Instant Pot Spinach Artichoke Dip

1 chopped onion + garlic to taste sautéed in 2-3 Tbsp. butter

1 8oz. (less fat) block cream cheese - softened

1 can artichoke hearts - cut into small pieces (much easier to do with kitchen shears)

add in 1 box frozen spinach - defrost and squeeze all the water out first

couple dashes hot sauce + crushed pepper flakes to taste

1 cup shredded cheese (Swiss/gruyere mix from Aldi + mozzarella) 

plus 1/4 to 1/2 c. grated parmesan (I forgot this and didn't notice it missing)

Most recipes call for sour cream or mayo, I added approx. 1/2 c. greek yogurt instead, I didn't measure. One critic said it was missing sweetness, maybe from the mayo?

Measure 4 oz. into individual ramekins, add more cheese on top, cover with foil. Recipe yielded 8.

IP 8HI, QPR, remove foil, then Air Fry 8-10 min. at 360 to toast the top. 

Be sure to have the cheese on top for the IP, this way it won't fly around in the air fryer.

Stenciling cookies....why?

 Not stenciled - both colors done with an airbrush. It is necessary to do the one color with an airbrush so that the stencil is able to lay flat.

Stenciled - the yellow is still airbrushed, but the black here is stenciled with royal icing, so much prettier!

Here the two lighter colors are airbrushed and the navy is done with royal icing.

Lasagna

Gather all your ingredients together (all will be cold or at room temp for easy handling)-

1box lasagna noodles - cooked until not quite done, then cover in cold water so they stop cooking and can be easily handled - a 16oz. box has 20 noodles

10cups (at least) homemade meat sauce - make several days earlier and have spaghetti that nite :)

  Tone's (from Sam's) makes for a nice sauce - we like to add an equal amount of spice & sugar substitute

1 block 8oz. softened cream cheese mixed with 2 eggs (this is in lieu of ricotta or cottage cheese)

  this makes a nice creamy lasagna and you won't notice it like you would ricotta or cottage cheese

Italian sausage browned - 2 links, approx. 1/2 lb.

2 lb. (or more) shredded mozzarella

 

Spread a light layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan and then start making layers.

Each layer consists of - 4 noodles, meat sauce, Italian sausage, 1/3 cream cheese mix, mozzarella cheese

A 'regular' pan holds 3 layers topped off with a final layer of noodles covered w/a bit of sauce&cheese

A 'deep' pan will hold 4 layers. 

At this point, bake to an internal temp off 165, cover with foil if the cheese is getting too brown. Let sit for a few minutes to make it easier to serve a pretty slice.

You could also put in fridge or freezer to bake later. If baking cold or frozen, add extra time and start the baking with the pan covered with foil. Remove after an hour.

Some people swear by ricotta or cottage cheese...IMO these stick out taste wise, while the cream cheese just makes a lovely creamy texture. I did read a post recently where the ricotta was mixed with sour cream to make it a bit creamier, sounded interesting.

This makes enough lasagna to feed 10-12. If you don't want to have too much leftover, make a couple smaller pans and cut noodles to fit. Cook both and freeze the extra in serving-size portions, or just freeze the extra pan. If you're going to the trouble to make one lasagna, it's not much harder to make an extra to throw in the freezer.

Cookie Dough Roller

 Click the link below to see how my Bailey Clay Roller helps me roll out cookies.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cntR69gucEjLkoXbe0pXCuT6xy0XuwfK/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ICR5-Up9MWKkYfp4S8E1CW9Gfg1pl63A/view?usp=sharing

 Cajun Red Beans and Rice Soup (written before the Instant Pot)

To use an IP, (cook rice first & remove to a separate container) just put veggies/sausage in and SAUTE in a bit of olive oil (won't need much as the sausage will render a bit), then add beans/tomatoes and change to Slow Cook (cook on HI for 0minutes) then add rice

- don't add rice til closer to serving so it doesn't get mushy

Keep in mind that the amount of each ingredient is adjustable to taste. If you like it a lot, double it, if not, well....14oz. Cajun Smoked Sausage/3 stalks celery-if you have leafy stalks, cut up and add all the tops/1 medium onion/3 to 4 cans chili beans in hot sauce-any old brand will do/2 cans tomatoes-can be cut up further/2 to 3 Tbsp. Cajun or creole spice/optional dash or two of Hot Sauce/2 to 3 cans water-depending on how thick you like your soup/1 c. rice (pre-cooked measurement)

Cut up the sausage, onion, celery, cook up a bit and then transfer to a crockpot. Doesn't need to be precooked - you could just throw it all in the crockpot - add all but rice                                 Cook on low for a few hours, add cooked rice just before eating                                                  You could remove half the soup, let it cool and freeze (without rice)it for future use

SOUP 101 - Prepared for the ladies group at St. Clement

With the chilly weather setting in, it's so nice to have a pot of soup on...and it's easier than you'd think!

If you have an instant pot, you'll only have one dirty dish.

First step is to decide what kind of soup you want - broth type, protein type, veggies, beans, flavors, etc.

Gather your ingredients and start chopping.

Most soup recipes start with the same veggies - onion, carrot, and celery 

You can build from there with other fresh or canned veggies.

First step - sauté your veggies in a bit of olive oil (higher heat will give you an extra level of flavor)

Add a protein - could be rotisserie chicken, canned or fresh, browned ground beef (pre brown so you can remove the fat)

Add broth - these are great to keep in the fridge (from Sam's)  

along with garlic in a jar

Then add the remaining ingredients in order of how short their cook time is.

Cook in pot on stove, or crock pot for 3 to 4 hours or in an Instant Pot for 0 minutes, yes, zero!

Let's start simple with Chicken Noodle Soup

See 11/3/12 post for a tutorial complete with pictures. This post starts with raw chicken (the day before) and thick homemade noodles. 

This is not a soup which needs to cook for a long time-especially after you add the noodles, otherwise they'll be soggy.

Not all recipes will have measurements, more ingredients = more soup!

Chop carrots, celery, and onions (I like bigger chunks, but this is your soup, so cut the size you want to eat) Same goes for the ratio - more carrots, more celery...up to you

In a large pot over medium heat, add a couple Tbsp. of olive oil - I don't even dirty a spoon, just pour some in...add garlic from the jar and your cut up veggies - sauté til they start to soften, maybe 10minutes

If they're getting too crispy, add a bit more olive oil.

If you are using uncooked chicken, cook it in with the veggies.

Add water and chicken soup base - could be canned stock, homemade stock, bullion cubes, etc. At minimum, the broth should cover all the veggies. Again, more water/broth...more soup!

Keep in mind this all contains salt, so there's really no need to add any more. Season to taste, pepper, oregano, rosemary, whatever sounds good to you.

If you haven't already, add cooked chicken, could be leftover rotisserie, or even canned will work.

If you add raw chicken in with the broth, you'll get a cloudy looking soup, but it'll still be good.

Decide on your noodle type - box noodles should be added 10 minutes prior to serving time or you'll end up with mushy noodles.

I'm a big fan of the homemade noodles (think Reames from the freezer section at Schnucks) they're more like dumplings.

Bonus tip-To make this a quicker meal, cut up your veggies (you could even pre-saute them) ahead of time, use leftover chicken and a bag of pasta.

If you have vegetables that are about to go bad and you're not ready to make soup, dice them up and throw them in the freezer. Throw them in your soup straight from the freezer. This is great to do when you're heading out of town so it cuts down on waste.

Bonus recipe - 5 minute soup - click the soup tab to the right to see this recipe.

This could be even faster if you cook the rice ahead of time in your Instant Pot

(not recommended for quick-cook rice)

Making Royal Icing Layons-Step by step

 

 

Golf Bag Cake

 

Air Fryer Lava Cake (you'll thank me for halving this recipe for you) Makes 2
Melt 3.5Tbsp. butter with 1/2 c. chocolate chips
Add 2Tbsp. sugar and 1Tbsp. flour + a pinch of baking powder
Add 1 egg and blend well
Put in two sprayed ramekins (I'm still using the tuna cans) and cook at 370 for 10 minutes
Check the center and add a couple minutes if it's too runny for you
If you like nuts, add them before the batter
Let sit for 2 minutes before dumping them on a plate
I might have 'tested' this three times last week....

More Instant Pot...
Before you make one of these dishes, make rice and dump into a container to serve later

Beef Broccoli - you may never order Chinese food again!
Whisk together in pot - 1 c. beef broth 1/2 c. soy sauce 1/3 c. brown sugar 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes, garlic & ginger to taste
add 1 lb. sirloin steak sliced thin - no need to precook (add optional onion)
7HI QPR then press saute to thicken sauce
mix together 2Tbsp. cornstarch mixed with 2Tbsp. water or sauce from pot
stir til thickened
add 1 can bamboo shoots and 1 can water chestnuts plus 1 bag frozen broccoli
(I used the mixed bag of asian vegis from Aldi)
the broccoli will bring down the temp so leave it in the fridge to defrost, or microwave it a bit, or just warm up your dish further on saute

Hawaiian Chicken
Whisk together in pot - 1/3 c. soy sauce 1/2 c. catsup 1/3 c. brown sugar 1 Tbsp. Rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. garlic 1/2Tbsp. ginger (to taste) up to 1 1/2 Tbsp. sriracha to cut sweetness
2 lbs. diced chicken - onion and pepper optional
1 can pineapple chunks with juice
Whisk all together 7HI QPR
mix together 2Tbsp. cornstarch mixed with 2Tbsp. water or sauce from pot
stir til thickened

Helpful hint - vegis about to go bad and you don't feel like making soup?
Dice them up and throw them in the freezer. I had carrot, onion, celery and dumped them frozen into the Hawaiian Chicken and it turned out yummy!

If you have an air fryer - make some egg rolls and crab rangoon to go with the above dishes

Shrimp Risotto
Saute garlic and onion in 2 Tbsp. butter + 1 Tbsp. olive oil
add 3/4 c. arborio rice and sauce til it's toasted (has a bit of color)
add 1/4 to 1/2 c. white wine to deglaze and cook on saute til wine is absorbed
pour in 2 c. fish or lobster stock 10HI QPR press cancel press saute add shrimp
4Tbsp. fresh parmesan + 1 Tbsp. butter + parsley
could also add mushroom, crab meat, etc.
cook just til shrimp is pink

Cheesecake
8oz. cream cheese 1 egg 1/3 c. sugar 1 tsp. vanilla
optional 1 Tbsp. cornstarch 1/4 c. greek yogurt or sour cream
Crust can be made ahead, par cookies, or frozen, or even no crust
Check out the recipe at www.pressurecookerrecipes.com
6" round pan 25HI NPR
double recipe in a 7" pan - try 35HI NPR
cool to room temp and refrigerate a minimum of 4 hours prior to serving

Stay tuned for Cashew Chicken!

How to make RK roller skates

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More Air Fryer...quick ideas using stuff in the fridge

 Thin flour tortilla, vegis, cheese - 360 7min.

 Spinach Feta triangle - spray both sides first
360 5min. - flip 5 more min.

Cinnamon Rolls from a can
On the table in 8 minutes - takes longer than that to preheat the oven
Spray basket or use parchment
330 5 min. Dump onto a plate to flip them
put back in for 3 more minutes
adjust time for your desired doneness





Quick garlic bread 360 5 min

Air Fryer Class - 1/19/2020
BREAKFAST

Egg casserole - find a pan that fits  - may need to precook vegis
Add eggs and cheese - cook 5 more min at 360

  

Breakfast Sandwich - Tuna cans** work great
**Please do your research on whether it is safe to use these cans
Spray - cook egg 5 min
Add cheese and Canadian bacon, muffin, 5 more min

LUNCH
Grilled Cheese - use butter, garlic butter, mayo, olive oil spray
360 5min or 330 4min flip 3 more min

Hot dog/Brats/Italian sausage are quick and easy
Hamburgers work too if using 93/7 ground beef

Black Bean Burger - Dry out beans for 20-30 min at 325

Saute onion, peppers, garlic

Put half of the beans and vegis in food processor with spices, bread crumbs, egg and mix

Add remaining beans and vegis and lightly pulse to retain some texture 360 8 min

https://recipes.shoppes.site/2019/06/the-best-black-bean-burgers-ive-ever-had.html?m=1

The spinach filling was 1 package of frozen spinach (squeeze all the liquid out)
Add 1 cup feta and 1 egg plus spice to taste
The recipe called for diced onion (I left that out)
The recipe also called for it to be pureed in the food processor, which I did not do

Donut Trial 3 ways-Yeast Dough/2 ingredient Dough/Flaky Biscuits
2 ingredient dough -
even amounts zero fat Greek yogurt and self-rising flour
This is a Weight Watchers recipe
Can be used to make: pretzels, bags, pizza crust, pita chips, pita pocket, beignets







Flaky Biscuits win for taste & simplicity
Don't use Southern style biscuits
360 5 min
Dip both sides in glaze (powdered sugar & milk)

2 ingredient Dough Bagel - egg wash & spice - 330 10 min
Slice it open and toast for a couple extra minutes
Make it thin to ensure the center is cooked









Pretzels 3 ways - Yeast Dough/2 ingredient Dough/Flaky Biscuits
Cook in boiling water with baking soda mixed in 15-20 seconds
Biscuits fall apart in the boiling water
2 ingredient dough wins for taste and ease

Dipping Station
Bowl 1-Mix spices in flour
Bowl 2-Add buttermilk to some of the flour mix
Bowl 3-Panko with olive oil
Leave the onions thicker because the Panko is thick
Try crushed BBQ chips ?

2 ingredient dough (rolled thin) or a flour tortilla can be used for a pizza crust 360 7 min
May want to prebake the crust a bit, which would also let you prep them outside of the air fryer








Potato Skins - Cook and cool baked potatoes, microwave, oven, instant pot...
 scoop out center, being careful not to take too much
Spray and cook for 5 minutes on both sides
When crispy to your taste, add cheddar and bacon and cook approx. 5 more minutes
Try subbing Greek Yogurt for sour cream

VEGIS

Glazed carrots - *In bowl, mix small amount of butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon
Brussels sprouts can be done in basket - toss with a bit of olive oil to get spice to stick 360 20 min
Try fresh zucchini cut in half
Potatoes - cut into wedges, microwave 2 min, add spice, then air fry
Try a hasselback potato (cook it in the microwave and finish up in the air fryer)














ENTREES
Tuna steak - roll edges in black pepper/lemon pepper on top/bottom & add a lemon slice
    Shrimp - add spice to taste - cooks quickly - be sure to toss a couple times
    Chicken breast - comes out nice and moist - if only cooking 1, butterfly it to cook quicker
    Salmon and pork tenderloin does well in the air fryer

DESSERT
Single Chocolate Chip Cookie
1 Tbsp. melted butter
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. flour
1/8 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. baking soda or baking powder
1 tsp. warm water ( in lieu of egg)
2 Tbsp. choc chips plus more for the top
nuts optional
Cook on a piece of parchment
360 10 min

Regular cookie recipe cooked from frozen - 360 10 min
Freeze your dough flat so the cookies aren't raw in the middle

2 ingredient dough puffs up to make a pocket if not sprayed

Spray with olive oil and add spice to make pita chips
360 5 min

Hot Wing Hummus (fat-free) In food processor - 1 can rinsed & drained drained chickpeas
garlic, juice & peel from a fresh lemon, cumin to taste
add hot sauce and extra lemon juice to get the right consistency

'Beignets'
2 ingredient dough with donut glaze and powdered sugar - 360 4 min

Cheesecake or Apple Pie Egg Rolls
Mix 8 oz. cream cheese with 1/2 c. sugar substitute and 1 tsp. vanilla
330 4 min
Be sure to seal the edges with water to avoid the filling escaping
Use fresh or canned pie filling, cut apples small

Oreos wrapped in 2 ingredient dough 330 5 min