Instant Pot Tips and Tricks

Share yours with me!

I have a confession to make, hungry bloggers. I have an instant pot and I've never even used it! A friend of mine gave me hers when they got a new one and said it would be life-changing, but I just haven't gotten around to learning how to use the thing. I'm sure it would've come in quite handy over the last few months, especially on the nights when we had to wait for something to cook or I ended up using the crockpot, but I just need to read up on it and get started, right?

Most of my friends think it's a magical tool but I'm not sold onto it yet. I've heard about making just about anything in it but to me that sounds like a weird quick fix, and if it's anything like using the microwave to cook pasta, I know I'm not going to like it! 

How about you, foodies? Do you use an instant pot at home? If so, share your tips and tricks with me in the chat!

Klat Categories: 
Home Cooking

Crock Pot Fever

Whatcha got cookin'?

Crockpot season is here, Hungry Bloggers, and I couldn't be more excited if I tried! How about you? I love so much about this season, but I love crockpot cooking because it's so simple and delicious. The slow cooking ensures a really tender meal, and I can make super easy soup without having to stand over the stove (which, let's be honest, is a treat when it's cold). It's easy to do, and you can cook while you do other things, which is my ultimate dream. My husband enjoys cooking, but since I work from home, I usually end up with dinner duty, and the crockpot lets me do that while I'm still at work!

My favorite thing to do in the crockpot is to just chop up some chicken and vegetables, throw them in some chicken stock with spices and let it slow cook all day. You can make just about anything with variations on the theme, and as long as my husband gets potatoes, he's content. Did I mention that I also love the smell it makes? Ahhhh. Who needs the diffuser when the crock pot is on!

What is your favorite thing to make in the crock pot? Here are some recipes to get you started!

 

Klat Categories: 
Food & Beverage
Home Cooking

Halloween Finger Foods

What do you like to make (or eat!)?

Between multiple Halloween parties, two family birthdays and lots of festivities in between, October is the busiest month of the year for my family, and we're always on the lookout for easy yet fun finger foods to keep us full while we're always coming and going. Even better if these foods are Halloween themed! I also love to have themed items at our Halloween events for my kiddo's friends, and feeding 20 teenagers can get interesting.

I am in love with the ideas at Brit+Co, especially the little platter of different appetizers. I'd have to avoid the peanut butter but the rest looks like it would be really creative to serve to our guests. The mummy pizzas are so cute! I think they'd make great burritos, too. Hmmm...

What kinds of Halloween finger foods do you like to eat or serve the most? Share them in the chat. Give us the recipe if you have it!

Klat Categories: 
Food & Beverage

Soup's On!

Share your favorite soup recipes!

Are you cold enough for soup? This week the temps took a big drop in our neck of the woods and I'm completely here for sweater weather and all the soup! I can't wait for my husband to make a giant pot of his famous potato soup, which he makes by sauteeing potato cubes in garlic and a bunch of herbs until caramelized, then adding them to a cream-based soup that he makes... Oh, it's good. It's sweet and spicy all at once and it will make you forget every other soup you've tasted!

I don't even mind canned soups if they're good. A good butternut squash canned soup would be eaten daily in my house! My grandma made a delightful vegetable soup and once in a while my aunt will recreate that, but I'll even eat that canned if I'm really in the mood for it.

What soups do you like best? Share your recipes in the chat!

Klat Categories: 
Food & Beverage

Halloween Treats

What are you making or enjoying this month?

If you know my family, you know that Halloween isn't a day but a season for us, so when I say Halloween, I mean AT LEAST this month! So what kinds of Halloween treats have you been enjoying?

Dairy Queen has pumpkin spice and cinnamon roll flavors right now that are phenomenal! My family goes to get ice cream after dental visits, another tradition (started by my grandmother with my dad!), and that's what my kiddo chose this week. My husband and I also had a date at Panera where we enjoyed apple almond cookies and pumpkin muffies, which were also fantastic, as well as their cinnamon spice cold brew.

At home, we're preparing a bunch of fun things for various Halloween events that we'll be sharing in the coming weeks! What are you making or enjoying out? Share your favorites in the chat!

Klat Categories: 
Food & Beverage
Dining Out
Desserts/Sweets

Easy Pumpkin Pancakes

No pumpkin required!

Remember the Great Pumpkin Shortage (which sounds like it should end with Charlie Brown) a few years ago? It was impossible to make anything pumpkin, from pies to dips to even beverages, unless you bought them pre-made, at least where I live. Pumpkin syrups like this one help remedy that problem by not only giving you the flavor you want without the pumpkin, but also cut the calories and sugar you would normally add. (Actually, combatting climate change would be a better help to saving any produce from freak weather patterns, but that's another post!)

This recipe for pumpkin pancakes uses really unique ingredients like yogurt and oatmeal for the batter and the pumpkin syrup for the flavoring. It's a healthier alternative that's also just yummy and creamier, perfect for cool fall mornings when you want some pancakes.

Do you have any other great pumpkin recipes to share? Post them in the chat. 

Klat Categories: 
Food & Beverage
Recipes
Desserts/Sweets

Apple Strudel Cheesecake

Just in time for Oktoberfest

It may be September, but that's actually when Oktoberfest takes place, which means it's the perfect time to enjoy your favorite German eats and drinks. A German brewery would make the perfect date for the weekend, and there may even be German celebrations happening near you if you check. 

If you're cooking in honor of Oktoberfest, you definitely need some potato pancakes, sausage and applesauce! For dessert, try this spin on apple strudel by combining it with cheesecake. YUM! It comes in little jars so you can each have your own, or keep them in the fridge to have one each day, if you can wait that long! 

What are you eating in honor of Oktoberfest? Share your recipes and plans in the chat.

Klat Categories: 
Holidays
Culture

September Appetizers

What are you making?

The handsoaps have all been switched out to fall themes, which means fall is pretty much at my house despite the 90-degree weather that hids midday. Mornings are 65 degrees and that's what counts, right? With this in mind, I'm already ready for some fall appetizers! Apps are my favorite food "group," hehe, and this slideshow has me craving some arancini and squash soup, one of my all-time favorite fall dishes.

For fall, I love to make banana nut bread, even though it's not typically a fruit we associate with fall, and I like putting apple slices in our grilled cheese. Granny smiths work great for this but really, try whatever kind of apple you like. Do it after a day of apple-picking for a really nice fall theme, and if you have littles, be sure to show them the special "star stamp" in the middle of the apple!

What's on your menu this September? Share your fall favorites in the chat.

Klat Categories: 
Food & Beverage
Home Cooking

Keto Pizzas

What's your favorite?

Even if you're not a keto eater like me, you can still appreciate a delicious pizza made on cauli, spinach or even zucchini rounds! A local woman where I live makes these awesome crusts out of veggies and sells them at the grocery store. They are pricey, but I like them better than pizza. They have more flavor! I'm not sold onto zucchini rounds and other veggie "crusts" that are really just veggies with melted cheese and sauce on top as actual pizza, but I do still enjoy them as a bite to eat.

Then there's "fathead pizza," which I say should be eaten sparingly! I know the good value of fat, but I also usually find it so heavy. Of course, that's part of the point--you get full! But this triocolore pizza recipe looks lighter than other types I've tried, so I may have to make a go of it.

What types of keto pizzas do you make (aside from topping scrape-off pizza!). Some pizza stores, like Blaze, also offer it. Share your favorites in the chat!

Klat Categories: 
Food & Beverage
Recipes

Caprese Chicken Bowls

What are you making for dinner tonight?

Whether it's too hot to cook a lot, or you want to keep it simple and keto, a chicken bowl is a great way to whip up a simple meal with lots of veggies. You can really add anything you want and make it as complicated or as simple as you prefer, depending on how much energy you want to spend on your meal.

This caprese recipe is great if you don't have a lot of time but want lots of flavor and healthy foods in your meal. It includes avocado, boiled eggs, tomatoes and fresh greens, as well as the star, which is mozerella cheese. I know homemade cheese makes this recipe really sing, but it also takes time, so you do what works best for you!

What are you making for dinner tonight? Share your simple yet healthful meal recipes in the chat!

Klat Categories: 
Food & Beverage
Home Cooking

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