Muffin Mania #2 Rye Rolls

The second batch of muffins I made during my unexpected day off weren’t actually muffins, they are yeasted dinner rolls.

I can can hear some of you saying, “Nope, not going to mess with kneading and shaping and raising.” In this recipe, all you have worry about is the raising. The kneading is taken care of with a mixer and the shaping is taken care of with a spoon. Seriously, as long as you don’t get the milk too hot and kill the yeast you can’t screw up this recipe and they taste good too.

Rye Rolls

• Difficulty: Easy
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3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 TBS sugar

1/2 tsp caraway seeds

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 tsp yeast

1/2 cup milk

1 TBS shortening

3 TBS lightly beaten egg

1/2 cup rye flour

In a medium bowl, combine 6 tablespoons flour, sugar, caraway seeds, salt and yeast.

In a small saucepan, heat the milk and shortening, stirring constantly, until it starts to feel hot. Add the milk mixture and egg to the flour mixture and stir to combine. Using an electric mixer, beat the flour/milk mixture for 3 minutes on medium speed. Add the rye flour and mix well. Add enough of the remaining all purpose flour to make a stiff dough.

Grease the muffin pan. Fill each cup 2/3 full of batter. Let the batter raise, uncovered, in a warm place for 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until done. Brush the muffin tops with melted butter.

Instant Pot Mini Monday — Mac and Cheese

Guys,  I am so excited!  I get to share the recipe I tested for Christina Lane with you today.  It’s Mac and Cheese in the Instant Pot.  I have to be completely honest, when I first saw this recipe I didn’t have any idea how the heck it was going to turn into mac and cheese with no milk and pasta made in the pressure cooker.  I thought this may be the second thing I found not worth making in the pressure cooker.  However, I trust Christina so I made the recipe just like we talked about.  I am so glad I did because this is awesome.   I have made this mac and cheese twice in the last week and I can’t remember the last time I made a recipe twice in one week.  The quality of the cheese you use is what makes this dish use the best you can afford.  I used my favorite Cabot extra sharp cheddar and Frigro block Parmesan cheese.

Christina Lane’s Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

Whole30 Day 6 Pressure Cooker Pork Roast

I don’t have much to say today. I am just so tired.  I guess this is normal. I am not giving my body the quick form of energy it is used to using and my body isn’t efficent using  the new  form of energy I am giving it yet. The literature says  this too shall pass.

Thank goodness for my pressure cooker.  If I had to make an effort to cook today, I probabally would have given in and orered  a sandwich from Erbert’s and Gerbert’s.

Pressure Cooker Pork Roast

• Difficulty: Easy
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1 3 lb pork roast

1 – 2 tsp salt

1 – 2 tsp smoked paprika

1-2cloves garlic cloves, sliced

Place your trivet in the bottom of your pressure cooker liner.  Add enough water to bring your pressure cooker to pressure.  Cut seveal slits into your roast and push slivers of garlic into each slit.  Spinkle the top and bottom with salt and paprika.  Be generous. You want it to be well seasoned.  I ended up using about 1 1/2 teaspoons each of salt and paprika.  Place the roast on the trivet. Lock the lid.  Bring to pressure and cook for 90 minutes.  Use natural release.   Remove the pork from the liner and slice or shred the pork.

Whole30 Day 2 — Pressure Cooker Hard Boiled Eggs

One of the things that drew me to the Whole30 is they want the Whole30 journey to be about more than a number on the scale. They don’t want you to weigh yourself for the entire month. No problem here, I don’t own a scale. How do you stay motivated if you can’t see the number on the scale consistently go down? The Whole30 helps you stay motivated by concentrating on non scale victories (nsv). Non scale victories are the little success’ we have everyday on our journey. Maybe we bypassed the free donuts in the break room at work. Maybe we bypass a serious sugar craving by taking a walk. Maybe we, firmly but politely, told our less than supportive friend, we would love to spend time with them, just not at a restraunt.

Today I had a NSV that I am pretty proud of.  I decided to go to a movie this afternoon. I am on vacation and I made it through  my first day of my Whole30, I wanted to have a little celebration.   I didn’t think bypassing the concession stand would be that big of a deal.  I usually go to the movies with my friend, Steph, who has sensitivities to certain sounds, like me munching on popcorn.   I usually don’t get anything as I refuse to pay $4 for candy I can get at work for .98 cents.  I seriously under estimated the pull of movie theater popcorn on my psyche.  As I walked towards the theater I actually thought I am only on day 2.  I could have the popcorn and start over tomorrow. Nobody would have to know.  The problem is I would know so I went in bought my ticket and took my seat without a stop at the concession stand.  Popcorn just wasn’t worth screwing up my Whole30.

There are as many ways to hard boil eggs as there are people who boil them so why am I posting this one?  On the Whole30 eggs are your friend.  Hard boiled eggs are a quick source of grab and go protien.  Hard boiled eggs in the pressure cooker  is a very quick way to make them.  I absolutely love the texture of the eggs made in the pressure cooker and even eggs fresh out of the chicken peel like a dream.

Pressure Cooked Hard Boiled Eggs

• Difficulty: Easy
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However many eggs you want to cook

enough water to bring the pressure cooker to pressure

Place the eggs in the pressure cooker liner and add enough water to bring the it to pressure.  Lock the lid and cook on high pressure for 3 minutes.  Release the pressure with a 10 minute natural release.  Rinse under cold water until the eggs are cool.  Store in the refrigerator.

Pressure Cooker Corned Beef And Cabbage

My counter top oven is dying.  I know they don’t last forever (this is my second one) .  I bought it for about $55 dollars about 3 or 4 years ago and I use it atleast once daily, so I know I have gotten my money’s worth from this particular kitchen item.  It’s just that they no longer make this particular brand of counter top oven any more.  I am going to have to make a a decision on a new one soon.  I know it isn’t the worst thing I could have to happen to me.  I just suck at making decisions and I hate change, especially in my kitchen.

My dying counter top oven may not be the worst thing that has ever happened to me but it is currently the most annoying thing.  I wanted to make a baked corned beef brisket today.  With my unreliable oven, I didn’t want to take the chance of ruining it. I was so bummed because today was the only day I had time to do the long, slow cook that a corned beef brisket needs to become tender.  After a good pout,  it occured to me I could make a corned beef brisket in my pressure cooker.  A quick internet search for a recipe, I found one by Gutsy By Nature.  I absolutely loved how the cook tossed out the spice packet that came with the brisket and made her own.  I also loved how the pressure cooker cut the the cooking time from over 3 hours in the oven to just over 90 minutes in the pressure cooker. The corned beef brisket was very lightly flavored (I would probably double the spices next time) and not overly salty like corned beef brisket sometimes gets.  I will always bake my corned beef brisket whenever possible but when I can’t I will use this recipe and my pressure cooker.

• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

3-4 lb corned beef brisket

4 cups water

1 small onion

3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

2 bay leaves

3 whole black peppercorns

1/2 tsp whole allspice berries

1 tsp dried thyme

1  1/2  lbs small potatoes

5 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

1 small cabbage, quartered

In a 6 quart pressure cooker, add the water, onion, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, allspice berries and thyme.  Lock the lid and set the timer for 90 minutes at high pressure.  Release the pressure with a 10 minute natural release.  Remove the meat and keep warm.  Add the vegetables.  Lock the lid.  Set the time for 10 minutes at high pressure.  Release the pressure with a quick release.  Server the corned beef with the vegetables and a side of soda bread.