Shredded Chicken in the Instant Pot (From Frozen or Fresh Chicken Breasts)

I love my Instant Pot.  There are so many reasons that I love it, but this is one of my top reasons: shredded chicken.  It is so incredibly fast and easy to throw in some chicken breasts from the freezer, shred them when they are done, and bag them in 1 cup increments to be used later in all sorts of yummy recipes.  It really makes my meal time prep so much faster on a busy weeknight!

Shredded Chicken in the Instant Pot
by: Carolyn (after reading many, many blogs on this subject)

5 chicken breasts (really, do as many as you want, but I usually don't fill the Instant Pot up more than about halfway full)
1 c. chicken broth
generous sprinklings of onion powder, garlic powder, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

Place the chicken in the Instant Pot.  Pour the chicken broth over the top.  Sprinkle all of the seasonings on top of the chicken.  Set your Instant Pot for High Pressure, for 14 minutes if the chicken is fresh, 26 minutes if the chicken is frozen.  When the chicken is done cooking, I let it do a natural release until I am ready to shred it.  Then I put it all in my Kitchen Aid mixer and turn it on to the lowest speed until it is shredded.  Put the shredded chicken in freezer bags in 1 cup increments, label them with a sharpie and freeze them for later.  I use it in my soups, enchiladas, tacos, taquitos and whatever else I am making that calls for chicken!  It is such a time saver!

Pumpkin Bread With Cream Cheese Icing (& How To Make Your Own Pumpkin Puree)

This week I pureed one of the pumpkins from my garden.  I was so happy with how easy it was and how great the flavor was.  I used a medium sized pumpkin and got about 11 cups of puree!

With the fresh pumpkin, I made a couple of loaves of pumpkin bread.  Pumpkin is one of my favorite flavors, especially for this time of year.  This bread was delicious and moist.  The cream cheese icing added a little more sweetness, but you could definitely eat the bread without it.  Either way, it will make you think of Autumn!

Pumpkin Bread With Cream Cheese Icing
adapted from: Better Homes and Garden

1 c. flour
1 c. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
1 c. pumpkin puree
1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
1/3 c. shortening
1 c. flour (again)

For the icing:
1 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp. milk

Grease and flour the bottom and sides of a loaf pan and set it aside.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, nutmeg and cloves and stir it well.  Add the pumpkin, milk, eggs and shortening and beat it on medium speed with an electric mixer for 2 minutes.  Add the 1 cup flour and mix it until it is blended.  Pour the batter into your loaf pan and bake it for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  In the meantime, make your icing by mixing together the softened cream cheese and vanilla until well blended.  Stir in the powdered sugar and then the milk and mix it well.  Drizzle the icing over the top of the hot bread, or slice it and then drizzle it.

How To Make Your Own Pumpkin Puree

I consulted a number of websites, trying to figure out the best way to puree my pumpkin, and they were all very similar.  I will give the quick version of how to do this.

First: Wash your pumpkin, cut off the stem and cut the whole pumpkin in half.  Scoop out the seeds and pulp.

Second: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Rub a little canola oil on the cut surfaces of the pumpkin (inside).  Place the pumpkin face down on a cookie sheet (one with sides, in case it drips a little).  Roast the pumpkin for anywhere between 1 and 1 1/2 hours.  Mine cooked for almost 90 minutes.  When you can easily stab a fork into the top (outside) of the pumpkin, it is done.  Let your pumpkin cool for 10 minutes, or until you can handle it.

Third:  Peel the skin off of each half of your pumpkin.  I was able to do this using my fingers.  A knife helped to start the peel, but then it peeled away pretty easily.

Fourth:  Puree the cooked pumpkin in a food processor or blender until it is smooth.  Most websites said to strain some of the water out using cheesecloth.  Store the puree in airtight bags in the freezer, or make some yummy pumpkin bread right away!