Food

Out of the gate… if you don’t have an instant pot, what are you waiting on? Seriously.

This has to be the greatest invention ever, and no I don’t have an air fryer. I low key try to cook clean, and make things from scratch and my Instant Pot helps me out a lot.

We’re in that weird void of post-Christmas space where nothing is happening until Spring. It’s during this time that I TRY to hibernate and eat soup… like this Zuppa Toscana dupe that I love so much.

Well I tried my hand at chicken noodle soup in the instant pot, it was done in 30 minutes and tasted like it had simmered all day.

I figured you might be interested in how to make this so I documented it for you. You’re totally welcome!

The ingredients are so basic, a few chopped veggies, chicken broth, chicken, salt and pepper.

I used two split bone-in chicken breasts, but feel free to use boneless skinless if you like. I did have to separate the meat from the bone, which added an extra step, but I find bone in breasts to be a little juicier so that’s what I went with.

Here’s how to make it!

Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

• 2 chicken breasts
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 4 large carrots
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 1/2 cups egg noddles
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp butter
• to taste salt and pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder

1. Season chicken with kosher salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder

2. Using the "saute" feature on the Instant Pot, saute your carrots, celery and garlic in the butter

3. Once the vegetables have softened, add the chicken broth, chicken, bay leaves and a sprig of rosemary. Salt and pepper to taste

4. Close the lid to the Instant Pot, and make sure the nozzle is set to "seal"

5. Manually set the time to 15 minutes

6. Once 15 minutes has passed, move the nozzle from "sealing" to "venting." Once all of the steam has been released it is safe to remove the top.

7. Remove the chicken, bay leaves, and sprig of rosemary. Stir the vegetables, then add in the noddles.

8. Place the top back on the Instant Pot, "seal" and add 10 minutes of cookign time.

9. While noodles are cooking, shred the chicken with two forks, or your method of choice.

10. Once the noodles finish, release the steam again. Once it is safe to open the lid, add the chicken in.

11. Stir and enjoy! Add parsely if you like.

You can mimic this recipe on top of the stove or in a crockpot. Just adjust the cooking time to ensure the chicken is cooked throughout.

Y’all we are literally just a little over a week out from Thanksgiving. We will be traveling this year, but the crazy in me wants to create our own little personal family Thanksgiving for this Sunday’s dinner. I’m not trying to do too much so there will be a variation of these easy Thansgiving recipes.

While I’m looking forward to having dinner with family, I also want to not worry about not getting enough, or not having any of my favorite Thanksgiving recipe staples.

Whether you are headed to a Friendsgiving or have been charged with bringing something to the family dinner, either of these easy Thanksgiving recipes will work for you!

Oven Roasted Rotisserie Chicken

Tired of turkey, or want to add another option? This oven roasted rotisserie chicken is easy to make, and quite tasty. You can find the recipe here.

Easy Quiche Recipe

Perfect as a side dish, or for breakfast this cheesy herb quiche is it. It doesn’t have any meat so perfect for vegetarians. This easy quiche recipe will have folks looking for you.. yes, you can share the recipe!

Pound Cake Recipe

I love me some cranberry sauce, the cannier the better, but this pound cake calls for fresh ones and lemon. Thank me later. This seasonal twist on the traditional pound cake recipe is so good.

Sweet Potato Cornbread Recipe

Variety is always good. Regular cornbread, and sweet potato cornbread gives your dinner guests choices!

Apple Pie Recipe

Deliberately saved the best for last. My Mama’s apple pie recipe is so good…it will literally make you want to slap your mama… but not really! It’s super easy, a few ingredients and some time in the oven and you are all set!

Since I’m all about making our lives easier, the below links may save you some time, and/or money. These are affiliate links so I make a little coin if you order anything!

If you are pressed for time, and don’t have time to grocery shop, Instacart is the move. For a limited time they are offering free delivery. If you use my code MB09E331B2 you can also get $10 off your first order. Sign up here!

Here are a few of my other favorite kitchen staples that you absolutely need to make these recipes happen:

Silicone loaf pan |$8.25

Lodge Cast Iron Skillet | $18.49

Kitchenaid Mixer | $199

Cuisinart Roaster Rack | $44.81

Let me start by saying, anything in a cast iron skillet tastes good. This is the one I have (affiliate link) and I love it. If you have one, and it’s time to re-season it, here’s how I maintain mine.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s get into these crispy, yet soft roasted potatoes.

This recipe works best with fingerling or baby potatoes. They are small enough that they cook evenly and the skin crisps nicely.

The ingredients are minimal, but the taste is mighty. You need olive oil, kosher salt, pepper, mustard, honey, a lemon, and potatoes.

The key to getting these right is to “flash roast” the potatoes. You simply start by adding the potatoes to a hot pan. From the last sentence alone, you should already know these are going to be good.

Lemon Vinaigrette Roasted Potatoes

• Kosher Salt to taste
• Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
• 2 lbs Small medley or Fingerling Potatoes
• 3 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil (separate from the 3 tbsp.)
• 2 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
• 2 tbsp Spicy Brown Mustard or Dijon Mustard
• 2 tsp Honey

1. Preheat the oven to 450-degrees. While the oven is preheating, place an oven safe skillet in there to heat up

2. Toss the potatoes with 1 tablespoon oil, and season with kosher salt and pepper to taste.

3. Once the skillet is heated, place the potatoes in the heated skilled and roast for 20-30 minutes.

4. Mix the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, lemon juice, mustard and honey until well blended, while the potatoes roast.

5. Once the potatoes have finished roasting, drizzle the vinaigrette over them.

The post was sponsored by Advent Health for their Feel Whole Challenge

In the summer I literally have to force myself to eat. The heat does something to my appetite so I try to go for lighter dishes when the temperature heats up so I don’t waste away.

Last month at our neighborhood book club, someone made a dish with black beans and corn. I asked her in passing what was in it and attempted to make it off the top of my head. I’m not ashamed to say this didn’t taste like hers but it was just as good… and super easy.

The hardest part of this was chopping up the vegetables. Was so proud to be able to go out in my garden and grab the tomatoes and jalapenos I needed. Hopefully, when I make this again, I’ll be able to grab my peppers from the garden as well.

This was so simple. With only a can of corn and black beans, I was able to munch on this over 2 days. It’s good on it’s own, or paired with tortilla chips. Perfect for a party of 1 or a party of 10!!