Kitty Deschanel | Food, Wine, and Travel Adventures Across the USA

My husband thinks I'm crazy for having two Instant Pots. (If you've watched my Instant Pot explosion video, you may agree.) With a large crowd for Thanksgiving this year, including a pregnant vegan (!), I've been researching the best Thanksgiving recipes that can be cooked in an Instant Pot . From turkey to pumpkin pie, it seems there is nothing the Instant Pot can't handle. So my husband is right that my growing Instant Pot collection makes me crazy - crazy like a fox. Instant Pot Recipes for Holidays You don't want to take the chance of having a Thanksgiving disaster when serving guests, so I have strict rules for a recipe to be included in this compilation: the dish must have at least a 4.5-star rating and a minimum of 30 reviews. We're going to be eating well during this year's game of Thanksgiving Bingo ! Most of these holiday recipes can be made in advance. If you don't have an Instant Pot, put one on your Black Friday shopping list ...

Three years into hosting Thanksgiving, SN and I have learned a few strategies for making the holiday meal (and the time spent before and after the meal because, let's face it, there's a lot more to a family gathering than just the meal) a success. I print elegant menus like the ones at my favorite restaurant . I print funny and interesting food-related quotes and facts, which I scatter along the table. (Julia Child has some great ones. “Always remember: If you’re alone in the kitchen and you drop the lamb, you can always just pick it up. Who’s going to know?”) My most popular Thanksgiving printable has to be Thanksgiving Bingo cards. Featuring gems such as "Was part of a prolonged awkward silence," "Played bartender," and "Forgot someone's name," it's the perfect conversation starter. The first person to complete their card wins a prize. When the table has been set, I place a Bingo card on each plate, accompanied by a little pencil. ...

Tuesday: Swing by my local Smith's for my prescription and browse the discount Halloween candy. The candy they have bothered to price is still too expensive. After standing in the pharmacy line for a few minutes, I realize I left my HSA card at home. Wednesday: I still forget my HSA card, so decide not to go to Smith's today. See in the new ad that Campbell's Cream of Chicken soup is on sale for just $0.49/can. $0.49/can!!! The real stuff, not the store brand. It is never priced that low. I make an extra trip to Smith's, wanting to hit up the special on the first day before the soup sells out. Smith's has no Cream of Chicken soup. Thursday: After double checking that the pharmacy opens at 9 am, I run in before work. They have soup in stock! I buy 30 cans. (Yes, there was still soup left for the other customers.) It's 9am and the pharmacy is still all gated up. 9:05. Still closed. I don't want to be late to work but I don...

After the sudden, unexpected loss of the best dog ever, Pica , I was lost. I'm pretty sure my boss was worried I was going to kill myself. You can't kill yourself over a dog though, right? Everyone knows dogs don't live forever. After several dark weeks, SN insisted we go look at puppies. Ridiculous! Still, they did look awfully cute online. We would only get one if it was from a shelter, so it would be like we were saving a dog's life...and isn't that what Pica would have wanted? Maybe we could even find another Jack Russell.  Funny enough, we always insisted when Pica was alive that we would never want another Jack Russell, which should really be called a Jerk Russell . She was a stubborn, jealous, destructive handful. There was no stopping her from barking. (At nothing!) She was such a greedy little piggy that we had to feed her with a jar inside her food dish, as it was the only way we could stop her from swallowing the entire bowlful in one gulp. And she s...