Potato corn chowder a perfect wintertime supper

This is a delicious creamy corn soup to make in your Instant Pot. We like to be pretty generous with the cayenne pepper, but use less or none if you don't like spicy. To start, dice six slices of bacon in 1-inch pieces and saute in the Instant Pot until crisp. Drain on a paper-towel-lined plate. Remove all but about 1 tablespoon of bacon grease from the Instant Pot liner pan. Add one chopped sweet onion, one chopped red bell pepper and one chopped stalk of celery to the pan. Saute for three minutes. While vegetables are cooking, dice five medium-sized new potatoes into 1-inch pieces. Add to Instant Pot with 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander, 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Add two and 1/2 cups corn kernels (frozen or fresh), half the cooked bacon, and 3-1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth. Mix well. Secure lid on Instant Pot in with release valve at SEALING position. Press MANUAL (or PRESSURE COOK, HIGH) and set timer for 4 minutes. When pressure cooking is done, allow natural release for 10 minutes. Release remaining pressure. Press saute button, and cook soup for three minutes to let it get thick. Stir in 1/2 cup of half-and-half and the remaining bacon. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with nice bread and green salad. ENJOY!

Instant Pot Perfect Pot Roast

Enjoy mouthwatering pot roast, even after a long day at the office, with this easy recipe. Here's how: Hit saute button on your Instant Pot and let the liner pot get good and hot for a few minutes before adding about 2 tablespoons canola oil. While pot heats up, rub all sides of a boneless beef chuck roast (2.5 to 3 pounds) with salt, pepper and spices you like. I used Penzey's Quebec Beef Spice. When a couple drops of water sizzle in the oil, add the roast and brown all sides for about 3 minutes per side. When you have a nice sear on that roast, remove from the pan with tongs, and set aside. Add 2 cups chopped sweet onion (big chunks!) and 3 or 4 cloves of minced garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes until onion begins to get translucent. Add a little bit of beef broth to the pan to deglaze the beef bits from the bottom, then add 1-3/4 cups of beef broth and 1/2 cup red wine to the pot. Stir well, then put the roast back in the pot. Add a few sprigs of fresh thyme. Turn off the pot, secure the lid (with the rubber ring securely in place) and set the pot, with valve set to SEALING, to Pressure Cook on High (or Manual if you have a Lux model) for 1 hour. When pressure cooking is complete, use a quick release to vent the steam. Remove the lid, add about three cut-up carrots, a handful of fresh green beans, some chopped Swiss chard if you like, and diced potatoes. Set to Pressure Cook High (or Manual) for 10 minutes. When cooking is complete, allow a natural release for 10 minutes. The meat should be falling apart, tender and juicy, and the vegetables will be completely cooked. Serve with a nice green salad. ENJOY! Looking to purchase an Instant Pot for yourself, or as a gift? Prices are excellent right now: https://amzn.to/2rOqbkI.

Wow, this blog is still a thing!

It has been more than 10 years since I've posted to this blog, and in that time, I have done a lot of cooking, just not a lot of blogging. I've created some YouTube videos, mostly focused on how to use an Instant Pot pressure cooker, a kitchen gadget that I don't think existed 10 years ago. Check out all my videos here. My video on how to cook pulled pork has garnered more than 100,000 views, much to my surprise. Here's how to do it, and it is delicious:

Cut a 3-to-4-pound pork butt roast into four pieces. Prepare a rub of two tablespoons brown sugar, a tablespoon of cumin, a tablespoon of chili powder, salt and pepper to taste, and two teaspoons smoked paprika. Rub that mixture evenly over the meat pieces. Heat two tablespoons canola oil in the Instant Pot on SAUTE mode, then brown the meat on all sides for about five minutes. Turn off the Instant Pot, and add a 16-ounce bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce and 1/2 cup apple juice (for a total of about 2 and a half cups liquid). Set lid to SEALING and secure the lid. Set Instant Pot to Manual (or Pressure Cook, High) to pressure cook for 45 minutes. When pressure cooking is complete, allow a natural release for 15 minutes. Remove the meat from the pot, let the sauce thicken up on SAUTE mode for about 10 minutes. Pull the meat apart with a fork and then pour about a cup of the sauce over the meat. Serve on soft white bread (King's Hawaiian rolls are perfect!) Serves 4-6. Yum!

Instant Pots are available at great prices now. If you haven't jumped onto this bandwagon yet, now's a good time!