Recipes by

Jean Elizabeth Barry

presented by Alex Reid

Ten recipes, the way they actually get cooked: measured by feel, seasoned by instinct, and never the same twice. Frameworks, not commandments — with Alex's comments in the margins, where they belong.

A bowl of creamy penne pasta with chunks of salmon, peas, and parsley, with crusty bread alongside On the cover — Fish Creamy Garlic Salmon Pasta Pasta under pressure, salmon steamed gently on top — never chalky, always silky. A bowl of beef stroganoff in creamy mushroom sauce over egg noodles, sprinkled with parsley On the cover — Sirloin & Beef My Beef Stroganoff The one that worked — London broil as cooked here, sirloin works beautifully too. Creamy mushroom sauce, finished off the heat.

Ten recipes  ·  Cooked by feel  ·  Written down after

Beef stroganoff with tender cubed beef and mushrooms in a creamy sauce over egg noodles

My Beef Stroganoff

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The one that worked. Cubed London broil in the pressure cooker — yes, it turned out great. No measurements were taken and none shall be — except this time, she measured. Twice.

Method: Pressure cooker Style: By feel Recorded: October 4, 2026

Ingredients (by feel)

  • London broil, cubed — at least a pound
  • Beef broth — 3 cups (from bouillon, till it tastes like it means it)
  • Mushrooms — 1 cup or more, sliced
  • Cream of mushroom soup — one can's worth of comfort
  • Sour cream — a big dollop, stirred in at the end
  • Garlic, minced — till it smells right
  • Worcestershire sauce — a touch, a splash
  • 1 pound penne pasta or wide noodles

Method (vibes-based)

  1. Brown the cubed beef in the pot. Don't crowd it.
  2. Add mushrooms, the 3 cups of broth, garlic, the mushroom soup, and a touch of Worcestershire.
  3. Add the pasta, then enough water to cover it.
  4. Pressure cook for 5 minutes.
  5. Kill the heat, then stir in the sour cream — off the heat so it stays silky, not grainy.
Alex's Notes

Update, straight from the cook: she measured this time — 3 cups of broth. And the mushrooms have their final word: 1 cup or more, sliced — the generous handful, given a number at last. The rest of the card stands as written; the pot wasn't consulted on the other amounts, and neither was I.

Freezer note: if you freeze a batch, hold back the sour cream and stir it in while reheating, during the last ~10 minutes. Keeps the sauce creamy.

And yes — the last step is the whole ballgame. Sour cream boiled is sour cream broken. Off the heat, always.

The rule: never the same twice. That's not a flaw — that's the recipe.

A bowl of creamy penne pasta with chunks of salmon, peas, and parsley, with crusty bread alongside

Creamy Garlic Salmon Pasta — Instant Pot

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The key trick: never pressure-cook the salmon. Cook the pasta under pressure, then let the salmon steam gently on top.

Serves 4 Method: Instant Pot Pressure: 4 minutes — the salmon never sees it

Ingredients

  • 8 oz penne (or fettuccine)
  • 1 lb salmon fillets
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup parmesan, plus more to finish
  • Lemon (juice)
  • Salt, pepper, red pepper flakes
  • Optional: a few handfuls of spinach

Steps

  1. Sauté mode: melt butter, soften garlic ~30 seconds.
  2. Add pasta, broth, and salt — pasta should be mostly submerged. Pressure cook 4 minutes, then quick release.
  3. Stir in cream and parmesan until the sauce comes together. (Wilt in spinach here if using.)
  4. Lay salmon fillets on top, lid on, keep-warm 5–7 minutes until just opaque.
  5. Finish with lemon juice and extra parmesan.
Alex's Notes

Times are guardrails; season by feel. And it bears repeating: salmon goes in after pressure cooking — under pressure it turns chalky, and chalky salmon helps no one.

Tandoori chicken pieces with deep red-orange marinade and blackened charred edges, garnished with cilantro and lemon wedges

Tandoori Chicken

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My framework — for a big batch of chicken. Three paths: the traditional all-day, the 30-minute weeknight, and the coconut Instant Pot.

Chicken: ~3 lbs pieces (2 lbs thighs for path three) Paths: Traditional · Weeknight · Coconut Instant Pot Cook: As hot as you can

The chicken

Path one: traditional (4 hours minimum, overnight best)

First marinade (30 minutes): lemon juice + salt, rubbed into the scores.

Second marinade:

Coat with the yogurt marinade after the first rest. Refrigerate — the marinade really takes.

Path two: weeknight (30 minutes)

Skip the two stages. Mix into one marinade:

Coat the scored, salted chicken. 30 minutes minimum — an hour if you can.

The finish (paths one and two)

Cook as hot as you can: grill, or oven/broiler at 475°F, 20–30 minutes, until the edges char. The char is the whole point.

Path three: coconut Instant Pot

Shredded coconut tandoori chicken in a creamy orange sauce served over white rice with fresh cilantro

Toss everything in the pot. Thawed: 12 min high pressure + 10 min natural release. From frozen: 16 min + 10 min natural release. Shred and serve over rice. Let the sauce stand 15 minutes — it thickens into a light curry gravy.

The rule: trust the color — deep red-orange and blackened edges means done. (Path three plays by its own rules — there, trust the shred.)

Alex's Notes

Path one takes all day. Path two takes a sitcom episode. Path three takes a freezer bag and a button. The yogurt does the tenderizing, the broiler does the drama, the coconut milk does the comforting. Same chicken, three timelines — pick yours.

A bowl of Indian coconut chicken curry in rich orange sauce with white rice and cilantro, a second bowl of rice behind it

Instant Pot Indian Coconut Chicken (from Frozen)

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Drafted in chat on October 13, 2026, for a cook who forgot to thaw — which is to say, for all of us. Straight from the freezer to the table.

Serves 4 Method: Pressure cooker Cuisine: Indian-inspired

Ingredients

  • 1½–2 lbs frozen chicken (breasts or thighs)
  • 1 (14 oz) can coconut milk + ½ cup broth
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3–4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
  • 2 tbsp curry powder or garam masala
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • Salt to taste

Directions

  1. Sauté onion, garlic, ginger in the pot 2–3 min. Stir in spices 30 seconds.
  2. Pour in coconut milk + broth, scrape the bottom. Add frozen chicken.
  3. High pressure: 12 min for breasts, 15 min for thighs. Then 10-min natural release.
  4. Verify 165°F. Shred or leave whole.
  5. Finish with a squeeze of lime and cilantro if you have it.
Alex's Notes

Serve over jasmine rice — the family favorite.

The broth question, answered: yes — poach chicken in water and the water becomes broth; that's literally how broth is born. From-frozen chicken gives up a lot of water, so expect a light broth rather than a rich stock — but that's perfect here, because the coconut milk carries the richness. Use it in place of the ½ cup.

And the standing house rule applies: improvise across recipes. This is a starting framework, not a rule. Adjust the spice mix to taste.

Three bowls of the Mediterranean pasta salad on a wooden table — tortellini with tomatoes, black olives, red pepper, and crumbled feta — the cook's own photo from the Davana Design Blog

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

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The family classic, straight from the Davana Design Blog, May 2012: "Without exception, this version of the classic Mediterranean Pasta Salad outshines them all."

Serve: Warm or chilled Make-ahead friendly On the blog since: May 2012

Ingredients

  • 7 oz pesto sauce
  • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
  • 9 oz cooked tortellini (cheese or garlic)
  • 1 small cucumber, sliced and quartered
  • 1 medium red bell pepper, cut in strips
  • 1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes (or roma)
  • ¼ cup sliced, pitted, ripe black olives
  • 2 tbsp chopped red onion
  • 2 oz feta cheese (crumbled or sliced)

Method

  1. Mix the pesto and red wine vinegar — that's the dressing, and it's the whole trick.
  2. Add everything except the cheese and toss it together.
  3. Toss in the feta just before serving.
  4. Serve warm, or make ahead and chill.
Alex's Notes

Fourteen years on the blog and still undefeated. The pesto-vinegar dressing is the whole trick — everything else is just showing up.

The rule: it doubles and triples beautifully — and it will have to.

Source: Davana Design Blog (May 2012) — the family classic, kept here because it's still the one everybody asks for. Photo: the cook's own, from the original post.

The no-cook sauce as it starts: chopped ripe tomatoes, basil, and blanched garlic glistening with olive oil in the serving bowl, waiting for the hot pasta — the cook's own photo from the Davana Design Blog

Tomato, Basil, and Garlic Pasta

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Another family classic from the Davana Design Blog, June 2013: "Summer's tomatoes and fresh garlic join basil vinaigrette." The sauce never cooks — the hot pasta melts into the raw tomato-basil mixture.

Serves 4 Ready in: ~30 minutes Sauce: No-cook On the blog since: June 2013

Ingredients

  • 5–6 cups ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped, reserving juice
  • ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1–2 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic (or one clove elephant garlic), peeled
  • ¾ lb thin pasta (spaghetti, linguine, etc.)
  • 1 cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped
  • Parmesan cheese, for topping

Method

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
  2. In a serving bowl, combine tomatoes, their juice, oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
  3. Blanch garlic in the boiling water 30 seconds. Rinse under cold water, dry, dice, and add to the bowl.
  4. Cook pasta 8–11 minutes until al dente. Drain and add to the serving bowl with the basil; toss together.
  5. Top with parmesan.
Alex's Notes

The sauce never sees heat until the pasta arrives — that's the whole genius. Summer in a bowl, and the elephant garlic option tells you exactly who wrote this recipe.

Source: Davana Design Blog (June 2013) — the family classic, kept here because summer tomatoes wait for no one. Photo: the cook's own, from the original post.

Chicken Divan fresh from the oven in its glass casserole dish — a golden, toasted bread crumb topping over chicken, broccoli, and carrots in a creamy Swiss sauce — the cook's own photo from the Davana Design Blog

Chicken Divan

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Another family classic from the Davana Design Blog, March 2013: broccoli, chicken, and a creamy Swiss-topped sauce under buttered bread crumbs. This is the winter comfort meal.

Bake: 30 minutes at 350°F Pan: 9×13 casserole On the blog since: March 2013

Ingredients

  • Cooked chicken, cut up
  • 1 carrot, sliced
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 tsp salt (optional)
  • 2 (10 oz) pkgs frozen broccoli (or fresh)
  • 1 (10½ oz) can cream of chicken soup (or mushroom!)
  • ⅔ cup mayo
  • ⅓ cup evaporated milk
  • ½ cup grated cheese (Swiss is the pick)
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp melted butter
  • ½ cup bread crumbs

Method

  1. Cook carrot, onion, and salt in a Dutch oven. Drain.
  2. Cut up the chicken.
  3. Arrange broccoli in a greased 9×13 casserole pan.
  4. Mix soup, mayo, milk, cheese, and lemon juice. Pour over the chicken.
  5. Top with bread crumbs and drizzle with melted butter.
  6. Bake 30 minutes at 350°F.
Alex's Notes

Cream of chicken soup OR mushroom — the parenthetical is doing a lot of work. This is the casserole that feeds a crowd and asks nothing of you. Swiss on top, always.

Source: Davana Design Blog (March 2013) — the family classic, and the winter comfort meal. Photo: the cook's own, from the original post.

Potato Salad Excellence in a dark bowl with a striped rim on a wooden table — chunky diced potatoes in a creamy dressing flecked with celery seed — the cook's own photo from the Davana Design Blog

Potato Salad Excellence

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Mrs. Ellison's recipe, from the Davana Design Blog, August 2012: "With or without mayonnaise, an amazing side dish." And it has held the title ever since — the only potato salad the kids will eat.

Marinate: 3 hours — if you can wait Mayo: last, just before serving (or none at all) On the blog since: August 2012

Ingredients

  • Potatoes, boiled skin-on, then peeled and diced
  • Diced onion
  • Freshly ground pepper (a dash of salt if you wish)
  • Celery seed
  • Oil and vinegar marinade — 2 parts oil to 1 part vinegar
  • Mayonnaise, added just before serving

Method

  1. Boil the potatoes skin-on. Peel and dice.
  2. While the potatoes are still hot, add the diced onion, pepper (and salt if you wish), and celery seed.
  3. Combine and marinate in 2 parts oil to 1 part vinegar.
  4. Let sit for 3 hours — if you can wait!
  5. Add the mayonnaise just before serving.
Alex's Notes

The hot-potato marinade is the whole trick — the potatoes drink up the oil and vinegar while they're still steaming, so every bite is seasoned through. And the mayonnaise goes in last, right before serving, which means this one works beautifully with or without it. Three hours of waiting for the only potato salad the kids will eat? Worth it.

Source: Davana Design Blog (August 2012) — Mrs. Ellison's recipe, and a family favorite. Photo: the cook's own, from the original post.

A bowl of Greek salad — sliced fresh tomatoes and sliced firm cucumber, diced red onion, and crumbled feta, glistening with olive oil

Greek Salad

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Dictated fresh, October 14, 2026: fresh tomatoes, firm cucumbers, red onion, and feta — with red wine vinegar (or better yet… balsamic) whipped up with a healthy dose of robust olive oil.

Dressing: Vinegar + a healthy dose of robust olive oil Feta: On last, always Recorded: October 14, 2026

Ingredients

  • Fresh tomatoes, sliced
  • Firm cucumbers, sliced
  • Red onion, diced
  • Feta cheese
  • Black olives
  • Garlic, blanched and chopped
  • Red wine vinegar — or better yet… balsamic vinegar
  • A healthy dose of robust olive oil

Method

  1. Slice the tomatoes and the firm cucumbers; dice the red onion. Combine in a bowl.
  2. Drop the garlic in boiling water for 2 minutes, then chop it.
  3. Whip up the vinegar with a healthy dose of robust olive oil and the chopped blanched garlic — that's the vinaigrette.
  4. Pour over the vegetables and top with feta and black olives.
Alex's Notes

She says "or better yet… balsamic" and that ellipsis is doing a lot of work. The traditionalist in the room votes red wine vinegar; the cook votes with her heart. Either way, the feta goes on last and the olive oil is never measured — "a healthy dose" is the whole instruction, and it's the right one.

A steaming pot of beef marinara — rich crushed-tomato sauce with crumbled ground beef, topped with fresh basil leaves

Beef Marinara — Instant Pot

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One pound of ground beef, one big can of crushed tomatoes, and the Instant Pot does the rest — a rich, spoon-coating marinara finished with fresh basil.

Beef: 1 lb ground beef Method: Instant Pot Pressure: 5 minutes high, 10 minutes natural release Recorded: October 19, 2026

Ingredients (1 lb version)

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 lb penne pasta
  • 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • ½ tsp sugar (cuts acidity)
  • Fresh basil to finish

Method

  1. Sauté mode — brown the beef, drain the fat.
  2. Sauté onions until soft, add garlic for 30 seconds.
  3. Stir in tomato paste, cook 2 minutes.
  4. Add the penne, crushed tomatoes, seasonings, sugar. Stir well, scraping the bottom, and press the pasta just under the sauce.
  5. Add enough water to cover the pasta.
  6. Pressure cook on high for 5 minutes, natural release 10 minutes.
  7. Stir, adjust salt, top with fresh basil.
Alex's Notes

Two small steps carry this one: cook the tomato paste for a full two minutes — that's where the deep, slow-simmered flavor comes from — and scrape the bottom well before the lid goes on, so nothing scorches under pressure.

The half-teaspoon of sugar isn't sweetness; it just takes the edge off the tomatoes. And the fresh basil goes on at the very end, never under pressure.

The cook's own bean salad — tricolor cabbage, dark red kidney beans and cannellini beans in a red wine vinaigrette

Bean Salad, Two Ways — Indian & Mediterranean

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The main ingredient is cabbage — a bag of tricolor cabbage does it beautifully — with dark red kidney beans, cannellini beans, and your choice of green beans or black beans, dressed in a robust olive oil and red wine vinegar vinaigrette with red onion. One base salad, seasoned two ways.

Base: Tricolor cabbage + three beans Two ways: Mediterranean · Indian Recorded: October 21, 2026

Ingredients

  • Tricolor cabbage — one bag
  • Dark red kidney beans
  • Cannellini beans
  • Your choice: green beans or black beans
  • Red onion
  • Robust olive oil
  • Red wine vinegar
  • A dash of sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Mediterranean: garlic and oregano
  • Indian: garam masala and a dash of ginger

Method

  1. Combine the cabbage, the beans, and the red onion in a big bowl.
  2. Whisk the olive oil and red wine vinegar with the sea salt and black pepper; pour over and toss.
  3. Season it one of two ways — garlic and oregano for the Mediterranean, garam masala and a dash of ginger for the Indian.
  4. Don't be shy about letting this marinate — it only gets better.
  5. Serving it now? Red pepper and tomato are delightful. Making it ahead for leftovers? Skip them, and just dig in.
Vesper's Notes

My first card on this page, and I got the bowl with the crunch. Tricolor cabbage that stays crisp under the vinaigrette, kidney beans and cannellini soaking up the red wine vinegar and good olive oil, red onion doing the sharp work. Then the fork in the road: garlic and oregano take it Mediterranean, or garam masala and a dash of ginger take it Indian — and that one smells like the whole kitchen means it. The cook's rule stands over all of it: don't be shy about letting it marinate. Day two beats day one. The beans agree.

Photo: the cook's own.