Cheeseburger Mac and Cheese

I haven't shared any Instant Pot / multicooker meals on here, and I realized I probably should.  Now let me take a moment to state a couple of things.  One, some people get really excited about their instant pot and try to cook *everything* in there and I don't hold with that.  Some dishes / recipes need a stove top or an oven or a grill.  Two, some people don't seem to see any benefit to using an instant pot because it's not in fact "instant".  It takes time to come to pressure (stuff I make is around 10 minutes) and there is a bit of a learning curve for how to put everything in there (follow recipes - don't try to wing it at first!).  When I share the spaghetti recipe I make, I will explain the differences and why the instant pot can be useful.  So anyway, I was reading TheKitchn (on feedly) and saw this post about 10 Instant Pot Beef Dinners to make and the last item caught my eye, so I decided to make it Saturday night.  And it was so easy!  It's not terribly photogenic, but it did taste good.

Set an electric pressure cooker to sauté and add 2 tablespoons butter. When melted, add 1 pound lean ground beef and cook, breaking up the beef and stirring, until cooked through, about 6 minutes. Turn off the heat, add 1 teaspoon onion powder, 3 tablespoons ketchup, and 1 tablespoon yellow mustard; stir to combine. 

Add 1 pound short, dry pasta (such as cellentani), 4 cups water, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt and stir to combine. Lock on the lid, make sure the pressure valve is set to seal, and use the manual setting to set for 5 minutes of high pressure. It should take about 10 minutes to come to pressure. Quick release the pressure. Turn the pressure cooker off.

Add 3 cups shredded cheese (such as American, mild cheddar, or Colby) and 1/2 cup half-and-half, and stir, stir, stir. Cover and let sit for 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

Sloppy Joes

I have realized that I have never posted Sloppy Joes on here.  We (the boyfriend really) found this recipe a number of years ago and we made it and called it good.  And then I tried to make the stuff in the can (I was looking for a quick and easy dinner one night) and ... omg - I just can't eat that stuff any more.  The flavor isn't right, etc etc.  So now I make this on the regular.  It's actually still pretty easy, chop your veg, a bit of browning the meat, add all the ingredients (start measuring out while you're tending the beef), and then let it simmer for a half hour.  I usually size it up to 9 servings and use a pound and a half of ground beef - that way I'm sure there's plenty, especially if we're hungry.



1 pound lean ground beef
¼ cup chopped onion
¼ cup chopped green bell pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
¾ cup ketchup
3 teaspoons brown sugar
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

Step 1
In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, onion, and green pepper; drain off liquids.

 Step 2
Stir in the garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar; mix thoroughly. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

The Lady's Chicken Noodle Soup

The boyfriend made this last year (or so) and I really loved it.  He did the whole thing with making the stock while I was at work and then assembled the soup part when I got home.  I had been wanting it again (I really loved the creamy aspect - not something I think of with chicken noodle) so I made it last Saturday.  Because I went straight from stock to soup steps, the stock pretty much stayed at boil while I added everything in.  But I cheated - I didn't want to deal with cutting up a whole chicken nor deboning it so I used chicken tenders and thighs (to get a combination of white and dark meat).  In hindsight I used a bit more chicken than I really needed.  But soup is forgiving about that.  I do wonder though if my stock would have been richer with the bones.  Maybe that was the reason I think his tasted better than mine... or maybe it was because I didn't have to make it!


Ingredients
Stock:
1 (2 1/2 to 3-pound) fryer chicken, cut up
3 1/2 quarts water
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 bay leaves
3 chicken bouillon cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Soup:
2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups sliced celery, with leafy green tops
2 1/2 cups uncooked egg noodles
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/3 cup cooking sherry
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 cup grated Parmesan, optional
3/4 cup heavy cream, optional
Seasoning salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Crusty French bread, for serving

Directions
1.  For the stock: add all ingredients to a soup pot. Cook until chicken is tender, about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and set aside to cool. Remove and discard bay leaves and onion. You should have approximately 3 quarts of stock. When chicken is cool enough to touch, pick bones clean, discarding bones, skin, and cartilage. Set chicken aside.

2.  For the soup: bring stock back to a boil, add carrots, and cook for 3 minutes. Add celery and continue to cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Add egg noodles and cook according to directions on package. When noodles are done, add chicken, mushrooms, parsley, sherry and rosemary. Add Parmesan and cream, if using. Cook for another 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning, if needed, by adding seasoning salt and pepper. Enjoy along with a nice hot crusty loaf of French bread.

Cauliflower Mac & Cheese

It was time for another cooking soup recipe.  This turned out to be easy peasy and although not quite like your original mac and cheese, it was good.  However, if you're craving the regular, you might be disappointed with this.  I served it with some chicken strips I had in the freezer (also 400*, win!).  Also, the recipe below is what was on the back of the can and what I made.  The version on the website uses the shells and adds broccoli.  I used whole milk and the shredded cheddar I found at the store.


8 oz uncooked medium shell pasta or rotini
1 can Campbell's Condensed Creamy Cauliflower Soup
1 1/2 cups shredded 2% cheddar
1/4 cup 2% milk
1/4 tsp black pepper

1.  Cook and drain pasta.  Meanwhile, heat oven to 400*.
2.  Stir all ingredients in 1 1/2 quart casserole.
3.  Bake 20 minutes or until hot.

Chicken Tetrazzini

The boyfriend found this recipe and it was the perfect time since I had just poached up a big package of chicken breasts (half were cubed and half shredded).  I used shredded for this recipe.  Also, as you can see by the picture, I opted for the casserole dish instead of cooking in the dutch oven (the cast iron dutch oven can't go in the dishwasher - the glass 10x13 pan can!)  The blog author included cooking times for both options (see recipe notes at the bottom).

Ingredients

For the Chicken Tetrazzini:

• 12 oz thin spaghetti or linguine
• 4 cups shredded rotisserie chicken *or cook 2 lbs chicken breast
• 1 lb button mushrooms thickly sliced
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 3-4 garlic cloves minced
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil

For the Creamy Sauce:

• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups half and half or sub with equal parts milk & heavy cream
• 1 tsp sea salt or to taste
• 1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped, plus more to garnish
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat Oven to 350˚F. Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water until aldente according to package instructions then rinse to stop the cooking process, drain and set aside.
2. Cut 4 cups of chicken meat from a rotisserie chicken and shred into bite-sized pieces and set aside. 
3. Place a large dutch oven or pot over medium/high heat. Add 2 Tbsp oil then add sliced mushrooms and sauté 3 min or until softened. Add diced onions and cook until onions are soft and golden, 5-7 min. Add minced garlic and sauté another 1-2 min until fragrant. Remove to the cutting board with chicken.
4. In the same pot, melt 4 Tbsp butter and whisk in 1/3 cup flour until lightly golden (1 1/2 min). Add 2 1/2 cups chicken broth, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and whisk until smooth. Add 1 1/2 cups half and half and bring to a simmer. Season sauce with more salt and pepper to taste. 
5. Return chicken, mushrooms, onions and pasta to the pot then sprinkle in 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley and stir to combine. Sprinkle the top generously with shredded mozzarella, cover and bake at 350˚F for 30 min then remove lid and continue baking 15 min.**

Recipe Notes

*To cook your own chicken: in your dutch oven or pot, melt 1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Season 2 lbs chicken breasts with about 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Once oil is hot, saute chicken until golden brown on both sides and cooked through (about 4 min per side). Remove to cutting board to cool then cut into bite-sized pieces.

**If baking in a 13x9 casserole dish, cover with foil and bake 25-30 minutes then bake uncovered an additional 10-15 min (it bakes 5-10 min faster in a casserole dish)

Creamy Parmesan One Pot Chicken and Rice

Last year I was in a fb group for fall meal planning.  Well, we didn't do a good job with planning meals, but we did share some recipes.  I pinned the ones shared and now the group has disappeared so I can't be sure the pinned recipe I found when I went hunting this fall is one and the same.  But all turned out well.  This recipe came out excellent!  The boyfriend thought it could have used some mushrooms or some other veggies (I think sliced fresh mushrooms, not canned, could be added at the same time as the chicken, but I'm not sure when I would add something like broccoli).  I thought the taste was fantastic, but I'm sure it wouldn't be affected by the addition of at least the mushrooms.  And it's one pot!  That's so awesome!  Also, just a quick note, my store (as per usual when I want something specific) did not have regular boneless skinless chicken breasts, so I used tenders - which made the cutting into one inch pieces really speedy.

Ingredients

• 1.5 Pounds Chicken Breasts, Cut into 1 inch pieces
• 4 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 Large onion, Diced
• 3 Cloves Garlic, Minced (3 Teaspoons)
• 2 Teaspoons Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 2 1/2 Cups Chicken Broth
• 1 Cup long grain white rice
• 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
• 1/2 Cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Parsley for serving, Optional

Instructions

• Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, until beginning to soften.
• Add the diced chicken to the pan along with the Italian seasoning, pepper, and salt.
• Cook and stir for 5 minutes until chicken is golden on all sides.
• Add the garlic and cook for one more minute, stirring constantly.
• Add the chicken broth and rice to the pan and stir.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low.
• Cover with a lid and simmer for 17-20 minutes, until rice is completely tender.
• Stir in the heavy cream and parmesan.  Serve immediately topped with parsley if desired.

Skillet Mushroom Meat Loaves

Last week I spotted some new cooking soups in the grocery store.  And tonight I made the Skillet Mushroom Meat Loaves using the mushroom one.  The recipe was slightly different on the back of the can from the website and I didn't even realize I had skipped the riced cauliflower (I had made the shopping list from the website) until I had them cooking in the pan (the can does not call for the riced cauliflower).  Besides that, there was also a bit of variation on the cooking instructions.  So I did a bit of both in the end.  Paired with some easy mashed potatoes in a tub, it was a fairly simple dinner.  I love the meatloaf recipe that we've found, but this is quick version to have on a busy night.  (Below is the website version, feel free to skip the riced cauliflower as it doesn't have a lot of impact it seems, except adding some veggies to your meal).

Ingredients

1 pound 93% lean ground beef
1 3/4 cups thawed frozen riced cauliflower
1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1 small onion, diced (about 1/3 cup)
1 egg white or 1 whole egg
1 can (10 1/2 ounces) Campbell's® Mushroom Cooking Soup
1/4 cup ketchup

How to Make It
Step 1
Season the beef with salt and pepper, if desired. Thoroughly mix the beef, cauliflower, bread crumbs, onion, egg white and 1/4 cup soup in a large bowl.  Shape the beef mixture firmly into 4 mini loaves.  Stir the remaining soup and the ketchup in the soup can.

Step 2
Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add the meat loaves.  Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until well browned on all sides (let cook for at least 5 minutes before turning to prevent sticking).  Pour off any fat.

Step 3
Pour the soup mixture over the meat loaves.  Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the meat loaves are cooked through, stirring the soup mixture occasionally.  Spoon the soup mixture over the meat loaves before serving.