Instant Pot Split Pea Soup

 Ingredients

• 3 T butter
• 1 onion, diced 
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 2 to 3 carrots, diced
• 1 ham bone
• 1 pound dry split peas, sorted through and rinsed
• 6 C chicken stock, veggie stock or water
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Turn pressure cooker to "sauté" setting.  Melt butter and sauté onion, celery, and carrots, seasoned with salt and pepper, for about 5 minutes, until softened.
2. Add the split peas, stock, ham bone and bay leaves.
3. Cover pressure cooker and set to manual high pressure for 15 minutes
4. Allow the pressure to naturally release for 10 to 15 minutes
5. If you used a ham bone, remove it from the soup and remove the ham meat that's still attached.  Add back to the soup.
6. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
7. Puree.

Parmesan Chicken (Fusayo Sakasegawa Scannell)

Ingredients

1/2 C fine bread crumbs

1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 t oregano leaves, crushed

Generous dash garlic powder

Generous dash, pepper

4 pounds chicken parts

2 cans cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup

1 C milk

Paprika

Directions

1. Combine crumbs, 1/4 C Parmesan, oregano, garlic powder, and pepper.
2. Roll chicken in mixture.  Arrange skin side down in shallow baking pan.
3. Bake at 400 deg. for 20 minutes.
4. Turn chicken; bake 20 minutes more.
5. Meanwhile, blend soup and milk; pour over chicken.  
6. Sprinkle with paprika and remaining Parmesan.
7. Bake 20 minutes more or until done.  

Green Salad with roasted pecans, apples, and feta

I was going to bring this to Sarah and Miguel's for Thanksgiving but dinner was cancelled :( But I made it the next day for Gerald and me. It's excellent!!!

5 ounces (about 5 cups) spring greens salad blend

1 large or 2 small Granny Smith apple(s) (I used honeycrisp)

⅓ cup dried cranberries

¼ cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) or chopped raw pecans (I used roasted chopped pecans)

2 ounces chilled feta cheese, crumbled (about ⅓ cup)

Apple cider vinaigrette

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 ½ teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (I used stone ground mustard)

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Naan with garlic butter

I MADE THIS ON JULY 29, 2020.  IT CAME OUT GREAT!  THERE WERE NO LEFTOVERS.  UNFORTUNATELY, I FORGOT TO TAKE A PICTURE :(

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup warm water
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or 2 cups white whole wheat flour + 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour) I used 3 C all-purpose flour and 1/2 C whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• (optional topping: chopped fresh cilantro)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Stir together warm water and honey until the honey has dissolved.
2. Add the water mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough attachment, and sprinkle the yeast on top of the water.  Give the yeast a quick stir to mix it in with the water.  Then let it sit for 5-10 minute until the yeast is foamy.
3. Turn the mixer onto low speed, and add gradually flour, yogurt, salt, baking powder, and egg.  Increase speed to medium-low, and continue mixing the dough for 2-3 minutes, or until the dough is smooth.  (The dough will still be slightly sticky, but should form into a ball that pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl.)
4. Remove dough from the mixing bowl, and use your hands to shape it into a ball.  Grease the mixing bowl (or a separate bowl) with olive oil or cooking spray, then place the dough ball back in the bowl and cover it with a damp towel.  Place in a warm location (I set mine by the sunny window) and let it rise for 1 hour until the dough has nearly doubled in size.
5. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a small saute pan over medium heat until melted.  Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.  Then remove butter from heat, strain out and discard the garlic, leaving the infused melted butter behind.  Set aside.
6. Once the dough is ready, transfer it to a floured work surface.  Then cut the dough into 8 separate pieces. Roll each into a ball with your hands, then place on the floured surface and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a large circle (or oval, or whatever shape it takes) until the dough is a little less than 1/4-inch thick.  Brush dough lightly with the garlic-infused butter on both sides.
7. Heat a large cast-iron skillet or heavy saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add a piece of the rolled-out dough to the pan and cook for 1 minute, or until the dough begins to bubble and the bottom turns lightly golden.  Flip the dough and cook on the second side for 30-60 seconds, or until the bottom is golden.  Then transfer the naan to a separate plate, and cover with a towel.  Repeat with remaining dough until all of the naan pieces are cooked.
8. Keep the naan covered with the towel until ready to serve, so that it doesn’t dry out.  Serve sprinkled with fresh cilantro, if desired.

Sandies (from Fusayo Sakasegawa Scannell)

Ingredients

• 3/4 C softened butter (1 1/2 C = THREE sticks)
• 1 tsp vanilla (2 tsp vanilla)
• 1 T water (2 T water)
• 1/3 C sugar (2/3 C sugar)
• 1/8 tsp salt (1/4 tsp salt)
• 2 C sifted flour (4 C flour)
• 1 C nut meats, chopped fine (2 C nuts) 
• 1 12-ounce chocolate chips (perhaps 1 1/2 bags?  I use mini chocolate chips)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 deg. F.
2. Combine butter, vanilla, water, sugar, and salt.  Blend well.
3. Stir in flour.
4. Add nuts and chocolate.  
5. Form in 1" balls.  Place on UN-GREASED cookie sheet.  These cookies don't spread, so you can place the balls very close together.
6. Bake at 300 deg. for 30 minutes.  I found it takes longer than 30 minutes to get a nice brown bottom.  
7. Roll while still warm in powdered sugar.

Mango Bread (Fusayo Sakasegawa Scannell)

Ingredients

• 2 C flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 C vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 C sugar
• 2 C mashed mangoes
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 C raisins, optional
• 1/2 C nuts, optional

Directions

1. Sift flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.
2. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients mixture and add eggs, oil, vanilla, sugar, mangoes, raisins and nuts.
3. Pour into well-greased loaf pans.
4. Let stand 20 minutes before baking.
5. Bake one hour in a 325 to 350 degrees oven.

Almond Cookies (by Fusayo Sakasegawa Scannell)

Ingredients

• 3 C flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1 C sugar
• 1 1/3 C shortening
• 1/2 tsp yellow coloring (optional)
• 1 tsp almond extract
• Blanched almonds or red food coloring

Directions

1. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt together.
2. Beat egg with fork until lemon colored.  Add almond extract and yellow food coloring.
3. Cream sugar and shortening well, add egg, and mix thoroughly.
4. Add dry ingredients gradually.
5. Roll into balls about 1" in diameter, and place on greased cookie sheet.
6. Press an indentation in center.
7. Fill the center with half of a blanched almond or dot it with the end of a chopstick in red coloring.
8. Bake 12 minutes in 350 deg. oven.