My parents gave me an Instant Pot for Christmas, and I have successfully made ribs, apple sauce, Coq au Vin, Beef Burgundy, chicken wings, YOGURT and LEMON CURD!
If I only ever use it to make yogurt and lemon curd it will be well worth it!!! 💗 I have the Viva model, so it has a yogurt function – which means less work because it is a “cold start method.”
I knew I was going to mix it with lemon curd so I didn’t want any sweetener in the recipe. I used one container of Fairlife whole fat milk and two tablespoons of vanilla Fage yogurt. Mixed it together in the Instant Pot, hit yogurt and went to bed! Woke up 8 hours later, put the inner lining pot covered in the fridge, and had thick and creamy homemade yogurt when I got home from work! I did stir in the slightest bit of pure vanilla before putting it into containers.
After dinner, I made a batch of lemon curd in less than 15 minutes TOTAL. No standing over the stove babysitting, no worrying that it won’t thicken, no staring at the clock to keep time …
I took to Google to find a recipe, and decided upon one from myheartbeets.com. Simple, easy and just the right amount to pucker!
I have also used the lemon curd for filling in cupcakes!! I topped them with a yummy raspberry rum buttercream, and have topped cheesecake with it.
For these dozen cupcakes I used 2 and 1/2 sticks (1 1/2 cups) of room temp. butter, almost one whole 1 lb. bag of powdered sugar, a splash or two of heavy cream and about 40 ml of Cruzan Raspberry Rum. You can add more or less rum for your taste, but you may need to increase cream or powered sugar to get a good piping consistency frosting.
The Instant Pot won’t replace my oven for my love of baking, but it has made me look at recipes differently, and made some recipes better because I don’t have to stand watch and hover. And for me – that’s a win!
Usually I like a double crust apple pie served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, but for this pie I wanted more texture to go with the salted caramel. A crumb topping was the way to go! I also chose to put the caramel on top of the crumb topping after the pie had cooked. I wanted to ensure the flavor would be prominent and to keep the bottom of the pie from being too soggy with extra moisture in the center.
It smells so amazing when it is done! Salty, Sweet, Gooey, Crunchy goodness. My four favorite food groups covered! This fall favorite will be a great addition to your Thanksgiving desserts or just because!
You can make the chocolate cups with a candy mold and tempered or compound chocolate, OR you can buy ready made ones at your local grocery store. I filled them with Biscoff Cookie Butter Smooth Spread and topped with dark chocolate ganache.
I also made ones that I filled with just the ganache and topped with a freeze dried raspberry. I used my 
I love sunsets. Yes, they are pretty, but to me they are so much more. I can’t tell you when it started, but I can tell you why. I have alluded to sunsets before tonight, but I have never shared exactly why they mean so much to me (with anyone).
This post is for my family that is hurting and grieving in a way I have never experienced personally. I love them deeply and my heart aches for them, and I pray their memories, and love for each other keeps them strong during the difficult time. 
I can’t tell you how many times I have asked God when my life has felt crazy out of control and I have felt at a loss, “Why do I keep getting tested? “What is going to be so bad that I need to be so strong?” “Please give me a sign things will get better – I need things to get better.” A few years ago, I believe I figured out what my strength was needed for and I surprised myself with how much courage I found within myself, and like many times before, when I have been struggling, the SUNSET was breathtaking that night. I was never walking alone. SUNSETS ARE MY SIGN. 
Tonight, as I was driving alone in my car, I started to pray for my family and friends who are grieving. I felt the need to pull over so that I could really focus on what my heart was feeling, asking God to grant them strength and courage to face the days ahead; to let them see the SIGNS that their loved one is near; and to know they are not walking alone. When I looked up the sky was amazing. My sign was once again there to greet me. 
💗
I was driving to work this morning mulling over what I could write about today on my blog if I only had a few minutes to do so and inspiration hit while listening to K-Love. They were talking about how Amy’s son who is in fifth grade had an assignment to pick three things that described him as a person – he picked a football picture, a Yoshi (Mario character) and his bible. There was a small discussion on what each deejay would pick if it were them, and materialism was brought up. Do these things that describe us DEFINE us?
I was already thinking while they were talking, and my kids and my faith were definitely on my list. They most certainly help mold me into who I am as a person – although neither are materialistic. I have been asked many times why I love to bake by different people I have in my life. I have written about it on my blog as well.
My materialistic item would some sort of baking tool – like a whisk or a piping bag and tip. What a crazy materialistic item, right? Not only is this a physical item – it describes me well, AND it also can define me, and I am totally okay with that.
Baking is a passion for me. I like to try new recipes and flavors, I like to reminisce with old favorites, and each thing I bake becomes a dot on the timeline of my life. I like to surprise friends and family with sweet treats – either on special occasions or just because. I like how something as small and simple as a cookie or cupcake can bring a genuine smile to someone’s face and brighten their day; and it lets me spread a little bit of love and joy to each person who partakes in my sweets. It is the little things in life that can make the biggest impact. I tell this to my girls all the time, along with “you never know what someone else’s home life is like, so be kind, even if they aren’t.” I am completely okay if someone thinks of my name and baking comes to mind or sweet treats, or anything of that nature. It would tickle me pink if part of my legacy left behind are recipes I have loved and/or tweaked to make my them my own.
I promise my hiatus from blogging isn’t because I haven’t been baking! Even though life has been crazy busy I still make sure I have time to do what I LOVE! I have made many delicious cupcakes for birthdays and yummy potluck desserts for the office and friends, and my favorite thing so far this summer – THE WEDDING DESSERTS FOR MY BEST FRIEND ❤
This was truly an honor. They not only trusted me to “design” what was made and the table setting, but also to get 150ish desserts done, drive 2 hours and set it all up. I am forever grateful for this experience!
Always make time for what you love and those you love! There may come a time when you are unable to do the those things, and those we love will not always be around. Make the most of the time you have and be the best you that you can be. What will people remember you for? It costs nothing to be kind.
Have Sweets, Will Share. 