Author Archive
Giant Meatball II
May 17, 2019 Lee
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Giant Meatball II

This is a takeoff from the Giant Meatball I recipe which uses beef and beef gravy. Think of this as a 'Spaghetti and Meatball Dinner.' Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

For the Meatballs

  • 500 grams ground pork, (1 lb)
  • 1/4 cup bread crumbs, (Shortcut)
  • 1 egg
  • handful fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 2 tablespoons tomato sauce, (Shortcut)
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, (Shortcut)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

To Serve

  • hot cooked spaghetti, or pasta of your choice
  • pasta sauce, of your choice, (Shortcut)
  • fresh salad, of your choice

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F). Line a baking sheet with foil then place a rack on the sheet and cover that with foil, this is so the fat will drain.
  • In a large mixing bowl, mix all Meatball ingredients together by hand but don't over work it.
  • Divide the mixture into 2 or 3 equal portions, shape each portion into a ball and place on the foil covered rack.
  • Bake for 30-45 minutes. The meatballs should be nicely browned and internal temp should be 70 C (160 F).
  • About 20 minutes before the meatballs are done, go ahead and prepare your pasta sauce, cook the spaghetti, and prepare a salad of your choice.
  • When the meatballs are done, add a generous helping of spaghetti to a plate, place a meatball on top of the pasta, ladle some pasta sauce over the meatball, place some salad to another smaller dish as the side, repeat for the remaining meatball(s), serve and enjoy.

Notes

Figure about 70 Baht for 500 grams of minced pork. For 2 servings, this is about $1.13 per serving.
Shortcuts: Bread Crumbs, Tomato Sauce, Italian Seasoning.
Variant: 1. Use a 4 cheese pizza blend instead of the Parmesan.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,MEATBALLS
Giant Meatball I
May 17, 2019 Lee
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Giant Meatball I

Lee
I was in another province in 2017 and there was a German restaurant right around the corner from where I was staying. I decided to order a meal there and looked through the menu, one item stuck out, "Meatball, served on mashed potatoes with gravy and a vegetable." I called the waitress over and asked "is this one meatball or many meatballs?" She said "just one, but it is big." I ordered this, and oh my, I was surprised, about a ½ to ¾ pound meatball! And it was very good! So here is my rendition of this delicious meal. Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American, German
Servings 2 servings

Equipment

  • Oven
  • Baking Sheet with Rack
  • Foil

Ingredients
  

For the Meatballs

  • 500 grams ground beef, (1 lb)
  • ¼ cup breadcrumbs, Shortcut
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup beef broth, fresh or from powder
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1 tablespoon onion, finely minced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

For the Gravy

  • 1 packet beef gravy mix, Shortcut

For Serving

  • hot mashed potatoes, Shortcut
  • steamed vegetable, of your choice

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F). Line a baking sheet with foil then place a rack on the sheet and cover that with foil, this is so the fat will drain.
  • Add all the meatball ingredients to a mixing bowl, use your hands to fully mix everything but without overworking the mixture.
  • Divide the mixture into 2 or 3 equal portions, shape each portion into a ball and place on the foil covered rack.
  • Bake for 30-45 minutes. The meatballs should be nicely browned and internal temp should be 70° C (160° F).
  • About 20 minutes before the meatballs are done, go ahead and prepare your gravy, make the mashed potatoes (I will use my pressure cooker method), and steam a vegetable of your choice.
  • When the meatballs are done, add a generous helping of mashed potatoes to a plate, place a meatball on top of the potatoes, ladle some gravy over the meatball, add the veggy of your choice to the side of the plate, repeat for the remaining meatball(s), serve and enjoy.

Notes

This will a High cost per serving for 2 or 3 servings. I'll get a specific cost when I order beef again.
Shortcuts: Breadcrumbs, Gravy Mix, Mashed Potatoes (Pressure Cooker).
Variant: 1. Use hot cooked egg noodles in place of mashed potatoes.
Just winged this, basically just beef meatballs on a larger scale. Lee Thayer, Thailand.
* High Cost $1.51+ per Serving,: GERMAN,MEATBALLS
Kani Salad
May 15, 2019 Lee
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Kani Salad

Adapted from an internet recipe.
Kani in Japanese is crab, and this salad is an American take on a salad and uses the Japanese word for crab to make it sound, you know, Japanese. This is the lighter version of the American 'Seafood' salad which is primarily imitation crab and mayo. I will clarify some of the measurements to cups after I prepare this.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine American
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 100 grams cucumber, (3½ oz)
  • 20 grams dried glass noodles, aka bean thread noodles, (¾ oz)
  • 145 grams imitation crab, or lump crab meat, (5 oz)
  • 3 tablespoons Kewpie mayo
  • ½ lime, zest only
  • white pepper powder, as desired, to taste
  • lettuce, chopped, as desired, optional for serving

Instructions
 

  • Heat a saucepan with water to a boil, when boiling, add the glass noodles and cook according to the directions, it takes just a few minutes. Drain the noodles and run under cold running water to cool them.
  • Place the noodles on a cutting board in a pile, cut the pile in half one way, then in half crosswise to the first cut. Place the noodles in a mixing bowl and gently toss them.
  • Peel and cut the cucumber into larger than normal matchsticks, and to the mixing bowl and gently toss with the noodles.
  • Unwrap the crab sticks and pull them apart into thin strips, add to the mixing bowl and gently toss.
  • Add the Kewpie mayo and zest, gently toss with the other ingredients. Taste and season as desired with white pepper.
  • Refrigerate until ready to serve. If desired, serve over a bed of lettuce as a side salad with any main dish.
SEAFOOD - ALL,Seafood - Crab,Seafood - Crab - Imitation,Sides - Salads
Prawn & Cheddar Spring Rolls
May 15, 2019 Lee
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Prawn & Cheddar Spring Rolls

In my never ending search for ways to prepare spring rolls, I found this recipe on a friend's website, and these sound very tasty. Spring roll wrappers generally come in 2 sizes, 8.5 x 8.5 inch and 5.5 x 5.5 inch, it is recommended to use the smaller 5.5 inch ones. When I get prawn for this I will measure them with and without the heads so you can estimate the size. This recipe is in no way considered Chinese.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Servings 50 spring roll

Ingredients
  

  • 50 medium prawn, peeled, deveined, leave tails on
  • 50 spring roll wrappers, 5.5 x 5.5 inch preferred
  • Cheddar cheese
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • cooking oil, as needed

For the Marinade

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons corn starch
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon white pepper powder
  • 2 spring onions, finely chopped

Instructions
 

  • For the cheese, you can use sliced or block. For sliced, stack 3-4 slices and cut into strips. For block cheese, cut slices about 1/4 inch wide, then slice those into strips. Goal for the cheese is to insert it the prawn where you deveined them.
  • If your spring roll wrappers are frozen, take them out of the freezer and place on the counter about an hour before you start so they are completely thawed.
  • Prep the prawn by rinsing, removing the head, peel off the shell but leave the last segment of the shell and tail attached, devein but slice a little bit deeper than what you would normally do, this is where the cheese will go, and rinse again.
  • Spread the prawn out on some paper towels and pat them dry.
  • Mix together the Marinade ingredients in a large mixing bowl, add the prawn and toss together with the marinade. Let the prawn marinate for 15 minutes.
  • Now we are going to roll them and this is slightly different from regular spring rolls as both ends are open, with the tail sticking out from one end. First thing to do is mix the corn starch and water in a small bowl, this is your glue to seal the edge, keep that right near where you are rolling. Open the package of spring roll wrappers and if working by yourself, cover them with a damp paper towel to keep them from drying out. Highly recommended to have two people do this, one to pull the wrappers apart, and one to do the rolling.
  • Spring roll wrappers have have different textures on each side, one side is smooth, the other is rough, when using these, smooth side always goes down on your work surface. Carefully pull off a wrapper from the pack, if you have not done this before, you will get the hang of it very quickly and will know how hard you can pull without tearing a sheet. Place the wrapper, smooth side down in front of you with one corner towards you.
  • Pick up a prawn and stuff the back where you deveined it with a strip or two of cheese, place the prawn on the wrapper on the corner nearest you. Keep the tail end on the same side for each roll you make.
  • Fold the corner nearest you up over the prawn, leaving part of the last shell segment visible.
  • Fold the left and right sides in towards the center.
  • Roll the prawn away from you until you almost get to the end, now dip two fingers in the corn starch slurry and rub along the two edges of the exposed corner pointing away from you.
  • Continue to roll to seal the corner.
  • Repeat for all remaining shrimp.
  • To fry them, heat about 1/2 inch of cooking oil in a pan to 180 C (350 F), when the oil is hot but not smoking, place 4-5 rolls in the hot oil, a pair of chop sticks will be quite handy to prevent burnt fingers.
  • Turn the rolls over when golden brown on the edges and fry the other side until golden, remove to paper towels to drain.
  • To serve, have sweet chili sauce, mayo (think Kewpie), or even marinara sauce available. Enjoy.

Notes

I will figure pricing on these when I get some prawn and determine how much cheese I will need. For now, I will say Fair cost.
This recipe for Shrimp and Cheese Spring Rolls is courtesy of Rasa Malaysia.
United States.
* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,APPETIZERS / SNACKS,SEAFOOD - ALL,Seafood - Shrimp/Prawn
Caesar Chicken Sandwiches (Slow Cooker)
May 14, 2019 Lee
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Caesar Chicken Sandwiches (Slow Cooker)

Excellent sounding chicken, on my to make and taste list. Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, (1 lb)
  • 2 cups creamy Caesar salad dressing, plus more for serving, (Shortcut)
  • 1 cup chicken broth, fresh or from powder, (Shortcut)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
  • salt and pepper, as desired
  • 1 head lettuce, chopped
  • 6 sandwich rolls, of your choice
  • butter, as needed
  • Parmesan cheese, shaved or shredded, for serving

Instructions
 

  • To your slow cooker, add the first 7 ingredients, season with salt and pepper as desired, mix together. Place the lid on and set to High for 3-4.
  • Check the chicken at 3 hours, if it easily shreds, it is ready, if not, let cook for another hour.
  • When the chicken is ready, drain most of the liquid from the pot then use two forks and shred the chicken, mix and add additional Caesar dressing to get a nice creamy consistency.
  • Toast the sandwich rolls and butter each piece. On the bottom parts of the rolls, add lettuce as desired, the Caesar chicken, season with pepper as desired, add some Parmesan cheese, top with the top of the roll.
  • Serve and enjoy.

Notes

Low cost.
Shortcuts: Creamy Caesar Dressing, Chicken Broth (Pressure Cooker).
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,BURGERS & SANDWICHES,Chicken - Slow Cooker
Tempura Batter
May 14, 2019 Lee
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Tempura Batter

Adapted from an internet recipe.
I am going to test this out with some crab sticks. There is a few items to keep in mind when making this. First, have your oil hot, 190° C (375° F). Have all items you are going to fry ready, such as vegetables, shrimp, crab sticks, etc. Always use ice water to mix the batter. Use a pair of chopsticks to mix with so you do not enter air into the batter, and use those to add items to the hot oil.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Cuisine Japanese, Portuguese
Servings 2 cups batter

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup tempura flour, or all purpose flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup ice water

Instructions
 

  • Pour cold water from your fridge into a jar, I use a mason jar, then add a good handful or two of ice into the jar, there is your ice water. what you will need now is a measuring cup.
  • In a mixing bowl, crack in the egg, use chopsticks to just mix together the egg yolk and white.
  • Strain the ice water into a measuring cup until you have 1 cup and pour that into the mixing bowl.
  • Sift in the flour into the mixing and stir with chopsticks to just combine the mixture, do not over mix.
  • Use the batter immediately, that is the reason for having the items already prepared and the oil hot.
  • Use chop sticks to dip your items into the batter and place in the hot oil.
  • Fry until golden brown, turning items as needed, remove to paper towels to drain.
  • Serve with dipping sauces of your choice.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,: JAPANESE,: PORTUGUESE,INGREDIENTS
Fried Crab Sticks aka Fish Fingers
May 14, 2019 Lee
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Fried Crab Sticks aka Fish Fingers

Adapted from an internet recipe.
In my never ending quest to find recipes that use crab sticks (imitation crab, which is just fish), I came across this one, and it is very good! Easy to prepare, these can be shallow fried in a pan or deep fried. I made these on 31 Jan 2022 and the family loved them! Serve as an appetizer or main dish.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Asian
Servings 0

Equipment

  • Deep Fryer

Ingredients
  

  • imitation crab sticks
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1½ cups panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • cooking oil, as needed
  • dipping sauce, of your choice

Instructions
 

  • For the crab sticks, estimate 1-2 sticks per serving as appetizers, or 6-8 sticks per serving as a main dish.
  • Whisk together the eggs and milk in a shallow bowl. Place the flour in a bowl, and the panko in another bowl. Place a sheet of foil or parchment paper on the counter then unwrap the crab sticks and place on the foil. (And you can see I already had 4 sticks coated already when I took the photo.)
  • For pan frying: Heat about ½ inch of oil in a pan, you want it hot but not smoking. For deep frying, set the dial to 180° C (350°).
  • Roll a crab stick in flour to evenly coat, then coat evenly with egg mixture, then coat with panko, and place the crab stick back on the foil. (The coating is not thick, but the panko and egg give a nice texture and flavor.)
  • When you have 4-6 sticks completed, and the oil is hot, add the sticks to the oil and fry until browned, turn to brown other side, this only takes 2 minutes or so and do not overcook or the crab sticks will fall apart. When using a deep fryer, place sticks in the basket so they are not touching, then deep fry for 1-2 minutes.
  • Remove and drain on paper towels.
  • Repeat for remaining crab sticks.
  • Enjoy with a dipping sauce of your choice, such as sweet chili sauce, ketchup, or Japanese mayo (Kewpie). Figure 1-2 sticks per serving as an appetizer and 6-8 sticks per serving as a main dish.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,APPETIZERS / SNACKS,SEAFOOD - ALL,Seafood - Crab - Imitation
Fried Corn & Cabbage
May 14, 2019 Lee
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Fried Corn & Cabbage

I had some cabbage in the fridge that needed to be used and some corn in the freezer, so I decided to cook them together since I do like fried corn as well as fried cabbage. This turned out very good!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 head green cabbage, chopped
  • 2 cups corn, fresh cooked, frozen, or canned will work
  • 2-3 tablespoons bacon fat
  • black and white pepper, as desired

Instructions
 

  • Cut the stem off flush with the bottom of the cabbage, place stem side down, cut the cabbage in half then cut each half in half so you have 4 pieces. Cut the core out of each piece at an angle, then cut each piece into 1/2 inch slices, break up any pieces that do not fall apart. Now the cabbage is ready.
  • For the corn, a few weeks earlier I bought some fresh sweet corn and pressure cooked that then cut the corn off the cobs, and froze it for later use. So I just thawed that out. If using canned corn, just drain it well before using.
  • Heat a large non stick pan with the bacon fat, when hot, add the cabbage and corn. Season with black pepper and use a spatula and mix the cabbage and corn together.
  • Turn the cabbage occasionally, as the cabbage cooks down, taste and season with white pepper as desired.
  • When the cabbage is nice and tender, serve as a side with any dish. Enjoy.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
Something I just threw together and it worked perfectly. Lee Thayer.
Thailand.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,SIDES
Bacon, Egg, Cheese, No Bun Required
May 12, 2019 Lee
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Bacon, Egg, Cheese, No Bun Required

Not really meant to be a sandwich unless you have plenty of napkins nearby. Use egg rings to cook the eggs, layer, sounds good!
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Breakfast, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 1 serving

Ingredients
  

  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons hot water
  • 2 slices bacon, cooked crispy, or as desired
  • 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
  • salt and black pepper, as desired

Instructions
 

  • First thing, is cook up the bacon, your preferred is fine. Me, I will just fry it. When the bacon is cooked, remove from the pan to paper towels to drain. Pour out most of the bacon fat (I save the fat in a jar).
  • Place two egg rings or quart size large mouth mason jar rings in the pan. Crack in an egg into each ring, break the yolks with a fork, season each with salt and pepper as desired.
  • Add the water to the pan and cover, let the eggs cook (steam) for about 3 minutes or until the whites are cooked through.
  • Remove the lid and add the cheese to one egg only, cover and cook for another minute or until the cheese is melted and gooey.
  • To plate, turn the egg over with no cheese onto a plate, add the crispy bacon strips, turn the egg with cheese over the top of the bacon, cheese side down.
  • Serve with toast, enjoy, with a fork.

Notes

Low cost.
Variants: 1. Add some ham slices. 2. Add some sliced spring onion to each egg after cracking into the rings. 3. Add some chopped mushrooms to the eggs after cracking into the rings. 4. For more cheese, add a slice of cheese, your choice, to the first egg on the plate. 5. Use duck eggs in place of chicken eggs.
Adapted from an internet recipe. 
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,EGGS - ALL,Eggs - Chicken,Eggs - Duck
Crab Omelet
May 11, 2019 Lee
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Crab Omelet

Adapted from several Asian style recipes.
For this, I will use imitation crab meat, it is just fish, and I like it. This is based somewhat on Filipino and Thai Omelets. Some Filipino omelets cook the filling first and later added, and many Thai omelets are just flat with fillings added with the eggs, not folded, so let's combine these methods.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Breakfast, Main Dish
Cuisine Asian
Servings 1 serving

Ingredients
  

  • ¾ cup imitation crab, slice at an angle, about ¼ inch thick slices
  • ½ onion, halved and thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons spring onion, sliced
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 3 eggs, whisked
  • salt and pepper, as desired

Instructions
 

  • Prep the crab meat, onion, and spring onion. Add the eggs to a bowl and whisk.
  • Heat the butter in a nonstick pan on medium high heat, when hot, add the onion, saute until almost soft.
  • Add the crab meat and spring onion, stir to mix together.
  • Pour in the whisked eggs to cover the pan and contents.
  • Cook for a few minutes to set the bottom, lift the sides to check and move the pan around. When the eggs are set, flip the omelet and cook the other side until golden brown.
  • Slide to a plate, serve with rice or toast, and enjoy.

Notes

Low cost.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: FILIPINO,: THAI,EGGS - ALL,Eggs - Chicken,Seafood - Crab - Imitation