Ingredients:
10 oz whole wheat penne or spiral pasta
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped (1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 cups or so of large-dice fresh vegetables (sweet peppers, broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, yellow squash–whatever you like)
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved **
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp dried oregano
3/4 cup vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
** could use 2 cups large dice regular tomatoes or 2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes (I have used the ones flavored with basil, garlic and oregano)

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sautè for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and continue to sautè for another minute or so.
2. If using chicken or beef, cut into thin strips (easier to cut after freezing about 30 minutes) and sprinkle with seasoning salt and pepper. Remove onions and garlic from skillet with slotted spoon and set aside. Add more olive oil to skillet and place strips of meat (a little at a time) into skillet to quickly cook (about two minutes for each batch).
3. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.
4. Return onions, garlic and chicken to skillet. Add other chopped vegetables and continue cooking 3 additional minutes. Add tomatoes and sautè an additional 2-3 minutes, or until tomatoes are softened.
5. Add oregano and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Add broth and continue cooking to thicken sauce and heat all ingredients thoroughly.
6. Drain cooked pasta and add to the skillet. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving.

(Makes 4-6 servings.)

Notes from Betty: Could also use ground beef, thin strips of beef or only vegetables. If making it vegetarian, decrease oil to 2 Tbsp. You could also substitute grated Parmesan cheese, especially with the vegetarian. Suppose the vegetarian version is much like Pasta Primavera. Hope you enjoy this as much as we do!

If you check my previous posts on making a pot roast with veggies from the pressure cooker, you’ll see that I had the usual onions, carrots and potatoes cooked with the pot roast. First, I peeled a rutabaga and a turnip and cut into bite-sized chunks. I put the rutabaga in the pressure cooker with about a cup of the broth from the roast. After bringing the cooker up to pressure, I timed it for 90 seconds. As with vegetables, I did a quick pressure release. Then I added the turnip to the pot with a little salt and pepper, returned the cooker to pressure and let it cook for one minute. Again, I did a quick pressure release and made sure the rutabagas and turnips were fork tender.

In the meantime, I chopped all the leftover carrots, potatoes and onions into same bite-sized chunks. They went into the pot of veggies along with one 14.5-ounce can of chopped tomatoes and the rest of the broth. Simmer until heated through and check the seasoning. Sprinkle in a couple of spoons of dried parsley, if desired. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
4 cups cubed cooked beef
1 small onion, quartered
1 cup sweet pickle relish
1/2 cup or so of Miracle Whip salad dressing **
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp celery seed
1/8 tsp pepper
** Add mustard to plain mayo

Directions:
1. First, I put the beef and onion through a grinder with a coarse blade. If you don’t have pickle relish or pickle chunks, put pickles through grinder with meat and onions. Of course, you could use the food processor to mix up the meat, onions and pickles.
2. In a large bowl, combine the Miracle Whip, Worcestershire sauce, salt, celery seed, and pepper. Stir in the beef mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
3. Spread on bread or buns and add cheese, tomato and/or lettuce — it’s all up to you and your taste.
4. This is a good spread for crackers to accompany a gelatin salad. It could also be scooped onto a garden salad for a light lunch.

Ingredients:
3 pounds beef pot roast
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
Salt, pepper and Italian seasoning to taste
2 cups beef broth or stock
3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp liquid smoke sauce
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 bay leaf
1 large yellow onion, cut in 1/2-inch slices
1 lb carrots (could use less according to your taste)
4 large potatoes
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Heat wide cast iron or other heavy skillet over high heat for about two minutes. Meanwhile rub both sides of meat with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
2. When the pan is hot (really hot) brown meat on all sides to a crispy brown. (Will probably take 5 to 7 minutes on each side.) Pour broth, Worcestershire sauce and liquid smoke into cooker. Place roast on rack in cooker. Cover roast with onions and bay leaf.
3. Close cover securely. Place pressure regulator on vent pipe and cook 45 minutes with pressure regulator rocking slowly.
4. Let pressure drop of its own accord. (Could skip ahead to adding the vegetables as outlined in Step 7 without refrigerating overnight.) Thicken gravy, if desired.
5. If gravy is desired, stir 1 to 2 Tbsp of flour or cornstarch into 1/4 cup cold water. Heat cooking liquid in pressure cooker and slowly pour in flour mixture, stirring to blend. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly for 1 minute or until thickened. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Here’s how I do the vegetables for this scrumptious one-pot meal. Back up to the point that I have seared meat in the pressure cooker on Saturday evening. That’s when I put a couple of sweet yellow onions into the hot pan used to sear the meat. They had been cut into half-inch slices, sprinkled with a little salt and were used to pick up the brown bits in the pan as they softened. After two or three minutes, I removed them from the pan and refrigerated them in a covered container. I had also peeled and cut about a pound of carrots (I like lots of carrots) into the size of baby carrots. The carrots were in a covered container of water, along with four scrubbed medium potatoes cut into one-inch slices, and refrigerated.
7. Going into the kitchen on Sunday after church, I removed the pressure cooker and containers of vegetables from refrigerator. First, I scraped off the hardened chunks of fat from the meat to discard. A few crumbles were left to give flavor. Then, the onions, potatoes and carrots were added to the cooker. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper over the veggies. May need to add about a half cup of water before putting the lid on the pressure cooker.
8. Place cooker on medium-high heat and bring up to pressure according to your manufacturer’s instructions. Use the quick pressure release method after only two minutes. Check the tenderness of the vegetables and return them to pressure for another 30 seconds or so, if necessary. Continue with Step 5, if gravy is desired. (Makes 6 servings.)

Hope you enjoy the beef pot roast with vegetables made in the pressure cooker for dinner on Sunday or anytime! Use the leftovers to make Vegetable Soup and/or Roast Beef Sandwich Spread.

Notes from Betty: Even budget cuts of meat that usually require slow, moist-heat cooking will turn out succulent and savory in very little time with a pressure cooker.

To cook frozen meats in a pressure cooker, thaw one half hour or more so that the surface of the meat will sear crispy brown. Then, increase the cooking times given in the recipes. Frozen beef, veal, and lamb should be cooked 25 minutes per pound. Frozen pork should be cooked 30 minutes per pound.

For meat, do not fill pressure cooker over 2/3 full! No portion of the meat should extend over the 2/3 full mark.

Cake:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
4 oz unsweetened chocolate, broken up
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/4 cups sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1-1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 cups sour cream
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting:
4 oz unsweetened chocolate, broken up
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup sour cream
1/3 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 box (1 lb) powdered sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350º. Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans.
2. Cake: In a microwave-safe glass bowl, melt butter and chocolate together in microwave on HIGH until melted and smooth, 1 to 1½ minutes, stirring halfway through. Set aside. Mix flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl until blended.
3. Add sour cram, eggs, 1 cup water, chocolate mixture and vanilla; beat 30 seconds on low speed, until dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium speed; beat 2 minutes. Pour into prepared pans.
4. Bake at 350º for 40 minutes or until cake layers spring back when pressed.
5. Cool layers in pans on rack 10 minutes. Remove cakes to rack to cool.
6. Frosting: In a microwave-safe small glass bowl, melt chocolate in microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. Stir until smooth. Set aside. Beat shortening, butter, sour cream, milk, vanilla, salt, 1 cup of the sugar and the cocoa powder in a medium-size bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in remaining sugar and melted chocolate until thick and smooth.
7. Place a cake layer on pedestal. Spread with about 2/3 cup frosting. Top with second layer; spread with about 2/3 cup more frosting. Top with remaining layer. Frost top and sides, swirling decoratively.

(Makes 12 servings.)

Ingredients:
1 lb penne pasta
1 can (5 oz) tuna in olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
½ cup pitted olives, halved
2 Tbsp drained capers
¼ tsp crushed red pepper (or to taste)
Garnish: chopped parsley

Directions:
1. Cook pasta in lightly salted boiling water as package directs.
2. Meanwhile, pour 2 tsp oil from tuna into a large nonstick skillet and heat over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 1 minute until fragrant.
3. Stir in tomatoes, olives, capers and pepper; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes for flavors to blend. Stir in tuna.
4. Drain pasta; return to pot. Add sauce and parsley; toss.

(Makes 6 servings.)

Nutrients per serving: Calories 403, Protein 18g, Carbohydrates 66g, Fat 7g (Saturated Fat 1g), Cholesterol 15mg, Dietary Fiber 4g, Sodium 611mg.

Notes from Betty: Puttanesca is a spicy, tangy and somewhat salty Italian pasta dish that culinary experts regard as modern and reflects the bounty of the market rather than the garden. The ingredients are inexpensive, easy to find and typically Mediterranean.

Noodle Frittata — Cook noodles from two 3-oz packages chicken-flavor ramen noodles in boiling water until tender. Drain. Beat 6 large eggs and the seasoning packets in a medium bowl. Stir in 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar, 1/4 cup sliced scallions and the noodles. Heat broiler. Melt 2 tsp butter in a large nonstick skillet with an ovenproof handle. Add noodle mixture and cook over medium-low heat 7 minutes, then broil 1 to 2 minutes until top is set. Invert on serving plate, cut in wedges and serve with salsa.

Beefy Noodles — Brown 8 oz ground beef and 1 chopped onion in a large skillet. Add 2-1/2 cups water; bring to a boil. Crumble in noodles from two 3-oz packages beef-flavor ramen noodles. Add seasoning packets and 2 cups thawed frozen vegetables. Simmer covered 3 minutes, uncover and simmer 3 minutes more or until liquid evaporates and noodles are tender.

Tuna Noodle Salad — Break noodles from two 3-oz packages shrimp-flavor ramen noodles in half. Cook in boiling water until tender. Cool under running cold water; drain well. Whisk 1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise, 1 Tbsp each lemon juice and water and seasoning packets in a large bowl. Stir in 2 sliced Kirby cucumbers, 1/4 cup diced onion, 1 drained can (about 7 oz) tuna and the noodles.

Ingredients:
2 tsp oil
½ cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 box (10 oz) frozen leaf spinach, thawed and coarsely cut
2¼ cups water
1 cup long-grain rice
½ cup grated Parmesan
¼ tsp pepper
1 large egg
2 oz part-skim mozzarella, shredded
2 cups marinara sauce

Directions:
1. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat. Sauté onion and garlic 2 minutes. Add spinach and water; bring to boiling.
2. Stir in rice; cover and simmer 20 minutes until water is absorbed. Heat oven to 350ºF. Line a large baking sheet with nonstick foil.
3. Transfer rice to bowl; stir in Parmesan and pepper. Mix in egg. For each cake, scoop and flatten ¼ cup rice mixture onto baking sheet.
4. Bake 20 minutes until firm. Sprinkle tops with mozzarella; return to oven 1 minute to melt. Serve with warmed marinara. (I very often use jarred marinara sauce, but here’s a link to a simple recipe to make your own.)

(Makes 4 servings.)

Nutrients per serving: Calories 562, Protein 25g, Carbohydrates 66g, Dietary Fiber 6g, Fat 22g (Saturated Fat 8g), Cholesterol 100mg, Sodium 1,406mg.

Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
¼ tsp salt
½ cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
½ lb (2 sticks) butter
4 heaping Tbsp cocoa powder

Icing:
1¾ sticks butter
4 heaping Tbsp cocoa powder
6 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 lb confectioners’ sugar
½ cup finely chopped pecans (optional)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350ºF. You’ll need a 12×16- to 18-inch rimmed baking pan.
2. Cake: In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Stir together and set aside. In another bowl, mix the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla and baking soda. Mix with a fork and set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and the cocoa. Whisk together to combine. Meanwhile, bring 1 cup water to a boil.
4. Pour the boiling water into the ban. Allow to bubble for a moment, then turn off the heat.
5. Pour the chocolate mixture into the flour mixture. Stir together for a moment to cool the chocolate, then pour in the egg mixture.
6. Stir together until smooth, then pour into ungreased pan and bake for 20 minutes or until a pick inserted in center comes out clean.
7. Meanwhile, make the icing. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. (I just wash out the same one I used for the cake. Makes me feel responsible and productive.)
8. Add the cocoa powder and stir until smooth. Add the milk and vanilla. Add confectioners’ sugar. Stir together. Dump in the chopped pecans (if using) and stir until well combined.
9. Immediately after removing the cake from the oven, pour the warm icing over the top. You’ll want to avoid doing much spreading, so try to distribute it evenly as you pour.

Variation: For a child’s birthday, omit the pecans in the icing. Serve the cake with a large bowl of M&M’s and allow kids to decorate it themselves.

(Makes one 12×18-inch cake.)

Crumbs:
6 graham cracker boards (oblongs)
2 Tbsp each sugar and melted butter
½ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Cupcakes:
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups sugar
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1¼ cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
½ cup each canola oil and water
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Marshmallow Topping:
6 large egg whites
1½ cups sugar
½ tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Small handheld butane torch

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
2. Crumbs: Process graham crackers in food processor until fine crumbs. Add sugar and butter; pulse until blended. Spoon about 2 tsp into each muffin cup. Top with 1 tsp mini chocolate chips.
3. Cupcakes: In large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt until blended. In medium bowl, whisk buttermilk, eggs, oil, water and vanilla until blended. Whisk into flour mixture until smooth.
4. Spoon about ¼ cup batter into each muffin cup. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool completely.
5. Marshmallow Topping: Put egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in a large metal bowl. Set over a saucepan of simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are warm to the touch, about 3 to 4 minutes.
6. Transfer to large bowl of an electric stand mixer. Beat 5 to 7 minutes, starting on low speed and gradually increasing to high, until stiff, glossy peaks form. Beat in vanilla. Spoon into a large ziptop freezer bag.
7. Snip a 1-inch opening off one tip; pipe topping onto each cupcake. Using handheld torch, lightly brown the topping, taking care not to burn the cupcake liners. Serve immediately or store in airtight containers at room temperature for up to 2 days.

(Makes 24 Cupcakes.)