I’m excited to say I’ve used the Instant Pot twice in the last 4 days with total success and plan on using it again tonight. Nothing has blown up and I haven’t been injured 🤣 #intimidatedbytheinstantpot
My youngest turned six last week and I always let the birthday boy or girl choose their birthday dinner if we plan to be home for the evening. Since it was a school night and the second day back after Christmas break, we figured we would stay home and do a ‘party day’ on the weekend. Her dinner of choice was homemade macaroni and cheese with pineapple upside down cupcakes for dessert. I had recently searched up some Instant Pot recipes and printed them out encouraging myself to use it more and one of the recipes was for macaroni and cheese. Even more perfect was that I happened to have all the ingredients on hand. Here’s the recipe. And I’m so disappointed I didn’t take a pic so you could see how creamy & cheesy, so you’ll just have to try it! I did change up the cheese and use Colby jack in place of Monterey but I think you could try all different types. Next time I want to throw in some lobster 😍 It was so good, the kids loved it and all three took the leftovers to school for lunch the following day in thermos’. My son who won’t eat boxed macaroni and cheese even loved it!
Then yesterday after spending the entire day out in the cold taking down Christmas decorations, I just wanted something super easy to make for dinner. So I opted for turkey hot dogs and searched for a quick potato recipe in the Instant Pot. Most of the recipes were either for mashed potatoes or required a steamer basket or some other accessory I don’t have yet. (I’m still scared of blowing the house up 😣so I haven’t invested in any accessories yet.) I found a bacon ranch potato recipe that seemed doable. https://www.busycooks.net/instant-pot-cheesy-bacon-ranch-potatoes/ I didn’t have red potatoes so brown it was , I also substituted turkey bacon and light ranch dressing. I’m still confused a bit by all the buttons and settings, but this recipe was easy to follow and didn’t require too much work. It was delicious, a keeper!
I’ve read a lot of posts about the Instant Pot and issues people have had, I’ve picked up a few tips here and there. First of all I store mine open which I think helps keep any odors at bay. I hand wash the entire thing, dry it thoroughly and store with the lid on top but upside down. I know parts are dishwasher safe and lots of people do it, but I think hand washing really keeps it like new. It also keeps the rubber seal from getting discolored or having any build up. After washing and drying I do notice my insert has some discoloration on the bottom. Somewhere I read about a product called Bar Keepers Friend and OMG it’s AMAZING! I put a few drops on a paper towel and wipe down the entire insert then rinse thoroughly & dry. It’s even shinier than when I first got it. No joke! Plus I’ve used that product for other pots and to polish my sink. I was in a crazy long line in Williams Sonoma before Christmas and saw it while standing there. I grabbed it for under $5 but you can probably get it anywhere, you won’t regret it!! Just look how shiny 😲
I’m thinking an Instant Pot dessert next, we’ll see!!
~ Elena 💖
Elena And Erin.....It Is What It Is 