Under Pressure

Yep, I did it. I splurged and bought an electronic pressure cooker! IP for shorthand.

Y'all know I have a kitchen gadget obsession.  The IP is now being distributed via Target. I scored a great deal. On sale for $99.95 (before tax), an additional 10 % instant rebate, 5% for using my Target debit card and a $10 rebate. Woot!

Soooo shiny!

I have had a cook top pressure cooker and I have a pressure canner. This electronic IP is AMAZING. No more rumbling, jiggling weight. It has several safety features built in. It is so easy to use.

The first thing I did after un-boxing my IP--after giggling and doing a little jig--was to wash all the parts and read every piece of literature that came with the IP. Next, a quick visit to the website to  watch the tutorial video. Only then did I set it up and perform the pressure test. Everything worked like a charm!

The first night I made beef vegetable soup. I sauteed the semi-frozen  diced stew beef  (12 oz beef in 1 TBS oil)) in the IP. IN THE POT! My crock pot doesn't have that function.  Next I added 1  (15oz) can of low sodium beef broth, 1 (8 oz)  can tomato sauce, 1 can (8 oz) diced tomatoes, 1 can of water (15 oz), 1 teaspoon of better than bouillon vegetable base,  1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1 frozen bag  (12 oz) soup vegetable mix, and 2 bay leaves. After a quick stir, closing the IP, I selected the Soup function, high pressure, and set the timer for 35 minutes. Natural release (NR) for 20 minutes.  The meat was falling apart tender, perfect vegetables, great flavor.

The 2nd night I made soup beans and ham. I did soak my beans overnight as per my usual method. I sauteed 1 cup mirepoix and 8 oz diced ham  in 1 tsp bacon grease. I added 4 cups hot water, my soaked/ rinsed beans, seasoned with 2 bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon Penzey's Sunny Paris, and 1/2 teaspoon Chicago .  Placed the lid, turned the lever to seal,  Pressed the Bean/ Chili button, high pressure, set the timer to 35 minutes and walked away. 10 Minutes NR, then quick release.  My beans were finished in 35 minutes. Absolutely perfect texture with an earthy, slightly salty/ sweet and smokey flavor.

Country style pork ribs. I sauteed the season ribs (Penzey's Chicago seasoning) in 2 tsp oil, covered the ribs in sliced onions. Added  3/4 cup water w/ a shot of honey bourbon and 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (ACV). I selected Meat/Stew, high pressure for 40 min. I used a honey bourbon mustard glaze and baked it in the oven for 15 min (400°F). I served it with a salt and pepper crusted potato and a side of broccoli slaw. The ribs were fall off the bone, melt in your mouth tender..

Chicken & dumplings-1 pound boneless, skinless trimmed chicken thighs (whole, semi-defrosted) sauteed in 1 teaspoon butter, 2 cups water, and 1 heaping tablespoon Better than Bouillon Roasted Chicken base. I selected Meat/Stew, HP 8min/NR 10min/QR. Use 2 forks to pull the chicken into rough cubes/ thick shred. I added 1 cup mirepoix (frozen), 2/3 cup peas & carrots (frozen), 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, 1 cup water, and1 bag of Reames dumpling noodles (frozen). I gave it a quick stir, selected Soup, HP 10 min and NR 20min I had to go to the grocery for milk, ha. Opened it up when I came home, gave it a quick stir, added some pepper and it was perfect!

I always thought I was a decent cook, now I feel like an amazing cook. Apparently you can make lasagna, hard boiled eggs, baked bread and make a cheesecake in the IP. As well as a kazillion other things. There are several online communities around the pressure cooking. It is almost cult-like, haha.  Best kitchen gadget purchase ever!

©My Cozy Little Farmhouse 2009-current. Unauthorized use and/ or duplication without written permission from blog author/ owner is prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used provided acknowledgement is given to My Cozy Little Farmhouse, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

New Stuff

I could have sworn I had written a post about this. Apparently I forgot to tell y'all, but I have new appliances. Well, a  new stove and dishwasher. The refrigerator will be soon--not soon enough though! My sister moved into a condo with white appliances and she had a brand new black refrigerator that didn't sell with her house. The builder wouldn't switch the appliances to black, so we bought them from her (mid July).  This is the first time in all the years the hubbs and I have been together, that I have kitchen appliances never used by anyone else. They aren't fancy but I really like how the  white appliances provide an uninterrupted visual line with the  white cabinets in my kitchen.

The new stove is a glass top. Aesthetically it is beautiful, all shiny and clean lines. Although the OCD me freaks out at all the smudges, smears and spots. A big reason as to why I don't have stainless steel appliances. Such a big difference from the old (and I do mean old, >20 yrs) coil top electric stove.  I love the oven, because it has convection capability. It has been a slight learning curve using the glass top. I really wanted a gas cooktop but, oh well, that is a someday dream.

One thing I found out about using a glass top is all cookware needs to be smooth bottomed.  My 21 quart waterbath canner has a concave bottom. It is one of those old speckled enamelware pots. We found it tucked in the very back of the kitchen cabinet when we bought our house in 2000. Who knows how long it had been in use prior to that. The previous owners lived here for 55 yrs. So it  was time to retire the old water bath canner.

Our date day this past Saturday was to Rural King (the romance is real). Long story short, I was going to pass on the canner I found because of the price but the hubbs strong armed me into buying it. It was kinda pricey ($79.99) but then I found it normally retails for $100. So now I have a very sturdy, flat bottomed, stainless steel water bath canner. Bonus is the canning rack from the old canner fits the new one. And wow wee does this hold the heat!  My favorite thing with the new canner is the clear lid so I can see what is going on with my jars.

So shiny!

 I already  broke it in canning salsa. I had a really good harvest of tomatoes this weekend. So I put the new waterbath canner to good use. I canned 9 pints of salsa and ended up with 2 & 3/4 quarts of a beautiful red sauce.

8 lbs of nekkid tomatoes, with another 11 lbs to go for sauce

Salsa in progress of cooking down and of course-a taste test

This sauce was AMAZING! I used fresh herbs from my garden-basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary. I seasoned with some salt, pepper, minced garlic and onion. OOOHWEEE, so good!

So far the new water bath canner (and stove) seem to be going well. I have, possibly an irrational fear, I am going to ruin or break my stove. By scratching it or dropping something.

Or break it because of too much weight--which is why I have not yet used the pressure canner on the glass cooktop.

Because we have all seen the pressure canner/ glass cooktop fiasco on Snopes, right?

Yeah, so I am kind of petrified... I mean imagine all the weight of the pressure canner, filled with quart jars...

Does anyone out there use their glass cooktop to pressure can?  I really need advice.

©My Cozy Little Farmhouse 2009-current. Unauthorised use and/ or duplication without written permission from blog author/ owner is prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used provided acknowledgement is given to My Cozy Little Farmhouse, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Oh so shiny

Y'all know I am obsessed with kitchen stuff.

Well my overpriced cookware  (Zwilling J.A. Henkels) bit the dust. All that money and only a 2 year warranty. BAH!!  Never again will I spend so much money on cookware. So I decided to go with stainless steel. No teflon, no ceramic coating, just going back to basic (not including my cast iron) cookware. 

BEHOLD!!

Shiny new cookware....aaahhhh, it makes me so happy!

Not only is it shiny, I scored a FANTABULOUS deal!  (Much MUCH cheaper than my other set)

Oh yeah, look at the retail price, now

If I were paying retail it would be $208.13, holy sticker shock!  I saved 75% (including tax).  I bought my new cookware at Macy's (hello magic plastic, haha). Sale + a 25% off coupon.  Woot!

What good deals have you scored recently?

Home is wherever you are...

This is the towel currently on display in my kitchen. The sentiment has taken on additional meaning in light of the global tragedies we have witnessed in the past few weeks.  Life is fraught with many unknowns and far to precious to squander. Let go of the unimportant minutia cluttering your brain and celebrate  your moments with those meaningful people in your life.

I have a deep ingrained sense of home. My childhood was less than stellar. It is only something I have only recently begun to speak about. We moved several dozen times while I was in elementary school, there was a bout or 2 of homelessness (sleeping in the car or floor surfing at a relatives house) and my sisters and I spent a short time in foster care.  Therefore the very connotation of HOME equals stability and is the place I feel safe. I think given my history, it is why I am a homebody and always prefer to putter around my house as opposed to going out to socialize.

My nesting continued over the last couple weekends, as I have been cleaning, cooking, baking canning and organizing. Maybe I am settling in for a long winter's hibernation, ha!

I am continuing my foray into baking bread. I have managed to make some really decent oat bread. I dipped my fingers in the whole grain bread making arena. Um, it wasn't as successful as I had hoped.

Wheat Bread

I followed the directions. The bread sounded hollow when thumped but felt heavy. After cooling, when I cut into into the loaf, the bread had a wet dough ring. So I sliced and cubed all of it, lightly toasted/ dried in the oven and combined  with all the other breads to make home stuffing. I have 4 bags in the freezer ready to go.

The rye bread was slightly dry, somewhat  chewy crust but had excellent flavor and aroma. I served it toasted and it was quite flavorful.

Rye Bread

Oh well, at least there is chocochip banana bread. My banana bread was perfect. Banana bread never disappoints me.

Banana Bread

My daughter gave me her kitchen aid stand mixer. it is the Kitchenaid 550HD Professional with bowl lift. Insert Tim "The Tool Man" grunt and more power! HAHA

 Do y'all have any idea how much I wanted one? Only for 20 years! I broke it in right away making Julia Child's Basic White bread.  It looks awfully pretty on my counter top,  hehe. Is there anything better than the yeasty sweet smell of pillowy soft dough?

This recipe is enough for 2 loaves. I separated the dough after the 1st rise. I baked 1 and froze the 2nd shaped loaf for later use.

I had a major oops, when my shelf fell off the wall and busted my pasta jars. Insert a big ol' frownie face! It was a mess! No major damage to the cabinets, counter top or floor.  The shelf has been reinstalled with much sturdier wall anchors and less weight on the shelf.

My brother-in-law (BIL) installed baseboard, window casing and door trim, YAY!  Look how amazing the this entry looks now compared to the before. No more crooked door frame! There was alot of fancy cutting to make the door frame look square and true.


Once the old door frame was built out to match the new wall, the hubbs pounded a 12 inch wide board into place for the jamb --wow, was that loud!-- it was nailed in place,  then the door casing was installed with a 1/4 inch reveal.

The window casing looks nice and the BIL gave me a nice depth on the window sill to hold a bud vase or 2. And now that the window has been trimmed out I can finally work on the window treatment.

I need to putty the nail holes, prime the jamb and paint all the casing. I am so excited because there is only ONE major project left from the kitchen project list  remaining which is to install the new kitchen entry door (hardware, kickplate and trim work). I am still undecided about installing a tile backsplash. So I guess that is 1 & 1/2 projects. My kitchen is at 99% completion. Woohoo! Fingers crossed if the weather holds, this will be finished by Christmas.

This will be our 1st Thanksgiving using the kitchen but I don't expect any issues. Remember, I was up and cooking in the kitchen for Christmas last year.  We may be inching along but we are still chipping away at the house project list.

Well that is all the news from our homefront. How are y'all doing?

From Crap-tastic to Can-tastic! (Closet Makeover #2)

Y'all...I have too much stuff. Too much stuff to do and far too many things in my house.

 The closet in my dining room was pretty full before we had begun the kitchen remodel. When we did begin the remodel even more stuff was shoved into this closet. I am surprised it didn't implode, tearing a hole in the time space continuum...oh wait--wrong story... Regardless it was a terrible-no-good-horrible secret. Out of sight out of mind. Until the day the dog chased my cat, who jumped in the closet to get away from said dog, and there was an avalanche of stuff. It was bad. REALLY bad. I could no longer ignore the totes, bags, boxes and piles of random stuff. It was time to clean and organize.

There was stuff shoved in canvas shopping bags and plastic totes filled with an assortment of things, from xmas decor, school supplies,pictures, craft supplies, missing tools, and china settings.

There was a pile of just random stuff--house decor, 1 bag of papers and junk mail (from 2012), an assortment of hardware, and dog grooming stuff.

Canning jars

An entire basket of spray paint, a bag of winter scarves/gloves, xmas wrapping paper, the tub of linoleum adhesive, and a basket with the portable heater. Jeez.

I also found (not pictured) an unopened food dehydrator, an extra iced tea maker, an extra blender and my never used set of xmas dishes. What can I say?  It is a good sized closet and I was REALLY good at Tetris, heh.

I am rather embarrassed by this but at least it clean and organized now. I spent 7 hours--HOURS--cleaning, sorting and purging stuff.  There were several sort piles--garbage, recycle, donate and keep. All the xmas items were combined in tote, labelled and the hubbs moved it to the basement/cellar/dungeon. I repacked all of the china, using more plastic to cushion all the pieces, labelled the tote and it too was taken downstairs. I tried to combine like items and returns things to the proper storage. Like, all the tools. Especially the ones I swore to the hubbs I didn't have in my possession. Moving on...

I now have a canning and kitchen overflow storage closet.  Items which only get used a few times a year--like the xmas dishes, my replacement dishes and glasses-- are stored on the top shelf. The bottom 3 shelves are for items used more frequently, such as kitchen overflow (stockpots) and canning supplies.


I am pleased with the results.  My stuff is in close proximity to the kitchen. The semi-opaque totes make it easy to see the contents of each tote, and the totes have wheels! Maybe someday when I am feeling ambitious, I will paint and cover the shelves. However for now it serves its intended purpose.

What do y'all think?

The last of the shiny stuff and other random things

Or what I like to call the oopsie edition.

I am down to the last 3 totes of kitchen stuff, so... hooray for that! But I do have some perplexing things that I just can't explain. When unpacking my brand new dishes that I had purchased in July last year-which had been unpacked, wrapped in towels and stored in a rubbermaid tote--you know, to keep them safe--I noticed I didn't have any broken dishes. I had a missing dessert plate! How does that happen? I have no ideal. I have gone through all the remaining totes at this point and it is not to be found. I am also missing 1 area area rug, a box of my miscellaneous coffee mugs (or muglies as my kid would call them), and 2 of my cast iron skillets.  It isn't like I have a ginormous house or garage but this stuff is just...gone. Weird, huh?

So all the shiny stuff has been installed...all the cabinet hardware and the light fixture. Yay!!

There was a MAJOR oopsie when the hubbs was installing a cabinet knob. He began drilling in the wrong spot. I damn near had an apoplectic fit. The door had to be flipped upside down and hinges moved to the opposite side...Siiighhh.

Fortunately a little wood putty and some matching paint will take care of it. We still need to adjust the door a little bit, or I should say the hubbs needs to because I have absolutely NO patience for it.

Unlike my waistline, my kitchen remodel list is shrinking, yahoo! The majority on the list is either on hold due to budget or waiting for Spring weather. My window treatment had to be redone because I didn't like the fabric I had selected after all. No worries the fabric I purchased  can be repurposed for quilting. My DIY art project is coming along nicely. It is not difficult or time consuming but I have only had a few minutes intermittently to work on it.  It is mostly all about the pretty stuff and accessorizing. The good thing is I can shop my hoard stash chatchkes and bric-a-brac-- so no additional cost  is involved.

To see the original list  click here 

• REPAIR THE EXTERIOR WALL FROM INSTALLING A SMALLER WINDOW--IN PROGRESS On hold due to budget and weather. This is now moved to Spring.
• Install sink (part of the counter top fabrication) DONE!!
• Plumbing! DONE!!
• Install garbage disposal DONE!!
• Paint and install the new entry door On hold due to weather. This is now moved to Spring.
• Purchase door hardware--DONE!!
• Install door hardware, including kick plate On hold due to weather. This is now moved to Spring.
• Add a peephole to the door since it is windowless On hold due to weather. This is now moved to Spring.
• Trim work (doors, the window, baseboards, crown molding and cabinet toe molding) On hold due to budget
• Purchase  additional tile for back splash--expanded project (aka scope creep), now need to tile sink aside and food prep/ cook side On hold due to budget
• Install tile back splash On hold due to budget
• Purchase shelves for open shelving storage between wall cabinet and pantry, as well as, above the sink. DONE!
• Install shelves DONE!
• Install the refrigerator DONE!
• Install the stove DONE!
• Purchase end panel for dishwasher installation--DONE!!
• Purchase and install a dishwasher--DONE!
• Purchase and install cabinet hardware----DONE!
• Purchase ceiling medallion--DONE!
• Install the ceiling medallion and chandelier--DONE!
• Decide on window treatment--DONE!!
• Order and SEW fabric for window valance/ curtains/ shade--IN PROGRESS
• Paint  mobile island/ cart and purchase/ DIY 1 or 2 kitchen stools Sadly there will be no island or bar stools due to space constraints
• DIY some wall art --IN PROGRESS
• Accessorize--IN PROGRESS
• Cook, bake and ENJOY the finished kitchen!

So...what is next??

The next project on the list is the dining room. I know I said we were gonna wait  but there will be (hopefully) minimal cost. The biggest cost will be leveling the floor and installing the vinyl flooring. I know it isn't a typical choice for a dining room but it is also the main entry to my house and there is a lot of traffic, so I want something easy to clean. I am going to repaint the entire room. I have a new light fixture which was FREE and it is GORGEOUS!  There is a repurposed furniture project planned for the dining room, I may try to make slipcovers for my 2 parson's chairs and I need to reupholster the 2 arm chairs. Oh and paint the table base. And organize the storage closet in the dining room. HAHA--so lots of things to keep me busy.

What is on your to-do list?

My Cozy Kitchen

When I last posted, we had installed the stove. I have the functional part of the kitchen finished. Now it is time for the finish details and make it pretty!

 I have a corner that is looking pretty darn good. My beautiful Chicago Cutlery knives/ block and bamboo cutting board are not only functional but they look nice too! I have  a command hook mounted on the side of the cabinet (above the knife block) to hang this cutting board when not in use, since it is rather large. I used the 5 lb heavy duty hook and it holding just fine. 

We still need to touch up the wall-meets-ceiling paint, add the painted trim around the window and finish installing the cabinet hardware. But this little corner? I LOVE it!

The shelves turned out better than I had envisioned. Of course, I am certain I will probably rearrange stuff a few (dozen) or more times, until I find just the right look.  Ha   

I had just enough space above the cabinets to display a few favorite things...It is interesting to see a vintage (large jar) Ball blue jar next to the reproduction (small jar); My thrift store find wooden dough tray; The rusty metal basket with vintage and reproduction milk bottles, as well as,  the stoneware crock.

The wooden recipe box was the hubb's woodshop project when he was in 6th grade. The birdcage "recipe" holder is actually a repurposed memo/ picture holder. I think I may give this a light rub of teal or vintage green paint for added interest. And I am super excited to have my glass jars out for storage. Functional and pretty!

The one new accessory is the cookbook holder. I bought it at Tractor Supply almost 2 years ago. It is a chicken wire mesh and with a wooden rolling pin on the front.

I even managed to tuck in my bakers rack next to the pantry cabinet. Then hung some artwork on the side of the pantry. No more big, blank expanse of white. I ended up swapping the artwork out for the Coffee and Tea canvas prints. I am telling y'all, command hooks are the best invention ever!


This weekend the hardware goes in, the paint gets touched up and fingers crossed the center light fixture will be installed.

Oh Yeah, I almost forgot to mention but I am working on my DIY art project and it is sooo cute! It involves scrapbook paper and modge-podge. Here is a sneak peek of the patterns/ colors.


What are you working on?

To see the original list  click here 

• REPAIR THE EXTERIOR WALL FROM INSTALLING A SMALLER WINDOW--IN PROGRESS On hold due to budget and weather. This is now moved to Spring.
• Install sink (part of the counter top fabrication) DONE!!
• Plumbing! DONE!!
• Install garbage disposal DONE!!
• Paint and install the new entry door On hold due to weather. This is now moved to Spring.
• Purchase door hardware--DONE!!
• Install door hardware, including kick plate On hold due to weather. This is now moved to Spring.
• Add a peephole to the door since it is windowless On hold due to weather. This is now moved to Spring.
• Trim work (doors, the window, baseboards, crown molding and cabinet toe molding)
• Purchase  additional tile for back splash--expanded project (aka scope creep), now need to tile sink aside and food prep/ cook side On hold due to budget
• Purchase shelves for open shelving storage between wall cabinet and pantry, as well as, above the sink. DONE!
• Install tile back splash On hold 
• Install shelves DONE!
• Install the refrigerator DONE!
• Install the stove DONE!
• Purchase end panel for dishwasher installation--DONE!!
• Purchase and install a dishwasher--DONE!
• Purchase and install cabinet hardware--IN PROGRESS
• Purchase ceiling medallion--DONE!
• Install the ceiling medallion and chandelier
• Decide on window treatment--DONE!!
• Order and SEW fabric for window valance/ curtains/ shade--IN PROGRESS
• Paint  mobile island/ cart and purchase/ DIY 1 or 2 kitchen stools Sadly there will be no island or bar stools due to space constraints
• DIY some wall art --IN PROGRESS
• Accessorize--IN PROGRESS
• Cook, bake and ENJOY the finished kitchen!

Now you're cooking!

Well actually, I am cooking with electric, not gas. That is ok because NO MORE single burner hotplate!

When I posted the last update on the kitchen remodel- I was waiting on the hubbs to install the stove.  I wasn't home when the hubbs drilled through my floor and ran the line for the stove. My daughter harassed me into going shopping. I am pretty sure this was a diversionary tactic to control my neurotic impulses regarding this project. Either that or the hubbs bribed the kid to keep me away from making him crazy, haha!

There is hole in my new vinyl flooring...sniffle

The hubbs scrubbed the stove inside and out for me prior to moving it back in the house. Hello, my old friend how I have missed you...

Would it be weird if I hugged my stove?

My stove is  oooollldddd!  It was used when it became "new to us" 5 years ago. Based on the serial number/ id plate it was manufactured in 1998.  We know we need to update it sooner vs. later because the storage drawer is rusting out, the enamel is chipped in a few spots  and definitely shows it's age. Fortunately I have the hubbs to replace oven elements, terminal blocks, and stovetop burners to keep it going.

As you can see there is a black and white appliance mish mash. While I am not overly fond of it, the overall effect isn't horrible.

When the microwave needs to be replaced it will be changed to white. Also when we upgrade the stove, fridge and dishwasher those will be white as well. I know, I know--I am probably one of only a  handful of people that doesn't like stainless steel appliances. But I do like-no-LOVE the Whirlpool Ice Collection, which is white with stainless steel accents/ handles. Seeexxxyyy!

This is what I hope to upgrade to by the end of 2015.

Whirlpool White Ice Collection

Still moving forward and checking items off the list. How about you? Do you have any lists you are slowly checking items off?

To see the original list  click here 

• REPAIR THE EXTERIOR WALL FROM INSTALLING A SMALLER WINDOW--IN PROGRESS On hold due to budget and weather. This is now moved to Spring.
• Install sink (part of the counter top fabrication) DONE!!
• Plumbing! DONE!!
• Install garbage disposal DONE!!
• Paint and install the new entry door On hold due to weather. This is now moved to Spring.
• Purchase door hardware--DONE!!
• Install door hardware, including kick plate On hold due to weather. This is now moved to Spring.
• Add a peephole to the door since it is windowless On hold due to weather. This is now moved to Spring.
• Trim work (doors, the window, baseboards, crown molding and cabinet toe molding)
• Purchase  additional tile for back splash--expanded project (aka scope creep), now need to tile sink aside and food prep/ cook side On hold due to budget
• Purchase shelves for open shelving storage between wall cabinet and pantry, as well as, above the sink. DONE!
• Install tile back splash On hold 
• Install shelves
• Install the refrigerator DONE!
• Install the stove DONE!
• Purchase end panel for dishwasher installation--DONE!!
• Purchase and install a dishwasher--DONE!
• Purchase and install cabinet hardware--IN PROGRESS
• Purchase ceiling medallion--DONE!
• Install the ceiling medallion and chandelier
• Decide on window treatment--DONE!!
• Order and SEW fabric for window valance/ curtains/ shade--IN PROGRESS
• Paint  mobile island/ cart and purchase/ DIY 1 or 2 kitchen stools Sadly there will be no island or bar stools due to space constraints
• DIY some wall art
• Accessorize
• Cook, bake and ENJOY the finished kitchen!