Refried Beans - Pressure Cooker Method

THESE ARE AMOUNTS AND INSTRUCTIONS ARE SPECIFIC TO MY WEIGHTED 5 QUART PRESSURE COOKER. 

4 cups dry beans (½ pinto & ½ pink is what I like)

2 scant Tbs. dry, minced onion
1 scant Tbs. dry minced garlic
2 Tbs. oil
2 Tbs. vinegar
2 tsp. salt
4 oz. butter
2 tsp. cumin
1 Tbs. chili powder

Place rinsed beans in a 5 qt. pressure cooker with the onion, garlic, oil (oil helps prevent scorching but mainly it keeps foaming to a minimum. Foaming can cause the vents to get clogged up.), and enough water to come up to the maximum fill line. (Don't add the salt yet. It inhibits softening!) Bring to pressure.  Cook 45 minutes.  Let cool naturally.

Depending on the desired consistency, drain off some of the water but reserve it to add back if necessary. The amount of liquid you remove will depend on the consistency you want (thin vs. thick).  It will thicken somewhat as it cools.  (EDITED TO SAY, I no longer remove any of the liquid.  I've found it's much too thick if I do. 4-22-16) Spoon out and reserve about one cup of the beans (optional).  Add the butter, salt, cumin, chili powder, and vinegar.  Blend with an immersion blender or food processor until smooth.  Add a few tablespoons (or all!) of any reserved liquid if the beans are too thick to blend.  When beans are smooth stir back in the whole beans.                                                    

 Makes approx. four 20 oz. portions.

You'll have to play around with amounts based on the size of YOUR pressure cooker. 

Rinse the beans

Add water, bring to pressure and cook for 45 minutes

Drain off excess liquid (if desired)

Add butter, vinegar, and spices

Blend with immersion blender or food processor

Taste test!

ENJOY!

See my Crock-Pot Method here.

The Cream of the Crop (How I separate milk and cream)

Place raw milk in the dispenser and wait 12-48 hours. We like some cream left in the milk so I usually wait about 24 hours. Works for me. I put a dotted line where the cream has separated in case it's hard for you to see it.

A close-up of the milk/cream separation line. It's just above the butterfly's upper wing.

Drain off the milk from under the cream. I really need to get a spigot I can flip up rather than have to press down.
It's hard to keep that button pressed down after a few minutes!

When it gets down to the spigot, you have to tip it to keep the two from mixing.

I drain it off until I am getting straight cream for a few moments.
(I've noticed the sound changes when it becomes straight cream streaming into the bottle.)
We don't care for skim milk and like some of the cream to remain in the milk so
I allow cream to run into the bottle for a few seconds.
This also helps ensure that you are getting the most milk out of the cream.

Then I mix the 2-3 bottles of milk that I've drained off to make sure that there is some cream in all of them.

 Lovely cream is what is left over. I'll wait a couple days and make butter!! :-)

Minestrone Soup

3 Tbs. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
3-4 carrots, sliced
4 cups chicken broth
15 oz. canned tomatoes, undrained.
16 oz tomato sauce
15 oz. canned kidney beans, drained
½ cup frozen corn
15 oz. can green beans
2 large handfuls fresh baby spinach
1 zucchini, cubed
1 Tbs. Italian seasoning
¼ cup barley
¾ cup small seashell pasta

In a large pot, over medium-low heat, heat olive oil and saute garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add onion, celery and carrots, saute for 5 minutes. Add chicken broth, canned tomatoes, and tomato sauce, bring to boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low and add kidney beans, corn, green beans, spinach, zucchini, and Italian seasoning. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for at least 1 hour, the longer the better. Add barley for the last hour of cooking. Cook pasta separately and add just before serving.

Easy Enchilada Sauce

1/2 cup butter

1/2 - 3/4 cup flour

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. black pepper

4 cups broth or bouillon

8 oz. tomato sauce

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Stir in flour to make a smooth paste.  Add spices and continue to stir until bubbly.

Whisk in broth and bring to a boil.  Cook and stir 1 minute, until thickened. Stir in tomato sauce.

Makes 5-6 cups, enough for (1 or 2*) 9×13 pan of enchiladas.

Source: Kim @ Life In A Shoe http://inashoe.com/2012/02/easy-homemade-enchilada-sauce/
*Kim says it's enough for TWO pans of enchiladas but my husband likes a LOT of sauce.  You'll have to figure out what works for you!! :-) 

Glazed Doughnut Muffins

Glazed Doughnut Muffins

1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. oil
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. brown sugar
2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 2/3 c. flour
1 c. milk

• Mix butter, oil, sugars, and eggs in a mixing bowl.  Blend in dry ingredients.  Then add milk and mix until well blended.
• Spray a regular-sized muffin tin with cooking spray and fill each of the 12 cups to the brim with batter.  (I used mini muffin tins and got 36 muffins/"doughnut holes".
• Bake 17-18 minutes at 425°.  Bake mini muffins about 14-15 minutes.
• Remove from pan and let cool about 5 minutes then dip/twirl the top of the muffins in glaze.  Let glaze harden and dip again if desired.

Glaze: 
Mix until smooth: 3 Tbs. butter, 1 c. powdered sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, 2 Tbs. hot water.

Mini Puffed Pancakes

4 eggs
3 Tbs. oil
1 ½ cups milk
1 ½ cups flour
½ tsp. salt

Pre-heat oven to 400°. In bowl beat eggs, then add the rest of the ingredients. Mix until smooth Spray muffin tins with non-stick spray or brush with melted butter. Fill muffin wells ¾ full. Bake mini muffins about 15 minutes or regular-sized muffins about 20 minutes in a 400° oven.

Top with or dip in maple syrup, berry sauce, powdered sugar, or whipped cream.

Berry Sauce:
6 large frozen (straw)berries
3 Tbs. berry jam (I used raspberry)
sugar to taste, if needed

If using frozen berries, place berries and jam in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for about 1 minute. Use a fork to stir and mash everything together (cut strawberries if necessary), or place everything in a blender and pulse a few times until desired consistency is reached.

This is a slightly tweaked version of the recipe I found at Our Best Bites. I have a bit more egg in mine, some oil, and it's a bigger recipe to feed all my kiddos! I basically followed my German Pancake recipe and cut back on the egg some. We LOVED this recipe and it's so very easy, fun, beautiful, and DELICIOUS!!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Chocolate "Zucchini" Cake using Yellow
Crookneck squash instead of zucchini

½ cup shortening*
½ cup oil
1 ¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
½ cup sour milk**
2 ½ cups flour
4 Tbs. cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. cloves
½ tsp. salt
¼ cup chocolate chips
¼ cup chopped nuts (optional)
2 cups grated zucchini

Cream shortening, oil, and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, and sour milk. Mix well. Sift together dry ingredients and combine with wet mixture. Stir in chocolate chips, nuts, and zucchini. Spread in a greased 9x13 cake pan. Bake at 325° for 45 minutes. Very tasty. Enjoy!

You could add frosting to this if you'd like, but we never have and love it as is. Also, my kids don't realize that there is zucchini in this and once they're old enough to figure it out, they've never cared! Yummy!

*I use coconut oil instead of shortening now.

**If you don't have sour milk, you can sour some by putting a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice in a measuring cup and adding enough milk to make the ½ cup you need. Let it sit for five minutes or so to let it curdle.

This recipe is from my grandma, Catherine Fox.