Kitty Deschanel

See this lovely Pinterest graphic? I'd appreciate your sharing it, partly because this Enchilada Rice recipe is amazing and partly because these Pinterest graphics don't just make themselves. Mostly because I am unable to share this recipe myself, as I seem to have locked myself out of my Pinterest account. (Oops!) I'm posting TWO Instant Pot recipes in a row? That should tell you just how yummy this Instant Pot enchilada rice recipe is. Also, both recipes contain quinoa. That should tell you just how much quinoa I bought when it was on clearance for 50 cents per pound. ( Last week's Instant Pot recipe for Cranberry Oatmeal can be found here.  It's my favorite breakfast, assuming chocolate cake is not an option. It usually isn't.) This recipe makes a big batch (6 cups), which is perfect because you're going to want to eat it for lunch and dinner, day after day. Ready to learn how to make my Creamy Enchilada Rice in your Instant Pot? I'll tell

*Do not add chia seeds - see note at the end of this recipe. In response to my popular Instant Pot Explosion blog post, I've had a few blog readers ask for my oatmeal with quinoa recipe, which is made in the Instant Pot. This seems a bit odd...you guys aren't trying to recreate that gooey mess in your own kitchens, right?  My recipe does make delicious, foolproof Instant Pot oatmeal. It's only for patient people though. Whatever you do, do not manually release the pressure valve at the end of the cooking cycle! This recipe is also great in a Crock Pot, though that method takes longer. I like to set the temperature to Low before bed. What a hearty, indulgent breakfast to wake up to!  I've been cooking up batches of my Oatmeal with Quinoa for years, long before I'd heard of the Instant Pot, and have even gifted the dry ingredients to health-conscious friends and family, who've suggested I sell this. Shark Tank, here I come! Oatmeal with Quinoa Featured

Lemon Lime and Bitters! This was my go-to drink while Sexy Nerd and I were visiting my family in Australia.  Interestingly, we were told this drink is often served to children because the alcohol content is fairly low. I really can't imagine that going over well in the US! Why isn't Lemon Lime & Bitters popular here? It's so good! While we're at it, the same question goes for Vegemite, Freddo Frog, and Violet Crumble bars. Me with my mum's cousin - we're like twins! Me with my SN - we're not like twins! (Thank goodness.) While I may not be able to recreate my beloved Vegemite (though I've seen a few disastrously messy blog posts where people have tried), making Lemon Lime & Bitters is easy peasy, lemon (lime and bitters) squeezy. See what I did there? Yeah, I'm pretty impressed with myself.   Lemon Lime & Bitters Recipe for 1 drink (8oz) Add the following ingredients to a glass, stir, and enjoy

Update: Be sure to check out my Homestyle Salad , made with Knorr Homestyle Stock. It's one of my favorite recipes! You've probably seen  Knorr Homestyle Stock at the grocery store and thought it's no different from any other stock or even those little bouillon cubes. It can actually make things no other stock can. See the yumminess below? Chicken Mayo -  oooh, yumminess. Chicken Mayo Recipe Today, I have a recipe for you that is unlike any other you have ever tried. I owe it all to a tiny tub of concentrated chicken stock. My recipe breakthrough came last Tuesday. I had the day off from work and was faced with a long list of things to get done: nap, blog, watch TV, nap some more, read magazines, etc. It's a rough, child-free life! I read a blog post about an attempted home robbery and began to comment about the time I lived alone and an irate intruder tried to break down my front door. Just thinking about it makes me want to double check all our locks

Cake mix for breakfast? Check out my 2-ingredient Cake Mix Pancakes . Cake mix custard! Here is a quick and easy and SO GOOD no-bake dessert recipe that can be made ahead of time for your 4th of July get together. You'll need a Vitamix, Blendtec, or other high-powered blender. A quality food processor, such as the Breville Sous Chef, can also work. Cake Mix Custard Vitamix Recipe Serves 6 or one sugar-addicted blogger and her husband 16 oz milk (Feel free to use whatever kind you have on hand. I've even mixed nonfat milk with coconut milk to great results.) 6 egg yolks (Feeling fancy? Save the egg whites to top your custards with meringue and torch them, Baked Alaska-style. Ooh, and then sprinkle with fresh chocolate shavings. Or rainbow sprinkles for a birthday cake custard variation! Folding crushed Oreos into the finished custard would be delicious too - the options are endless.) 1/4 C white sugar 1/4 C brown sugar 8 oz cake mix (Approximately 1/2 a box)(I

You know that 1/2 can of coconut milk that's leftover after you make curry? The 1/2 can that is going to go to waste because your Sexy Nerd whined when dinner what served that he hates curry? (Maybe someone should not have pretended to love it just to impress me when we were dating...) Fellow thrifty-minded readers, don't you dare throw that coconut milk away! It's the secret ingredient to making a plain Jane instant chocolate pudding taste fancy. Especially fancy if you serve it inside a dainty Australian china teacup. This recipe couldn't possibly cost any less to make. $0.33 a box? You know there are about 20 of these in my pantry. While creating my fancy schmancy pudding, I decided to throw in a little bit of coffee. There was none left in our coffeepot, so I swiped the rest of Sexy Nerd's morning cup when he wasn't looking. I then confessed to my crime so that I could share his ridiculous coffee mug with the world. Is that frog...

From ages 16 to 18, yours truly worked at Taco Bell. I was there when the Grilled Stuffed Burritos were first introduced and received special training on how to make them. So, yeah, I'm kind of an expert. To this day, that annoying, high-pitched "beeeeeeeep" of the Taco Bell grill agitates me. The burrito is burning! I've been known to yell "get the grill" as a customer in the Taco Bell dining room, much to SN's mortification. This Copycat   Taco Bell Grilled Stuffed Burrito recipe  (courtesy of an actual Taco Bell employee) is a perfect example. I know I'm getting my fast food chains mixed up here, but let's supersize it and make ours XXL! SN will be quick to tell you that there are pros and cons of being married to a blogger.  On the plus side, I love to cook up tasty new foods to post on my blog. He never seems to mind this part. Can we make Grilled Stuffed Burritos at home? Sure, why not. Taco Bell Grilled Stuffed Burrito Copycat (Wa

Help! My lemon curd won't thicken. With this handy recipe, you'll never have that problem again. You're going to think I'm nuts. For breakfast every morning, I have 5 pieces of toast. FIVE! The bread I buy is Nature's Own 100% whole grain, low sugar, blah-blah, so I like to pretend that the "everything in moderation" rule doesn't apply. It's also from the dollar store and is the best deal ever - important when you're eating several loaves per week! On each piece of toast, I have a different topping. My assortment this morning was Vegemite, peanut butter, raw honey, "super jam" (yes, you read that right. It's a surprisingly good concoction of every jam and jelly I had in the fridge, blended to oblivion in the Vitamix), and simple, homemade lemon curd. I guess you could call this blog post a toast to lemon curd. (Hee, hee.) Don't fret if you've never made your own lemon curd. It's fairly foolproof. Real

I think it's safe to say popovers are on my Top 10 list of favorite foods. They're a bit below chocolate, bananas, and Ramen noodles , but certainly ahead of cherries and the apple things I make. (While blogging this, I asked Sexy Nerd what he'd say are my favorite foods, to which he listed "smores, those apple things you make, cherries, chili cheese burritios, green tea, McDonalds Cinnamelts, and the burritos I make with couscous". No chocolate or Ramen? Really, Sexy Nerd? And tea isn't a food, my love!)   I came up with this recipe while trying to use up some leftover gouda cheese and think it's a real winner. Remember the last popovers I made, which were perfect with jelly? These are delicious, but the complete opposite of those. Popovers with Onion and Gouda are ideal for a dinner party or simply to elevate an average meal into something a bit more special. Sexy Nerd and I polished off all 12 within an hour. Start off by throwing 1