Better than Sex Paleo Honey Mustard Chicken

No seriously...this chicken really is better than sex. It's so good you'll slap your granny.

And it's paleo. Yep! Totally freakin' paleo.

2lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
½ c olive oil
2T lemon juice
1T garlic powder
½T ground mustard

Mix together the last four ingredients to create a marinade for the chicken breasts. I poured it over the chicken and let it set for about 3 hrs. I also used a fork to stab the chicken a little to help tenderize/flavor the chicken. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400°

Sauce:
½ c raw organic honey
½ c Dijon mustard
1T minced garlic
½ tsp ground mustard
½ tsp onion powder
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp basil leaves
1 tsp dried thyme

Mix the ground mustard, onion powder and lemon juice together so it doesn't clump up when mixed with the rest of the ingredients. Combine all ingredients. Set aside.

Line a rimmed cookie sheet with aluminum foil and place a cooking rack over that. Spray with olive oil cooking spray and place the chicken on the rack.  Bake at 400° on one side for 10 mins. Turn chicken with tongs. Bake another 15 mins. Chicken drippings will fall to the foil. Leave them there. When the timer goes off, pull them out and generously coat chicken pieces with honey mustard mixture. Bake for 10 mins. Flip, coat opposite side and bake another 10 mins.

When done, place in a shallow baking dish and carefully take the cooking rack out of the pan and using a whisk, mix together the chicken juices and the honey mustard sauce that dripped off the chicken. Pour over the chicken in the serving dish and serve with steam vegetables or rice.

I am VERY picky with what I eat on this paleo diet, but this is something I could eat every day if I could. My family is not Paleo and they all ate two helpings. You may want to double the recipe, if you want leftovers because it will go fast!

Chicken Pomodoro

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pkg polenta
1 can petite diced tomatoes (or 3-4 fresh Roma tomatoes)
3 cloves minced garlic (or 2T)
2 T fresh basil (3T dried basil)
olive oil
bread crumbs (gluten-free are fine)

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet on medium heat.

Using a meat tenderizer, pound the chicken breasts as flat as possible without them falling apart and dredge in bread crumbs. Add to the olive oil and cover the skillet with a lid. Let simmer until they begin to get brown, then flip the chicken and cover again.

In a separate skillet, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Slice polenta into ½" slices and add to skillet. Turn over when it starts to brown up. Polenta will soften, so be careful when you're flipping it.

Once polenta starts to brown on both sides, remove the lid from the chicken, turn up the heat to medium-high and let it crisp up. When chicken is done, set aside and cover to retain heat. To that skillet, add garlic and more olive oil, if preferred. Sauté for a couple minutes, then add tomatoes and basil. Simmer until heated thoroughly.

Serve polenta and chicken with pomodoro sauce over the top.

** Tip: If you use gluten-free bread crumbs, be cautious about burning. You'll want to keep the medium heat throughout the cooking process instead of increasing heat when you remove the lid.

** This can also be served with pasta or over crusty pieces of baguette, if you prefer.

Gluten-Free Buffalo Chicken Nuggets

After forty years of eating badly and filling my diet with wheat flours, dairy and sugar, this transition has been the most monumental thing I've ever tackled. It has not been fun. It has not been exciting. And, sadly, it has not been flavorful. When I made a dairy-free ranch dressing last night and it tasted like infant formula mixed with onion powder and the tears of disappointed fat kids, I literally cried. I knew I had to find something that I normally ate that could be modified effectively. Enter my passion for buffalo chicken. If there wasn't SOME way I could make this dish happen on this new diet, I knew I'd never make it work.

God bless rice flour and canola oil.

If you've seen my recipe for chicken lips or fried chicken, you know what I normally use to make them: milk, all-purpose flour, etc. This is a simple substitution and it. tastes. AMAZING. Not "I'm going to tell them it's amazing when it tastes like roof shingles" amazing. I'm talking INCREDIBLY good. My family tried them and they think they're even better than my usual recipe. I tend to agree.

2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 eggs, beaten
¼ c Red Hot Wing sauce
½ c water
1 c rice flour (almond flour would also work)
1 c corn starch
salt
pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
canola oil (or other healthy oil) for frying.

Without getting all "Alton Brown-scientific" on you, trust me that you'll want to cut your chicken into thinner strips than normal before cutting into nugget size. Between the rice flour/corn starch being different from regular flour breading and the oil being a different smoke point, you can burn the crust of the nugget and have raw chicken inside. You don't want that. :) I would say a good measure would be about ½" thick and 1-1½" long.

Mix together the eggs, hot sauce and water in a bowl. Typically I would use a milk/egg wash and, if you chose to, you could use coconut or almond milk, but I wanted to try this first. You can use a different hot sauce/water mix depending on how spicy you want the breading.

Mix together the rice flour and corn starch, then add the seasonings to taste. You can add any seasonings you'd like (cayenne, paprika, etc) or keep it plain with just salt and pepper. 

Preheat your oil to 375° (this is a relative guess, as I don't usually use a thermometer. When a pinch of flour sizzles when dropped in the hot oil, it's warm enough).

Dip the chicken pieces in the egg mixture, then the flour mixture. Double-dip back in the egg mixture and the dry mix again. Add to the hot oil and cook on each side until golden brown.

Drain on a paper towel or napkin, letting the nuggets cool for a couple minutes. Sometimes rice flour and corn starch can be gummy and fall off if you handle them too much right out of the oil.

I'm sure these can also be baked with the use of a cooking spray, so if anyone knows how to do this effectively, I look forward to hearing from you.

I drizzled these with more Red Hot wing sauce, but you could serve plain, too. They're crunchy, flavorful and absolutely delicious.

Favorite NYC restaurants

When I travel, I try to visit new places along with old favorites. I typically skip chain places and opt for ma & pa type places. I've found that people who have struggled to build their businesses from the ground up instead of taking over an established franchise seem to work harder to give me good food and excellent service. My recent trip to New York City proved that theory.

Take for instance, New Ivoire, a Spanish Harlem restaurant focusing on western African cuisine. Despite the fact that my visit came at 10:30pm on a Saturday night, the place was packed with locals (always a good sign) speaking their native tongue and the smells of mouth-watering specialties. I always try to get recommendations from my server at places like this because they're the ones who know the food better than anyone. This visit was no different. I asked the owner what he recommended and after establishing what kind of meats I like, he suggested the dibi mouton, attieke and plantains. I'd never tried African food before and was quite pleased with all of it, despite the lamb being a bit overcooked. I really liked the couscous, especially with the hot peppers and bouillon cube crumbled over it. Tiny little restaurant, LOTS of atmosphere and good food.

A favorite stop of mine whenever I'm in New York is the legendary Dallas BBQ. With more than 10 metro locations, locals probably consider it a "chain" but since we don't have them here in Iowa, I make an exception for this place. And trust me, when you taste the cole slaw and hot wings, you will understand why. I cannot tell you how good their barbecue is because I've honestly never had it. I've heard it's good, but you'll have to trust other people's reviews on that. I'm a hot wing girl, through and through and that's all I get. It's what I go for. If I ever move to New York, it'll be because of these wings. They're always steaming hot and the sauce tastes incredible. It's a cross between spicy and sweet. I believe the sauce is a mix of Frank's Hot Sauce and brown sugar. I've recreated it at home and it's pretty spot on. Now, if I could just perfect the texture of those giant chicken wings and the sauce they use on their cole slaw, I'd have it made! The cole slaw can't be found on the "side orders" menu. Why? Because I swear they give you half a head of cabbage in that bowl. For $2.99, you get a giant, heaping bowl of it and you'll struggle to finish it by yourself. The only tips I have about eating here is to take lots of wet wipes. The wings are dripping with sauce and you'll have it under your fingernails for days. The photo below, btw, is a "Full Order" of 10 full sized hot wings.

Another New York original we visited this trip was Keen's Steakhouse on 36th. While this isn't normally a place we'd consider because of cost restraints, we thoroughly enjoyed everything and when you consider the sheer amount of food you're served, the price really isn't too out of place. My friend Jenn and I shared the mutton chops (are you noticing a trend with me?) and hubby ordered the prime rib, a favorite cut of his. When I say there's a lot of food, I'm so not kidding. But it's all so delicious, you can't help but clean your plate of every delicious bite! I also tried raw oysters for the first time (hooked!!) along with old favorites like crab cakes and shrimp cocktail. We finished off our meal with dessert (key lime pie, creme brulee and affogato). It was unbelievably delicious and the atmosphere was historically appealing, too. I also noticed that the restaurant and attached bar was filled with successful businessmen. Bonus eye candy! There's no doubt why Keen's has been in business for almost 130 years.

Given that my family members aren't much for Thai food, I don't get to order it much when I'm at home so whenever I'm in New York, I try to find Thai at least once. At the suggestion of a friend, I decided to try Wondee Siam (or maybe it's called Q2 Thai now?) in Hell's Kitchen. It's a small little place on 9th but extremely economical with great-tasting food. I'm glad I went! The lunch specials through the week are unmatched. I was able to not only get the food I wanted, but I didn't have to break the bank to do it. $8.95 for Drunken noodles, a salad and an appetizer. Love it when I find a good deal! I would've loved to try the Tom Yum but I stuck with the special and was pleasantly full by the end of my meal. The vegetable dumpling wasn't all that great, but I'm still in the process of deciding what I like when it comes to dumplings, so don't take my word on that. It could've been great as far as veggie dumplings go and I just don't like veggie dumplings. Who knows? The drunken noodles, though, were fantastic!! The texture was good and the flavor outstanding. It's hard sometimes to find a place that doesn't overcook the noodles, but these guys nailed it. The salad had a delicious ginger dressing, too. It's definitely a place I'll visit again when I'm in town.

Another stop this trip was the Playwright Tavern. Usually, I avoid Times Square because of the sheer number of people that inundate the restaurants there. But since TSQ is where we stayed this trip, we indulged and boy are we glad we did. Hubby got the salmon and I opted for the mushroom ravioli. Sweet baby Jesus, it was ALL delicious! Restaurant ravioli can sometimes be overcooked or the dough may be too thin for the filling, but this was the perfect consistency and the flavor was amazing. I'm also not much of a salmon person, but even hubby's fish was good! It was a little overpriced, but that's typical for Times Square restaurants. All things considered, it was a good decision.

Another great stop in New York City for me was the Galaxy Restaurant and Diner at 9th and 46th. I met up with my friend Todd after he got off work and we headed to this 24-hour diner. (I love 24 hour places!) Believe it or not, I didn't take any pictures of my food. I'm wishing now I had because it was definitely photograph-worthy. But it was late and we got caught up in conversation and I simply forgot. Todd suggested the fried chicken and I didn't even bother looking at the menu for anything else. I trust locals' suggestions when it comes to what restaurants are known for. I rarely look beyond that unless it's something I don't eat. It was about $15 for four pieces of fried chicken, a salad and an order of fries. Worth. Every. Penny. Great food, decent atmosphere and convenient location to Times Square, it too will be a place I visit again.

The last stop for me before I left this wonderfully culinary city was a place in Brooklyn called Pies and Thighs. Again, I was too caught up in conversation and good company to take pictures, but it, too, was photo-worthy. Unfortunately, I didn't have the opportunity to try out their pies, but I did get the catfish box and it was DELICIOUS!! Normally, fish isn't the first option I go for, but since my friend Chanda talked about how great it was the whole way to the restaurant, I felt it would be sinful to choose otherwise! I'm glad I ordered it. The soul food place has numerous "southern" type options, including sides of grits and greens, but I stuck with fries. The fish had a perfect texture (some catfish I've had is a little too soft for my taste) and was golden brown. It was so good!! While it was quite a bit out of the way for me since I stayed in Midtown, it was worth the trip to Brooklyn and I highly recommend that catfish!

Over the years I've visited a LOT of other restaurants in New York and have rarely been disappointed, but I'm always open for new suggestions, so feel free to drop me a note with a place you think I need to try!

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

2lbs skinless/boneless chicken breasts, diced
1 pkg frozen carrots
½ pkg frozen peas
4 stalks celery, diced finely
1 med onion, diced
1 T minced garlic
2 T olive oil
2 T parsley
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste (I used Lawry's seasoned salt)
4 c chicken broth
2 c Half n' Half (or heavy cream)
2 T butter
2 T flour
1 pkg medium egg noodles, cooked to pkg directions

In a soup pot, sauté the carrots, peas, celery, onion and garlic in olive oil.  Once everything has a softer texture (5 mins or so), add parsley, bay leaves, salt, pepper and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and carefully add chicken pieces. Cook on medium-high heat for 15-20 mins while you cook the noodles. 

When noodles are al dente, drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking process.

In a small sauce pan, melt butter and add flour, whisking quickly to create a roux. Simmer for 3-4 minutes, whisking rapidly so it doesn't burn. Add cream slowly to the roux and whisk well. Pull from heat and add to chicken soup, stirring well. Heat completely and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Remove bay leaves and serve over cooked egg noodles.

Store leftovers separately, otherwise noodles with absorb the liquid and make them mushy.

Mom's Goulash

My dad was a truck driver and gone a lot, so when I was growing up, Mom tended to make things that would last us a couple days so she wouldn't have to cook as often. Goulash was one of her favorites and mine. She always kept it simple and stuck to the basics. So have I. It's quick, it's easy, and it's delicious!

2c elbow macaroni
1lb ground beef
1 onion, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder (or minced garlic)
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the macaroni according to package directions in a large pot, keeping the pasta on the al dente side because they'll absorb some of the juice from the tomatoes and soften up. As the macaroni is cooking, brown the ground beef and onions together in a skillet. After you've drained the pasta, return it to the pot and add the hamburger and onion mixture. Add the tomatoes and seasonings and cook on medium until warm throughout. It's great by itself or with a side of veggies or bread sticks. You could also add cheese, mushrooms or chili beans, but I prefer to stick to the basic recipe.

Enjoy!

Maid-Rites - an Iowa tradition

3 lbs ground beef
1 pkt onion soup mix
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T soy sauce
2 T pickle juice (or vinegar)
1 tsp dill weed
2 T brown sugar

Hamburger buns
Ketchup
Mustard
Pickles
Cheese slices (if desired)

Brown the ground beef and onion soup mix in a large pot, smashing with a potato masher so the meat is a fine texture. Drain the grease away and add the remaining seasonings. Bring to a simmer and serve on hamburger buns with your choice of condiments. This is an Iowa staple and it seems nobody outside of Iowa has ever heard of a Maid-rite. I've compared it to a sloppy joe without the slop. Okay, that's not true. These are FAR messier than a sloppy joe, but it's so good you won't care.They're easier than hamburgers and I believe much tastier.

You can also cook these in the crock pot. Combine all the ingredients and smash the meat up. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8. Use the potato masher to smash the meat into a fine texture as you cook it. Serve as above.

Slow Cooker Unstuffed Chicken

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 family sized can Cream of Chicken Soup
½ soup can of milk
1 box Stove-Top Chicken stuffing, made according to directions
Mashed potatoes or cooked egg noodles

In a slow cooker, layer chicken breasts, soup & milk (combined), and stuffing. Cook on low for 8-10 hrs (or high 4-6 hrs). Serve with mashed potatoes or egg noodles.

Easiest recipe in the world and SO family-friendly!

My Mom's Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar, packed
1 c butter or margarine (room temp)
2 eggs, beaten
3 c oats
2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
½ - 1 c raisins

Cream together sugars and butter until smooth. Add eggs and mix. Stir in oats and other dry ingredients. When well-combined, add vanilla and raisins. Chill for about 30 mins. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350°. Roll into ping-pong sized balls, squish slightly and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes. Let cool on the pan for five minutes, then place on cooling rack. 

Sweet Soy Dipping Sauce

½ c low-sodium soy sauce
2 T rice wine vinegar (balsamic will also work)
3 T brown sugar
2 T minced garlic
½ tsp ground ginger (or 1 tsp fresh grated ginger)

Mix together in a small jar and serve with egg rolls, pot stickers or wontons. Refrigerate leftovers.

Southwestern Chicken Soup

1 quart Chicken Broth
1 28oz can tomato sauce
1 28oz can petite diced tomatoes
1 15oz can enchilada sauce (hot or mild, depending on your taste)
3-4 T homemade taco seasoning (or 1 pkg taco seasoning)
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 T minced garlic
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 16oz pkg frozen corn
3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 can black beans, drained (optional)


Combine all ingredients (except beans) in the Crock Pot on low (8-10 hrs) or high (4-6 hrs). Add beans in the last 45 mins of cook time, if you choose to add them.

Serve with crushed tortilla chips, fresh diced avocado or sour cream.

Hot and Sour Soup

1 carton Swanson's Chinese Hot and Sour infused broth
2 T soy sauce
1 T vinegar (I used white, but you can use Rice Wine)
1 bunch green onions, diced
½ block firm tofu, cubed
½ can bamboo shoots, julienned
3-4 chopped mushrooms (I used straw mushrooms, but you can use any kind)
1 T garlic powder
1 tsp chili garlic sauce (optional - adds INTENSE heat)
2 T corn starch
3 T cold water
1 egg, beaten

½ pkg won ton wrappers, sliced into strips
1 c hot oil for frying

Combine the first 8 ingredients (9 if you choose to add chili garlic sauce) in a large pot and bring to a boil. While that's heating, fry the won ton strips until golden brown and drain on a paper towel. Combine cornstarch and water in a small bowl until mixed well. When the soup has come to a boil, slowly add the cornstarch thickener and stir. Simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and slowly add beaten egg, stirring to incorporate egg strands throughout soup. Serve with fried won ton skins.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

In helping my mother-in-law clean out her pantry to prepare for a healthier lifestyle, we researched recipes for homemade seasonings for things like tacos, ranch dressing and spaghetti sauce. In doing so, I decided that I probably should start practicing what I preach, so I, too, bypassed the taco packets today at the store and decided to make it homemade instead. 

I combined several recipes I saw online and created my own.

½ c chili powder

¼ c onion powder

2T ground cumin

2T garlic powder

1T paprika (Spanish or smoked is fine)

1T dried oregano leaves

½ tsp cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)

1T seasoned salt (you can omit this if you're on a low-sodium diet, just add more garlic powder)

1T corn starch

1T brown sugar

Combine everything in a lidded container such as a jar or Tupperware and shake well.

Use 3T seasoning with ¼-½ cup of water per ONE pound of ground meat (beef, turkey, chicken, etc.). Simmer over medium heat until desired consistency.

Swanson Thai Hot and Sour Soup (Tom Yum)

Ultimately, this is just a doctored recipe I got from Swanson. I take ZERO credit for it, I'm just adding my twist and since I hate people who take someone else's recipe and say, "it's the same thing, but I added this, this and this," I figured I'd post it here. Again, this is NOT my recipe with the exception of ONE added ingredient, so please don't quote it as mine. I don't need a lawsuit from Campbells, k? :)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into 2-inch matchstick-thin strips (about 1/2 cup)
1 medium red pepper, cut into 2-inch matchstick-thin strips (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 cup sliced mushrooms (shiitake, oyster, cremini)
1 carton (32 ounces) Swanson® Thai Ginger Flavor Infused Broth
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 can (about 14 ounces) unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

3 T Chili Garlic paste/sauce

1 . Heat the oil in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the carrot and pepper and cook for 5 minutes or until tender-crisp, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the mushrooms, if desired. (I left the mushrooms out, but they'd be great with them, too.)

2 . Add the broth to the saucepan and heat to a boil.  Stir in the chili garlic paste, too. Reduce the heat to medium-low.  Stir in the chicken and cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is hot, stirring occasionally.

3 . Stir in the coconut milk and cook until the mixture is hot and bubbling.  Stir in the lime juice and cilantro just before serving. Also, I added TWICE the amount of lime because I wanted more flavor. You may also add some onion and garlic powder or minced garlic, as well.

Tomato Basil Soup

This is an EXCELLENT recipe for almost all diet types. It's relatively low in sodium, fat and carbohydrates and you can always adjust ingredients to include lower sodium options, too.

2 - 28oz cans petite diced tomatoes
1 - 28oz can crushed tomatoes
2 c V-8 juice (low sodium)
2-3 T minced garlic
1-2 bunches fresh chopped basil
1 T olive or canola oil
2-3 T brown sugar

In a large soup pot, heat the oil and add the basil and garlic, sauteeing for a few minutes to bring out the flavor. Add the tomatoes,V-8 and brown sugar and bring to a low boil. Lower heat and simmer for about an hour or so. You can add less sugar if you prefer a tarter soup or more, if you like it sweeter. You can also omit the oil altogether if you don't want it.

For variety and added protein, add whole peeled shrimp to the soup after it comes to a boil. You could also add chopped kale or spinach, too.

Serve with crusty bread, shaved Parmesan and a healthy sprinkle of fresh cracked pepper.

Chicken Lazone

3lbs chicken breasts (skinless, boneless with fat trimmed off)

1 tsp Lawry's seasoned salt

3 tsp chili powder

3 tsp onion powder

4 tsp garlic powder

½ tsp cayenne pepper

½ c butter - divided

2-2½ c heavy cream
1 T brown sugar

1lb box of your favorite pasta (I used rigatoni, but spaghetti, fettuccine or penne would work fine, too)

Optional: chopped red peppers, diced asparagus, mushrooms

Mix the seasonings together and create a rub for the chicken. Using a meat tenderizing hammer, flatten the chicken breasts a little bit so they cook more evenly. Put half the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Coat the chicken pieces with spice rub and place carefully in skillet. Cook over medium heat while you cook the pasta according to package directions.

When chicken breasts have cooked throroughly, remove them from the skillet and cover to retain heat. Using a wire whisk or a fork, scrape all the drippings off the bottom of the skillet and stir as you add the remaining butter to the skillet. When melted, add the cream and brown sugar (as well as the chopped vegetables, if you choose), stir well and let it come to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pan and let it cook for a few minutes. Serve both over pasta.

I made this dish again with diced red peppers and asparagus and it was amazing, but the dish also stands well on its own. This is easily one of our new favorite meals. SO easy and uses ingredients we typically have in our cupboard and refrigerator.

Beef and Noodles

Yep...it's another pressure cooker recipe. I can't help it. This tool is such a vital part of my kitchen "appliances" that I can't live without it. In fact, I've gone without a food processor for over a year, but can't give up my pressure cooker. If you haven't already bought one, give it a try. I promise, you won't regret it.

1-2 lb arm, rump or round roast (the more marbled, the better)

1 16oz pkg frozen noodles (or homemade noodles)

3 T beef soup base (I use "Better than Bouillon") (this will also serve as your salt)

2 c water

1 onion, cut into wedges

2 bay leaves

1 tsp garlic powder or granulated garlic

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp oregano

½ tsp thyme

2-3 T thickening agent (corn starch or flour mixed with about ½ c of cool water)

In your pressure cooker, combine everything but the frozen noodles and thickening agent. Don't trim the roast unless you really want to, as the fat will add amazing flavor. Attach the lid and bring to high pressure. Turn on medium to medium-low and let cook for about 30-40 mins (depending on the size of the roast). 

When you're close to the end of the meat timing, bring water to a boil to cook your noodles in. I usually cook them separate for two reasons: they tend to soak up all the beef broth leaving your meal dry and too concentrated, and with only a couple cups of liquid, it's not enough water to cook them anyway. If you'd like them to have a beef flavor, feel free to cook them in beef broth or toss a couple spoonfuls of soup base in with the water. Cook your noodles according to package directions and drain when done.

During this time, your timer should've gone off and the heat has been turned off under the meat. Let the pressure naturally release (should take about 15 mins). When it's safe to remove the lid, pull out the bay leaves and throw them away. Then, using a couple of forks, shred the beef and return to the pot with the broth and onions. Bring back to a boil and add thickening agent to desired consistency. Let the starch flavor cook out of it over medium heat for about 5-10 mins, then add the cooked noodles, mixing well.

If you're from the Midwest, you'll probably want to serve these over mashed potatoes, but for the rest of you, you can serve as-is. :)