Cube Steak in Gravy {Instapot}

This is my go-to comfort food!  I love a super tender Cube Steak! <3 font="" nbsp="">

Ingredients:

• 1-2 pounds cube steak
• 1 10 oz can french onion soup
• 1 packet of Au Jus Gravy Mix
• 10 oz water
• 1 tbs steak sauce optional
• 2 tbs corn starch

Make it:

1. Place steak in your InstaPot. Pour gravy mix over the steaks.
2. Pour in your can of onion soup and fill the same can with water and pour in.
3. Place your InstaPot on Manual High Pressure for 4 minutes.
4. Do a natural release for 5 minutes then quick release and pull out the steaks, and place on a plate for serving.  Place your instant pot on saute.
5.  Bring to a boil and whisk in cornstarch if your gravy is not thick enough. 
6.  Serve and enjoy!

Hoppin John!

Here is a southern favorite here! 

Hoppin John! 

Makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

6 cups hot cooked rice

1 bag (1 pound) dried black eyed peas, soaked overnight and rinsed

1/4 cup salted butter

1 smoked ham hock, or 1 cup Ham chopped (we use left over ham, but any ham works)

1 red bell pepper, diced

3 red sweet chilies, diced

1 medium white onion, diced

2 small celery stalks

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

4 cups chicken broth (I like to mix it half and half with chicken broth and vegetable broth)

1 bay leaf

Cajun seasoning

Salt and pepper

Directions:

1.  Sort and rinse peas.  Soak peas in  enough water to cover at least 8 hours or overnight.  Drain and rinse peas; set aside.  In a large pan, heat butter over medium heat.  Add onion, pepper, celery, and chilies. Sauté about 5 minutes or until onions are translucent.  Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. 
2. Add ham hock, brother, and bay leaf.  Heat to a boil and reduce to simmer, stir in soaked peas.  Add salt to taste and cook 50-60 minutes or until peas are tender. 
3. Remove and discard bay leaf, remove ham hock.  Remove the ham from the bone: discard bone and shred ham.  Return ham back to the pot and stir.  Serve over cooked rice.

We LOVE it served over rice! Enjoy!

Bubba's Favorite Jumbalaya

We love southern cuisine, and Jumbalaya is one of our go-to's!

Makes 10-12 servings

Ingredients:

½ cup vegetable oil

1 chicken cut into small pieces

1 pound of andoiulle sausage, sliced 1/4” thick

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 large white onion, diced

3 small celery stalks

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 can (28 ounce) diced tomatoes

1 (6 onnce) can tomato paste

1 Tablespoon chopped parsley

5 cups uncooked rice

8 cups chicken broth (I like to mix it half and half with chicken broth and vegetable broth)

Cajun seasoning

Salt and pepper

Directions:

1.  In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken and sausage and cook until the chicken is browned.
2. Add bell peppers, garlic, celery, and onion. Sautee with meat until onions start to become opaque.   Add canned tomatoes, tomato paste and parsley.  Bring to a simmer, turn down to medium heat, cover, and cook for 30-45 minutes. 
3. Add rice, chicken stock, Cajun seasoning, salt and pepper to taste.  Cover the pot and lower heat to medium-low.  Stir the jumbalya rolling the bottom rice to the top every 4-5 minutes.  Continue to do this to keep the rice from sticking for 30 minutes.  Keep covered while not stirring,.
4. Remove from heat, keep covered and let stand for 15 minutes before serving.  Fluff with spoon, and serve! 

Add diced jalapenos for more heat!

Sunday Pot Roast {Instapot}

Sunday Pot Roast {Instapot}

Ingredients

4lb boneless chuck roast

1 cup beef stock (we prefer to use Vegetable stock)

2 onions, quatered

2 carrots, peeled and cut into pieces

2 celery sticks, cut into pieces

1 sprig of thyme

3 Bay leaves

2 garlic cloves, Crushed

Salt and Pepper

2 tbsp cornstarch

Make it:

1. Start by browning the chuck roast in a little oil in the inner pot by turning on the saute function on your Instapot or Electric Pressure Cooker, and adjust it to the medium heat option. Don't wait for the display to say 'hot', add oil right away and brown the meat on both sides, then remove it. 

   If the chuck roast is really wide it may be easier to brown it in a skillet in the stovetop instead.
2. Add the vegetables and garlic, then place the meat on top of the vegetables and season well with salt and pepper. Please note that the vegetables that are cooked with the meat are simply there to enhance the flavor of the cooking liquid and make a great tasting gravy, they will be very soft at the end of the cook time so you should remove them from the gravy.
3. Tuck the thyme and bay leaves along the sides of the meat.
4. Pour in the beef stock or water, lock the lid, turn the steam release vent to 'sealing' and using the manual setting, adjust it to cook for 47  - 50 minutes at High Pressure. 

   My chuck roasts are about 1.5 - 2 inches thick and a 47 minute cook time works for me, if yours is much thicker than that you may need to increase the time a little.
5. When the cook time time is up, allow the unit to reduce pressure on its own without opening the steam release vent (Natural Release) for at least 12 minutes. 
6. After 12 minutes you can carefully and slowly release the rest of the pressure.
7. Remove the meat and cover with foil.
8. If you want to cook potatoes and carrots to serve with this then remove the meat once it's cooked and cover with foil to keep warm.

   Add baby potatoes and carrot chunks to a Steamer Basket and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes. You can then quickly release the pressure.
9. To make the gravy mix the cornstarch, with a little cold water.

   Add half of the corn starch mixture to the meat juices then turn on the saute function if you need to let it heat up again until it thickens. If you want it thicker simply add more starch mixture.

   Strain out the vegetables and serve over the meat. 

Chicken and Dumplings

 Here is a southern style chicken and dumplings that you are bound to LOVE! This is my go to comfort food! 

8 cups of chicken stock

2- 15 oz can of cream of chicken soup

2 Chicken breast, boiled and shredded

1/4 cup of PictSweet Farms, recipe helper seasoning blend (found in the frozen veggie isle)

2 cans of Pillsbury Buttermilk biscuits (cut each biscuit in half)

1 roasted garlic clove, chopped finely

salt and pepper

1/2 tablespoon dried basil

Make it:
1. In a 4 qt stock pot, bring the chicken stock to a boil.  Add in cream of chicken soup and stir til smooth. 
2. Add in veggie blend, Shredded chicken, and seasonings.  Bring back up to a boil, and add in biscuit pieces.  Stir gently to cover the biscuits in the soup.
3. Turn temperature down to medium and let slow boil for 8 minutes.  only stirring twice, to cover the biscuits and turn them over.
4. Stir one last time while pushing the dumplings (biscuits) under the soup and serve.

Chicken Parmesan Pasta

A super easy meal, that is quickly put together for a yummy dinner!  It has become a family favorite here. 

Ingredients:

1 large can of Crushed tomatoes, 

1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes

1 pound box of Ziti people

2 chicken breast boiled, and shredded

1/2 teaspoon basil 

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Top off with fresh parmesan

Make it:  Boil pasta according to the box directions.  Drain the water off the pasta, add tomatoes, chicken breast, seasonings, and parmesan cheese.

2. Top with fresh parmesan cheese, and put lid on it.  Let sit on the warm stove for 3-4 minutes.

Super easy and quick, perfect for the busy weekdays! Enjoy! 

Valentines day!

We love surprising our kiddos with cutesy meal ideas.  So for Valentines day, Everything is love themed, or in hearts, etc.  Here was this years Valentines meal!

Breakfast was Heart Shaped French toast and Sausage with Strawberry yogurt

For Dinner: Herbed Chicken Breast, Rosemary Potatoes, Salad with heart tomatoes, and heart shaped fruit

For Dessert: Love Cookies, Heart Shaped rice Krispie treats and heart Shaped Cherry marshmallows and regular marshmallows.