New Menu Monday – Annie DeMoranville

Comfort Baking: Potato Bread

Revisiting Potato Bread from 2020:

Someone suggested to me to use potato bread dough next time I made cinnamon rolls. It sounded like an idea, but it also made me really, really want potato bread. I don’t believe I’ve ever made it before. And since I had no plans to make cinnamon rolls anytime soon, potato bread it had to be.

I have to tell you, it was fairly simple, and made the most amazing bread. Silky, moist, flavorful, and firm enough to cut into very thin slices.

The only drawback of the recipe is you’ll need either a stand mixer or a bread machine. The dough must be kneaded for about 7 minutes on a high speed. It’s a very sticky dough, difficult to knead by hand and it’s really not possible to get the texture without a machine knead.

Otherwise, it’s straightforward.

Versatile and Tasty: Ropa Vieja (Instant Pot & Slow Cooker Versions)

I had a some chuck and decided the cold weather needed something hearty. I hadn’t made Ropa Vieja in a while, so that what it became. I also cooked up a bunch of rice and black beans to serve with it. Perfect for a very cold weekend.

If you don’t want to use chuck, you can use pork shoulder or chicken breasts.

From 2023:

Big family doings this weekend, so I needed an easy recipe that everyone could serve themselves. This fits the bill.

Ropa Vieja is one of my favorite items on a local Mexican restaurant menu. I almost always have it in a salad in a tortilla bowl. So of course I had to figure out how to replicate it at home.

I have tortilla bowl molds and make them for lunch salads all the time. Although you don’t need them, use this method here.

Now to up my game with some tasty ropa vieja.

Revisiting Favorites: Sunday Pot Roast

From January 2020: Instant Pot and Slow Cooker Pot Roast

In my quest to update some of my older recipes for Instant Pot style cooking, here is one of my favorites. I love being able to set this up and an hour and a half later have a perfectly cooked pot roast – tender and flavorful – along with all the sides.

Sunday Pot Roast

4 lbs Pot Roast (chuck roast)
¼ cup good whiskey (or red wine)
¼ cup beef broth or water (more if needed)
1 tsp rosemary
2 bay leaves (remove before serving)
½ tsp salt & pepper
1 large onion, quartered
6 medium potatoes, quartered
1 lb bag baby carrots

slow-cooker or Instant Pot

Soup of the Week: Zuppa Toscana – Spicy Potato Soup

Revisiting from 2023:

I was under the weather all weekend and this soup seemed like the perfect remedy.

Spicy Potato Soup (Zuppa Toscana)

1/4 cup butter
1 yellow onion, diced
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne
½ lb spicy ground sausage (or ground beef)
¼ tsp crushed red pepper (opt)
1 bay leaf (remove before serving)
1 tsp crushed garlic
32 oz chicken broth
6 potatoes, well scrubbed, unpeeled – cubed or thinly sliced
2 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz shredded cheddar or jack (opt – I like parmesan myself)

saucepan or instant pot

Morning Menu: Yummy Ramen

This is my favorite breakfast these days. A simple and quick ramen. Chicken broth, noodles, and two eggs. I then add a splash of Sriracha Chili Sauce. High in protein and a perfect start to my day.

Happy New Year. I’m thinking of making a significant change in my blogging habits this year. I think recipes will be fewer and farther between.