Garlic-Lemon Chicken in the Pressure Cooker

Last year for my birthday my husband got me a pressure cooker.  It's a 3-in-1 cooker...slow cooker, pressure cooker and steamer all in one.  I love it!!  Especially on a day like today.  I took the chicken out of the freezer yesterday to thaw.  Checked it this morning...still frozen.  GRRRR!  So out comes my kitchen saver.  I love this baby!!

A while ago I got "The Easy Pressure Cooker Cookbook".  This book is full of wonderful recipes.  This is one I changed around a bit for us.

Garlic-Lemon Chicken

3 tablespoons oil

2 teaspoons salt

2 pounds chicken parts bone-in

4 garlic cloves minced

pinch of red pepper flakes (I used Cayenne)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (I used the bottled kind)

Brown the chicken in the pressure cooker with the oil until nice and brown.  Add garlic, red pepper flakes and oregano.  Cook for about 1 minute.  Watch carefully...you do not want the garlic to burn.  Add lemon juice and chicken stock to the pot.  Place chicken in and seal with the lid.  Cook at high pressure for 15 minutes. 

Let the pressure come down naturally and then remove the lid.  Remove the chicken.  Bring the sauce to a boil and thicken anyway you wish.  I use rice flour and water.  Boil until thick. 

I tell you this was SO good!!  Next time I will use boneless skinless chicken.  It would be great on a salad!!

I love my pressure cooker.  Even from a frozen state the chicken was done all the way and very juicy.  Kids said, "and it wasn't dry".  LOL!  Best part of this machine, is it's electric....so I don't have to stand at the stove and watch.

Pressure Canning 101

This past spring we found a great deal on a pressure canner.  I've been wanting one for so long....but frankly I was afraid of them.  I had heard many stories of the canners exploding.  So for years I secretly wished for one, but never wanted to get one because of my fear.  This year we took the plunge and bought one.

Introducing the Presto 16 Quart Pressure Canner.  So I'll give you a little tutorial on my first time using this.  I did not get pictures of every step, but I'm sure you will get the just of it.

Step 1...Put your EMS friends on stand-by!  No really I did make sure my EMS friends were within the district.  :-)  You can never be too careful.  Safety first.  :-)

Step 2...Put an experienced canner on the speed dial.  Mine was Rebecca of Foodie with Family.

Step 3...Prepare the food you want to can.  I kept it simple for my first time.  I made applesauce.

Step 4...Place applesauce into hot jars and seal with lid and screw band.

Step 5...Pour boiling water into your pressure canner.  There are lines on the inside of the canner to tell you how much to add.  Easy!  Place the jars into the canner and put the top on.  I found that there is only one way you can put the top on.

Step 6...put the fire on high and bring the pressure up in the canner.  When the steam starts coming out of the top place your weight on the top.  It will start dancing around.  Feel free to boogie with it!!  Once it starts dancing adjust the fire so that it is dancing a slow jig not a fast one.  Now start timing it according to what you are canning.  5 pounds of pressure for 10 minutes was what I did for the applesauce.

Step 7...let the canner reduce pressure on it's own.  Just turn off the stove and let it sit.  Remove the lid away from you.  Take the jars out of the canner and place them on a towel to cool.  Make sure they do not touch.

I have no idea why I was ever afraid of the pressure canners.  The new models of pressure canners are not your grandma's canners!!  I'm completely hooked!!  Next week I'm going to make soup, and apple pie filling.  I might even do pumpkin as well.  YEA!!

First meal in the pressure cooker!

I had mentioned before that my darling husband got this (Nesco 3 in 1 cooker) for me as a birthday blessing!  Well last night we had our first meal in it.

Pork Roast and Sauerkraut

Pork roast (2 1/4 pounds)

1 (27 oz) can sauerkraut

1/4 cup onion chopped

4 T brown sugar

1 tsp. caraway seeds

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 cup water

Place meat in cooker.  Add remaining ingredients to cooker and stir.  Cover and lock lid in place.  Turn regulator knob to Pressure.  Select High cooking mode and cook 50-60 minutes.

I have an electric pressure cooker so there is no need to set the exact pressure.  I LOVE it!

After cooking...it smelled so good!  My husband does not like sauerkraut, so I was a bit worried about making this.

OHHH MY!  The roast was so juicy and moist.  It was like a sweet and sour pork. This was the first time ever making a pork roast that was not dry!  My husband LOVED it!  He even took some for lunch today.