Freezer Tip: Bell peppers, Onions, Celery

Freezer tip for you for things like bell peppers, jalapenos, onions, celery. Hardier vegetables that you're going to use in cooking.
Chop them up, freeze them in a thin layer on a jelly roll pan. Once frozen break them up and put them into a zip-top bag or a plastic container. When you want to use them they can easily be measured cup for cup or shaken into a recipe. Use them frozen, not thawed.
Easy peasy.
This is handy when we buy vegetables in bulk.
For more freezer tips click HERE.

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Butter Stewed Potatoes (Instant Pot)

What's not to love about butter and potatoes? Making these potatoes in the Instant Pot is nice and hands off. The onion is optional, so is the cream. I know that some recipes call for flour, and milk to cook with the potatoes. I like them this way. Butter Stewed Potatoes are a great side dish, and quick to make. I used to make them on the stove, the pressure cooker is easier for me.

Baked Chile Rellenos Casserole

Chile Rellenos are one of my favorite foods. Has to be without meat. Made with roasted Hatch Green Chile, or Poblano peppers. Definitely NOT made with bell peppers. There's no spice in them and I like spice. I've had them with all three peppers, Hatch, Poblano, and bell pepper at restaurants. Some stuffed with meat (the later two). Some with sauce, some without. SO many different variations. I prefer the New Mexican version.

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.

Creamy Swiss Chard

You should stop whatever you are doing and make this. Or at the very least put Swiss Chard on your grocery list and read on. I love this, the coconut makes the chard a bit sweet, and so creamy with a spice from the pepper flakes. I usually use ground dried Thai chili powder but red pepper flakes are great and I have used them also. I've had this for dinner, for breakfast. It's so yummy. You won't even miss the cream!

Chirashi Bowl

Nothing fancy here as far as ingredients. But it was a yummy Whole30 compliant lunch. Down to the 100% natural wasabi and Coconut amnios instead of soy sauce. Which I will say neither are as good as what I'm used to, which is bright green not real wasabi and soy sauce. 

Fusion Seen Dat (Lao BBQ)

This isn't a true Lao Seen Dat, the marinades and sauces I developed from flavors we enjoy. It's more a fusion I guess. But Seen in Lao is "meat", Dat means to sear. This method is used to cook meats to wrap in lettuce or rice paper wraps. It's so yummy.

Curry Shrimp Lettuce Wraps And Noodle Bowls

Curry Shrimp Lettuce wraps are a favorite around here. It's an easy meal to throw together and is pretty healthy. Lots of colorful veggies, it's a great way to get my kids to eat vegetables. I have posted Curry Shrimp before, made with a curry powder. This is a version made with Thai curry paste, both are flavorful and good. Just use your favorite kind of curry. Make this as spicy or mild as you like. If you don't like shrimp you can cook fish filet with these flavors, or even strips of chicken and use those in a wrap.

Instant Pot Collard Greens

It's a shame that not more people in this house like Collard Greens. Just my oldest and I really like them, my middle and youngest will eat a serving, it it's not too spicy. Other than that DH doesn't really like them. Too bad, they are good for you. I usually make up a big batch and keep a few servings in the freezer at a time. When I get the craving, want some for dinner or over cornbread I pull it out. I have used different methods to make this, they all work fine and each one is a little different. My kids really the the creole seasoning so this one is a favorite.

What about your household? What are foods you love, but don't always make often?

Roasted Stuffed Bell Peppers

Instant Pot Stuffed Bell Peppers

There are some meals around here that I only make once in a blue moon. One of those is stuffed bell peppers. Besides me, there's only one other person here that likes them. How sad is that? They are so yummy. It's just one of those recipes I don't make often because when I do, I make two meals. Which is something I rarely do, who has time for that? The good thing is I can make a double batch
The original recipe I was given for these uses minute rice. I never have this on hand. I usually have to buy rice just for this. Which isn't wise, because this would be the only recipe I use it in. I asked around about using regular white rice. Some people said they used raw rice, some used under cooked, some used cooked that was day old. Because I like to keep the meat raw and not precook it in a skillet, raw or under cooked rice works best. Fully cooked rice gets a bit mushy. I also discovered that we much prefer the peppers roasted first. The flavor reminds me of roasted Hatch Green Chile. So good, and there's no skin on the peppers which I don't really like. It's perfect.

Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash

Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash season is practically over! I hope to enjoy them more before they are all gone until the next season. One of the easiest ways to cook these is in the Instant Pot.

Spaghetti Squash (Instant Pot Method)

1. Wash the outside of the squash.
2. Cut each squash in half.
3. Scoop out the seeds.
4. Put 1 cup of water into the Instant Pot.
5. Put the trivet or a steamer basket into the liner.
6. Place each squash half into the Instant Pot liner.
7. Cook on MANUAL, HIGH/MORE, for 4-6 minutes.  
8. Once the cook time is over, do a quick release and test each squash to make sure it is tender.
9. Add more cook time if needed.

You can also cook these whole in the Instant Pot. You'll have to cook them for about 10 minutes though.

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Glazed Carrots

Glazed Carrots. There are a few recipes, well, methods for these here on Give Peas A Chance. All the methods are easy. Pick one, season with what your family likes, and DONE. The one's I'm posting today are Green Goddess Glazed. You can use a Green Goddess seasoning, like Penzey's which we really enjoy. OR if you have them, use the herbs and spices from this post HERE.

Some other ideas:

Maple and cinnamon

Dill and butter

Curry powder

Parsley

Ginger

Pumpkin Spiced

Chai Spiced

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. 

Winter Squash Love

Hello everyone! Happy Happy Fall. This post came about when my kids were talking about how I don't decorate for Halloween. Which, I admit, I hardly do unless it's Christmas. Because Christmas. Is. My. Favorite. To decorate for that is. Halloween, it's just not my thing. I do put out a few fall items though. What about you do you decorate for all the holidays? Certain ones?

(Winter Squash) Pumpkin Puree- Instant Pot

Instant Pot Pumpkin Puree ready for the freezer.

It's Pumpkin season y'all! Before we go any further, I mean: it's winter squash season y'all! We are huge fans of winter squash around here. So many varieties to choose from, SO yes, make pumpkin puree. But don't forget all the other wonderful varieties which are great for both savory and sweet applications!

Any of these winter squash can be made in the Instant Pot, oven, or slow cooker.

Pumpkin Butter and Pumpkin Butta (Instant Pot)

Pumpkin Muffins slathered with Pumpkin Butta? Yes, please.

PUMPKIN SEASON IS UPON US! I love pumpkin. Love seeing those cute little sugar pumpkins pop up in stores and at the Farmer's Market. Not that I go to the Farmer's Market a ton. I love sweet pumpkin treats and like to have them year round. These two recipes can be made during peak pumpkin season and kept in the freezer to be enjoyed later.

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.

Pressure Cooker Hatch Green Chile Sauce

It's Chile Season y'all! The girls and I went and picked up our annual stash of Hatch Green Chile this year. We have been so blessed to have a couple of local grocery stores that stock them.Two of which will roast them in big roasters like they do back in the 505. That's New Mexico. This year my oldest chose "hot", we ended up with 40 pounds. The girls helped me peel and deseed them all. 

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

Give Peas A Chance Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

MMMMM cheeeeessssyyyyyyyy. I only recently started liking potatoes in my adulthood. I'm not sure if that's because all the butter and cheese I put on them, or if I really actually like potatoes. Whatever the case, these Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes are so dreamy. This recipes is a MILLION times better than this sad recipe here. Thin tender slices of potatoes, creamy roux with melty cheese/s. Whats not to love? 

Shrimp Fajita Salad

Give Peas A Chance Shrimp Fajita Salad

It's been beautiful lately, the Cherry Blossoms have peaked. People are in shorts. I am excited for spring! I wish it would stick around longer. Shorter summers would suit me well, with longer fall and spring seasons. I know there is still snow in some areas of the US and the world. We've had light dusting that melt away by the afternoon. As much as I love snow, one or two good storms a year suit me fine. I don't need it months on end.