Instapot Cajun Chicken and Rice

Here is an easy to make Instapot recipe that goes over very well in this house. Chris and Dillon now both love rice. For years… and years… Dillon would not eat rice at all. I don’t know if it was a texture issue or what it was but until the last 6 months or so, he refused to eat rice.

He agreed to try it again a little while back and is now a big fan….go figure. It is great because we love rice and it was a pain in the behind not making it as often as we would like.

Because this recipe is done in the Instapot, it is full of flavour and cooks up quickly… once the Instapot builds up to the correct pressure!

Sandie

Poor Man’s Steak

This is a recipe I clipped years ago from a magazine or something and I always meant to try.  Even though it took years for me to actually try it, it was well worth the wait.  Chris and Dillon loved it!  As Chris was eating he was talking about what else we could put the “sauce/gravy” on lol.  If only he knew what it was made from and how easy it is!

I think almost everyone has a club pack or few pounds of ground beef in their freezers…. add some milk, crackers, spices and some condensed (or homemade condensed) soups for the “white gravy,” and you have a great main dish for your dinner!

Sandie

Instapot Beef Carnitas

If you have read any of our posts, you know we love Mexican food… or at least our version of it… and this is another one of these great recipes!

I know these are generally made from pork…. but we prefer it done with beef. These are flavourful and make a great dinner or lunch wit a salad. We had ours on Tomato based tortillas with a side of coleslaw and it is a great meal! Even better is the fact it can be made in the Instapot, giving the beef a great texture for shredding and even more flavour!

Sandie

Zucchini Boats

Last week I wanted to do something different with the zucchini I bought to have with dinner one night. Zucchini boats seemed like a great idea. Both Chris and Dillon love zucchini, whether it be in bread, grilled or whatever so keeping it interesting means making it in different ways.

This one is a favourite! This time I served it up with some rice and homemade meatballs!

Sandie

“Good for You” Baby Minnie Mouse Smash Cake

I am SO far behind in typing posts!!! I have been working in our laundry room and it’s been taking a lot of time but I have put it off long enough and it needs to be finished. I don’t know how I’ve lived with it for this long… it is dark and dreary and while I don’t actually spend a lot of time in there, it doesn’t mean I can’t pretty it up a little bit. Hopefully I catch up soon.. until then, here is the last post from my granddaughter’s first birthday!

I wanted to make a smash cake for her but I also didn’t want to making something so sweet she was going to get sick from it. I opted for healthier version and used a lightly tinted Greek yogurt as icing. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised with how well the yogurt held up when used as icing. Add some Bristol board “ears,” and some flower shaped Puff Puff treats and we had our cute little smash cake!

My granddaughter didn’t actually eat the cake… or even smash it for that matter lol. The poor little munchkin had been up a lot the night before cutting more teeth and was not impressed with the cake at all. Not a big deal, she will have pictures of it in her album and know her grandma made her a cool smash cake for her first birthday!

Sandie

Maple Bourbon Glazed Ham

We didn’t have turkey for Easter dinner this year. I bought a big ham and a roast of beef and we had that with Garlic Mashed Potatoes, brussel sprouts, peas, gravy, dinner rolls… lots of things and had a very enjoyable Easter with family…. my granddaughter’s first Easter at that lol!

This is an easy recipe for a delicious tasting cooked ham, perfect for any meal or occasion. The only problem…. I was so busy getting ready for Easter dinner that I forgot to take a picture once it was nicely carved and ready to reheat at dinner 😦 I had enough ham not only for our Easter dinner, but to send home with Kim, plus have enough thinly sliced for sandwiches and another whole meal! We definitely got our money’s worth with this ham lol!

The only picture I have is the one when it came out of the oven, so not very pretty!

Sandie

Day # 6 – Playing with my Sewing Machine

Because the 2 things I am posting about were also Easter gifts I thought I would post them together and right after my other Easter embroidery project.

I have become almost as addicted to looking at new machine embroidery patterns as I have become at sewing the patterns. The two I did this time… again for my granddaughter… were so cute I had to incorporate them into her Easter/Birthday gifts.

Let me start by saying that my granddaughter LOVES books… almost any book! I have loved reading since I was little, and desperate enough at times for something to read that I would read the encyclopedias lol, hopefully with us all supplying her with reading material she won’t get that desperate lol! One of her favourite books, series of books, are the Llama Llama books so when I saw a pattern for a really cute llama head I had to do it! I put the llama pattern on another onesie and I also found a pattern for a “My First Easter” bib that I also did!

Sandie

Day #5 – Playing with my Sewing Machine – Embroidered Name on Dollar Store Easter Bunny

Big title, huh lol? I can’t believe that it’s been almost a month since my Day #4 post about my sewing machine! Between my granddaughter’s birthday and Easter I haven’t had a lot of time to just go to the Craft Room and play, or if I have been down there it’s just to complete a project and then haven’t had time to sit down and actually type the post!

Today I start on my laundry room!!! A big job that is going to not only require my organization skills, but painting, a bit of drywall, painting a concrete floor as a few examples. I know it won’t be done overnight but I am looking forward to getting it done finally….. but for today….

Here is an Easter Bunny I bought from the dollar store to try to embroider my granddaughter’s name on. I did have some tension issues… something I have been struggling a bit with (you can see where I had tension issues on the letter “S,” and other spots)… some things come out perfectly and others require various tension changes throughout the patterns. I did anticipate this would be a learning experience and it has been… and a fun one!

Sandie

Honey Balsamic Pork Tenderloin – In the Instapot

I swear I’ve used my Instapot more this week than I have in the past few weeks. It has come in handy to make lunch meat alternatives or just quick meal prep. The Boys love pork tenderloin but I hadn’t tried to cook one in the Instapot and figured it was high time!

This is the recipe I used to make it and it was a huge success…. not only were both plates devoured, it also passed the Chocolate Milk test lol!

Sandie

Happy Easter!

Kim and I would like to wish Everyone a wonderful Easter with your family and friends!

Sandie