IP - Super Easy Gluten Free Ziti

 If your house is anything like my house, we LOVE pasta dishes.  I think I could survive on pasta alone!  We also love cheese, I mean, who doesn't love cheese!!  SO Ziti is a wonderful option. but I hate baking pasta.  We live in AZ, so the thought of turning on the oven, especially when it's warm out sounds torturous.  

Ingredients

• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 box (16 oz) pasta (I used Gluten Free Penne)
• 1 can (14.5 oz or 28 oz) crushed tomatoes (I used 28 oz)
• 2 cups shredded parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Pur 1 tablespoon of oil into the Instant Pot & sauté the garlic for less than 1 minute.
• Pour in the chicken broth first and then the heavy whipping cream. It's important to pour them in separately.
• Add the salt and pepper into the liquid.
• Add the pasta but DO NOT STIR. If there is a mound of pasta or pasta that is sticking way out of the liquid, then gently press it down with a spoon or spatula but do not stir it into the liquid!
• Evenly pour the crushed tomatoes over the pasta, DO NOT STIR!
• Secure the lid of the Instant Pot and set the valve to the 'sealing' position. Select 'manual' (or 'pressure cooker' if that's what your IP has) and change the time to 4 minutes cook time for Gluten Free Pasta. It will take about 8 minutes to come to pressure and then the 4 minute cook time will start.
• Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes (meaning do not unseal the valve just let the IP sit there for 10 minutes after the cook time), and then quick release the remaining pressure.
• Add the parmesan cheese and stir everything together until it's well combined.
• Serve with additional parmesan cheese and/or chopped fresh basil if wanted.

IP Rice - I need to post it, so I remember it!! SOOO EASY!!

Rice. I LOVE RICE. I hate cooking rice. It almost always boils over on the stove, and for sure it does in the microwave. Sure, it's fast to cook, but I've found that cooking it in the Instant Pot is so easy! You can use this Instant Pot white rice recipe to cook any long grain white rice. 

The key to prefect fluffy rice is the water to rice ratio, which is 1 to 1. This means that for every cup of rice you need 1 cup of water. Measure carefully... I use the same measuring cup for both the water and the rice so that my measurement is precise. This way, my rice will turn out perfect every time.

Ingredients

• 3 cups long grain white rice
• 3 cups water
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil (I never change the amount of oil even if I make less rice)

1. First thing you need to do is rinse your rice, it removes the extra starches that can clog up the steam valve. I just use a wire colander and rinse under cold water. Then place it into my IP. 
2. Then I add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, so my rice doesn't get sticky! (Don't worry, you won't taste it when it's done). 
3. Next measure out the same amount of water as rice. Make sure that all of the rice is in the water and not stuck to the sides of the pot. Then close the Instant Pot lid. Be sure to turn the steam release valve to the sealing position. If you forget to do this, your rice won’t cook properly.  
4. White rice needs 4 minutes of cook time at high pressure. Depending on your Instant Pot model, you will use either the Pressure Cook or Manual button. 
5. After the cook time ends, allow the pressure to release naturally for at least 10 minutes. I then transfer my rice to a tupperware and finish making whatever else I need (I really need two IPs!)

Easy, Cheesy, Crockpot ham & potatoes.

 So yea, it's been 5 years, I've been busy..  Who hasn't!  Now that we are in the time of virtual school and everyone has been home, easy dinner is a must!!  I found this recipe on pinterest from Tornadoughalli for these bomb Easy, Cheesy Crockpot Potatoes.  I made them for the 40th birthday party and they were a huge hit!  So I decided to play on them a bit.  We love ham and cheesy Potatoes in our house!  So I used her potato recipe, which is SO EASY!!  But made changes to it to make it more what we would like.  

1 32 oz bag frozen diced potatoes
1 medium onion diced (we don't do onions here, so I used 1 TBSP of onion powder)
1 cup sour cream
1 10.5 oz can cream of chicken soup (We used Broccoli Cheese Soup, but any cream of whatever you have it good)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
4 TBSP butter melted
3-3.5 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup water
Cubed ham (I used about half of what I had & it was plenty). 

Instructions

• In crockpot add your potatoes, onions, sour cream, soup, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, butter and 2 cups shredded cheese.
• Place lid on and cook on low for 4 hours.
• Remove lid and sprinkle with remaining cup of cheese and cover again for about 15 minutes until cheese is melted.

We always love a little Veggies with our meals, so I was going to add Peas, but I didn't have any, so we used Green beans.  I steamed them in the micro for 4 minutes and then added them to the crockpot for the remaining 30 minutes.  They were perfectly crunchy and delicious.  

Photos coming soon!  We ate it all and didn't get photos!! LoL

Dr. Pepper Pot Roast

I've always made pot roast with onion soup mix and mushroom soup.  Gets boring to eating the same things over and over...

Ingredients:

• 1 pot roast (we've used different types of roast, most recently a sirloin tip roast)
• 1 packet of Lipton Dry Onion Soup Mix
• 1 can of Dr. Pepper (or any soda you prefer to try)

Directions:

1. Place roast in crock pot
2. Pour packet of onion soup mix and soda over roast
3. Cook on low for 8-9 hours or High for 2 hrs/Low for 6 hrs

Crockpot Chicken and Broccoli Over Rice

Ingredients
Makes 4-6 Servings

• 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 14 ounce can Cream of Chicken Soup
• 14 ounce can Broccoli Cheese Soup
• 14 ounces Chicken Broth
• a pinch - Black Pepper, Celery Salt, White Pepper, Cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 6 cups steamed broccoli florets (Boiled in hot water for 3 minutes then drained)
• Shredded cheddar cheese (if desired - we use it to top)

Directions

1. Place soups, chicken broth, seasonings and garlic salt into a crockpot over low heat.  Whisk until smooth.  Add chicken, pressing to the bottom. Cover lid and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours.
2. When chicken is cooked, use forks to shred into pieces.  Stir in broccoli
3. Serve over steamed rice and sprinkle with cheese if desired.

[pictures coming soon]

Super Easy Shredded Chicken Tacos

So, I really don't like meals that take me forever to put together, I usually realize I have no ingredients for most of what I want to make.  My favorite thing, is my crockpot.  This meal was totally made for me!  We've been in a funk lately.  Today, I decided to give chicken tacos a shot.  SO EASY!!  

This is what you need.
1 package Taco Seasoning (do not mix with water)
4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, (I used frozen)1 16oz jar Salsa (any kind you want)

1 can black beans

Dump all ingredients into a crockpot.  Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours. When done, the chicken will shred easily with a fork.

Serve over tortillas (we used flour), with lettuce, cheese, avocado, whatever you love with your tacos!!

{photos coming soon}

Painting Washer/Dryer Pedestals

If anyone has looked at these pedestals, then you know they are crazy expensive!!  $250 each is an insane amount for drawers to raise your washer/dryer.  But anyone who hasn't bought them, knows that the height of the washer/dryer without them is super low.  I'd been sitting on the floor changing and folding my laundry.  We have the Samsung Merlot combo, which are hard to come by.  One day we went to Home Depot and they had the "Blue Silver" pedestal on clearance for $40 each.  $40!!!!  We scooped up two of them, because you cannot beat $80, compared to $500.  I asked around Home Depot, but no one seemed to know if I could paint them.  I searched the internet high and low trying to find out the same, there was nothing!   We decided to look at some paint chips, but later decided on spray paint.  We found a color that matched our "Merlot" almost exactly, it's called "Royal Garnet Satin"

We debated on whether or not to use a primer on the pedestals before spraying.  But since my Husband painted them while I was out of town, the primer didn't happen.  He used 1 can per pedestal.   We've thought of using a gloss over the top, since the spray was satin, but we decided against it.  Sure they aren't the same gloss as the combo, but to us, it doesn't matter.  The only place you can see that they look different is when you look into the laundry room from the family room.

For a little under $100, we love our new pedestals