Pressure Cooker

Over the past few years, I've become interested in a more simple, old time lifestyle.  I don't recall mom ever canning anything, but dad did put in a vegetable garden every year...  Summers  and I would end up spending a week in the boonies with our uncle and family.  In my mind, we were the "city kids," and cousins were the "county folk."  I distinctly remember aunt and cousins working diligently in the kitchen, prepping freshly grown vegs etc for the canner.  So, I bought a water bath, and when I can get a great deal on fruit, I've learned to can jams, including marmalade made from our own bitter orange trees.  Then I moved on to a stove top pressure canner, and cook/can all of my own dried beans just to mention my last effort - 5 lbs of navy beans.  12 pints of baked beans, and more in the frige waiting to go...

It was my ex-mother in law who introduced me to pressure cooked meals.  She had a full time job, days as an operating room nurse, three kids to feed, and a hubby who worked second shift at Oldsmobile.  The cooker was a workday answer to a tasty, quick meal come dinner time, to which I was invited often.

Last week (July 12, to be exact - Amazon's Prime Day!) I ordered an electric pressure cooker...  I've thought about this for some time, as my pressure canner will indeed "cook" foods, but the thing is big enough to for a food kitchen, cafeteria, or the like!  It's also rather awkward to clean, once used.  My new "toy" can be used as pressure cooker, slow cooker, for rice, makes yogurt (so it says...) and has a 6qt capacity - more than I need for just the two of us, but trust me, in this heat, if I can cook once, and eat multiple meals, I'm all for saving energy and minimizing heat generation in the kitchen, it's a "go." 

So, I placed the order, and waited an agonizing 48 hours for delivery!  Opening the box, I identified the parts included, followed the "before first use" directions, and performed the recommended test run, though I think I added far too much water (directions a tad confusing...) so it took longer than predicted, but at least I know it works.  What's first on my list?  Boneless/Skinless chicken breasts.  I've got green grapes, and thought they'd make a great chicken salad sandwiches one of these hot nights.  The others?  Once cooked there's a myriad of recipes I can think to make out of them, even if it means freezing for later use! 

From there?  I guess I'll learn as I go, and learn as I find recipes... any fav's you'd like to share with me?  Leave a comment!