Have you ever came home from shopping and didn't know what you were going to cook the family for supper? The struggle is real.  I spent $$$ on groceries, buying food for New Year's and had nothing in mind for a meal.  I am glad I picked up chicken legs. They are a great budget meal, at $1.20 per pound!  My kids love them, and Instant Pot Chicken Legs would be ready in a few minutes!



I grabbed the big family package, and I seasoned and put all the chicken legs in the Instant Pot.  I added our favorite BBQ sauce and a cup of water



After adding BBQ and water, lock the lid make sure the vent is closed.  Set timer to manual/pressure cook for 20 minutes.  When it is done cooking, quick release.  Place chicken legs on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil.  




I brushed on more BBQ and put under the broiler for another five minutes.  Don't walk away from the broiler, turn the sheet if needed, and keep an eye on out on the chicken.

INSTANT POT CHICKEN LEGS   PRINT RECIPE

Chili is a favorite of ours in the winter time.  It is a great comforting food that is best when cooked all day, and even better on the next day.  I knew the Instant Pot could help us get all the flavors combined in a shorter amount of time. 


A great thing about chili is it doesn't take many ingredients to make this hearty soup.  We used local beef and stewed tomatoes from our garden. 


I browned two pounds of hamburger in the Instant Pot with one chopped onion.  I used the Brown button to brown the meat in the Instant Pot.  This option makes clean up even easier! 



I used 2 quarts of our stewed tomatoes we canned this summer. Two quarts of stewed tomatoes equals 8 cups.  Use tomato juice if you prefer.  We like thick chili. 







PRINT RECIPE

Mix the two ingredients and pour into the brownie pan sprayed with cooking oil.

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Besides farming corn and soybeans in Jasper County, Indiana, Gregg Kanne set off to try a different crop in 1994.  Mint farming wasn't too common in the area.  His wife, Sue's family was farming mint, and Gregg saw a great opportunity for his family.  Gregg and Sue have farmed for 40 years, raised four children, and now lives on the farm that has been in his family for over 100 years. 

Photo Credit: Kanne Farms

I sat down with Gregg at his kitchen table, in the same house he grew up in, and many other family members before him grew up on the same homestead.  Much has changed with the farm, but many things have stayed the same.  

Photo Credit: Kanne Farms

Harvest has slowed down, but field work continues for mint farmers, weather cooperating. Mint can either be peppermint or spearmint.  Peppermint is grown on the Kanne ground.

Mint plant spreads through the roots not seeds. The mint plant can last four years in a field.  The first year it is considered row mint, years 2-4 are considered meadow fields because the plants spread out with runners.  After the 4th year, the field is put back into a corn/soybean rotation.  

Northern Indiana soils are good for mint production.  Mint grows well in well-drained soils such as sandy soils, loamy soils, and muck grounds.  Mint is grown for the oil in the leaves.  Oil is stored in glands on the underside of the leaves. 

Photo Credit: Kanne Farms

One acre of mint produces 5-6 Ton of mint hay, which yields 60-70 pounds of oil.  According to USDA, Indiana has 11,500 acres in Peppermint production, producing 575,000 pounds of mint oil in 2016.

Photo Credit: Kanne Farms

Photo Credit: Kanne Farms

Mint usually is contracted three years out.  The growers know how many acres they need to keep in rotation well in advance.  The buying companies pick up the mint from the farm by 55-gallon barrels.  It is very important to sample and grade all oil, especially since it is used in food-grade. 

Peppermint oil is a very strong and distinct fragrance.  The main end users are Colgate and Wrigley, farmers know their mint crop is going towards toothpaste, gum, and other flavored products.








This post was sponsored by The Glass Barn, brought to you by the Indiana Soybean Farmers. As always all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Use your favorite pasta sauce, in our house, it is Prego! 




Before cooking, add your favorite shredded cheese. We prefer mozzarella shredded cheese with our pizza.

1. Brown hamburger and pork sausage with minced garlic and chopped onion.
2. Pour the cooked pasta in crock pot sprayed with cooking spray.  You may not need to add the entire box!
3. Add browned hamburger and ground pork sausage.
4. Add bacon, ham, chopped pepperoni, and other ingredients you prefer.
5. Pour in water and sauce.  
6. Top with cheese, cook on HIGH for 2.5-3 hours, or low 5-6 hours.