Dijon Rosemary Burgers

Burger Mixture:

1 lb ground beef (preferably 93%) 

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/4 cup onion finely chopped (plus 2T more for onion lovers)

3 tbsp Dijon mustard

3 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp fresh rosemary finely chopped (¾ -1t dried, broken and slightly crushed)

1 tsp kosher salt (omitted due to soy sauce)

Sauce Mixture

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp soy sauce

Instructions (suggested changes at bottom)

1. In a large bowl, combine all Burger Mixture ingredients and form into 4 patties. Place patties on a cooking tray.

2. Place the drip pan in the bottom of the cooking chamber. Using the display panel, select AIR FRY, then adjust the temperature to 370 degrees and the time to 15 minutes, then touch START. 

3. When the display indicates “Add Food” insert the cooking tray in the center position.

4. When the display indicates “Turn Food” turn the burgers.

5. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the Sauce Mixture ingredients.

6. When the Air Fry program is complete, check to make sure burgers are at least 145 degrees, then

brush the burgers with the sauce and top with cheese slices.

7. Using the display panel, select BROIL, then adjust the time to 3 minutes and touch START.

8. When the Broil program is complete, remove the burgers and serve hot on toasted buns.

My air fryer is the Instant Vortex Pro 9-in-1

Our ground beef was 80/20 and boy did it draw up! 

That being said, it was still very juicy and tasted delicious.

For cooking I followed the directions to the letter for the first two burgers only to discover that was too much time! Have not tasted them, they are currently in the fridge looking unattractive in their storage container.  

Adjustments for the other two burgers (that we ate).

• Made the patties thinner. 
• Kept the temp at 370° but reduced the time to 12 minutes. 
• Turned food when the oven indicated I should do so. 
• When adding the sauce I poured roughly 1½t on and used the back of the spoon to evenly cover the top of the burger. 
• Turned the Air Fryer to broil for 2 minutes since the burgers were in the oven as it heated to 400° (broil temp)
• No cheese added to the burgers while in the air fryer (added it to the bun at the tail end of its toasting time)

picture from instantpot.com

Original recipe can be found at https://recipes.instantpot.com/recipe/vortex-plus-dijon-rosemary-burgers/ 

Spicy Honey Chicken

1-1/2 lbs of Boneless Skinless Chicken thighs, about 4 nice size thighs
2 Tbsp of Neutral Oil or Light Olive Oil
1 Small Onion, thinly sliced
2 Cloves of Garlic, minced
2 tsp of Ginger Paste or Chopped Ginger
1 Tbsp of Chili Paste, I prefer Sambal Oelek
3 Tbsp of Low Sodium Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp of Honey
2 tsp of Rice Vinegar or Distilled White Vinegar
1/2 cup of Chicken Stock or Water
Freshly chopped Scallions, optional
Touch of Salt and Pepper, to taste

1) Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper (not too much salt) and sear in one tablespoon of the oil over medium high heat until it develops some color on both sides, then remove to a plate.

2) Add the remaining tablespoon of oil then add the onions, cook for a few minutes, then add the ginger and garlic and cook one more minute, stir in the chili paste for the last 30 seconds.

3) In a small bowl, whisk together the chicken stock, honey, vinegar and soy sauce, pour in the skillet, add the chicken back in, then cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the sauce thickens and chicken is fully cooked through. Serve with some rice and steamed veggies for a delicious weeknight dinner!

NOTE: You can absolutely make this recipe using bone in, skin on chicken drumsticks but you will need to cook the chicken in the sauce for a lot longer, so simmer in the sauce with the lid on until the chicken is cooked through and then cook uncovered the last 5 minutes to chicken the sauce.

Recipe from: laurainthekitchen.com

Crispy Oven Roasted Bone-In Chicken Breast

2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt (1/2 tsp if the chicken is brined) (omitted)
1/2 tsp garlic powder (or granulated garlic)
1/2 tsp black pepper (freshly ground) (California Seasoned Pepper)
1 tsp dark chili powder (omitted)
1/2t Old World Seasoning (or to taste)
1/2t Justice (or to taste)
1/2 cup cooking oil (e.g. canola or vegetable oil)
Instructions
If possible, prepare the chicken brine and brine the chicken breasts for 2 to 4 hours. (didn't brine)
Preheat oven to 400F.
Dry chicken breasts with a paper towel and rub with olive oil all over.  Mix spices (of choice) together in small bowl. Evenly sprinkle salt and spices on each side (and under the skin) and gently pat to make sure the seasoning properly adheres to the surface of the chicken.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Fit a cooling rack inside the baking sheet and set aside.
Heat 1/2 cup of cooking oil (you can use olive oil or any other oil you prefer) in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place chicken breast skin side down on the skillet and cook for 2 minutes. Flip and continue cooking for another 2 minutes.
Transfer the chicken breasts onto the baking sheet, skin side up. Pour about 1 Tbsp of the cooking oil from the skillet over each chicken breast.
Bake at 400F for about 45 minutes, until internal temperature of the meat reaches 160F.
Let rest for 5 minutes and serve.
Notes
I recommend that for optimal results you should bake the breasts to 160F internal temperature instead of 165F. As I mentioned in my How To Bake Chicken Breast post, my experiments showed that internal meat temperature keeps rising by 5 degrees during the 5 minute rest period. This will ensure that the meat is safe to eat and is optimally tender and juicy.

Original recipe (in black) from: cravingtasty.com

Maple Glazed Ham Steak

INGREDIENTS
1/4 c. maple syrup
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 cooked ham steak, about 1 lb.

DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, whisk maple syrup, brown sugar, vinegar, and mustard.
In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. Add ham steak and cook until golden, about 4 minutes per side.
Pour maple syrup mixture into pan and cook, turning ham a few times until fully coated in glaze.

picture from delish.com

Original recipe (that includes kale and black-eyed peas) from: delish.com

Instant Pot Dijon Dill Chicken

• 2-3 lbs of chicken thighs or breasts, boneless/skinless preferred (I used thighs and kept them whole. If you use breasts, slice them up a bit so they aren’t massive in size) (3 breasts, didn't slice)
• 1/2 stick (4 tbsp) of salted butter
• 2 cups of chicken broth (I used 2 tsp of Chicken Better Than Bouillon + 2 cups of water) (1t Penzey's Chicken Soup base)
• 1/2 cup of Dijon mustard, divided in half
• Bouquet Garni to taste
• Justice to taste
• Florida Seasoned Pepper to taste
• Juice of half a lemon (you can add the juice of a whole lemon if you want it even more lemony)  1 Small Lemon (4 oz.) = 3 tablespoons fresh juice, 1 Medium Lemon (5 oz.) = 4 tablespoons fresh juice, 1 Large Lemon (6 oz.) = 5 tablespoons fresh juice
• 4 tbsp of cornstarch + 4 tbsp of water to form a slurry
• 1/2 cup of fresh dill, chopped/ripped up (you can use more if you wish but using FRESH dill over DRY is a massive and beneficial difference here) (used dry dill 1T while cooking 1T after cooking)

If you don’t mind a much thinner sauce and want to skip out on cornstarch slurry, leave it out! Or sub in arrowroot!
This sauce goes WONDERFULLY over some white rice or brown rice!

1. Add the broth and 1/4 cup of the dijon mustard to the Instant Pot and stir until combined. Season chicken with Old World Seasoning on both sides, add the chicken to the pot and top off with the butter (Note: If you want the sauce to have an even stronger dill flavor, add the dill in now rather than waiting until Step 6)
2. Secure the lid, hit “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” High Pressure for 8 minutes. Quick release when done (For two chicken breasts set the cook time according to the size of your chicken breasts. For fresh: 8 minutes for small (7-8 ounce) chicken breasts, 10 minutes for medium (10 ounce) chicken breasts, or 11 minutes for large (12 ounce) chicken breasts.)
3. Remove the chicken with tongs, transfer to a serving bowl and set aside
4. Go back to the Instant Pot, hit “Keep Warm/Cancel” and then “Sauté” and adjust so you’re on the “More” or “High” setting. Add in the lemon juice and the remaining 1/4 cup of dijon mustard. Stir until melded
5. Once bubbling, add in the cornstarch slurry and stir immediately. After a minute of bubbling, hit “Keep Warm/Cancel” to turn the pot off. As the bubbles die down, the sauce will have thickened significantly. Let it cool for about 5 minutes
6. Stir in the dill and then pour the sauce over the chicken (Note: If you already added the dill in Step 1 and still want more, simply stir in however much more you’d like to the sauce now)
7. Enjoy over some white rice or brown rice which will pair with and sop up that luscious sauce so beautifully! Also goes great over pasta, zoodles and some veggies!

Original recipe (in black) from: pressureluckcooking.com

picture from pressureluckcooking.com

Greek Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner

Ingredients
1 pound baby Dutch yellow potatoes (small red potatoes cut in half) (the smaller size the better)
1 pound green beans
1 head broccoli cut into florets
1 15-ounce can petite diced tomatoes (Fire roasted)
2 pounds chicken breasts
2 1/2 lemons (1 1/2 juiced, and 1 sliced)
8 cloves garlic (4 minced, and 4 sliced)
2 teaspoons salt & pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon Mural of Flavor
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces feta cheese (sheep or goat's milk preferred) (2oz Mediterranean Herb)
1 large onion (medium)
2 tablespoons fresh oregano (or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried) (Mexican oregano dried)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley (plus more for garnish) (omitted)
12 pitted Kalamata olives (omitted)
Instructions
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Cut each chicken breast into 4-5 even-sized strips.
• In a large bowl add the chicken pieces, lemon juice from one whole lemon, 4 minced garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and paprika, Mural of Flavor, and 2 tablespoons olive oil.   Mix together well and set bowl aside while you prepare the veggies.
• Rinse beans, snip off the end with the hard nub/stem, and place them in another large bowl.  The other end should have a dainty little tail that is soft and thin and doesn’t need to be removed.
• Cut bite-sized florets from a medium head of broccoli, add to the beans.
• Chop one large (medium) yellow onion and add to the beans and broccoli.
• Rinse (and scrub if needed) the baby potatoes and add to the veggie bowl.
• Stir in one 15-ounce can of petite diced tomatoes, juice from half a lemon, oregano, parsley, 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper, and 2 tablespoons olive oil.
• Pour the mixture onto a large baking sheet, add the chicken pieces (spaced evenly throughout the pan), some lemon slices, 4 thinly sliced garlic cloves, about a dozen pitted Kalamata olives, and roast at 450 degrees for 20 minutes.
• Pull the pan out from the oven but don't remove.  Crumble 4 ounces of feta cheese and sprinkle onto the sheet pan and continue to cook for 5 more minutes, or until the chicken reads 165 degrees with a meat thermometer.
• Serve while it's hot and garnish with chopped parsley.

Before

After

Original recipe from: tasteandsee.com 
Purple text: my changes

Instant Pot Greek Chicken Bowls

Ingredients
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (Mexican oregano)
1/2 teaspoon Spanish paprika (smokey paprika)
1/2 teaspoon Old World Seasoning
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes (omitted)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, grated (chunky garlic paste)
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced 1/2-inch thick
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (Florida seasoned pepper)
1 cup couscous  (1 box Near East Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil)
1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt (5% fat)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 English cucumber, chopped (and peeled)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered (Roma, chopped)
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped (omitted)
1/2 cup crumbled feta (Mediterranean herb feta) 
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (dried, to taste)
Directions
Special equipment:
 a 6- or 8- quart Instant Pot® multi-cooker
1. Whisk together the oregano, paprika, red pepper flakes, Old World seasoning, 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 cloves garlic and 1/2 cup water in the pot of a 6-quart Instant Pot®. Add the chicken, 2 teaspoons salt (omitted) and a few grinds of pepper (Florida seasoned pepper) and toss until well coated.
2. Follow the manufacturer's guide for locking the lid and preparing to cook. Set the pot to pressure cook on high for 3 minutes (see Cook's Note). After the pressure cook cycle is complete, follow the manufacturer's guide for quick release and wait until the quick release cycle is complete. Be careful of any remaining steam and unlock and remove the lid. Transfer the chicken to a medium bowl and turn the pot off. (While the chicken is cooking peel and chop the cucumber and chop the two Roma tomatoes, place in a bowl.  Put the 2T of olive oil over the cucumber and tomato pieces, add dry dill weed, Florida seasoned pepper, and salt to taste, stir. Let sit until it's time to plate)
3. Add the couscous, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper to the pot and stir to combine with the hot liquid. (Empty couscous and seasoning packet into pot, mix into the liquid. No salt or pepper added)  Place the glass lid on the top and let the couscous sit until tender and fluffy, 6 to 7 minutes. Fluff with a fork. (Putting the regular lid back on works just as well if, like me, you don't have the glass lid) 
4. Meanwhile, mix together the yogurt, lemon juice, remaining clove garlic and 2 tablespoons water in a medium bowl until well combined. (skipped the water, added a bit over 1/2 t dry dill weed) Spread 1/4 cup of the yogurt sauce on the bottom of a plate. Top with a quarter of the couscous, cucumbers, tomatoes, Kalamata olives and feta.  Repeat with the remaining ingredients 3 more times. Garnish each plate with the dill and a drizzle of the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil.  I plated differently - yogurt, couscous, chicken, cucumber/tomato mix, crumbled Mediterranean herb feta, done.

Original recipe from: https://www.foodnetwork.com

             

Instant Pot Honey Butter and Herb Roasted Chicken

Ingredients
1 whole chicken, about 4 pounds, giblets removed
1 bunch fresh poultry herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 lemon, halved
1/2 onion, quartered
1 cup chicken stock
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons honey
5 sprigs fresh thyme
Instructions
• Pat dry the exterior of your whole chicken and season with salt and pepper. And set on a large plate or cutting board.
• Wash your hands then put the poultry herbs into the cavity along with the onions and lemon halves.
• Place the whole chicken into the insert of your 6-quart pressure cooker then add chicken stock around the chicken.
• Using manual mode on your pressure cooker (I have an Instant Pot), change your pressure to high pressure and cook time to 35 minutes.
• While chicken is cooking, preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together butter, honey, and thyme.
• Once chicken is done, you can either do a quick-release of pressure or let it manually release. Either way, once the pressure is released, carefully lift out the chicken and place on a large casserole dish. Leave the liquid in the insert as you can make a gravy out of it later!
• Using your brush or your hands (if you deem that the chicken is not too hot), spread the butter mixture all over the chicken. Making sure it gets in the nooks and crannies and the inside cavity.
• Bake in the oven for an additional 15-20 minutes to get the exterior nice and brown. You can choose to broil the exterior, too, but watch it as it takes less time.
• Let chicken rest for 15 minutes before carving and serving.
• For the liquid that is still in the pressure cooker insert: turn your pressure cooker to the saute function (if you don't have that, you can pour the liquid into a small saucepan and this on the stove) then add 2-3 tablespoons of flour to the mixture to thicken into a gravy-like consistency. If you like it thicker, add more flour. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste.

Original recipe from: https://www.tablefortwoblog.com

Instant Pot Pork Chops with Gravy

Ingredients
5 Pork Chops Bone in or out (6)
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
Penzeys Revolution (instead of salt, pepper, and garlic powder)
1 Envelope Ranch Dressing Mix (omitted)
1 One Ounce Envelope Brown Gravy Mix
1 10.5 Ounce Can Cream of Chicken Soup (Campbell’s cream of chicken & mushroom)
Medium onion sliced (cut slices in half)
2 Cups Beef Broth
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
2 Tablespoons Water
Instructions
Pat pork chops dry and season on both sides with the salt, garlic powder, and pepper. (Penzeys Revolution)
Add the olive oil to the instant pot and turn on to saute.  When the oil is hot brown the pork chops on each side for 2-3 minutes just until browned. (Since my instant pot is small I do this in a separate skillet - easier and faster) 
Remove the pork chops from the instant pot.
Add onions to instant pot with a drizzle with olive oil (if you browned the chops in the pot you may not need extra oil). Set instant pot to saute. Let onions cook until semi tender, stirring occasionally to keep from sticking or burning.
Pour 1/4 cup of the beef broth (this doesn't have to be exact) into the instant pot and use a wooden spoon to deglaze the bottom of the pot.
Turn the instant pot off and add the pork chops along with the ranch dressing mix, brown gravy mix, cream of chicken soup, and remaining beef broth to the pot.
(I removed the onions from the pot to a separate bowl before deglazing the pot. Using the bowl the onions are in mix the gravy mix and soup together with the onions then gradually add the rest of the broth while stirring with a whisk. Place the chops in the pot and pour the broth mixture over the chops)
Place the lid on the pot and set the valve to sealing.  Cook on manual for 8 minutes. Allow for 10 minutes for the pot to come to pressure, 8 minutes of cook time, and 10 minutes to natural pressure release.
After 10 minutes of natural pressure release, release any remaining pressure from the pot and remove the lid.
Remove the pork chops from the pot to a serving plate.
In a small bowl whisk together the cornstarch and water.  Turn the instant pot on to saute and whisk in the cornstarch mixture.  Whisk constantly until gravy is thick, then, turn off the instant pot.
Serve the pork chops with the gravy and your favorite side dishes.
NOTE:  This recipe has been tested in a 6 quart and 8 quart Instant Pot.

New Year's Meal 1/1/20

Purple text - the changes/additions I made to the original recipe
Original recipe from: thesaltymarshmallow.com