Pressure Cooker Salisbury Steak with Potatoes and Gravy

Somewhere online I found a recipe for Salisbury steak cooked in a pressure cooker and I saved it. I adjusted it to my own preferences and decided to make it last night. It was delicious!

Salisbury Steak Ingredients
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 cup crushed saltine crackers
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 TBSP vegetable oil

Potatoes and Gravy Ingredients
1 3/4 cups water
2 tsp beef base (Better than Bouillon)
1 packet Beefy Onion soup mix
1/2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 4 wedges each
2 TBSP cornstarch
1/2 cup cold milk

In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, cracker crumbs, egg and seasonings until all of the ingredients are thoroughly blended. Shape the meat mixture into 4 oval patties, about 1 inch thick.

Heat the oil in the pressure cooker on saute and cook each patty until browned on all sides. Once the patties are finished browning, carefully remove the patties and wipe the excess oil from the pot with a papertowel, but leave the browned bits of food.

Continuing on saute, deglaze the pot by adding the water and the beef base. Next add the Worcestershire sauce and the onion soup mix and stir to combine. Then place the peeled potato wedges on the bottom of the pot in the liquid. Next, place the rack that comes with the pressure cooker on top of the potatoes. Carefully arrange the beef patties on the rack, making sure they are above the liquid. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. (Note: I would have liked the patties to have been a little more tender. I'm not sure if this was the hamburger I purchased or the cooking time. I'll need to look into this and possibly adjust something.)

Once your minutes are up, use the quick release method to depressurize. Carefully open the lid after the pressure drops and remove the patties and potatoes to a serving plate and keep warm.

When only the cooking liquid remains in the pot, select saute. Mix together the cornstarch and the milk. Pour the cornstarch mixture into the simmering cooking liquid and stir until combined and thickened. To serve, plate a patty along with a few potato wedges and drizzle gravy over the top. Enjoy!

Restaurant Pancakes

Our family is big on breakfast and I have tried a lot of pancake mixes and recipes. A lot. I've even spent $10 on a mix hoping it would be worth it. It wasn't. I never could seem to find a pancake recipe or mix that created the perfect pancake (the kind you get a restaurant) and we used to have to go out to eat to get our fix. Until now. This is now my go-to recipe for pancakes. Enjoy!

1 1/2 cups milk (I use skim)
2 TBSPs white vinegar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/4 cups butter, melted
cooking spray

In a large bowl, combine milk with the vinegar and set aside. (I usually give it at least 5 minutes to "sour" while I'm getting all of the other ingredients together.) In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk eggs and butter into "soured" milk. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone. Coat a large skillet (or griddle) with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Pour 1/3 cupfuls (or a bit more if you want larger pancakes) onto skillet and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula and cook until browned on other side.

Best Burritos

My husband loved this dish and said it was one of the best meals I've made. I don't know if I'd go that far, but it's pretty good. And easy peasy, too. And that's usually my goal...simple and tasty. If you hand me a recipe and it requires 15 ingredients and hours of prep, I'll likely hand it right back...unless it's Dragonfire Chicken, but I'll save that for a later post. Now go drag your slow cooker out and get this meal started!

• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds stew meat
• 1 large (19 oz) can mild enchilada sauce
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• 1 can refried beans (probably won't need the entire can, just depends on your tastes)
• 5-7 burrito size flour tortillas (or 10-12 taco size flour tortillas if you want to make smaller burritos)
• 2-3 cups shredded cheese (whatever kind you prefer will work - I used a white Mexican cheese in the burritos and cheddar on top)

Put beef, bouillon, and enchilada sauce into a slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until meat is fork tender. When beef is done, preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a dish large enough to hold the amount of burritos you are going to prepare. Next, select a tortilla and spread a spoonful of beans down the middle. Then scoop and drain a large spoonful of meat from slow cooker and place evenly on top of the beans. Sprinkle desired amount of cheese on the meat and roll it up and place into the baking dish. Repeat these last few steps until you've prepared all of your burritos. Pour some of the remaining enchilada sauce from the slow cooker over the burritos. (You will not use all of the sauce in the slow cooker.) Sprinkle with more cheese. Bake until heated through and cheese is bubbly, about 25-30 minutes.

(Recipe slightly adapted from Food Pusher.)

Cinnamon Baked French Toast

I recently came across this recipe and knew I needed to try it. I'm glad I did! It's also a great dish if you have guests over since you do all the prep work in advance. Enjoy!

FRENCH TOAST

• 1 loaf French bread
• 8 eggs
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 TBSP vanilla extract

CINNAMON TOPPING

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 stick cold butter, cut into pieces

Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Tear bread into chunks (about bite-sized) and evenly distribute in the dish. Whisk together eggs, milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla. Pour evenly over bread chunks. Cover tightly and store in the fridge several hours or overnight. In a separate bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add butter pieces and cut into the dry mixture until mixture resembles fine pebbles. Store cinnamon mixture covered in the fridge. When you're ready to bake the casserole, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove casserole from fridge and sprinkle crumb mixture over the top. Bake for approximately 1 hour. Scoop out individual portions. You can top each portion with butter and drizzle with maple syrup, but I like it just fine the way it is right out of the oven!

(Recipe very slightly adapted from The Pioneer Woman.)

Beef Stew with Beer and Paprika

This is a wonderful stew! (And I don't like beer!) Serve this with Beer Bread and everyone will thank you.

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp butter
2 lbs stew meat

1/2 cup chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bottle of beer (12 oz)
4 cups beef stock (or 4 cups water + 4 beef bouillon cubes)
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp sugar
4 carrots, peeled and sliced into chunks
4 medium red potatoes, cubed

Heat oil and butter in a Dutch oven (or large pot) over medium-high heat. Brown meat in two batches, setting aside on a plate when brown. Cut pieces in half. Set aside. Reduce heat a little and add chopped onion to the pot. Stir and cook for two or three minutes until softened, then add garlic for another minute. Pour in beer and beef stock, then add Worcestershire, tomato paste, paprika, salt, pepper, and sugar. Add beef back to the pot. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer on low for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Add carrots and potatoes, then cover and cook for approximately another 30 minutes (carrots and potatoes should no longer be firm and beef should be fork tender).

Note: I did not have a problem with the stew getting dry, but if you do, just add one cup of hot water at a time to replenish the liquid. I actually ended up thickening the stew at the end with a little flour dissolved in cold water. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

(Recipe slightly adapted from The Pioneer Woman.)

Beer Bread

I had not heard of beer bread until I ate at the Wunsche Brothers Cafe in Old Town Spring a few months ago. It was so tasty I bought a packaged bread mix from the cafe so I could make my own beer bread at home. And then later I discovered I could make this delicious bread from scratch with just four ingredients! So easy and yummy!

3 cups self-rising flour
1/2 cup sugar
12 oz beer
2 Tbsp melted butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x5 loaf pan and set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, and beer and mix well. (Mixture will be sticky.) Pour into prepared pan and bake for approximately 50 minutes (bread should be a nice golden brown color when done). Remove from oven and brush 2 tablespoons of melted butter all over top of bread and bake for an additional 3 minutes.  Let cool 10 minutes and then remove from pan and enjoy!

Tuscan Sausage Ragu

Having guests over for dinner and don't know what to cook? Go get your slow cooker because when you serve this flavorful sauce (over your choice of pasta), everyone will be happy!

1 lb sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

1 lb hot Italian sausage, casings removed

1/2 cup red onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup dry red wine

1 (28 oz) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (28 oz) can tomato sauce

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

salt to taste

1 cup heavy cream

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook and stir the sweet and hot Italian sausage until browned. Break the meat up into crumbles as it cooks. Stir in the onion and garlic; cook and stir until the onion is translucent. Carefully drain excess grease. Pour the mixture into a slow cooker. Add the wine, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil and oregano and mix. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Pour in the cream, stir, cover, and cook for 1 more hour. Add salt if desired, and serve over your choice of pasta.

(Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com.)

Slow Cooker Beef and Noodles

Super easy and yummy!

1 1/2 lbs stew meat
1 can cream of chicken soup (yes, chicken!)
1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix
Approx. 3/4 can of water (using empty soup can)
Package of egg noodles

Mix everything in slow cooker, except noodles, and cook on low about 8 hours.  When ready, cook noodles according to package directions and serve beef mixture over noodles.  (My hubby likes this served over mashed potatoes.)

(Recipe adapted from The Crockin' Girls.)

Orange Toffee Almond Sandies

This is another great Paula Deen recipe and it makes a ton of cookies!

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp orange extract
2 eggs
4 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp salt
3 TBSP orange zest
2 cups sliced almonds
2 cups English toffee bits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a mixing bowl, add butter, oil and sugars.  Beat until combined, then add extracts.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well each time.  Combine flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt in separate bowl.  Gradually add to the creamed mixture.  Stir in orange zest, almonds and toffee bits.  Drop by teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.  Bake until golden brown, about 10-12 minutes.  Cool on wire rack before serving.

(Recipe from Paul Deen.)

Cheesy Ham and Hash Brown Casserole

I made these hash browns for a brunch recently...delicious! This recipe can be prepared the night before so all you have to do in the morning is pop it in the oven.

1 (32 oz) pkg frozen hash browns (southern style type)
1/2 lb cooked, diced ham (I used Black Forest from the deli)
2 (10.75 oz) cans cream of potato soup
1 (16 oz) container sour cream
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups grated/shredded Parmesan cheese (I used the kind sold in a bag near all the other shredded cheeses)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13 dish. In a large bowl, mix hash browns, ham, soup, sour cream and cheddar cheese. Spread evenly into prepared dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake approximately 1 hour in preheated oven until bubbly and lightly browned.

(Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com.)

White Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chile Sour Cream Sauce

This is my new favorite dish. It is so good! You need to go buy the ingredients and make this. Now. Go. Your family will thank you.

8 soft taco size flour tortillas (my grocery store makes these fresh daily...woohoo)

3 cups shredded cooked chicken (make it easy and grab a rotisserie chicken from the deli)
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
2 cups shredded Monterrey jack and cheddar cheese blend, divided
3 TBSPs butter
3 TBSPs flour
1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 (4 oz) can fire roasted diced green chiles, mild
chopped fresh cilantro for garnish, if desired

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside. Mix the chicken together with all of the pepper jack cheese and 1 cup of the jack/cheddar cheese blend. Place an equal amount of the chicken mixture into each tortilla, roll up and place seam side down into prepared pan. In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour; cook and stir with a wisk for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, whisking until smooth. Continue cooking over medium heat until sauce is thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream and green chiles. Pour the sauce evenly over the enchiladas. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup of jack/cheddar cheese blend. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Sprinkle with cilantro just before serving, if desired.

(Recipe adapted from Let's Dish.)

Reindeer Feed

This is a great recipe, especially for the holidays. So easy and everyone will love munching on it!

3 cups Rice Chex cereal
1 cup white chocolate chips, melted
5-6 TBSPs crushed peppermint candy canes or starlite mints, divided

Mix the cereal with the melted white chocolate and about half of the crushed peppermints until the cereal is evenly coated. Spread cereal mixture out on a cookie sheet (lined with foil for easy clean up) and evenly sprinkle remaining crushed peppermints on top. Let cool completely (20-30 minutes) and then gently break up into pieces and enjoy. Betcha can't eat just one!

(Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker.)

Chicken with Awesome Sauce

This sauce really is awesome! I got this recipe from HEB and we will definitely be having this for dinner again soon. (For those of you not from Texas, HEB is a grocery store.) I had never heard of a Hatch chile pepper until I came across this recipe and apparently they are in season right now. If you can't get your hands on a Hatch chile pepper, you can use a poblano pepper instead.

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (approx 1 lb) trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
2 TBSP grapeseed oil
salt and pepper, to taste
4 bacon slices, chopped
1 Hatch green chile pepper, chopped
1/3 cup Robert's Reserve Pineapple Coconut Mango Tequila Sauce

Preheat grill to medium heat. Toss chicken in oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill chicken for 5 - 6 minutes on each side or until cooked through. While the chicken is cooking, sauté bacon and pepper in a skillet over medium heat until bacon is a little crispy. Add pineapple sauce to the pan and heat for 30 seconds. Pour sauce over chicken and serve. Yum!

Simple Salsa

This is a great salsa recipe! It's really easy, especially if you have a 3 cup mini food processor. (I'm pretty sure my mini food processor cost less than $15 at Wal-Mart.) Even though this recipe uses canned tomatoes, the other ingredients give it a boost a fresh flavor. I've always used kosher salt for this recipe, so be careful if you use a different type of salt because you may not need as much. And I personally use quite a bit of cilantro, but you can adjust the amount to suit your tastes.

1 can (14.5 oz) Mexican stewed tomatoes
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
juice from one small lime (or half of a large lime)
handful of fresh cilantro leaves

Dump all of the ingredients into a mini food processor and pulse until the cilantro leaves are all chopped up and everything is well blended. Enjoy!

Chocolate Cream Cheese Brunch Cake

Who can resist cream cheese, chocolate, and crescent rolls? Not me! This one's a keeper!

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, separated
1/3 cup Nutella
2 (8 oz) cans crescent rolls
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the egg yolk and sugar and mix until well blended. Fold in Nutella and set aside. Unroll one can of crescent roll dough on the bottom of the pan (pinch seams together). Spread cream cheese mixture evenly on top of crescent roll layer. Roll out second can of crescent roll on top of cream cheese layer (pinch seams together). In a small bowl, beat egg white until frothy and brush on top of crescent roll dough. Bake for 20-25 minutes until light golden brown. Drizzle and swirl melted milk chocolate around on top of cake. Let cool and serve. This can also be made the night before and refrigerated until you're ready to serve it.

Au Gratin Potatoes

These cheesy and creamy potatoes are so easy and so good! I'm getting hungry just thinking about them!

4 1/2 - 5 cups of Russet potatoes, cubed
1 TBSP butter, softened
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
2 TBSP flour
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
pepper, to taste
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Smear softened butter around on the inside of a 9 x 9 baking dish (or similar size). In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream, milk, flour, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Place half of the potatoes in the baking dish and spread out evenly. Pour half of the cream mixture over the potatoes. Place the remaining potatoes in the baking dish, then pour the remaining cream mixture evenly on top. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for about 20 more minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown and bubbly. Sprinkle cheese on top of the potatoes and bake until cheese is melted (about 5 more minutes). Yum!

Creamy Sausage Dip on Melba Toast

This creamy, flavorful dip is wonderful served on crunchy Melba Toast. I love a good dip and this one is definitely a keeper!

1 lb sausage
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup real mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown and crumble sausage until no longer pink. Remove from heat, drain off drippings and add all remaining ingredients. Pour into baking dish. Bake 20 minutes or until bubbly. Keep warm (a small slow cooker comes in handy here) and serve with Melba Toast.

Lime Glazed Shortbread Cookies

Oh my, these cookies melt in your mouth. Delicious! Next time I might experiment with a different glaze and I also want to try using my cookie press to make some cute shapes.

Shortbread Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
1/4 cup corn starch
1 tsp vanilla
white sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, beat butter and powdered sugar, then add the other ingredients, except the white sugar, and mix well. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place on ungreased baking sheet. Flatten each ball to 1/4 inch thick and sprinkle with white sugar. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool completely.

Lime Glaze

1/2 cup powdered sugar
4 tsp fresh lime juice

In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar and lime juice. Mix well. Brush glaze over cooled cookies and let set for 30 minutes or until glaze has hardened.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

I've been on a soup kick lately. Not sure why exactly. I will definitely make this recipe again though. Good stuff!

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 package (16 oz) frozen mixed vegetables, prepared according to package directions
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
1/4 tsp onion salt
Ritz Crackers

Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and mix well. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Add vegetables, chicken, broth, and onion salt and stir well. Heat through and serve. Top individual servings with Ritz Crackers.

Caramel Pecan Pie

In our home we always have a traditional pecan pie for dessert after Thanksgiving dinner. This year I'm tweaking the tradition a bit and serving this pie. It is so good!

36 individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped pecans
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust (I like Pillsbury's refrigerated pie crust that you roll out and press into a glass pie plate.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan over low heat, combine caramels, butter and milk. Cook, stirring frequently, until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside. In a large bowl, combine sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt. Gradually mix in the melted caramel mixture. Stir in pecans. Pour filling into unbaked pie crust. Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown. Allow to cool until filling is firm.