Zingy Green Bean Casserole

I went to my daughter's for a Christmas Eve cookout. She was excited about the two all time favorites the corn pudding with Jiffy Mix and the traditional green bean casserole. One of her friends said that it took him about an hour but he made a mean green bean casserole. That got me thinking...does it really  have to be so traditional and this is what transpired that got raves on Christmas eve and again at my house on Christmas day.

2 bags of frozen green beans  about 4 cups (you can use two cans of green beans as well) I did not use the french style just the regular cut green beans.
2 cans of mushroom soup
3/4 cup of milk
1 can of mushrooms drained
1Tbsp. of Worcestershire Sauce I used instead of Soy Sauce!!
1/2 tsp of Hot Sauce...I like Crystal brand use what you like and more if the taste suits
1/2 tsp of course black pepper
1 1/2 Tins of French Fried Onions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F or  176.667°C
Cook the beans on top of the stove until either unfrozen or if canned the liquid is mostly evaporated-the liquid will help dilute the soup but don't leave more than about a 1/2 cup. Add to the pan the mushroom soup and the 3/4 cup of milk. Mix and continue on the heat until the soup has become soupy...LOL. Add the hot sauce, worcestershire sauce, pepper,mushrooms and continue mixing. Then refine to taste the tanginess that you are desiring by adding a dash or two more hot sauce.
Add 3/4s of the fried onions to the mixture and make sure they are mixed around evenly. Place in a 9x9 casserole dish or one close to that size and then top with the rest of the fried onions. Place in the oven and heat for 25 minutes.

When removed from oven, let set for at least 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!!

The picture below is that of the original Campbell's green bean casserole from their website.

Chicken Thigh Gumbo

Today both my husband and I have felt a bit under the weather. So the only thing to resort to is chicken soup but having to work with what I had on hand it turned into a healthy gumbo. This is an easy dump it all into the pot recipe which is done from start to finish in about 40 minutes.
I will update with a picture later.

Four chicken thighs
1 onion
3/4 cup of rice
1/2 bag of frozen gumbo vegetables
1 tsp of cilantro
1/4 tsp of Old Bay Seasoning
1/8 tsp of cumin
dash of salt
3 cups of water
1/8 cup of vegetable oil

Place the oil into the bottom of the pressure cooker and turn on saute. Chop and add onion, chicken and spices. When onions start to become translucent and the chicken is seered...not brown just a little less pink add the water, rice and gumbo vegetables. Place the top on the pressure cooker and move from saute to poultry for 35 minutes. When it is done you might want to add more salt or some pepper. Serve with some French bread and your done.

We found it tasty and we felt better after eating it...hope you enjoy too.

Chicken and Veggies Stew

While doing some deep Spring cleaning we suddenly found ourselves hungry. So I went through the fridge to see what could go into the pressure cooker. So here is what you are seeing below:

Six boneless, skinless Tyson chicken thighs and one large onion sauted in about a 1/4 cup of oil. Then you add 1 tablespoon of cumin, 1/8 a tsp of course black pepper, 1/8 tsp of paprika, a splash of sea salt. As the seasonings are searing into the chicken and onion I chopped a half a head of cabbage and threw with about a half bag of baby carrots. For the final seasoning I added  one envelope of Lipton's Onion  Mushroom Recipe Secrets then three cups of water. I popped the top on the pressure cooker and set it for meats and stews. This is usually about 35 minutes on the Instapot. 

6 boneless skinless Tyson chicken thighs

One large onion

1/4 cup of oil ( your fav)

1 tablespoon of cumin (if you don't like cumin exchange if for Adobo or Everglade's Seasoning)

1/8 tsp of course black pepper

1/8 tsp. of paprika

splash of sea salt 

1/2 small head of cabbage

1/2 a pound of baby carrots

1 envelop of Lipton's Onion Mushroom Recipe Secrets (you can use Lipton soup or chicken base)

3 Cups of water 

Set pressure cooker at meat/stew and then wait  I served this over noodles to give it a bit more body. Also added more pepper and salt for my taste. Hope you like...BTW the cumin is an excellent addition to any meat. 

Lynne Under Pressure.....Cooking

Greeting and salivations!
I am writing this blog because a friend of mine hooked me on using a pressure cooker to do fast meals. We were on our way to a program her daughter was doing and I was complaining about cooking and the mess every night. Every night is make the mess before we eat and clean the mess after we ate. After spending years a slave to the stove and feeding a family I wanted to plan my escape.

Kay, the friend, said that I needed something I didn't probably even know about-an electric pressure cooker. She extolled the virtues of the machine as we made our way up the interstate to Sarasota. She spoke about how pressure cooking locks in the flavors and cooks the contents in less than half the time. How the electric machines have so many safety features that you didn't have to worry about blowing it up like my mother's old fashion one. She talked about the machine being a slow cooker, being able to saute, and make rice all in the same pot-not at the same time. She enticed me with the removable stainless steel pot that can be had from 4 quarts to 8 quarts...whatever your heart or family size desires. I drooled at the thought of having a one pot meal which could be two meals which means two days of cooking in one. I could see myself down to two plates and two forks in the evening which means I get to watch Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!!! Oh what a dream this machine must be to offer that much freedom to a kitchen slave for the past forty years. The best memory I had of my mother's  pressure cooking offerings was the corn flake breaded pork chops that melted in your mouth. I am sure she used it for beans and other things but the pork chops were heavenly.

So the next day while I was working at home on paperwork in front of the television, I had the YouTube channel on watching whatever appeared from the many subjects that people post. Low and behold the InstaPot Channel popped up and there were an array of little videos on how to use it and what to make in it. This was a Tuesday. I went straight to Amazon and bought one which arrived on Thursday and had a roast in it by Friday. Who knew that you could have meat, potatoes, carrots, onions and celery in about forty minutes and leftovers for the next day!!!! My kitchen chains have been removed. Kay freed me from those days of spending at least two to three hours in the kitchen slaving over a stove and three or four pots cooking away spewing their contents on the stove that had to be cleaned after the conventions of the meal were done. It is serve from the pot and be done with the meal!!! What a concept.

After watching every YouTube video that featured a pressure cooker and reading every post on Pinterest, my friend Kay said it was time I either did a blog or a vlog. So here we are with the first  entry. I am including a picture of one of my eye of round roast and veggies...YUM!! Watch for recipes and tips to come.