Iced Coffee Concentrate

 1.5 cups of ground coffee (Pike’s Place works well)

~18 cups of water 

Put coffee grounds into Instant Pot and cover with water to the max fill line. Cook on High for 5 minutes, then let sit to steep for 2 hours. Strain out grounds and refrigerate.

Instant Pot Polenta

 Adapted from Bon Appetit's Cacio e Pepe Polenta

6 servings (scales down easily for 4)

1 1/2 c polenta, not quick-cooking (per ATK's recommendation, I use regular Quaker cornmeal)

1 1/2 tsp salt

Black pepper

4 1/2 Tbsp butter

3-4 oz Parmesan cheese, grated

Whisk polenta and 6 cups water in Instant Pot until combined.  Season with salt and a couple grinds of pepper.  Bring mixture to a simmer on saute mode, whisk again, and seal lid.  Cook on high pressure for 9 minutes.  When timer goes off, manually release pressure.  Carefully open lid and whisk polenta until homogenous and creamy.

Whisk butter into polenta, then gradually add cheese, whisking until melted.  Taste and adjust salt and pepper.

Creamy Ranch Chicken Pasta

2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 8 ounces)
One 1-ounce package ranch-dressing seasoning mix
1 pound penne pasta
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons sour cream, at room temperature
1/4 cup sharp yellow Cheddar, shredded

THE OFFICIAL DIRECTIONS

• Pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel and sprinkle all over with 1 tablespoon of the seasoning mix.
• Add the penne to the 6-quart Instant Pot® and add 4 cups water to the pot. Place the chicken thighs on top of the penne. Follow the manufacturer's guide for locking the lid and preparing to cook. Set to pressure cook on high for 8 minutes. After the pressure-cook cycle is complete, follow the manufacturer's guide for quick- release and wait until the quick-release cycle is complete. Being careful of any remaining steam, unlock and remove the lid. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board until cool enough to handle.  
• Meanwhile, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, Cheddar and remaining seasoning mix (about 2 tablespoons) in a large bowl. Set aside.  
• Roughly chop the chicken into small pieces while it is still warm. Add the chicken to the cream-cheese mixture and stir to combine. Add the chicken and cheese mixture to the pasta and stir until the cheese mixture melts and the pasta is well coated.

WHAT I REALLY DID

• Dump the chicken into the instant pot and pour the whole packet of ranch dressing mix on top and a little water on the bottom - maybe a half cup.
• Cook in the instant pot for 8 minutes on high.
• Mix the dairy products together along with the cooked and cut up chicken.
• Pour in another packet of dressing mix into all that because you are doubling the recipe to give half to Jen and Jonah and didn't read the instructions well enough to notice that the seasoning mix needs to be divided.

At this point I just divided it into two tupperwares and called it make-ahead meals for our two families.  When I reheated mine, I added some milk to the skillet because it was pretty thick.

I served it over rice and it was delish.

The key here (Klejeski children) is that it tastes like Chicken Packets only without the crescent roll outside.  It would definitely work for that recipe though.  Good memories!

Instant Pot Pork Roast

2 1/2 pounds pork loin roast

kosher salt or sea salt , to taste
fresh cracked black pepper , to taste
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 medium onion , diced
4 cloves garlic , minced
1/2 cup broth
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon coarse mustard
2 teaspoons herbs of choice- dried or fresh (rosemary, basil, oregano, thyme etc…)
1 Tablespoon corn starch
1/4 cup water

Season pork with salt and pepper. Turn Instant Pot on "Sauté”, and add butter and melt. Add the pork loin and sear the sides of the pork loin to a nice golden brown.  Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft, about 2 minutes.
Stir in the broth, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, mustard, and herbs.
Close the lid, set to high pressure, and after the pressure cooker reaches full pressure,  cook for 15-30 minutes *depending on size & preferred doneness. 

After the cooking time is complete, press "Cancel" and carefully release the pressure. If possible, check the internal temperature of the pork loin (it should be about 145°F).
Remove the pork loin from the Instant Pot (keep the juices the Instant Pot), cover and allow the pork loin to rest for about 10 minutes, depending on how large your loin roast is and how well done you like it.
Mix together the cornstarch and water. Add to the Instant Pot with the juices. Turn Instant Pot on "Sauté” and simmer until thickened. Taste seasoning and add additional salt and pepper if desired.

NOTES:

• Source
• I omitted the celery and carrots from the original recipe.
• I started with a Costco pork roast (4 pack, about 2.5 lbs each).  
• Be sure to sear well all around.  It holds in juices and adds lots of flavor.
• The herbs were delicious and I'll definitely do this again.  
• The only change I'd make is to cut the roast into 2 pieces so it's a uniform thickness.  Mine was thinner on one end and I ended up restarting the instant pot 3 times to get it to an internal temperature of 145 in the thickest part.

Tikka Masala

Excellent sauce at a great Aldi price!  Just combine with cooked chunks of chicken and sweet peppers and serve over rice.  (They sell jasmine rice at Aldi now too!)

Rice. Just plain rice.

Great texture, no scorching, dump into the pot and move on to the stir fry and potstickers.

Equal proportions of white rice and water. (Maybe just a bit of extra water.
Salt
Rinse the rice and put it in the water.
Lock the lid in place and push the Rice button.

I used this very wordy post to begin.
http://instantpot.com/how-to-cook-perfect-rice-in-an-electric-pressure-cooker/

Pot Roast - Instant Pot

3-4 lb. chuck roast 
1 medium onion
1-1/2 lbs. potatoes, either B sized or large potatoes cut into eighths 
2 cups beef broth, or a combination of broth and red wine 
Salt & Pepper
Olive oil

Turn Instant Pot onto sauté, add a drizzle of olive oil. Season the roast with salt and pepper to your liking and add to the pot, allow to brown on one side, then turn it. Add the onions and potatoes, pour broth over everything and seal the lid. Turn pot to cook on high pressure for 90 minutes. When finished, release pressure and serve.

"Baked" Beans - Instant Pot

1 lb navy beans (dry)

1/2 lb bacon, diced
1 large onion, diced
3 c water
1 tbls olive oil
1/2 tsp dried mustard
1/8 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1/3 c ketchup
1/3 c molasses
1/3 c brown sugar
3 tbsp yellow mustard

1. Soak beans for 30 minutes as you prep other ingredients.  (I soaked them before Mass this morning and made the recipe when I got home.)
2. With the cooker's lid off, heat bacon and onion on high until bacon is nearly crisp.  About 5 minutes.
3. Add the drained beans, water, olive oil, dry mustard, cloves, and pepper.  Lock on the lid and cook on high for 20 minutes.
4. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick release the rest.
5. Stir in remaining ingredients.

NOTES

1. Good! 
2. About the same amount of liquid as opening a can of beans so serve with a slotted spoon.
3. It would be easy to mess with the flavor a little.  These are a little on the sweet side.
4. I'd also consider adding 1/4 tsp of liquid smoke.  (My new flavor friend, apparently.)
5. I'm not sure why all the ingredients couldn't just be added from the start.
6. We'll have this for dinner today and I'll probably freeze leftovers for another time.

UPDATES:

This time I added a splash of liquid smoke, about a tablespoon of worchestershire sauce, and BBQ sauce rather than ketchup.  Also, I cooked it in the IP for closer to 35 minutes and then in the oven for about 45 while my meat was finishing.  Either plan for extra cooking or soak the beans overnight.

Pulled Pork - Instant Pot

1 (4-5 lb) pork shoulder or butt
2 tbls brown sugar
1 tbls chili powder
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tbls vegetable oil
1-1/2 cup chicken stock or broth
2 tbls cider vinegar
1 tsp liquid smoke

1. Cut pork into 2-inch thick slices.
2. Combing spices and brown sugar.  Rub on surfaces of pork.
3. With cooker's lid off, heat oil on high and brown the pork.
4. Add broth, vinegar and liquid smoke.  Lock on the lid and set for 100 minutes on high.
5. Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes before quick release.
6. OPTIONAL - remove pork from cooker, drain all liquid, heat 16 ounces of BBQ sauce on high and add the pork before serving.

Notes:

• I didn't do the BBQ sauce step because it was quite flavorful without the sauce.  Don't skip the liquid smoke.
• Very good!

Whole Chicken - Instant Pot

1 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 (3-4 lb) whole chicken, rinsed well
2 tbsp olive oil
1-1/2 cup chicken stock or broth
2 tbsp dry white wine (optional)
juice of one lemon

1. With the cooker's lid off, heat oil on high until sizzling.
2. Sprinkle spices on the chicken breast size and place it breast side down in the cooker.  Sprinkle the spices on the top side.  Let it cook until browned, about 7 minutes.
3. Flip the chicken in the cooker and cover with remaining ingredients.
4. Lock on the lid and set for 25 minutes on high.
5. Let the cooker's pressure naturally for 10 minutes before performing a quick release of pressure.
6. Remove carefully from cooker and let rest for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

NOTES:

• Very good and simple.  I used some other spice blend that I had instead of the thyme and poultry seasoning.  I did use the paprika though - it gives a great color.
• Plan for a little more than an hour from start to finish.

Refried Beans - Instant Pot

2 pounds dried pinto beans, sorted

Mmmm, look at all that cilantro!

1 1/2 cups chopped onion
4-5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons lard
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
1-2 teaspoons sea salt ( after cooked)

1. In a large mixing bowl, add the sorted dried pinto beans and fill the bowl with enough water to cover the beans by several inches. Set aside to soak for 15 minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
2. To the Instant Pot bowl, add the chopped onion, garlic cloves, jalapeno, dried oregano, ground cumin, ground black pepper, lard, chicken broth, and water.
3. Use a colander to strain the beans and discard the soaking liquid. Rinse with fresh water.
4. Now add the beans to the Instant Pot bowl, and stir all of the ingredients together. It’s okay if the lard is in a solid lump, as soon as the Instant Pot comes up to pressure/temperature, the lard will melt.
5. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and ensure the steam release valve is set to sealing. Press the “Bean/Chili” key, which will show 30 minutes of cooking time, and increase the time to 45 minutes. Now walk away. When the Instant Pot is done cooking, it will come down from pressure naturally, about 40 minutes.
6. When the pressure is released, open the lid of the Instant Pot and add the sea salt to taste. Use an immersion blender to blend the beans to the desired consistency. The beans will appear soupy, but will thicken as they cool.

NOTES:

• From the original recipe: "I don’t recommend salting the beans prior to cooking, because I’ve experience instances where they never soften. I only recommend salting beans once they are soft and cooked through."
• Replace the lard with bacon fat.
• I replaced the jalapeno with a can of diced chilies.  (Better safe than sorry around here.)
• I ended up cooking them for an additional 30 minutes because they didn't seem to be quite done at 45.  That was probably overkill, but underdone is bad imo.
• Freeze them in ziplocs for efficient storage.  This time I happened to have a bunch of 1 cup container bowls, so I did that instead.

Zuppa Toscana - Instant Pot

½ pound bacon, chopped

1 pound mild Italian sausage
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
28 oz honey gold potatoes, scrubbed clean quartered
10 cups water, divided
3 tbsp. Chicken Base
5-6 cups chopped kale (approximately, I did not measure)
2 cup heavy whipping cream
salt and pepper, to taste

Steps

1. With instant pot on  sauté mode, cook bacon until crisp, set aside. 
2. Crumble in sausage and red pepper flakes, cook until almost done, then add onion and cook 3-4 minutes. 
3. Next add the garlic and cook 2-3 minutes. Turn IP off. 
4. Add potatoes, 8 cups of water, and bullion. Lock lid in place, set knob to seal, set IP to manual 10 minutes. 
5. Let stay on keep warm mode for 15 minutes, then turn IP off and turn knob to venting. 
6. Once all pressure released, open lid and add kale and 2 additional cups of water. 
7. Set to sauté mode and cook 10-15 minutes to tenderize the kale. 
8. Turn off, once soup stops boiling, add cream. Serve with crumbled bacon.

NOTES:

• This called for 12 cups of water (four cups in step 6 instead of the two I added).  That seemed like too much.
• I used a carton of chicken broth in place of a bunch of the water.
• I also a left the bacon in during the cooking process instead of serving it on top at the end.
• Add more red pepper if you like it hotter.  The original called for 1 tbsp.
• We also would have preferred it to be thicker.  I'd recommend a roux in the last step.
• Opinion: This is one of those recipes that made me not buy an Instant Pot.  Basically, it cooked the potatoes a little faster, although not really once you consider how long it takes to build pressure.  The saute mode steps are probably less efficient using the IP than they would be on the stove top.  Especially my lovely gas stove where I have better control over the temp. 
• Having said that, the recipe is good - we all liked it.

Source

Steel Cut Oats - Instant Pot

3 tbls butter
1 c steel cut oats
3-1/2 c water
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 c  brown sugar

1. With the cooker's lid off, heat butter on high until melted.
2. Add the oats, water, cinnamon and salt.  Lock the pressure cooker's lid and set for 5 minutes on high.
3. Perform a quick release to release the cooker's pressure.
4. Stir in brown sugar (original recipe also says to store in 1/4 c of milk).

NOTES:

• This worked well and actually took a reasonable amount of cooking time (plug in to pressure release), but there was lots of liquid that had not yet absorbed by the end of the cooking time.  All of this extra liquid was absorbed about a half hour later.
• It made 4 servings.  I packaged them to reheat for breakfasts this week.
• Using apple juice instead of water would probably be worth a try.
• I'd add fruit (raisins, craisins, or granny smith apples) before cooking next time.
• Definitely good.  Could easily be doubled.

Hard Cooked Eggs - Instant Pot

A friend loaned me her Instant Pot (electric pressure cooker) to test over the next few days and I started with this easiest "recipe" for eggs.

Basically, I cooked a dozen eggs for 7 minutes at low pressure.  Release the steam immediately after the timer beeped, and let them cool a bit.  (I moved them to a bowl of cold water.)

In just a few minutes they were cool enough to peel, which was the really big part of the show!  After cracking them around the middle and removing a few pieces, almost all of the shells came off in two halves.  It was pretty impressive and the eggs were perfectly cooked.

Slightly more detailed instructions here.

Bean Soup

2 c. dried beans
1 1/2 quarts water
1 ham bone or 1 1/2 lbs. ham butt
1 large onion, chopped
1 c chopped celery and leaves
15 oz. can tomato sauce*
1 tsp. salt**
1/8 tsp. pepper
3 cloves garlic

Combine beans and water in a large kettle; boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 2 hours. Simmer beans without draining until tender, about 2 hours, adding more water if necessary.

In the meantime simmer ham in water to cover. Skim fat from broth and add beans. Stir in remaining ingredients; simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Makes 10 servings.

* The original recipe calls for 4 cups of canned tomatoes, which I'm sure is delicious, but there are people around here who don't like any detectable tomatoes in their food.
**NEVER add any salt to a ham dish until it's almost done. Some hams are very salty and adding more just adds to the problem.

CROCK POT VERSION: Soak the beans in water the day before. Also, boil the ham bone and cut up all meat and vegetables the day before. Dump everything into the crockpot (draining the beans first) in the morning and cook on low all day. Perfect! Even Nick says this is a favorite soup.

INSTANT POT VERSION: Not surprisingly, this also worked in my instant pot.  I started with raw beans and cooked it all for 40 minutes.  The beans weren't done, so I did another 20 and it was great.  If I divided the time like this again, the last 20 minutes would be a good time to add the potatoes.  What I'll probably do though is just remember to soak the beans overnight and just pressure cook for the original 40 minutes with everything.

SOURCE: This recipe is one of my favorites from a 1959 (1972) Farm Journal's Country Cookbook.  My copy no longer has a decent binding and is in several pieces, so I'm glad to store the favorites here.  I'll probably skip the Onion Pie and Jellied Beef Mold though.