Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana

When the temps are below freezing out here on the road, soups and stews are my go to meal. Paired with some crusty bread or cornbread, this is a dinner that is guaranteed to warm you from the inside out. Besides, when it is this easy, why not?

My family loves soup. Tomato. Chicken noodle. Minestrone. If it is soup, it doesn't last long. This one is hubby's favorite. Using the Instant Pot instead of the stovetop means that I don't have to constantly check to see if it's ready. Set it and forget it.

Doing Keto? No problem! A simple substitution and it's Keto friendly. Read on the find out what it is.

Let's make soup!

• Set your Instant Pot to Sauté. Add oil. Brown your sausage, then add onions and cook until they are translucent.

• Add garlic and red pepper flakes.

• Add potatoes and chicken broth.

• Press Cancel, then select Pressure Cook, High. Turn release valve to SEALING. Set timer for 10 minutes.

• When timer sounds, quick release pressure, remove lid.

• Add kale and stir.

• Add heavy cream, stir, and serve!

Tips and Substitutions

1. Want more spice? Use Hot Italian sausage instead.
2. Potatoes too soft? Decrease cook time to 7 minutes.
3. Keto? Sub cauliflower florets for the potatoes.
4. Counting calories? Use half & half instead of heavy cream.

Like crackers with your soup? Try this next time: In a bowl, mix 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder. Place 1 sleeve of saltines in a zip top bag and pour in oil mixture. Zip bag and gently rotate bag until crackers are evenly coated. Yum!

3s & 8s,

Crystal

If you have tried this recipe, let me know! Do you make any other changes to it? Share in the comments.

Rolling with 5 Ingredients or Less

This has been a long week! Hubby has been sick all week. The doc put him on a medical hold until antibiotics could take hold. He's not quite 100% but he is close, so back to we are rolling again. Headed for Tennessee!

With him being sick, I didn't do alot of cooking this week. He mostly wanted chicken noodle soup. I did not. At 80+ degrees in Laredo, TX, soup was the last thing I wanted for dinner. But, it did give me some time to throw together a quick list of simple meals.

5 Ingredients or Less

Space on the truck is limited. At just over 100 inches of living space, storage solutions and organization is key. There is no room for excess. Every trip to the store is planned and only necessities are purchased. Meals are planned out for the week.

Due to the lack of extra storage space, many of the meals I make on the road have short ingredient lists. I tend to stick to recipes that have 5 ingredients or less, with the exception being if the meal will feed us for more than 1 day.

More than once a week, these and other super simple meals make their way into our menu:

1. Instant Pot Chicken and Gravy

Photo courtesy of 365daysofcrockpot.com

Chicken and gravy is a favorite around our house. The boys are guaranteed to clean their plate every time! Typically, I make this in the slow cooker at home, but on the road I turn to the Instant Pot for the same results in less time. Pair this with mashed potatoes or steamed rice and a veggie for a hearty meal. Recipe here.

2. Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs

Photo courtesy of iwashyoudry.com

A classic. No fuss spaghetti in the IP means no worries if water boiling over or pasta sauce splattered all over the stove! Everything cooks together for less clean up too! Recipe here.

3. Instant Pot Cubed Steak and Gravy

Photo courtesy of adventuresofanurse.com

Cooking this meal in the Instant Pot is so easy! I've added a small can of sliced mushrooms and sauted onions to this for a little something extra, but it's not necessary. Whip up some mashed potatoes and grab your favorite vegetable, dinner is done! Recipe here.

4. Instant Pot Baked Potatoes

Photo courtesy of tidbits-marci.com

This one is almost too easy! Toppings are endless...fully loaded with bacon, sour cream and cheese; leftover chili; even that amazing roast you made last night! Almost anything can go on these spuds! Recipe here.

5. Instant Pot Chicken Tacos

Photo courtesy of bake-eat-repeat.com

This is another one I've made in the Crock-Pot for years. I like to use a salsa verde, but any salsa you like will be great! Try a pineapple salsa for a Hawaiian flair. Use this meat for more than just tacos: enchiladas, taco salad, or a burrito bowl. Recipe here.

Do you have a go-to, 5 ingredient or less recipe? Share it below in the comments!

3s & 8s,

Crystal

Instant Pot Muffins

Breakfast on the truck presents its own challenges. We don't always have milk on the truck due to space. Oatmeal is great for a few days. Liquid eggs are a great option, but what if you want something sweet? Muffins!

Yes. Muffins. They are so easy to make and only take about 20 minutes total. 2 ingredients. Muffin mix and water! That's it! 

Most days, we are up and rolling before the sun comes up. The early bird gets the worm and all. Whether it's to load, unload, or just get a good spot at the next truck stop, a cup of coffee and a bite to eat are needed to get through those wee hours. I've made these muffins several times while we are being unloaded, and even once as we were rolling down the road! 

So, how is easy is this? Really easy! Like stupid easy! Packaged muffin mix from the grocery store and water, easy. You will need to pick up something to make the muffins in, however. I grabbed this silicone egg bite mold. I should have got 2 though, because I use it all the time. Muffins, cornbread, egg bites, and more! You will be seeing more of the mold as we go along. Best part is that it is the perfect size for our muffins. They are 2 to 3 bites, so easy to eat while tearing up the big road!

If you don't have an egg bite mold, don't fret! You can pick up these silicone baking cups at a fraction of the cost. You can place them on top of the trivet in the IP or even in a small cake pan on the trivet. You will end up with bigger muffins, but that's never a bad thing!

The hard part of this recipe is deciding what kind of muffins you want. Blueberry? Chocolate chip? Lemon poppyseed? Chocolate chocolate chip? I usually keep one of each on the truck to prevent us from tiring of just one flavor. Next trip home, I will be working on some homemade mixes to add even more variety. Here are a few options.

Depending on where you shop, the mixes will cost about $1 each. Not bad at all for breakfast! If you are the only one eating them, this could be breakfast for a couple days, or even breakfast and a snack ( this completely depends on your willpower). For the two of us, however, this is just one breakfast.

Ingredients

1 pkg muffin mix (6.5oz-7oz)

1/2 cup water

Prep is easy with this one.

Place 1/2 cup water (whatever the pkg reccomends) in a measuring cup. Add muffin mix. Stir to combine. Fill each cavity of the egg bite mold 3/4 full and cover (not pictured). I have used paper towels, aluminum foil, and the silicone lid that came with the mold. I liked the results with the lid, but any option will yeild good results.

Add 1 cup of water into your Instant Pot. Place wire trivet (it comes with the IP or you can find one here.) into pot. Gently place egg bite mold onto trivet. Secure lid. 

Select HIGH PRESSURE, and MORE. Set timer for 10 minutes. If you are cooking at an elevation above 2000ft, read this post to learn what adjustments you should make. When timer goes off, natural release pressure for 5 minutes then quick release. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes and enjoy!

I love making these! Quick, easy, and little clean up. Plus, the ingredients store easily in the truck. I have some more breakfast treats in store for you, but it's time to hit the road. Check back later to see what else we are cooking up!

Until then, what are your favorite muffin flavors?

3s & 8s,

Crystal

Pressure Cooking at High Elevation

Pressure cooking is more popular now than ever! Thanks to the Instant Pot, more and more home cooks are turning to high pressure cooking to save time. Those that travel often, like truck drivers, are also adding one to their arsenal. This great multiuse gadget allows you the freedom to make a wide variety of foods quickly, with less clean up afterward.

I bought the 6qt 7 in 1 Duo 60 on sale for $49 on Black Friday. There are 2 of us on the truck, and the 6qt has more than enough room to cook whatever meal I want. I have bought some accessories for  my IP, but more on those in another post. For most recipes, I could easily fit enough food for 6-8 people. 

My first real encounter with high altitude cooking came just a few weeks into my IP journey. I was making muffins. I've made them several times already as we have travelled through the South. This time they came out a little more moist than normal. While the were cooked through, they stuck to my pan. Turns out, we were at about 4000ft above sea level at the time, and I needed to adjust my recipe. This morning I made blueberry muffins, and adjusted my time for the elevation of West Jordan, Utah (4373ft). They came out perfect!

If you have never used a pressure cooker, there is a bit of a learning curve when you are trying to adapt regular recipes to cook under pressure. Different items cook for different times. Also, it will depend on if the meat is whole or cut into pieces. Another important factor will be your elevation.

What is elevation? It is how many feet you are above sea level. Throughout the country, elevations change rapidly. Here are just a few:

Laramie, WY......7165ft

Denver, CO........5280ft

Black Mountain, KY......4145ft

Los Angeles, CA.....285ft

So, why is elevation important? For every 540 feet of altitude increase, the boiling point decreases by about 1 degree. At sea level, water will boil at the standard 212°F, while in Denver, CO water will boil at just 202°F. This means that inside your pressure cooker, the water will come to a boil faster in Denver, thus causing your IP to build pressure more quickly. While your cooker is building pressure, your food begins to cook. If it reaches full pressure more quickly, your food, in turn, cooks for less time. Time is what will make that roast fall to shreds instead of remaining as a hunk of meat.

To compensate for this reduction in cooking time, we will adjust the cook time on our IP according to what our elevation is. But how much do I adjust it? Here is a simple formula:

For every 1000ft above 2000ft elevation, increase Cook time by 5%.

What does that mean? Let's say you live in Laramie, WY at 7165ft above sea level, and your recipe says to cook your roast for 30 minutes. 

7165 - 2000= 5165

5165/1000= 5.165 (round to 5)

5 * 5= 25 <--this is the percentage you need to increase your time by.

You will need to increase your cook time by 25% or 7-8 minutes. Your roast would cook for 38 minutes to achieve the same results as someone in Seattle using the same recipe.

If you are using a pressure cooker on a truck, like me, this is invaluable information. I've lived in Texas all my life. I have never had an issue making food in a pressure cooker. When my super simple recipe turned out not so great, I was confused. Turns out I just needed to add a couple minutes to my cook time!

Hopefully this Chicken Lights & Chrome moment will help you on your culinary travels. So tell me, what's the elevation where you are?

3s & 8s,

Crystal

Welcome!

Wow! 2020 already! This last year has been quite a rollercoaster....pretty sure I was upside down a couple times. But anyway, happy new year and on to why we are here.....

Welcome to Brake Check! What you will find here is a little bit of food (known here as a Brake Check)and a whole lot of travel (denoted as the Next Yardstick)

A little about me....Hi! I'm Crystal! Mom of 4 boys and a trucker's wife.  I have worked in management, and I have worked for myself designing and creating custom decals, tumblers, and jewelry. A month ago, I joined my hubby on the truck full time, running flatbed coast to coast...I have always wanted to travel more.

While cooking has always been a task I enjoy, cooking on the truck presents a unique challenge. Space is limited inside this Kenworth. We have a small microwave. Then, we added a Keurig because, well, mama needs her coffee! But, we still needed something to actually cook with.

It's just not feasible, or healthy for that matter, to eat out of the truck stops every day. What could I possibly put on the truck that wouldn't take up alot of space AND would give me the flexibility to cook a variety of foods?

An Instant Pot! I know, I know...that's nothing new. Lots of people have them, including lots of truckers. However, it's not what tool you are using, it's HOW you use it. I am working on converting somebody my tried and true recipes over to the Instant Pot, as well as coming up with more on the fly! So climb on in and buckle up!

New Years' Day has us in Utah, awaiting delivery in the morning. We fought rain, snow, and high winds to get here, but we made it. And I already know what I am cooking! I've had it planned out since we were home for Christmas....

Black-eyed peas with ham and cornbread! Even though we aren't in the south right now, it's tradition! Many Southerners will tell you this meal dates back to the Civil War. Black-eyed peas were thought to be animal feed and not fit for humans, certainly not worthy of General Sherman's Union troops. When Union soldiers raided the Confederates' food supplies, they took everything except the peas and salted pork. The Confederates considered themselves lucky to be left with those meager supplies, and survived the winter. Peas then became symbolic of luck. 

You will only need a few things to make this goodness happen:

Dried black-eyed peas

Cubed ham

Water

Olive oil

Seasonings

If you are making this dish at home, feel free to toss in some chopped collard greens or even kale. I will not be adding them simply because I don't have the room to store lots of fresh produce.

For the truck, I make smaller dishes so that we eat all of it in 2 meals or less. If you are making this at home or for more than two people, double the ingredients, but DO NOT double the cook time. More on this in another post. Moving on...

Cubed ham and dried black eyed peas. Simple enough, right? Both of these are 1 pound packages and way more food than we need right now. I will use half of each item and save the rest for another meals....ham and eggs for breakfast? Yes, please!

Here's the seasonings I used. Yes, I have nearly every spice I had at home on the truck. How else can I cook like I'm at home?

Salt & pepper, smoked paprika, onion powder, bay leaves, minced garlic, beef boullion, and creole seasoning. Any good southern kitchen has creole seasoning. Well, at least mine does.

Set your IP to Sauté. Add Olive oil to coat the pan. Toss in minced garlic and warm until fragrant. Next, add the cubed ham. Stirring frequently, brown the ham slightly. This is important and adds flavor to the finished dish.

Leaving the IP on Sauté, add water and boullion powder, or stock. I prefer to have boullion powder on the truck because I can control how much is needed, and I don't have to store leftover stock in our tiny fridge. At home, I still use the powder, but nothing beats homemade stock...yum! Add the rest of your spices and give it a quick stir. Now all that's left is to add the black eyed peas. Once those are in the IP, give it one more stir and secure the lid. Be sure to turn the release valve to SEALING. 

Now, select PRESSURE COOK - HIGH and MORE. Set timer and walk away! No soaking. No cooking for hours. No constantly making sure there is enough water. Just a few minutes of prep, and the wonderful gadget does the rest!

In a few minutes, the pressure valve will slide up into place and cooking commences. Once the timer goes off, hit CANCEL to turn off the IP and natural release pressure for 20 minutes. During this time, your food is still cooking. 

Once time has elapsed, turn release valve to VENTING. If you are cooking in a truck, or under your kitchen cabinets, place a kitchen towel over the release valve then quickly turn it into position. The towel helps to dissipate the steam instead of it shooting straight up. Be sure all pressure has released, remove your lid. But beware! The smells coming at you are AMAZING!

Just enough water left in the pan that it isn't soupy. Perfection! Serve this up with some cornbread (I will show you how to make IP cornbread soon!) and ring in the new year Southern style! 

Be sure and check back regularly to see where we are and what's cooking on our next Brake Check!

3s & 8s,

Crystal