Pillar & Post

This weekend we had a little mini getaway for hubby and I. This April will be our 10th year anniversary. We were married in 2008 April 26th. We were high school sweet heart and met in grade 10. With a blink of an eye, I Have known Neville for … wait.. I always have to calculate..2018 minus 1996.. we have known each other for 22 years!

After we got married, we had two girls who is now 8 years old and 6 years old. Crazy times!

Hubby booked us at the Pillar and Post Resort and Spa by Niagara on the Lake. Dinner at the Cannery Dining Restaurant. It’s more a vintage feel hotel, not the modern hotels I’m used to at Vegas. It’s a different feel and very nice.

We booked an early dinner at the restaurant. Food was unexpectedly awesome. The service was excellent and atmosphere was perfect. Because we were early, we had the dining area for ourselves in front of the fireplace.

Our appetizer was the beef and veggie soup, I had the baby lettuce salad. For the entree, Neville had the prime ribs and I had the salmon. Amazing taste. Finished off with what they call ” Black Forest” cake, but I think is really just a brownie. I was hoping for a Lava cake.

There is a hot fountain spa outdoors which we went to relax in after our dinner. If you wanted, you could book a massage, facial or other spa treatments.

Rooms were very spacious, I just didn’t like there was a little smell in the hallway. Wasn’t sure what it was.. but the room was fire. Our room also had its own fireplace. Very nice and cozy! Oh! And plus a Keurig coffee machine in the room.

It was a Very relaxing time!! And thank our kids for behaving so the grandparents are willing to look after them!

Visit their website for deals! Www.vintage-hotel.com. There are different promos for rooms and packages. There are a lot of nice winery around if you are a wine & cheese lover.

Instant Pot Easy Chicken and Brown Rice

I cannot believe how quickly time flies. December 1st already! I have the Christmas tree up an some interior decorations done, but outdoor lights will have to wait until I finish writing an exam.

It has been so busy with Christmas! Thankfully online shopping is amazing. I have been getting most of the present through online. And it helps where there is ebates.ca or Ebates.com depending on where you live.

I love getting cash back when you go through their site to purchase. Ebates have all the major stores such as Amazon, Target, Walmart, Indigo, Gap, Old Navy ..etc. Why not get some money when you shop? To open an account and start your cash back, you can click Here.

Another kids friendly recipe I made a few times was the Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker One Pot Chicken and Brown Rice recipe. It is very easy and My kids love it!

The recipe was adapted from SuperHealthyKids. All you need is the chicken (thigh or breast) ,chicken broth, cream of chicken, brown rice, and all the other veggies you would like to add. Put it in the pot and ready in 26 minutes.

Ingredients needed:

• 1 medium – onion

• 1 teaspoon of minced garlic

• 2 cup – carrots chopped

• 2 cup – mushrooms

• 2 cup – brown rice, raw

• 1 tablespoon – olive oil

• 2 1/4 cup – chicken broth, low-sodium

• 2 pound – chicken thigh, boneless, skinless

• 1/8 teaspoon – salt

• 1/8 teaspoon – black pepper, ground

• 10 ounce – soup, cream of chicken, canned

• 2 tablespoon – Worcestershire sauce

• 1 tablespoon – thyme, fresh

Directions:

1. Use the “sauté” button on Instant Pot.
2. Dice onion, mince garlic, and chop veggies.
3. Rinse and drain rice
4. When pot is “HOT,” add oil to pot and saute onions for 2 minutes. Press “cancel” to turn the saute setting off.
5. Mix veggies, garlic, rice, and broth into the pot. Place chicken on top, salt and pepper, then cover with cream of chicken soup and Worcestershire sauce.
6. Place 8-10 small sprigs of thyme into pot7. Seal the Instant Pot vent, and press “manual.” Use the “pressure” button to go to high pressure setting. Set the time for 26 minutes if you want firmer veggies and 31 minutes if you want soft veggies.

Once the pot is done cooking, you could let it sit for 15-20 minutes to naturally release pressure, or manual release . And there you have your own meal!

This is my go to recipe when I don’t have time to prep. Bon appetite!!!

Instant Pot Braised Pork Knuckle Dish

A few days ago, i decided to make Pork Belly Dish, my kids loved it and we did not have any left overs. Today, I found some Pork Knee (Knuckle) in the freezer and thought I would make similar dish that had the same sauce as the Pork Belly Dish. it is very easy to make. I steamed also some cauliflower and beans to go with it.

Instant Pot Braised Pork Knuckle

Course: Main Course

Servings: 4    Prep Time: 5 mins     Cooke Time:45 mins    Total Time: 50 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 pork knuckle cut into  pieces (about 1-1.5 kg)
• 1 inch of ginger cut into thin slices
• 3 green onions/scallions (use the green parts )
• 3  garlic cloves
• 4 boiled eggs
• 1 Tbsp neutral flavor oil (vegetable, canola, etc)

Seasonings:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup of mirin
• 1/2 cup of soy sauce
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

Instructions:

1. Gather all the ingredients
2. We will only use the green parts of the green onions. Cut the green parts in half. Peel the ginger and slice it thinly.
3. On the Instant Pot, press the “saute” button. Pour the seasoning into the pot (Add water, Mirin, Soy sauce and sugar). Mix the seasonings a little bit. Bring it to simmer.
4.  Add in the pork knuckle and Cook the pork knuckle for about 2 minutes. After, press the ” keep warm/cancel” button.
5.  Close and lock the lid. Make sure the steam release handle points at “sealing” and not “venting”. press the “meat/stew/button to switch to the pressure cooking mode. Cook under pressure for 30 minutes.
6. When it is finished cooking, the Instant Pot will switch to ” keep Warm” mode. Slide the steam release handle to the “venting” position to let out steam until the float valve drops down, OR let the pressure release naturally (takes about 15 mins). Unlock the lid
7. Discard the green onion and ginger. Add the boiled eggs. Press the “meat/Stew” button to decrease the cooking time to 10 minutes.
8. When it is finished, you can slide the steam release hand to the “venting” position to manually release. When the float valve drops down, unlock the lid.
9. Serve with rice and pour the sauce on top. Place the pork knuckle and egg. Add also some steamed cauliflower and beans. Serve immediately.

This dish almost reminds me of the ginger vinegar pork trott made for women after giving birth. SOooooo good!

 

 

 

 

Instant Pot Hainanese Chicken Rice

How to make Hainanese Chicken Rice with Instant Pot

I am loving my Instant pot, and starting to be proud of myself for cooking more. I know my husband and kids like Asian food more , therefore I am trying to find more recipes that they like. I am aiming for the dishes they order out in restaurants. If I can make the dishes, maybe we could eat out less, and it is healthier to eat at home anyway!

I have been following the Facebook Instant Pot Community. It’s a group of people who uses their instant pot and shares recipes. It’s wonderful to see a support group that have people from all over the world.

Everyone have been talking about the Hainanese Chicken. I decided to try it because my girls love the green onion ginger sauce. She can eat 2 bowls of rice herself if the sauce is available.

The recipe shared is from Jacky and Amy, Pressure Cook Recipes. The Hainanese Chicken dish is one of a national dish of Singapore. The dish adapted from early Chinese immigrants originally from Hainan province in southern China. It is also a popular dish in maylasia and Thailand. Lovely taste! Usually a whole chicken is used, but Jacky and Amy knew how busy our life is, so they used chicken leg instead to speed up the cooking process! It’s perfect for my life working full time, and driving 2 girls around to their extra-curricular classes.

In of the the steps, instructions are to plunge the chicken legs in ice cold water and rest on cooling rack. The reason is because that process wil help top the cooking process and firm up the skin.  The cold water was found to make the texture more delicious.  This is something new I have learned, and i guess that’s why many of the chicken dishes in Chinese restaurants, the chicken is served cold!

If you would like to make it an authentic dish, it is best to use “kampong” chicken. As you can see in my picture above, it doesn’t look like the original Hainanese Chicken. “Kampong” chicken really means that it’s chicken from the village. They get to be free and run around and eat whatever is there such as grass.  These chicken have an amazing “chicken” flavour.

Here in Canada, we call it “free range” chicken. It is the closest to Kampong chicken, but less skinny, and still runs free instead of being in a cage. I should have used this type of chicken for my dish, and the look of it would be better.

Instant Pot Hainanese Chicken Rice Recipe

Ingredients

Chicken

•  4 whole chicken legs (or “free range” chicken leg)
• 3  green onions, cut 2 inches long
• 1 shallot, roughly minced
• 6 cloves garlic, roughly minced
• 2 tablespoons ginger, sliced
• 1 ½ cup  water
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Rice

• 1 cup jasmine rice
• ½ cup chicken stock from the chicken legs pot
• ½ cup water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Chicken Stock Soup

• Remaining chicken stock
• Water
• Chopped green onions for garnish

Sweet Soy Sauce

• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
• ½ tablespoon chicken stock from the chicken legs pot
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 drops sesame oil

Green Onion Ginger Sauce

• 1 stalk green onions, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon ginger, grated
• 1 ½ tablespoon peanut oil, heated
• Salt to taste

Chicken Chili Sauce

• 2 tablespoons hot sauce
• 2 tablespoons ginger, grated
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 teaspoon chicken stock from the chicken legs pot

Tools Needed:

• Pressure Cooker /Instant Pot
• Fine mesh strainer
• Measuring cup

Let’s start cooking!

Steps:

1. Heat up your Instant pot by pressing Sauté.  The indicator will say HOT.
2.  Pour in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the green onions, minced shallot, minced garlic and sliced ginger, then sauté for about 2 minutes.
3.  Pour in 1 ½ cup of  water and deglaze the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add 1 tablespoon of sea salt to the water mixture in the pot and mix well. Place the chicken legs into the pot. Close lid and pressure cook at High Pressure for 8 minutes. Then turn off the heat and use Natural Release for about 10-15 minutes.
4.  Open the lid and carefully remove the chicken legs from the pot. It is easier to use a pair of kitchen tongs. Place the chicken legs in an ice bath or place it under running cold tap water. Then, place them on a metal cooling rack to firm up the skin.

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1. Pour the chicken stock through a strainer to filter out the ingredients. Mix ½ cup of chicken stock and ½ cup of water in a mixing bowl. Check to make sure it is not too salty as it will be used to cook the chicken rice with it.
2. Heat up your clean pressure cooker by pressing the  Sauté button, pour in one tablespoon of olive oil and sauté 2 cloves of minced garlic in the pot. Add in a cup of jasmine rice and immediately add in the 1 cup chicken stock + water mixture. Close lid and pressure cook at High Pressure for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and fully Natural Release for  10 minutes.
3.  Place the freshly grated ginger in a small bowl. Pour in 1 ½ tablespoon of HOT peanut oil, 1 stalk of finely chopped green onions and mix well. Add salt to taste.
4.  Mix all the listed ingredients together to make the Sweet Soya Sauce.

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1.  Mix all the listed ingredients together to make Chilli Chicken Sauce.
2. You can use the chicken broth as it is both tasty and healthy. Heat the chicken stock in a sauce pan. Bring it to a light boil. Garnish with chopped green onions and serve on the side.

I hope you enjoyed it as much as my family did!!

I made some and packed it for lunch to eat at work. =)

how to make instant pot hainanese chicken rice. delicious!

Instant Pot Gamjatang (Pork Bone Soup)

I love Korean food , and I crave for it everyday.  During Winter months, tofu stew and gamjatang is the best meals to have. So I decided to use my Instant pot and make  Gamjatang , recipe adapted from HelloJaniceBakes.

You might have been hearing a lot of people talking about Instant Pot. What is it?

Instant Pot is a Canadian brand. They designed their Programmable Pressure Cooker with the objective of being safe and convenient.  This pressure cooker helps you make the most of your time in the kitchen.

The one I have is model IP-Duo60, 6qt-7 in 1 cooker. It’s on sale now for $79CAD!

The 6quarts 7 in 1 cooker means it features 7 ways to cook plus 14 built smart programs that let you choose your dish with the push of a button.

You can use it as a pressure cooker, sauté/browning, slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, warmer and yogurt maker!

I know many people who bought more than one instant pots and replaced many of their kitchen appliances with it. It’s definitely safe  and dependable as it has 10 foolproof safety mechanisms. A relieve for a paranoid person like me!!! After using it a few times, i got comfortable with it and it’s really no big deal!

Here is the recipe for making the GamJaTang:

I am sorry I don’t have paragraph by Paragraph description of how to make a dish. In my opinion, when I go on a page for recipe, i  usually like to scroll straight down to the ingredients and directions on how to make the dish. I don’t know why there has to be pages and pages of information written on the page…i don’t usually read the whole page. That is why for mine, i just write out the recipe directly.

Just as a tip,  I  find that the taste is better on the 2nd day after making the Pork Bone Soup. The spices and flavors are soaked in the Napa cabbage, the potatoes, and it is more flavorful. So If you have left overs, reheat again on the instant pot and it has so much more flavor! I love it!

Instant Pot Pork Bone Soup (Gamjatang)

4-6 Servings

Total time needed to make this recipe: Approx 2 hours including prep and cooking.

 Pork Bone Broth

• 2.5-3 pounds of pork neck bones
• 1 oz ginger sliced
• 2 tablespoons doenjang (Korean soybean paste)
• 1 medium onion sliced
• 1 tablespoon dried chili flakes
• 6 cups water
• 12 oz napa cabbage sliced lengthwise
• 3 medium potatoes peeled
• 4 green onions washed and cut 2in long
• 1 green onion chopped for garnish

Seasoning Paste

• 6 garlic cloves minced
• 3 tablespoons gochugaru (Korean hot pepper flakes)
• 1 tablespoon gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup water

Directions

1. 1. Soak pork bones for a minimum of 30 mins.
      
   2. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Blanch the pork bones for 7 minutes.
   3. Strain the bones and rinse each bone under cold water. Place the bones into the Instant Pot.
   4. Add in ginger, Korean soybean paste, onions, dried chili flakes, and 6 cups of water until ingredients are just covered.

       
   5. Pressure cook on Manual at high pressure for 30 minutes. Natural release for 20 minutes.
   6. While the broth is cooking, make the seasoning paste. Combine garlic, Korean hot pepper flakes, Korean hot pepper paste, fish sauce,  ground black pepper and 1/4 cup water. Stir to combine.
   7. After natural release, open the lid, and Add the seasoning paste,  potatoes, bean sprouts, Napa cabbage, green onions in the pot.

1.       8. Pressure cook on Manual at high pressure for 5 minutes. Immediately quick               release.

               9. Serve with chopped green onion as garnish.

10. Serve with rice.

Pork Bone Soup ..My bowl of rice is not in the picture. You also have an option of using purple rice.

GamJaTang