Recipes
Hot Sauce
Hot sauce is one of the key ingredients in adding spice to any recipe. There are many good hot sauces on the market but nothing beats creating your own and it is so easy that anyone can do it.
What you will need:
Pressure Cooker
Blender or Food Processor
2-3 Lbs of fresh hot peppers (generally 1lb will equal 1 pint of hot sauce)
2-3 C White or Apple Cider Vinegar
1T Salt
2T sugar or 2 pk of Splenda
Canning jars and lids
Wash peppers, dry and pull or cut stems off the peppers
put peppers into the Pressure Cooker
add vinegar (2 – 4 cups depending on whether you want a thick or loose sauce) I prefer to keep my sauce thick so I can use it as a spread on my sandwiches.
1 T Salt
2 T Sugar or 2 packets of Splenda
Seal Pressure Cooker and cook under pressure for 10 minutes
Reduce pressure from cooker and place peppers into a food processor and puree (you may need to do this in several steps and combine the results in a large bowl.
spoon pureed sauce into clean sterilized canning jars to about 1/2 inch from top
put lids and rings on and place into the Pressure Cooker or canner
Seal Pressure Cooker and cook under pressure for 15 minutes (in a canner, bring to 10lbs of pressure then turn off heat and cook for 10 minutes before releasing pressure)
You can also put the fresh sauce into the refrigerator where it will keep for several months. Use the sauce in soups, sauces, eggs and other dishes to add flavor and zing. I usually start with 1/2 teaspoon of sauce and adjust for spice and flavor. You may want to start with smaller amounts depending on your palate. Be aware that as you get used to using the sauce your palate will adjust and require more sauce to meet your needs.
Our Favorite Chicken Dinner with Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans
Pressure Cooker
1 Rotisserie Chicken from Costco or Sam’s Club
1 lb Fresh Green Beans with ends removed
4-5 Med Red Potatoes halved
1/2 lb Mushrooms sliced
1/4 C Yellow Onion diced
1 t Chicken Broth (or 1 cube)
1/2 t Hot Sauce
3 C water
1 C Milk
2 T Butter
2T Flour
Cut meat off the Chicken that you will want to eat and put into a covered saucepan with a little water and put on low heat. put the remaining chicken parts into the pressure cooker along with 2 cups of water and potatoes cut in half. Close cooker and heat under high heat until pressure valve closes. Cook for 10 minutes and release pressure.
While chicken and potatoes cook take a small sauce pan and melt butter and cook mushrooms and onions until browned then add 1 cup of hot water with broth dissolved into it. Add hot sauce, lower heat and cover.
When chicken is done, remove potatoes and put into 2 qt sauce pan and cover.
Add chicken broth from pressure cooker to mushrooms and onions gravy and bring to a boil. Dissolve flour in 1 cup of milk and stir with wire wisk. Add to gravy and stir until thickened. Lower heat and cover.
Put green beans into pressure cooker with remaining chicken broth, close and heat on high heat until pressure valve closes. reduce heat and cook for 6 minutes.
Mash potatoes adding butter, milk or sour cream till smooth.
Remove Green beans and serve with chicken, potatoes and gravy.
Broccoli and Cheese Soup
1 Head of fresh broccoli
1 C fresh mushrooms sliced
3 cloves garlic sliced thin
1/2 lg onion chopped
2 C milk
2 T butter
2 C cheddar cheese (you may substitute a cheese herb mix for more flavor)
1 T salt
1/2 t hot sauce
1 t basil
1 t tarragon
Steam broccoli for 10 minutes until dark green and tender. Place in food processor and puree till fine then set aside.
Melt butter in a large pot and saute mushrooms, garlic and onions until tender. Place in food processor and puree.
Place all ingredients except the cheese back into the pot and cook over med high heat, stirring constantly until very warm. Add cheese and continue stirring until hot. Do not over heat or stop stirring to avoid having the milk curdle.
Soup and be served immediately or stored over night in the refrigerator.
