Rice and Brats (day 1) turned into Soup (day 2)

Instant Pot Rice and Brats

4 cups rice (I used brown rice, so made some adjustments, mentioned below)
1 qt chicken broth
4 bratwurst (We used the blue diamond packaged bratwurst from Aldi) 

Close pot, close vent, and turn to rice setting

While rice is cooking,
Slice bratwursts into quarters lengthwise and then into slices, and saute'

When rice is done, stir in 1/2 stick of butter, the bratwurst pieces and an equal amount of frozen corn.
Enjoy as is first night (we did add a little dressing to moisten the rice a bit~ some had Lighthouse Caesar and some had Trader Joe's Chipotle Ranch~ either way it was a winner).

2nd Night Rice and Brats Soup

1 onion - diced                                    1/2 container pureed tomato
2 large carrots - diced                          2 containers chicken broth
2 stalks celery - sliced and diced         Tuscan Spices*
Siracha                                                 Oil (Grapeseed or other oil)

Saute' one onion in instant pot on saute' medium heat for 5-10 minutes.
Add carrots and celery and saute' for another 10 minutes until all vegetables are soft.
Sprinkle with Tuscan Spices, and add pureed tomato and one container of chicken broth.
Let boil for 20 minutes then lower the saute' heat to low, add the 2nd container of chicken broth, and allow to simmer for another 20 minutes. Add Siracha to taste.

Blessings~

The Newest "Mom's Chicken Soup" (Instant Pot recipe)

The Newest "Mom's Chicken Soup"

1 onion chopped
3 ribs of celery sliced lengthwise and chopped
4 large carrots chopped
4 large cloves of garlic chopped
6-8 white potatoes chopped
3 qts chicken broth
1 bag of Aldi's Ancient Grains
Old Bay Seasoning
ground savory
Aldi Poultry Seasoning
1 roasted chicken skinned, deboned and chopped
1 bag frozen peas

1. Turn IP on to Saute' adjust heat to low, and saute' onions till almost caramelized (10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally)
2. Add the garlic and saute' for a 3-5 minutes
3. Add the carrots and celery and saute' for another 5-10 minutes.
4. Put the potatoes and Ancient Grains in and sprinkle with seasonings (guessing amounts~ 1/4 tsp Old Bay, 1/3 teaspoon ground savory, and 1/2 to 2/3 tsp Poultry Seasoning? Not sure, I just added to the pot, but they definitely are part of what made this so good!) and stir.
5. Add 1.5 quarts of chicken broth and close the lid to the IP
6. Lock the venting knob (Turned all the way it will go clockwise), press Manual, high heat, for 10 minutes. Natural Release when it is over.
8. Add the chicken pieces and the peas. Turn on to Saute' to make sure that they heat through (I let it come to a boil again~ I was busy doing other things :), and then
7. Stir and serve, adding ground pepper to taste.

Blessings~

Cauliflower, Cabbage, and Sausage Soup

Cauliflower, Cabbage, and Sausage Soup

2 quarts Chicken Broth (One for now, one later)
1 head of Cauliflower chopped
1/2 head of Cabbage chopped  into large chunks
1 onion chopped
4-6 cloves garlic

1 box Cream Cheese
1-2 cups frozen peas
1-2 cups frozen corn
4 sausages, sliced lengthwise twice, and then sliced in pieces (quarter rounds)

1. Pour one qt of chicken broth in the instant pot with all of the vegetables
2. Close lid and vent
3. Push the "Manual" button and adjust time to 12 minutes
4. While soup is cooking, saute' sausage pieces until lightly browned on at least one side
5. NP release after 10 minutes, and use immersion blender until smooth (Or blend in small batches *carefully in a regular blender)
6. Add cream cheese in "chunks" and blend until smooth.
7. Add the peas and corn while stirring (to avoid clumping of frozen veggies) and the sausage pieces

Keep the soup on "Warm" for at least 10 minutes to allow the vegetables to warm up before serving.
Add salt and pepper and serve with bread or crackers.


Blessings~

Instant Pot Curried Carrot Soup

Curried Carrot Soup

This soup harkens back to a few decades ago, when we were introduced to it by good friends who always made it for their Christmas Caroling parties in Cambridge (MA), so it holds a special place in my heart.

What follows is loosely based on a recipe by Wilson Farms in Lexington, MA.

Curried Carrot Soup in the Instant Pot

1-2 TBS Grapeseed Oil (I've started using this for sautéing, as it has a higher burn point than Olive Oil.)
2 Tbs Butter
1 onion (chopped)
8 large carrots (cut into large chunks)
2 medium-large white potatoes (cut into large chunks)
4 stalks celery (chopped)
2 quarts chicken broth
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
Curry Powder (to taste)
Large curd cottage cheese (optional)

*Asiago Cheese grated over top to taste (Optional)
Frozen Corn (optional)
Sausage/meatballs (Optional)

*Sprinkle of Lemon Pepper Seasoning to "finish" each bowl (Optional)
*New Additions/Updates 

Instructions

1. Set your Instant Pot on sauté, adjusting to the "low" setting if your pot has one.
2. While it is heating up, chop your onion (I prefer to use sweet).
3. When the display shows hot add your oil and butter, and when the butter has melted add the onions.

Sautéd onions and veggies waiting to be added

4. While the onion is sautéing, chop your celery, peel and chop your carrots and potatoes.
5. When the onion is golden, add the rest of the veggies to the pot, the salt and pepper and curry powder, and one quart of chicken broth. Turn the pot off.
6. Close the lid, and set the venting knob to seal.
7. Push the "pressure" button, "manual" button,  and "adjust" to make sure it is now on "high" and set for 8 minutes.

8. When the timer beeps let the pot sit for 15 minutes natural pressure release. You can let it finish that way (till the pin drops), or if you are in a rush, you can turn the knob to vent to release the rest of the steam, being careful to watch out for splatters...

9. After the pin drops, open the lid and turn the pot off. Let it cool for a couple of minutes and then use an immersion blender (<- One of my favorite "newer" kitchen tool!) to puree what's in the pot. Alternatively, scoop carefully into a blender and puree in small batches. Too much hot stuff will cause your contents to explode all over the place (Ask me how I know? Broccoli soup is a mess to clean up! ), so be careful.

10. Add the rest of the chicken broth, and adjust the seasonings to taste.

I like to add a big spoonful of (large curd) cottage cheese to this soup (As pictured at the top of this post), which gives it a very nice texture, but it isn't always in house (oops... forgot that on the grocery list today!) So instead we went with adding frozen corn and some tortilla chips for crunch, which was also good! Other optional ingredients I listed are sliced/diced sausages and/or meatballs, either of which would be a great addition as well. 

Really a very versatile soup, and if you try it, let me know what you think!

Blessings~

That word does not mean what you think it means... (?)

TRANSPARENCY

No more words, just a lot of thoughts...

Blessings~