Oyster Stew simple

Having grown up in the Pacific Northwest, our family has been making this for decades, passed down from our grandparents. We use to go pick up the Oysters from the Beach and would bring them home and shuck them and then mom would make Fried Oysters first and then another day that week she would make Oyster Stew . For her fried Oysters, she would just gently shake them in a mixture of Flour salt and pepper, and pan fry fry in Blue Bonnet margarine, but we make them with Butter. The recipe for Oyster Stew is a simple one and quick so don’t walk away. I have adjusted it for the oysters that you can buy in the fish deli. Add more milk or any ingredient that you want to taste.

Serves 2 plus some

10 oz fresh Oysters including Liquor
2-3 c whole Milk.
1 c Cream or half n half
2-4 Tbsp salted Butter. To taste.
1/4-1/2 tsp Salt. (You may want 1/2 so keep it close)
1/4 tsp Pepper (some may like white pepper)

Parsley for garnish if desired, just to pretty the plainness up.
Red Pepper Flakes or Hot Sauce if you like.

Optional: Oyster crackers

Note: If you look at one of the pictures it shows the oysters in the Liquor and Brown Butter in a blue and white bowl. If you don’t want to toss the butter into the milk in the pot, you can brown it for a little extra flavor and do like I did and add it to the cut oysters in a bowl before adding it all when the milk is hot.

I do the 1/4 tsp salt first and then taste to see if I need more…..I do but you may not. I usually just shake a bit of salt and taste and then add more.

Cut the Oysters in 1/2” wide pieces.
This goes fast so don’t run around the kitchen, have your ingredients handy. Use a medium sized Pot and turn the heat to Medium heat. Pour the Milk, Cream, Butter (unless you’re browning it) Salt and Pepper. Stir to .mix together, heat until it starts to simmer with tiny bubbles. Dont let it boil. The Milk is scalding hot and starting to bubble and steam, turn down to simmer. Gently stir the milk with a spatula to the bottom of the pot to make sure that the milk is not scorching. Add the Oysters and all of the liquor and butter to scalding hot milk mixture. Let the Stew come back up to a simmer, Turn the heat off and let the Oysters stew in the Milk for about 5 min til they cook through, careful not to boil or the Oysters will turn rubbery. Turn the burner off. When the Oysters are done. They will be more firm and not translucent any more.
Serve with your Oyster crackers if desired. Add Sriracha sauce or Tabasco for a little kick to your own bowl.

Garnish with Parsley.

Check the date for fresh Oysters, and use before exp date.
Option..1/4 c evaporated milk .some people like a little bit of evaporated milk to taste in the stew but use caution, too much can throw the stew off so don’t add more than 1/4 c.
Notice here, I added melted browned butter to the cut oysters and their Liquor.
Can’t see the oysters, but they are there .

Western Omelettes hamburger patties.

You will need a very thin metal spatula to flip these.
Not to be mistaken with the EGG Western Omelettes. Delicious Hamburger, Onion, Green Pepper, and Egg patties will leave you coming back for seconds. My family can’t get enough of them.
this batch makes about a dozen and are at leftover sandwiches if they make it that far.
Its important to use Fresh 90-96% lean ground Chuck. Now days they add water to the meat and the fat of 80% lean seems to fall apart when cooking.


1 lb fresh ground Chuck Hamburger. 96% Xtra lean
1 c Minced Onion packed (sweet onion).
1 c packed Minced Green Pepper.
1 tsp Salt.
1/2 tsp Pepper.
6 Eggs beaten.
1/4 c Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce.
1 cube of Butter to Sauté with

You will need a very thin Metal spatula to use to flip these.
Preheat oven to 200° and set a heat proof plate or cookie sheet in the oven to heat up.
Mix all ingredients together with a good dough whisk or a large salad serving fork, mix until the burger is well incorporated.
Take a spoonful of the mixture out and pour it onto a microwaveable saucer, zap for about 20 seconds. Let it cool. Taste the meat, at this point you can add more salt, pepper, worchestershire, onion or pepper. Now is the time to add more. I don’t. Careful with the salt, the Butter has some in it too and adds flavor.
Preheat a griddle to med hot, the butter should sizzle when you drop a drop of water on it. Drop the 1 Tbsp Butter onto the Griddle and then ladle a partial scoop of the hamburger mixture onto the griddle, not too much or you may not be able to flip it, it spreads out some. Gently pat out the mixture like pancake batter… careful not to make them too thin. These are fragile so they need to be thick enough to flip without falling apart. After about 3-5 min, and when the tops are getting bubbly and greyish color. See pic below.
Carefully, using a very thin metal spatula, pushing the blade firmly onto the surface of the griddle, slide about 1-2” under the patty, and go around the edge like that, loosening the patty from the bottom of the pan. Don’t fret if you break one, it takes practice and a firm and gentle touch.. scoot around all the edges before attempting to flip. Flip low to the griddle . Cook another 3-5 min to brown the other side. Repeat the process of scooting the spatula under all sides sand body of the patty before picking it up. move the patties to the pre-warmed plate in the oven. Scrape the griddle clean. I put the crumbs into a cup on the side of the pan.
Repeat the process of butter on the griddle, then scooping the meat mixture etc until all finished.

I usually like to serve these with Potatoes, scalloped Potatoes, fried or mashed, and green beans. But whatever you like. I have even served them with my homemade Rice A Roni, made in the Instant Pot.(recipe in files) or Rice.
My hubby likes Catsup or Steak Sauce on them.

Scrapple, Pork…IP PIP

Fry Crisp on both sides.

One way to think of this, is a Pork type meatloaf that has been chilled for slicing and frying. It is not limited to, but Often eaten for Breakfast
Warning: This recipe uses Collagen from Pigs feet. If you are not a fan, NOW is the time to move on and skip this one,… but…
If you like fried Spam..if you like Hash….if you like Fried Cornmeal Mush…you may very well love this! My husband loves it all, including all of the other Breakfast meats, Bacon, Sausage, and Ham, etc.

Many folks serve it with Biscuits, Eggs, Gravy, Apple Sauce, Catsup, Apple Butter, Syrup. Or your favorite. I like it plain. Don’t have Apple Butter right now so I had Fig Jam.. yum.

A lot like Cornmeal Mush, when you make this, you need to refrigerate it for about 8 hours or over night for it to set up before you slice it and fry it to serve. Make a day ahead of when you want to use it.

I first saw the word Scrapple on a Pennsylvania Dutch community on FB. My Grandpa was P.D. (Schock) And gramma was Dutch (VanDyke), but I don’t remember having Ever had it. They sell Scrapple in stores back East, but guess what, you can’t buy the pre-made stuff, West the Mississippi, maybe even further East than that, and certainly not in Texas……or anywhere farther west such as Washington State, so I looked up what was in it… “all the scraps”……Wikipedia.
Some folks add Different spices and even different amounts of corn meal, or flours differing from the North to the Southern versions. Also some vary in the meats that go into it. Much like Garam Masada spice mixes, or Borschts or even Goulashes, Stews and Chilies, there are many different flavors added to individual Scrapples. Folks use some of their own common flavors passed down from their own families or regions and it much depended on what was available at the time, …..and me I just wanted a taste.. ? but, I didn’t want allllll of the scraps, so I decided to make my own. …so, kind of winging it, and guessing on how much of what I put in it I made my own, because I didn’t want a boat load of it.
By making my own, I know that it’s not processed food with ingredients that I can’t pronounce. Also, in my house, I have a ton of spices available, so I decided to add more than salt and pepper. I also grind my own Pork for Sausage ..so I have my spice blend already made up.
Again, if you can’t get past the Pigs feet, then this recipe is not for you.?
It is very very common in a number of cultures such as Japan, Italy, Puerto Rico, Mexico, South America, Africa, Europe Hawaii, Pennsylvania ….to mention just a few, to use Beef, Pork and Chicken feet. It makes Gold out of Broth because of the flavor and the nutrient rich Collagen that it adds to Broths.
This is not the traditional Scrapple that has meats from the Head, Feet, Lips and all that, but I did splurge on feet for the Gelatin needed to hold the loaf together. The other thing about Scrapple is that, like good stews and Broths, this is usually simmered or boiled for hours and hours, to get all of Meat and Collagen from the bones, but alas, enters the Instant Pot making short order of the process.
Makes one small loaf, about 3x more than a can of Spam. Slice like Spam.

1 1/2 lbs pig feet from the butcher.
1/4 tsp Salt for the Pig feet and broth
1 lb ground Pork.
1/4 reg sized sweet onion.
1/3 large Carrot.
1/2 c Corn Meal.
1/4 c Buckwheat Flour
1 Tbsp Sausage blend spice mix if you don’t have it (See below)
1/2 tsp Poultry seasoning.
1/4 tsp Salt for the meat
1/4 tsp Pepper.
2 c water.
Butter or Oil for sautéing

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Sausage spice mix blend condensed…

1 1/2 tsp Rub or Tony Cachers Creole seasoning.
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning.
1/2 tsp Poultry Seasoning.
1/4 tsp Sage.
1/4 tsp Fennel
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Put the Pigs feet into the inner pot, add water and 1/4 tsp Salt.
Turn the pot time to 1 hour.
Allow 15-20 min NPR.
Meanwhile… rough chop the Carrot and Onion and toss them into a food processor and process til both are finely chopped. Use a smaller bowl, and scoop most of the veggies into it, leaving 1/2 c of them in the processor bowl. ( if you don’t have a food processor, chop them very fine)
Measure out the Cornmeal, Flour, Spice blend and Flour into another bowl or cup. Set aside.
When the feet are done, turn the Pot off. Remove them to a cutting board or plate. Let cool until you can handle them.
Pour 1/2 c of the broth into the food processor. You could also use a blender , or an immersion blender if you use more broth. Pour the rest into a medium sized stainless bowl that you will be using for the PIP (Pot in Pot cooking)…Set aside.
Without rinsing the Pot out, crumble the Ground Pork into it. Turn it onto Saute, add a little, Butter, or oil to lightly sauté the Pork until it turns grey, add the onion and carrots, turn the pot off. Stir those veggies in with the pork. The residual heat will begin to cook them. After they have sat in the pot to partially cook, then just let them set until you are ready to add it all to the stainless bowl hitch it will cook in. (PIP).
When the feet are cooled, remove everything from the bones, toss the bones out. Add all the flesh from the feet to the food processor with the 1/2 c of carrot- onion mixture and broth that should already be in there. Process until contents are puréed, small bits are ok to leave. (you could also use a blender or immersion blender to do this)
Pour the Pork, Carrots and Onion mixture into the broth in the stainless steel bowl. Do a quick swish out the pot and add 1 1/2 c water back into it, then put it back into the base. Add the long handled trivet.
Stir the mixture in the stainless steel bowl to incorporate, then pour the puréed mixture from the food processor over the meat mixture. Sprinkle with the Flour Cornmeal mixture. Carefully stir into the rest. Mix well with a folding motion to incooperate it all. Push the meat mixture toward the sides of the bowl leaving a dip in the middle, so that it will cook more evenly in the middle. It won’t stay like that when it cooks but will get it cooked .
Put the Bowl onto the Trivet. Uncovered.

Put the lid on the IP and turn the pot time on to 8 min and allow 20 min NPR.
When the time is up, carefully remove the Bowl from the pot and pour the HOT contents into a greased or sprayed Smaller sized Loaf pan (again about 3 x the size of a spam can.) Allow to cool before Refrigerating For about 8 hours.

To serve. …slice into 1/4” slices. Some folks dip the slices in flour before frying some don’t. Preheat Cast Iron, Stainless or non stick Frying pan to medium hi heat. Drop a Tbsp of Butter in the pan when it’s hot, then lay the 1/4” slabs in the pan and cook about 5 min per side. Fry until crisp, then when it’s time to flip, carefully chisel off the pan with a very thin metal spatula blade, scooting around the edges until it is loosened. Only flip once.
You can also place slabs under a toaster oven broiler, or even Air Fry.
Serve with YOUR favorite condiment.


add 2 c water and 1/4 tsp salt.
The broth and feet have been coooked
bones have been picked. broth was added with 1/2 c of the carrot and onion mixture
After puréed with the broth, carrot onion mixture.
After cooked and stirred in the IP
After poured into a Small loaf pan
After refrigeration over night
Slice 1/4” and fry in butter or oil until crisp.
Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside.
These pieces were heated in my Duo Crisp80 + Air fryer. Preheat Unit with Air Fryer lid at 400° Spray rack with pam, lay slabs on the rack, Air Fry for 7-8 min per side. OR you can use your air fryer that you have. I have a Breville Air Fryer Oven and have heated it in there. Its best if you have a preheated cast iron skillet and add oil and butter to the skillet , use the air fry feature and flip it half way through.
Pic taken while inside of the IP Duo Crisp..

Tomato Gravy.. Stovetop or IP PIP method

Different than Marinara sauce, this delicious sauce is great for many things. My daughter came back from Spain and had pictures of it on a Steak, Salami, grilled Cheese Sandwich covered with more cheese and an Egg with a bit thinner smooth Red Gravy.
If you want yours smoother, just pour the sauce into a blender after it’s cooked and blend for about 30 seconds, or if you make it in a pot, you can use an immersion blender.

Makes about 3 cups

2 strips of chopped bacon.
1 c finely chopped sweet Onion.
2 c diced tomatoes, (like Campari’s from Costco) or 1 can including juice
1 1/2 Tbsp Flour.
1-2 Tbsp Butter.
1/4 tsp Salt.
1/4 tsp Pepper.
2 tsp Sugar if tomatoes are not sweet enough this can also be added at the end.

Using a medium sized frying pan on medium heat, fry the Bacon until almost done but not crispy. Leave the grease, add Butter and Onion and stir until translucent. Add the Flour, stir til it turns slightly browned. Add Tomato, Salt and Pepper and stir until thickened. Mash tomatoes that are chunky. Turn down to Simmer and let simmer for 20 min or so.
Serve over Biscuits, Eggs, Grits, Potatoes, Noodles, Toast, Crackers, Bread…etc.

FOR THE INSTANT POT PIP METHOD:

See pics below.. if you choose this method you will need to saute the onions first. The tomatoes will taste fresher too. (Also see below for a food processed version for the IP but it requires sautéing after it’s done.)
This can easily be made in the Instant pot using the PIP (pot in pot)method. You can fry the bacon and onions in the pot, but for simplicity I use a fry pan to fry just the bacon and onion, then add it to a medium sized flatter bottom stainless steel bowl, add the flour and stir together, then add everything else into the bowl, stir well. Pour recommended amount of water into the inner Pot of the Instant Pot, put the trivet in and lower the bowl down onto the trivet. Set the time for 6 min and allow for 10 min NPR.. when it’s done, QR the rest of the pressure out. Open the lid and stir well. If you want it smoother, then use an immersion blender at this time. Taste. Since tomatoes vary in flavor, Now is the time to add more butter, salt, sugar if you want. If it isn’t done quite as much as you like, pour the water out of the main pot and pour the sauce directly into the pot, turn pot off and back on to saute hi, and boil for a minute or two.

With This batch, I used an immersion blender in the Pot that I made it in.
Another shot of the sandwich that it smothered. This sandwich is Steak, Salami and Cheese, Grilled and then layered with more Cheese and served with an Egg on top and Smothered in the Red Gravy. You can thank me later??

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FOR THE INSTANT POT VERSION and a Food processed version.

sauté onions til translucent .
This time I used a food processor, but it will require sautéing after it is done in the Instant pot
1 1/2 to 2 Tbsp flour…more flour can be added at the end as well …(will require sautéing)
Sauce will look like this, use an immersion blender to smooth out if desired. Also at this point, you can blend it right in the bowl and then pour the water out of the pot and pour the sauce into the main pot and turn the pot off and onto saute. Boil for a couple of minutes until it is done to your taste.
This is After hitting it with the immersion blender.

Mac n Cheese with Meatballs and Green Beans IP

This delicious simple one pot meal does the trick for that comfort food craving when you just don’t want to COOK after a busy and tiring day!. It’s fast and easy, and even older kids that know how to use the pot can make it up, unsupervised. Recipe can be doubled in a 6 q. Pot. Some noodles absorb differently so be sure to have milk or cream on hand if you need some more.
Also…The general rule of thumb for pasta is for every 4 oz of pasta you use 1 c liquid.

For about 3 servings:
1/2 bag of Frozen pre made type..Meat balls …Bite sized.
6 oz of elbow Macaroni. (A little less than 1 1/2 c)
1 1/2 c water.
Dash of Salt.
Dashes of Pepper.
1/2 cube of Philadelphia Cream Cheese.
1 c Heavy Whipping Cream. More for after .if needed.
4 Tbsp Butter.
2 cups worth of Fresh Green Beans, and or Baby Carrots…leave Whole
OPTIONAL: 1/2 c Grated cheese.

FOR 4 Servings:
3/4 bag of Meatballs.
8 oz Macaroni.
2 c Water.
Dash Salt.
a few dashes of Pepper.
3/4 cube of Phili.
1 1/4 c Heavy Whipping Cream more for after it’s done.
5 Tbsp Butter



Pour your Macaroni into the Pot, then the Water, stir to get the Macaroni wet. Quickly add the rest of the ingredients… Meatballs on top….then DONT stir. Add a lotus steamer with handle, right onto the top of the Meatballs and put your Green Beans in the steamer.
Put the lid on the Pot. set the Time for 4 min.
When the Pot beeps, do a CONTROLLED release (CR…tap tap tap, with a dish rag handy,… if it spits, close the Valve and try again in a few seconds, repeat until you know that it won’t spit.) take the Lid off…remove the Lotus Steamer onto a plate, and carefully fold the Mac n cheese, over and over to coat the Meatballs with the Sauce, add more Cream if needed …grated cheese if you want more cheese.
Mixture will thicken as it sets and as the Macaroni noodles absorbs more of the Sauce.

Buttery Cookies

Perfect Coffee or Tea cookie.
You would think that this is a commercial for Costco’s ingredients? but it’s not. If you have other Nut blends, Cereal blends and sweetener blends then use those.
Do you buy Costco’s addictive “Cashew Clusters” and wonder what to do with all of the good crumbs in the bottom of the bag? With these cookies, you will use them up and can even food process some of them to make these treats, a sweet, biscuity, shortbready cookie in texture, these are a bit like a ranger cookie in flavor. Makes 1 dozen or more depending on size. They are great dunkers the next day. This one is a keeper.


Oven 375°.
1 1/4 c Buiscuit mix (see my recipe below)
1/2 c butter Softened
1/4 c Lakanto brand Monkfruit Erythritol mix
2 Tbsp Sugar
1/4 c Mini white Chocolate Chips.
1 large egg.
1 tsp vanilla.
1 c Costco’s Kirkland brand “Cashew Cluster” Crumbs. (Or 1/4 c candied pecans and 3/4 c mixed nuts all chopped fine.)
3/4 c Mountain Summit cereal (or bran flakes with nuts cranberries and berries)

Preheat Oven to 375°

Using a stand mixer, Cream Butter and Sweetener together until light and fluffy, add the egg and beat well, add Vanilla, then add the White Chocolate chips and the Cashew Cluster Crumbs, mix in, then add Biscuit mix all at once and mix well. Dough will be stiff. Lastly, add Mountain Summit cereal and mix in.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone liner.
Scoop out walnut sized to golf ball sized pieces into your hand and shape and flatten a little.
Place each cookie on to the cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for about 1-12 minutes, until slightly golden in color. Remove from the oven and transfer cookies to a cooling rack. Cool before eating. Perfect tea cookie.

Air Frying? Tip..Flip the Trivet for Air Frying Duo Crisp 80+Air fryer.

If you have this trivet, it flips inside out.

This is the Trivet that comes with the Duo Crisp 80 +Air Fryer. You may have to adjust adapt the one that comes with the 6 q. In This pic, I have a round rack on top of the flipped trivet. .
It will gently click and hold.

This information is included in the manual that comes with the Air fryer Lid, but this shows how to use it while cooking. The other tips are to add about 1/2 c water to the pot, and spray the trivet and upper part of the pot with pam, this makes for much simpler clean up, and save that juice that drips in the bottom.for soups.

If you have the air fryer lid with your IP Duo Crisp80+Air Fryer, you may consider setting aside the Basket that comes with it. It does add quite a bit of clean up to your Air frying.
If you flip your long handled trivet around or inside out, to make the handles into long legs, it slightly locks into place and it will create a platform for your foods like pork steak or Chicken Hind Quarters etc etc. you will have more surface area to cook your food on and it will allow for more pieces to cook at the same time, often reducing the need to do more than one batch. Adding the rack that comes with the basket will help as well for smaller pieces like wings.
This flipping of the Trivet also works for some foods to go above things like roasts or chicken when you are pressure cooking inside the pot, for cooking more than one thing at a time.

Recipes for what you see are on the website under “Air Fryer”