Cauliflower is the latest featured vegetable in the Good Friends Good Food group. I made my dish with cheese sauce because it is a favorite of my husband’s. It is also a real comfort food that requires just a few ingredients.
My recipe includes instructions for cooking in an Instant Pot, but it can easily be cooked on the stove top as well. Just cook until tender crisp in salted water and drain well.
Recipe In My Recipe Book
I mentioned that this is a frequent dish in our home. This recipe and all of my favorite recipes are loaded in Family Cookbook Project.
A couple of years ago, I entered all of my favorite recipes into the web application and had several copies of my cookbook printed. Then, I gave one of the books to each of our daughters and older granddaughters. Our daughters have requested a cookbook over the years and retirement afforded the time to make it happen.
My Recipe Book
Most importantly, I have loved having electronic versions of my favorite recipes all in one spot. Also, as new favored recipes have emerged, I added them to the book. Nowadays, if I decide to make a specific dish while grocery shopping, I can pull it up on line to see my list of ingredients. Our daughters have also used the electronic version to look up recipes. Lastly, the cookbook has a nice feature that allows you can search for a specific recipe on a keyword. Below is a screenshot of my cauliflower recipe.
Cauliflower with Cheese
Good Friends Good Food
Please also check out the links below for other Good Friends Good Food recipes. These ladies are excellent cooks!
It’s autumn and time for pumpkin to take center stage. Pumpkin is also the Good Friends Good Food Cooking Group’s vegetable for this week. My choice shifted between a favorite pumpkin soup and a pumpkin cheesecake, which would be a new dessert for me. Pumpkin cheesecake is one of those seasonal dishes that I love. Because I have also been wanting to try a cheesecake in my Instant Pot, now seemed a good time.
If the Instant Pot is not your thing, I believe this recipe would work fine in an oven with close watching near the end to get to the appropriate degree of doneness.
Instant Pot Utensils
I used my six quart Instant Pot and a 7” springform pan. When I first bought the Instant Pot, I invested in a couple of pans to use inside it. This is my first use of the springform pan. It fits perfectly inside the pot and on top of the trivet.
Special Instant Pot Considerations
I did some research on Instant Pot cheesecakes and the following things should be a part of the process.
The ingredients should be at room temperature when used because it important for the consistency of the top of the cheesecake.
Bring the water to boiling in the pot before cooking the cheesecake because it reduces the steam in the pot by bringing up the pressure more quickly.
Do not overmix the ingredients and it will help prevent a puffy soufflé-style cheesecake.
Cover the top and bottom of the pan with foil because it keeps the steam off the cheesecake. It is also important for the cooking time to be accurate.
Freeze the prepared crust while mixing the filling. (Or bake in 325 degree oven for 15 minutes.)
Wrapped Springform Pan
Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients
12 oz. Cream Cheese (1 1/2 blocks), softened
1 can (14 oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 Tbsp Corn Starch
1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/4 tsp Cardamom
2 Large Eggs, slightly beaten
1 c. Pumpkin Purée
1 1/2 c. Water in Instant Pot
Crust
1 c. Ginger Snap Crumbs or Graham Cracker Crumbs
2 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
2 Tbsp Salted Butter, melted
Whipped Cream for topping
Instructions
Remove eggs and cream cheese from refrigerator about an hour before preparation to bring to room temperature.
Prepare a 7” springform pan by lining the bottom with wax or parchment paper. Grease the sides with butter.
First, prepare the crust. Mix together the crumbs, sugar, and butter and press into the prepared pan. Place the pan into the freezer or bake in a 325-degree oven while preparing the filling.
In a large bowl, stir the cream cheese and ensure it is very soft. Add the condensed milk and stir with a whisk until smooth. Stir together the flour and spices and then add to mixture. Lastly, add the pumpkin and eggs and stir until blended.
Pour filling over the crust evenly and tap the pan lightly on the counter to release air bubbles. Next, cover the pan with foil on both the bottom and top to prevent condensation getting to the cheesecake.
Add the water to the Instant Pot and turn on Sauté. Heat until the water is boiling and then turn off the sauté function. Put the springform pan inside the trivet and lower the foil-covered pan into the pot.
Place the cover on and set for pressure cooking on high for 49 minutes. After cooking, allow 20 minutes for a natural release.
Remove foil cover and examine cheesecake. There should be a slight jiggle in the center. If the center looks like liquid, cover and cook for an additional 5 minutes and 5 minutes natural release. If there is any condensation on the cheesecake, dab with a paper towel to remove.
Serving Instructions
Remove all the foil and allow the cheesecake to cool on the counter for 1.5 hours. Lastly, cover the pan and refrigerate for at least 10 hours before serving.
Springform pan in Instant Pot
Carefully remove the cheesecake from the pan and remove the wax paper. Serve with whipped cream. Voila, pumpkin cheesecake!
My Result
So, the center of my cheesecake was a little jiggly as desired. I found the center to be a little more creamy than the edges, but all of it was good. It was also easy to get out of the pan. However, this is not an overly sweet cheesecake. Surprisingly, my husband, a big sugar fan, loved it! I think he liked it more than me. The cardamom was one of my modifications, which I liked.
This opens our world of camping to cheesecake because we usually take the instant pot, but not an oven. It is a little different process, but is not really difficult.
Pumpkin cheesecake
In conclusion
I am enjoying cooking with Good Friends Good Food group. Check out my page, Vegetables with Good Friends, Good Food and our recipes for other vegetables. I am so looking forward to all the creative ways pumpkin is used by members of the group. Lastly, be sure to click on their links.
I wrote this unhitching and setup post exclusively for new campers. Experienced campers have already figured this stuff out and could possibly share better methods. When we first began camping, we did not know anything at all about campers and how to use them. I would have appreciated a post like this. However, I could not find anything this basic and detailed.
We have now been camping for four years and this post reflects what we have learned and is how we setup our current camper, a nüCamp T@B 400.
New Camper Unhitching and Setup
The Order of Things
Some steps must be done in a specific order or must precede other steps. Others can occur anywhere in the process. In this post, I will always indicate when order is important and why. Lastly, we have found that a standard practice makes our process more efficient and less prone to errors. You develop a sort of muscle memory.
Level the Side-to-Side
This first step is essential if you have an unlevel site from side-to-side. You should perform this check before other steps because the trailer must be hitched to raise one of the wheels. So, I use a small level that we keep in the camper to see if the the side to side is level. If it is not level, we have two leveling pads that we drive the wheel over on the low side. Often, we do not need these pads for leveling. Sometimes, we need both pads and occasionally only one is needed.
Checking the side to side level statusLeveling pads
It is important that the camper is level for the refrigerator and air conditioner to work properly and for accurate reading of tank levels. Lastly, it is much more comfortable in a leveled camper.
Chock the Wheels
For safety, it is important to chock the wheels before any steps in the unhitching process begins. An unchocked camper can roll and cause damages and possible injuries. So, it is just a good practice to always do this before unhitching.
Chocked wheel
Insert Wheel or Block
We currently use a block to unhitch and stabilize the front of our camper. For maximum stability, we center it and lower the jack. In our previous camper, we used a wheel. However, we prefer the block.
Jack is supported by block
Remove 7-Pin Connector
You should remove the 7-pin connector before unhitching to prevent drain on the car battery and to get it out of the way of the hitch.
Remove the Chains and Breakaway Cable
You will want to get these out of the way before unhitching. Regarding the chains, you should always cross them while towing.
Remove the Weight Distribution Bars
We have the Blue Ox Swaypro Weight Distribution Hitch and it requires the jack to lift the car to enable the bars to be removed. Once the jack is raised, the bars can easily be removed.
Remove Hitch Lock
We always keep a lock attached to our trailer coupler. It is vital while towing to ensure the trailer remains properly attached. It is also beneficial as a theft deterrent. We previously used a long padlock, but wanted something that was easier to get off and on. We settled on the Bulldog Adjustable Lock.
Bulldog Trailer Coupler Lock
So far, we really like the ease of putting it on and off. It works much better than the padlock. It fits snugly, which would make it difficult to cut off.
Bulldog Lock Installed on Coupler
Unhitching From the Tow Vehicle
Next, lower the jack to release the strain off the ball. Once lowered, pull up the lever on the tongue. Now, lift it off the ball. Ideally, the ball will drop from the jack. Sometimes, it can be difficult to decouple. In those circumstances, it may be necessary to pull forward or backward ever so slightly. This is the most stressful step in the unhitching process for me.
Level Front to Back
Next, adjust the jack so that the camper is level from front to back. I always set a level on the floor parallel to the door and it makes it easy to find that level sweet spot using the jack.
Leveling from front to back
Lowering the Stabilizers
Lastly, lower the stabilizers. This is the last step of unhitching and taking them up is the first step of hitching. It is important because the stabilizers can be damaged if the camper is raised or lowered by the jack while they are down.
Stabilizers are lowered
Setup
Now that the camper is unhitched, it is ready for setup. Actually, you can attach the water and power before unhitching. For example, if the weather is hot or cold, you might want to get the power on so the inside temperature can be impacted sooner.
Electrical Hookup
We recommend that you include a surge suppressor in your electrical hookup. A suppressor can protect your camper’s electrical system if there is a problem with a campground’s power supply. It can also identify electrical other issues.
Surge suppressor
Connecting to City Water
We always attach a water pressure regulator and a filter to our water connection. The meter protects your water system if there is too much pressure in the campground.
I have a couple of tips regarding the water. First, it is not necessarily to over tighten the connections. Second, be sure the gasket is in the fitting of the hose.
Water pressure meter and filterConnected to City water
Holding Tanks
We usually do not have sewer connections because most of our camping is in State Parks. When we do have sewer at our site, we keep both the gray and black tanks closed until we are ready to empty. I understand that it is critical to keep the black tank closed to prevent issues due to the lack of water. Also, you wouldn’t want anything that might be in the sewer to have access to your camper.
Drain for Holding Tanks
New Campers, In Conclusion
It can be intimidating to set up a camper if you are inexperienced. We learned how to do this over time, with some mistakes. Now, we consistently strive follow the process above and have it down to a routine. If this post is helpful to you, check out our page, Camping Resources for New Teardrop Campers.
