Pressure Cooker: Egg Bites

I have wanted to make egg bites for a while. Got out my Beaba silicone multiportions container. You can also use ramekins, stainless steel bowls, etc. Did not really measure things out. Tons of variations for this. Add sausage, veggies, etc, etc..

Egg Bites
Ingredients:
3 eggs
some milk
some cheese
bacon bits
salt (to taste)

Directions:
In a medium sized bowl, crack the eggs with some milk (maybe 1/8 cup). Sprinkle sea salt. Mix in some cheese. Scramble it together. Place some bacon bits at the bottom of the Beaba multiportions; pour the rest of the mixture in. I filled mine about 2/3 of the way since I did not want to overfill them. (4 eggs would fit also)

Pour 1 cup water in the inner pot. Place the Beaba multiportions (or other silicone mold) in. Close lid (make sure it is in 'seal' position). Set to Manual for 3 min HP. QR.

That's it! Enjoy!!

Note: I spray nonstick oil since I hate cleaning/scrubbing.

Other pictured items are:
Cinnamon Raisin French Toast made in a pan on the stove.
Mashed potatoes made in the pressure cooker leftover from the night before.

Below is another idea for the silicone mold:
I put chicken broth made from pressure cooked chicken thighs. Poured it into the mold to freeze.
When I want chicken broth for another recipe, all I have to do is pop the amount I want in.

Pressure Cook: Steel Cut Oatmeal

This is the first time I have done a breakfast recipe in my Instant Pot (pressure cooker)!!

Read through different variations. Some recipes say to cook it for 3 min, 5 min, 10 min but all of them recommend NPR (natural pressure release) so that the contents don't spew out.

Steel Cut Oatmeal
Ingredients:
1 cup steel cut oatmeal
3 cups water (I used 2 cups water, 1 cup cold whole milk)

Directions: 
Pour everything in the pot. Pressure cook for 10 min. NPR.

So how long did it actually take? From getting out my IP to pouring the ingredients to building pressure, it was about 10 minutes. Another 10 minutes for pressure cooking, followed by 15 min NPR (QR after 15 minutes only because I knew there was very little pressure left). Total time was 35 min but you do other things during that time.

The texture was PERFECT.

Sweeten and top as you like it!!

Enjoy!!

Variation:
Apple Steel Cut Oatmeal
Put 1 steel cut oats, 2 cup water, 1 cup whole milk, diced apples (1 small gala apple) into the IP. Pressure cook for 10 minutes (manual HP). After NPR, stir in 1/2 tsp cinnamon with sweetener of choice. Delicious!!

You can't see the apple after it is cooked unless you look very closely but oh the flavor...

Bulgogi Rice

I've been searching and searching for different dishes to serve for dinner. When you cook daily, it's easy to have the same things over and over again.

This is the easiest and tastiest recipe I've found in a long time!!! Bulgogi Rice is bulgogi meat using ground beef instead.

Bulgogi Rice

Prep Time: 2 minutes      Cook Time: 5 (?) minutes minus making rice

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef

3 cloves garlic (minced)

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar

a little ginger chopped finely

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 cup rice

green onions (optional)

sesame seeds (optional)

Directions: 

Cook your rice separately. I put one cup jasmine rice with water in my pressure cooker (Instant Pot) for 3 min (then NPR 10 min).

In a pan, cook ground beef and garlic. Add black pepper. Cook until browned.

In a separate medium sized bowl, mix soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, sesame oil. Pour this mixture into the pan. Mix. THAT'S IT!!! 

Get a bowl of rice, put the bulgogi ground beef over it. Top it with green onions and sesame seeds, if desire.

DELICIOUS, EASY, FAST!! What more could you ask for??
Well, I will double the recipe next time since we gobbled it up. 

ENJOY!!

Note: I usually stir fry some kind of veggies on the side to create balanced meals (mushrooms, green beans, zucchini)

Pressure Cooker: Rice Pudding

This is the first dessert I made in the pressure cooker. Basically, you make rice. Then stir the other ingredients using the "Saute" mode. Easy peasy.

Rice Pudding
Prep Time: 5 minutes      Pressure Cook Time: 4 minutes
                                        Additional Cooking: 3 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup Arborio rice
1.5 cups water
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup raisins

Directions: 
Cook the rice by putting the Arborio rice, water, salt in the inner pot. Pressure cook on Manual mode high pressure for 4 minutes.

QR (quick release pressure). Stir in milk, cinnamon, sugar.

Using "Saute" button, stir in beaten eggs with vanilla extract. Keep stirring until everything is incorporated. Press cancel. Mix in raisins.

Rice pudding is served warm or cold. Your choice!!

Enjoy!!

Pressure Cooker: Chicken Congee (Porridge)

This is a keeper. It's easy and tasty. Great for when you want a soupy rice. Perfect for when you want comfort when you are sick, etc. Love this!!

Chicken Congee
Prep Time:  5 min      Pressure Cook Time: 30 min
* Note: It will take a while to get to pressure since there is more liquid in the pot.

Ingredients: 
1 cup jasmine rice
7 cups water
1 tbsp sliced ginger
2 cloves garlic
2 lb chicken (preferably bone-in but not necessary)

salt (to taste)
sesame oil (to taste)
green onions

Directions:
Rinse rice. Put rice in the inner pot with ginger, garlic, and water. Place chicken on top. Close the lid and make sure your pot is on "seal". Set manual high pressure for 30 minutes. NPR.

Shred chicken and add salt/sesame oil to taste (about 1/2 tbsp). Top with green onions, etc. If you want, you can put chicken congee in bowl, then salt/sesame oil to taste.

Enjoy!!

Pressure Cooker: Unstuffed Cabbage (with Meat)

I had cabbage, ground beef, ground pork. Browsing the web to see what I should make, I came across Unstuffed Cabbage as the perfect recipe for the ingredients.

Unstuffed Cabbage w/Meat

Prep Time: 10 min      Cook Time: 5 min

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1 lb ground pork

1 large onion (sliced)

4 cloves garlic

26 oz diced canned tomatoes (you can use fresh also)

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp paprika

1 Tbsp dijon mustard

3 Tbsp vinegar

1 cabbage (chopped)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Directions: 

Push the 'Saute' button and cook the ground beef and ground pork. Add the onion to cook with the meat. Add the rest of the ingredients (add the cabbage last).

On 'Manual' mode, set to cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. You can quick release or wait about a half hour for natural pressure release. I wasn't in a hurry so this time I used natural release.

Open lid. Stir to mix everything well. Taste to see if you need to add any more salt/pepper.

Serve with rice.

Enjoy!! 

Pressure Cooker: One Pot Pasta

I sift through many, many recipes before trying any of them. Finally tried One-Pot Pasta. It was a hit. I see why people do lasagna pie in the pressure cooker. Still need to buy a pan for that to keep it together.

One Pot Pasta
Prep Time: 10 min      Cook Time: 6 min (Long time to get to pressure)
Ingredients: 
1 lb ground beef (or other meat, even veggies like mushrooms/tomatoes)
1 onion (diced or chopped)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 box pasta
1 jar pasta sauce
1 jar water

Directions: 
Turn on your electric pressure cooker. Hit 'Saute' button to brown the ground beef. Add the onions. Then the garlic (for a min). Press 'Cancel'

Pour in dry pasta (any kind); I used a bigger macaroni. Pour in jar of pasta sauce. Fill the same jar with water to add. This eliminates washing a measuring cup!

Stir to mix ingredients. Close/Lock the lid. Make sure your knob is on 'Seal'. Then I was set.

When you are ready (I waited for my husband to get home), hit 'Manual' (high pressure) for half the time it takes to cook pasta. Mine said 10-12 min. I set it for 6 minutes.

It did take 20+ minutes to make it to high pressure because of the amount of liquid. After 6 minutes of high pressure, hit 'keep warm/cancel' so that you don't keep cooking it. When I turned the knob to 'vent', there was no pressure since I had it on keep warm.

Enjoy!!

Pressure Cooker / Instant Pot: Mashed Potatoes

No need for a steamer basket. I don't consider this to be a "recipe" since it is just a little side dish so this will not be recipe #3. I had a cup of chicken broth left from the previous recipe (Pot Roast) and many potatoes. (But I have seen people mess it up in the Instant Pot Community page. Don't know how you do that.)

Mashed Potatoes
Prep Time 5 min     Cook Time: 8 min

Ingredients:
Organic Russet Potatoes (2-3 lb)
4 Tbsp butter
1 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste (optional)
parsley flakes (optional)

Directions: 
Wash/scrub potatoes. Quarter them. Mine were skin on but you can peel them if you like also.
Place the quartered potatoes in the Instant Pot. Pour chicken broth and throw in the butter.

Close the lid. Manual Setting for 8 minutes.

Open lid (after quick or natural pressure release). Mash the potatoes. Add salt (and pepper) to taste. Remember that there is salt in chicken broth already. Add any herbs you would like (example parsley).

Enjoy!!

EDIT:
2nd Time:
I used water instead of chicken broth. When it was done, I added salt (1 tsp) and milk (1/2 cup), butter (4 Tbsp) while mashing. I actually mash with a fork since it is so soft.

FIRST TIME USING MY INSTANT POT (Honey Garlic Chicken)

For Black Friday 2016, I only had one thing I was eyeing to buy since I had been wanting for for months...an Instant Pot. It arrived a week later. Then the box sat in the closet through the holidays while we were away. My goal was to use it by the end of January. Well, mid-February rolled around, it was still in the box until today...

I had been afraid to use it. Woke up this morning and told myself that today was the day I was going to tackle my new appliance. The manual felt thick until I read it realizing that it was that way since it was translated into several different languages (otherwise it would have been thin).

Still unsure of what to make but knowing that it was going to be chicken for the first recipe. I defrosted chicken in the sink during the day (But you can cook frozen chicken in Instant Pot too). Kept reading that it would be done in 5 minutes. Ended up taking much longer than anticipated. Dinner was fairly late for us as a result. Chicken was flavorful and tender but not something I couldn't make in comparable time. Felt that I was extra cautious since it was my FIRST TIME with my Instant Pot.

Yes, it takes 5 minutes on high pressure to make chicken but I set it on 8 minutes since I had 8 chicken thighs that were thick. Used two functions for my dish: 1) Saute  2) Poultry.

Honey Garlic Chicken (Using Instant Pot)
Ingredients: 
2-3 lbs Chicken Thighs
salt and pepper to season OR dry rub
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
5 cloves garlic, chopped/minced
1 tsp basil
olive oil (for saute)
1 lb carrots

Directions:
Sprinkle dry rub on both sides of the chicken thighs (or just use salt and pepper).

In a separate bowl, mix water, honey, soy sauce, ketchup, garlic, basil.

Plug in your Instant Pot. With the lid off, put some olive oil to brown the chicken. Push the 'Saute' button. Cook chicken for a minute each side. Place it on a plate when done (found that I could brown 2-3 chicken thighs at a time due to space).

Put browned chicken thighs back into Instant Pot. The carrots will go on top of the chicken. Pour liquids from the separate bowl. Place and lock Instant Pot lid. Make sure the top of your pot is set to 'Sealed' (not 'Vent').

Push the 'Poultry' button. I set it on 8 minutes (recipe called for 5 minutes) since my chicken pieces were thicker.

Done.

I stood there staring at it for 5 minutes afraid to change the 'Sealed' to 'Vent' for quick pressure release. Moved it a little at a time for slow pressure release (my first time!!). Ended up switching to 'Vent' by using a spoon instead since I didn't want to get too close.

The result was tender chicken. Started with a simple chicken dish to test the waters.

How was your FIRST TIME using your Instant Pot?? What recipe did you use?

Notes:
1) It didn't take just 8 minutes since it takes time to reach high pressure.
2) When you saute, you cook like you normally do in a pan.
3) Easy to use but I was still nervous since I had heard stories of people putting holes in their ceilings with pressure cookers.

Easy Butternut Squash Soup

While at Trader Joe's the other week, I saw that the squashes were $1.79 each.  So I'm looking to find the biggest squash since it's not by the pound.  A nice employee helped me.  She exclaimed, "I think I FOUND IT!!"

Most good-sized butternut squashes are about 2.5 lbs.  Well, mine was 7 lbs!!!  WOW..

People would see the squash in my cart and comment on how huge it was. (I actually didn't take a photo of it before chopping it up.)

Now, cutting off the ends/skin, scooping out the seeds, and chopping it into smaller pieces was such a chore.  It took 45+ min just to do that.  The gigantic butternut squash produced tons of flesh to the point where I had to change pots because it was overflowing.

Easy Butternut Squash
Prep Time: 30 min      Cook Time: 35 min
(But obviously my prep time was doubled due to the 7 lb squash)

Ingredients:
3 lbs butternut squash, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves of garlic
2 cups chicken broth (1 can)
water, enough to cover veggies (about 6 cups)
1 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream

Combine all ingredients except for the heavy cream.  Cook covered on medium heat for 35 minutes.  You may need to cook it longer if the veggies are not tender by then.

Pour the soup mixture into a food processor or blender.  Mine didn't fit so I had to do it in batches.  I poured the soup mixture in with a little heavy cream at a time.  Then blended it.  Once I finished my puree, I would dump it into a pot.  When you have a whole pot of pureed soup, heat it through on medium heat.

This soup is tasty, packed with vitamins; it'll warm you up on a cold, winter day.

Enjoy!!

Mac n Cheese for ONE

Most of the time, I cook for two.  But cooking for one is doable too.  Most people are too lazy to cook for one, not I.

I am modifying my Macaroni and Cheese recipe so that you can make just one portion.  I'm not an environmentalist but if you see the way I live, you would think that I was.  Don't like to waste foil, saran wrap for leftovers.  That's why I usually cook JUST ENOUGH.

This is easy and fast.  

Mac n Cheese for ONE
Prep Time: 0 min     Cook Time: 15 min
Ingredients: 
1/2 + cup of macaroni (or other pasta)
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp flour
1/2 cup shredded cheese
a dash of garlic salt (to taste)

Directions: 
Fill a small pot with water and boil on stovetop.  When the water boils, throw in the pasta (this can take 7-12 min according to the kind of pasta you use).  Strain when done.

While pasta is cooking, whisk milk and flour until there are no lumps.  Use the same pot (after you cook pasta) to pour the milk+flour mixture.  On medium heat, stir the mixture until it thickens, about 1-2 minutes.  Mix in cheese and garlic salt.  When cheese melts, mix in the pasta.  Done!

Modifications: 
Spinach Mac n Cheese - Add frozen spinach after the sauce thickens (before adding cheese)
Bacon Mac n Cheese - Add bacon after the sauce thickens (before adding cheese)
The possibilities are endless...

Notes:
I use a little more than 1/2 cup pasta.  You could put in 2/3 cup pasta also.

If you are a big eater, you might want to just make half of the regular recipe instead.

Healthy Chicken Salad Sandwich

Today's dinner was a Chicken Salad Sandwich accompanied with a green salad.

Looks ordinary at first.  But my husband took one bite of the Chicken Salad Sandwich and exclaimed, "WOW!  What did you put in this?  It's really good!!"

I just smiled.  He started by saying that it didn't taste like a lot of mayo..  I had him guess the secret ingredient.  Told him that something was mashed in.

Secret Ingredient??

AVOCADO!!!

Chicken salad sandwich usually comprises of chicken, mayo, and some crunch factor. Replacing mayo for avocado adds healthy fats.

Healthy Chicken Salad Sandwich
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients: 
12.5 oz of chicken white meat (You can buy it in a can at most grocery stores)
1 avocado (I recommend one large avocado or two small ones)
some chopped celery
some mayo (optional: only if your avocado isn't large enough)
2 slices of bread (I use Safeway Brand 15 grain bread)
sea salt and pepper to taste
paprika to taste (optional)

Directions: 
In a medium sized bowl, mix chicken, avocado, diced celery.  If your avocado is not big enough (like mine, I only had a small avocado on hand), add a tablespoon or two of mayo depending on the consistency.  Add sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

Put one slice of bread on the plate.  Spread a generous amount of chicken salad.  Place the other slice of bread on top.

Easy, tasty dinner (or lunch) !!  Serve with a salad.

ENJOY!!!

Note:
I made this a second time but used a large avocado instead.  Did not need any mayo then.
So either use one large avocado or two small ones.

Easy (Easiest) Turkey Spaghetti Meatballs

My husband LOVES LOVES LOVES spaghetti and meatballs.  I usually use ground beef but thought that I should switch it up this time.

Didn't have all the ingredients in my other recipe on hand.  Decided to look for another recipe that fit my ingredients. It's really only mixing turkey, egg, and breadcrumbs; then spicing it up!!

Easy Turkey Meatballs

Prep Time: 15 min     Bake Time: 25 min

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey

1 egg, beaten

1/3 cup breadcrumbs (I used Panko crumbs)

1 1/2 tsp italian seasoning

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F.

In a medium sized bowl, mix all the ingredients. In a 9x13 pan (or what I do is get 8x8 pan and a loaf pan instead), line them with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Use butter, oil, or nonstick spray on the foil. Either use your hands to form meatballs about 1.5 inches in diameter or an ice cream scoop to make them more uniform.

Bake for 25 minutes.

In a pot, prepare spaghetti. In a pan, heat up spaghetti sauce.

Grab a plate, place spaghetti with meatballs on top. Add as much sauce as you wish. 

Enjoy!! 

For the meatball leftovers, I made a meatball sub.

Party: Minnie Mouse Oreos (or Mickey Mouse)

I was helping my friend with making Minnie Mouse oreo cookies for her daughter's birthday. They were super cute. Need to share with the world.

There are many more examples all over the internet with dipping the oreo, putting more embellishments, etc. You can put them on a stick and do a flower pot of mouse ears. We did simple ones.

Minnie (or Mickey) Mouse Oreo Cookies
Prep Time: Depends on how many you are making
Ingredients:
Oreo Cookies
Mini Oreos (for the mouse ears)
frosting (any kind since it's just a little for 'glue')
toothpicks

You open the oreo. Remove some frosting so that the ears fit on both sides. After placing the ears in, sandwich back the oreo. That's it.

For embellishment, we used Wilton's Big Hearts to create a bow. Stick the hearts on with the frosting using the toothpick. Done!

Here's another fun way to decorate. I made pink chocolate bows with Wilton Candy Melt in the light pink color. Stuck these with frosting too.

You can also have Mickey and Minnie.

Be creative!! 

Langostino Tails Sandwich (Lobster Roll)

I love buying Langostino Tails from Trader Joe's. All you have to do is defrost them.

This time, I decided to eat them in a sandwich.

Langostino Tails Roll
Prep Time: 5 min      Cook Time: 6 min (if you toast the rolls, otherwise it's 0 min)

Ingredients: 
1 12 oz bag of langostino lobster tails (or about 1 lb lobster or crabmeat)
1/2 cup greek yogurt
3 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 stalk celery, chopped into small pieces
sea salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste

Directions:
Chop a stalk of celery into small pieces.

In a bowl, mix greek yogurt, mayo, celery pieces, langostino tails. Add sea salt and fresh ground pepper (or regular pepper) to taste. Filling is done! (Chill in refrigerator, if desired.)

I bought french rolls for my sandwiches. Open the roll. drizzle olive oil or butter on the inside. Heat the bun with inside side down for about three minute each side.

Take the bun off the pan.

Scoop the filling generously inside the bun.

Note: 
One bag of langostino tails makes roughly 3 sandwiches.

Here's an open-faced sandwich:

So simple and delicious!!  Enjoy!!

Paleo Fried Chicken (Almond Meal/Flour)

Believe it or not, this was my first time making fried chicken. It's probably because I'm into healthier cooking. Frying just wasn't my thing. But I have become a fan of Paleo Fried Chicken after consuming the deliciousness of my creation.

All the recipes pretty much look the same. You can use butter or oil to fry the chicken.

Paleo Fried Chicken (Note: I cook for two adults. You can alter accordingly)
Prep Time: 15 min     Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients: 
3/4 cup almond meal/flour
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
a dash of cayenne (optional)

1 egg

2 chicken thighs
6 tbsp unsalted butter

Directions: 

Whisk an egg in a bowl.

On a big plate, add almond flour and all the spices. 

Mix well.

Dip the chicken thigh, one at a time, in the bowl with the egg. Make sure it isn't dripping anymore. Then place the chicken thigh on the plate with the almond flour mixture. Bread both sides of the chicken thigh evenly. Do the same thing to the other one.

I put it in the refrigerator to set better.

In a big pan, melt the butter on medium heat. Carefully place the chicken thighs as flat as possible into the pan. Let it cook until the breading is crispy. For me, this took about 8 minutes. Flip them to crisp the other side. Finish cooking for about 7 minutes.

I paired my fried chicken with asparagus. Think I'll be making fried chicken more often...

Enjoy!!

Curried Crab Endive Boats

Many years ago, I was at an event with Gelson's (Grocery Store) catering. It was the first time I had ever consumed endive spear appetizers. They had put beef inside the spear. After that bite, I had to search for them for seconds and thirds. I've had these in the back of my mind. This recipe is with crabmeat, not beef.

With endive leaves, you can be creative with however you wish to float your boat. *pun intended*

Endives

Curried Crab Endive Appetizer
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
2 heads endive
6 oz crabmeat (canned)
2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tsp curry powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp scallions, chopped
3 tbsp red bell peppers, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Wash and separate the endive heads into individual leaves

Mix all the other ingredients in a bowls. Scoop a generous about into each endive leaf.
Done!

You can add whatever you want in your endive boats. I actually used the leftover endive to make a small pear endive salad for the next day. Just cut endives crosswise. then top with small pieces of pear. Drizzle with dressing of your choice (I used sesame viniagrette).

Oatmeal _____ Chip Bars

I don't make cookies often. I prefer to make bars. The difference??

It's less work!!

The batter is the same but I don't have to roll the dough into balls or use a scoop for cookies. Don't have to worry about the spacing of the cookies in the oven while baking since it spreads. Just pour the entire batter into a pan. Then it's ready to bake.

This is my favorite oatmeal bar recipe. Baked it with cinnamon chips and another batch with chocolate chips.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars
Prep Time: 10 min        Bake Time: 25-30 min

Ingredients:
1 cup butter (or 2 sticks)
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 2/3 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts, optional
(3/4 cup raisins, optional)

Directions:
With a mixer, cream butter and sugars. Then beat in the eggs (one at a time) and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, add flour and baking soda. Stir with a spoon until the baking soda is incorporated into the flour.

Add half the dry ingredients (flour mixture) to the first bowl. Beat with mixer. Dump the other half in using mixer.

Now that the mixer part is done, add oatmeal, chocolate chips (or any flavored chips you desire), and walnuts. Stir with a spoon, fork, etc.

Pour the entire mixture into a 9x13 pan. Smooth out the chunky mixture with a spoon. Bake for 25-30 min. I usually check it at 28 min.

Let the oatmeal bars completely cool; Cut into squares/rectangles. But I put some on top of ice cream for hubby while it was warm.

With cinnamon chips...

With chocolate chips...

Enjoy!!

Easy Truffles

The holidays are a time to make sweets!!
Who doesn't want homemade sweets made with love?

After sifting through many many truffles recipes, I decided to keep it simple. Didn't really want to buy heavy whipping cream and not use it all. Usually when I buy ingredients, I think of multiple recipes to use them in so that I am not throwing away a quarter of the whipping cream. That's why I finally settled on the recipe with cream cheese instead. One package open, all of it in...no waste!

Easy Truffles
Prep Time: 2 hr
Ingredients:
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
3 cups confectioners sugar (a.k.a. powdered sugar)
3 cups chocolate chips (or pastilles or bar)
1.5 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
In a big bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioners sugar a third at a time until well blended.

*************************** MELTING CHOCOLATE ********************************
For melting the chocolate, you can either do this in the microwave or use the double boiler method. If you choose to melt the chocolate in the microwave, do it for one minute. Take it out and stir with a spoon. Then microwave it for another minute. Stir with a spoon. Decrease the increments to 30 seconds so that you don't burn the chocolate. When all of the chocolate is melted, you are ready to use it.

If you wish to do the double boiler method but don't have one, you can easily create it by putting some water at the bottom of a pot. Place a bowl on top -- one that fits snugly. Make sure the water doesn't touch the bowl as it boils. This is key.
*************************** END MELTING CHOCOLATE ***************************

Stir the melted chocolate into the cream cheese-sugar mixture until well incorporated.

I like to divide the truffle mixture into two bowls. That way you can have two different flavorings.
If you do divide it into two halves, add 1 tsp extract of your choice for flavoring. I used rum. You can do vanilla, orange, almond, etc.

Place the mixtures in the fridge for cooling for about an hour.

Shaping the balls:
You can use a spoon and roll the truffle in your hand...OR to make it easier, use a mini ice cream scoop, 1 inch scoop, to have uniform round truffles. After you have the round truffles, you can roll them in whatever toppings you wish. I just rolled mine in cocoa.

Other ideas: The possibilities are endless!!
powdered sugar
chopped nuts
sprinkles

These make great gifts for your family, friends, or coworkers. Maybe you would rather keep them for yourself! heheh. But it's better to share or else you will have more holiday weight to shake off at the beginning of the year.

Happy Holidays!!!

Note: You don't have to stick to dark chocolate. Feel free to melt white chocolate or milk chocolate if you know people who prefer those instead.

Healthy Meatloaf with Oatmeal

I have posted Turkey-Quinoa Meatloaf before. Traditionally, there are breadcrumbs in meatloaf; however, many people do not have the ingredient on hand. Sifting through various recipes, I finally decided to use a combination of recipes.

Healthy Meatloaf with Oatmeal 

Ingredients:

1 lb ground meat

1 onion (chopped)

1 egg

1/3 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup of ketchup

4 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

ketchup mixture = ketchup + dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix all ingredients in a medium sized bowl except for about three tablespoons of the ketchup mixture.

Place in an 8x8 pan. Top with the leftover ketchup mixture.

Bake for 40 minutes. Let it sit for five minutes.

Cut and serve. 

Enjoy!!