Instant Pot - First Reactions

Seven functions in one device? One pot cooking? Easy weeknight meals? The Instant Pot sounds like magic. But is it really all everyone says it is?

                                                                                           http://instantpot.com/

I wanted an Instant Pot for a couple of years after reading about it on my favorite cooking blog, the kitchn, but there were a couple of reasons why I held off. First of all, it is expensive. Secondly, it is a big "small" appliance. I hate having a cluttered counter in the kitchen. But when it went on sale during Amazon Prime days and I could get it at 50% off, I went for it.

So far, I've used it four times. I made steel cut outs, rice pilaf, white rice, and salsa chicken for burritos. Here's how it went:

1. Steel cut oats: Easy. Took only a few minutes of pressure cooking. I was surprised at how long it takes for the machine to build pressure, and how long it takes for a "natural release" of the pressure. The recipes make it seem like "cook oats in 5 minutes!" but that's not really true. It took about 20 minutes from start to finish, which is still faster than stovetop and the cleanup was easy.
2. Rice pilaf: Wow! I have a treasured homemade rice pilaf recipe from Cooks Illustrated Magazine, which involves browning vermicelli in butter, adding a shredded onion and a garlic clove, then toasting the soaked rice before adding in stock. The original stovetop recipe has you cook the rice for about 15 minutes on the burner until the liquid is mostly evaporated, then putting a towel over the pot under the lid and taking it off the heat for another 10 minutes. In the Instant Pot, I was able to do all the browning and cooking using the saute function, then pressure cook the rice. It came out better than the original, and again, easy clean up.
3. White rice: Used the "rice" button with a rice to liquid ratio of 1:1.5. Came out perfect, easy clean up.
4. Salsa chicken: Was looking to make a shredded chicken to go in burritos, so I used this recipe from the blog flavorrd. It was super easy, and I made it from FROZEN chicken breasts! It came out really good, but I think next time I will season the chicken with some cumin and chili powder, then brown it before throwing in the salsa and pressure cooking it. 

Overall, I love it so far and it really IS the magical appliance that everyone says it is. Easy quick cooking, and easy to clean. Tonight, I'm cooking a sausage pasta dish. I'll let you know how it goes!

To run... or not to run...

Check this out:

Medals. Accomplishments. Pride. These are just some of the reasons why I run. Running is one of the few times that I actually feel ALIVE. But I've been into a bit of a rut lately. Not running consistently, eating, and drinking too much leads to... well, nothing good. And it's a cycle. The more runs I miss, the less I feel like running, the more unhealthy choices I am likely to make. 

What's the solution to a running rut? For me, it's signing up for a race. But how ambitious do I want to be? I can't decide whether to run a full marathon or a half marathon. So I am making a list to help me decide.

Reasons to run a full marathon:

• The rigorous training schedule will force me to run
• I still did not accomplish my goal to finish in 4 hours
• There are points during marathon training that I feel great and look great
• Finishing another marathon feels like a big accomplishment

Reasons NOT to run a full marathon:

• It's hard!
• It takes a lot of time
• There are points during marathon trainging that I feel AWFUL and want to quit
• Training runs interfere with my family and social life

Reasons to run a half marathon:

• The training is less intense
• It doesn't interfere with other aspects of my life
• It is still an accomplishment
• The training schedule will still keep me motivated

A half marathon it is!!!!!

Update

A lot has happened since my last post. Obviously. Since it's been FOUR YEARS! I decided to start posting again for a couple of reasons. I am going to have my students start blogging, and I think that I need to lead by example. And I have all of these thoughts, projects, and ideas to share! So welcome back to me and I'm looking forward to more posts about my "pseudo-domestic" life :)

A Home of Our Own: Installment #3

Drum roll please...

I believe we are actually buying a house for real! We went to see another move in ready house with an in-law apartment on Sunday. We put in an offer, and they accepted it! The home inspection was yesterday, and things are just rolling along. I know there is a long way to go and there is a chance it still might fall through, but I can't help myself from planning furniture purchases and arrangement, and decorating ideas galore!

Have you ever seen the furniture arrangement tool on Better Homes and Gardens website? It's pretty amazing. http://arrangearoom.bhg.com/arrangearoom/ I was drawn to it because the house we are buying has an awkwardly shaped living area. It's beautiful, but tricky to arrange because of glass walls and a big brick fireplace. So here is what I came up with so far:

The measurements are not right yet since I actually have no idea what the real measurements are, but it's a start.

Even if for some reason this house deal falls through, this arrange a room tool and I will be spending some time getting to know each other!

The Hunt for a Home of Our Own: Installment #2 ~ A Haiku

Move in ready house

I do not think is for me

Sunday more to see

The Hunt for a Home of Our Own: Installment #1

Crazy as it sounds, we actually put an offer in on the first house we went to see. It was pretty much everything we were looking for. It was a two family, but with the feel of a single family. It was built in 1900 and had front porches and character. 


I could see us living there, and it would have been a smart investment for the future. But clearly, since we are still on the prowl for a house, it didn't work out. There was a cash offer from an investor, and they took that instead of our offer. *sigh*

So it's back in the saddle again. I just got home from a showing with our buyers agent, who also happens to be my brother in law.  Since Mr. Kate Moriah is worked to the bone at UPS, he is not available for showings (or for anything) during the week, so brother in law/realtor Adam and I went without him.

The listing describes the house we went to see today as a "diamond in the rough." They weren't lying. It has AMAZING potential, but needs so much work. I am left with more questions than answers. How much house is too much house (2500 square feet)? How much of a nightmare is all of this work going to be?

And most importantly... do I really want to knowingly purchase a home with a collapsed pool which is home to "several frogs, a snapping turtle, & garter snakes"?????

Ikea Insanity

Ikea insanity. I think that says it all. 
Here is my haul from yesterday's Ikea trip:

After a couple of hours of putting together the table and the red storage unit, here is my office nook so far:

It's a work in progress, I still need to paint the shelves I bought white, hang those up and finish accessorizing. 

It is unfortunate that my husband doesn't share my "artistic vision." He hates everything about the whole office nook. He thinks the lamp and the chair don't "match." Technically, he's right. But it's supposed to be a mix of modern and old. I hope when he sees the finished product, he starts to trust my artistic vision a little more!

Next project - Paint, hang and accessorize shelves and sew pillows for the couch.