Zuppa Toscana Soup

10-12 spicy sausage links

1 diced yellow onion

1/2 pkg. bacon

2 TBS. minced garlic

3 potatoes, diced

1/4 cup kale, chopped

3 chicken broth cubes

5-6 cups water

3 cups cream

1 large portabello mushroom, diced

2 TBS. fresh basil-cut up

1 TBS. garlic salt

1TBS. onion salt

In olive oil, sauté sausage, onion, garlic and mushroom.  Cook bacon until crispy. Then crumble and add to mixture.  Sauté diced potatoes for 2-3 minutes.  Add water, kale, broth cubes, and salts.  Simmer 30 minutes.  Blend in cream and basil.  Serve hot. 

Instant Pot Baked Ziti

1 lb. ground beef (I use Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage)
2 cups broth
 2 cups cream (see note for lightened up substitutions)
 1/2 teaspoon salt
 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
 2 cloves garlic, finely minced (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
 16 ounces uncooked ziti pasta or other tube-shaped pasta
 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
 1/2 to 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
 Fresh basil, for serving (optional)

Lightly spray the bottom and sides of a 6-quart Instant Pot with nonstick cooking spray. Using the Saute feature on the Instant Pot, cook the ground beef or sausage, drain the fat, and proceed with the recipe, making sure when you add the broth to scrape the bottom of the pot really well before adding the other ingredients.  Pour in the broth and cream and add the salt, pepper and garlic.

Add the pasta; don't stir, but if it's mounded in the center, arrange into an even layer. Pour the crushed tomatoes evenly over the pasta and sprinkle the oregano and basil over the top. Don't stir.

Secure the lid of the Instant Pot, set the valve to seal, and select "manual" or "pressure cook" and dial up or down to the minutes needed --> take the cooking time on the pasta package directions, cut it in half and subtract two more minutes. So for pasta that cooks to al dente in 12 minutes, the IP cooking time would be 4 minutes (add an extra minute if you like your pasta super soft).

Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then quick release the remaining pressure. Add the Parmesan cheese and stir thoroughly (it's ok if there are some darker, cooked spots on the bottom of the pot/bottom layer of pasta). Serve the ziti immediately with chopped, fresh basil, and additional Parmesan, if desired.

NOTES
If you want to lighten up the cream a bit, I've had great success making this with 1 cup milk + 1 tablespoon cornstarch (whisked together) + 1 cup cream.

If I'm taking this meal somewhere I usually put it in a 9x13 pan after it's cooked, sprinkle mozzerella cheese on top and place it under the broiler to melt. 

Potato Cheese Soup

5 c. chicken broth
1 3/4 c. chopped celery
3/4 c. chopped onion
8 c. diced potatoes
2 carrots, grated
1 tsp. salt
dash of pepper

Bring the above ingredients to a boil and cook just until the potatoes are barely tender.  Remove from the heat. 

1 cube butter
1/2 c. flour

Melt the butter in a pan and add the flour to make a roux.  Add this to the cooked veggies. 

Add to the soup:

1 1/2 qt. half and half
3/4 of an 8 oz jar of cheese whiz

Return to low heat and stir until the cheese whiz is incorporated.

World's Easiest Chicken Salad

My kids prefer this to the fancier recipes and I make it often because it's so easy.  They have requested it in their sack lunches once school starts.  :)

Sprinkle Lowry's seasoning salt and some lemon pepper on three fresh (not frozen but I am sure frozen would work too) chicken breasts and cook them on high in the crockpot until just cooked to 165 degrees but no longer. 

While it's hot, shred the chicken using two forks.  You want it in nice chunks, not overly shredded.  Then let it cool.

Add mayonnaise to make the chicken salad as creamy as you like it and add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve on King's Hawaiian rolls. 

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

Recipe from Made It Ate It Loved It

2 lbs beef stew meat
8 oz whole mushrooms, cut in quarters
2 packets of onion soup mix
1 cup beef broth
1/4 cup worchesteshire sauce
8 oz cream cheese
16 oz sour cream
1 cup heavy cream
egg noodles or rice

Place the stew meat in the bottom of crockpot.  Top with mushrooms.  Add 2 packets of dry onion soup mix.  Add beef broth and Worcestershire sauce.  Cook on low for 6 hours.

Add cream cheese, sour cream, and heavy cream. Cook on high for 1 hour or until melted. Serve over egg noodles or rice.

Beef Brisket

3-4 lbs. beef brisket (Costco)
1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix
2 TB. beef bouillon

Sprinkle or rub the boullion and soup mix on both sides of the brisket.  Double wrap the roast in foil and place in a baking dish.  Cook at 250 degrees all night or about 8-10 hours.  Take the brisket out of the foil, save all the juices, and let the meat rest.  Remove fat, and slice against the grain.  Return the meat and juices to the pan and keep hot.  Serve with mashed or baked potatoes.

Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients:
2 medium potatoes (about 2 c. chopped)
3 tbsp. butter
1 c. diced white onion
2 tbsp. flour
4 c. chicken stock
2 c. water
1/4 c. cornstarch
1 1/2 c. instant mashed potatoes
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. basil
1/8 tsp. thyme
1 c. half-and-half

Garnish:
cheddar cheese
cooked, crumbled bacon
green onions

Preheat oven to 400 and bake the potatoes for an hour or until done. When the potatoes have cooked remove them from the oven to cool. As the potatoes cool, prepare soup by melting butter in a saucepan, and saute onion until light brown. Add flour to the onions to make a roux (similar to a thick paste). Transfer to a large pot. Add stock, water, cornstarch, mashed potatoes, and spices to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for five minutes. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the contents with a large spoon (or just peel the potatoes). Discard skin. Chop baked potato with a large knife to make chunks that are about 1/2 in. in size.  Add chopped baked potato and half-and-half to the pot. Bring soup back to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer the soup for another 15 minutes or until it has thickened. Spoon about 1 1/2 c. soup into a bowl and top with shredded cheddar cheese,  crumbled bacon and chopped green onion (if desired).

Spicy Tomato Cream Spaghetti Sauce

This spaghetti sauce comes together really quickly but tastes like it cooked all day.  If you cook the noodles at the same time as the sauce you can do the whole thing in 30 mins, though I do like the sauce to simmer longer if I have time.  :)

1 lb. Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage
1/2 c. finely diced onion
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 TB tomato paste (from a squeeze tube is best but from a can works too)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 small pinch crushed red pepper flakes (optional, depending on how spicy you want to go)
1/2 teaspoon coarse, kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
8-ounce can tomato sauce
1-2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1/3 c. heavy cream or half and half
1/4 c. part skim ricotta cheese
parmesan, for serving

In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground meat, onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper, breaking the meat into small pieces as it cooks, until the meat is not longer pink.  Drain any excess grease.

Stir in the tomato paste, basil, oregano, thyme, pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, for about a minute, until the mixture smells fragrant.  Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, brown sugar and soy sauce. Stir to combine.  Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook for 5-10 minutes (or as long as you like/need).  Just before serving add in the cream and ricotta and stir until combined and hot.

Serve over hot, cooked noodles (or zoodles!) and top with parmesan. 

So Simple Instant Pot Saucy Meatballs

Ingredients:

Frozen Italian Meatballs (I've heard the ones from Costco are great, but I just grabbed a bag from the grocery store)
1 bottle Sweet Baby Ray's Original BBQ Sauce
water

Dump meatballs in the instant pot.  (I filled my 6 qt. pot about 1/2 full.)  Pour 1 cup of water over the meatballs and then dump 1 to 1.5  cups of the BBQ sauce over the top of the meatballs.  Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.  When it beeps and is done, turn off the Instant Pot and let the pressure naturally release for 10 mins.  Quick release the rest of the pressure and open the pot.  Stir the meatballs and serve over rice or mashed potatoes with a green salad and/or veggies.  You could also serve these as an appetizer without the rice.

If you were doing more meatballs you would want to add a little more water and more BBQ sauce.

Pork Lettuce Wraps

Sauce:
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup warm water
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon ketchup
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon red chili paste

Filling:
3 Tablespoons sesame oil, or olive oil (This was a lot, especially using ground pork.  I would use 1 TB sesame oil and 1 TB of olive oil in the future.  I ended up draining a lot of fat off the pork before adding the onions, etc.)
1 lb. fresh ground pork, finely ground
1/4 cup shallot or onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup canned water chestnuts, diced  (I didn't have water chestnuts so I used matchstick carrots, roughly chopped)
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar

12-16 Butter lettuce leaves or Boston Bib (may use Iceberg)

Instructions:
Rinse the lettuce leaves. Drain well. Pat dry with paper towels. Place in a plastic bag and keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.

In a small bowl stir together 2 Tablespoons sugar and 1/4 cup warm water until dissolved. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, lime juice, sesame oil and chili paste. Mix well. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium/high heat. Stir-fry the pork quickly in the oil breaking the meat up as much as possible. Add the onions, garlic, and water chestnuts and continue to stir-fry until the pork is cooked through and the onions are soft. Add the brown sugar, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. Cook until the liquid has evaporated. Should only take a couple of minutes. Serve warm.

Serves 8 as a side dish or 4 as a main dish.

** You can buy the chili paste at most grocery stores...Sambal Oelek Ground Fresh Chili Paste, Huy Fong Foods, Inc.

Corn Chowder

1 Large Onion, chopped
1/2 lb. bacon, diced
3 cups chicken broth
1 17oz can creamed corn
1/4 tsp. marjoram
2 stalks of celery, diced
2 cups grated, raw potatoes
1/2 c. butter
1 can evaporated milk
parsley (optional)

In a heavy kettle, cook bacon on low heat, but do not brown.  Add the onion and celery and saute' until golden.  Add grated potatoes and chicken broth and simmer until potatoes are done, stirring constantly.  Add corn and butter.  Stir in the evaporated milk.  Heat until warm, but do NOT boil.  Add marjoram and parsley.

Egg Roll in A Bowl...

1 lb. ground turkey breast
1/4 onion
1 TBS. minced garlic
1 bag of coleslaw mix
3 TBS. soy sauce
2 tsp. rice vinegar
2 TBS. sweet chili sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Brown ground turkey then drain and set aside
Brown onion and garlic for 3 minutes and then add coleslaw mix.  Cook on medium until coleslaw is tender.  Add back in ground turkey and add in the rest of the ingredients.  Cook for a few more minutes.  My kids like to drizzle more sweet chili sauce on their bowl of food before eating.  You can serve with rice and mixed vegetables.

Cafe Rio Pork...

3 lb. pork roast
1 small can diced green chilis
1 package Frontera Red Chile Enchilada Sauce with Roasted Tomato and Garlic Pouch
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup coke

Cook roast for 4 hours with just some water in the crockpot.  Drain the water out and cut off any fat off the roast.  Then combine green chilis, enchilada sauce packer, and brown sugar in a blender.  Blend ingredients together until smooth.  Add to crockpot.  Then add the coke.  Cook on low or high until roast is ready to shred.  Shred meat and then put back in the crockpot with liquid.  Serve over salad or make a taco.

Crockpot Zuppa Toscana Soup...

1 lb. ground hot Italian sausage
1/2-1 onion
4-5 potatoes
2 tsp. minced garlic
32 oz. chicken stock
1/2 bunch kale (a couple handfuls)
1 cup whip cream
2 tbs. corn starch
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of red pepper flake (optional)

Brown sausage, onion, and garlic until sausage is cooked through.  Put into crockpot.  Peel potatoes and dice into bite size pieces.  Put into crockpot.  Add chicken stock and cook on low for 3 hours.  Check potatoes and if they are tender and ready to eat.  If potatoes are tender, put whip cream and 2 tbs. corn starch in a cup and stir really well.  Add to crockpot.  Add Kale and then cook on high for 30 minutes.
Serve when ready.

Instant Pot Pulled Pork Sandwiches

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
3-4 pound boneless pork shoulder roast, cut into 2-inch cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups of your favorite BBQ sauce, divided
1 cup chicken stock or water

DIRECTIONS:

Whisk together the smoked paprika, brown sugar, garlic powder, black pepper, mustard and salt in a large ziplock until evenly combined.  Add the pork, then gently toss with the spice blend until it is evenly coated.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight.

When you’re ready to cook the pork, press “Sauté” on the Instant Pot.  Add the oil.  Then once it is hot (it will be shimmering), add a single layer of the pork pieces.  Brown the pork on all sides, then transfer the pork to a clean plate and set aside.  Repeat with the remaining pieces of pork.  (This may take you 2 or 3 batches.)  You can also brown the pork in a pan on the stove, which is what I prefer.  I feel like it takes longer in the Instant Pot and I don't mind washing an extra pan.

Once all of the pork has been browned, turn the Instant Pot off.  Then add the browned pork, chicken stock, and 1 cup of the BBQ sauce to the Instant Pot, and give the mixture a quick toss to combine everything.  Twist on the lid, turn the vent to “Sealing”, then set the pressure cooker to “Manual” for 60 minutes.  Once the time is up, let the vent naturally release.  (Don’t do the quick release option.)

Carefully open the lid.  Transfer the pork to a separate clean plate with a slotted spoon, leaving the juices behind.  Press the “Sauté” button once more, and let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes or until it has thickened and reduced by more than half.  Meanwhile, shred the pork with two forks.  (if the roast doesn't shred easily, pop it back into the IP for another 10 minutes, but I haven't had to worry about that with this recipe.)

Once the sauce has reduced a bit, skim some of the fat off of the top with a spoon or use a fat separator to separate and discard it.  Then add the shredded pork back into the sauce, and give everything a good toss so that it can soak up those tasty juices.

Serve on toasted buns topped with an extra spoonful or two of the remaining BBQ sauce.

Instant Pot Mexican Style Shredded Beef

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 3 Pounds beef chuck roast
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 Cloves fresh garlic (minced)
• 10 Ounce can diced tomatoes & green chilies
• 1/2 Large onion (sliced)
• 1/2 cup water
• Juice of one lime (about 2 Tablespoons)
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 3/4 Tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder

DIRECTIONS

Salt and pepper both sides of the chuck roast.  I had to cut mine into two pieces.

Select the Saute button on your Instant Pot, and add the oil.

Brown the chuck roast on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Remove the roast to a plate and deglaze the pot with the tomatoes and water.  Then place the roast back into the pot.

Add the garlic and onion slices.

Place the lid on the Instant Pot, select the high pressure setting, and set the timer for 75 minutes

The Instant Pot will beep when it is finished. Allow the built up pressure to release naturally, then remove the lid.

Shred the beef with two forks, I place mine on a large dinner plate.

Remove the tomatoes and onions from the pot and return the shredded beef.  I strain them but keep some of the juice to moisten the meat with.  Add it back into the beef when you put it back into the pot.

Add the lime juice, cumin, chili powder, and cilantro, stir to combine.

Place the lid back on top of the pot until ready to serve. Beef can be used to make tacos, salad, burritos, chimichangas, etc.

Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

• 1 box (16 ounce) of elbow macaroni
• 4 cups of water
• 3 Tb of butter
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 cup of heavy whipping cream (can sub 1 can of evaporated milk(12 ounce), half and half, or even whole milk)
• 2 cups of shredded medium or sharp cheddar cheese

Place the macaroni, water, salt and butter into the Instant Pot.  Set Instant Pot on 4 minutes high pressure and do a quick release of the pressure as soon as it's done.  Take lid off and immediately add whipping cream and stir. Then slowly add cheese and stir until it melts.  You can add a little hot sauce and dry mustard for flavor if desired.

Flat Enchiladas

Brown 6 TBS. shortening and 5 rounded TBS. flour
Add 3-4 coups water.  Bring to a boil.
Add 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce.  Bring to a boil again

Add:
1 tsp. salt
2 TBS. sugar
2 TBS. chili powder
2 TBS. vinegar
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2-1 tsp. cumin
pepper

Layer friend corn tortillas (just slightly fry the tortillas to make them soft) with sauce and cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Top with a fried egg.

Lime Cilantro Pork Tacos

1 lb. pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into thin strips

¼ tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. freshly grounded black pepper

2 tsp. olive oil (or veg oil)

1 ½ cups thinly sliced onions

½ cup green pepper, chopped

1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

½ cup fat free, less sodium chicken broth

½ cup chopped plum tomato

3 TBS. chopped cilantro

2 ½ TBS. fresh lime juice

8 (6 inch) flour tortillas

Heat in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper.  Add oil to pan.  Add pork, and sauté 4 minutes or until browned.  Remove pork from pan, place in bowl.  Add onion and jalapeno to pan, sauté 5 minutes or until tender.  Add broth; reduce heat, and simmer 1 minute, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.  Stir in tomato, and simmer 2 minutes.

Return pork and accumulated juices to pan.  Stir in cilantro and lime juice; cook 1 minute or until pork is done.

Heat tortillas according to package directions.  Spoon ½ cup pork mixture into each tortilla; roll up.

Browning the pork improves its color, and the browned bits enrich the sauce’s flavor, increase the amount of jalapeno pepper if you enjoy spicy foods.  Serve with lime wedges.

Total Time: 30 minutes

Quick Tip: To make the pork tenderloin easier to cut into thin strips, partially freeze it first.

Hot Corn Dip (or Casserole Main Dish)

1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 4 oz. can diced green chiles
1/2 c. diced red pepper
1 T. minced jalapeño
2 T. sliced olives
1 c. mayonaise
1 c. grated Monterey or Pepperjack cheese
1/2 c. grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Mix corn, chilies, jalapeño, olives and  red pepper in a medium bowl.  Add  mayo and stir well.  Add cheeses and stir.  Pour/spoon mixture into small casserole dish and bake at 350 until hot.  Serve with corn chips.

You can add cooked, shredded chicken to this to make it a main dish.