InstaPot Mac and Cheese

 Long before InstaPots were a craze I had a stovetop pressure cooker.  One evening I forgot to turn off the stove that had a pot of black beans cooking in my pressure cooker when I left home to pick up a kid from soccer practice. When I got home, I found the beans had exploded across the kitchen ceiling. I then banned myself from stovetop pressure cookers. Shortly after that, I saw an electric pressure cooker at a yard sale that had a timer. It had all the markings of a late-night home shopping network purchase- It even came complete with a cookbook. Not only has the Instant Pot become a staple in my kitchen, but  this mac and cheese recipe has become a winning dish: 

Add to InstaPot in this order: 

2 1/2 c. macaroni noodles

2 tsp chicken bullion

3 c. water

1 tbsp. parmesan cheese

Set InstaPot for 5 minutes. Quick release and then add:

2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

4 oz cream cheese

1 tsp yellow mustard

Mix together and serve. 

Eliza's Covid Chocolate Chip Cookie Bake Off Winning Recipe

3/4 c. butter, softened

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. granulated sugar

1 egg

2 tsp. vanilla

2 c. flour

2 tsp. corn starch

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 c. chocolate chips

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cream butter and sugars until fluffy and light in color. Add egg and vanilla, and blend in.
3. Mix in dry ingredients, adding flour last. 
4. Bake 8-10 minutes on parchment-lined cookie sheet. 

5 Minutes a Day Bread Recipes:

I heard about this bread-making technique from the designer who helped us with our remodel plans. It's all over the internet- for good reason- 

Master Recipe: makes 6 loaves (fits well in container, minus 1 loaf for cooking day of) 

Luke Warm Water: 2 lbs 4 oz 

Yeast: 1.5 Tbsp 

Salt: 1.75 Tbsp 

All Purpose Flour: 3 lbs 

Mix together in order listed directly in storage food container. It should be on the wet side. Once mixed, allow to rise at room temp in container with lid until dough begins to collapse (about 2 hours). Use or store in fridge until ready to use. Keep lids loose for the first couple of days. Use within 2 weeks. 

Artists Loaf: Pull off grapefruit-sized loaf. Shape and place on cast iron pan that has parchment on the bottom. Rest 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 450 with broiler pan full of water on the bottom of the oven. When temp is reached, place bread in oven. Bake 20-30 minutes. 

Make a sandwich loaf: Oil Pullman loaf pan. Pull off enough dough to fill pan ¾ full. Put on lightly floured surface. Rest for 45min-1 hour. Preheat oven to 450. Bake covered 45 minutes. Remove lid and bake another 10 minutes. 

Soft Rolls: Pull off enough dough to make the desired number of rolls—shape on a pan with parchment. Rest for 20 minutes. Bake about 25 minutes. Can clip an X on the roll before resting to get an open top design. Use butter to help soften rolls. 

Oil Dough for Pizza: 

Makes 8 1lb crusts 

Luke Warm Water: 2 lbs 8 oz 

Yeast: 2 Tbsp 

Salt: 2 Tbsp 

Sugar: 2 Tbsp 

Oil: ¼ cup 

All-purpose flour: 4 lbs 

Number Cookie Tart Cake

 

I made this "cake" for Jacki Sears 90th birthday. I used the recipe from this blog. I used lemon juice instead of orange juice. For the piping cream, I used whipped heavy cream and a cheesecake pudding box.

Boiled Raisin Cookies

Years ago I was serving in a Relief Society presidency and the other counselor (Kathleen Francom) served these at one of our meetings.  I had never had anything like them and I LOVED them. I asked for the recipe and have made them a few times. Teich discovered the recipe and gave it a try. Our friend, Marcela asked for the recipe saying they remind her of cookies she had as a child in Chile.

2 c Sugar
2 c Raisins
1 1/2 c water
1 c oil
1 tsp soda

3 c flour
3 c rolled oats
1 c nuts
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp salt

Bring first 5 ingredients to a boil and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix together the remaining ingredients. Add the two combinations. Bake for 10 minutes at 375.

Old Fashioned English Muffins

1 tbsp yeast

1 cup warm water

4 cups flour

½ cup toasted wheat germ

2 tsp salt

1 egg

1 ½ cups warm milk

2 tbsp butter, melted

½ cornmeal

1.In a small bowl stir together yeast, warm water, and honey. Set for 10 minutes

2

        2. In a large mixing bowl combine 2 cups flour, wheat germ, and salt. Make a well and add egg, milk, butter, and yeast mixture. Beat until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add remaining flour ½ cup at a time to form a soft dough that just clears sides of the bowl.

          

          3. On lightly floured surface knead dough until smooth and springy, 1-2 minutes. Add 1 tbsp of flour at a time, as necessary to prevent sticking. The softer you can leave this dough, the lighter the muffin will be. Place dough in a deep, lightly oiled bowl, turn once to coat. Cover and let rise until double about 1 ½ hours.

      4. Sprinkle work surface with corn meal. Turn dough out onto surface and roll into a rectangle about about ½ inch thick. Sprinkle top lightly with corn meal to prevent sticking. Cut in 3 inch circles. Re roll scraps using al the dough. Cover cut circle and rest 30 minutes.

      

       5. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Place several muffins on hot griddle. Cook for 10 minutes on eac side. Muffins will be quite brown. They take time to cook all the way through so don’t rush. If they are rising too fast, refrigerate while the others are baking.  

Notes: Can substitute wheat flour if wheat muffins are desired.  

Lemon Curd

I 10 times mine to can about 20 1/2 pints. I would not 20 times (learned from experience, 20 times is just too much :) I am assuming that you have canned other things before so you know how to prepare and process the jars. Let me know if you need any info about these steps. Good Luck and Happy New Year!

Recipe:

6 egg yolks

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. lemon juice

1/2 c. butter

In  a heavy bottom pot over medium heat whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Add lemon juice and switch to stirring with a wooden spoon, so as to not aerate the curd. Stir continually for 10-15 minutes(longer for larger batches), adjusting the heat as you go to ensure that is does not boil. Your curd is done when it has thickened and heavily coats the back of the spoon. Drop in the butter and stir until melted. 

Position a fine mes sieve over a glass or stainless steel bowl and pour the curd through it, to remove any bits of cooked egg. 

Pour the curd ( a single batch will make one pint of curd) into your prepared jars, leaving 1/2 inch of head space. If you want to process them for shelf stability, process them in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes(start time when the water returns to a boil). It is best to process only in half-pint jars or smaller, as they allow better heat infiltration. I have also frozen in freezer ziplock bags with success.