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Cozy, savory, and melt-in-your-mouth tender, Mississippi pot roast is one of my all-time favorite comfort foods. However, this version is made totally from scratch! ♡

Instead of using the traditional au jus and ranch seasoning packets (which often include extra preservatives and artificial flavorings), this recipe relies on a simple blend of beef stock, pepperoncini, butter, and basic seasonings. It only takes a minute or two more to measure everything out, and the flavor is every bit as rich, tangy, and buttery as the original.

Best of all, your slow cooker (or Instant Pot or Dutch oven) does nearly all of the work here. Just add everything in, let it simmer low and slow until the beef is fall-apart tender, then shred it back into that irresistibly flavorful gravy. Serve it over mashed potatoes, polenta, rice, noodles or layered in sandwich rolls for a comforting meal that is guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser. Let’s make some!!

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Last month, our toddler learned all about the life cycle of an apple seed at school. (“And when the seed goes into the dirt, it explodes into a huge apple tree, Mom!”) Apparently the grand finale to the lesson was learning how to make homemade applesauce from scratch. So I’ll give you one guess what we’ve been cooking now at home ever since. 😉

Honestly, we go through so much applesauce lately with a baby and a toddler that it’s been fun to mix things up by making some homemade. Although after making a few batches on the stovetop, I quickly switched us over to the Instant Pot version, which works so much better with a toddler’s limited attention span, lol. The prep itself to make pressure cooker applesauce couldn’t be easier. Just chop up some apples (no need to peel!) and toss them in the Instant Pot with water, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Add in a pinch of cinnamon or — my favorite — pumpkin pie spice for a touch of seasoning. Cover and pressure cook briefly until softened. Then mash to your desired consistency and enjoy!

It’s such a fun way to celebrate apple season for little kids and grown-ups alike. So grab your Instant Pot and let’s make this homemade applesauce recipe together!

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On busy weeknights when you’re craving a flavorful, simple and comforting chicken dinner…

…chicken cacciatore is here for you. ♡

This classic Italian “hunter-style” braised chicken dish, said to date all the way back to the Renaissance period, is one of those brilliantly flexible clean-out-the-crisper-drawer meals that somehow always turns out amazing. It can be made with whatever cut of chicken and selection of veggies that you happen to have on hand, all of which are braised together in a cozy tomato sauce seasoned with lots of red wine, garlic, and herbs. And I also recently tried adding some bacon to my cacciatore after seeing it recommended by the NYTimes and am now officially sold on the smoky depth of flavor that it adds to this dish. Highly recommend!

The good news for all of us is that chicken cacciatore is easy to toss in the Instant Pot, simmer all day in the Crock-Pot, or quickly simmer on the stovetop. And it can be served with pasta, polenta, rice, quinoa, grains, or with a big hunk of crusty bread to mop up that irresistible sauce — up to you! I’m also partial to adding in a jar of olives or capers for an extra briny touch. And I highly recommend topping each serving with a generous sprinkle of fresh basil and Parmesan too.

To be sure, I wouldn’t claim that this recipe is authentic Italian pollo alla cacciatora — it’s more inspired by the Italian-American version I grew up with in the Midwest. But from what I’ve read, cacciatore has historically always been a dish that celebrates making the most of ingredients you happen to have on hand. So roundup whatever veggies happen to be hanging out in your fridge today, and let’s make a big batch of chicken cacciatore together for the week ahead!

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With Cinco de Mayo just around the corner, the holiday celebrating the 1862 Mexican victory over the French in the First Battle of Puebla, I thought it was the perfect time to share my favorite recipe for one of Puebla’s most famous dishes…

…tinga de pollo! ♡

This smoky shredded chicken has long been one of my favorite recipes to make on busy weeknights because it is incredibly quick and easy to whip up and incredibly delicious. If you’re new to tinga, it’s traditionally made with a chipotle tomato sauce that’s seasoned simply with onions, garlic, cumin, oregano and bay leaf. But I also like to add in an extra non-traditional ingredient too…honey! It’s not typically added to the authentic chicken tinga that you would find in Puebla, but I find that its floral sweetness adds a delicious contrast to those smoky and savory flavors in the sauce and highly recommend giving it a try sometime if you’d like.

I also love this recipe because it’s easy to make in the Instant Pot, Crock-Pot, or simply on the stovetop. It’s naturally gluten- and dairy-free. Any leftovers that you might have can also be frozen and reheated easily (and for that reason, I highly recommend making a double batch while you’re at it!). And best of all, this versatile shredded chicken can be used in countless ways. It’s most often traditionally used to make chicken tinga tostadas or chicken tinga tacos. (Stay tuned for my favorite chicken tinga tacos recipe coming later this week!) But you can also use this recipe to make chicken tinga burritos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, enchiladas, nachos, taquitos, salads and more.

So if you are looking for a good chicken tinga recipe to try, here is my favorite way to make it!

Chicken Tinga | 1-Minute Video

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Guys, have you tried making homemade birria yet?

This traditional Mexican stew seems to be trending everywhere I look lately, most often in the form of birria tacos or fried birria quesatacos (a.k.a. quesabirria tacos), whose melty cheese pulls and consommé-dunking boomerangs definitely seem to be the fast-rising star on taco menus around the world. Stay tuned here on the blog for more on birria tacos to come later this week.

But first, I wanted to go back to the basics and share a birria recipe served in its original and most simple form…as a cozy stew. ♡

As I explain below, there are endless variations of birria to be found nowadays around different regions in Mexico, made with various kinds of meat, cooking methods, signature blends of seasonings, consistencies of consommés (broths), and more. But the original dish is said to have originated in Jalisco, Mexico, where it is traditionally served as a stew for holidays and special occasions and made with either goat, sheep, or (my preference) beef. The meat is always slow cooked in a richly-flavored adobo (marinade) until it was melt-in-your-mouth tender, then ladled up into bowls along with plenty of its broth, garnished with lots of fresh toppings, and finally served with a side of warm corn tortillas. And as you can imagine, it is delicious.

That said, if you’re new to birria, the absolute magic of this particular Mexican stew is the delicious mix of flavors layered into its amazing broth. Good birria is always made a mixture of savory, sweet, earthy, smoky and spicy seasonings that lend soooo much flavor to every single bite. It’s essential to use some dried chiles here to season the broth, but they are incredibly easy to work with. Then I also highly recommend loading your birria up with lots of creamy avocado and fresh cool toppings (such as cilantro, chopped or pickled onions, radishes, etc), which pair perfectly with the warm stew and make this dish downright irresistible.

I’ve included options in the recipe below for how to make birria either in the Instant Pot, Crock-Pot or on the stovetop, so feel free to choose whichever cooking method you prefer. Granted, all three of these methods still require a few hours to make from start to finish, so be sure to plan ahead. But the birria recipe itself is totally simple to make and totally — as we say in Spanish — “vale la pena” (worth it). So if you have yet to give homemade birria a try, I say it’s time.

Let’s make a batch together!

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So many of you have made and loved my favorite stovetop mashed potatoes recipe. But for those of you looking to put your pressure cookers to work this Thanksgiving (or any day of the year), I’ve been testing out various methods for how to make mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot and have finally landed on a good one to share with you today!

These Instant Pot mashed potatoes are made with the same list of ingredients that I always use to make my mashed potatoes perfectly creamy, fluffy and flavorful — including two types of potatoes (Yukon Golds and Russets, for optimal texture and flavor), cream cheese and milk (to make them extra creamy), a generous amount of butter (because…mashed potatoes), however much garlic you prefer (to make yours more or less garlicky), and sea salt and pepper to season.

But instead of boiling and then draining a huge stockpot full of water to cook your potatoes on the stovetop, the Instant Pot makes it easy by doing everything for us with the push of a few buttons! No draining required! All the potatoes need are 6 minutes of high pressure-cooking, followed by a quick release. Then to eliminate some of the excess water that remains, simply use the “Sauté” function to briefly boil off about half of the remaining liquids, and then mash the potatoes right there in the same pot with all of your favorite creamy mix-ins until they reach your desired level of chunkiness or smoothness.

This method is one-pot cooking at its best and even a step easier than the stovetop version. So if you own a pressure cooker, I highly recommend giving Instant Pot mashed potatoes a try!

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Get ready, friends, because we’re learning how to make sushi this week!! ♡

I’ve been looking forward to this series of posts for awhile now. But before we dive into a full tutorial on how to make my favorite easy maki rolls, there’s an essential first step that we all need to master first — how to make sushi rice.

This classic vinegared (“sushi” literally means “sour-tasting” in Japanese), firm, sticky, short-grain white rice is the foundation for all sushi. And, at least in my opinion, it’s one of the main factors that separates the so-so sushi from the stellar sushi. The good news for us is that excellent sushi rice is quite easy to make at home in either a rice cooker, pressure cooker or on the stovetop. And all you need to make it are five basic ingredients!

I admittedly go the non-traditional route and just use a basic mixing bowl and spatula for the rice-folding process, which is a method that has always works just fine for us. But if you would like to make your sushi rice the traditional Japanese way, I have included options below for how to use a wooden hangiri, rice paddle and a fan to fold and cool your sushi. Whichever method you choose, the end result will be a delicious batch of seasoned sticky rice that will work perfectly in your favorite recipe for sushi, poke bowls, onigiri and more.

So round up these basic ingredients, and let’s make some sushi rice!

How To Make Sushi Rice | 1-Minute Video

Sushi Rice Ingredients

To make sushi rice, you will need these essential sushi rice ingredients:

• Japanese-style short-grain white rice: This uniquely sticky, plump and firm-textured variety of rice is essential for making good sushi rice! ♡ When shopping for sushi rice, look for short-grain rices that are either made in Japan or labeled as “sushi rice” (some of the more affordable brands are now grown in California). That said, quality, price, taste and textures can run the gamut with sushi rice, so if you really want to dial in on your favorite rice, feel free to taste-test a few different brands to see which one you love best. My favorite brands are Lundberg Farms, Nishiki, and Kokuho Rose.
• Rice vinegar: Just a basic bottle of unseasoned rice vinegar. (You can purchase store-bought “sushi vinegar” if you prefer, which already includes the sugar and salt mixed in. But it typically includes extra additives too, so I prefer to take the extra few minutes to make my own sushi vinegar by mixing together unseasoned rice vinegar, sugar and salt.)
• Sugar: Granulated sugar is traditional for sushi rice. But feel free to sub in your favorite natural sweetener if you prefer.
• Fine sea salt: I used fine sea salt in this recipe. So if you are using table salt, please note that you will need to use less salt.
• Kombu (optional): If you would like to add some traditional umami flavor to your sushi rice, feel free to add a small sheet of kombu (dried seaweed) to the pot while your rice cooks.

How To Make Sushi Rice

After having experimented with various traditional and non-traditional methods for making sushi rice, this is the basic method I’ve landed on. The main goal here is to cook the rice al dente (it should be firm but not crunchy) and to try not to mash the sticky rice as you stir it (hence the gentle slicing/folding method, instead of just stirring in circles). Good sushi rice should look polished and shiny, and the individual rice grains should stay fairly separated instead of being all smooshed together. But that said, however your rice turns out, I assure you it will work well in sushi and be delicious!

Also, I highly recommend opting for the rice cooker or Instant Pot methods, as they are the simplest and most foolproof here with sometimes-temperamental short grain rice. But the stovetop method will work well too — just note that gas and electric stoves can make a difference in cook time, so double-check that your rice is tender before removing it from the heat.

If you have the extra time, I will note that it’s also traditional to soak the rinsed rice in its cooking water for 20-30 minutes before cooking. But after trying that out a few times, we honestly didn’t notice that the extra soaking made that significant of a difference, so I usually skip it and just cook the rice immediately after rinsing.

Ok! Full instructions are included in the recipe below, but here’s a quick overview of what we will do to make sushi rice:

1. Rinse the rice. An essential first step! Place the rice in a fine-mesh strainer and give it a good long rinse with cold water until the water runs clear and is no longer murky, then drain off any extra water.
2. Cook the rice. Cook the rice in water (along with a sheet of kombu, if you woud like) until it is tender. I’ve included instructions below for how to cook the rice in either a rice cooker, pressure cooker or on the stovetop.
3. Make the sushi vinegar. Then while the rice is cooking, heat the vinegar, sugar and salt and whisk until the sugar has dissolved. You can either do this in the microwave or in a small saucepan on the stove.
4. Season the rice. I typically just do this step in a big mixing bowl with a silicone spatula, but you can use a wooden hangiri and a rice paddle if you would like to go the traditional route. Transfer the rice immediately to a large mixing bowl and drizzle it evenly with the sushi vinegar. Then use the spatula to very gently fold the rice — slicing into it at a 45-degree angle, lifting and folding the rice on top of itself, rather than stirring and smooshing the rice — until the vinegar is evenly mixed in and some of the initial steam has escaped.
5. Cool. Cover the mixing bowl with a damp towel so that it is touching the surface of the rice, which will help prevent the rice from drying out. Let the rice cool on the counter (or in the refrigerator) until it nearly reaches room temperature.
6. Serve. Use the rice immediately in a recipe, or transfer to an airtight food storage container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Possible Variations

There are all sorts of more- and less-traditional ways to prepare sushi rice, so feel free to experiment and find what works best for you! For example, you could…

• Cool the rice the traditional way: Transfer the rice to a wooden hangiri once it has finished cooking and drizzle the sushi vinegar evenly onto the rice. In one hand, use a rice paddle to gently fold the vinegar into a rice, while using a fan in the other hand to blow away the steam and cool the rice. Continue the folding/fanning rhythm for 10 minutes, or until the rice reaches room temperature.
• Cool the rice the fastest way: This method is by no means traditional. But if you would like to cool the rice extra-quickly, transfer the rice to a large baking sheet once it has finished cooking and drizzle the sushi vinegar evenly on top. Then use a large spatula to spread out and gently fold the rice repeatedly for a few minutes until it reaches room temperature.
• Soak the rice: As mentioned above, you are also welcome to soak the rice its cooking water for 20-30 minutes before cooking. This is said to give the rice extra time to moisten and cook more evenly.
• Customize the sushi vinegar: Feel free to adjust the amount of sugar and salt in the sushi vinegar, to taste. And of course, feel free to use more or less of the sushi vinegar if you prefer.
• Use a natural sweetener: In place of granulated sugar, feel free to use honey, coconut sugar, or any other natural sweetener you may prefer.

Ways To Use Sushi Rice

Most traditionally, this Japanese short-grain sticky rice is actually just served as a side dish to accompany the rest of your meal. But of course, it’s also delicious used in various kinds of sushi, poke bowls, onigiri and beyond. Stay tuned for more recipes to come!

Sushi Rice

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 41 reviews

• Author: Ali
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 35 mins
• Yield: About 4 cups 1x

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Description

Learn how to make authentic sushi rice either in a rice cooker, pressure cooker or on the stovetop!  See notes above for possible variations too.

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Ingredients

• 2 cups Japanese short-grain rice (“sushi rice”)
• 2 cups water
• 4-inch square of kombu (optional)
• 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
• 4 teaspoons sugar (or honey)
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

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Instructions

1. Rinse the rice. Rinse the rice with cold water in a large fine mesh strainer for 1-2 minutes, or until the water runs very clear.  Drain well.
2. Cook the rice. See details in the notes below for how to cook the rice either on the stovetop, in a rice cooker, or in the Instant Pot.
3. Make the sushi vinegar. While the rice is cooking, heat the rice vinegar, sugar and sea salt together in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until the mixture nearly reaches a simmer.  Remove from heat and whisk until the sugar has dissolved.  (Alternately, you can just heat the mixture in the microwave if you prefer.)
4. Season the rice. Once the rice is cooked, transfer the rice immediately to a large mixing bowl and drizzle it evenly with the sushi vinegar. Use a spatula to very gently fold the rice — more of a slicing and lifting motion, rather than stirring and smooshing — until the vinegar is evenly mixed into the rice.
5. Cool. Cover the mixing bowl with a damp towel so that it is touching the surface of the rice, which will help prevent the rice from drying out. Let it cool on the counter (or in the refrigerator) until it reaches room temperature.
6. Serve. Use the rice immediately in a recipe, or transfer to an airtight food storage container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

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Equipment

Kombu

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Rice Vinegar

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Sushi Rice

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Notes

Rice Cooker Instructions: Briefly stir the rice and water together in the bowl of a rice cooker, then place the kombu on top of the rice.  Cover and cook according to device instructions. Discard the kombu.

Instant Pot Instructions: Briefly stir the rice and water together in the bowl of an Instant Pot, then place the kombu on top of the rice.  Cover and pressure cook on high for 5 minutes, followed by a 10 minute natural release, followed by a quick release. Discard the kombu.

Stovetop Instructions: Briefly stir together the rice and water (I recommend using 2 1/4 cups water for this method) in a large saucepan, place the kombu on top of the rice, then cover the saucepan with a tight-fitting lid.  Turn the heat to medium-high and cook until the water just reaches a simmer.  Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain the simmer, and cook for 16-18 minutes or until all of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.  Remove saucepan from the heat (with the lid still on) and let the rice steam for an additional 10 minutes.  Discard the kombu.