Always learning with that Instant Pot

Always before when I’ve cooked with this gadget, it yells at me, “FOOD BURN” and I have to scramble over to scrape, swear, and potentially dump everything into a soup pot while I clear out the bottom of the pot. However, this recipe cooked without a hitch!

This is not to say there is no room for improvement. Especially with my habits.

Some day, I swear, I will prep all my ingredients before the oil in the pan starts smoking. The next lofty goal will be to have all the prep done before heating the pan itself. These are easy targets that I hope to someday achieve. This will avoid the hectic spectacle of me panicking while the oil is burning and the veggies need to be tossed in, but the turkey still isn’t cut up, and weren’t there spices involved in this?

Rather colourful!

Yeah, prep really ought to be done before hand. I’d like to have an cooking experience where all I need to do is calmly follow instructions. Instead of feverishly stirring and slicing simultaneously, while trying not to get meat juice on the counter.

• Notes to self:
  1. Those potatoes dissolved by the end of all my stirring. Either cut them bigger or pick a different potato.
  2. The carrots were good, could use more.
  3. Use the entire onion – it didn’t make that much of a difference.
  4. 1 cup of veggies each? Pfft. See above.
  5. DO NOT BOIL WITH COCONUT MILK.

Instant Pot: Turkey Chowder

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 white onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp. garlic, minced
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 5 celery sticks, chopped
• 1 russet potato, skin on, cubed
• 1 kilo raw turkey breast, cubed*
• 3 large eggs

• 1½ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp. thyme
• 1 tbsp. parsley
• 4 cups of veg stock (1 pod)
• 1 398ml can of corn
• 1 398ml can of coconut milk

Directions

Prep

1. Measure out 4 cups of water and set to boil in the kettle.
2. Prep ingredients; set aside turkey, oil, garlic, and onions separately.
3. Bring out the Instant pot…

Sauté

1. Set the Instant Pot to sauté. Once hot…
   • Add the oil, then garlic and onion, and stir.
   • Add carrot, celery and potato. Sauté for 5 minutes.
     • (Pour hot water into large bowl, stir in broth mix.)
   • Add the turkey and spices. Sauté for five minutes.
   • Add the stock.
   • Turn off sauté.*

Cooking and asides… **If you don’t have an IP, cook on stove for 30 mins**

1. Seal the lid on and set to Manual high pressure for 15 minutes.
2. While that cooks…
   • Crack open three eggs in a small bowl and stir to break up yolk.
   • Open corn and coconut milk.
3. When Instant Pot is done, hit quick release.

Finishing bits

1. Gently stir in eggs. Soup is hot enough to cook them.
2. Add coconut milk and corn. Stir, but DO NOT BOIL.
3. Serve up once eggs are cooked.

*If using leftover cooked turkey, put it in after turning off saute and stir.*

Original recipe from CanadaTurkey.ca
https://www.canadianturkey.ca/recipes/instant-pot-turkey-chowder/

Here’s my experience with this recipe with pictures!

Repotting between showers

I’ve learned a few things about what I am willing to do when it comes to overwintering plants (how far I will care for a fussy plant). Yes, I bought a lamp for the succulents. But no, I didn’t spray down the bonsai (and one died) and I neglected a few other succulents which had been potted in a large container. Yes, the big jade is thriving, but no, I gave away about a dozen rooted clippings. Seeing as I have more plants now, I’m doing some pro-active planning.

Awkwardly large, with awkwardly shaped succulents. Still alive though!

With that in mind, I’ve repotted a few items. The succulents in the big pot are now split into their own individual housing. It seems every time I fill this container up, it ends in failure. Maybe because the only plants I’ve put in there are succulents.