Pot Roast in the pressure cooker

This is based somewhat on this recipe:http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/perfect-pressure-cooker-pot-roast/detail.aspx with some modifications from caseykees.


I used a 4 qt cooker for this and a 2 3/4 lb chuck roast. The roast barely fit in the bottom. I put in 1/2 cup red wine (a pinot noir I think) and let it simmer in the pot while I seared the roast on all sides in another pan. I used 2 medium onions and cut them in quarters. I added 1 1/2 cups beef broth and 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce to the pot. I sprinkled seasoned salt, pepper, and onion powder all over the roast after searing. Next I put the roast in the pot and put the onions on the top and sides (wherever it fit).

I put the lid on and cooked it for 30 minutes after pressurizing. After that I did a quick release (cool water over the pot in the sink) and added the contents of a brown gravy packet to the liquid and mixed it in. Then I put in 5 or 6 (peeled) carrots that were cut in thirds as well as 3 large (unpeeled) potatoes cut into 4-6 pieces. The pot was almost totally packed at that point. The meat had shrunk some, and was about 140 F (rare). Then I put locked the lid back on cooked it for 15 more minutes after pressurizing. Then I did another quick release (pulled the cap off and let the steam escape).

Pressurizing takes at least 10 minutes, so doing it twice added at least 20 minutes of additional cooking time. Dinner was really late, but it was SO good. This would feed 5 hungry adults, probably 6 if the roast had been a full 3 lbs. The meat, potatoes and carrots were all perfect and tender.

It probably took 1 3/4 hrs to do the whole thing. It will be faster next time for sure now that I know better what I'm doing.

Brown Rice Pudding

Brown Rice Pudding
http://massaorganics.blogspot.com/2008/10/rice-pudding-with-pistachios-raisins.html

This was really great. I used short grain brown rice and cooked it using water recommended on the package. I probably stopped it a few minutes early and added the milk and spices since I was rushing. I did not have cardamom pods so I used 1 teaspoon of ground cardamom.  I did use whole milk, and it was great. I'm not sure if it was necessary though to have the extra milkfat. Also, I did not saute the golden raisins and pistachios since the pistachios were already roasted (and salted). I fed this to Sarah and Jed. Sarah loved the saltiness of the nuts. I put half the raisins in the pudding and let it cool. Then when ready to serve (after being in the fridge for a bit), I garnished bowls of it with the nuts and more raisins.

Chicken Mole

I made this using mole from the store. It was really delicious. I followed instructions here: http://the99centchef.blogspot.com/2009/06/mexican-mole-chicken.html

And the product pictured there is the same that I used. I recommend using skinless and perhaps boneless for this since the skin gets all soggy and just adds grease. The boneless part makes it easier to eat so you don't get sauce all over your hands, but whatever works! I love dark meat, so bone-in might go hand in hand sometimes.

The hot water really needs to be boiling in order for the mole to dissolve. I put 4 oz mole with 2 cups chicken broth and had a hard time. I think if i'd boiled the broth first and then put the mole in it would have worked better.

Mexican Rice

http://the99centchef.blogspot.com/2011/03/mexican-rice.html

This was my first attempt at mexican rice, and it was so-so. I used brown rice. Maybe the brand wasn't the best (I used Dynasty, Extra Fancy, Brown Rice). I'm not sure if it is the recipe or the rice, but I think this rice tends to be very wet. But it tasted a little odd rice withstanding. I'll try this again with another kind of rice.

Also, I used 1 Tablespoon tomato paste in the recipe instead of the 1/2 cup sauce, which is one of the options. And just over 2 cups water.

BLT Turkey/Avocado/Cheese Melt

BLT Turkey/Avocado/Cheese Melt

So I have a "Snackster" and I adore it. It is one of those sandwich pocket things, that turns out two sandwiches that look like this:

So anyway, tonight I used it. I put turkey, cheese, and miracle whip (because DH is of that variety) on two sandwiches and toasted them in the snackster. I had cooked bacon as well, and when the sandwiches were toasted I pulled them out and put bacon, avocado, tomato, and lettuce in them.  They were great! I like doing a  hot sandwich dinner each week because it is quick but interesting. Toasting it makes it seem like it goes beyond lunch food somehow.

I also just saw this website that has ideas for a bunch of fillings. I'll have to check it out.

Red Currant Sauce for Pork Chops

I made pork chops using this recipe: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/pork_chops/ and it wasn't that great. I don't think jelly worked well, and it ended up getting really thick like hot candy. I used strawberry jelly since I couldn't find red currant, but I don't think it would have made it any better to use red currant.

It would have been much better with just the vinegar and mustard.

Stuffed Shells

Stuffed Shells
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/stuffed-shells-recipe.html

This was so good. It is like lasagna but in shell form. I added a half pound of ground beef to the tomato sauce which was a great addition. The lemon zest was very good with it.

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
http://www.ahintofhoney.com/2011/07/roasted-tomato-basil-soup.html

Finally, a tomato soup I love! This was SO tasty. It is very important to use garden fresh tomatoes, and roast them with garlic. I think that's why it was so good. I pureed it with an immersion blender but left it a little chunky for texture. This is great with grilled cheese sandwiches or garlic breadsticks.

I used coarse sea salt as the seasoning for roasting, but put on a bit too much. I forgot that it would all end up in the soup! So be careful how much salt you put on. A teaspoon or so is probably fine and you can add more salt later if needed. Also, I used prechopped fresh basil that comes in a plastic tube since getting fresh basil (that is a good price) is hard. It turned out great.

Apple Crisp

Adapted from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/apple-crisp-ii/detail.aspx

Apple crisp is one of my favorite desserts. Any kind of crisp actually, but apple is always great. I have a recipe I normally use in Best Desserts cookbook but that is in a box somewhere at the moment, so I used a different one. It turned out really well. I took it to a family dinner and everyone loved it. My modifications are in red below.

Ingredients:

10 cups granny smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced (I used 8 medium, but it could have done with more. Also, peeling is optional. I only peeled half of them and the skin was fine.)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup water

1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degree C).
Place the sliced apples in a bowl and toss with the white sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, ground cinnamon, and water. Spread out in a 9x13 glass dish.
Combine the oats, 1 cup flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and melted butter together. Crumble evenly over the apple mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 45 minutes. (I did more like an hour, just to make sure the apples were cooked. And they were.)

Notes: I made this using buckwheat flour instead of all-purpose as a gluten free option. It worked pretty well. I cooked it for an hour and 15 minutes. The topping gets slightly soft after the dish cools and sits for a while, but still has some crunch.

NOTES USING DRIED: How to adapt for dried apples from food storage: Measure 6 cups of apples and simmer a few minutes in 8 cups water with lid on. Then pour off water, saving it. Then use the apples like you would fresh, except add in 1.5-2 cups liquid back instead of the 1/4 cup water the recipe mentions. Then do topping as normal. Bake at 400 for no more than 35 minutes.

NOTES for dried apple pie: combine 4 cups apples with 3 cups water. Boil for a few minutes. Then mix with 2/3 of quantities that go into crisp filling. For topping mix half batch of crumble topping listed for crisp. Then bake on bottom rack for 45+ minutes

Corn and Chicken Chowder

Corn and Chicken Chowder
http://bunsinmyoven.com/2011/02/18/corn-and-chicken-chowder/

This was good soup. I used 1% milk and ww flour to thicken,which turned out well. There was WAY to much corn with the 6 cobs and I had to add an extra 3 cups of liquid. Some milk and some broth. Maybe add less corn next time.

Zucchini Corn and Bacon Pesto Pasta

Zucchini Corn and Bacon Pesto Pasta
http://www.ahintofhoney.com/2011/08/zucchini-corn-and-bacon-fusilli-with.html

This was so delicious. I used whole wheat fusilli pasta and did everything it said in the recipe. The only difference was that instead of using fresh basil, I used a 4 oz container of chopped basil (comes in the plastic tube in the produce area) since it was cheaper. I'm not sure if it equates to her "1 1/2 cup" of basil, which I think she means to be packed, but the pesto turned out really well. I liked it a lot. Even DH liked it and he is not the biggest pesto fan. I think the bacon was important for him in this dish though. It definitely added a nice touch.

I think we sauteed the veg longer than what it said. More like 15-20 minutes. David wanted the squash cooked a bit more. It turned out just right. It was getting a little soft in the middle where the seeds are, but otherwise was still firm and good.

Next time I will try this with store bought pesto I think--it might be cheaper. The original Gourmet recipe has that instead of homemade--a 5-7 oz container of it. Pine nuts and fresh basil are expensive. (but sooo good). And it saves a bit of prep. Maybe someday I'll have my own herb garden and can harvest a ton of basil in the summer and freeze it for uses like this.

This makes about 4 quarts (16 cups).
Calories: 198 calories / cup

Egg & Corn Unda-Style Quesadillas

Egg & Corn Unda-Style Quesadillas
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/quesadillas-recipe.html

This was very quick and tasty. I made it with capers and used lemon juice instead of lemon zest. Also used greek yogurt. DH chose that over sour cream, which surprised me. I think I will try variants on this with avocado and beans, like the author describes.

This is also very quick to make which was great!