Selkowitz - This old gals pressure cooker cookbook: 120 easy and delicious recipes for your instant pot and pressure cooker

Confession Cooking and eating are both deeply personal to me. I was passionate in creating this cookbook, not just because of the recipes, but because I hope others will benefit from its usefulnessmainly great meals, but also to bolster fun, confidence, and the joy of knowing that they can make delicious, nourishing food, even with a busy lifestyle. For me, food is not just about nourishment; it is about the journey from start to finishfrom grocery shopping, to prepping, to cooking, to plating. It is all an experience. And for each person, that experience is different. In cooking for others, I feel that I am sharing my story.

I enjoy hosting guests for dinner because it allows me to show them who I am sans words. They can taste the passion and joy of my cooking and know that I had them in mind when making it. While I am not born in confidence, I can attest to my recipes. Have I created a meal and perfected it on the first try? Yes. Have I failed on the first try? Yes. Those failures only pushed me to work harder to create a catalog of recipes that I could feel confident publishing.

I have repeatedly tested all of my recipes to make sure that my directions are clear. In all honesty, that is where I am less confident. How do I communicate the warm earthiness of a sofrito, the excitement of spices, and the comfort of a home-cooked meal using only words? How do you describe a hearty soup without being prosaic? How do I explain a fork-tender pot roast in prose alone? With time ticking, I took a step back, cleared my mind, and waited for inspiration. It came to me just like the wafting smell of a delicious meal. I can be my own aroma of roasted garlic and grilled onions, metaphorically speaking, of course. Throughout this book, I share some of my story, in hopes that I can convey to you this important message: You can prepare delicious, nourishing food for yourself, loved ones, and friends.

You can incorporate from-scratch cooking into your life, no matter how busy a life you lead. You may even be surprised to discover that it may take less of your time to cook at home than it does to order and pick up a take-out meal. And, eventually, you will notice a savings in time and money. Who am I, and why did I write a book? My name is Jill Selkowitz. I enjoy traveling, attending live theater, hanging out with my Tonkinese kitties and my guy, and, of course, cooking and eating. People who have found this book by way of my Facebook group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/ThisOldGal), or my food blog (https://thisoldgal.com), probably know these things about me already.

For those who dont know me, here is a little introduction into This Old Gal. I grew up in Miami with my father. He put himself through law school as a short-order cook, so I had a private cooking instructor right in my own kitchen. My dad loved to entertain. I remember growing up with fancy dinner parties equipped with Armetale, crystal wine goblets, good friends, and tasty food. My dad was very social and loved the finer things in life.

Like my dad, I love food and experimenting with all kinds of ingredients and all types of cooking methods. To this day, I appreciate the peace and calm of being in the kitchen, the grace of creating things that sustain and nourish me and sharing that with others. My dad hired me as his legal secretary so that he could teach me the skills needed to become an excellent legal secretary, as he knew I was planning to move to Los Angeles. That career gave me mobility. In May of 1985, I moved to Los Angeles with my cocker spaniel, Buffy, found an apartment, and took a job as a legal secretary. That was a great, stable job that still allowed me to do the things I loved because my passion for cooking and feeding my friends continued.

Being in Los Angeles, I decided to pursue acting in my free time. I also began teaching aerobics for Richard Simmons at his studio, Slimmons. I then found myself lucky to be cast as a dancer in Richards Sweatin to the Oldies 3 video. While it was a lot of fun, I still found myself wanting something more. Looking for a change of scenery, and with a car full of kitties, I moved to Charleston, South Carolina, in 2003. Charleston is such a beautiful city with incredible cuisine, history, and culture.

This is where I learned a lot about good ol Southern cooking. After a few years there, I opted to move back to Florida. I always found myself moving to different parts of Florida, from Boynton Beach to Miami. Still, even with my love of Cuban food, I knew deep down, I always felt that Los Angeles was home. So, I followed my heart and moved back. Its air, light, and rhythms just seem to fit me.

Something about Los Angeles makes me feel at ease and I know that this is home. Making food and sharing it with people, while empowering others with the knowledge and skills to do the same for themselvesthese are my constants, the anchors in my life. I love learning about local, regional, and international ingredients and recipes. I also love finding ways to make them accessible to people in other regions. The Internet has made it possible to connect with others who enjoy cooking worldwide. My real-world experiences, and interest in all things culinary, are what push me each day to keep doing what I do.

Over the years, I have participated in numerous groups, shared many recipes, and answered tons of questions about various cooking methods and techniques. I began cooking with electric pressure cookers in 2004. By 2011, I was also using multi-cookers, such as the Instant Pot. In recent years, their popularity has skyrocketed among cooks of all interests and levels of experience. I think the time-saving factor is a major reason for this, as well as the safety and sophistication of the technology. These multi-cooker pressure cookers offer many functions and can be used to replace single-task appliances, such as electric pressure cookers, rice cookers, steamers, and slow cookers.

Along with this popularity boom, I have experienced an increase in the number of questions I am asked about pressure cooking. I knew that there had to be a way for me to share my knowledge with others more readily. Enter blogging. About two and a half years ago when I discovered blogging, I decided that this was something that I could do and, as it turned out, it was exactly what I was looking for. I quickly created ThisOldGal.com. I designed it as a place where I could create archives of my personal recipes, create new and exciting ones, and offer tips to help and encourage others.

I am incredibly lucky to be doing what I love, fulfilling my passion of cooking, and teaching, while also making a living. As with the Facebook group, I am the woman behind the curtain, posting recipes and tips, and responding to questions and comments. I am on a campaign to demystify home cooking. I want people to understand that electric pressure cookers can add tremendous value to their already busy lives. It is possible to work, take care of family and friends, run errands, make home repairs, hit the gym, take the kids to practice, and still have time to prepare and enjoy a wonderful meal. I hope you will enjoy these recipes as much as I enjoyed creating them.

The blog and the This Old Gal online groups continue to be a rich source of support, sharing, and learning together. You are welcome to join in the community and the fun! https://www.facebook.com/groups/ThisOldGal, and, of course, the blog, https://thisoldgal.com. Happy Pressure Cooking!