Thanksgiving 2017

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The first Holiday of the 2017 season has come and gone.  It was such a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Chris and Mallory hosted for the first time and did a fantastic job and I can't say I missed all the stress of cleaning and cooking for a large crowd.  Of course we missed a large part of the family, hopefully one day soon we can all be together again for the big day but until then I just am "thank"ful that everyone is healthy and happy this year and that is all that is truly important.Thanksgiving 2017
    Still can't get over the fact that Christmas is less that a month away.

Holiday Mashed Potatoes in the InstaPot

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I only make one recipe when it comes to my Holiday Mashed Potatoes and that is with The Pioneer Woman's recipe.  I follow this recipe exactly as written except I make the potatoes in the InstaPot for convenience and speed.Ingredients/Directions

  • 5 pounds Russet Or Yukon Gold Potatoes
  • 3/4 cups Butter
  • 1 package (8 Oz.) Cream Cheese, Softened
  • 1/2 cup (to 3/4 Cups) Half-and-Half
  • 1/2 teaspoon (to 1 Teaspoon) Lawry's Seasoned Salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon (to 1 Teaspoon) Black Pepper

Peel and cut the potatoes into pieces that are generally the same size.  Add to InstaPot along with 1 - 1 1/2 cups water.  Cook Manual, High for 14 minutes.

Drain the potatoes in a large colander. When the potatoes have finished draining, place them back into the dry pot. Mash the potatoes over low heat, allowing all the steam to escape, before adding in all the other ingredients.

Add 1 ½ sticks of butter, an 8-ounce package of cream cheese and about ½ cup of half-and-half. Mash, mash, mash! Next, add about ½ teaspoon of Lawry’s Seasoning Salt and ½ a teaspoon of black pepper.Stir well and place in a medium-sized baking dish. Throw a few pats of butter over the top of the potatoes and place them in a 350-degree oven and heat until butter is melted and potatoes are warmed through. * Since I make these the day ahead this step is skipped until serving day.Note: When making this dish a day or two in advance, take it out of the fridge about 2 to 3 hours before serving time. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 20 to 30 minutes or until warmed through.  

Thanksgiving Sweet Potato Casserole (InstaPot and Oven)

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To create this years Sweet Potato Casserole I decided to use the InstaPot for the hard part - cooking the sweet potatoes.  This way I didn't have to watch over a boiling pot.They turned out fantastic, but a bit too sweet for my liking (completely my fault btw) so I know what to do to adjust them. First I took this recipe from the One Happy Housewife Blog 

6 cups cut sweet potatoes
2 cups brown sugar
5 tbsp melted butter
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
½ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground allspice
½ cup milk 
½ cup heavy whipping cream
½ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup crushed pineapple
1 cup water
 
Directions
 
Wash, peel and cut the sweet potatoes and then add them to the Instant Pot.
Add 1 cup of water, close the pot and set to Manual, High Pressure for 4 minutes.
Once cooking has completed, do a QPR (Quick Pressure Release) and open the pot once all the pressure has been released.
Mash the potatoes and then add the milk, whipping cream and melted butter and mix in well.
Next add the brown sugar and spices and mix in well. Once the spices have been thoroughly mixed in, add the walnuts and pineapple and mix into the casserole.
Spoon the mix into a baking dish and then place in a 375 degree oven for 20-30 minutes. This will thicken and darken the casserole. The longer you leave the casserole in the oven, the thicker and darker it will become.Remove the casserole from the oven and fluff with a fork to release the steam so that the casserole will continue to thicken and cool.Topping
  • Let the casserole cool for 10-15 minutes after taking it out of the oven.
  • Once cooled, cover the top of the casserole with a layer of marshmallows and then add cherries throughout.
  • Turn the oven to the Low Broil setting. Place the baking dish back into the oven on the middle rack and broil for approximately 3-5 minutes.
  • Keep a constant eye on the casserole! The marshmallows will brown quickly and a little distraction could lead to burned marshmallows!

My adjustments.... To make it a bit healthier I substituted Brown Sugar for Splenda Brown Sugar but I forgot to adjust the measurements and so it was very sweet.  I think next time I would only use 1 1/2 cups of the Splenda Brown Sugar.  I also did not use cherries or the walnuts. That really made no difference in the outcome and I doubt I will ever add them back into it.   

Chicken Corn Chowder for the InstaPot

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I created this recipe based on one from Crockin' Girls and a few things I had seen or read about previously. I had no idea how it would turn out, but lucky for us it turned out great and I will definitely make it again.  I served it with Homemade Beer Bread. 

Ingredients

6-8 potatoes (peeled and diced)

2 Can cream corn

2 Can whole kernel corn

4 Cups chicken broth

6-10 slices of cooked bacon

1 Cups diced onions

1 Cup diced celery

1/4 Cups butter

3 1/2 Cups half and half

3 Boneless Chicken Breasts, cooked and cubed or equivalent from Rotisserie Chicken (which is what I used)

Sauteed  onions and celery in InstaPot

Add Chicken Broth, Whole Corn, Creamed Corn, stir and bring to pressure using soup setting, 3 minutes. Natural release.

Add chicken, bacon, butter, Half and half, stir, replace lid, bring to pressure and immediately turn to warm for 5 minutes.