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