Instant Pot Butter Garlic Glazed Carrots

 Carrots are such a good side dish to add to your meal plan because they are so affordable. This recipe makes them super easy to make. Plus this recipe is great for kids; it is lightly sweet, very buttery and has just the right amount of garlic to spice things up.

I know I am not the only one who has been feeling the strain of the economy. Groceries cost more, gas prices are high, and the cost of cooling the house all summer and running the sprinklers to keep the kids cool has caught up with us. I have been trying to shop smart and make the most of our budget at the grocery shops.

I have found that carrots are a great side dish to serve my family. It fills them up, and it is something different. We like carrots, but honestly, I don't know if I have ever really cooked with them, aside from making a pretty good carrot soup on occasion. Carrots are especially nice when they are marked down in the produce section. A few weeks back, I found a one pound bag of organic whole carrots for 49 cents. I sliced them into rounds and prepared them like this. Everyone liked them. So when I found mini carrots at Kroger, marked down to 79 cents, I grabbed 2 bags and worked them into our meals.

This recipe is good because it is so easy to make if you have a pressure cooker. It goes well with a variety of beef dishes, chicken, or fish and I even served it with leftover pasta last night. 

Ingredients

1 pound of baby carrots

3 tablespoons of butter

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

½ c light brown sugar

1 ½ to 2 cups of water

Add brown sugar, butter and minced garlic to the instant pot.

Add carrots, and cover with water.

Give everything a stir to make sure the carrots are covered with the water.

Place the lid on the instant pot.

Seal the instant pot.

Use the manual setting, and set the timer for 8 minutes.

When the timer dings, allow the instant pot to naturally release pressure for 3 minutes, then use the quick release valve.

Remove the lid and stir.

Serve the carrots immediately.

Store leftovers in an airtight container after they have cooled.

These are so tender, and have such a great flavor. I am sure you are going to love it.  Plus it is fuss free and you can probably get 2 meals worth out of a bag of carrots if you are cooking for 4 like I am. If you don't want to eat carrots 2 nights in a row, you can freeze the remaining carrots. You know how I feel about freezing veggies! Do it! I would recommend blanching them first though.

This carrot patch activity might be a good way to get the kids excited about carrots before serving this side.

This sheet pan shrimp, potatoes, carrots and asparagus recipe is also a great way to use up any leftover mini carrots you might have after serving this.

Brown Sugar Overnight Oats

Breakfast has never been easier or tastier than it is with this simple Brown Sugar Overnight Oats recipe.

Some of the best things in life are simple; this recipe embraces that and plays on the goodness of pantry staples. I love that you can literally toss this together in under a moment for a no frills, but tons of flavor start to the day.

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Ingredients
1 cup of old fashioned oats
1 cup of 1% milk
1/8 teaspoon of vanilla
1 tablespoon of brown sugar

Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a food storage container. Allow to sit in the fridge for at least 3 hours. Overnight is ideal.
Serve cold, or heated in the morning for a nutritious and delicious breakfast.

This recipe will last for 3 days covered in the fridge.

I love this cold and often opt for it over dessert. It is that good! I consider it my happy food these days. If you have a favorite overnight oat recipe I hope you will leave a comment and share it with me.

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Crumbl Copycat Golden Graham Cookies

Looking for a really good cookie recipe? These golden graham cookies are just what you need. They have such a lovely flavor and are perfect for anyone who loves cereal and milk. These are even better than Crumbl cookies! I think it is safe to call these a copycat crumbl recipe.

I love to bake cookies, muffins, biscuits and even popovers. It is my dream to someday have a bakery of my own where I can spread cheer and cookies all around. 

Well, until that happens, I keep myself happy coming up with recipes like this one. It is perfect for creating huge, delicious cookies with a wonderful texture. These are so big you can only make 6 to a cookie sheet and you will need your ice cream scooper to form them!

Bake these for a friend, to share with family or for a bake sale, and prepare for compliments! Go on and pin this recipe for later because you are going to want to make these all the time!

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1 c salted butter, softened to room temperature

1 ½ c sugar

2 large eggs

2 ½ c flour

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

1 ½ c crushed golden graham cereal

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line a cookie sheet with a silicon baking mat or parchment paper.

Add butter and sugar to a medium mixing bowl. Beat for 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy.

Add eggs and vanilla, mix for 1 more minute.

Add baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Mix for 1 minute.

Add flour and mix until you can’t see any flour in the dough.

Crush the golden graham cereal with a food processor.

Add the crushed cereal to the dough and mix for a minute

Use an ice cream scoop to make large dough balls.

Place them 6 to a cookie sheet.

Bake for 13-15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.

Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes.

When the cookies are completely cool you can add glaze or frosting to them.

Garnish with golden graham cereal.

Glaze

1 ½ c powdered sugar

¼ c softened butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1-2 tbsp of half and half of milk.

Add the powdered sugar and butter to a mixing bowl. 

Add vanilla and 1 tbsp of milk or half and half.

Begin mixing.

If your glaze feels too thick add an additional tbsp of milk and continue to blend until you achieve the desired consistency.

These cookies are SO GOOD. I think they are even better than CRUMBL cookies!

These would be incredible for a cookie exchange, or to add into your cookie tray at the holidays. But, these are awesome anytime of the year. So don't wait for the holidays to roll around to bake this recipe.

Look at those scrumptious cookies! They are great with both milk and coffee. They have a wonderful flavor!

You can find all of my dessert recipes here

Homemade Rice Pudding

Instant Pot Banana Rice Pudding

Brown Sugar Overnight Oats

More copycat recipes:

Cracker Barrel Chicken and Dumplings

Cream Cheese Sugar Cookie Bars

What could be better than a sugar cookie bar? This recipe is made with cream cheese and creates such a tender and tasty bar cookie! 

My family loves sugar cookies, but I don't love to make cut out cookies. I feel they are a lot of tedious work. I compromise with them whenever they have a craving by making this fantastic cream cheese sugar cookie bars recipe. This is such an easy recipe and it creates the best sugar cookie bars ever. Enjoy step by step pictures and find the recipe below!

Ingredients:

1 cup of unsalted butter; softened

3 cups of flour

A pinch of salt

1 pack of cream cheese, room temperature

1 ½ cup of sugar

1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract

1 large egg

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line an 8”x8” baking dish with parchment paper.

Blend butter and cream cheese until fluffy.

Mix in sugar, until well blended.

Add vanilla and egg.

Mix until blended.

Add ½ of the flour and the salt, continue mixing, adding the remaining flour gradually.

With a rubber spatula spread the batter into the prepared baking dish, smooth it out evenly.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Be careful to not overbake. To test for doneness, stick a butter knife into the center. You want just a little crumb cling on the knife.

Cool on a wire rack for a half hour.

By lifting the parchment paper by the edges, pop the cookie bars out of the pan.

Frost them once they are cool.

Cut into squares and serve. Store leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container.

 

You can find more recipes here

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2 Ingredient Fudge

The holidays are near and it is time to start planning for all of the yummy treats you will make and share. This year I have the easiest fudge recipe to share with you. It only requires 2 ingredients and a few moments of your time.

This recipe is perfect for anyone, any time! It can be whipped up to share or to satisfy a craving when it strikes!

I loved the simplicity of this recipe. You can of course add in other ingredients if you like, but it only requires two common pantry staples and a few moments of time to prepare. The hardest part of making this recipe is waiting on it to harden!
If you click one of these affiliate links and purchase, I will earn a small commission.

Ingredients:

• One can of sweetened condensed milk
• One bag of chocolate chips. I used milk chocolate chips, but you can use any kind you like!

In a small saucepan combine the condensed milk and the chocolate chips, over a low-medium setting melt until the chocolate chips stir smooth. This will only take a few moments, so pay attention to it!

Pour the melted chocolate mixture into a small buttered casserole dish and allow to cool, then harden.

Cut into squares and carefully remove from the dish. Package in an airtight container and share!

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Strawberry Cheesecake Float

Strawberry Cheesecake has been a favorite treat for many years. I decided it would be fun to bring that decadent flavor to a refreshing drink, ice cream float style! The results? Completely mouth watering!!! Fresh fruit, luscious cheesecake, and smooth ice cream come together to create a completely gourmet ice cream float!

Ice Cream Floats are the perfect drink for summer. They can be as simple as a root beer float, or as gourmet as this Strawberry Cheesecake Float! While this one looks and tastes like a million bucks, it comes together in a few steps to create a luscious treat everyone will love.

This recipe is one you are going to want to bookmark or pin for later. The results are so decadent that you will want a second glass, guaranteed!

This is the perfect treat to make for a group of friends on a hot summer day. It is delicious, fancy and easy to make. Everyone loves a great ice cream float! This one is sure to become a favorite!

You might also like this Chocolate Cherry Dr. Pepper Float recipe or this Blackberry Cheesecake Float recipe.

Click through for the recipe.

Awesome Homemade Pancakes

This is such an easy and tasty recipe for fluffy, old fashioned pancakes. They have a rich flavor thanks to the addition of brown sugar and come out so fluffy and irresistible.

Please pin this recipe to your breakfast board, of share it on social media.

My kids would have pancakes for breakfast every morning if I had the time to make them! When they have a 2 hour delay for school, I like to start the day off on a sweet note with this homemade pancake recipe. You can double the recipe and freeze the leftovers between sheets of parchment paper for an easy to pop in the microwave breakfast for busy days too.

I like to top mine with bananas and crushed walnuts. One of my kids goes with liberal butter and syrup, and my other kid loves them plain. Top them however you like. Enjoy them golden brown and warm for the best flavor.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions
Mix together dry ingredients.
Add milk, butter and egg.
Mix well.
Allow to rest for 15 minutes in the fridge.
Heat a griddle or skillet on medium high heat.
Butter the cooking surface and spoon pancakes.
Flip when they stop bubbling and are golden brown.

Find all of my pancake recipes here.
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Slow Cooker Dinner Rolls and a Giveaway

This conversation was sponsored but the recipe is from me to you, no strings attached, because I know you will love it!

This slow cooker dinner roll recipe is perfect for when the craving for bread hits but you are short on time.

I love to bake bread. It is one of those things that relaxes me and returns me to a simpler life, the aromas that come from my kitchen as the bread transforms from simple ingredients takes me back in time to my childhood, on Sunday mornings when my grandfather would bake fresh bread.

I had never baked in a slow cooker before so when Hamilton Beach offered to send me their awesome Professional Sous Vide and Slow Cooker I knew exactly what I wanted to make. Something different, something simple, something anyone could make without fail.

Slow Cooker Dinner Rolls! This recipe also works well for oven baked bread.

Slow Cooker Dinner Rolls

3 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 stick of real butter, softened
1/4 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
2 1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast
1 cup of warm milk
1 egg
1 teaspoons of butter flavored crisco

Take a large mixing bowl, 'grease' it with Crisco and set it aside.

Add warm milk, sugar and yeast to a medium size mixing bowl. Stir it up and allow it to rest for 5 minutes.
Add butter, egg, salt and 1 cup of flour to the milk mixture, stir to break up butter and egg.
When those ingredients are incorporated add remaining flour.
As the mixture begins to form dough begin mixing with your hands, let that turn to kneading.
Knead the dough for about 3 minutes or until it is soft and pliable in your hands.

Transfer the dough to the greased mixing bowl and allow it to rise for about 30 minutes.

For the next step, I turned to my Hamilton Beach Professional Sous Vide and Slow Cooker, as it was cold in my drafty old house and you need a warm environment to successfully raise bread.

I liberally rubbed butter on the sides of the slow cooker pan, next I tore off handfuls of dough and formed it into balls, lining the slow cooker with the balls, spaced about 1/4 apart.
I turned my slow cooker on low for a 4-hour setting.
This allowed my dinner rolls adequate time to rise, then bake.

My rolls came out nicely. They had a delicious golden brown crust but they were as soft as cotton inside and out. The appearance isn't quite as gorgeous as traditional oven baked rolls, as it seems they didn't get as puffy, but the flavor is just as great.

This is a great way to bake bread when you have a busy day planned, or when your oven is tied up. If you happen to not have an oven, you will be so thankful to have this easy and delicious slow cooker dinner roll recipe for the next time a bread craving hits you!

I am crazy about the Hamilton Beach Professional Sous Vide and Slow Cooker, let me tell you what I like about it.

It holds 6 quarts, so it is perfect for cooking for a crowd, it does double duty on cooking capabilities, acting as both a sweet slow cooker and a sous vide cooker, which is a wonderful way to cook with water. It is easy to use, easy to clean and it has a timer! That is so nice!

This slow cooker makes a great gift option this holiday season and is available at Target for about $130.


I have been so happy with my Hamilton Beach that I want to give one to you guys! This giveaway will end on 11/30 and is open to US residents aged 18 and older.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sour Apple Margarita

Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner and this Sour Apple Margarita recipe is the best cocktail for the occasion!  This recipe is easy to make and has just the right mix of booze with the perfect pucker from the sour apple schnapps. Chances are you will make this one many times as summer rolls around.

When the pandemic began, I started collecting alcohol. I have never been a big drinker, but as I age, I can certainly appreciate a good cocktail recipe. These days, an afternoon cocktail is the pick me up I need.  This sour apple margarita is a favorite for the warmer months. It is so easy to mix and hits just right.  Pair it with taco night or make it and take it outside to savor the warm weather.

I look forward to the days when we can gather with friends and serve these by the pitcher. I know they will go down fast and smooth with friends laughing in the background, telling the stories of their lives.

The vibrant green color of this cocktail makes it so appealing, especially as the world begins to come in bloom. Bring on the green after such a long and gray winter!

Ingredients

Serving size is 1 8oz glass

1. 1oz Tequila
2. 2oz Sour Apple Schnapps
3. 1/2 oz Tripel Sec
4. 1/2 oz Cointreau
5. 2oz Sweet and Sour Mix
6. 1 splash of fresh Lime juice
7. 1 lime cut for garnishing

DIRECTIONS 

1. Pour Margarita salt onto one plate and simple syrup on the other plate
2. Take your glassware and dip the rims in the simple syrup and then the margarita salt and set to the side
3. Fill your glasses with ice 3/4 of the way full
4. Add ingredients to a bartender shaker along with 3-4 pieces of ice
5. Shake to combine and strain into your glass
6. Garnish with a lime wedge

See, I told you this was an easy cocktail recipe! So easy, you almost have to try mixing it yourself! I never knew margaritas could be so easy to make without using a mix.

You can find all of my cocktail recipes here.

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