Instant Pot Barley Pilaf

This is similar to rice pilaf, except using barley in place of the rice!  It is quite good!  My husband and I both love it!

Instant Pot Barley Pilaf
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Servings Prep Time
10 servings 10 minutes
Cook Time
35 minutes
Servings Prep Time
10 servings 10 minutes
Cook Time
35 minutes
Instant Pot Barley Pilaf
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
10 servings 10 minutes
Cook Time
35 minutes
Servings Prep Time
10 servings 10 minutes
Cook Time
35 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: servings
Instructions
  1. Set Instant Pot to saute. Dice the onion and mince the garlic.
  2. After it heats up, add the butter and saute the onion and garlic.
  3. Add the barley at the end and toast a little.
  4. Add water and Better than Bouillon organic chicken base along with pepper.
  5. Press Cancel button. Press Manual or Pressure Cook button and set time for 20 minutes. Make sure valve is in sealing position.
  6. When 20 minutes is up, do a quick pressure release. It will be a little watery, so just let it sit for 5-10 minutes, and it will absorb any excess liquid.
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Instant Pot No Drain Mashed Potatoes

These are super easy and garlicky!!!  I make this in my 3 quart Mini.  If garlic is not your thing, just leave it out!

Instant Pot No Drain Mashed Potatoes
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Instant Pot No Drain Mashed Potatoes
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Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. This recipe will work with any of the Instant Pots, even the 3 quart Mini. Press the saute button on your Instant Pot. Wait for it to heat up (it will say "hot"), then add the butter and garlic cloves. Lightly brown the garlic and the butter.
  2. While that is cooking, peel your potatoes (if desired). Cut your potatoes into halves or quarters lengthwise, depending on the size of the potato, and cut into rough 1/2" slices.
  3. Turn the Instant Pot off by hitting the cancel button. Add the half & half. Add the potato pieces and season generously with salt and pepper. Close the Instant Pot, make sure the release valve is set to "sealing", and press the "manual" or "pressure cook" button and set the time to 8 minutes, using the + and - buttons.
  4. Once the cooking time is up, turn the pot off and release the pressure manually. Open the pot. It won't be a pretty sight.
  5. Mash everything with a potato masher. Taste and season with more salt & pepper, if needed.
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Instant Pot Carnitas

I love making this recipe, but used to make a 4-5 lb. pork shoulder roast or pork butt in the crock pot.  It would take at least 6 hours of cooking time, so I seldom made it, except for parties.  Now I use country style ribs or cut smaller chunks of pork shoulder roast or pork butt and I make it in my new Instant Pot, so I can make it much more often!

Instant Pot Carnitas
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Delicious Mexican shredded pork recipe. This is not spicy, but just has a wonderful flavor!
Servings Prep Time
4 servings 10 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
Servings Prep Time
4 servings 10 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
Instant Pot Carnitas
Print Recipe
Delicious Mexican shredded pork recipe. This is not spicy, but just has a wonderful flavor!
Servings Prep Time
4 servings 10 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
Servings Prep Time
4 servings 10 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
Ingredients
Servings: servings
Instructions
  1. Add all ingredients to pot. Set to Pressure Cook for 30 minutes. Release pressure naturally for 15 minutes.
  2. Release any remaining pressure manually. Remove meat from pot and shred with 2 forks.
  3. Serve on a tortilla with toppings of your choice, such as cheese, lettuce, cilantro, sour cream, avocado, etc., or serve on top of a salad.
  4. I was not successful at deboning my butt roast, so I had a chunk of meat with the bone that weighed about 2 1/2 lbs. and was still partially frozen. It took about 1 hour to cook this way, but it was absolutely fantastic!
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Alana’s Alfredo Sauce

This is the recipe my daughter-in-law gave me.  She says that she tweaks the ingredients, such as salt, pepper and garlic. Also, she prefers more parmesan, but our son (her husband) prefers it this way, so it is a personal preference.

Alana's Alfredo Sauce
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Alana's Alfredo Sauce
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Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Melt butter in a saucepan and sautee garlic until tender. Add remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat, stirring, until cheese is melted and ingredients are blended.
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Chicken & Homemade Noodles

Start with boneless chicken pieces and make a rich, scrumptious, thickened broth to go with it.  Then make some homemade noodles (or buy some fresh or frozen noodles) and cook them right in the broth.  Fantastic!!

For making your own homemade noodles for this recipe, use 3 eggs, 1 T. water, 2 3/4 cups light spelt flour (or all-purpose if no wheat allergy)

Egg Noodles


Chicken & Homemade Noodles
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Servings Prep Time
8 servings 15 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Servings Prep Time
8 servings 15 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Chicken & Homemade Noodles
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
8 servings 15 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Servings Prep Time
8 servings 15 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: servings
Instructions
  1. Heat large (13") cast iron skillet over high heat. Add oil and chicken. Season chicken with pepper. Cook quickly, stirring often, until done. Remove from pan and place in crock pot.
  2. Melt butter in same skillet over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onion and garlic, and saute until tender, about 10-15 minutes.
  3. Add flour and blend evenly.
  4. Quickly whisk in cream, water, and chicken base until smooth. Add to crock pot and turn onto low until ready to continue.
  5. Before adding noodles, turn crock pot to high heat. We positioned the Kitchen Aid in such a position so the noodles go directly into the crock pot.
  6. Add noodles and stir to separate. Cook until noodles are tender, about 20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Recipe Notes

I reduced the amount of flour for thickening because I was using homemade noodles.  For making your own homemade noodles for this recipe, use 3 eggs, 1 T. water, and 2 3/4 cups flour.  If you are not using fresh homemade noodles, you may need more thickener.

Although spelt is an ancient form of wheat, most people with wheat allergies can eat it with no problem.  However, it still contains gluten, so avoid spelt if you have a reason to avoid gluten.

Better than Bouillon organic beef and chicken bases are my favorite to use in broths because they are gluten free and soy free.

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Chili Cheese Dip

I used to make this recipe for parties a lot!:  https://www.cherylsrecipes.net/recipe/chili-dip/  It was super fast and easy.

However, when I found out that I had wheat and soy allergies, I could no longer make it because every single canned chili I can find has soy (along with a lot of preservatives) in it!  I am also not a big fan of Velveeta because it is so processed.  So I came up with this recipe as a replacement and it is even better, although obviously not as easy!  It is still not too difficult though.  I will certainly be making it again!

If you would rather used canned chili for the convenience, just use 3 cans of chili in this recipe.  Or, if you have a favorite chili recipe (with or without beans), substitute about 6-7 cups of that for this chili.

Chili Cheese Dip
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Servings Prep Time
30 servings 30 minutes
Cook Time
2 hours
Servings Prep Time
30 servings 30 minutes
Cook Time
2 hours
Chili Cheese Dip
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
30 servings 30 minutes
Cook Time
2 hours
Servings Prep Time
30 servings 30 minutes
Cook Time
2 hours
Ingredients
Servings: servings
Instructions
Chili with no beans
  1. In a large, deep pot, brown ground beef, onion, sweet pepper, garlic, and jalapeno in the oil.
  2. Add all remaining ingredients except cheese and cream. Simmer for a couple of hours until it is cooked down and quite thick.
Dip
  1. Add cheeses to the chili. Stir over medium or low-medium heat to melt the cheeses. Add a little heavy cream for a better texture.
  2. Serve with tortilla chips. I garnished mine with cilantro. My husband liked it even better with the cilantro.
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Pork Carnitas

These are even better the second day!

Pork Carnitas
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Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
6 hours
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
6 hours
Pork Carnitas
Print Recipe
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
6 hours
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
6 hours
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Combine the cumin, oregano, black pepper, and salt. Rub all over the pork roast. Place the pork in slow cooker (fat side up); spread onion, jalapeno pepper, garlic and cilantro all around it. Combine orange juice concentrate and lime juice and pour around the roast. Cook on low heat for 8-10 hours or on high for 6 hours. The meat should be very tender and falling apart. Remove from the crock pot and let cool. Shred the pork using an electric mixer. Place meat back into juices and refrigerate until the next day (for best results). Reheat the following day in the juices and use as desired.
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Chili to feed 50 people (or so)

This is a bold, hearty chili, although not all that spicy.  You can add Frank’s Red Hot Sauce or jalapenos if you prefer more heat.

Chili to feed 50 people (or so)
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Servings
50 servings
Servings
50 servings
Chili to feed 50 people (or so)
Print Recipe
Servings
50 servings
Servings
50 servings
Ingredients
Meat Mixture
Seasonings
Beans & tomatoes
Servings: servings
Instructions
  1. Brown meat mixture ingredients together with olive oil. Add all Seasonings. Note: If you are making this for another day, stop here. It will be easier to cool down and store in the refrigerator at this point, then finish it the day you are serving it. Combine all ingredients and simmer until ready to serve. You will need to add water as it is cooking so it is not overly thick. Serve with Frank's Red Hot Sauce, shredded cheese, sour cream, Fritos, sliced jalapenos, etc.
Recipe Notes

The chocolate chips add a richer flavor and beautiful color.

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Pizza Sauce

I will never buy pizza sauce again after discovering this recipe!  It is quick, easy and thick, and does not require any cooking before it goes on the pizza!

Pizza Sauce
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Servings Prep Time
3 cups 5 minutes
Servings Prep Time
3 cups 5 minutes
Pizza Sauce
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
3 cups 5 minutes
Servings Prep Time
3 cups 5 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: cups
Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients.
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Refried Beans

Much better flavor than canned refried beans!  These are  made from dried pinto beans.  Of course, you can add black beans in place of some or all of the pinto beans.  I added these to my tacos (https://www.cherylsrecipes.net/recipe/tacos/) last night, and it was fantastic!

Refried Beans
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Servings Prep Time
1 1/2 cups 10 minutes
Servings Prep Time
1 1/2 cups 10 minutes
Refried Beans
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
1 1/2 cups 10 minutes
Servings Prep Time
1 1/2 cups 10 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: cups
Instructions
  1. Place beans, water, onion, garlic, chicken base, cumin, salt, pepper, and cayenne in crock pot. Cook on high until beans are tender (8 hours or so). Heat the lard in large skillet over medium-medium high heat. Drain beans and add to skillet. Mash the beans coarsely with the back of a wooden spoon, adding more chicken broth if needed, to moisten. Stir in the cilantro and lime juice. Top with shredded cheese.
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