My Instant Pot Didn’t Explode

Unfortunately, I didn’t get the Christmas story finished. More on that in my next post. I’m also not as much on the THM eating plan as I want to be either. Okay, so I’m not really on it at all. Yet. More on that in the next post too.

So much for updates. 🙂

I really had intended to do better about posting more often but the holidays – well, enough said about that. Then, there was switching everything from my nearly full computer to a newly refurbished one. And the chore of replacing my storm door. I’d say my daughter helped me with that job but it was actually the other way around. She loves doing the whole handy-woman thing as much as I do and it was cold enough, well, I didn’t argue when she wanted to remove the old frame and install the new. Mostly, I just pitched in as needed.

The other excuse for waiting so long is that I wanted to make this post about cooking my first spaghetti squash in my new Instant Pot (affiliate link) … but I was kind of nervous about using it. I don’t know why because I’ve used both stove top and electric pressure cookers many times without incident. But there was something about this small appliance that brought to mind news reports and fire trucks so I kept postponing it. Now though, I guess it’s time.

Off to the kitchen I go.

Yikes.

By the way, read to the end to find out about a promo I’m involved with for free books – AND a chance to win a $50.00 gift card!!!

So far, so good.

And the countdown begins.

Instant Pots really don’t explode.

Right?

Be back later. Once it’s done, and cooled enough to handle, I’m going to try and make a hash brown patty or two from a recipe I found on the Oh Sweet Mercy website. I also want to try and make some baked spaghetti or a spaghetti-like lasagna with what’s left, but I’ll do that in a day or so.

Quick check in.

Initial test run???

Oops.

So now it’s about half an hour later and I’m going to consider the spaghetti squash the initial, and successful, test run. It was falling apart and is currently cooling in the oven. In a bit, I’ll see if I can make a passable hash brown.

Please, please, please taste at least a little like real hash browns. Or even a little like pasta…

Not exactly impressive, are they?

The flavor, while nothing like potatoes or pasta, was better than I expected. Especially the side with the cooked (nearly burned) crumbled bacon. The tiny one without bacon – that was a hair on the burned side (but not too bad) – but – would have been better with the bacon. Still, it wasn’t half bad.

But neither turned out crispy. Not even a little bit. Because, even though the woman at the Oh Sweet Mercy website suggested cooking it without poking holes in it for venting, I chickened out and added some. A couple made some pretty big cracks in the squash so I’m guessing that was the main cause for the soggy mess.

How do I know that? When I squeezed the water out of it, it just all mushed together. There were no strands left.

Next time, no holes. In the meantime, I’ll try baking the strands at a low temperature for a while to try and dry them out. Maybe the next batch of ‘hash browns’ will be better.

Now, about that promo…

There are 24 books of varying heat levels, all free, so now is a good time to add to your library. My book, A Prince on the Run, is included. Just click on the link below to check them out. And don’t forget to enter the drawing for the gift card!

Mystery by Candlelight book promo

Editing to add that 5 of the 24 books are excerpts (they are labeled ‘preview or sample’ above the covers). The rest are complete books.

Photo credit (praying girl): Pixabay