[Jamestown1630]

This month: more Instant Pot experiments, and a great recipe for summer squash.

-JT

[Liz]

Your squash recipe sounds like a must make. Could be a whole meal paired w/ this recipe from a local restaurant.

Something different for reliable broccoli. Delicious bits of broccoli are drenched in cheese and batter, then fried.
The batter is kinda like a tempura. For thicker batter, double the flour to a cupl b/powder/salt to a tsp; omit tsp oil.

DIP SAUCE Mix/set aside to steep 3 tb Dijon, 4 tb honey

BITES Chop 2 c florets small; or proc/pulse lightly. Toss with cup
shredded Cheddar. Prepare/then pour Batter over; toss to coat well.
Drop spoonfuls into 1/2 cup 375 deg veg oil; fry golden brown.

SERVE dipped in Honey Mustard Sauce.

BATTER Beat an egg; stir in cup milk; combine w/ sifted 1/2 cup flour,
1/2 tsp ea b/powder, salt, beating well. Beat in 1 1/2 tsp veg oil.

[MV=PY]

Thanks for the feedback on instant pot experiments JT.

We really like this one:

https://pinchofyum.com/instant-pot-beef-stew

We see no reason to add the sugar. The carrots are the secret to this recipe; the flavor is amazing without having to add spices.

[PGalt]

Thanks for posting. BUMP!

[Liz]

The cooked InstaPost chicken got a few minutes under the broiler to crisp and brown skin.

Another idea: slice the chicken into serving size pieces, butter or oil the skin, then broiler to crisp and brown.

[jonrick46]

Here is an Instant Pot recipe one can use with their One Pot cooker:

Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken Fried Rice
Yield: 10 - 12 Servings

Ingredients
• 1 tsp corn starch
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp cooking sherry
• 1 egg white
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 C onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 eggs plus one yolk
• 2 C basmati rice*
• 3 C chicken stock
• 1/3 C soy sauce
• 2 C frozen veggies
Instructions
1. Combine the corn starch, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp cooking sherry and 1 egg white in a dish.
2. Place chicken in mixture and coat well.
3. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
4. Preheat IP on saute and add sesame oil.
5. Brown chicken thighs on both sides and set aside.
6. Remove excess oil with a paper towel.
7. Add the butter to the pot and saute the onion with a wood spatula, scraping stuck bits while stirring.
8. Add the garlic and saute one minute.
9. Add the egg yolk and two more eggs.
10. Scramble for a minute or two.
11. Add the basmati rice , chicken stock and 1/3 cup soy sauce.
12. Stir well then place the chicken on top.
13. Close the lid and turn the steam vent to closed.
14. Press the keep warm/cancel button to reset the unit.
15. Press manual and adjust the time to 10 minutes.
16. Quick release the steam when the unit has finished counting down.
17. Remove the chicken and dice.
18. Stir in the frozen vegetables and diced chicken.

*Use your favorite rice rinsed in water in a strainer.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Thanks for the Zuke recipe. That sounds wonderful! I have one plant each of Easy-Pick Green and Easy-Pick Gold, a Yellow Crookneck and a pale green summer squash (name escapes me) so we’ll have plenty-o-squash once they start producing, end of June.

We have an Insta-Pot; ‘Santa’ bought it for us last year - haven’t gotten to it yet, but with this early-season HEAT? I’m gonna get on that!

Since Beau is such an awesome hunter and we vacuum pack meat & fish for the freezer, we pretty much have a green salad from the garden, something ‘killed and grilled’ and a side veg from this time of year...until October! ;)

[Bodleian_Girl]

Brown it (dear it) before you pop it in the Instant Pot. Almost any meat needs that.

(Maillard reaction.)

[greeneyes]

Thanks for the ping. I’m going to have to look into the instant pot, I guess. Just haven’t gotten around to it yet.

Still using the crockpot a lot to avoid summer heat in kitchen.

[BunnySlippers]

That looks really good. Saving it.

[FXRP]

I’m sure everybody here makes good chili, but I got lazy the other day and used my instant pot to make this one. It was surprisingly good and reasonably spicy. I buy my ground chiles and Cumin from Penderys on the Internet. It is much cheaper than that crap you get at the store and you get the real thing rather than some salt and a few spices that McCormick calls chili powder. Here it is. It took about 15 minutes to make it and two hours in the instant pot on regular slow cooker temperature. The onions and peppers still had some substance and the remaining crunch of the corn and diced carrots made it taste fresh and a little sweet. The Rotel tomatoes are quite spicy and are available in a slightly less hot mixture if you aren’t into red pepper. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:
Rotel Original Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilles (10 oz can)
Goya Black Beans (15 oz can)
One Large Vidalia Onion
One Large Green Bell Pepper
1.5 Pounds 80% Ground Chuck
Del Monte Southwest Corn with Poblano & Red Peppers (15.25 oz can)
4 Tbsp. Fresh Ground Cumin
6 Tbsp. Fresh Ground New Mexico Red Chilies
2 Medium Carrots
1 Tbsp. Salt
1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp. Mexican Oregano
1 Tsp. Thyme
2 Tbsp Light Olive Oil or Canola Oil
Shredded cheese of your choice (cheddar or bagged Mexican mix are best)

Instructions:
Chop up onion and green pepper into half inch chunks
Dice carrots into small pieces
Saute onion, pepper and carrots in olive oil in a big fry pan for about 5 minutes. Don’t overcook them. They should still have some crunch when done. Feel free to add come ground chili pepper and cumin to the saute for flavor. Transfer the finished mixture to your crock pot.
In the same pan, fry up the meat with a bit more of the ground chiles and cumin. When it is cooked through, transfer the meat to the crock pot.
Add all three cans (black beans, corn and Rotel tomatoes) to the pot.
Mix in the remaining salt, ground chiles, ground cumin, garlic powder, oregano and thyme to the pot.
Stir it up and run the crock pot on medium or high for a couple of hours.
Garnish your bowls with shredded cheese and serve. Some people like a dollop of sour cream in the middle and some pita chips on the side. Others garnish with chopped raw onions.

[publana]

Since you enjoy your Instant Pot so much, you might want to delve into stainless steel pressure cookers. I think you’ll find that you prefer them after you get used to the faster cook times, less prone to scorching, and higher quality. I use mine most every day.

I had two Instant Pots. The first one quit fairly quickly. When the second one went kaput, I decided to hunt a lid for my old 8 quart B/R/K Alpha pressure cooker as it was lost in a move. While hunting a lid, I discovered Kuhn Ricon, found the largest Duromatic on sale for half price at Pleasant Hill Grains and have never looked back. I’ve since picked up other brands and also finally found a lid on eBay Germany, but the Kuhn Ricon is my go to PC. I gave the others, with the exception of my old B/R/K that I use for small amounts, to family and friends that like to cook.

I highly recommend a Kuhn Ricon when on sale. Honestly I’d pay regular price for it now that I know how good it is, but it is pricey but worth it, providing you use it often as you do your Instant Pot.

Just a thought for when and if your Instant Pot ever goes kaput.

[pugmama]

Thanks for the butter ck recipe. Will try it tonight.

This is a really nice recipe:

https://www.tastecooking.com/recipes/instant-pot-pomegranate-walnut-chicken/

[Yaelle]

Hi JT! Thanks for the new month. We don’t have any squash in the garden though we are trying for some Halloween pumpkins. Wish we had squashes growing just for the flowers to fry! One of my favorite treats in the world. Not even stuffed.

[Yaelle]

Look what you made me do!

I started buying all the ingreds for the raspberry tiramisu and thought I was ready to go. Our Sprouts market has big containers of organic USA raspberries too!

So here I was, ready to make. And I had forgotten the ladyfingers. So now here I am baking my second tray of ladyfingers! (I can’t get out to the store)

Will keep you posted how this all turns out.

[JayGalt]

Last night we tried the Butter Chicken Murgh Makhani on Freeper recommendations from this thread and it was very tasty.
We also made another recipe for the first time, Saucy Asian Meatballs. We modified the recipe using another more keto friendly recipe, Asian Pork Meatballs

As Modified

Asian Meatballs

Ingredients

Pork Meatballs

• 2 lb ground pork
• 4 clove garlic. crushed (we used Gourmet Garden garlic paste)
• 2-3 tbsp grated fresh ginger(we used Gourmet Garden Ginger Paste)
• ~2/3 cup chopped scallions, use some green & all white
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp cilantro
• 1 tbsp mint(optional)
• 4 tbsp almond flour
• 2 T soy sauce
• 2 T sesame oil

Sauce

• Asian Sauce Ingredients:
• 2/3 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. ground ginger

To serve

• 1 tbsp black sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp chopped scallions

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400.
In a large bowl, mix together meatball ingredients until well-combined. Shape into balls about 1.5 inches, which yielded about 35 meatballs, and place on a greased baking sheet or silpat covered tray. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until meatballs are golden on the outside and no longer pink on the inside or check with meat thermometer, 160 degrees F.

While the meatballs are baking, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients until blended. Once meatballs have finished cooking pour the sauce over the meatballs and gently stir them until covered.

Sprinkle with black sesame seeds and chopped spring onions before serving. The remaining sauce can be served alongside the meatballs for dipping.

[Trillian]

I need to make these! The pictures look amazing.

Oreo Cream FIlled Brownies

Ingredients
Brownie
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter, cut into cubes
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup flour
Filling
1/2 cup vegetable shortening or butter, room temperature
1 tsp granulated sugar
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp hot water

Instructions
Brownie
Preheat oven to 400°. Spray a 10×15 sized pan (jelly roll pan) with non stick spray. Line bottom with parchment paper and spray parchment with nonstick spray. Set aside.
In medium microwave-safe bowl combine cubed butter and chocolate chips. Heat on high for 1 minute in microwave and stir until smooth. Add in vanilla and stir. Set aside.
In bowl of stand mixer beat eggs and sugar until pale in color. Add in flour and salt and mix on low until combined. Pour in melted chocolate mixture and stir until incorporated.
Spread batter evenly into prepared pan and bake for 8-10 minutes until center is set. Allow pan to cool completely on a wire rack before filling.

Filling
Combine all filling ingredients into a mixing bowl and beat until smooth.

Assembly
Loosen edges of the brownie from the sides of the pan with a butter knife. Invert pan onto a cutting board, releasing the brownie from the pan. Cut brownie in half with a knife.
Spread filling on the bottom side of one of the halves. Place the other half of the brownie directly on top. Cut into squares.

Notes
store airtight at room temperature for 3 days.

https://cookiesandcups.com/oreo-cream-filled-brownies/

[Trillian]

I just put this in the oven. Second time in three days, so it’s a keeper :) The texture was better the next day, after I left it out and covered it with one of those plastic microwave covers.

French Strawberry Cake

Ingredients
1 stick unsalted butter softened
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar divided
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
16 ounces fresh strawberries sliced

Instructions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray and set aside.

2.In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip together the butter and 1 cup of the sugar until pale and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes.

3.Add the eggs, one at a time and beat well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.

4.In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition.

5.Fold in strawberries. Spread the batter in the prepared cake pan.

6.Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar evenly over the top of the cake batter.

7.Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes.

8.Let the cake cool completely in the pan and slice and serve the cake from the pan.

Recipe Notes
I used a 9-inch, light silver metal cake pan for this cake. I also used fresh, not frozen strawberries.

The cake is meant to be “custard-like” in the middle. Not under baked but not “crumby” like a traditional cake.

Some people have reported needing to bake the cake longer than the recommended time of 35 - 40 minutes. Color of cake pans, size of strawberries and individual ovens will all factor into the correct baking time.

https://www.foodtasticmom.com/french-strawberry-cake/

[Trillian]

Creamy Mocha Coffee Caramels

2 (14-ounce) cans of sweetened condensed milk
1 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup café de olla, or other kind of coffee
6 Tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
pinch salt
3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
parchment paper or aluminum foil and waxed paper

Lightly grease a loaf pan (approximately 9-inch by 5-inch) and line with parchment paper or aluminum foil, leaving a little overhang on each side.

Combine the condensed milk, evaporated milk, café de olla or coffee, butter, vanilla, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon, until the mixture is very thick and pulls away from the sides of the pan.

Pour half of the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and spread evenly. Add the cocoa powder to the remaining mixture and stir to combine. Pour the mocha caramel over the coffee caramel and allow to come to room temperature. Place in the refrigerator until chilled. Remove and cut into bite-sized pieces. Wrap pieces in small squares of waxed paper.

Store in the refrigerator.

http://www.girlcooksworld.com/2011/07/creamy-mocha-coffee-caramels.html

[Trillian]

Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients:
For the crust:
1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 12 full size grahams)
1/2 cup Fisher chopped pecans
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
For the cheesecake filling:
2 packages (8oz each) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
For the snickerdoodle layer:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup Fisher chopped pecans
For the topping:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Line a 13x9 baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside. Preheat oven for 350 degrees.
In a food processor, pulse graham crackers with pecans and sugar until fine crumbs. Add in melted butter and pulse until combined.
Press crumbs into bottom of prepared baking dish. Using palm of your hand (or bottom of a cup) press crumbs firmly until they are pressed into the bottom of the pan.
For the cheesecake filling, beat cream cheese with sugar, eggs, vanilla and cinnamon using the whisk attachment of an electric mixer. Beat until fluffy and smooth (about 3-4 minutes). Pour over graham crust.
For the cookie dough, beat butter with sugar for 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and beat thoroughly. Add in baking powder, salt, flour and cinnamon and beat until fully combined. Fold in chopped pecans. Scoop dough by large spoonfuls onto the top of the cheesecake layer. Try to use your fingertips to spread gently until cheesecake layer if fully covered.
In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon topping. Sprinkle generously over the cookie dough layer.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, middle may still “jiggle.” That’s okay. You want the cookie layer to be completely cooked and browned. Remove from oven and cool completely. Once cooled, cover with foil and refrigerate for 4 hours, or overnight. Cut into squares and enjoy. Keep leftover bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

https://www.shugarysweets.com/snickerdoodle-cheesecake-bars/