Instant Pot (as a slow cooker) Mac and Cheese

I love mac and cheese! I think I love a lot of foods actually, so I wanted to share my mac and cheese recipe. This is the first time I used my instant pot as a slow cooker, so I figured I would share what I have learned.

Um... I really want some mac and cheese now. Soooo yummy!

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

It is time for another recipe! This time it is mashed potatoes!! I love mashed potatoes!!!!

I would say if you are just starting out in the Instant Pot world, this should be your second "dish". Your first dish should be boiling water for 2 minutes. Just jump right in and start cooking, it will help reduce the fear of the unknown.

Ingredients:

• 6 red potatoes (or white... it doesn't matter)
• 1 1/2c water
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/8c milk
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Wash and cut potatoes and place on the trivet in the Instant Pot.
2. Add water to the Instant Pot.
3. Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes with quick release.
4. Drain the water or use a slotted spoon to move the potatoes from the Instant Pot to another bowl. Remove the trivet.
5. Add butter, milk, salt, and pepper. Mash yer taters.
6. Add additional butter, milk, salt, or pepper to taste.

Mushy greatness.

Notes:

• I totally forgot to buy milk at the grocery store. I ended up adding 1 tablespoon powdered milk and 1/8c of water to make these potatoes. I thought they tasted just dandy.
• This was my first time using red potatoes. Would do again. But would also use white potatoes. They are all good in my opinion. I did like that I didn't have to peel red potatoes, saving some time.

Once again, I get so hungry and excited to eat that I forgot to take pictures
 until I only had one bite left. Enjoy!

So there you have it. Overall, I don't think this saves a crazy amount of time but it does save you from having to babysit your boiling pot of potato water. Thanks for reading!

Instant Pot Ribs!!!

I love ribs. I also found out I could make them in the instant pot. So, here is the recipe that I whipped up tonight. I promise, I will get back to craft related posts shortly, I am just really enjoying coming up with new uses for my instant pot. On a side note... I remembered to take photos!

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 rack of ribs
• Barbecue sauce

Directions:

1. Some people might sear the meat before pressurizing it, but I am a lazy cook and didn't do that. If you do want to sear it, just add some oil to the instant pot and use the saute function. Then continue with the recipe.
2. Add the apple cider vinegar, water, and brown sugar to the bottom of the pot. Mix until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Put the ribs into the pot. I didn't notice a difference between the ribs in the liquid and the ribs not in the liquid. Feel free to use a trivet if you want.

   

   Sad little meat chunks.
   
   

One (Instant)Pot Chicken Enchiladas and Rice!

Keeping in solid form with my mantra of simple dishes with easy directions I have another dish I recently made using my new Instant Pot. And... again I was waaaaay too hungry and excited to remember to take pictures. So, I am sorry for that. However, I do plan to make this dish again so I will hopefully remember next time.

Finally, I know my last recipe was very similar (chicken and rice) but I do eat a lot of that. I'm currently working on perfecting a cheesecake recipe, and an all in one pasta and meatballs that I will hopefully post soon.

Ingredients (for Chicken):

• 3 Chicken Breasts
• 2 10 oz cans of red enchilada sauce
• 4 oz shredded cheddar cheese
• Salt, Pepper, and Sriracha to taste

Ingredients (for rice):

• 1 cup Basmati Rice
• 1 cup Water

Directions:

1. Add 1½ (15oz) cans of the enchilada sauce to the Instant Pot container.
2. Place the chicken breasts in the enchilada sauce.
3. Place a trivet over the chicken.
4. Place a heat safe pan on the trivet. I used a 7" cake pan. Add the rice and then the water. Make sure all the rice is spread out and covered with water.
5. Cook everything at high pressure for 10 min with natural release. Set your oven to 350° F when you start the natural release.
6. Once pressure is released remove the rice and shred the chicken in the juices. 
7. Mix the rice and cheese into the chicken and juices.
8. Add salt, pepper, and sriracha till it tastes yummy.
9. Place the chicken and rice mixture in a tortilla and roll it up.
   

One (Instant)Pot Spicy Honey Soy Chicken and Rice!

This isn't my normal type of post, but heck isn't that what blogging is all about? I received a pressure cooker (Instant Pot) for Christmas and I have spent the last couple of days making, mashed potatoes, cheesecake, and chicken. I finally worked up enough courage to try making my own dish. I did a ton of reading and research and I am pretty happy with how things turned out. As I improve my techniques, this recipe may change, but only a little.

Keep in mind, I like really simple recipes. I don't like spending an hour just finding and measuring out my ingredients. I don't need gourmet food, I want yummy food that is fast and I think this recipe is just that. If you feel you want to add more to this recipe try adding garlic, sesame seeds, or ginger.

Ingredients (for Chicken):

• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 3 Chicken Breasts
• ½ cup Honey
• ½ cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 2 tsp Chili Paste (more or less to taste. I like the heat.)

Ingredients (for rice):

• 1 cup Basmati Rice
• 1 cup Water