Pressure Cooker Creamy Goat Cheese Pasta

Majorly easy and super tasty, 10+/10! 

Original recipe credit: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/instant-pot-creamy-goat-cheese-pasta-11355384

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

8 oz. (uncooked) penne pasta
10 oz. cherry tomatoes

1 1/4 c. chicken broth (can sub veggie broth)

1 T. olive oil

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

pinch crushed red pepper flakes

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 tsp. kosher salt

4 oz. log of goat cheese

fresh chopped basil, to taste

Directions:

1. Add penne, tomatoes, chicken broth, olive oil, oregano, crushed red pepper, garlic, and salt to the bowl of a pressure cooker (I use a 6 qt. size cooker). Stir to combine.

2. Place the goat cheese in center, atop the mixture.

3. Lock the lid in place and verify the value is in correct position for pressurization.

4. Set to cook for 5 min of pressure.

5. Once the pressure cycle has ended, carefully do a quick release of the pressure. Once pressure valve has dropped and all pressure has been released, carefully unlock and open lid.

6. Stir pasta together to combine. Top with basil, serve, and enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pistachios

These might sound odd, but I assure you, they are quite good...if you like pistachios, of course :) Even my son, who is not a major pistachio fan, enjoyed these. The addition of the pistachios in the dough makes for a nice chewy texture. In the end, there is just a hint of the pistachio flavor, not overwhelming.

Original recipe credit: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/pistachio-chocolate-chip-cookies-recipe

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

1/2 c. shelled salted pistachios

180g (1 1/2 c.) unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 c. sugar

1 stick (1/2 c.) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 c. light or dark brown sugar, packed (I used dark)

1 large egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment, set aside.

2. Add the pistachios, flour, and sugar to the bowl of food processor. Process together until nuts are ground and mixture is even consistency.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and brown sugar, then beat in the egg and vanilla.

4. Add the pistachio mixture, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix at low speed until dough comes together.

5. Stir in (by hand) the chocolate chips.

6. Make tablespoon-sized balls of the dough and place on the prepared baking sheets. Use a flat bottomed glass or measuring cup to flatten the balls to about 1/2" thickness.

7. Transfer to oven and bake for 10-12 min, until just starting to brown around edges. Remove cookies from oven and cool on a rack. Enjoy!

Chocolate Truffle Cookies with Sea Salt (with video link)

Rich, soft, chocolate-y delightfulness! 10+/10, not only for awesome level, but easy to make, easy to clean up from, and makes a small batch.

Link to my YouTube video of preparation: https://youtu.be/8lSGw5Gufps

Original recipe credit: https://www.ghirardelli.com/recipes/chocolate-truffle-cookies-with-sea-salt-rec1044

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips (60% cacao), to be melted

2 T. unsalted butter

1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract (*see my substitute in the video)

1/3 c. Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips (60% cacao), to stir into the dough

coarse sea salt

Directions:

1. Prepare a double boiler. In the top pan/part, melt the bittersweet chips and unsalted butter together. Once fully melted, stop the heat/burner, but leave the melted mixture in the pan (do not separate the pans of the double boiler).

2. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together sugar and eggs, then slowly whisk in the chocolate mixture, followed by the vanilla extract.

4. Stir in the flour mixture, then let cool a few minutes.

5. Once batter is cool enough, stir in the chocolate chips (if it isn't, the chips will melt, so be sure before doing this!)

6. Transfer to fridge to chill for 10-15 min. Meanwhile, heat oven to 350°F.

7. When oven and dough are ready, scoop rounded tablespoonfuls of batter onto baking sheet. Sprinkle each dough ball lightly with a pinch of the coarse sea salt.

8. Transfer to oven and bake for 7-8 min, until the outside looks slightly cracked. After removing from oven, let cookies cool on the sheet to finish before transferring to cooling rack. Enjoy!

Creamy Mushroom Mezzi Rigatoni

Yes, yet another cream + mushroom recipe lol. This time, it was to help use up some bacon :) I used the recipe linked below as inspiration and modified quite a bit. Hubby raved about the dish all dinner long. Hope you will enjoy!

Link to my YouTube "making of the recipe" video: https://youtu.be/yse_8dpq67w

Ingredients:

8 oz. dried mezzi rigatoni (or other pasta of your choice)

6 thick slices bacon, cut crosswise in 1/2" chunks/strips

8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced

~1/4 c. dry white wine (I used Barefoot Chardonnay)

1 T. bottled minced garlic

2 T. flour

1 c. chicken broth

1 1/4 c. heavy cream

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan (do NOT sub shelf-stable type)

~1/4 c. reserved pasta cooking water

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions. When draining the water, reserve some of the cooking water (I used around 1/4 cup, but you may want more, depending on texture/thickness preference for the sauce).

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat, until just barely crisped. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the drippings in the skillet.

3. To the skillet drippings, add the mushrooms. Stir to coat, then deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping up any browned bits. After 2-3 min, add the minced garlic. Cook until liquid has mostly evaporated.

4. Sprinkle flour over the mushrooms and stir to coat/combine.

5. Add the chicken broth and stir to coat/combine.

6. Add the heavy cream, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir to coat/combine. Increase heat slightly and bring sauce to boil, then reduce heat to keep at a low simmer for around 5 minutes, stirring occasionally (sauce should thicken).

7. Stir in the Parmesan. Adjust the thickness of the sauce to your liking by adding a small amount of pasta water at a time.

8. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and stir to coat. Serve and enjoy! 

Beef Quesatacos

Drool-worthy tastiness alert! These are really tasty and worth the effort to make...even breaking a wooden spoon LOL (see the video)! Will be making these again and again, 10+/10.

Link to my YouTube video of preparation: https://youtu.be/Szz9g3BbgrI

Link to original recipe: https://www.salsas.com/herdez/recipe/?id=beef-quesataco

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

3 T. canola oil plus a little for griddle/pan

1 medium Russet potato, washed, diced (I did not peel, as it was not indicated)

1 lb. ground beef

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. granulated garlic

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. coarse ground black pepper

2 large Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped if fresh (*I used frozen ones, thus did not chop)

1/4 c. yellow (or white) onion, roughly chopped

2 large cloves garlic

1/3 tsp. Mexican oregano

6 oz. (3/4 c.) Herdez Chipotle Salsa Cremosa

shredded queso Chihuahua

12 corn tortillas

optional: chopped cilantro

Directions:

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat canola oil, then add the diced potato. Cook for 10 minutes, or until cooked through and browned. Transfer cooked potatoes to a paper towel lined plate. Drain remaining oil off of pan and return it to burner.

2. Add beef to pan and break into crumbles. Stir in the kosher salt, granulated garlic, cumin, and pepper. Cook until meat is cooked through. Drain off excess grease (if any; mine was fairly lean meat, so I did not have to do so).

3. Add the tomatoes, onion, garlic, oregano, and Salsa Cremosa to a blender. Blend on high until smooth, then pour into cooked beef in skillet. Stir to combine and bring to simmer.

4. Return reserved potatoes to skillet and continue simmering until sauce begins to thicken (around 5 min for me; original recipe says 15-20 min, so yours may take this long, though I doubt it)).

5. Heat griddle (or flat-bottomed skillet) to medium. Coat with a small amount of oil. Fry the corn tortillas lightly on each side (around 10-20 sec will do).

6. Top the tortilla with some of the creamy mixture (not too much). Fold it over like a taco. Brush each side with a bit of the Salsa Cremosa and cook 1-2 min (until crisped).

7. Transfer to a serving platter. If desired, garnish with diced onion and cilantro (I did not do this, was still awesome). Drizzle a bit of remaining Salsa Cremosa over, serve, and enjoy!

Stuffed Eggplant with Italian Sausage

Another delicious dinner made with mom, 10+/10! This is a bit involved...totally worth it, though, we assure you! We only had 6 oz. of feta cheese on hand; it still tasted awesome, but we really wished we'd had the full amount plus some for garnish. Also discovered that scoring the eggplant pulp and using a grapefruit spoon makes it easier to "scoop out" the pulp.

Original recipe credit: https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/baked-stuffed-eggplant-italian-sausage

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

7 T. olive oil, divided

1 1/2 c. fresh breadcrumbs

2 tsp. lemon zest

1 3/4 tsp. salt, divided

2 or 3 small eggplants (~1 1/2 lbs.--for us, this was just 2 and it made plenty)

1/4 lb. mild Italian sausage (casing removed if in link form)

1 c. chopped yellow onion

1 lb. Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped

1/2 T. bottled minced garlic (or 3 cloves fresh)

1/2 tsp. black pepper

8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 T. plus 2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano, divided

2 T. plus 2 tsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided

1 T. red wine vinegar

1 c. jarred marinara sauce (we used Classico Sweet Basil)

Directions:

1. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise. Score the pulp (we made "chunk" sections), then scoop out the pulp, enough to leave a 1/4" shell. 

2. Roughly chop the pulp (original recipe says 1/2" cubes), reserve.

3. Sprinkle the inside of the eggplant shells with 1 tsp. of the salt. Invert the shells onto a clean, dry towel. Let stand for 30 min to drain.

4. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, heat 3 T. of the olive oil. Add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crisped (~5-6 min). 

5. Remove from heat, then stir in the lemon zest and 1/4 tsp. of the salt. Set aside.

6. Once the eggplant shells have finished draining, heat broiler on "HI" with oven rack 5-6" from the element. Pat the shells dry, then brush with 1 T. of the olive oil. Place the shells cut side up on a baking sheet. Broil until just tender (~ 5 min). Remove from oven, then set oven to 375°F.

7. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 T. of the olive oil. Add sausage and cook, stirring often and breaking into crumbles with a wooden spoon, until sausage has browned (~7-8 min).

8. Use a slotted spoon to transfer cooked sausage to a paper towel lined plate, reserving drippings in skillet (I did not end up with much drippings).

9. Heat remaining 2 T. of olive oil in the skillet (still over medium-high heat). Add the reserved chopped eggplant pulp. Cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender (~2-3 min). 

10. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for additional 2-3 min.

11. Add the tomatoes, garlic, pepper, and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for additional 2-3 min.

12. Transfer the tomato mixture to a large bowl, then add the cooked sausage, the feta, 1/2 c. of the breadcrumbs, egg, 2 T. of oregano, 2 T. parsley, and vinegar. Stir until combined evenly.

13. Place the eggplant shells cut side up, in a baking dish. Fill the shells with the mixture from the large bowl, dividing evenly among the shells. Use the remaining breadcrumbs to top the filled shells, again dividing evenly among them. Transfer to oven to bake for 30 min.

14. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the marinara sauce, remaining 2 tsp. oregano, and remaining 2 tsp. parsley. Heat over low until just warmed through (~4-5 min.).

15. Top the baked shells with the marinara sauce and sprinkle with additional feta. Serve and enjoy!

French Onion Chicken

Another delicious recipe made with my mom...10/10! Quite easy, too, could easily make on a weeknight. Serve with some bread to mop up the sauce at the end :)

Original recipe credit: https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a58148/french-onion-chicken-recipe/

Recipe below contains my modifications.

(note: you may need a subscription to access the original recipe, depending on how often you have accessed the site)

Ingredients:

3 T. olive oil, divided

1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced

2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

kosher salt

pepper

1 tsp. bottled minced garlic (or 2 cloves fresh, minced)

1 3/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in 1" pieces

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

2 T. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 c. low-sodium beef broth

1 c. shredded Gruyère

chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions:

1. Heat 2 T. of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, season with kosher salt, pepper, and add the thyme. Stir to coat in the oil, then reduce to medium-low heat. Cook for around 25 min, until onions have caramelized/gotten a little 'jammy'.

2. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 additional minute. Remove from heat and transfer onion mixture to a bowl or plate. Wipe skillet clean.

3. In a large bowl, season chicken with salt and pepper. Add the oregano and flour, then toss to coat.

4. Heat remaining 1 T. of the olive oil in the same skillet, medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden all over (around 8 min). **note: I ended up adding a bit more oil after a couple of min, as it seemed a little on the dry side**

5. Add the beef broth and caramelized onions to the skillet. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to keep at simmer. Cook for additional 10 min.

6. Top with Gruyère and cover skillet with lid. Let cook, covered, for 2 min. Remove from heat, garnish with parsley, and enjoy!