Our Fabulous Bites

 I loved this recipe, a lot.  Jeff wished the poblanos had been roasted and peeled, which I usually would say yes to that too, but I thought they softened up nicely in the instant pot. I worry if they were pre-roasted they would have dissolved in the instant pot. Ingredients 1 pound dry pinto beans 1 small sweet onion, diced 3 poblano peppers, diced 2 tsp oregano  2 tsp cumin 7 cups broth (only do 5 if you want it thicker, but I wanted it more soupy) 1 bay leaf t sp kosher salt 2 -4 T lime juice Instructions 1. Combine the beans, onions, peppers, oregano, cumin and broth into the instant pot. Stir them up then add the bay leaf. 2. Program to High Pressure for 30 minutes then let come to a natural pressure release.  (you can try a quick release after 10-minute natural pressure release if you are in a hurry).   3. drain the liquid in a colander if you want thicker beans. I wanted this more like a soup so I kept the liquid.  Stir in the salt and lime juic...

 Ingredients 1 tsp each of dried basil, parsley, and oregano 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder 1/4 tsp pepper 1 pound fake italian sausage 2 T butter 1 small yellow onion, diced 3/4 cup carrots, diced 2 ribs celery, diced 1-2 small potatoes, peeled and diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 3 T flour 1-2 tsp hot sauce 1 tsp worcestershire sauce 6 cups broth 2 cans pinto beans (or you can use dried beans that you have soaked and cooked, which I prefer) 3 cups chopped spinach Instructions 1. Cook the sausage, breaking apart as it cooks. Once cooked, moved to another dish. 2. In the pot that you cooked the sausage, add the butter, cooking on medium until it melts.  Add the all the veggies (not the garlic) and cook until they have softened.  Then add the garlic and flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. 3. Add the hot suace, worcestershire sauce, basil, oregano, parsley, mustard powder and pepper and the beans. 4. Add the broth and use a spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot to get the flavor stuc...

 Jeff was gifted a lot of pistachios, a lot.  So I decided to look for ways to use them, besides just snacking on them.  I found a recipe for cheese dip and made a couple of changes and it was a hit at our house. Ingredients 1 cup shelled pistachios, not salted is better 16 ounces white cheddar cheese, grated, room temperature 1/2 cup mayonaise 1/2 cup whole milk 2 tsp chopped fresh parsley 1.5 tsp white vinegar 1/4 - 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/4 - 1/2 tsp onion powder 1/2 teaspoon pepper, black or white 1/4 tsp dry dill weed Crackers or pita chips for serving Directioins: 1. Roast the shelled pistachios in the over on 350 for 5-10 minutes.  Just keep an eye on them to make sure they don't burn. 2.Once the nuts have cooled, chop them well. 3. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, mayonnaise and milk until smooth.  Add the parlsey, vinegar, garlic and onion powders, pepper and dill and mix well....