This meal can be made in the instant pot, or on the stove. oven, or slow cooker the choice is yours.

most often time dictates which method we’ll choose, or the way we’re comfortable cooking. Lots of choices:

• Instant pot 25 min
• 300° oven for 2 hours
• simmer for 2 hours.
• Slow cooker 4 hours high, 6 hours low

On a cool night, my body craves rich and hearty meals. But sometimes my schedule is tight and I don’t have the time it takes to cook such a dish. This is why I am thankful for the Instant Pot. I also make it on the stove and you can easily put it in the oven or slow cooker.

I use boneless beef chuck roast, for a stew version cut it into 1-2 inch pieces, for servings more like pot roast I cut it large into 3-4 inch strips a couple of inches thick.

I often saute the meat to brown it on all sides, but when in a hurry just put it all in the inner pot of the Instant Pot along with the other items I’m using and begin the timer to cook. You can cook stew or pot roast on the stove or in the oven, until tender if you don’t want to use a pressure cooker.

I’ve always been a HUGE fan of sweet potatoes, they are so delicious and you can enjoy them any time, don’t think they’re just for the holidays. 

I love that they are so delicious any way you make them, sauteed, baked, or if you’re more a slow cooker type they can be made by cooking on high for 4 hours or low for 6-7 hours, OMG you have to give them a try using an Instant Pot (pressure cooker) which is great all year long, great for Rving and if you like fast and easy it’s the way to go! And be sure to try my roasted holiday potatoes.

By cooking sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot what you’ll end up with is tender cooked sweet potatoes, now just imagine all the wonderful ways to enjoy them.

Maple Glazed Ham is just one great item to serve with little effort… take a look.

I love buying a carving ham, there is no bone, no mess when cutting, and virtually no waist. Carving hams are thin flat cuts of meat that are easy to slice and still allow for plenty of room on your plate for all your favorite side dishes. 
When holidays roll around, carving hams make it easy.

I used to cook ham in the oven, but more recently I cut the ham in half, and slice it and then cook it, be it in the oven, wrapped in foil, or I place it in the pressure cooker (Instant Pot) you can also easily cook it in the slow cooker as well.

Most ham that we purchase are precooked, so they just need to be heated, large hams take a while, so I often cut mine into smaller pieces to heat it a little faster and so it doesn’t dry out.

I love a good baked potato, served simply with butter as a side dish, or decked out with all the fixings as a dinner to itself!

And this recipe is perfect if you’re short on time, as it takes only 30-45 minutes depending on the size of the potato.

There’s no worrying about over or under cooking them either when you’re using an instant pot – that’s why it’s my new favorite must have kitchen accessory!

It really should be on your list as it makes breakfast, lunch, and dinner so much easier in this fast paced world we live in today, leaving you time to spend with the people that matter most to you. 

Classic American Recipe

This is a classic American dish, almost everyone’s mother or grandmother had this recipe up their sleeve.

And for good reason too!

It’s quick to throw together and enjoyed any time of day.

For a fun and quick dinner idea, make some Chicken Macaroni Salad….you can add chicken salad to pasta! You’ll need to add a ¼ – ½ cup more mayo to allow the chicken salad to spread evenly over noodles. Once you’ve cooked your pasta, rinse it in cold water and allow it to cool completely.

Then mix your mayo and basic chicken salad in and smooth. I like elbow pasta the best for this dish but you could use any kind, bow tie pasta might be fun! Adding a grated carrot helps retain moisture when mixing chicken salad with pasta, and it adds a great color too.

Homemade Mayo

And I’m also a fan of homemade mayo, once you’ve had it and see how easy it is to make, you won’t go back! This Homemade mayo recipe is my own tried and true recipe, I hope you love it as much as I do!

These are the jars I use to keep the mayo in!

If for some reason I am in a rush, and I need to use a prepared mayo,  I prefer using Hellman’s/Best Foods brand.

 I’ve made this recipe using a rotisserie I picked up in the store, and I’ve made it with chicken breast I cooked especially for the salad. Either way, this basic chicken salad recipe makes the best chicken salad sandwiches or acts as a nice side to a green salad or wrapped in lettuce leaves. Find my post on over 30 Rotisserie Chicken Recipes Here.

Moving on to the cooking side of things:

How to Cook the Chicken

There are many ways to cook the chicken for this simple chicken salad, and I have a few suggestions below:

• Slow Cooker Chicken– You’ll find a whole slew of recipes on this post, as well as various different ways to use the chicken in as well.
• Pressure cooking chicken – One of my favorite ways to make chicken for the week. And you can enjoy the chicken in many recipes. This recipe gives you the choice to use frozen or fresh chicken breasts. Simply add a couple of minutes if you opt to use frozen chicken. It takes only 10 minutes to cook or if you want succulent shredded chicken it takes only 14 minutes. You decide if you want it cut into a chunky style or shredded. It’ll take about 4- 5 more minutes of cooking time in the pressure cooker to be able to shred the chicken or don’t do a quick release with the pressure, do a natural release. The chicken will be tender enough to shred.
• Oven roasted chicken breasts – Bake at 350° on a baking sheet until tender. This usually takes 30-40 minutes depending on how thick they are. 
• Poach chicken –  This method involves simmering the chicken in a pot on the stove until it’s fully cooked and a meat thermometer reads 165°. I love poached chicken (but not boiled chicken breasts they get too dry, so keep an eye on the chicken!)
  
  * You’ll often see “How to boil chicken for chicken salad” online when you search for cooking options. The chicken, however, should not be boiled at a high temperature or at a rapid boil, or you’ll have a tough and dry piece of meat. Poaching keeps the chicken tender and moist. If time is an issue, you can cut the chicken into pieces to help it cook a little faster. 
• Rotisserie chicken  – My favorite way to cook this is not to cook it. I pick up one at the store. And I have over 30 recipes to make dinner easy as well.
• Canned chicken – This is always a quick no-cook option. Simply rinse and drain, and you’re ready to go! 
• You can grill chicken, or use a grill pan which will give the chicken salad a great toasted flavor, use an outdoor grill or a grill pan, I often cook chicken for the week like this.
• If you have extra leftover cooked chicken, making chicken salad with it is a great use. If you want more recipes using chicken check this out.

The great thing about this basic chicken salad is how versatile it is, there are so many ways to transform it.

You can choose to have the chicken cut into chunks, or shred it for a finer texture.

The basics for this delicious chicken salad are chicken, mayonnaise, celery, and celery salt/celery seed, and salt and pepper to taste. That’s it. However, I’ll add in ingredients as I have them available to me.

Here are a few extra ideas for chicken salad ingredients:

• Add in a little bit of mustard (spicy brown or Dijon) for some tang, or you can use dry mustard.
• Add in a hard-boiled egg for a creamier texture.
• Add in diced red onion for a bit of crunch and added color and flavor
• Dried cranberries make a festive display and add a great sweetness
• Apples and walnuts for both texture and flavor to kick up chicken salad
• Almonds and grapes for some extra flavor and texture, adding fruit to it in the summer keeps it fun!
• Add a teaspoon of soy sauce, sliced almonds, and top it with some mandarin oranges for a Chinese chicken salad.

Sometimes you need to make more than a couple of servings, and for this reason, I have some serving suggestions to add as well:

Serving Options:
6 Servings

• 3 cups cooked chicken (1 lb chicken) 
• ½ cup mayo
  
  4 Servings 
• 1 ½ cups chicken 
• 1/4 cup mayo
  
  2 Servings
• 1 cup chicken = 2 servings
• 1-2 tablespoons mayo

Okay, before we get cooking here’s a couple of notes to keep in mind:

• Be sure to mix the chicken with the mayo before you add additional ingredients or the results could be watery.
• If the chicken is cold, once you’ve mixed the salad, you can serve it immediately. If however, you’ve just finished cooking the chicken, allow it to cool at room temperature, then mix it with the mayo and refrigerate it for best taste.

To begin:

• Cut or shred your chicken into bite size pieces.
• Dice your celery. Why a dice? I like a little celery in every bite.
• Put your chicken in a bowl and add mayo.

Mix until well combined. Be sure to combine the chicken and the mayo first before adding celery so the chicken salad will not get watery as it sits.

Add in your celery and spices and stir until fully incorporated.

Adjust salt and pepper as desired.

You can add some mustard for a great tangy flavor, add in some celery salt/seed.

Add in any additional item you prefer, nuts, fruit etc.

How long will chicken salad keep in my fridge?

Five days in an airtight container.

Do you have a vegetarian option?

I suggest using canned or cooked chickpeas in place of the chicken for a great option. Parsley is also a great addition to this!

If someone doesn’t like celery, is there a good replacement?

Celery is fairly central to the flavor of this recipe. However, if you wanted to do without it but still wanted some crunch, you could replace it with onion, or leave it out altogether. 

Be sure to check out these pretty spring rolls that can be filled with chicken salad.

More delicious varieties of Chicken Salad:

• Special Chicken Salad– (Chick-fil-A copycat)
• Curry Chicken Salad
• Lemon Pepper Chicken Salad
• Lemon Pepper Chicken Salad

And be sure to give these a try:

• Hard Boiled EGGS– how-to and recipes
• Egg Salad
• Egg Salad Spring Rolls

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Chicken Salad

Basic chicken salad recipe to fit everyone’s taste for a quick easy meal.

Course Chicken, Main Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword chicken

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Author Diane Schmidt – createdbydiane.com

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked chicken 1 lb chicken 6 servings
• ½ cup mayo
• 1 stalk celery diced
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon celery salt or celery seed
• pinch of salt and pepper
• *optional: add mustard or dry mustard

Optional serving sizes

• 1 ½ cups chicken+1/4 cup mayo = 4 servings
• 1 cup chicken+1-2 tablespoons mayo = 2 servings

Instructions

• Cut or shred chicken into small pieces.
• If shredding chicken it’s best to do that while the chicken is warm, but allow any chicken to cool completely before mixing with mayo.
• Mix the chicken with mayo first (this prevents the chicken salad from becoming watery as it sits if you are not eating it immediately)
• Next, add in the celery, celery salt/seed, and add some additional salt if desired and black pepper to taste.
• Alternatively, you can put all ingredients in the food processor and pulse it until the chicken and mayo have blended well and the chicken is in fine pieces, not in chunks.

The post Chicken Salad first appeared on Created by Diane.

Cooking potatoes in the Instant Pot saves time and makes preparing mashed potatoes simple, even on busy weeknights. Once the potatoes are tender, mash them with butter, milk, salt, and pepper for a delicious, fluffy texture and classic homemade flavor.

Serve these creamy mashed potatoes with turkey, chicken, meatloaf, pork chops, pot roast, or your favorite comfort food dinner. They’re also perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other holiday gatherings when you need a dependable side dish everyone will enjoy.

You can easily adjust the amount of butter and milk to make your potatoes as creamy as you like. Whether you’re cooking for your family or preparing a holiday feast, this easy Instant Pot mashed potato recipe is a delicious way to get homemade results with less effort and cleanup.

I love potatoes, but then doesn’t everyone?

I could eat a bowl full any time of day, breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a midday snack!

They are so versatile when it comes to cooking, and I find myself trying to find new ways to enjoy them.

And over the years I’ve created quite a few of my own versions of comfort classics with potatoes at the heart of them.

Such as my Rustic Scalloped Potatoes, or my breakfast favorite Cheesy, Bacon, Breakfast Potatoes. 

But in the end, mashed potatoes are a favorite. And I’ve found a few ways to spice them up too! I love pairing these Spinach Artichoke Mashed Potatoes with my Oven-Baked Tri-Tip. 

What makes this dish, which I’m about to show you, is the cream. It adds a silky texture, while the butter brings a savory richness to your taste buds. There are plenty of add-ins that you could use as well and I’ve made a note of them at the end of the recipe. And an instant pot makes these a cinch to throw together! Another fun option is to use buttermilk if you like your potatoes a little tangy.

Add in some herbs and WHAMO… super tasty mashed potatoes.

To begin, scrub the potatoes in water to clean them.

Next using, a potato peeler, peel your potatoes.

Cut the potatoes in half and then into ½” slices, keeping care to make the cuts as even as possible so they cook evenly.

Place the potatoes and 1 cup water into the pot of the pressure cooker with 1/2 teaspoon salt and set to high temperature for 10 minutes, then do a quick release.

Drain any additional water remaining in the pot.

Now to add all your flavor! Add 1/2 cup heavy cream (or whole milk, or buttermilk) and the butter. Begin mashing by hand with a hand masher or use an electric mixer until you reach the desired smoothness. You may add additional cream/milk if necessary.

Finally, add salt and pepper to taste.

From start to finish these took 30 minutes, including the time it takes to come to pressure, cook, release, and mash the potatoes. 

Now if you want to stir in some items to make these potatoes over the top, go right ahead!

• Add a cup of shredded cheese, anything from cheddar to blue cheese, and beyond
• Add in 1/2 cup sour cream for a tangy delicious flavor and top it with some diced green onions or chives
• Don’t forget about bacon, bacon is always a good idea topped on potatoes, for a delicious savory smoky flavor
• Add in some sauteed garlic or onions for some added yumminess
• If you don’t have heavy cream, use sour cream a great option for delicious flavored mashed potatoes.

What type of potatoes should I use for this?

Believe it or not, there are some potatoes that you’ll not want to use for mashed options, as they become very sticky. Red potatoes are among these. I recommend using a russet potato. As they will be lighter and fluffier in texture.

If I have leftovers, are there any recipes you recommend for using them up?

Yes! I have become an expert and transforming leftovers into something new and delightfully tasty! Shepherd’s Pie and Potato soup are two of these!

What’s the best method of reheating?

A simple way to reheat mashed potatoes is in a saucepan. Simply,  spoon your leftover mashed potatoes into the pan and place it on the stove. Turn the heat to medium and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. If needed, add a little milk to help loosen the potatoes. Stir continuously, as the natural starch of the potatoes will want to stick to the pan.

I have a 6 quart Instant Pot and find it very useful and easy to use, be sure to check out some of my other Instant Pot Recipes:

• Instant Pot Rice Pudding
• Instant Pot Pork Ribs
• Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
• Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs
• Instant Pot Teriyaki Pork Chops
• Instant Pot Baked Beans
• Instant Pot Shredded Pork great for Tacos
• Instant Pot Curry Peanut Chicken

and if you have leftover mashed potatoes, give these Mashed Potato Cakes a try, they’re irresistible.

Now if you want to stir in some items to make these potatoes over the top go right ahead!

• Add a cup of shredded cheese, anything from cheddar to blue cheese, and beyond
• Add in 1/2 cup sour cream for a tangy delicious flavor and top it with some diced green onions or chives
• don’t forget about bacon, bacon is always a good idea top potatoes with cooked bacon for a delicious savory smokey flavor
• Add in some sauteed garlic or onions for some added yumminess

What type of potatoes should I use for this?

Believe it or not, there are some potatoes that you’ll not want to use for mashed options, as they become very sticky. Red potatoes are among these. I recommend using a russet potato. As they will be lighter and fluffier in texture.

If I have leftovers, are there any recipes you recommend for using them up?

Yes! I have become an expert and transforming leftovers into something new and delightfully tasty! Shepherd’s Pie and Potato soup are two of these!

What’s the best method of reheating?

A simple way to reheat mashed potatoes is in a saucepan. Simply,  spoon your leftover mashed potatoes into the pan and place them on the stove. Turn the heat to medium and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. If needed, add a little milk to help loosen the potatoes. Stir continuously, as the natural starch of the potatoes will want to stick to the pan. You can microwave them if you prefer.

Give these fun Mashed Potato Cakes a try if you have extra potatoes.

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Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes made in the instant pot, save time and these potatoes turn out delicious every time.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 6 -8 servings

Author Diane Schmidt – createdbydiane.com

Ingredients

• 3 lbs russet potatoes
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup heavy cream or whole milk
• 4 tablespoons butter
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Scrub the potatoes with water to clean them.
• Cut the potatoes into 1/2″ slices, I cut the potatoes in half then cut slices (you want the potatoes to be roughly the same size so they cook evenly).
• Place the potatoes and 1 cup water into the pot of the pressure cooker with 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Set to high temperature for 10 minutes, then do a quick release.
• Drain any additional water remaining in the pot.
• Add 1/2 cup heavy cream (or whole milk) and the butter and begin mashing by hand with a hand masher or use an electric mixer until you reach the desired smoothness, add additional cream/milk if necessary.
• Add additional salt and pepper to taste.

The post How to Make Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes first appeared on Created by Diane.

Beans are a staple cupboard item, and these Instant Pot Pinto Beans can be used in many versatile ways – bringing comfort and warmth with each dish!

Make some bean and cheese burritos, use them as you would any cooked pinto bean or refried beans recipe. I add some jalapeno, but if you don’t like any spice leave it out.

Beans are so versatile, I like them piled in a bowl and topped with cheese, some sour cream, and cilantro for a quick snack.

Continue reading: How to Make Instant Pot Pinto Beans

The post How to Make Instant Pot Pinto Beans first appeared on Created by Diane.

While it’s really popular to cook ribs on the grill or in the oven, this method of Instant Pot Pork Ribs is not only going to save you a ton of time, you won’t believe how tender they are.

Baby back ribs are my favorite, so tender and juicy and when they easily peel off the bone, I just want to reach for more!

Instant pot baby back ribs are my favorite, so tender and juicy! And when they easily peel off the bone, I just want to reach for more!

Paired with this pan roasted corn, collard greens, or this cornbread with honey butter, you have a complete family dinner that’s easy to make but will look like you sweat for hours over the stove.

From start to finish the ribs are ready in an hour. This includes the pressure cooker coming to pressure, cooking time, release time, and crisping the ribs on the grill or in the oven.

Continue reading: Instant Pot Pork Ribs

The post Instant Pot Pork Ribs first appeared on Created by Diane.