Chicken Alfredo Instant Pot

This recipe is all over the internet and easy for first time instant pot owners. 

3 Tbls butter

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cup heavy cream

10 ounce bow tie pasta (or other noodles)

1 lbs cubed chicken breast, RAW

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 cup parmesan cheese

Add butter and garlic to the pot, then add broth, cream, pasta and chicken. 

give a light stir. 

Pressure cook for 7 minutes

Let natural release for 5 mins.

Take the pressure off and stir.

Add in parmesan cheese.

Enjoy.

You can add veggies if you want, peas or broccoli. 

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Refrigerator Dill Pickles Spicy or Regular

Large mason jar (This recipe is for 1 large jar)

1 English cucumber per jar

1 1/4 cup white vinegar

3/4 cup water

1 TBLS + 1 tsp pickling salt

4-5 sprigs dill

4 cloves smashed garlic gloves

1/2 tsp black peppercorns

If spicy add:

1 tsp red pepper flakes

sliced jalapeño pepper

Add vinegar, water and salt to a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then turn off heat and cool for 10 minutes.

Add dill, garlic, peppercorns and if making it spicy add red pepper flakes and jalapeño, and sliced cucumbers to one jar.

Pour the liquid (vinegar, water and salt) after cooling for 10 minutes over the cucumbers.

Let cool on counter, then refrigerate. Don't eat for 3 days. Then enjoy.

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Smashed New Potatoes

1 bag of new potatoes

melted butter, maybe 1/4 cup

cheddar cheese grated

cooked bacon, chopped

green onions, chopped

Sour cream or seasoned 

(I used smoked sriracha with smoked maple syrup from sugar bobs. ORDER HERE

make sure you get the SMOKED sriracha with smoked maple syrup. Free shipping with purchase over $25.  I added some to my sour cream until I liked the taste. 

I used an instant pot to cook my potatoes for 8 minutes with 1 cup of water on the bottom. I used a trivet to keep the potatoes up out of the water. You could use crumpled up tin foil if you don't have a trivet. Pressure cook it for 8 minutes then quick release. 

Take potatoes out and put on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. 

Smash with a spatula

Melt butter and add to each potato.

Broil until the potatoes start to brown and crisp.

Take out of oven and add cheese and bacon.

Put back under the broiler until the cheese is melted.

Take out and sprinkle onions and sour cream over the top. 

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Smoked Burgers on a Traeger

Ok, I had a taste test with my husband. I ground meat 3 different ways. The winner of the meat was a tie between 100% course ground chuck roast and 50/50 chuck roast and beef brisket. So if you want to just keep it cheap just do the chuck. I kinda liked the 50/50 better but it was too close to care.  Next time I want to do chuck roast with bacon 3:1 ratio and see if that is good. If I do that I will update this post. 

I also chopped up vadalia onions and baby Bellas with some olive oil and 2 TBls butter in a cast iron pan with salt and pepper and added them to the traeger. They weren't done, so at the end I put them on my side burner on my grill to cook them all the way. Then pour them over your burger. So good. 

Fresh ground Hamburger patties 100% chuck roast or 50/50 chuck roast/beef brisket

Cheese, any kind you like 

vadalia onion

baby Bella mushrooms

butter

olive oil

salt and pepper

Start the Traeger grill to 200 degrees, let warm up

Chop up the onion and mushrooms.

Put them in a mini cast iron pan with olive oil, 2 TBLS butter, salt and pepper

Season the burgers with salt and pepper, put the burgers on the grill and put a thermometer probe in and set the internal temp to 155 degrees.

Put the mini cast iron pan on also. 

Close the lid and cook for 2 hours or until internal temp reads 155 degrees. 

******* it was 2 hours and internal temp wasn't up to 155 yet. So I increased the temp of the Traeger to 250 degrees and finished off the cooking until internal temp reaches 155 degrees. ********

When internal temp is 155 open the lid and put cheese on the burgers. 

Cook until internal temp in 160 degrees.

I took the cast iron off the traeger and put it on my side burner on my grill to finish them off. 

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Panzanella Salad

I went to a cooking class at Cooks of Crocus hill and we made this salad. It is so good. Worth making it again. This recipe is from the cooking class in St Paul. So fun. 

BREAD:

4 cups cubed French bread

1 1/2 TBls olive oil

salt and pepper

Cut the bread in large chunks, drizzle olive oil over the bread and add some salt and pepper. 

Put in large pan and start to brown the bread. Done when lightly brown and crunchy.

VINAIGRETTE:

1 tsp Finley minced garlic

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

1 1/2 TBls white wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1 /4 tsp pepper

Mix all the vinaigrette in a mason jar, put a lid on and shake to mix.

SALAD:

cherry tomatoes, handful cut in half

4 inch English cucumber, thicker slices then cut in half

1 large yellow bell pepper cut into 1 inch pieces

1/2 cup sliced red onions

10 basil leaves, chopped

Mix everything in a large bowl and let sit room temperature for 30 mins before eating. 

Put in a little of the dressing at a time incase there is too much. Add more as needs. 

YUMMM

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This is what an English cucumber looks like. It is usually in the produce section wrapped individually in plastic wrap. It has less seeds, less water in these cucumbers. 

Pico de Gallo

3 roma tomatoes seeded and flesh diced 

1/2 a purple onion, diced small

1/2 of a large jalapeño with seeds and ribs left in diced small

1 habanero diced small with seeds and ribs

cilantro bunch of it chopped

1/2 a lime juiced

sprinkle of salt

Add all ingredients to a bowl or small Tupperware. 

Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour until blended.

You can eat with chips or put over eggs, fish, salmon, chicken ect....

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Homemade Tartar Sauce

1/2 cup Helmans Mayonaise

1 TBLS minced yellow onion

2 TBLS sweet pickle relish

2 tsp minced dill pickle

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 TBLS minced parsley (optional or dried parsley, I didn't use any the first time I made this)

1/2-1 tsp dried dill. I just sprinkled it in until I liked the taste

Combine all ingredients in a small mason jar, refrigerate at least one hour before using.

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