Banana Peanut Butter French Toast (Kristi Original)

I saw banana french toast listed at the state fair, so I thought I'd give it a try. They turned out AMAZING! If you don't like peanut butter or if you have allergies, this would still be amazing. 

Ingredients
White Bread (I used Sarah Lee Artisan White)
Eggs (4-5)
Milk (Splash/Dump) 1/4 Cup
Vanilla (Splash/Dump) 2 tsp to 1/2 Tbsp
Maple Syrup (Drizzle) 1 TBSP
1/2 -1 Very Smashed Ripe Banana
Peanut Butter (1 TBSP)
Cinnamon (Dump - 2 tsp)

Mix all the ingredients together. Dunk each slice of bread fully into the batter. Then grill the bread until it is fully cooked. Top with butter and syrup and enjoy. Yum!

Broccoli Cheese Sauce (Kristi Original)

Growing up my mom would make Velveeta cheese sauce, steamed broccoli and toast. We would put the broccoli on the toast and top it with cheese sauce. Since I hated broccoli I thought it was awful. I thought it would be better with just the cheese on bread. That got me thinking about a new way to do this so my kids might eat it. So I decided to be sneaky blend the broccoli INTO the cheese sauce so my kids would eat it. It turns out I loved it. However the kids still refused to try it. I think if you made it without the garlic, kids could really enjoy this. However I loved the garlic. This cheese sauce tasted great on pasta, as a dip for chips or on toast. 

Ingredients

1/4-1/3 Log of Velveeta cut into cubes

1 Bag of frozen broccoli

1/4? cup of Milk

1 Clove of Crushed Garlic

1-3 slice Fresh Mushrooms

Salt to taste

Optional:

1 to 1/2 slice of onion finally sliced

1 Jalapeno finely chopped

1. Cook the broccoli according to the instructions. (I used steam in the bag in the microwave).

2. Add the broccoli and the rest of the ingredients to the blender. 

3. Blend the the mixture until it is smooth. (Add more milk if the blender isn't bending, it may need more liquid)

This sauce taste great over pasta, as a cheese dip for chips or veggies, over cooked veggies or on toast. 

Creamy Taco Dip - Crack Dip (Kristi Original)

My husband and I bought a taco dip at a local grocery story. We couldn't stop eating it, so my husband named it the 'Crack Dip'. I decided to try to make the dip at home and I think I got it. I have 2 versions. Mild and Spicy. I'll have to fine tune the measurements later because I started with 1 cup of sour cream and 1/2 cup of Mayo and added an envelop of Taco Seasoning and it was WAY too much. So I had to add 16 oz of sour cream, a little bit of Mayo and Miracle Whip to mellow the flavor out. But I did save the dip and it is awesome!

Ingredients for the MILD dip
Sour Cream
Mayo
(Miracle Whip if you add too much seasoning and it's too salty)
Shredded Cheddar
Taco Seasoning to taste (I used a pack, don't use the whole pack unless you want A LOT of dip. See my note above)

Mix and chill for 1 hour.

Ingredients for the HOT dip
Mix the above ingredients but add..
1/2 to 1 slice of onion finely chopped
1 Jalapeno finely chopped

Spicy Chicken Pot Pie (Kristi Original)

Ingredients

1 Unbaked Pie Crust
3 Little Red Potatoes Cooked and Diced (I made mine on the microwave. You could probably use one large potato also)
1 Small Snacking Pepper Diced
3 Mushrooms Sliced
1 Can of Chicken Shredded or 1-2 Chicken Breasts Cooked
1 Can of Cream of Cheddar Soup
French's Crispy Jalapeños
Sriracha
Garlic Powder - Sprinkle
Spicy Shredded Cheese
Optional - Onions

Instructions
Mix the Potatoes, Pepper, Mushrooms, Chicken, Onions, Cream of Cheddar soup and a squirt of Sriracha. Pour into the pie crust. Bake at the temperature of the pie crust. Check it at the time that the crust should be done and adjust the time as needed. About 5 minutes before it is completed, top with the shredded cheese and Crispy Jalapenos. Put it back in the oven for 5 minutes.

Option - Vegetarian removed the chicken

Mexican Inspired Dessert Quesadilla (Kristi Original)

This is Mexican Inspired because it has chocolate, cinnamon, spice and honey. I've had combos like this in Mexico and in Mexican restaurants. It reminds me of Mexican hot chocolate. 

Ingredients:

2 Tortillas

Butter

Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips or Dark Chocolate

Marshmallows

Dash of Salt

Dash of Chili Powder

Dash of Cinnamon

Dried Cranberries

Raw Honey Drizzled inside or on top at the end

Cashews (Optional)

Take a tortilla and top it with whatever dessert items you like (mine are listed above). Top with a second tortilla. Warm a pan to a medium heat and melt butter in it. Put the tortilla in the pan and cook it until it is golden brown on one side. Flip it and cook it until it is a golden brown. The marshmallows and chocolate should melt sealing the tortillas together. Cut it up into triangles and enjoy your dessert. Yum and Fun! 

Theresa's Corn (Corn Bread Casserole)

1 Can Whole Corn
1 Can Cream Corn
8oz Sour Cream
1 Egg
1 Box of Jiffy Corn Bread Mix
1/2 Cup of Margarin or Butter
Onion (Optional)

Mix all the ingredients together.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour (or until the top turns brown)

Pizza Pasta (Kristi Original)

This is so easy to make and yummy! I made it with pepperoni, however if you leave out the pepperoni it would be vegetarian. It would also be fun to try adding vegetables to the recipe. Here's what I did...

Ingredients
1/2 Box of Pasta (I used Elbow Macaroni)
1 Jar of Spaghetti Sauce (I used Newman's Own Sockarooni)
1 Jar of Water
Splash of Vegetable Oil
Garlic Salt (Sprinkle)
Garlic Powder (Sprinkle)
1-2 Cups of Milk
1/4 Big Block Velveta Cut into Cubes (8oz)
1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Pepperoni

Instructions
1. Add the pasta, sauce, water to the instant pot and stir (The water should cover the noodles).
2. Sprinkle Garlic Salt and Garlic Powder
3. Determine the cooking time (See my post on perfect pasta in the instant pot)
(Previous Elbow Macaroni 3 minutes cooking, 5 minutes natural release and then quick release the rest. Perfect Pasta!)
4. When the pasta is done add the milk, Velveeta and shredded mozzarella. Stir until the cheese is melted. If you need to, turn on the saute to help the cheese melt. The milk will make the pasta creamy. 
5. Add in the desired amount of pepperoni and serve

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/

Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs - 5, 5, 5 Method

I've tried 2 ways of making hard boiled eggs in the instant pot. This way seemed to work better. One of the eggs came out of its shell completely in the instant pot! This is the 5, 5, 5 Method

1. Place the rack that came with your instant pot in the bottom of the pot.

2. Add 1 cup of water

3. Place the desired number of eggs in the instant pot

4. Set the instant pot to 5 minutes. 

5. Let the instant pot natural release for 5 minutes, then release any remaining steam.

6. Give your eggs a 5 minute ice bath. 

Your done! You now have easy to peel perfectly delicious hard boiled eggs.  

The other way I tried was to set the pressure to 5. When the timer went off, release the steam and your eggs are done. 

Kristi Cordon Bleu (Kristi Original)

I made up this dinner last night and it really had a Chicken Cordon Bleu flavor without having to stuff a chicken. Here's what I did....

Frozen Chicken Breasts
Butter
Dried Up Bread or Crispy Toast
Thin Ham Slices (I used lunch meat)
Alfredo Sauce (I used bacon flavored in a jar)
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Pepper
Fiesta Party Mix (Tastefully Simple, We just used on the adult's chicken)

Preheat the oven to 425. Put the chicken on a cookie sheet and top with seasoning, crushed bread (you are making bread crumbs) and pats of butter. Cook for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, top with ham, and pour Alfredo sauce over the ham and chicken. Put back in the oven and cook for another 10-15 minutes.

Award Winning New Year's Eve Chili 2017 (Kristi Original)

This year my sister and I did a chili cook off for New Year's Eve. So fun and my chili won! I think the steak was the reason why. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:
1 Can of Diced Tomatoes with Chilis
2 Lbs or 2 steaks cut into bite sized pieces (I used tenderized Top Round Steak)
1 Can of Jalapeño Beer (Vengeance Jalapeño Creme Ale by Jack Pine Brewery, I'd maybe change it to 1/2 a can)
1 Can Bush Red Chili Beans in Hot Chili Sauce
1 Can Bush Black Beans in Mild Chili Sauce
1 Can Bush Kidney Beans in Spicy Chili Sauce
1 Can Light Red Kidney Beans (Drained)
1 Can Green Giant Mexican Corn (Drained)
1 15oz Can Tomato Sauce
1 16oz Jar of Mild Pace Salsa
1/2 Onion Chopped
Ol West BBQ and Dipping Sauce (Dump or Drizzle, So maybe 1/3 Cup)
Garlic (Sprinkle)
Ginger (Sprinkle lightly)
Fiesta Party Mix - Tastefully Simple (Sprinkle)
Salt (Sprinkle)
Pepper (Sprinkle)
Cumin (Sprinkle)
1 Tbsp of Chili Powder

Instructions:
Dump everything into a crock pot and stir. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours or until the meat is done. 

Optional:
Top with Shredded Cheese. For added heat add diced jalapeño peppers.