Your Family Can Cook and Enjoy Great Meals Together!

You are here: Home / Archives for Kitchen Survival

Magic Flavor Dust

by 3 Comments

Last updated on August 5th, 2020 at 11:19 pm

You can speed up dinner prep exponentially by keeping a batch of our pre-mixed seasonings on hand. You’ll save money, too!

We use this “house” seasoning on practically everything but dessert! While cooking, sprinkle it on sautéed veggies, meat, soups, and dried beans. It adds so much flavor to everything, and you only have to reach for one jar, instead of 4! It is Magic!

Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Magic Flavor Dust

Use this basic seasoning to easily add lots of flavor to meats, veggies, and dips. It is Magic!
Prep Time5 minutes
Course: Seasoning
Keyword: Budget-friendly, Dairy-free, Gluten-free, No Fillers, Seasoning
Author: Holly

Equipment

  • Funnel
  • Empty spice container

Ingredients

  • 2 parts garlic powder
  • 2 parts onion powder
  • 1 part salt
  • 1 part ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Measure all parts through a funnel and into empty spice container.
  • Close lid and shake thoroughly.
  • Use to season meats, veggies, sauces, soups, and dips.

Magic Flavor DustRead More

Instant Pot Minestrone…Instastrone?

by 3 Comments

Last updated on January 23rd, 2019 at 08:20 am

If Instastrone isn’t a real word, it will be after you try this amazing dish! Minestrone is a wonderful Italian vegetable soup, thick and hearty. In restaurants it’s often served with pasta, but it’s not a necessity. We prefer ours with only yummy veggies!

This recipe requires a bit of chopping, but then you just throw the ingredients in and wait for some delicious soup! But you’ll only have to wait for 4 minutes of cook time! That’s why it’s Instastrone!

And it really is very delicious!

Ingredients

…

Instant Pot Minestrone…Instastrone?Read More

Instant Pot Texas Chili

by 12 Comments

Last updated on January 1st, 2019 at 11:18 pm

This is the second best chili recipe I’ve ever made.

The best pot of chili I’ve ever made was 20 years ago. Read to the end if you want to see a really sweet story about that special pot of chili.

Note: There’s lots of debate about different types of chili. The conventional wisdom is that Texas Chili has no beans. But we really like the beans in ours. And we’re from Texas. So it’s still Texas Chili. 🤠

On a more practical note, adding beans makes it about $3 cheaper per batch (depending on ground beef prices in your area.) That amount adds up over a few meals. …

Instant Pot Texas ChiliRead More

The Cooking Family Kids Gift Guide 2019

by Leave a Comment

Last updated on December 19th, 2019 at 08:26 am

The holidays are a perfect time to spend time with your kids in the kitchen. And Christmas is the perfect time to use gifts to equip them to join you there all year long!

Use this guide to help you pick some great (non-electronic) gifts for your kids. I don’t know about you, but we definitely don’t need any more things in our house that bleep, blurb, or glow!

I’ve included some of my own favorites for mom, so you may want to forward it to your significant other if you want to hint at some gifts for yourself. 😉

…

The Cooking Family Kids Gift Guide 2019Read More

Which Instant Pot is Right For My Family? (Updated with Max)

by 44 Comments

Last updated on December 26th, 2018 at 12:56 pm

The Instant Pot is more than a “craze” now. Everywhere you turn, you see talk-show hosts and news anchors doing segments on this “new device” that’s “sweeping the nation!” And with good reason.

People are just now starting to hear about the benefits of pressure-cooking as a way to cook delicious and healthy meals without having to stand over a stove. You’ve probably heard from more than one friend about how much they love their “Instapot.”

But the truth is, the Instant Pot has been around a few years, and pressure cooking for ages. But this ain’t your grandma’s pressure cooker! The Instant Pot is a safe, easy cooking method, and the company is constantly refining and improving the technology and releasing new models.

But that’s creating confusion for new customers shopping for an Instant Pot, and probably why you’re here to read this article!

There are several sizes and lots of variations in features among the different models, and even non-pressure cooker products now. So the question I see most often right now is, “I have a family of ____, which Instant Pot should I get?”

The answer really comes down to two simple questions.
…

Which Instant Pot is Right For My Family? (Updated with Max)Read More

Homemade Chicken Bone Broth in the Instant Pot

by 2 Comments

Last updated on July 28th, 2019 at 09:50 pm

Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Under Pressure: 120 Minutes
Quick Release or Natural Pressure Release, your call!
If you’ve got 5 minutes, old chicken bones, leftover veggies, and an Instant Pot, you can have homemade bone broth all the time! Sometimes called Chicken Stock, this commonly used ingredient is the basis for so many recipes! We use it for soups, casseroles, sauces, and gravies. We even sometimes use it for making rice and pasta, instead of water. Here are a few of our recipes that use this delicious broth as a base ingredient:
 
Using store-bought chicken broth is easy, but it isn’t necessarily cheap, and the truth is, you don’t actually know what’s in that can or box or jar.
When I went gluten free and was forced to begin reading every label, I was shocked at the ingredient lists right in front of my face that I had been ignoring! Ingredients such as:

…

Homemade Chicken Bone Broth in the Instant PotRead More

Instant Pot Ham ‘n’ Beans

by 34 Comments

Last updated on April 9th, 2020 at 10:10 am

The only thing I love more than the taste of this recipe is how simple it is to throw together. It’s so easy, it feels like cheating to even call this a “recipe.”

Here’s all you need for this super easy recipe:

Tools Used

Ingredients

  • a spiral-sliced ham or leftover ham bone
  • a bag of dried beans. A two-pound bag of Great Northern beans is what I used to make this in an 8qt., but any kind of beans would be great cooked this way–pintos, navy, black beans–use whatever you have and whatever you like.
  • An onion

…

Instant Pot Ham ‘n’ BeansRead More

Instant Pot Italian Sausage Lentil Soup

by 4 Comments

Last updated on November 4th, 2022 at 04:49 pm

Several years ago, we were at Carrabba’s and I had their Sausage Lentil Soup. It was so good! I’ve spent the last few years trying to re-create it, and I think we’ve finally got it really close! I love working up recipes because I get to eat the results. 😉

This is a hearty and nutritious dinner for the whole family. Lentils provide lots of protein, fiber, iron, and B vitamins!  And it’s delicious! Everyone in our family gobbles up the first bowl and wants seconds, including the toddler! In the Old Testament of the Bible, Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of Lentil stew—so you know it must be good!

…

Instant Pot Italian Sausage Lentil SoupRead More

Instant Pot Jambalaya

by 2 Comments

Last updated on May 7th, 2020 at 09:11 am

My husband’s family has a long and rich heritage in south Louisiana, so cajun dishes are frequently enjoyed at family gatherings. Now, authentic cajun fare is usually a bit too spicy for my younger kids, so I adapted this recipe to give us all the yummy ingredients without the kick.

Traditional Jambalaya is typically cooked with rice combined with all the ingredients. I like to cook my rice separately for a couple of reasons:

…

Instant Pot JambalayaRead More

What’s So Great About the Instant Pot?

by 8 Comments

Last updated on September 21st, 2018 at 05:53 pm

What's so great about the Instant Pot?

For years, I was a slow-cooker fan. I remember the day when I got my big All-Clad model with the insert that you could put right on the stove to brown meat. I coveted and longed for that tool for months before buying it on sale.
And I still like to pull it out every now and then, if for no other reason than to justify keeping it, because it is beautiful. But ever since I got my Instant Pot, the poor slow-cooker has been more of no-cooker.

 

Poor, Lonely Slow Cooker
My Poor, Lonely Slow Cooker

Here at The Cooking Family, one of our foundational principles is that you only need a small set of the right tools to enjoy great meals together. You don’t always need the “next big thing,” and you especially don’t need uni-taskers.

 

But even though the Instant Pot is the current “latest gadget,” it is one I would say is a must-have tool. Seriously. If you told me I could only keep 2 things in my kitchen, I’d keep my Wüsthof knife and my Instant Pot. As a mom of 7, I oversee 189 meals per week! But the Instant Pot ensures I don’t spend all day in the kitchen (unless I want to 😉.)

Even though it seems everyone is talking about the Instant Pot, I know many people don’t understand the hype. And I get it. I didn’t understand at first. At least once a week, someone will ask me, “What’s so great about the Instant Pot? I’m afraid I’ll blow my kitchen up!”

You won’t. Today’s electric pressure cookers are so much different than the tank-like pots that graced our grandmothers’ stoves.  I’ve compiled a list of things I love about mine. This list is certain to grow, and I’ll update it as I discover new things. There are many features I haven’t even explored yet. (Like ribs or lasagna!) (Updated 7/11/18)

Here’s why you need an Instant Pot

…

What’s So Great About the Instant Pot?Read More

Is this the one thing keeping dinner off the table?

by Leave a Comment

Last updated on September 21st, 2018 at 05:55 pm

We live in the golden age of cooking. If your Facebook feed is anything like mine, you see it filled with dozens of short recipe videos every day. And like me, you’ve possibly saved a bunch of them, planning to get back to it someday. Then there’s Pinterest, an endless supply of food and recipe ideas. Yet even with all of these resources available, I still struggled to get dinner on the table every night.

The 4:30 Panic

Inevitably, the afternoon would roll on, and next thing I knew, it was almost dinner time. Not only had I not started dinner, I had no idea what I would make. Not to fear, right? I could just go check my trusty saved links and whip something together. Raise your hand if that’s ever worked for you.

It never worked for me.

The truth is:
…

Is this the one thing keeping dinner off the table?Read More