QUICKIE, Tracy got an AirFyer... the Power Air Fryer Oven Pro...

QUICK, egg and toast in the air fryer

Get a ramekin, throw some butter in it and crack an xl large egg in.  My eggs are room temperature.  Split one of my homemade griddle breads, or an english muffin or grab some bread

PUT the egg in the back and the bread in the front, middle rack.

Set temp to 365 (no, we don't preheat, we're not that awful Instantpot Vortex machine)
Set time to 7 minutes.

Make coffee, think about your day, that's about all you have time for.

DING

Done

 

  

seriously, THAT easy

enjoy/

Tracy

*** I had, tried and HATED the Instantpot Vortex oven, so so many reasons. if you're thinking about getting one, don't, just trust me on this one. 

I HIGHLY recommend the Power Air Fryer Oven Pro.  I've had the Elite and the Pro and love them both.  They're loud, sure, but it's air but (so far) they heat, cook evenly and I've made the most delicious rotisserie chickens in my LIFE in this thing.

Tracy's Orange Muffins

I'm not a big muffin gal, or cupcakes for that matter, I don't often see the point.  HOWEVER, that being said, when I want a muffin and I want an ORANGE muffin then this is the go-to.  There's a leap of faith here with the whole orange in the food processor thing but, trust me, I haven't led you astray yet.  Try this, you're gonna love this.  Read through to be sure you have the ingredients and go for it...  I'm experimenting today with lemons, same method, I'll let you know! 

TRACY’S ORANGE MUFFINS

RECIPE AND METHOD: 

In a blender or food processor: 

1 orange (barely trim off the stem end if it is gnarly, and remove pips, cut into hunks)
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup plain oil

Blitz like crazy till smoothish but a little chunky. 

Add 1 egg

Blitz again 

SIFT OVER all at once: 

1 1/2 cup self raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch salt

                         *IF you don’t have self raising, then make your own, using all purpose flour and increase to 1 tsp baking powder and measure 1/2 tsp salt

MIX gently together

Divide into 12 (lined with paper OR sprayed) muffin tins,  IF your orange was massive you might have extra batter, just put in greased ramekin and bake along side, 

Bake. Preheated 355F or 180C? Oven for 20 minutes, middle rack

Make a glaze with 1 cup of confectioners sugar and enough orange juice to make a thick pourable glaze, and add a little cardamom if you have it. 

Glaze when they’re cool… EAT THEM

Here's the picture play by plays:

the WHOLE orange, sugar and oil, blitzed then I shot the egg down the tube, sifted the flour on top, whizzed it quickly then finished with a spatula, divide and bake

   

They dome beautifully, just 20 in the oven, extra batter divided in two greased ramekins, perfect mini cakes.

   

Truth, I dipped the tops in glaze, these are fine unglazed or use any icing you like, maybe cream cheese? mmm . or just a sprinkle of sugar would be nice a they bake

 

So, there's the muffins, go make them, they're crazy easy, moist and really really good, the pith doesn't make them bitter at all... try them, let me know what you think, 

/enjoy

Tracy

Instant pot Cold Start Yogurt

Ok, this is QUICK and I don't even have any play by play pictures, BUT, I did a quick video so... here's the low down,

you have an Instant Pot pressure cooker, a bunch of little jars, ultra filtered milk (insert Fairlife) and you have some active yogurt culture, like from a previous batch or you grabbed a little .75 tub of Fage greek yogurt.  You're set.  Unless you want it sweet, then add between half and a full can of sweetened condensed milk.  NOW you're set.

Combine the ingredients, divide them in the jars, add about a cup of water to the inner liner and put a trivet in if you feel like it, then play real life tetris and stack those jars!  Put some lid on, either the pressure cooker lid or a plate or whatever you have.  NO pressure, just keeps the dust off.

Set timer for 11 hours on yogurt setting and go to bed.
MORNING! put lids on the jars, put them in the fridge, go to work or go have your day
AFTERNOON! eat the yogurt. :)

/enjoy

Here is the link to the video of the process and my charming chit chat,  and be nice, I'm just making some yogurt.

https://youtu.be/sEd5DL0BgxQ

/thanks, tracy

Chicken and potatoes in the pressure cooker

TRACY'S CHICKEN THIGHS AND POTATOES 

IN THE PRESSURE COOKER

This is my goto for chicken thighs, it's easy, quick and absolutely delicious.  Thighs are cheaper, tastier and way more tender and juicy than chicken breasts and this method will convince even the die hard thigh-hater.  Seriously, it's yummy!!

RECIPE (and method)

6 chicken thighs, boneless, skinless
dredge (flour, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, any other spices you like)
plain oil and/or bacon fat
1 large onion
1 small bag mini potatoes
2 garlic cloves
water
cream to finish

Dredge the chicken thighs and saute on high in the pressure cooker.  Fry them in batches until beautifully brown. 

Remove chicken and fry cut up onion for a few moments, then add the potatoes and garlic. Shush around a little bit.  Add about a cup of water and deglaze the pan.  Return the chicken to the pan, just set it on top of the potatoes/onion.

Lock and load, high pressure for 15 minutes.  Open either quick or natural, your choice.  This super easy dish can wait for you happily!

Remove chicken and veggies to a platter.  Turn pot on high and boil the sauce a little, add a little cream to enrich it if you're feeling the love.

Drape a little sauce on the chicken, serve with sauce on the side and in my case, with a little blob of aioli . (video recipe link below)

I didn't to play by play pics but here's the link to the video, it's real time so grab a glass of wine.

I hope you enjoy,

my CHICKEN AND POTATOES IN THE PRESSURE COOKER

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0leTcBL8y-4&t=9s

my AIOLI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY3JkHM0ZKM&t=105s



/tracy

My beef, pepperoni and cheese Empanadas

   

ok, straight into it, I'm not going to make you read paragraphs of my hopes, dreams, aspirations or thoughts about my version of empanadas.  There are videos, which are linked, here's the ingredients, quickie method and then you can start making yours.

TRACY'S EMPANADAS

DOUGH (dump in a food processor, you can make it by hand if you don't have one)

2 cups all purpose flour
pinch salt
tsp baking powder
1/3 cup ice water mixed with an egg

Dump it all in the food processor, pulse till it's a dough, divide in two, wrap each half, toss in fridge or freezer till you want them.  DONE :)

FILLING *this time it's beef, pepperoni and cheese but you can fill these with ANYTHING

a little oil for the pan
1 lb of ground beef
1 carrot, onion, celery, large garlic clove, chopped small
tomato paste
salt, pepper
italian season blend or whatever herbs/spiced you love
aleppo pepper if you have any, gives a lovely flavor without too much heat

Throw it all in a frying pan, fry till the meat is brown and the veggies are a little soft and the tomato paste is brown.  Add enough water to make a loose mixture.  Cover and simmer about 20, leave to cool, throw in a bag in the fridge till you want it.  Freezes great!! DONE

*shred some mozzarella cheese or whatever cheese you like, put in a ziplock and keep it in the fridge till you're ready.


THE CREATION

Roll half the pastry on a lightly floured board, this stuff is super easy to deal with.

Cut into 6 inch circles, reroll and cut as you need.  I get 4 from each half of dough with a little waste or I make smaller ones with the leftover pastry and filling.

Fill each round with some cheese and a scoop of the cold meat filling.  I use a 2 inch ice cream scoop.

Fold each round and pinch closed.  Either press with a fork to seal or go fancy and roll the edges.

Egg wash each empanada and bake on a parchment lined pan, Preheated 400 oven for 20 mins or so, until lightly browned and heated through, remember the filling is cooked.

EAT! or cool and freeze for another day if you can hide any from your family, or, preferably, just eat them... all!

Here's the links to the videos:

Empanada dough:

Empanada filling:

Empanada bake and the reveal



/thanks for your support, and enjoy!

I felt like chicken piccata, so I made some, it was pretty easy

I had some chicken breast, some pasta and some capers.  I added some flour, some water (or broth), some lemon and some butter.  I had a pretty killer dinner for one.  This is easy to upsize to feed as many as you want. 

This is one of the drive-by meals, it's a method more than a recipe.  Once you get it, you can alter and swap things out (like salmon for the chicken which is amamamamzing!) or different pastas, you're going to use it all the time. 

Here's the link to the video, it's sort of long but if you slip past my nagging at the beginning, I think you're going to be delighted with this new shortcut :) 

https://youtu.be/2rhOGVRK0Io

/enjoy! :)

Beef and broccoli in the Instant pot Pressure cooker, you're going to love this

Alright, here it is... I did beef and broccoli in the pressure cooker (the Instant-pot) and it's tender and rich and tasty and amazing, it's pretty quick and super easy. 

The cheap, tough, cuts of meat are the wheelhouse for pressure cookers.  IF you don't have one, get one, if you have one, use it for this sort of cut of meat. 

Here's the link to the video and recipe, enjoy!  Let me know what you think and when you make it. 

Oh and full disclosure, it's absolutely easy to double, you are going to want to

https://youtu.be/nGoOoMRbYbk

/enjoy

Aioli! I have a shorter, better, method... no one has time for one drop at a time

DriveBy recipe, it's a QUICKIE!!!  

I always have a batch of aioli in my fridge.  This is the short and sweet method, you're going to love it, go make it... here's the link to the video and recipe... let me know how you love it!  

https://youtu.be/dY3JkHM0ZKM

/enjoy

SUPER easy flaky Biscuits... there's a video too :)

Ok, you want biscuits?  I can get you biscuits on the table in 30 mins if you focus :)


This super quick and easy biscuit recipe can be completed in just 30 minutes! Recipe below! --- --- RECIPE 3 cups all purpose flour 2? TBS sugar, more or less to taste 1/4 tsp cream of tartar (knife tip worth :)) 2 tsp baking powder 1 1/2 sticks butter/margarine combo (3/4 cup) I like a combo but you can do all butter or all margarine if you want, I won't judge pinch of salt RUB it all together, float and drop method, yeah, i invented that term ADD 1 cup of milk with 1 egg mixed in Mix with knife, be nice pat on floured surface and roll to a long rectangle fold a couple of times, flip and repeat Pat to about 1 inch, cut biscuits with a straight sided cutter, don't twist!, yeah this is one of those times it really actually matters BAKE in preheated 450 for 15 mins

IF you need to, brush them with butter when they come out of the oven.
Throw them in a basket, be prepared to make more... they're delicious.

EAT!!!

here's the youtube link if you'd like to check out the other videos too...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86yMnLdKoDk


Thanks for all your support, I'm trying a new thing trying to link the blog and the YouTube channel which finally has MY name on it, so I'm Tracy Cooks in Austin everywhere!!!

/tracy