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BBQ Wings

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These chicken wings are so easy and delicious. Off course, you can cut them so they look like the wings in restaurants, but this time I left them whole.

Ingredients:

Chicken wings

1/2 cup flour

Olive oil – 1-2 tablespoons

Bottled BBQ sauce, or your favorite sauce

Instructions:

Wash wings. Pat dry with a paper towel.  Toss the wings in flour. Add olive oil and toss again.

Place wings on cooking sheet. I put parchment paper underneath so the pan is easier to clean.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Turn the wings over. Bake 20 more minutes. Brush with BBQ sauce and put back in the oven for 5 minutes. Turn wings and cook for 5 more minutes.

Enjoy alone or with your favorite dipping sauce. I use ranch.

 

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Instant Pot Beef Stew

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Originally, I made this beef stew in the crockpot, but now I’ve altered it just slightly for the Instant Pot.

Ingredients:

1 lb stew beef

1/2 cup flour

1 package McCormick’s Beef Stew seasoning

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cups beef broth (I use no salt added)

1 package baby carrots

6 potatoes, in medium-sized chunks

1 onion, in medium-sized chunks

Cheese for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

Toss stew beef in flour. Place in Instant Pot and saute in olive oil until brown. Add all other ingredients. Set the Instant Pot on 35 minutes manual setting. I top it with a little cheese, but that’s optional. Enjoy!

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When Did Everything Become So Political?

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I like keeping up with people on Facebook. Many of my Facebook friends I’ve known 52 + years – or for my entire life. For the past couple of years, all the political posts have been tiring. Today, when I started reading about the NFL players taking a knee in solidarity against our president…that was just the end for me. I need a Facebook break. Life used to be simpler when everything wasn’t so political.

People used to have interests that made them unique. Some liked to hike or cook or read or bike. Now it’s just memes about politics, disasters, doom and gloom. I’ve decided to hop off the politics train for a bit so I can regain a balanced perspective. Maybe I’ll blog instead. Or journal. Who knows.

I’ve discovered a different social media site called ResearchGate. It’s for researchers. I’ve uploaded my dissertation topic and started making some contacts. I’ve found people who are researching topics similar to mine, and it has given me insight into my own research.  I’m making good progress on my dissertation.  I plan to submit to QRM in early December.

When I’ve finished my dissertation, I want to write some articles for publication.  I’m making a list of potential topics that range from healthcare IT to artificial intelligence – of the robotics variety. I’ve been reading up on AI. How would you write code for that? Are decisions just If…ELSE statements? Maybe life is just a long sequence of If…ELSE statements. What if humans are nothing more than AI? What if free will is the ability to choose IF or ELSE? I know…I watch a lot of Ancient Aliens.  But…what if?

 

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Instant Pot Pear Compote

I can’t even begin to tell you what a wonderful recipe this is. Since I’m on Weight Watchers, I wanted something that’s zero points. This recipe has no sugar or artificial sweetener, but it’s sweet and tastes exactly like pie filling. This recipe makes one quart. I’m going to put it on phyllo. One serving on phyllo is two Weight Watchers points. My daughter spread whipped cream cheese and pear compote onto a rice cake. She said it was delicious.

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Ingredients:

  • 6 Pears, peeled, cored, and diced
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger

Instructions:

Just throw everything into the Instant Pot, and set on manual for 5 minutes. Natural release. Give it a stir and smash it up a bit until it’s the consistency you like.

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Easy Instant Pot Meatballs and Elbows

I was feeling lazy, and hungry, this evening and not really wanting to cook. I just happened to have the perfect ingredients for a lazy dinner.

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Ingredients:

  • Turkey meatballs, 1 bag
  • 8 ounces whole wheat elbows – I used Silver Palate Low-Sodium Marinara
  • 25-ounce jar pasta sauce
  • 25 ounces chicken broth, no sodium added

Instructions:

Throw everything into the Instant Pot, put the lid on, seal, and set on 20 minutes manual setting.

Weight Watchers Points:

6 meatballs – 4

1/2 cup sauce – 3

1 cup pasta – 5

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Salmon Avocado Power Salad

Recently, I read somewhere that you should eat the following five foods every day:

  • Salmon
  • Avocado
  • Tomatoes
  • Yogurt
  • Dark leafy greens

With that thought in mind, I made this salad:

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This salad is amazing.  I mashed up one large avocado, gave it a generous squirt of lemon juice, and a dash of sea salt, coarse black pepper, and Mrs. Dash Tomato, Basil and Garlic seasoning. Then, I added sliced grape tomatoes (about 10), a bit of chopped onion, and a small amount of shredded cabbage. I mixed in a 5 oz package of salmon. It was delicious and healthy, and it included four of the five foods we should eat every day, according to the unknown article I read.

The entire salad – which is a lot – is 11 Weight Watchers points if you eat it all.

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Little Jars Hold Big Ideas

When I make steel-cut oats in the Instant Pot, I always end up throwing a lot away since I’m the only one eating it. I ordered these little 6 ounce jars from Amazon.

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One cup of oats cooked with three cups of water fills four of these little jars. I ate the fourth one. Now I have breakfast to go.

This weekend, I’m going to make sugar-free pear compote in the Instant Pot. The only ingredients are pears, water, cinnamon and ginger. I can have this with the oats. One of these jars of oats is 3 Weight Watchers points, and 1/4 cup of the compote is 0 points.

I’m also going to make Instant Pot Yogurt this weekend. I’m going to use skim milk since my doctor told me only to have fat-free dairy for now.

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Awaiting My Ancestry.com DNA Results

Recently, I did the Ancestry.com DNA test. Let me tell you, it’s not easy to work up enough spit to fill that little tube. The first half was easy, but then I had to wait about 15 minutes to work up the rest. Who knew?

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I’ve always been interested in genealogy. It’s fascinating to see what kind of results I might get. I’ve heard all kinds of stories about people thinking they were one nationality and turning out to be something else entirely.

My two sisters are both Rh negative, and I’m not. I’ve heard that Rh negative blood types could be from an alien species. I’m not going to rule that out because I swear I’m the normal one…and both of them are freakishly smart.

My daughter is considering getting her DNA done as well. It would be interesting to learn more about her dad’s side of the family.

I mailed mine in last Tuesday, so I guess I still have awhile to wait. Some people get the results as early as three weeks, but Ancestry.com says to allow 6-8 weeks, or even longer. I’m excited about it. I might not learn much new, but it will be fun anyway.

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Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats

After a weekend of pure laziness, I’m out of most of the food I normally eat. I found a new container of steel cut oats, so I’m going to try making that in the Instant Pot for the first time. I used Kroger steel cut oats because I have no idea if oats are oats are oats.

Oh, and I must insert here that today I’ve lost 41 pounds. Yay!

I’m going to put one cup of oats and three cups of water into the Instant Pot and enter three minutes manually. I think some people add salt and maybe even butter, but I’m on a low-sodium, low-fat diet per my doctor’s instructions, so I’m leaving that out.

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One lesson I just learned the hard way is to let the steam release naturally or it will make a horrific mess.

I layered 1/2 cup steel cut oats and fat-free strawberry-flavored Greek yogurt in a wine glass and topped with one tablespoon of slivered almonds. I used Oikos Triple Zero Greek Yogurt. I don’t drink alcohol anymore, so I might as well use those wine glasses for something.

If you’re doing Weight Watchers, this is 6 points.

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Instant Pot “Baked” Potatoes…And More

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It’s funny how a dinner idea can grow. Yesterday, I decided to cook Instant Pot “baked” potatoes. I made some a couple of weeks ago, and they were fabulous. I thought some chicken tenders would go nicely with that. The girl (my daughter) came in and mentioned tomatoes, which grew to onions, garlic, bell pepper, and Mrs. Dash. And a meal was born. I’m going to share it with all the recipeople here.

Instant Pot Baked Potatoes:

  • 4 Potatoes, whatever kind you like
  • Chicken stock, 1 cup

Put trivet in Instant Pot and pour in chicken stock. I use Kitchen Basics no-added sodium. Put the lid on the Instant Pot, and make sure it’s set to Steam. Set to Manual and High Pressure – 12 minutes for small potatoes or 18 minutes for large potatoes. Quick Release steam.

Asparagus:

This is easy. Stick a bag of Green Giant, Bird’s Eye, or your other favorite steamable asparagus in the microwave.

Chicken Stuff: (It has no name)

  • Chicken tenders – 2 lbs
  • Onion – 1/2 cup
  • Garlic cloves – 4 large
  • Green bell pepper – 1/2 cup
  • Mrs. Dash Tomato, Basil, and Garlic seasoning, 2 Tbsp
  • Diced tomatoes, 15’ish oz can
  • Olive oil – 2 Tbsp
  • Salt – to taste. (I don’t use any because I’m on a low-salt diet.)
  • Chicken stock – 1 cup

Sautee onion, garlic cloves, bell pepper, and chicken in olive oil until the chicken is nearly done. Add Mrs. Dash, diced tomatoes, chicken stock, and salt. Cover and cook with a lid until the chicken is completely done.

Serve:

I put the chicken and juice over my “baked” potato.