triedin2015

[triedin2015]

I made this for our street's chili cookoff. One of the guests is Muslim and doesn't eat certain meats (and only halal meats for the ones she does eat) so I decided to make a veggie chili. I have to say -- this came through as really meaty in spite of it not being!

I made it as called for, using quinoa (not farro), except I only used four cups of broth. That was perfect consistency-wise. I also didn't use the cipotles in adobe; I used paprika, which was a substitue I found online after the store didn't have an cans of chipotle in adobo. And really, it was good!

Definitely recommend this as a veggie chili if you want something that doesn't taste too veggie.

[triedin2015]

I started listening to a podcast that features the founder of Smitten Kitten (SK) as a host. She and the co-host talk through various recipes. The episode I listened to was about Caesar salad and they talked about the SK cheater recipe for Caesar dressing. Of course I was intrigued -- my family loves Caesar salad, the recipe seemed super easy, and it is made of pantry staples -- and decided to make it.

I can confirm this recipe is really easy and that it tasted great. Everyone loved it and I will definitely make it again!

The only change I made is I added a splash of fish sauce to add a little more umami.

I told M and M, I may never buy salad dressing again.

[triedin2015]

I made this and it was... okay? It was easy. And it was different than something I'd usually make. But it wasn't great and I wouldn't necessarily make it again.

[triedin2015]

We had a boatload of beautiful, super ripe raspberries that needed eating, so I decided I'd make a raspberry crisp for Father's Day dessert. And boy was this delicous!

The only change I made was I also put in a couple of chopped peaches (because they were also ripe). Served it with French vanilla ice cream and had more servings than I should have.

Will definitely use this recipe again with a variety of fruits!

[triedin2015]

I can't even remember how I came upon this recipe. And when I decided to make it today, I misremembered it as being an Instant Pot recipe. But it's stovetop. And it was easy and delicious!

I used our rice cooker to make brown rice, which we always have on hand.

I had to buy fish sauce for this recipe but otherwise, all the items are things we generally have at home.

It was quick and easy to make and everyone liked it. Can't complain!

[triedin2015]

This recipe is my new go-to solution for my "Oh crap, I need to make something for dinner, what should I do?" moments.

Could I make pasta on the stove? Yes. And then bake it or not, I guess. But this has the yumminess of baked ziti without having to do a ton of dishes. And I literally always have these things in my home.

I've made it twice now and the only thing I'll say about the recipe is, I like to add in more spinach and I think next time I make it, I'm going to toss in mushrooms, as well.

Definitely give this a try!

[triedin2015]

I grabbed some corned beef a few days after St. Paddy's Day and decided to make it on a weekend day. Unfortunately, I forgot that the last recipe I chose required hours and hours of cooking. So, with my family being hungry and my time being short, I decided I'd do the corned beef in the IP.

I decided I'd do mashed potatoes rather than putting them in the IP, but I did carrots and cabbage in there. Looking through the tips and the recipe comments, I didn't put the carrots in with the corned beef, and I cut the beef's cook time down by 10 minutes to make up for the extra time it would cook with the veggies.

At 80 minutes, the beef wasn't fully cooked and looked a little pale on the top side. I added about 2 lbs carrots and cooked for 7 minutes. Then I added the cabbage and cooked for 3 more minutes. The extra time helped the meat finish cooking and the carrots and cabbage were a good doneness for me.

I liked the oven-cooked version better but this worked in a pinch.

[triedin2015]

We hosted a New Year's brunch today that was a mix of breakfast and lunch foods. We did fresh waffles with berries and cream, a variety of baked goods (Michaela's banana bread and a white Bundt cake she made with a sugar glaze), black eyed peas and rice, ham, and these potatoes. Because who doesn't like cheesy potatoes?!?

I thought these were great, and Michaela said she really liked them. So much so that she cheered when I told her I have enough ingredients to make another batch.

I used white potatoes and omitted the parsley, and added paprika to the milk and potatoes before putting in the baking dish (as well as sprinkling some more paprika on top before baking). All in all, it was easy to make and served nine of us perfectly. Will make again!

[triedin2015]

The last recipe I tried in 2023!

I knew I wanted to make black eyed peas for New Year's Day but I also wanted to make them enough in advance that I could take some to my dad on NYE. That was all well and good, but I didn't have time to soak the peas (which are actually beans) overnight. Instant Pot to the rescue!

I made some changes to this recipe: used way more garlic and 3 celery stalks instead of 2, left out the jalapeno and the bacon, used two small ham hock-type things instead, and used kale instead of collard greens. I cooked it for 16 minutes. When it was done, I pulled out the hocks, cut up the meat and discarded the bones, then divided out a portion for my dad and put the rest in the fridge for reheating the next day.

This was extremely flavorful... Way more than traditional black eyed peas. It was so good that I served it over brown rice (not white) and there were no complains. And it was so popular at our new year's brunch today that wo of my guests asked for the recipe, which is always a good sign.

Happy new year!

[triedin2015]

I wanted to use some fresh green beans as a side for yesterday's dinner, but I hate steaming them on the stove and didn't have time for any kind of baked dish. "My InstantPot," I thought. And indeed, it turned out to be a super easy way to make them.

I followed the recipe exactly for steaming, then tossed some butter in on sautéed mode and added salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. My family enjoyed and I will definitely do this again.

[triedin2015]

I made this for Christmas brunch and it was a hit! The taste was good, the veggies were nice on a day/in a season full of sweats, and it was easy to make for a crowd.

Will definitely make again!

[triedin2015]

Michaela really wanted something with wild rice. I didn't want to make soup or a salad with wild rice in it (although I do have a great recipe for that). I decided to make risotto, which isn't the same but is a rice dish. ;)

This was very easy to make and came out well. I accidentally bought pancetta that was already cooked and that definitely was a bummer for this recipe. It was good, but it would have been better with the right pancetta.

This was easy to make (thanks, IP!) and Michaela liked it. I'll make it again!

[triedin2015]

This soup was sooooo good!

You know I love soup. It's easy to cook, it's packed full of veggies, it makes a lot so you don't have to cook as often... What's not to love?

The other day, I was talking with a friend and he said he was craving tortilla soup and that idea got lodged in my head, so I decided to make some. My brother was coming for dinner, I was at the office and knew I wouldn't have much time to cook, so I thought the InstantPot would work well. And boy did it ever.

I Googled for "IP tortilla soup," looked at star ratings (thanks, people who leave reviews!), and decided on this one.

I used chicken breasts, not thighs. I used two cans of chicken broth, which is nearly 4 cups (so more than the recipe called for). I also used regular diced tomatoes but threw in two of our roasted green chile hockey pucks. I used more corn, because corn is delicious. Oh, and I tossed in a zucchini with the onion because I had it on hand and it was on the verge going bad (again, soup is great for veggies!).

Otherwise, I made this pretty much as the recipe says. Everyone loved it. Michaela said next time I make it, I should throw some wild rice in there. I won't be doing that, but it's an interesting thought.

Will definitely make again!

[triedin2015]

I had bananas that were brown and a big zucchini a friend gave me from her garden. What choice did I have but to make this?

I made this as-written except I halved the sugar (two cups just seemed like too much) and added about 3/4 cup of chocolate chips.

I took it out of the oven after 45 minutes, underbraking it slightly, resulting in a delicious moistness when I served it (still warm after 10 minutes of resting in the loaf pan).

Will make again if the ingredients line up that way!

[triedin2015]

I'm constantly thinking about going plant-based, at home at least. So when I saw this, I decided to give it a try as a Father's Day dinner. I made penne and steamed broccoli and topped it with this sauce.

I made it with the butter and regular milk, so this wasn't vegan. But I think it would be good vegan, too.

Mike and Michaela said they could tell there was cauliflower in it, but I think that's because I didn't blend it as well as I should have. Next time I might go so far as to put it in the blender, to get it really smooth.

Will definitely add to the options for when I want to make a healthier pasta dish.

[triedin2015]

My dad asked if we (Mike and I) would make corned beef and cabbage for St. Paddy’s Day. I hadn’t ever done it before but figured I could manage that. So we had my dad and brother, plus one of Michaela’s friends, over for dinner last night.

I originally planned to do this in Instant Pot but we had so much meat and so many veggies that I decided the oven would be better. And boy am I glad I did that! I ended up, when it was time to put the veggies (cabbage, potatoes, carrots) in, pulling the meat into a cast-iron skillet and adding some chicken broth in addition to some of the veggies, and then filling up the Dutch oven with the rest of the veggies.

The corned beef I bought was already seasoned but I did do the mustard rub on top. I did 2 lbs of carrots, a whole cabbage, and about 1.5 lbs of potatoes.

But the end result was delicious. The meat was cooked well, the veggies were PERFECT, and we all enjoyed eating this. I think this may become a tradition!

[triedin2015]

Another recipe for the Oscars party we went to.

I like buffalo sauce but I’m trying to be healthier, so I thought this would be a good option. I nearly fell over when I saw that cauliflower was $6.89 a head at my local market! Nevertheless, I persisted.

Made this exactly as the recipe says, and it came out well. Will make it again!