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This is the recipe that causes so much trouble.  Just look at the list of vegetables and all you have to do to them!  Plus to serve this dinner by say 7:00 PM you would have to have it in the pot by 9AM.  If you are a working person, you either add at least 3-4 hours to your morning routine or as I was trying to do get it all assembled the day before and start the pot at 6:00 on high and lower it for 9 hours as you walk out the door.  This again serves 8 and is from Elizabeth L. Richards, Rapid City, SD.  I’m hoping for 4 days of freedom.  As it was such a problem to get Jim’s help yesterday, I did not get up at 9:00 am and in fact got it all assembled by 2:30 PM.  Either way this to me is a looser.

Ingredients:

1 1/4# flank steak, 1 1/2” thick

8 red potatoes, small to medium in sized

10 baby carrots

1 large clove garlic, diced

1 medium sized to large onion, chopped

1 C baby peas

3 ribs celery, cut in 1” pieces

3 C cabbage in chunks

2 (8 0z) cans low-sodium tomato sauce

1 T Worcestershire sauce

2 bay leaves

1/4-1/2 t dried thyme, according to your taste

1/4-1/2 t dried basil, according to your taste

1/4-1/2 t dried marjoram, according to your taste

1 T parsley

2 C water or more, if desired

4 Cubs beef or vegetable bouillon (I did 5 C of my vegetable broth + about 1/2 C of beef broth left over in the refrigerator.)

Directions:  

1. Trim flank steak of fat.  Cut in 1 1/2” thick cubes.  Brown slowly in the bottom of your Insta Pot on sauté, high.  
2. Quarter potatoes.
3. Combine all ingredients in large slow cooker. (InstaPot)
4. Cover.  Cook on high 1 hour.  Turn to low and cook 9 additional hours. 

There weren’t enough vegetables and the beef tasted like shoe leather.  After day one I would not eat the beef.  It lasted for 4 days! 

1. Still in the same cookbook.  The person providing is recipe is Janice Yoskovich from Carmichael’s PA.  This recipe is just not made for a pork tenderloin.  I pulled it out after 1 hour on low and thought it was over cooked.  The sauce was unbelievably delicious.  The pork over cooked.  Jim said it was 130 degrees F.  Nothing else was ready as I was also trying to get the next night started with no help of if he had to, it was with a lot of grumping.  I quite and went in to put my legs in the compression boots.  So he tented it like I said, did the rice, and decided to make a salad, it was overdone.  I saved the sauce which was plenty for 5 C of cooked rice!  I think a boneless pork shoulder in it would be great.  The pork tenderloin was supposed to serve 8.  Essentially a small section of the pork and a little over a C of rice would be the portion.  Well, Jim ate the whole pork tenderloin, 1 C uncooked rice, cooked and 1/2 the salad he made with a whole heart of Romaine lettuce and 2 tomatoes.  Essentially this cookbook is made for people who work, but I am using it as I would like to have time to paint.  I spend hours in the kitchen and still don’t do anything but feed him.  It is like feeding the whole 3rd army.  

   Ingredients:   

   1 1/2# pork tenderloin

   12 oz. chili sauce

   16 oz. can jellied cranberry sauce

   2 T brown sugar

   5 C cooked long grain enriched rice.

   Directions:

   1. Place pork tenderloin in slow cooker
   2. Mix together chili sauce, cranberry sauce, and brown sugar.  Pour over pork
   3. Cover and cook on high 4-5 hours, and then on low 3-4 hours.  
   4. Serve over rice.  

   Like I said total waste of the price of a tenderloin.  Probably perfect for a tenderloin.  It would make a version of BBQ pork sandwich.  No picture!

Next out of the same cookbook I made Salmon Chowder.  T++his on is from Esther J. Yoder, Hartville, OH. They also give ideal slow cooker sizes, but this is when people started getting crazy about slow cookers.  I use my InstaPot which is also a slow cooker.  This was 5 servings.  It made it to 2 nights with an eclipse in-between.  I bought the fish shaped bowl in Nova Scotia.  

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C potatoes, cubed (What ever looked right)

1 C celery, diced

1/2 C onions, diced

2 T fresh parsley or 1 T dried parsley

1/2 t salt

1/4 t pepper

water to cover 

16 oz. can pink salmon 

4 C skim milk

2t lemon juice

2 T red bell peppers, finely cut (1 bell pepper)

2 T carrots, finely shredded (4 carrots cubed)

1/2 C instant potatoes

Directions:

1. Combine cubed potatoes, celery, onions, parsley, salt, pepper and water to cover in slow cooker,  (I added carrots as I did not shred them’) and water to cover in slow cooker.  
2. Cook on high for 3 hours or until soft.  (I drained the water.)
3. Add salmon, milk, lemon juice, red peppers, carrots, and instant potatoes.  Stir.
4. Heat 1 hour more until very hot.  

This was good.  

This is an older cookbook of mine that got forgotten in the maze of cookbooks.  It would have been very useful when I was working.  It is called Fix It and Forget It Lightly.  This recipe was for 8 so I figured I could feed Jim and maybe have leftovers.  Each recipe is attributed to a different person, but it does on explain how the author knows all these people.  This one is Kimberly Jensen, Bailey, CO.  Of course, they are all done in a slow cooker.  

Ingredients:

4 chicken drumsticks, skin removed

4 chicken thighs, skin removed

1 C strips of green and red bell peppers

1/2 C fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 C prepared orange juice

1/2 C catsup

2 T soy sauce

1 T light molasses

1 T prepared mustard

1/2 t garlic salt

11 oz can mandarin oranges

2 t cornstarch

1 C frozen peas

2 green onions

Directions:

1. Place chicken in slow cooker.  Top with pepper strips.
2. Combine broth, juice, ketchup, soy sauce, molasses, mustard, garlic salt.  Pour over chicken.
3. Cover.  Cook on low 5-6 hours.
4. Remove chicken and vegetables from slow cooker.  Keep warm.  
5. Measure out 1 C of cooking sauce.  Put in saucepan and bring to boil.  
6. Drain oranges, reserving 1 T juice.  Stir in cornstarch into reserved juice.  Add to boiling sauce in pan. 
7. Add peas to sauce and cook, stirring 2-3 minutes until sauce thickens and peas are warm.  Stir in oranges.  
8. Arrange chicken pieces on platter of cooked white rice, fried cellophane noodles, or lo main noodles.  
9. Pour orange sauce over chicken and rice or noodles.  
10. 10.Top with sliced green onions.  

This was delicious.  But with Jim it served 2 twice with me only eating the thigh.  So if I wanted to serve it for company I would have to double it.  Also Jim brought the legs and thighs attached.  Publix left that bone on the thigh that makes it hard to eat.  Buy separately.  

Happy Easter!  I cooked all day.  It started with breakfast.  It started  with a Geoffrey Zakarian microwave poached eggs.  I know how to poach an egg and don’t need to dirty three mugs to get 3 poached eggs.  So I poached the eggs the traditional way and they are my favorite.  Second he wanted sourdough bread.  Good luck finding that in TN.  So white Italian had to do.  His avocado topping for the toast was delicious. This was for 2, but Jim wanted 2 eggs, so we divided the avocado by 3.

Ingredients: 

2 slices sourdough bread, cut 3/4” thick

2 t EVOO

2 large avocados, pitted and diced

2 T chardonnay vinegar

Kosher salt and black pepper

2 large eggs

1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 t flaky salt (Maldron)

Cilantro leaves for serving (not here)

Directions:

1. Heat a griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium0low heat.  Drizzle or brush both sides of the sourdough bread with the oil.  Toast the bread on the griddle until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.  Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the avocado, vinegar and a pinch of kosher salt.  Lightly mash using a fork, leaving some texture to the avocado.  
3. Gently spoon the avocado mixture on top of the pieces of griddled bread and set aside.   
4. Poach your eggs and remove with a slotted spoon.  Top with flakey sea salt and black pepper.

If you just want to poach one egg, This microwave method could be useful.  

1. Crack the egg into individual mugs or glass measuring cups.
2. Pour slightly chilled water into the mug until it covers the egg by about 1/2”.  
3. Place a mug in the microwave and cook on high for 50 seconds.Every microwave is different, so start checking at 45 seconds for doneness.  dd more time as needed.  You will know the egg is done when the yolk is no longer exposed but is still soft to the touch.
4. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and all ow some of the excess water to drip off onto a paper towel before placing them on the avocado toasts.