New England Boiled Dinner (Corned Beef)

New England Boiled Dinner

It used to be that I was the only one around here that liked Corned beef, then my oldest liked it. Now There are three of us here who like it. My oldest, my middle, and myself. My youngest likes the veggies and will eat those very happily. I stocked up on Corned beef because it was a great price and I have never made one myself from just a beef brisket. I keep saying I'm going to and I never get around to it. Maybe next year. The best part about a New England Boiled dinner is of course leftovers! It's delicious the night of, with tender veggies nom nom. But sandwiches the next day... or everything chopped up and heated in a skillet and topped with a fried egg. That is why I like to make extra, or have extra on hand!
I discovered that cooking this in and electric pressure cooker is the way to go. It's perfect because I can cook the beef from frozen or thawed in just a little over and hour. After that the vegetables take about 7-10 minutes depending on how big you cut them. I think that's my favorite part. I used to cook everything on the crock pot/ slow cooker. The problem with that is the whole house smells like corned beef. Great for the people who like it, not so much for the people who don't. Then you had to put the vegetables in and time it. There's no need to check the beef an hour out and add vegetables with the pressure cooker.

Chili Dogs (With The BEST Boiled Hot Dogs)

I'm sitting here typing this up and I just watched the Chicago Cubs win the World Series. I don't watch baseball usually. Unless it's live. But either way this would have went it would have been historical. So we watched and it was stressful at times! What a game! Appropriate that this post is about hot dogs, a great ball park food.
I made about 40 of these for a Halloween party, they are a huge hit. My kids hardly ever eat hot dogs and they loved them. I knew that for a crowd I wanted to put them in the slow cooker like I did for DD's Big Hero Six party. As I was putting them in the slow cooker (my Instant Pot was busy with the chili) I thought, I should flavor this water. I choose whole spices like garlic, bay, and celery seeds. It was PERFECT. Usually hot dogs can be salty for us, so I didn't add any salt. I didn't use stock or anything like that. Even my DH, who doesn't really eat hot dogs said they were good. My kids requested them for lunch the next day. I kept the chili hot in a thermos, and cut hot dogs up in there. I sent buns and toppings separate.

Freezer Tip: Stock Bag, Schmaltz Bag

Chicken stock bag and schmaltz bags for the freezer..

Hello! Quick Freezer Tip post today on two things. Stock bags and Schmaltz. I make several types of stock: seafood, beef, chicken, pork, vegetables. Often times I'll combine a couple or more. There's always vegetables in the beef, chicken, or pork. Often times I'll make beef stock and add pork. I don't mind adding chicken bones to a beef stock. But because chicken has a more delicate flavor I don't use beef or pork bones in that stock. For seafood I don't add any other bones or meats. 

So what's a stock bag, and what do I put in them? A stock bag is a I keep in the freezer, labeled with whatever the end result should be. The bag above is obvious as those are all chicken bones, but normally I would label the bag "chicken stock". Any bones from chickens, I throw in there. If I roast a chicken I'll break down the carcass and toss the bones in the bag. Kidneys and hearts we actually eat, but if we didn't they would go into the stock bag. Liver I wouldn't put in stock because it gets cloudy and tends to give off a metallic flavor I don't like. 

Apple Cider Steel Cut Oats

Apple Cider Steel Cut Oats

It's just the right weather for hot breakfast isn't it? I like to send the kids off with a hot bowl in their tummies before school. Although I like oats for a snack or even lunch too. But that's me and the fact that I don't always sit down until about lunch time after I get the kids off to school.

Kālua Pig (Slow Cooker, Instant Pot)

Kalua Pig from the Instant Pot

I've sadly never been to Hawaii. Maybe one day. I have had pork and even beef cooked in a pit/hole in the ground though, and both are insanely delicious. So very tender, juicy, and flavorful, despite the absence of spices and herbs. Usually just salt. I remember as a child, we went to visit my cousins on their farm. One time they had a bunch of people over and they cooked a cow in the ground. IT WAS AMAZING. Just a little salt, smokey good flavor from the smoke and the earth. Perfection. I suspect Kālua Pig, or is like that, if so, this comes pretty darn close. Authentic or not this recipe is so yum. Anything wrapped in banana leaf is going to have a beautiful flavor from them also. I'll be posting a traditional Lao dish using banana leaves soon that is savory. Until then here is a sweet dessert that's wrapped in banana leaves called Khao Tom Mad.

Frito Pie (Slow Cooker and Pressure Cooker)

Frito Pie topped with cheese and plain yogurt.

I know, I know. Lots of Instant Pot recipes. It just happens to be soup and stew season, and the Instant Pot makes for great soups and stews. So here's an oldie but goodie that's been adapted for Instant Pot cooking, so I'm posting it as a Manic Monday post. If you prefer a slow cooker you can use that also! You can serve this without the Frito chips and put it over baked potatoes, in a steamed winter squash, or with crackers.

Bo Kho

Have you had Bo Kho? I grew up having it with French bread to dip in the spicy fragrant broth. Not hot spicy, but aromatic herbs spicy. You can make this as spicy hot as you like by adding more spicy chilies to it. This is a Vietnamese dish. I was very fortunate growing up that my parents had such a wonderful variety of friends. Their children in turn because good friends of mine. We would gather weekly for meals at someones house. Late late nights, as they shared stores. Some of the country they left behind to come America for. Other times to sing Karaoke until early morning. And they were always "Auntie" or "Uncle" if not

Steel Cut Tropical Oats

Talk about "Throwback  Thursday", today I had a bowl of oats that was much like what I used to make for my toddlers and babies. Except of course, at the time theirs looked like this:

Irish Beef Stew and Irish Soda Bread

Irish Beef Stew and Irish Soda bread.

Is it stew weather yet? I dropped my laptop this past summer and I have a whole folder of things and recipes to blog. Lost somewhere. They can be recovered and I suspect will be when there's time. Eek. I'm debating scheduling this for the fall. It's June 16th right now, so.. maybe September/October? Or, whenever I actually finish the post? Gives me time to test the recipe several ways and update right?

Good news, my smart husband recovered my files, fixed the laptop, and all should be well in that area. So let's talk stew.

French Dip, Baby Dip. Pressure Cooker/Slow Cooker

We've had these French Dip sandwiches several times over the course of about two months. They are so easy to make and we all, aside from Pixie, really enjoy them. Pixie prefers to eat every component but the onions separate. I am not even sure if I can call that a win or not. These sandwiches are not medium rare/rare beef sliced and served with Au Jus. That's a whole other post that you can use this here beef for. Making the Au Jus from any pan drippings, but like I said, that's a whole other post. This sandwich has a slow cooked, all day tender, juicy beef. I top the beef with caramelized onions, and gooey cheese after I slather butter and horseradish mayonnaise sauce on the crusty rolls.
DROOOLLL...

The beef for these sandwiches can be made in a pressure cooker, I use an Instant Pot so the directions are for that brand electric pressure cooker. You can also make them in a slow cooker, I have done both. You know, for educational purposes.

Use your favorite beef stock or bone broth for this, I make my own with beef bones, vegetables, 2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar, peppercorns, bay leaf. I cook it on MANUAL, HIGH, 240 minutes. I freeze it in ice cube trays and in 2 cup portions. Find more Freezer Tips here.

Italian Chicken Soup (Pressure Cooker/Slow Cooker)

We have a busy schedule this school year. The time between the kids getting home from school before we run off to soccer, scouts, or Awana's seems realllly short this year. That means I either need to start dinner way before the kids get home, use my crock pot, serve sandwiches, cereal, or rotisserie chickens from Costco, or cook the night before. None of those all the time is appealing to me. In walks my pressure cooker... the Instant Pot. It's such a great tool to have in the kitchen! We came home one day after a soccer tournament and I threw this together so quickly. I am loving using my Instant Pot for dishes like this. Soups, stews, roasts, anything that needs a wet environment to cook. The chicken is moist and flavorful, not dry. Sometimes chicken cook too long in a slow cooker and get either mushy or dry.

I use boneless skinless chicken thighs for this soup but I buy bone in with the skin on. I skin and bone them myself. I use the bones for stock and save the skin and fat to make schmaltz for Matzo balls. It's a great way to store bones for stocks. To render schmaltz for cooking I just toss it in a pan and render with some onion. I may do a blog post on that sometime. 

I use Castelvetrono olives in this soup because they are one of our favorite olives. Probably our most favorite. They are buttery and they impart a yummy salty flavor to this broth. As you can see from the picture below, we love these olives. Sadly that ten pound bucket is gone now.

I keep kale in my freezer. I freeze it from fresh and just grab handfuls at a time for smoothies, soups, and to cook with. It is great because I can always have it on hand to add greens to any dish. Chopped carrots and onions can also be frozen if they are going to be used for cooking.

I hope you'll try this soup, it's filling and quick!

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup with Kale and Goat Cheese Salad

Crock pot Butternut Squash soup with Maple roasted chickpeas with a Kale, beet, and goat cheese salad.

Soups on! Yes, I know again. This one's for me. My family will eat it, but they don't love it. *Lucky me it freezes well in portions. Just enough for me, and my eldest child. Can't win them all folks. I am blessed that my family will eat what I put on the table, but I really want them to love it all. HAHA. Tall order right? That's okay, lets make some soup. In the slow cooker even, imagine that.I topped this soup with Roasted Chickpeas that I tossed with a little maple syrup before roasting.

*Update, my kid's love Delicata squash, so try a different variety of squash to suit your taste. Yay!!!

Baked Potato Soup

I don't know why, but I've been on a potato kick. Blame it on butter stewed potatoes I've been making- drool. It used to be that I'd buy white potatoes once... a year. I've bought two bags in the past few months! EEK. This soup is so easy, yes, you make it in the crock pot. Some of you all know how I feel about crock pot meals. But this is so good, I'll make it more often. Not too often since it's not good for you.
When I'm making the bacon, I saute the onion, celery and potato at the same time. Then, everything can go in the fridge and be thrown in the crock pot in the morning. Not a lot of fuss, this is really easy.
If I use baby red potatoes, I just give them a good scrub and cube them, I don't peel them.

Snow day Picnic ( Quick steelcut oats)

Steel Cut Oatmeal

The girls had a snow day least week so I bundled up the girls and sent them outside. After they played for a bit we cleared off the picnic table and had breakfast outside.

To save time on cooking the oats boil 4 cups of water and stir the oats in and cooked them for minute. After a minute, turn off the heat and cover the pot with a lid. Leave overnight. In the morning bring to a boil and cook until tender about 8-10 minutes. I do sometimes need to add water.

I cooked these oats with two cinnamon sticks.
*Now I just put the oats in my rice cooker with the water and spices and turn it on for regular white rice. If I make it the night before I set the timer for 8 hours and in the morning it's ready for the girls to get up and serve themselves. SO easy.

EASY Pumpkin Puree and Don't forget the BABY!

Did you know that there is a pumpkin shortage? Well, there is. Sad, but true. I haven't seen a shortage around here but every time I go to the grocery store I try to pick up a few pumpkins to make pumpkin puree for my stash in the freezer. I have even bought some cans, just in case. I have roasted sugar/pie pumpkins to make puree before, but I usually put it in the crock pot. Because it's so easy! There are pictures here if you'd like to see just how simple it is. For pumpkin puree I just wash the pumpkin.

Steel Cut Oats, Oatmeal

No real recipe I just follow the directions on the can, but this is my favorite oatmeal, the McCann's. So yummy! I love it with butter, brown sugar, a splash of heavy cream and sometimes slivered almonds or pecans. I guess you could add raisins- *shudders*
If you search "oats" or "oatmeal" on the search function other variations will pop up.

Crock Pot Pumpkin Butter

I love pumpkin... pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin bread, pumpkin soup, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin bread pudding, pumpkin ice cream, pies, and more pies, pumpkin muffins... you get the idea... anyway as much as I love pumpkin I had never tasted pumpkin butter until today. OH SO GOOD! I wonder though when I make things if they taste the way they were meant to taste? Eh doesn't matter this is yummy. I had it in crepes and on pumpkin bread and oatmeal toast today.

It's so easy to make too!
More PUMPKIN recipes can be found HERE.
Make this in a pressure cooker, find the method HERE.

Easy Italian Beef Sandwiches

So simple and easy. Depending on how hot you get your pepperonchinis you can adjust the heat on this. I use mild because of the girls. I also made this to freeze, since we've got a ton off food that needs to be eaten and or put in the freezer. These sandwiches are an easy week night meal if you just put everything in your Crock pot in the morning.
Some people will add Italian seasoning, or dry Italian Dressing. I know this is high in sodium. Adjust seasonings to your taste. I also don't add liquid, the beef and peppers have plenty, but you can do that. But I would use a no salt broth or just water.

1 five pound beef roast (chuck, trimmed)
0.5-1 jar with liquid of pepperonchinis
0.5 packet low sodium gravy or au jus (optional)







Put everything in the crock pot and turn int on low for 8-10 hours.










When the meat is very tender shred it with a fork, Discard the stems of the peppers.







Serve on rolls topped with cheese.