Saturday, December 31, 2016

Instant Pot Thai Chicken Recipe

The Magic of the Instant Pot- Thai Chicken




Hey, Peeps. It's been a while, and I'm veering off of the crafting and art trail to bring you news from my newest Non-Art Obsession, which is the Instant Pot. 

Boy, do I love this thing, and I've only made three dishes so far. 

The great thing about this rice cooker/slow cooker/pressure cooker/soup maker/steamer/yogurt maker is that you can do all of these things and more. 

If you just look on Pinterest, you will find SCADS of recipes, tips, and tricks. Here's my board if you're interested:


Since I learn better through videos than the written word, I always go to YouTube for instructions and inspiration, especially when I have a new appliance or machine. I just searched for unboxing videos, getting started vids, and tips and tricks and I learned a LOT before I even touched my Instant Pot (this recipe assumes that you know the basics about how your IP functions and if you don't know, just do a little homework first).

So, the goal is to post every time I try a new, original recipe and today, I NAILED it. Yipee!!!

Because I didn't anticipate posting about this (I really didn't know it would be THIS good), I didn't take any pics in process, but quite frankly, you probably know how to chop all of the ingredients and add them to the pot.
Just a note- because of the prep work involved, this is not a "quick dish". However, I love the IP for this recipe for one BIG reason- its PREDICTABILITY!!! After having made this dish, I now know that it will be perfect every time, and I don't have to guess how long it's going to take. This is a game changer for me, Peeps! I love that I can know exactly when dinner will be done so I can time it when I have guests or when Hubby gets home from work. As I'm learning with new dishes, I take notes. Every time I do something new, I'm setting my microwave timer for more than I think the recipe will take. When the dish is done, I look at my microwave timer, do the math, and figure out exactly how long the dish took to cook (after having come up to pressure, etc.). I already know how long my green beans will take, so when I'm taking meat out of the oven or off of the grill, I know when to time my veggie. No more second guessing or waiting for the broccoli to steam while the meat gets cold!

This chicken was perfectly done- moist and delicious. I'm so glad I didn't have to stand over a wok or skillet, and wonder how long it was going to take. Instead, while it was cooking, I did some watercolors, which is MY kind of prep (OK, I couldn't have TOTALLY a non-art related post)!



So, here's my original recipe. PLEASE let me know if you try it and like it. I'd love to hear from you.
And, PLEASE feel free to pin this recipe to your Instant Pot boards!

Instant Pot Thai Chicken

About 2 lbs. boneless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces
1 c. green onions, chopped
1/2 c. white onion, chopped
1 c. Red bell pepper, cut into small pieces
1-2 T. soy sauce
1 T. Thai red curry paste or more to taste (I found this to be not particularly spicy, so bump it up if you want some kick
1 T. or more of grated fresh ginger
4 minced garlic cloves 
1- 1.5 c. liquid (can be combo of coconut milk and chicken broth, or chicken broth paste and water. I used about 1 c. light coconut milk, a generous teaspoon of broth paste, and about 1/2 c. water)
1 c. fresh cilantro, chopped ( I think fresh is a must if you can get it)
1/4 c. Peanut butter (or more if you want)
1/4 c. + 2 T. Brown sugar

Saute ginger and garlic briefly in about 2 T. oil. in the Magic Pot on Saute. Add rest of ingredients. Pressure cook on high for 12 min., natural pressure release for 5 min,, then vent. Serve over cooked rice or Thai noodles.

Again, please feel free to share this. I love to inspire people to try new things!



Thanks! Fondly, Tami

Friday, September 16, 2016

Shadow Stencil Mini Tutorial!

Hey, Peeps!

Wowsers, I'm excited to be blogging again. I've been designing lots and lots of new stencils, and I'm looking forward to sharing lots of videos and posts with examples of how to use them. Lately, I've been designing a lot of Bible art journal stencils which work perfectly in Bible journal margins, but they can be used in just about any mixed media application. So, enjoy the video and I'll be back with more ideas.

Remember, if you're interested in any of my stencils, they're available at www.howsewears.etsy.com
Fondly, Tami




The final image with a little bit of embelly-ing (I think I just made that up).



The top image is the block lettering stencil. The bottom is the shadow stencil.



Way too fun! I can't wait to show you all of my other ideas of techniques to use with these stencils. Stay tuned!

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Cardmaking with Embossing Paste

Hey, Peeps. Here's a Declare and Dash, just to show you quickly what I'm working on. I'm a stencil designer and seller on Etsy, and I have found that I don't really make time to create with my stencils as much as I'd like, so I'm going to change that pronto. I'll be posting some process tutes, including on my YouTube channel, but here's a teaser for now.
These cards were made using my tag stencil, which can be found in my shop here.
In this Hugs card, I used some Dreamweaver's crackle paste, let it dry, and then rubbed some Inka Gold paste in the cracks to give it some dimension and visual interest.






And in this Thinking of You card, I just used smooth white Dreamweaver's embossing paste for a different look.



And as always, please feel free to visit my Etsy shop- Howsewears
Fondly, Tami