Instant Pot 3 Ingredient "Lightning Lasagne"

"Lightning Lasagne"

I came up with this the other night when I was in a pinch of what to make. I had some ricotta in the fridge, no boil lasagne noodle, and a jar of sauce and not much time before supper. In spite of the few ingredients, the flavor of the sauce was enough to make for a quick and very delicious lasagne. Serve with a side salad and your done!

Times:
5 min. to get to pressure, 10 min. cook, 10 min. NPR, quick release.
Cut into two or four pieces.

The brands I used are in parenthesis.

Serves two people

Ingredients
6 sheets No Boil lasagne noodles (Barilla)
2 cups ricotta (whole milk)
1 jar of your favorite sauce (Victoria from Costco)
Pam Cooking Spray (or equivalent product)

Equipment: (see links below the food pictures)
6 x 6 cake pan (I used Wilton brand)
Instant Pot pressure cooker 6 quart or larger with trivet

Spray Pam  the bottom of the 7 x 7, put a light layer of sauce.
Break to fit, 2 lasagne noodles
Add 4 dollops of ricotta (about 4 Tbsp)
Add about a Tbsp of sauce on each dollop of ricotta.
Do this twice more.
Spread 2 Tbsp sauce on the top layer of noodles.

Place 7 x 7 pan on top of the trivet, be sure handles are up if your trivet has handles.
Add 1 cup of water.
Close lid, seal and set to Pressure Cook or Manual for 10 minutes.
After it reaches pressure/beeps. Let it count up 10 minutes, then quick release.

Remove and serve, or let set 10 min. for firmer ricotta.

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Jacked Up Panini Grilled Cheese

Looking for a grown up grilled cheese? Try this. If you like it or have any suggestions, please comment below.

This is made with ingredients you should have on hand.  
The flavor of this sandwich will make you crave it again. 

Ingredients

3 slices jack cheese (or use what you like: gruyere, cheddar, swiss, American)

2 slices your favorite bread.  I used a thick sliced Italian

6 super thin slices of vidalia onion

6 super thin slices of red onion

6 super thin slices of an apple

mayo or mustard

1 Tbsp. & butter to saute the onions

1 Tbsp. oil (vegetable, canola or olive) to saute onions

*Option: crispy bacon

Recipe:

For the sandwich: Heat to warm bbq grill, grill pan, griddle, Foreman grill, or panini press

For the onions: Heat a small skillet, add butter and oil

If you have one, use a mandoline to slice your onions and apples. 

Saute onions until they are cooked (about 3 minutes). Give them a dash S & P while cooking.

Butter the bread on one side. Place buttered side down on your work surface.

Add mayo or mustard to the bread.

Assemble: Bread, cheese slices, apple slices, cooked onions, bread.

Put your sandwich onto a hot grill or panini press.  If using a press, close lid and cook approximately 3 minutes. Check it. If it's not grilled to your liking, close and continue cooking.  

If using a bbq grill, grill pan, or cast iron griddle press the sandwich down with a spatula and cook until it's toasted to your liking,

flip and do the same on the other side; press down and continue cooking.
My results are posted below. 

If any of the cheese melts out, let it crisp up and serve it with the sandwich. It's crispy, salty, sweet and the apples make it refreshingly delicious!
Note* The Benriner green is only $23.27, the white is $49.95. The only difference is the color. This is the brand you see used on many of the cooking shows. The Cuisinart griddle has over 11,000 reviews. Lodge cast iron; you can't go wrong. The Calphalon grill pan is an easy solution for stovetop grab and cook. The George Foreman is a small size for a single serve solution. At the very bottom you will find a very handy kitchen tool; a brush to clean out the groves in any of these grill pans.

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Our Italian Anisette Cookies

We grew up eating these cookies at every holiday, every wedding, every shower, every funeral, visiting family, well you get it. We ate these a lot!  

Our Nonnas, Moms passed down the recipe. They always made a double batch to share with neighbors, friends & family.  

I hope you like them as much as we do. Enjoy! 

Italian Anisette Cookies 

(lemon, or vanilla extract can be substituted)

This recipe makes 36 cookies.

In a large mixing bowl:

3 jumbo eggs - beaten (if you have smaller eggs you may need 4 eggs)

1/4 cup milk (whole or low fat)

1 TBSP anise extract (not flavoring)

1/2 cup sugar

1 stick (1/2 cup) softened butter 

Mix all the above with a hand/stand mixer.

Slowly add:

1 TBSP. baking powder

3  cups flour 

Mix with wooden spoon until the dough comes together. If it is too wet/sticky add a little bit of flour until you are able to easily roll some of the dough into a golf ball shape. 

Take your small scoop (tablespoon size), scoop the batter onto a silicone mat, lined baking sheet.

Note: If you do not have these silicone mats, they are a game changer. You will never have burnt bottoms (cookie bottoms, that is) ever again.  You cookies, brownies, pizzas, etc. will easily lift off with a spatula. Bonus: your baking sheet will stay clean! 

After all your batter has been scooped onto your baking sheets, roll them in the palm of your hand to smooth them out, place back onto your baking sheet.  

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes. Bottoms should be a tan/sand color. Tops will still be light.

Let cool on a cookie cooling rack, sitting over a foil lined baking sheet.

Glaze and add sprinkles or nonpareil candies.

Glaze: 

Mix in a small bowl:

2 cups confectioners sugar

3 TBSP water

1/4 tsp anise extract

Use a butter knife to apply to the cookie.  Place cookie back onto the cooling rack, add sprinkles. Any sprinkles that fall will fall onto the foil lined baking sheet, you can use those again. 

These cookies freeze very well, plain or frosted.

The cooling racks I have listed below, will fit into the listed baking sheets. 

Rice Cooker Broth Flavored Perfect Rice. Set it and Forget It!

If you want a "set it and forget it" way to make rice, a rice maker will do the job. 

It's not just for rice.  It makes great oatmeal too. You can add chopped apples, raisins, cinnamon, chopped nuts, whatever you like in your stovetop made oatmeal. 

Only with a rice cooker you add your ingredients then go about your morning business. No babysitting the pan sitting on the stove, same benefit for when you cook rice.

For today, I'll tell you how to make a flavorful rice to compliment your dinner.

Kitchen gadgets are listed below.  Check out the reviews on the Amazon page.

Recipe: (can be used with Jasmine rice as well)

1 cup Basmati rice (rinsed until water runs clear of extra starch)

2 cups cool water

*1 Tbsp. Better than Bouillon Chicken or Beef base (depending on the protein you are serving for dinner.)

Dissolve the bouillion in the water.

Add rinsed rice to rice cooker, add broth. 

Close cover and set to "cook". 

Note: the rice cooker will come with a 3/4 measuring cup.  If you use that, it is the same ratio: 1 rice; 2 water.

*If you prefer to use a liquid chicken, or beef broth, use the same measurements.

This smaller model is currently out of stock on Amazon.

Instant Pot Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Boxed Dinner

Today's Kitchen gadget: Instant Pot Duo60 6 quart Electric Pressure Cooker.

 At this moment, Amazon has a clip and save $3.50 coupon.

This is the model I use the most. Almost 40 thousand people seem to like it too.

Today's Recipe: (really just directions)Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner (7.25 oz.)

You might think this is silly, and is just as easily & quickly done on the stove. Might I respectfully disagree.

Using your Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker, there is no stirring, no testing to see if the macaroni is done, no boiling over onto the stove, no straining.

Put in your ingredients and go off and do something. Pour a well deserved glass of wine maybe?

Warning: This easy method could start a bad habit of feeding your mac and cheese craving at anytime of the day or night. 😅

Note: Before beginning this or any other recipes, make sure your silicone gasket fits tightly. If not, run it under cold water or pop it in the fridge for 10 minutes. This will contract it back into shape. The gasket gets loose with use.

Here are the easy directions:

One 7.25 oz box of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner
(Macaroni & Packet)
1 Cup of water
1/4 Cup of milk
4 TBS. butter

To your Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker
add butter, water, milk and macaroni.

Using the Manual or Pressure Cook button,
set your Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker to 5 minutes (4 if you like your macaroni al dente). Quick release.

If it sputters while releasing, pulse it a bit. Do not cover the vent with a cloth, as it needs to be unobstructed to work properly and safely.
Uncover when fully vented, stir in the cheese packet.

Enjoy!

Bread Machine Italian Bread dough - Braided, then Oven Baked

The aroma of fresh baked bread brings back memories of my Nonna's kitchen.
This is one of the recipes I love to make! It's my "never fail" recipe. 
So easy, so delicious!

You make the dough in your bread machine, braid, then bake it in the oven.
 Photos at the bottom of this post.
Mangia!

Italian Braided Bread with Sesame Seeds

Liquid Ingredients:

Pour into bread machine.

1 1/3 cup warm water (100 degrees F)

1 1/2 tsp. olive oil

Stir the below into a bowl to mix, then add to the bread machine.

Dry Ingredients

4 cups AP Flour or Bread flour (or any combination of both)

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp Bread Machine Yeast

2 Tbsp light brown sugar 

Egg wash & sesame seeds - for later.

Choose "Dough" cycle 

After it beeps, usually one hour thirty minutes, turn out onto counter or large cutting board. 

Separate into three pieces, about 9.5 oz. each.

Roll each piece into a 12 - 14 inch log.

Place onto a half sheet pan lined with a silpat mat or parchment paper. 

Braid, cover, let rest 35 - 40 minutes.

Brush top with egg wash, sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake 30 minutes at 375 degrees (check at 25 min. if your oven backs hot.)

Gadgets used:

Bread machine 

Bench scraper

Kitchen scale
Silpat/silicone mat

Half sheet pan