That Instant Pot Again, Travel Costs,

Monday I goofed somewhat - I decided to make Macaroni and Cheese and to use the delay timer. My math has never been very good, eventually I had to turn the timer off otherwise we would have been eating very late. Then I misread the recipe (will publish it tomorrow) and chucked all the ingredients into the pot, but I wasn't supposed to add the milk and cheeses until the macaroni had cooked. Duuh. As it turned out it was very good, but some of the cheese had stuck to the bottom so I currently have the dish in soak. I was very pleased with it and have enough for a second supper. Even though I was soaking it. the bottom of the inner pot was pretty bad. I Googled and found a recommendation for dish soap, water and baking soda. Didn't have any baking soda so I used Calgon (water softener) pressure cooked for 3 mins and then learned another lesson, this all went foamy (of course) and it is not a good idea to vent. There's lots of tips about foamy rice and such, but did I think of it, nooooo. However, I won't forget again. Quite a learning curve on these Instapots. Or you shouldn't give one to dummies like me LOL. No comments thank you. The end is, the pot is now brilliantly clean once more. Phew!

I have ordered a replacement ring, just in case, and a silicone storage lid. I watched a YouTube video and the storage lid is useful for filling up your inner pot and then saving for later or the next day. I also discovered one of my regular saucepan lids works fine for when I am sautéeing rather than having to buy one. Ivy, you are costing me money LOL! So far I am thrilled with my new toy and if you are thinking of getting one it would be my recommendation to do so. The 3 qt is plenty big enough for the two of us so far and just fits nicely into a space on my countertop. My only problem is having four things which use the same plug so we are forever changing one thing or another. I couldn't find a double plug of the right size. In case you are wondering, coffee pot, toaster oven, Instant Pot and Plate Warmer. The latter we can always put on the dining table and plug in there.

My legs having been giving me trouble the last few days, so what do I do Monday evening, decide to pickle some onions. Admittedly I did sit down to cut the onions. However, two nice jars full for me to munch on later.

As I told you, it cost us $40 to travel to the hospital by cab and back. Being Saturday, one can't get a ride. However, just received our bill for two trips to St. Mary's (there and back) about the same distance, and it cost us $13.39, some difference!! I will have to smack Matt upside the head if he decides to need the hospital at the weekend. Mind you parking would have cost us around $12, so that only leaves an extra $8 so I guess not that bad.

This was the recipe I intended to cook on Saturday night but ended up cooking Sunday.

Instant Pot Deli-Style Roast Beef

3 1/2 lb eye of round beef roast
1 12 oz  bottle dark beer (or red wine which is what I used)
1/2 cup Dijon mustard (I used dry English Mustard - by mistake but it worked)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper (coarsely ground)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbs vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups beef stock

1. Gather the ingredients.

2. Pat the beef dry with paper towels; place it in a large container or sealable plastic bag.

3. In a bowl, combine the beer, mustard, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Whisk to blend the ingredients thoroughly.

4. Pour the marinade over the eye of round roast and seal the bag or cover the container tightly. Refrigerate the beef for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. Just before cooking, remove the roast from the bag and pat it dry. (Don't) Discard the marinade.

5. Select the sauté function setting on the Instant Pot and add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the roast, and sear it on all sides. Searing will take approximately 10 minutes (took longer than that). Remove the roast to a plate and set it aside.

6. Place the trivet in the Instant Pot and add 1 1/4 cups of beef stock. The legs on the trivet will keep the roast above the liquid. (Make sure the meat is centred, my trivet tipped over) (This is where I added some of the marinade to the liquid)

7. Lock the lid in place and ensure the vent is in the "sealing" position. Choose the manual button (or pressure cook button), low pressure, and set the time to 4 minutes. When the cooking time is up, do not remove the lid. Leave the roast in the Instant Pot for 35 minutes (it will automatically switch to the "keep warm" setting). You can always extend the "keep warm" time if the roast temperature registers too low. (Be sure of the weight of your meat, mine was less than specified so I overcooked it slightly)

8. Remove the lid and check the temperature with an instant-read thermometer; it should read approximately 115 F for rare and about 120 F to 125 F for medium rare. The temperature will rise as it rests. If it is too low, place the lid back on the pot and keep it on the warm setting for 5 to 10 minutes longer.

9. Remove the roast to a cutting board or platter and tent it loosely with foil. Let the beef rest for 15 minutes before carving. (At this point I mixed two tsp. Bisto with a little water, turned the pot back to Sauté and added the Bisto, made a delicious gravy.)

10. Slice your deli-style roast beef thinly for sandwiches or serve it as a main dish. Enjoy!

Yield: 8-10

Source: The Spruce Eats

Have a great day