Cooking Success and Failure, Cute Archie Picture

This is Archie in his dog bed at naptime. He likes to sleep on his back, and he has a favorite stuffed toy, a puppy, that he positions next to him. Notice he has placed the puppy on its back, just like he himself is relaxing. Sometimes he uses Puppy as a pillow, but typically he just has it in his bed with him to snuggle up with. He has loved this toy since Day One with us and sleeps with it always.

Eva is staying with us this week, and requested enchiladas when asked what dinners she might enjoy. I made chicken enchiladas with green sauce, which actually were quite good, if not somewhat labor intensive. I also made basmati rice, flavored with lime juice and cilantro, which I thought was very tasty and refreshing. It was a great accompaniment to a Mexican-themed meal.

My failure was the refried beans, which I made in my instant pot. My mistake was making them way too spicy. Too much chile powder I think. I used chile adobe powder, which was way hotter than the usual plain chili powder I typically use. I am going to try to make pinto beans in the instant pot again though. I soaked the beans for 8 hours ahead of time, drained them and cooked them for 20 minutes in 3 cups of seasoned water. Once they vented for 10-15 minutes, I mashed them and added chile powder and cilantro. Whew, it was way hotter than Eva's comfort zone. 

Using the instant pot to cook beans is easy and effective, and I will give it another try soon.

How about you? Do you make beans in your instant pot?

Comments

[Ruth]

I just made bean soup with the Thanksgiving ham bone. I hadn't soaked beans, and wanted to have them for supper, so I found a recipe that didn't require soaking. The onions and garlic were sauteed right in the instant pot, then all other ingredients were added, & the soup option was set for 70 minutes. They turned out perfectly! I'll definitely use that recipe again.
BTW, after you made your Starburst quilt years ago, I immediately began collecting corals and turquoises to make that pattern. Have I made it yet? No, too many life event quilts, etc. have gotten in the way. But I recently retired, so there is hope...
THANKS for your posts that include your daily life and adventures; I look forward to them!
Ruth in VA

[Anita]

I have not succumbed to an instant pot yet. I love low and slow cooking. Although I did just buy an air fryer - another appliance I wasn’t convinced I needed but am looking forward to experimenting with it.

[Kelli]

Archie is just WAY too cute! My dog Beau has slept on his back since we brought him home as a puppy - even at 3 yrs old his favorite way to rest.

Love your Mexican themed meal - I love all things Mexican!

Thanks for sharing your life - such fun to read and I always appreciate you sharing your cooking adventures - whether they turn out or not. Helps remind us all no one is a perfect cook and it helps us do better - love reading the comments for suggestions!

[CarolE]

I tried cooking tofu in the instant pot and it was a failure. I don't think I really know how to use that thing! Archie is adorable!

[Linda]

Oh, that Archie is so adorable! And I am so gonna copy your Mexican themed meal when my granddaughters come visit for Christmas. Thank you for sharing.

[Jan]

I'm still in the last century in the kitchen, I'm afraid! I have a plain old crock pot but mainly use a large stock pot on the stove for ham & bean soup. Archie's adorable sleeping on his back with the stuffed animal! Keep his stories & photos coming!

[Kathleen]

I bought an Instant pot when they became so popular, a cookbook for it, and all sorts of inserts to use. Packed away on a shelf and have never used it! I use my crock pot a lot....

[Ina]

I'm like Jan above...I'm old school with 2 Dutch Ovens for a big chunk of my cooking. I make spicy pinto bean soup frequently but I tone down the chili. my husband LOVEs spicy.

everything gets eaten in our house. no waste. I cook 3 nights a week and the other nights we rotate the leftovers.

our dog has a couple of favorite toys. he has a stuffed blue armadillo that he sucks on like a pacifier. it's really cute. it was our previous dog's favorite toy.

he also has a stuffed monkey that he likes me to throw for him so he can race around with it.

now I have to go look through your 'finishes' section to remind me what quilt Ruth is talking about...

[Sally]

Oh that Archie is so cute.... and your meal sounds delicious!

No, I have never made beans in the Instant pot, but we did do a pot roast once. It was fine, but the broth was too liquidy and I really missed the thicker gravy. We put the pot away on a shelf.......

[Kerry L]

I could just eat Archie he is so darn cute! Our golden doodle likes to sleep like that too sometimes. I too am old school and cook beans long and slow. Like others I love hearing your domesticity stories! It starts my day off on the right foot!

[Suzanne]

I’m obsessed with our Instant Pot and use it lots! I bought it way after the initial craze of them, buying it just two years ago. I use it 2 to 3 times a week, and I have never had a real failure with it. I haven’t tried to cook dried beans, though! I have done tons and tons of dried lentils in it, which come out amazing. My favorite Instant Pot cookbooks are by Jeffrey Eisner — I own all 4 of his! I also use The Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook by Nisha Vora (husband trying to be healthier, and I’m happy to try new things). Previously, I was a big user of my Dutch ovens and our slow cooker, but I’ve pretty much given up using the slow cooker and use the Dutch ovens much less often. Other than quilting, cooking and baking are my big interests… as you can probably tell!

I can’t believe that Archie sleeps in his back. That is hilarious and adorable!