Instant Pot Sweet Italian Soup

(may contain aff links)

My husband said this is the best meal I've ever made in the Instant Pot and I use my Instant Pot almost daily! It was super good! This could be made on the stove top as well. 

Grilled chicken, diced
Seeds of Change quinoa & brown rice pouch (I buy mine at Costco)
Can diced tomatoes w/sweet onion
2 cans water
Diced yellow bell pepper
Diced red onion
Italian seasoning 

Cook at high pressure for 6 minutes. You can quick or natural release. Serve with feta cheese.

To cook on a stove top, just simmer until peppers and onion are soft. 

St. Patty's Day Tablescape and Irish Dinner

We have never done leprechaun traps or other kidsy St. Patrick's Day traditions at our house, but every year I make an Irish meal and some sort of green dessert to celebrate the holiday. Instead of doing corned beef, I typically do pork and I always make Irish soda bread!

Irish Bacon and Cabbage

boneless pork roast
red potatoes
carrots
cabbage
salt

The night before cooking, place the roast into a big bowl of cold water and add lots of salt... about a cupful. Let it sit in the fridge overnight. The next morning, place the drained meat in the crockpot with potatoes and carrots. Add a bit of water. Let cook on low all day. 30 minutes before serving add the cabbage, cut into chunks.

Irish Soda Bread

4 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 to 1 ½ c buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425. Mix together dry ingredients. Gradually add buttermilk, mixing with a large spoon until dough is firm enough to be gathered into a large ball. If the dough is crumbly, add some more buttermilk, a tablespoonful at a time, until it all adheres to the ball. Place on a lightly floured board. Pat and shape it into a flat circular loaf, about 8 inches around and 1 ½ inches thick. Set on a floured baking sheet. With the tip of a knife, cut a ½ inch deep cross into the dough, dividing it into quarters. Bake for about 35-45 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and wrap in a clean dish cloth. Let cool about 20 minutes.

Of course in an LDS home we have root beer with our St. Patty's Day dinner!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Tropical Crab Salad

We totally love fake crab at our house.  We can sit and eat a whole pound of it right out of the bag!  I love using crab in salads and main dishes as well.  Here's a simple but yummy tropical crab salad recipe!

Crab Pasta Salad

8 oz whipped cream cheese (in a tub)
1/2 c. crushed pineapple
1/4 c. milk

1 lb imitation crab meat
1 can mandarin oranges
cashews
12 oz pasta shells, cooked

For the dressing mix together cream cheese, crushed pineapple and milk.  Stir in remaining ingredients, chill before serving.  Enjoy!

Fried Ravioli

Fried ravioli is one of our favorites!  Even my kids who don't like ravioli cooked the traditional way like them fried.  These make a fun appetizer or we've even had them for dinner with a green salad.  Right now my husband and I are focusing on healthy eating, but I can still dream about fried foods, right?

Fried Ravioli

frozen ravioli

egg, beaten with a tiny amount of water

Italian seasoned breadcrumbs & Parmesan cheese (the powdery kind)

oil

Take your frozen ravioli, dip them first in the egg/water mixture, then in the breadcrumb/cheese mixture.  Fry in hot oil until hot all the way through.  Serve with marinara or spaghetti sauce to dip!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Bake

This has become one of my most requested dinners!  It takes a little bit of prep time, but not near as much as traditional chicken cordon bleu and it's totally worth it!  The whole family loves it.  I never have leftovers.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Bake

2 lb boneless, skinless chicken cut into bite-sized pieces

flour

1/2 c. milk mixed with 1 egg

unseasoned bread crumbs

Dip chicken pieces in the flour, then the milk/egg mixture and finally the bread crumbs.  Brown in oil and transfer to a 9x13 pan.

Sprinkle over chicken and stir:

8 oz swiss cheese, cubed

8 oz ham, diced

Mix together:

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 c. milk

1 T honey dijon mustard

Pour over the top of chicken, cheese and ham.  Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes

Homemade Pita Bread

We love pita bread at our house, but I'm often disappointed by store bought varieties.  Sometimes they're soft and yummy and sometimes they're stiff and taste like cardboard.  I decided to make my own and I'm so glad I did!  They do take time to rise, but they're totally worth it!  They even make a pouch when you cut them in half.  I was so proud of them.  If you use whole wheat flour add a bit of vital wheat gluten to the dough to help them stay soft.

Homemade Pita Bread

1 c hot water
2 tsp yeast
2 1/2 - 3 c flour
2 tsp salt
1 T olive oil

Mix the water and yeast together in the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl, and let rest for a few minutes until the yeast is dissolved.

Add 2 1/2 cups of the flour, salt, and olive oil. If using a stand mixer knead for 8 minutes on medium using your dough hook, adding more flour until you have a smooth dough. If using your hands sprinkle a little of the extra flour onto your counter or cutting board and knead the dough by hand for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic adding more flour if needing to keep the dough from being too sticky.

Spray a clean bowl with cooking spray or rub it with oil and set the dough inside turning to coat all sides.  Cover with a clean damp dishcloth and let rise until double.  Gently deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into 8 pieces and using a floured rolling pin, roll each piece into a circle about 8 inches wide.

Cook on a hot skillet rubbed with oil for about 30 seconds to 1 minute on one side, then flip.  Cook 1-2 minutes on the second side then flip back to the first side for another minute until they look done.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Small Freezer Lasagna

 

Freezer meals are fabulous!  One of my favorite freezer meals is lasagna!  You can make your favorite lasagna recipe in disposal pans from the dollar store, freeze them and then throw them in the oven anytime you like!  I always use oven-ready noodles for my freezer lasagnas so I don't even have to cook the noodles.  When you use the oven-ready noodles, you use one noodle for each noodle layer and they fit perfectly!

The containers come in three packs for $1, so there is very little cost for packaging.  Each container holds about 2lbs, so it's not a tiny lasagna, but it's not family sized either.  A double batch of lasagna will make about six small freezer lasagnas.  

After you've layered your lasagna ingredients into the pans, cover them with a double layer of tin foil and label with cooking directions:  Bake at 350 covered for an hour, then uncover and bake until done.  After they're labeled, you're ready to pop them into the freezer!

I typically make veggie lasagna since Nina is a vegetarian, then any time I make a meaty lasagna for dinner I can throw one of these in for her.  There is always enough left for her to take leftovers for lunch for a couple of days too.  Small freezer lasagnas are fabulous gifts for new moms as well! Who doesn't love having a lasagna in the freezer?!

Marinated Yummies

This is so easy it's not even really a recipe.  I'm all for quick and easy appetizers!  

Marinated Yummies

cucumber chunks

cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half

cheese cubes

Italian dressing

That's it!  Mix them together ahead of time so the flavors blend, drain if desired before serving and serve with toothpicks!  Serve cold or at room temperate.

Breakfast Skillet: a great way to use up garden zucchini and day-old bread

I really love breakfast foods.  Like A Lot.  Garden season is the best because I have all sorts of veggies to use up in my breakfasts, including zucchini!  Yummy!

 This breakfast is a really great way not only to use up zucchini, but also to use up day-old bread.  If you're a bread-maker like I am, then you probably often have extra rolls and breads that need to be used up.  The bread I used this time is oregano bread.  To make oregano bread I add 1 cup of chopped fresh oregano leaves (from my yard) along with some garlic and onion powder into my normal french bread recipe.  It comes out fabulous and it makes 2 loaves, so I often have part of a loaf left the next day.  Any sort of rolls or bread will work great.

I like to start my skillet with bacon grease, but butter works well too.  Melt your bacon grease or butter in a frying pan.  Saute diced zucchini and ham (if desired) in the grease.  You can add other veggies such as onions, mushrooms or peppers in if you'd like too.  When the zucchini is almost tender add day-old bread cubes into the mix and cook until they're golden brown.  Add eggs and scramble.  Top with cheese and stir until cheese is melted.  That's it!

The bread cubes get nice and toasted and absorb the flavor of the bacon grease!  Every time I make this I get compliments on the unexpected flavor of the toasted bread cubes.  The zucchini tastes very delicious with eggs and cheese.  This can be served as an inexpensive dinner as well!  I make it without ham as often as I make it with ham and either way it's great!

Spaghetti Salad

We love going to free outdoor concerts as a family.  Even if they aren't our "normal" type of music, we still enjoy sitting on a blanket, enjoying a picnic dinner and listening to the show.  It's always been our tradition to bring a big bowl of a main dish salad and rolls to these types of events.  My kids were a little nervous about the spaghetti salad, but it ended up being a HUGE hit and everyone had multiple servings.  It's quick and easy to throw together and everyone loves it!  You can adjust the amounts and types of veggies and cheeses to fit your family's likes.  Use up some of those garden tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers!  You could even add pepperoni if you like, but it totally doesn't need it!

Spaghetti Salad

1lb spaghetti noodles, broken & cooked

16 oz Italian salad dressing

1 TBSP Italian seasoning

fresh tomatoes & chopped onions or 1 can of diced tomatoes w/onions

diced celery

chopped cucumber

cubed colby jack cheese

parmesan cheese (the powdery kind)

Mix together salad dressing, seasoning, tomatoes, onions, celery and colby jack cheese in your serving bowl.  Add cooked spaghetti noodle pieces and mix well.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and toss.  Chill before serving.

my niece, Scarlett & I

My girlies chillin' on the blanket

Caleb & my nephews off exploring during the show

Crab Mango Salad

This is a fabulously delightful salad!  It's fresh and healthy and flavorful!  I wasn't quite sure how all the flavors would blend together, but it turned out great!  I served this for a luncheon at my house with homemade rolls on the side and it was gobbled up!

Crab Mango Salad

2 mangoes, diced
3 avocados, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno, seeds removed and finely diced
1 c frozen white corn
1 lb imitation crab, diced
juice of 2 limes
sea salt & pepper

Mix all ingredients together.  Refrigerate before serving to allow flavors to blend.  Would be nice with chopped shrimp instead of crab if desired.

Cheddar Jalapeno Rolls

I have this weird love for bread dough, not in the Mmmm... I want to eat it all day sense, but I am fascinated by it.  How can you take just a few ingredients, mix them together and have something as versatile as bread dough happen?  Once you master a basic bread dough you can make sandwich bread, dinner rolls, sweet rolls, savory rolls, hamburger buns, hot dog buns, bagels, pretzels, pizza crust, bread sticks, etc, etc... Bread dough is amazing!  I make homemade bread products at least once a week and usually more often!  I like to make a big batch and make different things from it.  A loaf of french bread one day and monkey bread the next... crescent rolls one day and jalapeno rolls the next!  It's incredible!  Now that I've spewed my love for bread dough all over your existence I will get to the recipe.  These cheddar jalapeno rolls are great!  They work for any meal of the day or even snacks.  My husband thinks I need to mass produce them.

Roll Dough

2 c. warm water
2/3 c. powdered milk powder
2 TBSP yeast
1/4 c. sugar
2 tsp salt
1/2 c. butter, melted
2 c. flour

3-5 c. flour

In your Bosch or KitchenAid mixer (with a dough hook) mix everything except the 3-5 c. flour for 2 minutes on medium speed. Add 2 more cups of flour and mix 2 minutes. Turn your speed to low and continue to add flour while mixing on low, half a cup at a time until the dough starts to pull away from the sides into a ball and a very soft (almost sticky, but not quite) dough is formed.

Once you hit that point, mix on medium for 2 more minutes. Cover and let rise in a greased bowl until doubled. Punch down and divide dough in half.

Roll half the dough out into a decent sized rectangle, like you would with cinnamon rolls (about 11" x 14").  Spread with 8oz of softened cream cheese.  Sprinkle with diced jarred jalapenos.  Drizzle a little jalapeno juice on the cream cheese for good measure and spread it around with a rubber spatula.  Top with shredded cheddar and roll up starting on the long side, making a long skinny roll.  Cut into 12 slices and place on a greased baking stone or cookie sheet.  Cover and let rise.  Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes until done.  Brush with butter.

You COULD cut the recipe in half and only make enough for the 12 rolls or you could use the other half for cinnamon rolls or something totally different like pizza crust.  After the dough rises the first time you can cover it and put it in the fridge overnight and use it the next day.  Hooray!  Homemade bread something or another two days in a row!

Homemade Frozen Pizzas by the Bundle

First off I just want to acknowledge that this is post #1111 on The American Homemaker!  Cool, huh?

Homemade pizza is amazing, but can be a lot of work compared to ordering pizza or tossing a frozen one in the oven.  By making a large batch of dough all at once you can make your own frozen pizzas that taste fabulous, but take no prep time on cooking day!  This recipe will make four regular size pizzas or you can make individual pizzas if that's what your family prefers and you'll get more than four!  Homemade frozen pizzas are a great meal to take to people as well!  Who doesn't like pizza?  I like to start making pizzas in the late afternoon and then serve the last one or two as dinner!  Dinner now and dinner another day!  You could also just freeze the crusts if you like and top later.

Pizza Crust

2 TBSP yeast
3 c. warm water
7-8 c. flour (whole wheat also works great)
1/3 c. oil
1 ½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp sugar

 In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in remaining ingredients adding flour until it makes a nice smooth, but not-too-dry dough.  Cover and let rise until double.  Stretch dough onto a cornmeal-sprinkled pizza pans. Leave the dough covered until you're ready to put it on the pan.  If it rises again, that's ok!  Bake each crust at 475 for 5 minutes.

For pizza right now:
Top your partially baked crust with sauce, toppings and cheese.  Bake at 475 another 5-10 minutes until crust is done and cheesy is hot and bubbly.

For frozen pizzas:
Place your partially baked crust onto tin foil cut long enough to wrap around the pizza.  Add the sauce and toppings. Cover the whole pizza with tin foil. You can add plastic wrap around that if you like for extra protection against freezer burn. Carefully place the pizza flat to freeze. Once frozen you can stand it up on its side.

To cook after freezing, do not thaw. Remove from freezer, unwrap, place on your pizza pan and bake at 475 checking after 15 minutes.

My kids asked if they could eat their individual pizzas in the living room... I thought they wanted to watch a show or something, but when I walked in this is what I saw... One kid lounging on the couch and the other hiding in the corner.  They're odd ones for sure!!!

You Thought I was Kidding Salad

We don't buy a lot of chips at our house with the exception of tortilla chips. Over the holiday & during our trip we had some chips on hand and as I was organizing the top of my fridge this week I realized my family had put the chip bags away with nothing more than crumbs left. I decided to add them into my cheesy meatloaf! This is what I facebooked: I felt so 1950s putting potato chips into my meatloaf... All I need to do now is slather some mayo on something and call it a salad!   I'm sure everyone thought I was kidding, but mayo really was a big salad ingredient back in the day and it's still yummy now!

One of my favorite salads is Pea Salad! It's very easy & inexpensive to make and it's a great potluck dish because you can make a huge batch with no problems!

Pea Salad 

frozen peas
mayo
shredded cheddar or colby-jack cheese
ranch dressing powder (optional)

Place the peas in a microwavable bowl and heat for 2 minutes until thawed. I don't add any water. You can also thaw them on the stove or in the fridge if you prefer. You just want them thawed, not warm. Add mayo to the peas until the salad is creamy enough for your liking. Add shredded cheese until it is cheesy enough for your liking. Add a dash of ranch dressing powder if you want just a little more flavor. Refrigerate until serving. Yum!

Lasagna Roll-ups & a Vintage Tablescape

I have a passion for Homer Laughlin china!  I just love it!  I purchased this china set during the summer for a great price, but this is the first time I've used it.  Nina and her friends were going to the Preference dance, where the girls ask the boys and the theme was The Great Gatsby.  I told her I'd make their "fancy" dinner before the dance!  It gave me a chance to use this beautiful 1940's china!

 I love Italian food almost as much as I love vintage dishes!  I knew I had to make an Italian menu for the night!  Caesar salad is my ultimate favorite salad.  I'm not sure why, but I love it.

Lasagna roll-ups are one of my favorite dinners!  Since Nina is a vegetarian they made a great main dish choice for the night!  These always come out great, can be made ahead and freeze fabulously before they're cooked, plus they're fancy enough for company!  This makes a large batch, so you can freeze half if you don't need them all now.

Lasagna Roll-ups

16 oz package of lasagna noodles, cooked & cooled

32 oz small curd cottage cheese
3 eggs
4 c. loosely packed chopped fresh spinach
2 tsp Italian seasoning
2 c. shredded Italian cheese mix

Mix filling ingredients well and spread some filling onto each noodle.  Roll up carefully and place in a pan seam down.  You should be able to fill 15-18 noodles depending on how full you make them.  If you are making these ahead of time, this is the point where you'd freeze or refrigerate them.  To freeze, place carefully in a ziplock bag and freeze, then you can pull out how many you need.  To refrigerate, cover your pan and place in fridge up to a day in advance.  I top the roll-ups with a jar of spaghetti sauce before baking, but you could use any pasta sauce or no sauce at all if you prefer.  You can also add more cheese to the top.  Cover with tinfoil and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes until hot and bubbly.  If they are frozen they will take longer to bake.  Let cool a few minutes before serving.  These are great leftover and I have to admit I've had them for breakfast more than once!

 Nina decided to wear a vintage cream colored lace dress that I've had since I was younger than her!  She looked beautiful!

I don't know if I've shared it yet, but she cut her hair off!  She's had waist-length hair for years, but she chopped it to her shoulders, got layers and dyed it all black!  It looks great on her!

 The kids enjoyed their formal dinner and I enjoyed making it for them!

Along with the lasagna roll-ups and caesar salad I also made homemade loaves of french bread and served it with balsamic vinegar and oil.  The oil and vinegar went into teacups!  They had sparkling cider and ice water in crystal goblets to drink.  I pulled out the gold flatware and the linen napkins.  Fancy dinners are so much fun!

Dessert was chocolate cream cheese roll cake and vanilla ice cream!

I miss doing nice tablescapes on a regular basis!  I'm making a goal to do them more often!

Easy Cheesy Veggies

Sometimes you just want something cheesy!  I served these veggies with boneless seasoned chicken thighs and garlic bread made from leftover hamburger buns.

Easy Cheesy Veggies

1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. cream cheese
1/2 c. sour cream
2 c. shredded cheese
1 tsp ranch dressing seasoning powder

1 lb fresh broccoli, cauliflower, carrot mix

Melt butter and cream cheese together either in the microwave or in a saucepan.  Stir in sour cream, shredded cheese and ranch powder.  Place veggies in a greased baking dish.  Spoon cheese mixture over the top.  It will be thick.  Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Stir before serving.

Broccoli & Cheese Quiche

I don't have the opportunity to eat quiche often, but when I do I enjoy it!  I figured why not make it for dinner?  This version of quiche is crustless, super cheesy and uses biscuit mix making it a simple and delightful meal.  You can add ham or cooked chicken if you like, but we go meatless several times a week and this is a good meatless option.

Broccoli & Cheese Quiche

1 bunch broccoli, chopped
3 c. shredded mozzarella
1 c. biscuit mix
4 eggs
1 c. milk
1 c. buttermilk
salt & pepper

Spread the broccoli in a greased 9 x 13 pan.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Mix remaining ingredients in a blender, mixer or by hand with a whisk.  Pour over the top of the broccoli/cheese mixture.  Bake at 350 for about an hour or until set and golden on top.

Serve warm, at room temperature or even cold... quiche is pretty versatile.  Some people like gravy on top too!

On a personal note... Life has been CRAZY at our house!  I've been as busy as can be!  We've had Eric's boys some this summer which has been hectic, I've been packing up & emptying out my craft room to make a bedroom for his son that we have full custody of, I'm spending tons of time buying & selling vintage,  Eric got a concussion on the 4th of July putting him out of commission for several days, Nina turned 16 last month, Caleb turned 12 this week on top of getting used to married life and being a full-time wife & mom.   We've also had a new addition to our lives named Millie.  This is how Millie looked when we found her:

I've been working every single day for the last month on this baby!  She's going to be used to sell my vintage treasures out of.  Have I mentioned that I've been selling vintage all year for a daily job instead of just casually selling on Etsy?  Probably not since I've been running myself ragged!  I sell locally through a vintage facebook group and at vintage markets, plus online through Etsy.

Millie was pretty trashed when we bought her, but I'm always up for a challenge!  The inside is ALMOST done and Eric has been prepping the outside for her pretty pink paint job.  I will be sure to share a bunch of before and after pictures when we're done!  I'll also be doing a vintage luncheon to show her off, so if you're local please join me!  Here's a sneak peek of Millie's inside now:

forgive the middle of the night cell phone pic

And this is how I feel after working in 100+ degree weather in a camper every day:

Happy summer!  *grin*

Cabbage Salad

I love the warm weather!  Salads and picnics come with warm weather!  Salads are my fave!  We have them a lot in the summertime!  This salad is great for potlucks and gatherings.  It makes a large amount, so you can cut it in half if you so desire.

Cabbage Salad

salad:
2 bags cabbage coleslaw mix
shredded chicken or pork
1 c. chopped nuts
2 pkg uncooked ramen noodles, crumbled (reserve seasoning)

dressing:
1 c. oil
1/3 c. rice vinegar
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp pepper
2 pkg seasoning from the ramen noodles

Mix salad ingredients together in a large bowl.  Mix dressing ingredients in a small saucepan and heat until sugar is dissolved.  Add to salad and toss.

Open-faced grilled cheeses go great with a main dish salad, plus they use up extra hamburger buns after a bbq!

Homemade Nacho Sauce, Salsa, Refried Black Beans (in the crockpot!) & Guacomole!

I love, love, love nachos!  They are so much better when the toppings are homemade!  Of course these toppings can be used for all sorts of everything, not just nachos!  

The Best Crockpot Refried Beans

All my kids will sit and eat these with tortilla chips or tortillas like crazy!  These beans are super addicting and they freeze well so I do up a big batch and freeze into 2 cup portions.

1-2 lbs dried pinto or black beans
sweet onion
garlic
chicken bouillon

1/4-1/2 c. butter
shredded cheese

Rinse beans.  Place in crockpot and fill the crockpot almost to the top with water.  You can substitute chicken broth for the water and bouillon if you like.  Add 1/2-1 sweet onion; no need to chop.  Add a couple cloves of garlic and bouillon.  Cook on high for a few hours stirring every once in a while.  If you're cooking 2 lbs of beans you may need to add more water towards the end.  Once the beans are nice and soft, remove the onion and drain most of the water. Keep the crockpot hot.  Add butter.

Use an immersion blender to smash the beans up nice and smooth.  If you don't have an immersion blender scoop the beans out a couple of cups at a time and blend in a regular blender.  A Guatemalan friend gave me the tip that you have to keep the beans hot the whole time you're blending them to have a nice texture.  When I made refried beans from dried in the past they were gritty... Blending them without letting the temperature drop keeps them delightfully smooth!  Once smooth, stir in cheese to taste! 

The Best Homemade Salsa

This recipe is my sister's... We love it!

2 cans diced tomatoes
3 fresh tomatoes
1/2 sweet onion
2 cloves garlic
juice of 3 limes
jalapeno or other pepper
1/2 bunch cilantro
salt & pepper

Blend together in a blender or food processor!  Enjoy!

Nacho Sauce

This isn't really a recipe, but a technique... It turns out really smooth and tasty!  Plus it's healthier than the processed stuff!  This is good on steamed veggies as well.  A lot of people try to start with a lot of liquid and attempt to use the cheese to thicken it up.  The trick is to use a lot of cheese and use a tiny bit of liquid to thin it down.

cheddar or other shredded cheese
liquid from bottled jalapenos
milk (optional)

Place jalapeno liquid in a saucepan to just cover the bottom.  Add shredded cheese (a couple of cups) and cook on medium whisking often until melted and smooth.  If sauce is too thick add just a tad more liquid or you can add a bit of milk.  Serve while still hot.

Guacamole

My favorite guacamole is simple and delicious!

avacodo
heaping tablespoon mayo
squirt of lime juice

Mash ingredients together with a fork.