1 Old Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake

Forget about those yellow round pound cake cups that you get at the store. This vanilla cake is light, tender and perfect for holding freshly whipped cream and sliced strawberries.  This is a cake, NOT a biscuit. It is SO easy to make, I've made this recipe several times with rave reviews from all my family members. 

Here are some great time saving tips for this recipe.

Quick Slicing: Here's a great time saving tip! Use your egg slicer to quickly and evenly slice your strawberries! I use this tip for cutting mushrooms, too. 

Macerate the strawberries: Adding a couple of tablespoons of granulated sugar to the sliced strawberries softens the berries and releases some of its flavor, making a light sauce that soaks into the cake...

Make a Foil Sling: This helps you remove and cut the cake easily for a great presentation. 

Make Fresh Whipped Cream: all you need is heavy cream, granulated sugar & vanilla extract. 

In under an hour, you will have a fresh, classic dessert that will be enjoyed by everyone. I know you will enjoy this recipe as much as we did and make it again and again.

Old Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake

Yield: 9 servings

Author: Frieda Franchina, adapted from J.Becker AllRecipes

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time:  40 min

This soft, tender not-too-sweet vanilla cake is the perfect compliment for fresh strawberries with whipped cream. You can substitute the shortening with butter, but it will change the cake's texture, becoming more dense. 

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup shortening (can use softened butter)
• 2/3 cup (4.6 oz/132g) granulated sugar 
• 1 large egg, room temperature* (see Tips, below)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (6.4 oz/180g) all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup whole milk* (if you only have low fat milk, see TIP below)
• Whipped Cream
• 8 oz heavy cream
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 quarts of fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced
• 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

Instructions:

Old Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake

1. In a medium mixing bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar.
2. Add egg and vanilla, mixing well.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder.
4. Alternate milk & flour to shortening mixture, until *almost* all the flour is mixed in. Over-mixing will cause the cake to be dense. Use a spoon or silicone spatula to hand mix in the rest of the remaining flour.
5. Prepare a foil sling for your 9"x9" pan by folding two pieces of aluminum foil as described in the TIPS below. Grease foil lightly.
6. Pour cake batter into prepared foil sling, spreading it evenly into the pan.
7. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes clean or with very few crumbs. Cool on wire rack.
8. Wash, hull and slice the strawberries, putting them into a small container. Sprinkle 2 Tablespoons of sugar onto cut strawberries and stir till coated. Cover and set in the fridge for 45 minutes. Sugar will pull out some of the juices for a light sauce.
9. Make the whipped topping: Pour heavy cream into a bowl. Using beaters or electric stand mixer with whisk attachment, whip heavy cream until soft peaks form. While mixing, sprinkle 1/4 cup granulated sugar into mixture until stiff peaks form. Add vanilla extract.
10. Using the foil sling, remove cooled cake from pan. Cut into 9 equal squares. Cut each square horizontally in half. Remove the top of the cake, adding a dollop of whipped cream, strawberries, replacing the top of the cake, add more whipped cream and strawberries on top. 

TIPS 

Egg: Quickly bring your egg to room temperature by putting it in a bowl or drinking glass filled with HOT tap water. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.

Whole Milk: If you only have low fat milk, add 2 Tablespoons of melted/cooled butter to your milk.

Egg slicer: Use to quickly slice washed & hulled strawberries.

Foil Sling: Fold two pieces of aluminum foil and place shiny side up into your 9x9 pan. Foil should extend up the sides and about 1" over the top of the pan. Lightly grease the pan with shortening or oil spray. 

0 Shrimp Pasta Salad - Instant Pot or Stovetop

Creamy seashell pasta, cubes of cheddar cheese, and tender young shrimp sprinkled with dill come together for one of my favorite cold pasta salads.

Our local credit union meeting has a catered luncheon every year, and this seafood salad was always the star of the meal. I looked forward to it every year.

This year, this amazing salad was missing. Instead, a green salad and potato chips took its place along with the cold cut sandwiches.  Whaaaaat??

I was heartbroken. What happened to tradition? What am I going to look forward to?

This was the sign that it was time to make my own shrimp pasta salad. It was super easy to make, especially using our pressure cooker and our family loved it.

Why use a pressure cooker to cook pasta?

1. Use less water
2. Don't have to watch the pot
3. Less risk of boil over on the stove
4. Doesn't heat up the kitchen

 Now, we can have this fantastic, fresh seafood pasta salad any time we want.

I hope you make this and enjoy it as much as we did!

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Shrimp Pasta Salad - Pressure Cook or Stove Top

by Frieda Franchina,  June-27-2018

This is an extra special pasta salad that has tender young shrimp. Small salad shrimp can be found at the deli or seafood section of your grocery store or in the freezer labeled as 100 per pound. You can substitute fresh or imitation crab or use a combination of shrimp & crab for a seafood pasta salad. Optional add-ins in the recipe keep it fresh and interesting.

Pressure Cook
Ingredients

• SALAD
• 6 ounces seashell pasta (2 cups)
• 8 ounces cooked salad shrimp, crab, imitation crab or combo of both
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• DRESSING
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise or yogurt
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon cocktail sauce (or ketchup)
• 1/8 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill or 3 teaspoons chopped fresh dill

• OPTIONS:
• 8 ounces cooked salad shrimp, crab, imitation crab or combo of both
• 1/4 cup finely cubed cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper
• 2-3 slices of cooked & crispy bacon bits
• 2 Tablespoons finely chopped sweet onion or green onion
• 1 Tablespoon capers or chopped olives

Instructions

1. Put pasta into pressure cooker pot and pour in water.2. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and stir.3. Cover the pressure cooker, close the pressure valve, select HIGH pressure and 5 minutes for al dente or 6 minutes for a softer cooked pasta.4. When cook time has finished, use a controlled quick release by opening the pressure valve in short spurts, until you can open it all the way.5. Drain and rinse pasta under cold water and put into a medium bowl.6. For dressing, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, cocktail sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, Old Bay, lemon juice and dill.7. Gently stir dressing into pasta. 8. Fold in salad shrimp, cheese or other optional ingredients. 9. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours. 10. Before serving, stir salad and add any milk for a creamier consistency, if desired. Salt to taste. 
Stove Top:
Fill a medium saucepan with 4 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add salt and pasta, stirring well. Reduce stove to med-high heat and cook pasta for 10-12 minutes or till tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. Make dressing as listed above, stir into cooked pasta and chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours. Serve and enjoy!

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 6 mins Total time: 3 hour 15 mins Yield: 4 servings

0 One Pot Lazy Lasagne - Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

This lasagne comes together oh, so easy, and is perfect for those busy and hot weeknights when the family is hangry. A perfect sauce to noodle ratio and paired with a fresh green salad, it is sure to satisfy your entire family and can be on your table in 20 minutes with your pressure cooker.

I looked everywhere for mini mulfada pasta... you know, the kind that looks like mini lasagne noodles and come in a box of Hamburger Helper? 

I even went to my favorite Harmon's store that carries many specialty items and couldn't find it, so I did the next best thing....

I broke regular lasagne noodles into 2" pieces.

Apparently, if you are Italian, breaking your pasta is like breaking a commandment. Each time you break pasta, you are breaking the hearts of 1,000 grandmothers. Or something like that.

Anyway, back to the hangry kids and getting the lasagne started!

I patterned this recipe and used the layering tips from my One Pot Meat Spaghetti recipe.

Start by adding water to your pot and stir in a tablespoon of cooking oil. This will help keep your pasta from sticking together.

Stir in your broken pasta, coating it well with the oil/water mixture.

Dump in your favorite pasta sauce, right on top. Do not stir.

I made some fantastic meat spaghetti sauce in the pressure cooker a few days ago, and using some of it is a great idea for this recipe.

Close the lid and pressure valve, set it for 6 minutes on high pressure. Check the box of your pasta for the cook time and cut it the time in half. My Western Family lasagne box has a 12-14 minute cook time. 6 minutes will give you al dente and 7 minutes will give you a softer pasta.

Use a quick release of pressure, open the pot and begin adding your cheese.

I like to use cottage cheese and mozzarella.

Stir in half of the cottage cheese and mozzarella...

Then put the other half of the cheeses on top. Close the lid and wait a couple of minutes.

Let's take a look, shall we?

Sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top, serve with a green salad on the side and Presto! Dinner is served and kids are happy.

Enjoy!

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One Pot Lazy Lasagne - Pressure Cook

by Frieda Franchina June-08-2018

Make your busy weeknights easier with this fast and easy lasagne. The key is to preventing your pasta from sticking together is to coat it completely with the oil/water mixture. Use your favorite bottled sauce or make your own. 

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups water
• 1 Tablespoon cooking oil
• 16 ounces wide lasagne noodles, broken into 2" pieces
• 6 cups pasta sauce (48 ounces)
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 ounces)
• 1 cup cottage cheese (8 ounces)
• shredded Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Pour water into pressure cooker insert and add cooking oil. Stir.2. Stir in broken lasagne noodles, coating all of the pasta well.3. Pour spaghetti sauce over noodles. Do not stir.4. Close the pressure cooker and pressure valve.5. Select HIGH pressure for 6-7 minutes. 6 minutes will give you al dente and 7 minutes will give you softer pasta.6. After the cook time, use a Quick Release by opening the pressure valve.7. Dollop half of the cottage cheese and sprinkle 1 cup of the mozzarella onto the sauce and stir. 8. Dollop the rest of the cottage cheese and the other 1 cup of mozzarella on top. Do not stir. 9. Cover the pressure cooker and let sit for 2 minutes. 10. Open the cooker, serve hot, with a generous serving of shredded Parmesan cheese.

Details

Prep time: 2 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 22 mins Yield: 8-10 servings

0 Pozole: Mexican Pork & Hominy Stew - Pressure Cook

Pozole, means 'hominy' and is a traditional Mexican stew or soup. Chock full of tender pork, large kernels of white hominy corn, is garnished with creamy bites of avocado, crispy tortilla strips and a wedge of lime. The soup base has all the flavors of a traditional red enchilada sauce.

I was first introduced to this soup by a good Hispanic friend who has lived in Mexico and has shared many of her authentic recipes with me. She knew the simple ingredients would be right up my alley and when I made it for a cooking demonstration, this Pozole was the one dish many raved about.

I converted my Pozole stove top recipe to use in my Instant Pot pressure cooker and found that it saved time and I felt that the meat was more tender.

TIP: Start with boneless pork shoulder or Country Style ribs, as they will be the most tender. Don't use pork loin, as it will be too dry and chewy.

Trim off the larger sections of fat, and cut the pork into 1" cubes. You don't want to cut them any larger, as larger cuts will take more time to cook and won't be as bite-sized for your guests.

Pat the meat dry with a paper towel. This will help brown the meat.

I find myself using my kitchen scissors more and more to cut meat. I feel it is so much easier than using a knife.

Select the browning/saute setting of your pressure cooker. Brown the meat on all sides, in two separate batches. 

TIP: When using stainless steel to brown meats, follow these steps:

• Put 1 tablespoon of oil into the cold pot. 
• Select Saute HIGH setting. 
• Wait until the oil begins to shimmer, or the Instant Pot displays HOT. 
• Add your meat and RESIST touching or stirring the meat too soon - if you do, the meat will stick. 
• Once the meat has browned, it will naturally release from the cooking surface. Set your browned meat aside.

Saute your onions, add your chili powder and minced garlic. Look for a dark chili powder. I like to use McCormick's Dark Chili Powder or try Ancho Chili Powder, which has a great, smokey taste and aroma.

TIP: Adding your spices along with the oil and heat will cause them to bloom, and be more fragrant.

Next, add just a touch of your chicken broth. It will steam, but settle down. Add the rest of the broth and deglaze* the pan. I like to use Better than Bouillon for chicken broth. It's so easy to mix and have on hand.

TIP - *Deglaze: When you have browned your meat, there are stuck on pieces of caramelized drippings (fond) that are stuck to the bottom of the pot. Pouring a liquid, such as broth, and scraping the bottom with tongs or a spatula helps remove the fond off the bottom. This is called 'Deglazing.'

If the fond is left stuck on the bottom of your pot, it can keep your cooker from reaching pressure.

Add your tomato sauce and your browned meat.

Close your pressure cooker, close the pressure valve, and select HIGH pressure for ZERO minutes. If your cooker doesn't go down to zero, select 1 minute.

At the end of the cook time, use a 15 minute natural pressure release. This means you leave the pressure valve alone, wait 15 minutes, and then open up the pressure valve to release any remaining pressure.

Open the pressure cooker, and add your drained hominy. Give it a gentle stir and let the soup heat the hominy for about 5 minutes.

Serve hot, garnish with diced avocado, tortilla strips, sour cream or shredded cheese and a wedge of fresh lime.

Enjoy!

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Pozole: Mexican Pork & Hominy Stew - Pressure Cook

by Frieda Franchina,  April-26-2018

Pozole means "hominy" and is a traditional Mexican soup full of tender cubed pork, hominy and set in a rich tomato based sauce that is similar to enchilada sauce. Use pork butt, shoulder, or country style boneless pork ribs as they will be more tender than leaner pork loin. Hominy can be found in the Hispanic/International aisle of most grocery stores.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless pork, trimmed & cut into 1" cubes (shoulder, butt, or country style ribs)
• 2 Tablespoons cooking oil, divided
• 1/4 cup diced onion (1/2 small onion)
• 3-5 Tablespoons Pasilla Chili Powder (the more you use, the more heat you will have)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups water + 2 teaspoons chicken paste (Better than Bouillon is what I use)
• -OR- 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 large (30 ounce) can of white hominy, drained

Instructions

1. Select Saute/High or Browning of your pressure cooker. Put 1 Tablespoon of oil into the cooker. When oil is shimmering or pot says HOT, put half of your meat into the cooker. Brown on all sides, about 4 minutes. Remove meat and repeat with other half of meat. Remove and set aside.2. Change Saute or Browning to a lower setting, if possible. Saute onions until softened, about 2 minutes. Toss in your chili powder and minced garlic, and stir until aromatic, about 1 minute..3. Slowly pour the chicken broth into the pot, being careful of the steam. Scrape the bottom of the pot to release any stuck on fond.4. Add tomato sauce, return browned meat to the pot and stir.5. Close the pressure cooker, close the pressure valve, Select HIGH pressure for ZERO minutes.6. At the end of the cook time, allow a 15 minute natural release.7. After the 15 minute natural release, carefully open the pressure cooker and stir in your drained hominy. Allow the residual heat of the soup to warm your hominy, about 5 minutes. Salt & pepper to taste. 
Serve hot, and garnish with fresh avocado, sliced radishes, sour cream, crispy tortilla strips and a wedge of fresh lime.

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time:  40 mins Yield: 6-8 servings

0 Cream Cheese & Chicken Salsa Tacquitos: Baked or Air Fried

Tacquitos use corn tortillas, filled with a combo of cream cheese, cheddar jack, and tender shredded chicken. In this recipe, they get their flavor from adding your favorite salsa. I used salsa verde, a green Mexican sauce made with tomatillos and chili peppers. Usually deep fried, these are baked in the oven or cooked in an air fryer for a crispy crunch.

These tortillas come together very quickly, using cooked & shredded chicken. I have used my own canned chicken, but I love the texture much better using my pressure cooker for shredded chicken. I can plunk in the chicken frozen and it will be ready in 30 minutes.
TIP: Using my stand mixer shreds the chicken in seconds!

TIP: Corn tortillas roll up better if they are softened. If they are not moist enough, the tortillas will split and crack. No biggie if they do, they'll still taste great!

There are a couple of ways to do this, and I like using my microwave.
Microwave: Put 5 tortillas on a microwave safe plate, cover with plastic wrap and warm them on High for 30 seconds. You can also wrap the tortillas in a damp paper towel and warm them in the microwave.
Oven: Brush each side lightly with cooking oil, wrap the tortillas in aluminum foil and put in the oven at 350°F for 15-20 minutes.
Stove: Dip the corn tortilla briefly in hot oil.

Mix the chicken, cream cheese, and salsa till combined. You can use any salsa that you love. This recipe uses about 1/2 can of this Herdez Salsa Verde, and you can add less or more to taste.

Use a 2T. cookie scoop to portion out the filling and place it on one end of the tortilla.

Roll the tortilla into a tight log, rolling all the way toward the end.

Place rolled tortilla seam side down on a baking sheet. Continuing process with the rest of the tortillas and meat filling.

Lightly spray or brush the tops with cooking oil.

At this point, you can bake them or freeze the tacquitos. To freeze, cover the baking sheet of tacquitos with plastic wrap and freeze for 2-5 hours. Once frozen, put tacquitos in a freezer baggie, label and date. Freeze for up to 4 months.

Bake in a 375°F oven for 15-20 minutes - rotate pan halfway through baking.

Making tacquitos gave me a chance to try my new Phillips Air Fryer!

I tested only a few, but it looks like you can fit 8 tacquitos in a single layer. I was impressed by how quickly they cooked and how crispy they were, all the way around.

Air Fryer: Spray the bottom of the air fryer basket. Put rolled tacquitos seam side down, in a single layer. Air fry the tacquitos at 375°-400°F  for 10-15 minutes till golden brown.

Serve hot, with salsa, guacamole and sour cream.

Tacquitos in the Air Fryer

Enjoy!

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Cream Cheese Salsa Tacquitos - Baked or Air Fried

by Frieda Franchina, adapted from Betty Crocker April-18-2018

A quick week night meal or appetizer comes together with cream cheese, your favorite salsa, and shredded chicken. Warming up your tortillas will help prevent them from cracking and splitting. Using a small 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop helps portion these quickly and easily. You can deep fry these, but I prefer to bake them in the oven or air fryer.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2-1/4 cup salsa, salsa verde
• 3/4 cup colby jack, shredded
• 18-20 (6 inch) corn tortillas
• oil or cooking spray

Instructions

1. Line a baking sheet with foil. Lightly grease the foil.2. In a bowl, combine the chicken, cream cheese, salsa and shredded cheese. Mix to combine well. Add more salsa to taste, if desired.3. Put 5 tortillas on a microwave safe plate and cover with plastic wrap. Heat on High power for 30-60 seconds. 4. Put 2 Tablespoons of meat mixture onto the warmed tortilla, near one edge, forming a line. Pick up edge of tortilla and fold it over the meat, press and pull back, forming a log. Roll the tortilla to the other end and put seam side down on the baking sheet. 5. Repeat process with reaming meat and tortillas. 6. Spray the tops of rolled tortillas with cooking spray or brush with oil. 7. Put baking sheet of tacquitos in a preheated 400°F oven for 15-20 minutes, turning pan half way during baking. AIR FRYER: Spray bottom of air fryer pan with cooking spray. Place tacquitos seam side down in pan, in a single layer. Set air fryer to 400° and bake for 10-15 minutes till golden brown and crispy. FREEZER: Tacquitos can be made ahead of time without baking them. Place rolled tortillas onto a baking sheet, seam side down, and cover with plastic wrap. Freeze till firm, and transfer tacquitos into a freezer baggie. Bake from frozen, using the same cooking times above.

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 35 mins Yield: 18-20 tacquitos

0 Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps - PF Chang Copycat

Chopped chicken in a sweet & tangy sauce with crunchy chestnuts are spooned onto a crisp iceberg lettuce leaf and enjoyed by hand. They are a popular menu item on P.F. Chang's, a well known restaurant chain that offers Asian culinary specialties. Their lettuce wraps is based on a family recipe secret that hasn't changed since it was first put on the menu.

There are many variations of this recipe, so this is one that is a combination of several recipes. It uses ground chicken, but you can take boneless, skinnless chicken and use a food processor, manual chopper or dice the meat after it has cooked. If you have a Pampered Chef chopper, that will work, too.

I have used my trusty Cuisinart food processor to chop pepperoni for my Manicotti tomato sauce, and for grinding pork/turkey for Swedish Meatballs. Chop up your meat and give it a couple of pulses and it's done. It's a great alternative to purchasing ground meat at the store. Purchasing your meat ground at the grocery store will save you time and dishes!

This recipe uses Hoisin sauce, a sweet, spicy sauce that is made from soybeans, vinegar, & spices. It is widely used in many Asian dishes and can be found in the Oriental aisle of your grocery store. You will also find rice wine vinegar there as well, which is included in this recipe.

Freshly grated ginger is SO wonderful in any recipe that calls for it, especially this one. I peel my ginger root, freeze it, and grate only what I need with my microplane/zester/grater. No thawing out necessary and once you try fresh ginger, you'll never go back to dried or powdered.

My boys love Sriracha sauce, a hot chili dipping sauce that is popular in Thailand/Vietnamese recipes and is a good addition here, if you like a little kick. It has the heat, but not nearly the level of vinegar that some other hot sauces have.

This recipe comes together very quickly, easily, and can be ready to enjoy in under 30 minutes.

Enjoy eating out at home!

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Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps - PF Chang Copycat

by Frieda Franchina, adapted from several recipes April-5-2018

Sweet & tangy sauce with ground chicken are spooned into a crisp lettuce leaf and enjoyed by hand. You can save time by purchasing ground chicken at the store. Hoisin sauce is a sweet, spicy sauce made from soybeans, vinegar, & spices and can be found in the Oriental section of your grocery store. Sriacha is a hot sauce that is optional.

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon cooking oil
• 1/4 cup (1 small) sweet onion, diced
• -or- 1 pound ground chicken
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, ground/diced
• SAUCE
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
• 1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon ginger, freshly grated
• 2-4 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup mushrooms, diced
• 1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6-8 large leaves iceberg lettuce, washed
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, add the cooking oil and onion, stirring until soft and translucent. 2. Add your ground or diced chicken and cook till browned, about 2 minutes.3. In a small bowl, combine hoisin, soy, & sriracha sauces, rice vinegar, ginger, and sugar. Mix well.4. Add sauce to meat mixture and stir. Add mushrooms, water chestnuts, and garlic, stir until heated through and aromatic. 5. Spoon chicken mixture onto a large, single lettuce leaf, cup into hands and enjoy!

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 10 mins Total time: 25 mins Yield: 4 - 6 servins

0 Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup: Pressure Cooker & Stove Top

One of the things I love to do at Costco is try their samples.  Roasted Red Pepper Tomato soup, by Pacific Foods, was one of the samples that I fell in love with. It had a mild sweet taste, so I decided to do my best to replicate it.

Roasted red peppers give tomato soup a sweet and smokey flavor, which balances out well with the acidity of the tomatoes.

You can roast your own peppers in the oven or over a gas stove flame, which I did with Anaheim Peppers in this post for Green Chicken Chili Verde, or you can grab a jar of roasted red peppers.

I love Better Than Bouillon for any recipe that calls for chicken or beef broth. It comes in a jar and is a paste made from real meat and juices. Once opened, I store it in my fridge and it lasts a very, very long time without going rancid. It comes in a roasted chicken flavor and reduced sodium as well as many other varieties.

Making this soup cuts down the cooking time in half and infuses all the flavors and spices in the soup. I like to saute my onions, garlic, and add the spices to "bloom" or intensify the flavors.

There is a touch of cayenne, which you can control the heat. I like just a 'pinch.'

I choose to use Smoked Paprika to continue the smokey flavors.

Adding the jar of roasted red peppers was so much easier than roasting, removing the charred skin, slicing, taking the seeds out, etc. etc.

Using an immersion blender is SO helpful! Stick it into the hot soup and blend away.

If you are using a stand blender, it is more helpful to strain and blend smaller batches.

To give this soup some body, I browned some butter and flour for a couple of minutes and scooped some tomato soup into the pan to dissolve.

Poured this mixture back into the soup and gave it a good stir.

This soup was really good, especially served with fresh Parmesan cheese and a dollop of sour cream.

My kiddos loved croutons in their soup and we had it the next day with grilled cheese sandwiches.

Enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup
1 tablespoon cooking oil (olive, canola, vegetable, etc)
1 onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed (Try roasted garlic!)
1 t. dried thyme
1/2 tablespoon dried basil
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
4 cups chicken broth (or 4 teaspoons of Better Than Bouillon + 6 cups water)
1-12 oz.  jar of roasted red peppers, not drained
1-28 oz. can of diced tomatoes, not drained

2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
Salt & pepper to taste
Sour Cream
Parmesan Cheese
Croutons

Pressure Cooker:
1. Turn pressure cooker on Saute Low or browning setting, add cooking oil.
2. Add chopped onions, stir, let cook for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add minced garlic, thyme, basil, paprika, pepper and sugar. Stir until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
4. Pour in chicken broth, making sure to scrape off the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
5. Add red peppers and diced tomatoes, do not stir. 
6. Close pressure cooker and close the pressure valve (set to sealing).
7. Cook high pressure for 5 minutes.
8. After timer beeps, allow a 5 minute natural release.
9. Open pressure valve, and when all pressure is released, open the lid.
10. Using an immersion blender, blend all of the vegetables.
        (or, strain and put veggies into a blender, with 1 cup of soup. Pour back into pot).
11. In a small saucepan, mix the butter and flour over med-low heat for 1-2 minutes.
Mix some hot tomato soup into the flour and stir till dissolved. Pour this mixture into the soup and stir well.
12. Set the pressure cooker on Saute Low or browning, stirring occasionally for about 5 -10 minutes.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Ladle into serving bowls and top with sour cream, cheese, and croutons.

Stove Top:
In a large pot, over medium heat, heat oil and onions until softened. Add garlic and seasonings, stirring until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Pour in chicken broth, red peppers, and tomatoes, stirring well. Cook over medium-low heat, uncovered, about 25 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree soup, or strain and blend the veggies with about 1 cup of soup broth in a blender. Return mixture to pot and stir well. In a small saucepan, over med-low heat, mix flour and butter for 1-2 minutes. Add 1-2 cups of soup and stir till dissolved. Add mixture back into soup. Bring to boiling over med-high heat, lower to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.