Buffalo Chicken Stew

Whenever my folks are coming into town and we're not sure when they will get in, we like to have a meal that can be made ready and sit in waiting for guests to arrive.  For the past several visits, this has been the meal requested.  Paired with a hearty loaf of bread, this hits all the pleasure points of eating, a bit spicy, plenty savory, with some smooth creamy bits worked in.  This is based on a recipe found HERE and was originally designed for the crockpot.  That worked great, but we made some minor adjustments so you can Instant Pot it.

Ingredients

• 1.25-pound ground chicken or turkey
• 15 oz canned white beans (navy beans generally but anything on hand), drained and rinsed
• 14 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce (I like 1/2 cup, but if you have non-spicy guests go lower)
• 1 package ranch dressing mix
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried cilantro
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 oz cream cheese
• Blue cheese crumbles optional

Instructions

1. Brown ground poultry until fully cooked in Instant Pot on Saute setting
2. Add remaining ingredients except for blue cheese. Leave the cream cheese in a block on top, it will get stirred in later.
3. Cook on high pressure for 45 minutes
4. Natural release pressure and stir well to combine cream cheese
5. Served with a sprinkling of blue cheese on top

The Cowboy Song - Ukulele Chords

At the end of Joe vs the Volcano, Joe (played by Tom Hanks) strums this fun and simple song on the ukulele.  I've read They wanted something Mr. Hanks could easily play on his own, and given it only two chords I'd say they nailed it.  I've seen this written out in a few different keys, but this is the version I play because it's a) easy and b) I think what they played in the movie.

Cowboy Caviar

Here's a healthy, no cooking, super delicious salad that works as a dip or eaten directly with fork or spoon.  We make it for big parties as it travels well and works best if made ahead of time.  Generally, we serve with scooping tortilla chips.

Cowboy Caviar

• 1x 15oz can black-eyed peas (drained)
• 1x 11oz can of corn (drained)
• 2x avocados (diced)
• 1/2 cup diced tomato
• 2/3 cup red onion (diced)
• 2/3 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 clove garlic (minced)
• 1 tsp ground cumin

1. Combine all ingredients and mix.
2. Let sit several hours before serving with chips. 24 hrs is even better

Notes: Recipe is extremely forgiving of substitutions.  We often swap black beans for the black-eyed peas, frozen corn for the canned, and in winter we use a 2 Tbsp dried cilantro instead of fresh.