Pinto Beans ...YUM

I grew up on pinto beans and cornbread. That was a staple of our diet up in the hills of West Virginia. My mother made them in the pressure cooker with fat back and they were to die for if you like beans. I wanted to do beans today and bring back those memories. Instead of fatback I used about three slices of bacon. Normally it would be turkey bacon because we try not to eat anything smarter than our dogs and pigs are very smart animals.

I used a one pound bag of pintos with the three slices of bacon chopped up and of course 1/8 cup of vegetable oil in the bottom of the pot to make sure that they didn't stick and to keep them from foaming. Foam can get into the pressure mechanism and gum it up as well.

For spices I added a dash of Everglade Seasoning, 1/2 tsp of cumin, and about 1/2 tsp. of salt. That was enough for flavor and there are other seasonings like pepper and maybe some more salt if needed when I serve them. Then I added about 5 Cups of water. Usually they call for 4 Cups but I like a bit more soup in my beans. Set the pressure cooker for 35 minutes or the bean/chili setting. I found that in the Instapot I needed to add about 10 more minutes to get them soft enough.

You can also add some cut up potatoes if you want more interest in your beans and let them cook on top of the beans. This time I just wanted the beans.

So the recipe goes like this:

1 pound of dry pinto beans
1/8 Cup of vegetable oil
3 slices of chopped up bacon or turkey bacon (you can be daring and use fatback or smoked turkey necks) If you do use fatback don't add salt
dash of Everglades Seasoning ( this is optional or if you can't get in your area use Adobo)
1/2 tsp of cumin (cumin goes great with everything but it is to your taste)
1/2 tsp of salt
5 Cups of water (4 Cups if you don't like a lot of soup)

35 to 45 minutes according to your pressure cooker...start with the least number of minutes and then add as needed.

I chopped up some onion to add to mine and.....

YUM!!

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. 

Chicken and Rice in a Hurry

Sorry to make this blog post without a picture but we ate it. I had some boneless chicken thighs that needed to  be use and not much time last night. So I pulled out the pressure cooker and went to work.

First I turned on the saute and threw in a chopped onion, a handful of fresh garlic, salt, pepper, adobe, and the chicken thighs into the bottom of the pressure cooker where I was heating about 1/8 a cup of oil (use your choice of oils). I let the onions turn to a little translucent and seared the chicken for about five minutes. 

Then I added a cup and a half of rice, two tablespoons of butter, and three cups of water. I made sure the butter was melted to give some flavor to the whole thing- nobody said it was healthy!!!  The top was ready to go on and push the meat/stew button and away we go. The cooking time was about 35 minutes under pressure.It came out really great. The rice was perfect. I let it rest as the chefs would say and then mixed it up a little. 

This was good, filling with a veggie on the side. We called it dinner and leftovers for the next day. I usually try to take a picture so you can see what it looks like but there was not time. The husband had his fork and knife in hand waiting for a plate to attack. 

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.