Raisin Pie

Raisin Pie

2 cups Raisins

2 cups Water

1/2 cup Sugar

2 tbsp Cornstarch

Water to make a paste

1 tbsp Lemon Juice

9” Pie Shell, Unbaked

Bring raisins, water and sugar to boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer.  

Make a runny paste of the cornstarch and water. Add slowly and cook until thick. Add lemon juice and stir to combine. 

Pour into an unbaked pie shell and bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. 

Note:  If using a 9” frozen pie crust, it’s not really 9”, so reduce the raisins and water to 1/2 cups and only bake for 25 minutes. You could potentially reduce that more. 

Baked Potatoes - Instant Pot

Baked Potatoes - Instant Pot

 6 medium russet potatoes 

1 cup cold water 

Seasoned Crispy Skins (Optional)

1 tbsp olive oil

3/4 tsp onion salt

3/4 tsp Italian seasoning 

3/4 tsp garlic powder 

1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese 

Wash potatoes and prick each one 5-6 times with a fork. Place potatoes on top of trivet in the instant pot, stacking n top of each other if necessary. Pour in 1 cup of water. 

Place lid on top, turn to secure and turn valve to sealed position. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes for small potatoes (5-6 ounces each, 12 minutes for medium potatoes (7-9 ounces each) or 13 minutes fir large potatoes (10-12 ounces each).  Pot will take approximately 8-10 minutes to come to pressure. 

Once cooking is complete, natural release for 8 minutes for small potatoes, 9 minutes for medium potatoes or 10 minutes for large potatoes. 

For crispy seasoned skins

Place cooked potatoes on a baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and brush all over with fingers or pastry brush. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Mix all seasonings together in a small bowl and sprinkle over all sides of the potatoes. Place pan in oven on middle rack and roast 1-2 minutes. Flip potatoes over and roast an additional 1-2 minutes. 

Seasoned Baked Tortilla Strips

 Seasoned Baked Tortilla Strips

8 small tortillas 

4 tsp vegetable oil

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. 

Cut tortillas into 1/2 inch strips. Add to a large bowl and toss with vegetable oil to coat. Sprinkle with seasonings and toss to coat strips evenly. 

Transfer to prepared baking sheet and spread evenly. Bake for 6 minutes, toss and return to the oven. Continue baking an additional 6 minutes or until desired crispness is reached. 

Cool completely before storing in an airtight contained. 

Herb & Goat Cheese Popovers

 Herb & Goat Cheese Popovers

1 1/4 cups canola oil, divided 

2 cups whole milk

4 large eggs

1 tbsp butter, melted 

1 tsp salt

2 cups flour

1 tbsp fresh parsley

1 tbsp chives 

1 tbsp thyme

2 tsp lemon zest

3 oz goat cheese,  rumbled 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place 1 tsp oil in each cup of a 12 cup popover pan or muffin tin. Once oven has come to temperature, place popover pan in oven for 5 minutes. 

Process milk, eggs, butter and salt in a blender on low until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add flour and process on medium heat until well combined. Stir in herbs and lemon zest. 

Remove popover pan from oven & working quickly divide batter evenly among cups, filling almost halfway. Top evenly with cheese. 

Bake for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake until puffed and well browned, 15 - 30 minutes more.  Remove from oven and serve.  

Roasted Corn & Pepper Dip

 Roasted Corn & Pepper Dip

1 cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed

1 cup red pepper, chopped 

2 tsp olive oil

Salt 

Pepper

3 cans crab or 1 cup

1 cup Monterey Jack, jalapeño cheese, shredded 

1/3 cup mayonnaise 

1/4 cup sour cream 

1/4 cup green onions, sliced 

Preheat oven to 435 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non stick cooking spray. Set aside. 

In a small bowl combine corn, and sweet pepper. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt & pepper and toss to coat. Spread on baking sheet and roast uncovered about 15 minutes or until vegetables start to brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and cool. 

Reduce oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a small quiche dish or casserole and set aside. 

In a medium bowl stir together crab meat, cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream and green onions. Stir in. Oiled roasted vegetables. Transfer mixture to prepared dish. 

Bake uncovered approximately 20 minutes or until bubbly and golden. 

Serve with tortilla or pita chips. 

Beef Short Ribs Instant Pot

 Beef Short Ribs Instant Pot

1 lb beef short ribs

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 cup red wine 

2 cups beef stock 

Salt

Pepper

1 tbsp cornstarch

Set Instant pot on sauté and once it reads hot add vegetable oil. Season ribs generously with salt and pepper on all sides. Add ribs to instant pot and sauté 3- 4 minutes on each side. Remove ribs and set aside. 

Add red wine and deglaze the pot until all brown bits are scraped up. Add beef stock. Hit cancel. Return the ribs to the pot and set pot to pressure cook 60 minutes. It will take 10 - 15 minutes to come to pressure. Natural release 15 minutes then release the rest of the pressure. 

Remove ribs to a serving plate and cover to keep warm. 

Hit cancel, then sauté and simmer the juices until reduced   Add cornstarch and simmer until sauce has thickened. Serve over ribs. 

Brown Sugar Mustard Glazed Ham

 Brown Sugar Mustard Glazed  Ham

8 - 10 lb bone in fully cooked ham

1/2 cup water 

1/2 cup butter 

1 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp Dijon mustard 

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves 

4 cloves garlic, minced 

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. 

Score a 1” wide diamond pattern 1/4” deep over the entire ham. Place the ham in a baking tray, pour 1/3 cup water into the base of the pan and cover the ham with foil & bake for 30 minutes.  

Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until golden brown. Add brown sugar, honey, mustard, cinnamon and cloves, stirring to mix together well until the sugar has dissolved, approximately 2 minutes. 

Reduce heat to low and add the garlic. Allow it to become fragrant for a minute or two until the glaze just begins to simmer, then set aside to cool to lukewarm. 

Remove the ham from the oven after 30 minutes and increase the temperature to 425 degrees. Pour 1/3 of the glaze over the ham, brushing between the cuts to ensure even cover. Return to oven and bake uncovered 15 minutes. 

Remove from oven, brush with another 1/3 of the glaze and some of the pan juices. Bake an additional 15 minutes and repeat until a dark golden brown crust has formed, approximately 30 - 45 minutes in total. 

Remove from oven and allow to rest 10 - 20 minutes before slicing.