Instant Pot Chicken Wild Rice Soup

It doesn't matter that it's supposed to be 92 degrees today, the rest of the week calls for much, much cooler temperatures and rain.  I made this soup for then.  Plus as an easy weeknight dinner.  Just heat and eat.  This is my favorite soup and 15 minutes of cook time and 10 minutes for the release.  It's the quickest way to cook wild rice.  I keep celery flakes on hand instead of buying celery and wasting most of it.

Instant Pot Chicken Wild Rice Soup

2 boneless chicken breasts

2 tbsp butter

2 carrots, sliced

2 tbsp celery flakes

1/2 cup onion, minced

1 Bay Leaf

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp thyme

32 oz low sodium chicken stock

1 cup wild rice/brown rice mixed

3/4 cup cream

Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Saute the carrots and onions for a few minutes with the butter in the instant pot.  Add in the garlic and celery flakes and cook for just one minute.  Add in the chicken, stock, cream, rice thyme, salt & pepper.  Seal the pot and cook for 15 minutes.  Let the steam release naturally.  While waiting, mix together 1/4 cup flour and 3/4 cup cream.  When the pressure pin drops, open the instant pot and take out the chicken breasts to shred.  Return to the instant pot and then stir in the flour/cream mixture.   Allow it to sit for a couple minutes to thicken.

Crock Pot Apple Crisp

Fall is in the air and it's apple season.  I decided to make apple crisp in my crock pot so I could enjoy the aroma of apples and cinnamon for 4 hours verses 30 minutes in the oven.  

Crock Pot Apple Crisp 

5 apples, I had Gala on hand
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

Mix together and spread out evenly on the bottom of the crock pot.

Topping 

1 cup regular oats
3/4 cups flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, cut into small pieces.

Mix the topping together with your fingers until the butter and mixture forms small clumps.  Spread out evenly over the apples.  Cook on medium for 4 hours until the apples soften.  Serve warm or cold.  I topped mine with ice cream and caramel sauce.

Instant Pot Apple Butter Pork Chops

I've fallen in love with my Instant Pot.  I bought it last year during Black Friday sales and tried to unpack it one time and the directions were overwhelming.  After listening to co-workers rave about their Instant Pots, I hit up YouTube and found it's much easier to watch a video for a couple minutes than to try to decipher the factory instructions.  These are the 4th meal I've made using the Instant Pot.  Super easy and it took less than a half hour for fork tender pork chops.  I happened to have 2 jars of apple butter and will be using my Instant Pot to make more this Fall.

Instant Pot Apple Butter Pork Chops

4 boneless pork chops
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
1/3 cup Dr Pepper
1 cup apple butter

Heat the olive oil and brown the seasoned pork chops on the saute setting.  Add in the Dr Pepper and brush the tops of the pork chops with the apple butter.  Close the Instant Pot and using the manual setting cook for 20 minutes.  Allow to sit for 10 minutes after it has finished.