how to

Instant Pot Burn Message

January 9, 2019 by Anna 41 Comments

Instant Pot Burn Message – what happens when your IP displays “burn”, what is the cause, how to fix it and how to prevent it in the first place.

Seeing the burn message on your Instant Pot, can lead to a slight panic moment but remember: this is a smart appliance and it’s just telling you that the temperature at the bottom it too high and it turned off the heating element. It gives you a chance to fix the issue.

INSTANT POT BURN MESSAGE

Chances are that while cooking pasta dishes or chili in your Instant Pot, you saw the “burn” message on the display. The most common dishes that will cause that are pasta dishes and chili because of the thick sauce. If you read my Instant Pot Guide for Beginners, you know that the Instant Pot needs a thin liquid to come to pressure so a thick tomato based sauce is not ideal and it will cause the dish to burn on the bottom.

How To Create a Welcome Basket for Guests

December 4, 2017 by Anna 42 Comments

Simple tips to creating a sweet basket of goodies to make your guests feel right at home.

Holiday season is here! It’s everyone’s favorite time of the year. Not only because we get to enjoy our favorite holiday dishes but because we get to spend time with friends and family. Many of us will be traveling to do that and many of us will be hosting guests. One of the easiest ways to welcome guests into our homes is to create a simple but thoughtful Welcome Basket.

I am partnering with GODIVA to share with you about their Godiva Masterpieces, a line of individually wrapped chocolates that are simply perfect for a welcome basket for guests.

Rosette Cupcakes

October 8, 2011 by Anna

My cupcakes will never be the same again. After making those sweet rosette cupcakes, I am never going back to frosting my little cake babies with spatula. Look at them. Aren’t they adorable? 🙂

My adorable rosette cupcakes:)

I used the awesome 1M tip. I could probably write a separate post about this tip. You can say that it pretty much made the rosettes in front of my eyes! 🙂

OK. Now onto the actual cupcakes. I went for the classic combo: chocolate and vanilla. The cake is not too sweet. Neither is the frosting. The level of sweetness is just right. My husband really likes the frosting. It’s very light and fluffy. I used Americolor’s regal purple to achieve the beautiful color.

So there you have it: Devil’s food cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting. You can say the flavors are nothing fancy here, but that is where my 1M tip comes in. 🙂 Creating the rosettes that make those cupcakes stand out in a crowd.

Buttercream
adapted from Wilton

1/2 cup of solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup of butter, at room temperature
1 tsp of vanilla extract
4 cups of confectioners’ sugar, sifted ( about 1lb )
1 Tbs of milk

Cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Mix to combine. Add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. Beat well after each addition. Add milk and beat until buttercream is light and fluffy. Keep covered with a damp cloth until you are ready to use it. Keep refrigerated in airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Whip for a couple of minutes before using.

Devil’s Food Chocolate Cupcakes
adapted from Better Homes and Gardens “Cook Book Bridal Edition”

3 eggs
2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp of baking soda
1/4 tsp of salt
1/2 cup of shortening
1 3/4 cup of sugar
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup of cold water

Let your eggs and butter stand in room temperature for about 30 minutes. You can cut the butter in a tablespoon size pieces and put them in your mixing bowl.
Line your cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, soda and salt. Set it aside.
Beat shortening and butter together in a large mixing bowl. Beat until creamy. Add sugar and vanilla and beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time. Beat well after each addition.
Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternating with with water. Pour batter into cupcake liners, filling about 2/3 of each liner.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in a pan for few minutes and transfer onto a cooling rack.
Frost when completely cooled.