Category: cooking

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Instant Pot Freezer Meal Prep

I feel so late to the Instant Pot party! I’m sorry but when I heard my co-workers raving about a pressure cooker I was NOT excited. I mean, my mom used a pressure cooker, therefore it WAS not cool. But, then I discovered on my best friend, Pinterest, some Instant Pot freezer meals and I am completely converted.

Instant Pot freezer recipes are perfect for RV trips

For the most part you just put all of the ingredients into a freezer bag or container, freeze, and take out when you are ready to eat. Some recipes are finished in as little as 40 minutes–that’s straight out of the freezer! The recipes I found are from Pinch of Yum at: https://pinchofyum.com/freezer-meals. These meals are delicious and I will definitely be looking for more instant pot recipes.

Fourteen freezer meals fit perfectly into my RV freezer

Even better, I’ve discovered that most any recipe can be converted into a freezer prep. The cook times should remain the same regardless or whether or not the meal is fresh, thawed, or frozen. Just remember that the Instant Pot will take much longer to come to pressure for the frozen meal than it will for the fresh/thawed version. So while it will only take say 15 minutes to cook, it might take the frozen version 20 minutes to come to pressure, while the fresh/thawed version only takes 5 minutes to come to pressure.

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Keep it Spicy (with Ghost Peppers)

Photo by @LukeBender

Two summers ago I discovered Ghost Pepper Margaritas–Delicious! I learned the recipe for these beauties contains Ghost Pepper Jam. I also discovered that ghost peppers and its resulting jam are hard to find! I decided to grow them in my garden and make my own jam. Below is the recipe for Ghost Pepper Margaritas as well as my recipe for a variation of Ghost Pepper Jam using raspberries. This jam is delicious on brie, croissants, toast, ribs, chicken–in fact I’m still finding uses for it! Enjoy!!

Ghost Pepper Margaritas

Ingredients

  • 1.5 oz Tequila
  • 1.5 oz ghost pepper jam
  • 0.75 oz orange liqueur
  • 2 oz fresh lemon juice
  • 1 dash (a spoonful) of agave

Directions

Salt the rim of a glass and fill with ice. Fill a shaker with ice. Add all the ingredients and shake. Strain into glass.

Ghost Pepper Raspberry Jam

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups white vinegar
  • 1 green bell pepper, halved and seeded
  • 5 ghost peppers, stemmed using gloves
  • 6 cups white sugar
  • 2 (12 ounce) packages frozen raspberries
  • 1 box pectin
  • 9 Jelly jars with lids and rings
  • Canning jar lifter
  • Canning funnel

Directions

  • Fill a large stockpot or canner at least half-full with water. Cover and bring to a simmer (180°F). This will be used to pre-heat the jars as well as processing the filled jars.
  • Check jars, lids, and bands for cracks, scratches, and nicks. Jars with nicks, cracks, uneven rims or sharp edges may prevent sealing or cause jar breakage. The underside of lids should not have scratches or uneven or incomplete sealing compound as this may prevent sealing. Bands should fit on jars. Wash jars, lids, and bands in hot, soapy water.
  • Lower the jars into the stockpot or canner to pre-heat in the hot (180°F) water. Leave lids and bands at room temperature for easy handling. Lower the jars into the water until they are filled. Keeping jars hot prevents them from breaking when filled with hot food. Leave lids and bands at room temperature for easy handling.
  • Blend vinegar, green bell pepper, and ghost peppers together in a blender until smooth. (I use gloves to handle the ghost pepper and resulting pepper mixture.)
  • Stir pepper mixture, sugar, raspberries, and pectin together in a another large stockpot; bring to a boil and cook until the jam is smooth and the sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes.
  • Use a jar lifter to remove a pre-heated jar from the stockpot/canner. Fill one jar at a time with jam using a ladle and a canning funnel leaving 1/4 inch head space at the top. Run a knife or thin spatula around the inside of the jar to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rim of the jar with a damp paper towel to remove any jam residue. Top with lid and screw on band until fingertip tight. Repeat for remaining jars.
  • Once all jars are filled, return them to the hot water bath using the jar lifter and leaving space between the jars (about 2 inches). Pour in more water if necessary to bring the water level to at least an inch or two above the tops of the jars.
  • Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, process for 15 minutes.
  • When processing is complete, shut off heat and remove the lid. Allow jars to rest in the canner for 5 minutes.
  • Move jars from canner and set upright on a towel. Leave jars undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours to allow them to seal. No need to re-tighten the bands as this may interfere with the sealing process.
  • After 24 hours, check to see if the lids are sealed by pressing the lid in the center. NOTE: There should be no flex when center is pressed. Remove the bands and attempt to lift the lids off with your fingertips. Properly sealed lids will remain attached. If a lid fails to seal within 24 hours, immediately refrigerate the product.