stir crazy after all these fears

stir crazy after all these fears

by | Mar 15, 2020 | Uncategorized

Going Stir Crazy?

So you have been locked inside.  Whether it is from the crazy March Storm that just dumped a ton of snow, another Sunday without sports, or from the virus.  You are running out of ideas, and going a bit stir crazy.   Here is a list of 100 things to do when you are trapped alone inside.

  1. read
  2. wash the dog
  3. clean out the linen closet
  4. bake cookies
  5. play solitaire
  6. watch Downton Abbey
  7. make campfire cones
  8. write thank you notes from the holidays
  9. call your mom
  10. shop online
  11. clean out your inbox for email
  12. throw out all your junk mail and old catalogs
  13. floss your teeth
  14. make popcorn and watch a classic movie
  15. take photos of random things around the house, and post on social media
  16. make a grocery list
  17. create the ultimate smoothie
  18. make oragami out of dollar bills
  19. make coffee
  20. try out a wild new hairstyle and post on social media
  21. give yourself a pedicure
  22. give the dog a pedicure
  23. plan a happy hour in the living room
  24. do laundry
  25. invent a new cocktail
  26. learn something new off YouTube
  27. practice a musical instrument
  28. tie-dye white underwear using food coloring and vinegar
  29. join a wine club 
  30. do squats… or diddily-squats
  31. update your resume
  32. look at adoptable animals at the shelter online site
  33. yoga
  34. clean under the sink
  35. try on all the clothes in the closet, and donate most of them
  36. take a bubble bath
  37. dance in the kitchen
  38. sing opera
  39. practice your Miss America wave
  40. give the cat a haircut
  41. shoot marbles in the kitchen
  42. practice doing a plank for as long as you can
  43. find a place to volunteer
  44. donate online to a worthy cause
  45. join a Facebook page and comment
  46. post photo of cat with new haircut on Instagram
  47. Start a travel bucket list
  48. make children’s clothing out of drapes after watching The Sound of Music
  49. learn how to yodel
  50. binge watch TEDtalk

 

Still stir crazy? Here are 50 more…

 

  1. uncork a great bottle of wine
  2. shave your legs
  3. flip over the mattress
  4. iron
  5. knit something
  6. go through photo albums and write names and dates on photos
  7. cruise Pinterest for cool ideas
  8. plan a party
  9. write a glowing review for a service provider
  10. work on an acceptance speech for an Oscar… when your life is made into a movie
  11. shopvac the fireplace or oven
  12. doodle on all the pages in your daytimer that aren’t filled with something
  13. make something out of macaroni
  14. define your career goals
  15. teach your dog a cool parlor trick
  16. color
  17. put on cool sunglasses, red lipstick and lipsinc a video
  18. pretend to be someone else for 5 minutes, and see how that feels
  19. pretend the person you are with is someone else
  20. act like you are waiting for the servants to show up, and keep a straight face
  21. work on you monthly goals
  22. come up with the 5 worst jokes you can…. that make you laugh
  23. iron some clothes, singing “I am Iron Man”
  24. throw out all the expired medicine in your medicine cabinet
  25. wash the dog blanket
  26. call an older person and have a nice long chat
  27. record a new phone message
  28. develop an age-appropriate gymnastics routine to be done in the living room
  29. balance your checkbook
  30. figure out the Instant Pot thing
  31. do your taxes
  32. sing loudly
  33. rearrange the furniture
  34. take up scrapbooking
  35. have a teaparty
  36. write a love letter
  37. try to play the spoons  like Abby the Spoon Lady
  38. redo your Facebook bio
  39. watch Ken Burns Country Music
  40. Learn how to say Hello, Goodbye and Thank You in a different language
  41. see what is living under the silverware divider
  42. start a wine journal
  43. plant some seeds inside in an egg carton
  44. listen to music
  45. send positive thoughts out into the universe
  46. be grateful
  47. begin a journal
  48. wash the windows
  49. take a nap
  50. blog

Hope these suggestions prove to be helpful with your stir crazy days.

Thanks for visiting my post!

–Tracy

fluffy instant pot rice

fluffy instant pot rice

by | Mar 14, 2020 | recipes

fluffy rice every time in the instant pot

You may be new to the Instant Pot, or you may have had one for a while. Most people think of the Instant Pot as being the end-all appliance for cooking meats and soups and stews But have you tried cooking rice in it?  It is a lot simpler than you think, and with the proper ratios, comes out fluffy and perfect every time.

There are a lot of different rice recipes out there, but this one is easy to remember and gives great results. First off… Forget everything you know about cooking rice… this is different!

 

Let’s start with the rice to water ratio.  On the stove, it is usually 1:1.5 or more. 

In the Instant Pot it is ALWAYS 1:1 — no matter what type of rice it is.

You may wonder why so little water?   Won’t it burn?   The answer lies in the fact that this is a closed system, and when sealed properly, NO water evaporates during cooking.

Traditionally cooked, brown, black, red and wild rice take longer to cook, and require more water… because of the evaporation factor.  The longer the rice takes to cook, the more water is needed. But in a closed system, the water stays in — no matter how long it is cooked for.  So, with the Instant Pot, all rice requires the same amount of water to cook.  1 part rice to 1 part water.

So the softer the rice — like white long grain or jasmine — the shorter the cooking period.  I start with one minute. But, if your rice comes out too hard… it doesn’t need more water, but rather more time.  And if it is mushy… you probably used too much water. 

Also, it doesn’t matter if you are making 1 cup or 5 cups, the water and the times are the same.  If you have been using and Instant Pot for a while, you will know this… but as a beginner, I had to let that sink in a bit.  Also, I wouldn’t attempt to make more than 5 raw cups of rice at a time in a 6 quart Instant Pot. Rice triples in volume when cooked — ( 1 part water, 1 part rice & 1 part air– because it’s fluffier) 5 cups of raw rice will turn into 15 cups cooked, and that is getting pretty close to the 2/3 line max — which would be 16 cups.

These times are suggestions.  If you are at altitude, you may need to add a bit more time. strat with a few minutes at a time.

 

IGNORE THE RICE BUTTON — IT IS ONLY FOR WHITE RICE.

The rice button is not your friend if you want perfect fluffy rice.  Also… ignore the recipe in the instruction booklet that came with the Instant Pot.

METHOD:

  • 1 part rice
  • 1 part water, or veggie or meat broth
  • sprinkle of salt
  • 1t – 1T coconut oil (optional)

PUT ALL INGREDIENTS INTO INSTANT POT & SEAL

SET TIMER  ACCORDING TO CHART.

WHEN DONE COOKING, ALLOW TO NATURALLY RELEASE FOR AT LEAST 10 MINUTES, THEN QUICK RELEASE.

OPEN THE POT.

FLUFF RICE AND ENJOY.

I hope you enjoy your fluffy Instant Pot rice!!

For more Instant Pot tips and hacks, go  HERE

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Thanks for visiting my post!

–Tracy

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