I'm an Instant Pot Convert

Danger, danger, Will Robinson!

 You've probably heard people raving about the Instant Pot, right?  I have too. When I learned that it is a pressure cooker, instantly (ha, see what I did there!) I had flashbacks to my mom's old school pressure cooker from the '70s. (See the horrifying contraption pictured above.)


You remember, right? It was a huge pot with a locking lid, that little rocking doo-dad on the top of the lid that would jiggle back and forth and then, of course the WARNINGS.  "Kids, whatever you do, DO NOT TOUCH the pressure cooker.  Don't even go near the pressure cooker.  Don't even look at it."  It was so terrifying that I couldn't even tell you what mom cooked in that damn thing.  I just stayed the hell away from it.  

Then, there's the storage issue that I have.  I live in a smallish mid-century downtown house. Storage is at a premium. I have 4 crockpots (it's a long story), a rice cooker (what??), a stand mixer, a pasta attachment, stock pots, etc.  You get it.  But, all of a sudden, my beloved Ball-N-Chain asked me if I'd ever heard of the Instant Pot.  Then, more and more frequently, he brought up the Instant Pot.  Finally, it dawned on me.  The man wants an Instant Pot.

Viola. 

Long story short, I've joined the Instant Pot world. Man, what a crazy invention this thing is.  It's a pressure cooker, a crockpot, a saute pan, a yogurt maker, a jar sterilizer, a rice cooker and as we learned tonight, a RIB COOKER. Yes, folks, I made BBQ ribs tonight in under an hour.  An hour, that's only 60 minutes, friends. 

I can't take any credit for this recipe; I googled it.  Because of my childhood terror surrounding the pressure cooking phenomenon, I am strictly following step-by-step instructions.  I found B1G1 ribs the other day and assumed that someone could teach me how to cook them in the Instant Pot and Google doesn't disappoint.  

I made a dry rub, which I rubbed all over the meat (duh!). I used the Instant Pot trivet and coiled the racks and stood them up on their sides.  Cooked at high pressure for 20 minutes.  Yes, 20 minutes.  Now, the pot takes about 15 minutes to come up to pressure, then actual cooking time is 20.  Then, I took them out, laid them flat on a cookie sheet, brushed with sauce and broiled for about 6 minutes.  Done. 

CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?  

I am amazed.  They were ridiculously tender, falling off the bone, and it was all ready in record time.  I think the beloved Ball-N-Chain is happy that we've joined this Instant Pot society. 

Served with pole beans and hush puppies.  I used a Kansas City style BBQ sauce; I cheated, not homemade this time.  

The moral of this story?  The Instant Pot is pretty darn cool.  I found out today that a friend of mine just killed her crockpot, so I'm donating one of mine.  That opens up some storage!  Anyone need a rice cooker?

My New Toy

I love Pampered Chef for the same reason I love Mary Kay.  It's good quality, it lasts and it does what it says it does.  I recently had a P.C. party and had a great time with friends and neighbors and our consultant, Rebecca.  She made grilled chicken with lemon/garlic cream sauce and rice pilaf for us, using the RocCroc. This thing is a Dutch oven that can go in the microwave, oven, fridge, stovetop and it can also be a crockpot. 

The RocCroc just sits on top of this base to become a crockpot

I love the "warm" setting. My other crockpots don't have it.

Amazing.  When it came time for me to order, the RocCroc with the crockpot base was top of my list. Thus, the title of this post.

Today is July 4th, so I decided to make barbeque to christen the new RocCroc.  I'm not a purist who has to dig a pit, sweat over a smoker or spend an entire day and a half creating barbeque.  I make my sauce from scratch and the rest happens in my crockpot.  

Good ol' South Carolina mustard BBQ sauce

Mixing sauce into our pulled pork

See?  BBQ from a crockpot. It can be done.

I use a Boston butt and cook on low for about 8 hours.

I have a neat little timer that I use.  What makes it so neat is that it is actually easy to use and easy to program. We had some timers years ago for our Christmas lights that required a PhD to program.  I set my neat little timer to come on at 2:30 this morning.  Last night, I salt and peppered a 4 lb Boston butt and placed it and about 1/4 cup of water in the RocCroc.  Night night!

Around 11:00 this morning, we had a pot full of tender meat ready to be shredded.  I made our sauce and made a big batch of my favorite potato salad.  

New potatoes, sour cream, mayo, dill, bacon, garlic & scallion. Uhhh, YUM.

So, our July 4th dinner is fresh corn on the cob, potato salad and mustard based barbeque. 

We've decided to wait and have it later for supper, but I'm having a tough time waiting.  It smells so great in this house right now! 

If you're interested in hosting a Pampered Chef party, let me know and I'll put you in touch with Rebecca.  She really knows her stuff and does a great job demostrating the products. And to reiterate how the Pampered Chef stuff lasts, when I met Rebecca, I told her I couldn't leave without a new wonder-cup.  After 20+ years, the numbers were finally wearing off the measuring cup that I love.  Did you hear that...20+ years!

Happy Independence Day, everyone.  Be thankful and grateful. 

It's Hardly Even Cooking

You know how you always hear people say things like "keep it simple" or "it's the simple things" or "the simpler the better?"  The reason you hear these phrases is because they have become cliches.  Why have they become cliches? Because they are true.  As much as I love elaborate, gourmet food, the simple truth is that sometimes, the simpler the dish, the more complex the satisfaction factor.

 Our dinner tonight was a classic example of this phenomenon.  I found this on Pinterest and as I recently said to a high school friend via Facebook, it's hardly cooking at all.  It's embarrassingly easy, especially for someone like me who loves to cook, experiment and tell the world about it. I've made this dish several times because a) it's really good b) it's crazy easy and c) my husband practically breaks down in tears when I tell him it's what's for dinner. So far, I've shared it with my friend Laurin, who has some challenges getting her kids to eat.  They love this dish.  I've also shared it with my mom, who tells me that she's also made it with chicken with great results.  


Today was one of those action-packed days. Pick up the veggie box first thing in the morning, hit Bed, Bath & Beyond for coffee, shop for birthday gift, take Vivi to birthday party, meet with clients while she's there and then home for a minute (or two) of Saturday relaxation. (I have to tell you that Viv cracked me up today in the store when she declared that Bed, Bath & Beyond wasn't really "all that beyond.") Knowing that the crockpot was bubbling away eliminated one important part of the day for me to be concerned about. 

The ultimate beauty of this dish is its simplicity.  Like I said, it's hardly even really cooking, but the result is very tasty and it seems to please everyone.  As you can surmise, this is perfect for weeknights when we all need about 12 more hours in our days.  I don't actually fool with the parmesan potatoes because I think it's overkill.  A simple, plain mashed potato is all you need because of the flavorful sauce.  But, you feel free to make whatever kind of potatoes are your favorite. Tonight, I served this with a simple side of steamed broccoli drizzled with a little lemon butter.  Simple and satisfying.

Thank you Pinterest

Since joining Pinterest a couple years ago, I've pinned many, many recipes.  I think the exact number is one zillion and two.  And I know I'm not alone here. In that time, I've made some of them.  Some have been successful, some lackluster, some not good at all.  But tonight changed all that.  Tonight I made a crock pot of creamy tomato soup that I've been eyeing for months and as cliche and juvenile as it is, all I can say is "OMG."  (It's like Moon Unit Zappa's horrible 80's "oh ma god, like gag me with a spoon.")

So, in full disclosure, the recipe came from here. I didn't grow up eating tomato soup because my mom can't stand it.  And, that crap in the can tastes like some weird sugary tomato concoction that can only have originated in Willie Wonka's factory. For quite some time now, I've been on the look-out for a homemade tomato soup.  The photo of this recipe lured me in. As soon as I read the recipe, I've been dreaming of making it and pairing it with a gooey grilled cheese sandwich.  However, the hubinator has been craving baked potatoes lately and that sounded like a pretty good combo.  So, today was the day.  I whipped this soup up in my trusty crockpot and I am so happy that I did, that...well, I just felt compelled to write about it and tell you. So, as I type this post, I have a warm belly full of the most awesome, rich, fresh, flavorful tomato soup and the happiness that this entails.

Even if you never fancied yourself a lover or even a liker of tomato soup, if I were you, I'd venture out and try it.  The ingredients are cheap, so if you hate it, throw it out and it'll be no biggie. I bet you won't though.  In fact, I think even my mom would eat this soup and like it.

Sour Cream Chicken: Mission Accomplished

I love it when I run across a recipe that looks and sounds so damn good that I can't get it out of my mind. That happened recently when I found a recipe on Pinterest for crockpot bacon-sour cream chicken.  I loved the photo, I read the instructions over and over and for about 2 weeks, I just kept telling myself that I needed to make this dish.  Sooooooo...I did.

Lemme tell ya friends...this is a bona fide winner.  Even the wunderkind was raving about it. That's always a good sign.  I can't take credit for this recipe, because as you know from my previous post, I found this on Pinterest.  However, as is usually the case, I have some modifications I'll make next time around.  But first, here's the recipe:
 http://momswithcrockpots.com/2012/01/sour-cream-and-bacon-crockpot-chicken.

So my modifications are these: I cooked this about 8 hours, next time I think I'll take it down to 6.  The chicken was wonderfully tender, but as I grasped it with tongs, it began to fall apart.  Great if it was enchilada chicken but for presentation, I'll cook it less time in order to have it hold together better for looks.  Also, I'll wrap each chicken breast in more bacon; I think 2 slices per breast.  The reason for this is: I love bacon and all that it does for a dish and in this case, it became crumbly and became part of the sauce and I just would like a little more of that smoky bacony component to the sauce next time.  


Frankly, any time you have a 5-year old exclaiming "I love it!" and giving you a thumbs-up, you know you're onto something.  So, to whoever the author of this recipe is, I say "Well Cooked my friend, well cooked." To you, my dear reader, trust me and try it.  You can thank me later ;-)

Piqued Pinterest

Okay, so when I first starting hearing about Pinterest, I pretty much ignored it.  Like so many people, my initial attitude was "Uhff,  I'm so busy as it is.  I don't need another internet "thing."  Then, I kept hearing about it, so I started asking questions.  Most of the time, I heard things like "it's a great way to get cute ideas" or "so many ideas!"  I started thinking, "So, this is some internet think tank where people are just batting around 'ideas' all the time?"  Finally, I just looked it up and requested an "invite" so I could check it out for myself.  (Isn't it interesting how the word invitation has been replaced by the simple invite?)

I received my official credentials and secret handshake instructions relatively quickly and began checking it out. 

I admit.  At first I thought it was way stupid.  So much visual clutter.  Seeing as how I am absolutely NO Martha Stewart, I knew a bunch of "cute" crafty ideas weren't going to benefit me. But, I told myself to shut up and keep my mind open.  Spent a few days looking, watching, reading, digesting.  And, I'm glad I listened to myself.  As I continue to learn how it works and have jumped in and started participating, I am really diggin' it.  In fact, I think my husband would love it, but twice I've brought it up and tried to explain it, only to be met with "Uhff,  I'm so busy as it is.  I don't need another internet "thing."  Oh well.

I'm still learning and figuring it all out, but I have to tell you, I love this damn site.  It's a crazy, brilliant platform.  And yes, I have seen some "cute ideas" that even I could pull off.  But, most importantly, I'm getting tons of cooking ideas and leads to other food blogs and websites that interest me.  The last few days, I've been almost obsessed by this site that I learned about via Pinterest, courtesy of my friend Ellen, "A year of slow cooking: 2008." This woman has some fortitude, to say the least!  

365 days of using her crockpot without repeating a single dish! And, as I've been scrolling through her dishes, I'm just overjoyed at all the "great ideas" I've gotten.  Crockpot cooking is awesome, especially when you learn to make something other than "stew."  I mean, that can mean any old mushy, soupy stuff, right?

The moral of this story is this: Pinterest is cool.  It is social media in a totally new way.  I love Facebook too.  And just fyi, I LOATHE Twitter.  

I use it because I have to since so many people like it and that's how you reach them.  I don't get their obsession with it.  I think it sucks.  I also hate LinkedIn.  I have a LinkedIn account, but I don't use it.  If you send me a LinkedIn request, I'll ignore it.  I'm not ignoring you.  I just hate LinkedIn.  Actually, I hate it more than Twitter.  So, if you want to interact with me, these are the best ways:  call me, email me, FB me, Pinterest me, or just invite me out for a drink.  

Wow, that was quite a tangent, huh?  And have you noticed my fondness for "quotation marks" today?  Anyway, if you haven't checked out Pinterest yet, I recommend you do.  If you need an "invite" let me know and I'll hook you up.  And as far as the "great ideas" I've gotten so far, I'm dying to make the bacon sour cream crockpot chicken recipe that I found on someone's Pinterest board.  Once I do, I'll let you know how it turns out!

Peas in a Pod

Our friend "Scarby" shares my opinion that soup is very UNDER-rated.  I think people think since it's liquid and in a bowl that it can't be filling or satisfying.  It's a shame because they are so wrong and really missing out.  

There is one soup that goes largely ignored.  Then, when it does catch one's attention, it often receives a bad rap.  I'm referring to the "lowly" split pea soup.  It just so happens that this is one that Neil and I both absolutely love.  Yesterday just seemed like the right kind of day for a big pot of soup.  So, I pulled out the crockpot first thing in the morning and got busy.

By 6:00 we had a big, steamy, gorgeous pot of soup for supper.  This was Viv's first time with split pea and I'm happy to report that it got a thumbs up from our resident mini-gourmet.  Neil and I were so pleased with it that we were already discussing making more to keep in the freezer.  Today, Neil was bitterly disappointed at how little we had left over from last night. I have to admit:  it was damn good.  I should have called Scarby and offered him some, but I was greedy and kept it all for us.  But, in the spirit of Christmas, I type this entry in order to share it with him!  

If you're interested, here's what I did:

1 lb split peas, sorted and rinsed
2 cups of chopped ham
3 carrots, chopped 
1/2 chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup minced parsley
1 Tbs seasoned salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 quarts water

Layer the ingredients in this order in the crockpot.  Don't stir it up.  Slowly add the water.  Don't stir it up!  Cook on low for 8 hours.  Remove the bay leaf and dig in.

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Asian Meatballs

I have served on the Zoning Board of the City of Columbia for way too long.  Really, it's like 8 years or something now and I'm pretty much tired of it.  I really loathe this 3 hours of mandatory annual "training" that the legislature created a few years ago.  Each year, we get to sacrifice 3 hours of our time to sit and listen, yes, listen to a conference call from who-knows-when by a bunch of professional urban planners (which we are not) talking about Supreme Court cases involving sidewalk malfunction lawsuits in Fargo, North Dakota or how to design a good looking Wal-Mart in Boulder, Colorado.  Mind you, NONE OF THIS has anything to do with the Board of Zoning Appeals in Columbia, South Carolina and therefore, "trains" me to do, say or think nothing new and different.

So what, you ask?  Well, I had my 3 hour time-suckage appointment for 5-8pm Tuesday.  So, that afternoon, I put this dish in the crockpot.  I'd seen the recipe in All*You magazine and the photo caught my eye immediately.  I've been waiting for the chance to make it.  So, I had time on Tuesday.  The thing is, by the time I had to leave home to go to the Time-Suckage Vortex, my house smelled absolutely wonderful.  It was very, very hard to leave. So, the whole time, I was wondering how they were going to turn out?  Would Vivian like the meatballs?  Would they be as good as I had built them up in my mind?

Well, the answers are yes, no, and yes.  Disappointing that the Vivver rejected them, but she's been pretty fickle in her evening dining lately.  We'll try them on her again some other time.  I think this recipe is so good, that it will be one of the few dishes that my family does get to have twice, maybe even three times.  The flavors are my favorites: ginger, soy, hoisin.  The aroma is divine and the ease of this recipe just makes it a no-brainer.  Plus, it presents itself well enough to make for company and they'd never believe how effortless it was to prepare.  I'm calling it a winner. Hope you agree!

The Flop

Looked pretty online, but real life was another story

I am the first to admit it when a dish goes South.  I told you a few days ago that I was making Balsamic Root Vegetables for Thanksgiving.  My reasons were:  I liked the picture, I've NEVER cooked or eaten a parsnip before, and since it was a crockpot dish, that would be one less project going on in the kitchen, one less body.  Well, unfortunately, it sucked.  

My mother-in-law liked it and I think maybe one other person was positive about it, but I was not.  The vegetables weren't overly mushy, but I probably could've stopped the cooking a little earlier.  The flavors were good.  But, for me, the failure was in the look of the dish and the smell.  The vegetables didn't retain their color and all kind of looked alike.  However, it was the smell that really did me in.  I can't quite put my finger on it.  Balsamic sauces usually smell very good, so I'm thinking perhaps it was the balsamic aroma mixed with the red onion?  It wasn't the kind of smell where someone would walk in and exclaim something like "What the hell is that smell?" but it was just "off-putting."  

• I can't even believe I just used that phrase.  Donatella Arpaia uses it ad nauseum on the Next Iron Chef and it drives me up the wall.  I get her meaning, but I'm pretty sure "off-putting" isn't really a word.  But, in this case, it's the best I've got.

Chalk this one up as a "tried and failed."  No big deal; can't win 'em all!

Lasagna is on Everyone's Mind

Lately, I keep hearing about lasagna.  It's kind of weird, because in everyday life, you might hear about a celebrity, politics, events, etc on a regular basis, but rarely various people you know bringing up lasagna.  Most notably, I keep  hearing about "Crockpot Lasagna."  What the hell is this stuff?  I can't even imagine how it looks, or how you serve it?  But, I'm always willing to learn new tricks...

The first time I heard about it was a month or so ago, some of us were volunteering to make a lunch for the Youth Group at church.  My friend Cindy stepped up with the Crockpot Lasagna.  I was curious, but got preoccupied and forgot to inquire.  Well, fast forward and I saw it come up on Facebook.  Then again.  Then, just the other day, my friend Kathryn posted that she was making it.  So, I had to ask.  Apparently, the recipe is right there on Oprah's website.  And, thankfully for me, a photo.  

All this brings me to my own latest lasagna experience.  I was looking around the kitchen for what I had on hand and what I could do with it.  I know the Vivver likes lasagna, so I decided to "guinea pig" her with a vegetable version.  I'm pleased to report that my sweet little veggie lovin' pumpkin pie loved it. She ate a good dinner and asked to take some the next day in her stylish Hello Kitty lunchbox.  This is why I cook!

Here's how I did it this time:

• 9 lasagna noodles (cooked, rinsed & placed back in pot covered w/cold water)
• 3 large carrots
• 3 medium yellow squash
• 1 10 oz. box frozen chopped spinach (thawed & squeezed dry)
• 1 container ricotta
• 1/4 cup parmesan
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1 cup warmed milk
• mozzarella
• sauce

I'm not the most rigid measurer, so use your judgment!  Ok, so, I used my mandolin to slice the carrots & squash at 1/4".  I tossed the squash with salt, pepper & a little olive oil, spread on a cookie sheet and baked at 350 for about 10 minutes just to pre-cook them.  Similarly, I steamed the carrots for about 5 minutes to soften a bit.


Sauteed the garlic in 1 Tbsp olive oil with the crushed red pepper.  Then, slowly mixed in the flour (basically  making a roux). Gradually whisk in the warm milk.  Remove from heat and add in the ricotta, 1/4 cup parmesan & spinach; mix well.  Set aside.


For convenience's sake, I used a jarred sauce that I had in the pantry.  Spread a little on the bottom of your lasagna pan. Place 3 noodles on top.  Spread with about 1/2 of the spinach mixture, layer of squash, some mozzarella, layer of sauce.  Then, 3 more noodles, the rest of the spinach mixture, carrots, mozzarella, layer of sauce.  Finally, 3 more noodles, layer of sauce, mozzarella and parmesan on top.  

Cover tightly with foil, and bake at 350 or 375 for about 30 minutes.  Uncover & bake about 10 minutes or so until cheese is bubbly & just starting to get golden.  Basically, until it looks good to you!  I always let mine sit for about 15 minutes to "set up" before trying to cut into it.  You'll get better looking pieces that hold together better.

I have to admit, I'm curious now about this crockpot recipe.  The photo convinced me!  So, until next time,  Mangiare, bere e divertirsi!  (If you want to know what this says, go here)

Crockpot Chicken Marsala

I used to be afraid of crockpots.  I'm kind of weirded out about leaving any cooking device on when I'm not around.  I realize throughout history, cooks have put a pot roast in the oven, gone to pick up the kids, gone to the market, gone to church, etc. and returned home to find their house not burned down and smelling like a yummy pot roast. So, when Neil and I first teamed up 13 years ago, he was flabbergasted that I didn't own a crockpot and couldn't believe that I was actually afraid of them.

So, once upon a time, my friend Eugenie got married.  She got crockpots galore for gifts (apparently) and offered one to me.  I took the leap and accepted.  Now I have to admit that I love the damn thing.  And, it's a big one too.  I can cook the (dreaded and nerve-wracking big cuts of meat), chili, soup, and (wait for it, wait for it) CHICKEN MARSALA.

I credit my co-worker Catherine for printing the recipe for me.  I changed a few things, just minor, because as some of you know, I will follow a recipe the first time and tweek the next time.  So, before I headed to work today, I got it all ready to go, set a timer for Neil and he turned it on for me at the appointed time.  Result?  Came home to a wonderful smelling home and a delicious supper.  

I went to Greene's and got a California Marsala wine for about $5.  I always assumed it was expensive. That's what I get for assuming, right?  The chicken was so tender, when I went to pick it up from the pot, it was falling apart.  Even though I'm not a mushroom eater, I do appreciate the flavor they impart.  The sauce was just fantastic.  The only thing I will do differently next time is to add salt.  Salt gets a bad rap for the whole sodium thing.  That's because people misuse it....it's not intended to be glopped all over the food.  It's purpose is to enhance and bring out other flavors.  So, use it wisely and it makes all the difference.  (If any of you are watching the current season of The Next Iron Chef, you know they all keep getting blasted by the judges for under-salting.)

Ok, enough of my babbling.  As usual, if you try it, I'd love to hear about your results and your opinion.  The base recipe came from Pillsbury's website; here's how I actually prepared it for us:

• 3-4 boneless chicken breasts 
• 2 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 Tbs vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp salt & 1/2 tsp pepper (as I said, I'll add more here next time) 
• 8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup Marsala wine
• 1/2  cup water
• 1/4 cup corn starch 

Coat crockpot crock with Pam-like spray.  Place garlic and oil in  next.  Season chicken with salt & pepper.  Place on top of garlic.  Then, place mushrooms on top of chicken then pour wine over all.  Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours (I did ours for 5 hours and it was falling apart tender).

Remove chicken from pot and cover with foil to keep warm.  Mix water & corn starch until smooth, then stir into the mushrooms and juice in the crockpot.  (This is where I'm going to add maybe a teaspoon or so to the sauce next time.) Turn the heat up to high and cook until the sauce thickens & is bubbly. Add chicken back in and cook until the chicken is hot.


I served it over fettucine with the sauce spooned on top, and with an Iceberg wedge salad with blue cheese & thick-sliced bacon pieces.  Neil thinks I'm a genius and Vivian thinks it's really cool that she's the only 4 1/2 year old who is enough of a big girl to not only pronounce Chicken Marsala but also to actually like it.  She's taking some to school tomorrow for lunch!  I love that kid!  :-)