. But I'll leave that for another blog.  

1940s housewife

What was I feeling?  Why so restless?  I didn't want to go out, I knew I "shouldn't" sit at my computer all day scrolling Facebook and playing games.  I wandered around the house aimlessly until I reached the kitchen.  Ah, soup!  I love soup and could eat it 4 times a week at least.   I had the ingredients.  First I cooked hard boiled eggs in my Instant Pot.  10 eggs in 5 minutes, quick release five minute natural release, then plunge them into cold water with ice.  They peel so easily too.

While the eggs were building up the pressure,  I chopped onions, garlic, celery and cabbage.  Then cleaned out the Instant Pot bowl and dried it. Then I put it on saute and added some butter and olive oil.  As it was heating, I chopped up a lot of zucchini squash and some more cabbage.  I threw in the onions, cabbage and celery and let them saute a few minutes, then I added the garlic.  I tossed in some garlic powder, Italian seasonings and some other spices I pulled out of the cabinet.   I added a big box of chicken broth and let it heat up for a bit, then I dumped in the squash and cabbage, put the lid on, locked it and pushed the manual button to 6 minutes.

Soup counting down in Instant Pot

After the little silver pin on the top of the lid popped down, I knew it was safe to open.   It looked like this.

soup before blending

I got out my immersion blender so the soup would be creamier.

Soup after blending

Then I added some half and half and a couple handfuls of Mexican Blend cheese.  I tasted it and it needed something more.  Ah yes, a pinch of salt.  Another taste test and the soup was ready to eat.

Out came my favorite love cup that I filled with the finished soup and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

I'm not restless anymore, just FULL!