Mardi Gras is around the corner, and this is a great easy way to celebrate! My mom is from Louisiana and I have family there. We visited frequently growing up and I always loved getting to have fresh boiled crawfish. Over here in Germany I couldn't manage to get my hands on any crawfish, but I did find some great shrimp. This recipe is fun to make and more fun to eat and it was nice to have a little southern comfort food. Plus it only takes about 30 minutes! 

Pinto Beans are a staple here at the cottage and I love this recipe for the Instant Pot. I don't always remember to soak the beans overnight and this recipe allows me to cook the dry beans and have them on the table in a very short time. The blend of flavors for these beans are a combination of the region that we came from and are a part of our family. My Grandmother had a pot of pinto beans on the back burner of her wood burning stove most of the time and we have come a long way since that time, but the flavor has not changed.  Our Pinto Bean Soup is very versitle as a soup, side dish and addition to several other recipes. 

When my family wants a great pot of chili and my day is to busy to let it simmer all day, I head for the Instant Pot. I converted this recipe for the Instant Pot and it is every bit as good as the one that simmers all day. This is a Tex-Mex Chili that has all the wonderful Tex-Mex seasons made the Texas way. No we don't put beans in authentic Texas chili, however this is Tex-Mex so yes we did use the beans. We will be serving this for a family dinner, game day gatherings, and it is great for a friendly chili cook off!

We had planned to cook these country ribs on the grill and enjoy being outdoors, and here came the spring rain. It was the Instant Pot to the rescue, and rescue indeed, these ribs are amazing! The ribs have a great rub and are so tender they were falling apart. I will sure be using this recipe over and over rain or shine!

It finally happened, I got a Instant Pot for Christmas, and I have been having fun! I have used a pressure cooker for years and really wasn't afraid of the pressure and love the fact that I can set the pressure and the cooking time then walk away, whereas with the pressure cooker, it requires a constant watch. It is cold weather here so I thought I would start out with a very simple Italian Stew, it was delicious and sure didn't take very long to prepare, plus it gave me a lot of freedom to take care some something else in the kitchen while it cooked. Thanks so much family, I sure am enjoying this new kitchen toy!