Perfect Pasta in the Instant Pot

I was looking for how to cook pasta in the Instant Pot and I came upon the following recommendation. I gave it a try with elbow macaroni and it turned out great.

1. Look at the pasta's cooking instructions on the box. 
2. Take the lowest number and divide it in half
3.  Subtract 1 minute to get your cooking time

So if the box says cook 8 minutes, take 8 and divide it in half to 4 minutes. Then subtract 1 minute to get 3 minutes cooking time. 

Another example is if the box said 7-9 minutes. I'd take 7 and round down to an even number, 6. I'd divide 6 in half to 3 and subtract 1 to get 2 minutes cooking time.

Cooking Instructions
1. Add enough liquid to cover the pasta
2. Add a little oil to help with the pasta foam
3. Close the vent, seal the cooker and set the Instant Pot to pressure cooking on high for the number of minutes determined above (based on the pasta you are cooking). 
4. When the timer runs out, let the pressure cooker natural release for 5 minutes and then release the rest of the pressure. 

Enjoy! Your pasta is perfect and ready to eat.

I got this information from the following link.. https://tidbits-marci.com/perfect-pressure-cooker-pasta/

How to Clean/Save a Burned Up Crock Pot

I recently made some soup in my crock pot. The soup spilled all over into the cooking part of the crock pot, under the removeable crock that you can clean in the sink. I thought I would have to throw it away for sure because the soup was burned all over the cooker and you can't have it soak in water. Well I found the cure and saved my crock pot!

Items You Will Need
Oven Cleaner
Rubber Gloves
Sponge

1. Find a well ventilated area. (I did it in my garage since it is freezing outside)
2. Put on the rubber gloves, hold your breath and spray oven cleaner all over the burned on stuff. 
3. Run into the house and breath. Ahhh!
4. Let the Crock sit over night. (I forgot about it and remembered 2 days later. lol!)
5. Put your gloves back on, grab the crock and a sponge. Now wet the sponge and wipe out the crock pot. You will be surprised, the burned on stuff just wipes off. 

Minnesota Farmers Market - Meal Ideas

At the end of the summer I went to several Minnesota Farmers Markets and loaded up on veggies. Then I had to decide what to do with all that produce. I wanted to make a quick list of all the things I made so I could remember for next year. Please add in the comments if you have any additional ideas. :)

Items Purchased
Corn
Tomatoes
Squash
Peppers
Onions
Potatoes
Zucchini
Yellow Summer Squash
Green Beans
Cauliflower
Carrots
Lettuce
Spinach
Cucumbers
Fresh Seasoning
Strawberries
Apples
Cantaloupe
Fresh Meat
Local Maple Syrup


Meals Made

• Gazpacho (On Blog)
• Shish-ka-bobs
• Steak, Potatoes, Green Beans, Salad and Fruit
• Homemade Tomato Sauce
• Squash Soup (On Blog)
• Roasted Cauliflower (On Blog - Yummy Cauliflower)
• Breakfast with pancakes and french toast topped with strawberries and local maple syrup. Served with a side of fried potatoes/onions/squash and eggs
• Tacos (Taco Seasoning on Blog)
• Zucchini Pizzas (On Blog)
• Fruit Salad
• Fruit and Vegetable Smoothies
• Salsa
• Guacamole
• Chili - Loaded with lots of extra veggies 

How to Make Your Own Chicken/Turkey Broth or Chicken/Turkey Stock

My sister Rachel taught me how to make my own chicken broth or chicken stock. It is super easy and a great way to use up the remaining chicken. Thanks Sis!

When I made this stock, I think I added 2 carrots, 2 stocks of celery, and 1 onion. I don't think you can mess this up, so just play with the amounts. Also on the seasoning I just did salt. I found the other seasoning by looking online. I'll try to make the instructions better the next time I make this. Again, play with the seasoning and then leave me a comment about what you liked.

Ingredients
Chicken Carcass or Turkey Carcass (I used our left over rotisserie chicken)
Water
Carrots
Celery
Onion
Seasoning: Thyme, Parsley, Peppercorn, Bay Leaf, Garlic, Sea Salt (for the broth only)

Instructions

1. Put the chicken/turkey carcass and all the ingredients except the seasoning in the crock pot. 
2. Fill the crock pot with water. 
3. Add the seasoning. 
4. Cook on low for a full day. 
5. Strain the broth to remove all the bones and veggies
6. Ta Da! You now have broth or stock!

Note - Chicken Noodle Soup

I followed the instructions above, but then put all the chicken and veggies back in the broth. Then I added cooked noodles and I had home made chicken noodle soup. 

Cooking Bacon in the Oven

There are multiple websites that instruct on how to make bacon in the oven. I thought I would also capture it on my blog so I can quickly access the instructions.

Ingredients
Bacon
Tin Foil
Paper Towels
Seasoning: Brown Sugar, Pepper, etc

1. Line your cookie sheet with tin foil for easy clean up
2. Lay out your bacon making sure not to overlap
3. Sprinkle seasoning on the bacon
4. Put the bacon in the cold oven and turn the oven on to 400 degrees
5. Cook the bacon for anywhere from 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of the bacon
6. At around 10 Minutes, keep a close watch on your bacon so it doesn't burn.
7. Remove the bacon from the cookie sheet right away (otherwise it will continue cooking) and place     it on paper towels to soak up the grease.
8. Eat and Enjoy. Yum!

Additional Tips

•  Change the flavor of your bacon by sprinkling brown sugar or black pepper before baking, #3    above. 
• Freezing your bacon for later 
• Under-cook your bacon by a couple of minutes
• Let it cool and place it in a zip lock bag
• To Use: Take out a few slices of bacon and microwave it on medium power for 30 seconds 

http://www.momontimeout.com/2011/07/baking-bacon-how-to-guide-to-making/

Taco Seasoning

This is a great way to know what is in your taco seasoning. I found this when I had family over with food allergies and needed to be sure I didn't serve them something that would make them sick. Also this is a great way to make sure your family isn't eating MSG. This recipe was just as good, if not better, than store bought taco seasoning.

Ingredients
1 Tbls Chili Powder
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
1-1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper

Mix ingredients and it is ready. Add about 3 Tbsp per pound of meat. Store in an air tight container away from light. I double the recipe so I have extra on hand.

Recipe from All Recipes - http://allrecipes.com/recipe/taco-seasoning-i/

Cooking Squash and Pumpkins Whole

These are the instructions I use to bake squash and pumpkins. When I have cooked pumpkins, I have been able to insert the knife all the way into the center easily. Most recently I had a very hard and dense squash. I pushed the knife as far as I could on the top and bottom of the squash and it was fine. It could have probably cooked for longer than an hour too. It was a large squash. Adjust your times based on the size of your squash/pumpkin.

http://detoxinista.com/2012/11/how-to-roast-a-whole-pumpkin-homemade-pumpkin-puree/

1. Stab the pumpkin several times, make sure it goes all the way through
2. Put the whole pumpkin on a cooking sheet
3. Cook at 350 degrees for 1 hour
4. After the pumpkin cools, cut it in half, remove the seeds, and the skin
5. Note: I just turned the oven off and left the pumpkin in the oven. About 3 hours later I cut the pumpkin up. One time the liquid inside was still hot.