Sew God's Grace

So I kept seeing recipes on Pinterest using an Instant Pot.  I thought I didn't need one.  But, finally, this Christmas, I got one.  And. . . I love it!  I use it almost every day, and I'm wondering how I ever did without it. If you are like some people that I know, you may have an Instant Pot sitting in your closet because you are intimidated to use it.  My advice--don't be!  Just pop that thing out and get cooking!  An easy recipe to start with would be hard boiled eggs. One of the reasons I wanted the Instant Pot was because my friend Keara told me how easy mashed potatoes were to make in it.  My kiddos love mashed potatoes, and I make them fairly often.  However, I really dislike having the potatoes boiling on the stove and then having to drain them with little ones at my feet.  Enter the Instant Pot, and mashed potatoes are on the menu a lot more at our house!  Happy Mommy and happy kids!  Plus, you can make them a...

I made these yummy fruit salads for a brunch recently, and they were a big hit.  The original recipe called for putting them in aluminum muffin liners, but I like the look of these 9 ounce clear Solo cups.  These fruit cups are so versatile--you could serve them at a baby shower or a backyard barbeque.  Best of all, you can make them up to several days in advance!  You can use any combination of fruit you like.  I chose to use strawberries, mandarin oranges, and bananas, but you could use blueberries, pineapple, and even add some chopped nuts.   Creamy Frozen Fruit Cups (Adapted from Taste of Home recipe found  here ) 8 oz. cream cheese, softened (I use light) 1/2 cup sugar 8 oz. Cool Whip, thawed 1 1/2 cups strawberries, cut into small pieces 11 oz. can mandarin oranges, drained 1 - 2 bananas, cut into small pieces (These will brown after a couple of days in the freezer, so you may want to sprinkle some Fruit Fresh on them if you are plann...

  If you are looking for a little bit of a twist on the traditional pasta salad, well, this is it!  I love how simple this is because you are starting with a kit, and the dressing that is supplied with it is scrumptious--it reminds me of Olive Garden's salad dressing.  This is the sort of thing that I don't measure for; I just throw things in.  You can adjust the amounts according to your own taste preferences.  Don't have access to Schwan's?  No problem, just use frozen or fresh tortellini.  Prepare and rinse in cold water.  Then use your favorite Italian or Greek Salad dressing. Quick and Easy Tortellini Pasta Salad 1 24 ounce package Schwan's Six Cheese Tri Color Tortellini Salad Kit 1/2 - 1 cup of each or any of the following:      Grape tomatoes, halved      Cucumber, peeled and diced      Green bell pepper, diced (Red bell pepper is great, too!)  ...

I typically don't do anything more with my baked beans than just open a can and heat them up.  However, I found an easy recipe on Betty Crocker, so I decided to give it a try (with a few modifications).  I took it to a barbeque with friends the other night, and it was a hit.  My husband wanted to know who made them because they were really good! Here's the recipe: 1 can (28 oz. ) Bush's Best Country Style Baked Beans 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed 1 can (15 oz.) chili beans 1 can (10 oz.) diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained 1/4 cup ketchup 2 - 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar 6 - 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled  (I use pre-cooked bacon, such a time-saver!) Throw all the ingredients into your slow cooker.  Set on low and cook for 2 -3 hours until heated through.  I think this might be a great one to take for church potluck sometime--I may even throw a pound of cooked gr...