Recipes
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Balsamic and Onion Slow-Cooker Pot Roast
I’ve tried a lot of recipes for pot roast, and too many of them start with “open a packet of xxx” – which, while it may make a really nice roast for some, is far too salty for this family. I stumbled across this recipe for pot roast that has a gorgeous gravy and only a few ingredients (like balsamic vinegar, beef stock and tomato sauce) and lots of onions. Personally, I won’t be doing pot roast any other way than this way, despite having a few extra pans to wash. Even my picky, picky Mikey-like 12-year-old gave this a smile and a thumbs up at the table (and…
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Instant Pot Taco Soup
I was first introduced to this recipe for taco soup by a lovely friend who brought it over after I’d had my first kiddo. She delivered it, still warm, in a giant Tupperware container. It was accompanied by a pan of fresh cornbread, pico di gallo from our local grocery deli and a few perfectly ripe avocados. It was heaven in a paper bag to this new mom, and every since, this taco soup is my go-to for Sunday football watching, fast meals for us, for bringing to new moms or for those in need of a meal during a tough time – it’s wonderful comfort food. And it makes…
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Comfort Food: Good ‘n Cheesy Meatloaf
I confess, while meatloaf IS the quintessential comfort food, it isn’t something I crave like my son does. When I DO make meatloaf, however, I have TWO go-to recipes that I truly love. The first is a borderline high-brow version of diner meatloaf, made with ground beef, pork and veal, and the secret is “ketchup in and ketchup on”. The second is the one that most appeals to my kids, because of the half-pound of cubed cheese inside. It’s not the healthiest of meals, but it is yummy. I will also confess, that while I can give or take HOT meatloaf, since childhood I have absolutely been in love with cold…
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Pineapple Coconut Pastry Braid
They say that necessity is the mother of invention. Sometimes, though, invention happens when your online grocery store order delivers the wrong item. My kids had asked for pigs in a blanket (we’re pretty high-brow around here when my husband is traveling for business, you know) but instead of regular crescent rolls, the store delivered a can of Pillsbury Honey Butter Crescent Rolls. Which sound lovely – but not wrapped around all-beef franks. I was curious about the taste AND wanted to use them, but not in a simple crescent with dinner. (And not with hot dogs.) I didn’t have anything on the menu this week that sang “honey butter”,…
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(Cook)Book Review: Breakfast in Texas
BREAKFAST IN TEXAS by Terry Thompson-Anderson Genre: Cookbook / Southwest Cuisine Publisher: The University of Texas Press Date of Publication: April 18, 2017 Number of Pages: 312 Scroll down for Giveaway! Texans love the morning meal, whether it’s bacon and eggs (often eaten in a breakfast taco) or something as distinctively nontraditional as saag paneer omelets, pon haus, or goat curry. A Lone Star breakfast can be a time for eating healthy, or for indulging in decadent food and drink. And with Texas’s rich regional and cultural diversity, an amazing variety of dishes graces the state’s breakfast and brunch tables. The first Texas cookbook dedicated exclusively to the…
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Delicious Chicken Stock in your Instant Pot
So you’ve cooked a whole chicken in your Instant Pot or roasted a Tuscan-style chicken in the oven, and you saved the carcass like you were told to do…now all that’s left is to turn that leftover mess into some amazing chicken stock. Once you see how easy it is, you may just never buy it from the store again! I’ve made mine with one or two chicken carcasses, and with a basic cooking time of two hours – but if you have the time, you can let it pressure cook for up to four hours, and really draw out all the yummy goodness from the chicken bones. Cook’s…
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How To Cook a Whole Chicken in the Instant Pot
There is nothing in this world like a freshly roasted whole chicken. Unless, of course, you are pressed for time (and presentation isn’t as important), and for that you reach for your Instant Pot – because tender, juicy, fall off the bone chicken is less than an hour away. Given how lacking in time management skills I have been of late, the Instant Pot is my bestest friend. It doesn’t judge me about forgetting to put dinner in the slow cooker. Oh no. It waves at me and says “toss that in here and I’ll beep ‘atcha when I’m done.” Don’t get me wrong – I love a Costco chicken…
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Yummy Ham and Bean Soup
Growing up, after every nearly every holiday dinner that included a spiral-cut ham, my father made ham and bean soup. Like the turkey salad he made from the last dregs of turkey leftover from Thanksgiving dinner, it was one of those fixtures of childhood that was unique to my dad. I cooked a spiral ham for Christmas day, in part with the anticipation of turning the ham bone and some of the leftovers into a lovely warming soup. As soon as the excess meat was trimmed off, into the freezer it went until a free afternoon. There’s something soothing about making homemade soup. Simmering on the back burner, lovely scents…
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Instant Pot Tortellini Turkey Tetrazzini
Post-Thanksgiving meals bring to mind one thing: leftovers. Now, there are only so many turkey sandwiches and Hot Browns a girl can eat before she says “enough turkey”, so I always freeze a bag (or two) of leftover turkey for when I need a fast meal and am low on ideas – and in the mood for turkey again. (Bonus points for chopping the leftover turkey before freezing it!) Tonight was a typical Tuesday: I’m frazzled, completely “over” cooking, and staring at my pantry and my Instant Pot pressure cooker for some last-minute miracles. Thankfully, I had moved a bag of leftover turkey from the freezer to the refrigerator, so it was thawed and ready…
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Baby Back Ribs with Coffee-Infused BBQ Sauce
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MyKCMasterpiece #CollectiveBias With warmer weather arriving, we’ve nearly reached the time when I pack away my slow cooker and the gas grill goes into heavy rotation. I love to barbecue, and we grill year round. When we lived in Chicago, it wasn’t unheard of to shovel a path through the snow to get to the grill, and I’ve been known to hold a flashlight in my teeth as the sun sets early in winter and the patio lighting was negligible. In Wales, I mastered holding an umbrella over the grill so the rain…
