Red Beans and Rice in an Instant Pot

This is my first time to ever use an instant pot...and I have to say "I am in LOVE" 

It's so easy to prep and clean!!! I decided that my first meal that I would prepare in an instant pot would be red beans and rice because it usually takes me over 4 hours on the stove and 8 hours in a crockpot. And to be honest...with this weather in Louisiana...this momma is not standing in front of no stove for 2 hours much less 4!! 

Shopping List: 

1 pound red beans

1 pound of baby pork spareribs (cut into little pieces) 

4 pieces of pig feet 

1 pound pickled pork 

1/2 bell pepper diced 

4 stalks celery chopped 

1 small onion chopped 

3 bay leaf 

1 teaspoon garlic powder 

1 teaspoon onion powder 

1/2 teaspoon Tony Chacheres (Cajun seasoning) 

1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper 

1/2 teaspoon sugar 

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce 

Pack of spicy sausage (I cook this separately because we don't like our sausage mushy) 

Water 

Tabasco (garlic flavor) 

White rice 

1 stick butter 

****CHEATING METHOD: 1 small can of blue runner red beans (I pour that in after everything is cook and when I am mushing the red beans against the side of the pot. 

Garnish: 

Parsley 

Green onion chopped 

Direction: 

In a little pot I filled it up with water and place my cut spareribs and pig feet in and blanch over to get all the gunk out. Once the pot start boiling I blanch through. Next,  I wash it with just regular tap water and then I place it on top of the red beans that is already in the instant pot. 

*** I pour my bag of red beans on the bottom. Then the blanch meat. Then the pickle pork. Next, I lay all my veggies in top. Cover with just enough water to cover everything. Next I pour all my seasoning on top. 

Close the lid and turn on to the "beans/chilli" setting but I adjust the time to 1 hour. 

Next, I pour in a small can of blue runner red beans into my pot. Taking a small spoon or ladle...I smooch the beans against the pot to make it more creamy. Then I add 1 stick of unsalted butter into the hot red beans. 

Season according to taste. I used a pickle pork so I didn't need to add that much salt or Tony Chacheres 

                 Ready to be turned on 

I added the cubed ham..right before serving because my husband likes the ham intact and not all cook down. 

Season with more Tabasco (because we love spicy) and garnish with chopped parsley. 

Spicy Sausage cooked separately          in a little frying pan 

ENJOY!! 

I think the only thing I would change next time is I might add the ham and butter and then turn it on for another 5-10 minutes so the ham would be a little softer. 

Meatball Sub

Meatball Sub 

Shopping List:

1 bag of 3lb meatball 

1 bottle Bertolli  Tomato basil sauce 

1/2 C strawberry Jam 

1 teaspoon garlic powder 

1/2 teaspoon Tony 

1/4 cracked black pepper 

Crockpot--4 hrs on low

Breakfast at Ohana, Polynesian Resort

Breakfast at Ohana located inside the Polynesian Resort is one of my favorite. They start with these sweet bread ...raisin and pineapple with this whip butter that is so delicious!! 

Then they bring you a plate of fruits and serve you this juice...it's so yummy!! 

For breakfast they bring you this huge TRAY of assorted breakfast food..scramble eggs, waffle (Mickey Mouse and Stitch) chicken sausage, biscuits and BACON!! 

               Assorted Sweet Bread 

                             Fruits 

                        Stitch waffle

Chef Mickey

We had reservation at 2:20 pm which was brunch. They had ham craving with freshly made chocolate chip pancakes and Mickey Mouse waffle. 

They also had a corn and potato chowder. A Caesar salad with lots of different salad toppings. They had a section for kids that consist of Mac n cheese, chicken nuggets and scallop potato. 

The DESSERT section: 

Today they had strawberry shortcake in little shot glasses, red velvet cupcake, ice cream machine, cookies etc 

    Ribs, Rice, Salmon and a spicy stew 

                   Pancake section 

                     Ham craving 

Pandan Chiffon Cake

Pandan Chiffon Cake 

**remember with this cake..you need a nonstick tube cake pan or angel food pan and DO NOT PREGREASE the pan because the cake will not rise of you do.

Ingredients: 

8 egg yolks

1 1/4 C sugar

3/4 C veg oil

3/4 C coconut milk 

1 C cake flour

2 tsp baking powder 

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp pandan juice

2 tsp pandan essence 

1 tsp vanilla essence

(* You can use 3/4 tsp of pandan paste, in place of pandan juice and pandan essence. Although convenient, pandan paste definitely tastes more artificial, so stick with fresh pandan and pandan essence, if you can)

***1 tsp cream of tartar

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 in my oven 

Sift cake flour and baking powder, mix evenly. Set aside. 

Beat egg yolks and sugar until light and lemon-coloured. Add in the oil, coconut cream, pandan juice, pandan essence, vanilla essence and salt. Sift flour and baking powder over the mixture. Mix well until smooth.

Beat egg whites with wire whisk attachment until slightly foamy. Add cream of tartar, and beat until soft peaks. Add in sugar tablespoon by tablespoon and beat until stiff peaks form and mixture does not slide out of mixing bowl when upturned.

Add in 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk mixture and mix gently with whisk, to 'lighten' the mixture. Using a spatula, fold in the rest of the beaten egg whites into egg yolk mixture, gently, to prevent batter from deflating. Do not overfold.

Pour batter into pan. Run a spatula through the batter to eliminate large bubbles in the batter.

Bake at 350 in preheated oven, for about 55 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean (or with few dry crumbs adhering)

Once u take out the oven 

Flip the pan over for cooling...invert the cake pan