The WSJ had an article on millet in this weekend’s paper bemoaning how this ancient grain has no taste. I must beg to differ with them. I’ve been eating a lot of millet lately as my breakfast options are limited, and on its own it has a pleasant nutty flavor and dressed up with some butter, honey, and fruit it’s quite a tasty, hearty grain that fills me up and doesn’t spike my blood sugar. So pull out your Instant Pot for this hot, quick, and easy breakfast.
Seal your lid and set your Instant Pot to high pressure for 15 minutes. Quick pressure release when done and you now have a hearty, hot breakfast.
Spoon your hot millet porridge into a bowl, add a pat of butter, drizzle some honey or molasses, and top with fruit or nuts of your choice. I like to add a little bit of heavy cream and blueberries to mine. My kids like theirs with peanut butter and chocolate chips. 😂 Add what tastes good to you.
Make ahead…
This recipe can be set up in advance or even the night before in the IP using the delay start feature. I like to set mine when I first get up and then breakfast is ready by the time I’m dressed.
If you liked this recipe, check out some of my other Instant Pot recipes:
Use your Instant Pot to make a delicious, creamy, rice pudding. It only calls for 5 main ingredients – rice, vanilla, honey, heavy cream, and a pat of butter. (And salt and water, but those are so basic I’m not really counting them in the ingredient list. 😉)
This recipe couldn’t be easier and, better yet, this recipe doesn’t call for sugar, but uses honey instead. This recipe works in any size Instant Pot. It can be doubled if desired for use in 6 or 8 quart pots.
Instant Pot Creamy Rice Pudding Recipe:
2 tbsp butter
1.5 cups white rice (any type)
3 cups of water
Select the sauté button and let your IP liner get hot. Add the butter. When melted sauté the rice for 2 minutes or so until the kernels are coated with the butter. Add the water. Close the lid and seal the vent. Cook on High Pressure for 3 minutes. Depressurize immediate but let it sit for 10 minutes before removing the lid.
Open the lid and add…
1/2 cup honey
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup heavy cream
Stir until it is all combined, thick and creamy. Add more honey if you desire a sweeter pudding. Sprinkle with cinnamon when you serve. Serve warm, or once cooled store in the fridge for a quick, delicious snack or dessert.
I use my Instant Pot all the time to make mashed potatoes. It’s so much easier and faster than waiting for a full pot of water to boil. This recipe works for mashed potatoes or potato soup. Simply adjust the amount of milk you add.
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes or Potato Soup Recipe:
I have an 8 quart Instant Pot, but you can make either of these recipes using a smaller size Instant Pot. Simply reduce the amount of potatoes that you use so that they don’t go above the max fill line on your IP liner.
8 Quart Instant Pot Recipe:
5-8 pounds of peeled potatoes
2 cups of water.
Place a wire trivet or mesh steamer basket inside your Instant Pot. Put all your peeled potatoes on top of the trivet or inside the basket. Add 2 cups of water. Seal the vent, set to High Pressure for 12 minutes for large potatoes, 10 minutes for medium potatoes, and 8 minutes for small potatoes. The warm setting should be off. The potatoes should be fork tender when done.
Drain the water from the Instant pot and remove the trivet or wire basket. Add your desired amounts of salt, pepper, butter, and milk and mash directly in the liner.
You just made mashed potatoes!
Instant Pot Potato Soup Recipe:
Follow the steps above but simply leave the water in the IP and add more milk or cream when you mash until your desired soupy texture is reached.
Allergy-friendly tip for those who need to add cooked milk:
If you have a milk sensitivity or allergy like my son, and you need to add cooked milk to your mashed potatoes so that they can eat it, then let me tell you about an Instant Pot tip that will make your lives so much easier. For years I’ve scaled milk on the stove to add to mashed potatoes. It’s such an inconvenient step, it takes so long, and I usually end up scrubbing burned milk off the bottom of my pan. Well, let the Instant Pot change your life on this one. Use the recipe above until the potatoes are cooked and you drain the 2 cups of water from the liner. At this point you can leave the potatoes on the trivet, and simply pour 2-4 cups of milk (I use about 4 for 8 pounds of potatoes) into your liner, put on the lid, and select the Yogurt setting. It will heat your milk to the pasteurization temperature of 160 degrees. Once your IP reads “Yogurt” your milk is heated, you can remove the trivet, and mash as normal. 😊
Mashed Potato or Potato Soup Fixings:
Dress up your mashed potatoes or potato soup with bacon, cheese, chives, or cilantro.
Or use the Pesto recipe I shared last week to make a delicious Pesto potato soup. 😋
Add some delicious homemade cheese to your soup!
Join Carolyn Thomas with Homesteading Family for a free Dairy Webinar. No cow needed. All recipes can be made with store bought milk.
Sometimes when you have food restrictions you automatically write foods off when you can’t make them using their traditional recipes thinking that they won’t be as good. Well, pesto should not be one of those recipes. Make it without the cheese and bits and I think it tastes just as good.
Dairy-Free, Nut-Free Pesto Recipe:
Food processor stuffed with fresh basil leaves
1-2 heads of garlic (2 heads for an 8 cup food processor, 1 head for a 4 cup or smaller)
1/4-1/2 tsp salt (Go by taste here, use the lesser amount for the smaller food processor. I actually prefer to add 1/8 tsp at a time and then taste in between to be sure I don’t get too much.)
Pulse until all the ingredients are finely chopped.
Slowly begin to drizzle in olive oil until your mixture is creamy. Taste it. Tweak the seasonings if needed. A little more salt maybe. A little more basil. Maybe it needs some more olive oil to make it creamier. Work with it until you like the flavor.
Store in freezer bags or small air tight containers. It’s best to store in single serving sizes so that you can just thaw out what you need for a batch of pasta or pizza. Refrigerate for 1-2 weeks or freeze for a up to a year (if it lasts that long).
It’s that easy and it tastes great! You’ll never miss the cheese or nuts. In fact, I prefer it without it.
We turned these nice homemade French bread loaves into French bread pizzas with fresh mozzarella and they are delish! They pesto is hiding in there under the meat and cheese. 😊 We took some of these to a church event, and I can’t tell you how many people were thankful for the dairy-free and nut-free pesto. It is nice when people get to enjoy a food that they normally can eat at a group event because someone was considerate of their allergies. I know I appreciate that. 😊
The stress of moving and just life this summer resulted in me cutting out wheat products from my diet. I found that wheat was aggravating my stress symptoms.
Those of you that are gluten-free know that your options for good bread, buns, biscuit options are limited. This is a quick and easy recipe, and the best thing is that it only uses 5 main ingredients, and you can bake it in the oven!
The only piece of equipment that you need are a set of crumpet rings. This set of six crumpet rings is nice since that is about how many crumpets or biscuits this recipe makes. I only have a set of four rings so I have to bake in two batches. Get the set of six. It’s easier.
Crumpet rings are traditionally used for steaming wheat crumpets, but these rings are the perfect tool for baking this gluten-free recipe as they provide the structure that these need to bake properly. If you don’t have crumpet rings, you’ll need to bake this as a flatbread in a skillet, or you might be able to get away with using the rings from canning jars but they aren’t nearly as tall as crumpet rings so you would have to use less batter in each ring and your resulting crumpet or biscuit would be quite thin.
This gluten free crumpet slices easily and makes a great breakfast sandwich topped with egg and bacon. It is a great option for those that need to eat gluten-free and need an alternative to traditional wheat buns, biscuits, or rolls.
Gluten-free Crumpet Recipe:
1 cup heavy cream
3 egg yolks
1/3 cup tapioca starch
1/3 cup sweet rice flour
1/3 cup millet
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
Whisk together the egg yolks, cream, and salt. Add the flours and baking powder and stir until combined.
Let the batter sit for 15 minutes to fully hydrate. This step is especially important for gluten free baking as some of flours, like rice flours, take longer to absorb the liquids. If you skip this step, your end product may be grainy.
Texture after a 15 minute rest.
After the 15 minute rest, check the texture of the batter. It should be like a thin cake batter. You may need to add more flour if yours is too thin. If so, add 1/4 cup of either millet or tapioca flour, stir, and then re-evaluate the texture. If you want more of a biscuit texture, then add a little extra flour for a thicker batter. The more flour you add the heavier and drier the end product will be. For a lighter crumpet/English muffin type texture, aim for a thinner batter.
Baking Your Gluten Free Crumpets:
Once your batter is the right texture, preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and grease your crumpet rings either with butter or spray with olive oil. Set up your crumpet rings on a baking sheet and pour the batter quickly filling the rings about halfway full or a little more depending on how thick you want them to be. A little of the batter will probably leak under the bottom edge, but that’s okay. Don’t worry if it leaks under. Just pop them in them in the oven and they will bake up fine.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. They are done when they are golden on the top.
These gluten free crumpets have a light buttery and nutty flavor and are delicious with butter and jam, they make a great PB&J, breakfast sandwich, or can even sub as a gluten free hamburger bun.
Enjoy! Don’t sacrifice the foods you love just because you can’t have wheat. 😊
I saw it recommended in Homesteading Family’s Homestead Kitchen Community. It’s become a good reference because even though I can’t use the recipes included in it because of all our allergies, I can use them as inspiration and modify them to suit our needs.
Do you have a sweet tooth and wish you have a healthier option from store bought cake mixes? Here’s your answer. Below, you’ll find make ahead mixes that will sit on your shelves for months until you need them.
Make Ahead Sweet Tooth Cake and Quick Bread Mixes:
Homemade Chocolate Cake Mix Recipe:
This recipe will fill two regular 24 oz spaghetti sauce jars or quart size canning jars.It yields two 9” cakes.
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
Combine all the above in a bowl, transfer to two glass jars, and label with ingredients, what to add on baking day, and baking instructions.
On Baking Day Add…
1 cup of milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup of oil
1 tsp vanilla
Chocolate Cake Baking Instructions:
Grease and flour two cake pans. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cinnamon Coffee Cake Mix Recipe:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Combine all the above in a bowl, transfer to a glass jar, label with ingredients, what to add on baking day, and baking instructions.
On Baking Day Add…
3/4 cups milk
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup oil
1 tbsp vinegar
Coffee Cake Topping:
Store this mixture in a baggie in the mouth of your jars. Pour topping mixture into a bowl and cut in 4 tbsp of butter. Then sprinkle on the top of yourcake just before baking.
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oatmeal or flakes spelt
1/4 cup all purpose flour
Coffee Cake Baking Instructions:
Bake in greased 9” cake pan, or 8×8” casserole on 350 for 35-40 minutes.
Homemade Banana Bread Baking Mix Recipe:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
Optional: Add 1/4 cup chocolate chips.
Combine all the above in a bowl, transfer to two glass jars, and label with ingredients, what to add on baking day, and baking instructions.
On Baking Day Add…
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1-2 ripe bananas
Banana Bread Baking Instructions:
Bake in a greased 8×8” casserole on 325 for 1 hour until a toothpick comes out clean.
Shelf Life of Homemade Baking Mixes:
Shelf life is for all baking mixes is 4-5 months if kept cool and dry. See the note at the bottom of this post for how to extend the shelf life for a longer period.
I hope you’ll try some of these recipes. And guess what? If they sound good to you right now, there’s not need to wait for later. Go ahead and mix up a something sweet right now!
Pro Tips for Making Your Own Baking Mixes:
Pro Tip #1: Always use dried spices, never fresh as the moisture contained in fresh spices will cause your mixture to mold.
Pro Tip #2: Save your empty spaghetti sauce jars to fill with dry pantry mixes to give away to friends. That way you won’t have to give away your good canning jars.
Pro Tip #3: If using canning jars, use this little hand held vacuums sealer with this handy jar attachment to suck the air out of your jars and really increase the shelf life of the dry mixes that you make.
Preserving 101: Homesteading Family is currently running a Preserving Challenge in their Homestead Kitchen Community. Check it out if you want to learn more about stocking your pantry with shelf stable, natural foods. The challenge includes canning, dehydrating, freezing, fermenting, and freeze drying.
I saw this book recommended in Homesteading Family’s Homestead Kitchen Community the other day. It’s become a good reference for me as we can’t buy any packaged convenience meals, spice blends, cake mixes, and so on because of all of our unusual allergies and food sensitivities. But this book has been a great help to me because even though I can’t use the recipes included in it, I can take them as a starting off point and modify them to suit our food restrictions.
Here’s the ones we came up with. We decided to try two savory rice mixes, and three sweet ones. Comfort food you know… 😊
This week I’ll give you the instructions for the rice mixes, and next week I’ll share the sweet recipes which will include Cinnamon Coffee Cake, Chocolate Cake, and Banana Bread – all as shelf stable, make ahead desserts!
So, let’s get started!
Make Ahead Savory Rice Mixes:
Orange Rosemary Rice Mix Recipe:
This recipe will fill a regular 24 oz spaghetti sauce jar or quart size canning jar.
2.5 cups uncooked brown rice
1/4 cup dried orange peel
2 tsp dried chives
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1.5 tsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp parsley
1/2 tsp onion flakes
Herb & Spice Rice Mix Recipe:
This recipe will fill a regular 24 oz spaghetti sauce jar or quart size canning jar.
2 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice
2 tsp dry oregano
1/2 tsp dried Basil
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp marjoram or thyme
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin
Mixing and Storage Instructions for Rice Mixes:
Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Once combined, fill your jar, secure the lid, and label with ingredients and cooking instructions. Shelf life is 6 months it kept cool and dry. See the note at the bottom of this post for how to extend the shelf life for a longer period.
Cooking Instructions for Rice Mixes:
Add 2 cups of water for every cup of rice. Simmer covered for about 20 minutes until all the water is absorbed.
I hope you’ll try some of these recipes. And guess what? If they sound good to you right now, there’s not need to wait for later. Go ahead and mix up a batch of rice to go with dinner and something sweet for dessert.
Pro Tips for Making Your Own Baking Mixes:
Pro Tip #1: Always use dried spices, never fresh as the moisture contained in fresh spices will cause your mixture to mold.
Pro Tip #2: Save your empty spaghetti sauce jars to fill with dry pantry mixes to give away to friends. That way you won’t have to give away your good canning jars.
Pro Tip #3: If using canning jars, use this little hand held vacuums sealer with this handy jar attachment to suck the air out of your jars and really increase the shelf life of the dry mixes that you make.
Preserving 101: Homesteading Family is currently running a Preserving Challenge in their Homestead Kitchen Community. Check it out if you want to learn more about stocking your pantry with shelf stable, natural foods. The challenge includes canning, dehydrating, freezing, fermenting, and freeze drying.
We moved to a new to us house this summer and I’ve been thankful for some ready made crock-pot freezer meals that I’ve had prepared. We ran through most of them a few weeks ago when COVID made its way through our house. So it’s time to restock.
I came up with this recipe for Sunday dinner and the family loved it. The nice thing is that it’s flexible. It can be thawed and grilled, or you can simply throw the whole batch into the crock pot and cook it in low all day. It’s delicious served with brown rice or mashed potatoes.
Rosemary Lemon Chicken Recipe:
5-8 Chicken Thighs (boneless or bone-in) depending size of thighs and size of your family
Small sprig of fresh Rosemary or 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp onion flakes or 2 rounds sliced onion
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp blackstrap molasses
Combine all the ingredients in a gallon freezer bag. Freeze for up to 6 months.
On cooking day, either put the contents of the bag in 4 quart crock pot and cook 6-8 hours on low.
Of if you prefer to grill, thaw the bag in the fridge overnight before grilling.
This recipe is most cost effective if you buy family packs of chicken thighs and make up 3-4 bags at a time. Then you’ve got several dinners ready to go when you need them.
Did you know that you can make your own sour cream at home?
All you need is two ingredients – heavy cream (any kind is fine, but the less additives the better) and buttermilk with live active cultures.
In a clean, dry jar, pour 1 cup of fresh heavy cream from a newly opened carton and add 1 tablespoon of buttermilk. Put on the lid and shake vigorously. Let the jar sit on the counter undisturbed for 6 hours or overnight until the whole mixture thickens and sets.
The key success with this recipe is to use fresh buttermilk with live cultures AND to use heavy cream from a carton that has just been opened. If the carton has been previously opened, you will need to pasteurize your heavy cream to 165 degrees F and then let it cool to room temperature before adding your buttermilk. If you add the buttermilk to the cream while it is hot it will kill the cultures and you won’t end up with anything but a tangy heavy cream and you’ll be back where you started.
If you have access to raw milk you can also use a culture from some of your milk that has clabbered to make some wild sour cream. Simply follow the instructions above replacing the buttermilk with clabber. It works quite well and some people, like my son, tolerate the wild culture better than the cultures in the buttermilk. You can use the cream that you have skimmed from your fresh milk, or cream from the store, and both work fine to make this sour cream at home.
Once the cream has set, store in the refrigerator and use within two weeks.
You can also keep your culture going perpetually if you make a new batch within 7-10 days of culturing the last batch. And if you need extra, just double or triple the recipe. It works great!
Want to learn to make cheese at home?
Consider Homesteading Family’s Free Dairy Training. I love their Practical Homemade Dairy Masterclass. That’s where I learned to make cheese. I’ve made many delicious cheeses using my wild clabber culture and store bought milk. Happy dairy making!
Stay tuned for an allergy friend recipe for homemade, sugar and vinegar free ranch dressing….
You can make this in a matter minutes, the ingredients will cost 1/4 of the price, and you’ll end up with 4x the cheese.
First begin by making this Soft Cheese recipe. It couldn’t be easier.
Homemade Boursin Garlic & Herb Cheese:
For 1 gallon of milk, stir in the following:
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
3/4 tsp onion powder
2 tsp dried parsley
Adjust the seasonings to your own tastes. I have also tried this recipe with dill for a little added punch and it’s got a little flare reminiscent of Ranch dressing.
Refrigerate this cheese and consume within 7-10 days.
I have made this in a couple of years, but it’s been one of those weeks and I need something easy for breakfast in the morning. Try this easy make ahead breakfast. You can set it up the night before and it’s ready and hot when you wake up. Get the recipe here!
This cheese couldn’t be easier. All you need is a gallon of whole milk that has not been ultra-pasteurized, a big pot, colander, tea towel or cheese cloth, lemon juice, and milk.
This recipe yields about 1 pound plus of cheese. If you want a smaller batch, this recipe can also be halved. Just buy a half gallon of milk instead.
Ingredients:
1 gallon whole milk (not ultra-pasteurized)
¼-½ cup acid such as lemon juice or vinegar
¼ tsp salt
Optional Ingredients: seasonings like pepper, garlic, chives, and parsley for a savory cheese, or your favorite jam for something sweet.
Tools:
Cheesecloth or non-fuzzy tea towel
Colander
Large heat proof bowl
Heavy bottom pot (stainless steel, enameled cast iron, or Instant Pot)
Digital food thermometer (optional)
Instructions:
Pour 1 gallon of milk into an Instant Pot or heavy bottomed pot. Heat until the milk is steaming or until a thermometer reads 185 degrees F. If using the Instant Pot, pour the milk in and select the Yogurt setting. When the display reads Yogt, the milk has been sufficiently heated.
Add ¼ cup of your acid and stir. Let the milk sit for 10 minutes. If it doesn’t begin to separate and curdle, then check your temp and heat your milk so that it is a little hotter, or add 2 tbsp more acid at a time stirring to distribute the acid through the milk. Do this until you begin to see the curds separate into greenish looking whey.
Once you see the separation, let the curds sit in the whey for 10 minutes.
Line your colander with the cheesecloth or tea towel and pour the whey into the colander being careful not to burn yourself. There will be lots of whey. Be sure the bowl doesn’t overflow.
Once all the contents of the pot have been poured into the colander, move the colander over to the pot to continue draining until the desired texture has been achieved. If you wish a drier, more crumbly cheese, let it drain longer. If you desire a softer, more spreadable cheese, drain less.
Add salt and seasonings if desired and mix through the cheese.
Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container in the fridge. Consume within 7-10 days.
Soft Spreadable Cheese: Simply drain drain the whey, salt and either immediately warm, or cool and refrigerate until needed. If your cheese is too dry, simply add a little bit of the whey that you poured off and stir back in until the desired soft texture is reached.
Ricotta: Follow the instructions above but drain a little longer until the cheese is a little drier and the curd is crumbly.
Cream Cheese Variation: If you desire a smoother, cream cheese texture, run your cheese through the food processor until smooth. This can be used as a cream cheese substitute.If your cheese is too dry, and won’t blend to a smooth texture, simply add some of the whey back in until the desired texture is achieved.
This cheese is great spread on crackers with a little of your favorite jam to sweeten it up. 😊
Note: Leftover whey from cheese can be used in baking or to water acid loving plants.
Want to learn more….
Consider Homesteading Family’s Practical Homemade Dairy Course (affiliate link) if you’re interested in creating more homemade dairy products in your kitchen. Carolyn covers basic fresh dairy products that you can make in your kitchen like homemade coffee creamers and butter, and then she moves on to cultured dairy like buttermilk and sour cream, and finally easy and advanced cheeses. It’s definitely an all in one course. My family has benefited as now I can make cheese for my son that he can eat because I can control the cultures that are added. It’s the most comprehensive homemade dairy course out there.
Remembering Maggie Lane 