Monday, February 25, 2019

Sleepless but not in Seattle, Doctor's, Damaging Wind, First Instapot Meal

Been suffering a lot for inability to get to sleep lately. I read, somewhere, that Peppermint Tea was good for sleeplessness. So, I am trying it out. It seems to relax me enough to go to sleep, but Saturday night I woke at about 3 and couldn't get back to sleep again. I also read, Sunday morning, that you shouldn't eat ice cream around 4 hours before bedtime, nor dark chocolate. So, will try ice cream at lunch and see what happens. It doesn't help that I can hear my pulse clearly when I lay my head on my pillow. I hate that. Apparently that is tinnitis and has several possible causes. Luckily high blood pressure is not one of  them for me. As I seem to have had an allergy all day, problems with eustachian tube or hearing is most likely.

Tomorrow we both have to see the doctor. Next town unfortunately. Right opposite the Cannabis Office. Thursday is the Infectious Diseases Dept. Seems silly to me so long after the fact but what do I know?

The wind has been howling round this building all day, I don't know what it's strength is but I read that it is expected to be a "damaging" wind. I hope it will stop by tomorrow.

Some of you will be wondering whether I have tried my Instapot. I found this recipe. I cooked it Saturday night. I think I need to do a few alterations, but it ended up being a delicious meal. I think the cooking time was a tad long, I chose 5 minutes, and the glaze ended up somewhat sticky before I did anything to it. I chose 5 minutes cooking time - that seemed to take forever. One thing I didn't know, and it doesn't say in the recipe, after natural vent, you need to turn to venting before you can take the lid off.

Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin with Garlic Herb Rub

This Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin has a garlic herb rub that gives it INCREDIBLE flavour! Simply cook it in the pressure cooker with some chicken broth or add an easy 4 ingredient honey balsamic
glaze to make it extra special. An easy dinner recipe that is healthy, too! Cook from fresh or frozen.

1 cup low sodium chicken broth I used one cup and cooked for 5 mins. Liquid overcooked, next time will use 2 cups.
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 lb pork tenderloin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp black pepper

To Make the Glaze:
2-3 tbs  honey
1 Tbs ketchup
1 Tbs water
1 Tbs corn starch

Place trivet in the Instant Pot and add chicken broth and balsamic vinegar.

Trim silver skin from the side of the tenderloin. Cut in half and place on the trivet in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker.

 In a small bowl, combine garlic powder, parsley, seasoning salt, onion powder and black pepper. Sprinkle half over tenderloin in Instant Pot. Flip and sprinkle remaining seasoning over top.

Place lid on Instant Pot and turn the valve to sealing. Select Manual, high pressure (the default), and set timer to 7 minutes for fresh pork (10 minutes for partially frozen, or 13 minutes for frozen) -- for medium-well. If you like your tenderloin more on the rare side, 3-5 minutes is sufficient for fresh pork. 5 was too long for me. The meat was fine, the liquid almost dry.

When the cook time is done, turn the Instant Pot off and let pressure release naturally for 8-10 minutes. Then let it vent before you open the lid and remove the trivet with the pork on it and let rest for 5-10 minutes while you make the glaze. Do not drain the liquid. I didn't have any liquid after 5 minutes. Not sure, add more stock or use a lesser time.

To Make the Glaze:

Turn the Instant Pot to saute and add the honey and ketchup. Stir together the water and corn starch and whisk into the Instant Pot. Let simmer for 2-3 minutes until thick and bubbly. Taste and adjust seasoning or sweetness to taste.

Slice tenderloin and serve with glaze as desired.

Servings: 4

Author: Ashley Fehr
Source: Recipe Rebel

Have a great day
 

16 comments:

  1. Love my InstaPot but yeah, the CTP (come to pressure), time, the PC (pressure cook), time and the release time all take way more time than I see them claim on stuff.

    That release button, I once flipped it all the way over too soon and dang, what a mess. A mistake I hope to only make once.

    Great fun though. Glad you're playing with yours and making good foods. Here's to lots more fun and yum.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I did that with the release button Ivy but as I only had waster in the pot (testing) it scared me, but no mess.

      Delete
    2. Glad you didn't make a mess. Now .. I just let most food de-pressure by themselves now. So far, that works nicely though the rice I made today was taking long so I hit the button but it must have had like a second left because no more steam. So fun!

      Delete
    3. You are "playing" with yours more than I am Ivy. Unable to mess around in the kitchen like I used to.

      Delete
  2. I just learned that you shouldn't look at any screens - television, phone, etc. - before going to bed. Maybe that will help you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for that tip Alex. I am usually on the computer just before bed. Maybe I should try to organise that better.

      Delete
  3. Have you tried lavender oil for insomnia? A few drops on your pillow or even better diluted with an odourless oil like almond oil and dabbed on the temples and pulse spots on your neck is supposed to help. Seems to work for me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No Helen, I haven't. Must get some and give it a go.

      Delete
  4. I had peppermint tea before bed last night and slept well.

    It's a bitter wind here today despite the sunshine.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me too Diane, and I also slept well. A relief.

      Its a bitter wind here too, been blowing 48 hours now, plus snow. Not very nice.

      Delete
  5. That pork looks delicious. Wind is brutal here today. Woke me up a few times overnight and is supposed to continue until after dark today.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was delicious Susan. I should have added more stock however. II think the wind has finally stopped blowing. Three Cheers.

      Delete
  6. Instant Pot is really a misnomer. It's not a whole lot faster than other methods but the real winner for me is that you mostly just put everything, turn it on and walk away. The kitchen doesn't get too hot and cleanup is easy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It certainly does seem to be a misnomer Jan, but yes, putting everything in and walking away without generating too much heat in the kitchen seems like a very good idea, especially in summer.

      Delete
  7. We've had a lot of strong winds as well. Yay, the new pot works! I hope the dr appointments go well...

    ReplyDelete