Braised Beef for the Instant Pot

 Braised beef converted for the instant pot. Served over pappardelle pasta and a dollop of garlic butter on top! Delicioso!


Ingredients:
 2-3 lb Beef chuck roast
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary chopped
2 leaves chopped fresh sage chopped
1/2 of a yellow onion
1 carrot
1 celery stalk, if on the small side use 2
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
Oil for browning
Salt n pepper to season roast

Directions:

Cut meat into 3 large sections. Season with salt,pepper and half of sage and rosemary. Cut into large chunks onion, carrot and celery. Add to food processor and roughly chop.
Set IP to normal saute. Let heat up and add 3 tablespoons or so oil to bottom of pot insert.
Brown meat until it is dark brown. Remove from pot and set aside.
Add in chopped veggies and remaining rosemary and sage. Saute until a nice caramel color. Around 6-7 minutes.
Add red wine and balsamic vinegar. Stir and scrape bottom until liquid is reduced by half.
About 5 minutes.
Add beef broth. I used 1 cup of water and a teaspoon of better than bouillon soup base beef flavored.
Simmer for 5 minutes.
Turn off IP and wait for bubbling to subside.
Add browned beef back to pot.
Place lid on and seal. Make sure vent is sealed also. Set IP on manual for 45 minutes. NPR for 15 minutes.
Remove beef and break up into bite size pieces.
With remaining liquid in IP- Set to saute again, reduce liquid by half.
About 6 minutes.
Blend using a hand blender.
Turn off saute and let pot cool enough to lift out of IP.
Strain and put broth back into pot. Discard the veggie mix you strained.
Turn on saute again. Wait for liquid to start bubbling.
Add cream, simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.
Add meat back in.
Serve over your favorite pasta and top with garlic butter.












Ingredients



Cut meat into 3 large chunks and season



Chop veggies

After removing browned beef, add veggies to saute



Pretty caramel color



Red wine and balsamic vinegar reducing



Meat added back to IP



Set to manual 45 minutes



After cooking and a 15 minute NPR



Yum!



Blend all that goodness together



Strain broth and discard veggie mix

Break up meat



Add cream to broth



Salt and pepper to taste



Finished ready for pasta!



Time to eat!

Villalobos Pollo Loco Soup- Updated and Revised

After a long lapse in posting, We're baaaacckkkk! 
I thought after the long break that we would start off with the very first recipe we ever posted. Our soup we came up with on a cold winter night. It hits the spot and warms you up in the best way! Spicy, cheesy, chickeny rice soup!
This is updated and revised with photos and better directions. Another change that had to be made is the southwest philadelphia cream cheese cooking creme, its no longer available. But no worries, we worked around that problem!

Ingredients:

3-4 Chicken Breasts

3 Cups Chicken Broth or Hot water with 3 Cubes of Chicken Broth Boullion Cubes
1/2 Cup Water

1 Small Can of Tomato Sauce

1/2 to Whole Can of Rotel

1 Tsp Ground Cumin

1 Tsp Salt

Whole pack Taco Seasoning

1 Small Yellow Onion, Chopped

2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced

Jalapeno Pepper 1/2 to 1, Seeded and Chopped

2 or more Dried Chili De Arbol Peppers, Whole

8 oz Velveeta Cheese

1 Philadelphia Cream Cheese 8 oz tub

1/2 C Each Monterey Jack and Mild Cheddar Shredded
1 Package of Mahatma Saffron Yellow Rice 5 oz

1 Can Mexicorn (You can find this in the canned corn aisle)

8 Corn Tortillas, Cut Into Strips

2 Tblsp Oil
Mexican Seasoning for tortilla strips

To start, place 3 cups of hot water or chicken broth in your crock pot. If you use water add 3 cubes of chicken broth boullion. Add an additional 1/2 cup water.

Add to crock pot one small can of tomato sauce and half a can of rotel, you may put the whole can if you wish, i always like to save the other half for salsa. Here's one of my favorite Salsa Recipes- Quick n Easy Salsa

Next, add seasonings, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin, 1 teaspoon salt and a pack of taco seasoning.

Add one chopped small yellow onion, 2 cloves of garlic, minced and half of a jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped. You may add more if you prefer, depending on how spicy you want it.

Add 2 or more depending on your preference, dried chili de arbol peppers, or any type of dried red chili pepper. Do not chop these up, you'll remove them in a little while.  

Place 3-4 chicken breasts in your crock pot. I like to cut up into large chunks. Cook on High for 4 Hours or Low for 6 Hours.

In the meantime, prepare your Saffron rice as stated on package, i use the Mahatma brand its called, saffron yellow. Set aside.

After your chicken is done, remove from crockpot along with the dried peppers.

Discard peppers and place chicken in bowl to cool. You'll be shredding the chicken once it cools.

Now you have a wonderful broth left over.

To broth, add all the shredded cheeses, velveeta and tub of philadelphia cream cheese. Add cooked rice and mexicorn.

Once your chicken cools shred it, add about 2 cups to soup. Reserve the rest to make some Baked Flautas or whatever you would like.

 Heres a link to the recipe i use for Baked Chicken Flautas -Baked Chicken Flautas

Put crock pot on high, cook until cheeses have melted, around 30 minutes.

While soup is finishing up, let's prepare the crispy tortilla strips. When purchasing tortillas for this recipe, try to find as thin of a tortilla as you can. You want to cut 8 corn tortillas into strips. Place them in a gallon size freezer bag and add 2 Tablespoons of oil, seal and shake well.

 Next add seasoning to bag, i use mccormick mexican season, but you may use garlic, chili powder, squeeze a lime in or even taco seasoning to flavor them, shake well. I like to sprinkle some on strips, shake bag, keep repeating the process until they are seasoned to my liking. 

Place in a 13x9 pan and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 20-35 minutes (depending on thickness of tortilla)  until they are lightly browned and crisp. Stir every 10 minutes during baking time for extra crispiness! 

Once heated through and cheeses are melted, your soup is done.

Top with crispy tortilla strips when serving.

Chop onion and jalapeno pepper

Cut chicken into large chunks

Ingredients added, all ready to cook

The rice to use

Cooked rice

Cooked chicken cooling

Cheese ready to be shredded

The food processor makes shredding cheese quick and easy

After chicken is removed, add all the cheeses to broth

Add rice, mexicorn and chicken

Stir well, cook for 30 minutes

Cut corn tortillas into strips

Keep turning tortillas to make cutting strips easy

Place in bag with oil shake and season

The seasoning i use

Ready for the oven

Nice and crispy strips

Dig in!

Triple Chocolate Buttermilk Muffins

Calling all chocolate lovers! Loaded with chocolate these muffins are just what the doctor ordered. These are great for breakfast, snacking, dessert or heck, anytime! Super easy to make and quick to cook, you'll be happy before you know it! I hope you enjoy this recipe. If you make these, I would love to hear how much you liked them!

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1 3/4 Cups Flour
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa
1/2 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/2 Cup White Chocolate Chips
You'll want extra chips to top the muffins before cooking
1 Cup Buttermilk
3/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
2 Eggs
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line 15 muffin tins with cupcake liners. You may need to give or take when filling so have some extra liners handy. Most of the time I get 15, sometimes 16.

In a medium bowl add sugars, flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa. Mix. Add chocolate chips and mix until incorporated.

In a large bowl add buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla. Mix well using a wire whisk.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix with spoon just until everything is incorporated. Don't over mix, muffins will be tough if you do.

Fill liners with batter 3/4 of the way full until all batter is used. Top muffins with extra chips don't press them in the batter, just lightly lay them on.

Bake for 17-20 minutes. Muffins are done when you touch top and it springs back. Remove from oven.

Remove from pan when cool enough to handle. Place on wire rack to further cool. Eat them as soon as they are cool enough to handle. These taste best served warm!

Mix dry ingredients in medium bowl

Add chocolate chips, mix

In large bowl mix wet ingredients

Stir well with whisk

It will look like this

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients

Stir just until mixed

Fill muffin tins 3/4 of the way full, top with more chips

These will remind you of devils food cake and a brownie put together

When broken you can see how moist these are on the inside

Dig in!