Author Archive
Brian’s BBQ Sauce, Kansas City Style
August 26, 2018 Lee
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Brian's BBQ Sauce, Kansas City Style

Summers in the states is BBQ time, here in Thailand, it is year round. This comes from my good friend, Brian, who does what I do, makes seasonings from scratch that are not available here in Thailand. I look forward to making and using this sauce! Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Cuisine American
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups ketchup
  • 1 cup molasses
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke

Instructions
 

  • Add all the ingredients to a sauce pan and heat on medium heat, stirring, until bubbly. Reduce heat to low and cook for another 5-10 minutes, stirring.
  • Remove from heat and allow to cool. Use immediately or refrigerate until use.

Notes

Shortcut: Chili Powder.
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
 
Recipe provide by good friend, Brian Colligan, Pleasures & Pastimes (which is a great resource for gardening seeds and other items).
Thailand.
CONDIMENTS,Ingredients - Sauces
All Purpose Pork Rub
August 26, 2018 Lee
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All Purpose Pork Rub

Brian Colligan, Thailand.
Great for pork ribs and pulled pork, works good on chicken as well. This sounds like a really good rub, I look forward to testing this out. This comes from my good friend, Brian, who does what I do, makes seasonings from scratch that are not available here in Thailand. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Notes section.
Print Recipe
Cuisine American
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups cane sugar
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 2 cups sea salt
  • 1 cup black pepper
  • 1 cup chili powder, Shortcut
  • ¾ cup paprika
  • ¼ cup ground turmeric
  • ¼ cup cayenne pepper
  • ¼ cup garlic powder
  • ¼ cup onion powder

Instructions
 

  • Place all ingredients in an airtight container. Shake, shake shake, and shake some more. Ready to use.
  • When using, apply a liberal, not a conservative coating, to all surfaces and put pork, or chicken, in refrigerator until ready to cook, 1-3 hours is best, this will allow the for the rub flavors to absorb into the meat.

Notes

If you make this as written, you better have a lot of ribs ready, this makes a lot of rub, but then again, you use a lot when preparing some pork or chickens.
Shortcut: Chili Powder.
Ingredients - Spice Mixes
Chili Powder
August 26, 2018 Lee
1 Comment

Chili Powder

Brian Colligan, Thailand.
This is a blend of several spices, in several countries such as where I live, Thailand. When you see chili powder on the shelves in store, normally it’s just dried chilies crushed or ground and generally too spicy for what a recipe would call for. The two alternatives is to 1, buy imported chili powder (costly), or make your own with this handy recipe. Sounds like an excellent alternative to imported. This comes from my good friend, Brian, who does what I do, makes seasonings from scratch that are not available here in Thailand.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 0

Equipment

  • Blender , or Spice Grinder

Ingredients
  

  • 4 tablespoons sweet paprika, or smoked
  • 2 tablespoons ground Ancho chili powder, or other semi-spicy chili powder
  • 2 tablespoons dried oregano
  • 2 tablespoons cumin powder
  • 2 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions
 

  • Put all ingredients in a blender or spice grinder and blend for 1 minute. Transfer to an airtight container and use as recipes call for chili powder.

Notes

Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
Ingredients - Spice Mixes
Poultry Seasoning
August 26, 2018 Lee
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Poultry Seasoning

Brian Colligan, Thailand.
A blend of several spices that compliment and enhance the flavors of chicken, turkey, duck, and other foul. This is an excellent seasoning mix. I have never seen this here in Thailand so this will come in handy. This comes from my good friend, Brian, who does what I do, makes seasonings from scratch that are not available here in Thailand.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 0

Equipment

  • Blender , or Spice Grinder

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley
  • 1 tablespoon ground sage
  • 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon dried thyme
  • 1 tablespoon ground marjoram
  • 1 tablespoon ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Put all ingredients in a blender or spice grinder and blend for 1 minute. Transfer to an airtight container and use as recipes call for poultry seasoning.

Notes

Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
Ingredients - Spice Mixes
Pork Kidneys in Mushroom Sauce
August 26, 2018 Lee
2 Comments

Pork Kidneys in Mushroom Sauce

Adapted from an internet recipe.
This is an easy and delicious meal, that goes together quickly but the preparation of the kidneys does take some time, well worth it in my opinion. I made this on 25 Aug 2018 and was very well liked not only by me, but by my wife, sister in law and her husband.
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Passive Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 4 pork kidneys
  • 2 shallots, finely diced
  • 250 grams fresh mushrooms, Shiitake or Oyster is perfect, (8 oz)
  • ¾ cup whipping cream
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • salt and pepper, as desired

Instructions
 

  • Rinse and prep the kidneys, there is a Shortcut listed in Recipe Notes to describe how to do this. After the one hour soaking, as described in the Shortcut, drain and rinse the kidney pieces. This photo is 4 pork kidneys prepped and ready for use.
  • Rinse the mushrooms. If using Shiitake, remove stem and slice. If using Oyster, tear into pieces.
  • Heat a large non stick pan on medium heat, when hot, add the shallots and kidney pieces. Cook and stir, the kidneys will give off a lot of liquid. and I mean a lot! Season with salt and pepper as desired. Cook and reduce the liquid by half. Remove the kidneys and onions to a bowl and set aside.
  • Same pan, add the mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms are wilted and tender, and some of the liquid is reduced.
  • Add the kidneys and shallots back to the pan, stir in the cream, paprika, and season with salt and pepper as desired.
  • Simmer for 3-5 minutes and the gravy will thicken, and the kidneys heated through.
  • Serve over rice or pasta. Garnish with chopped parsley if desired.

Notes

Low cost.
Shortcut: Pork Kidneys 101.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Pork - Hearts, Kidneys, Liver
Pork Kidneys 101
August 25, 2018 Lee
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Pork Kidneys 101

Adapted from several internet recipes.
This was a learning experience as I have never prepped kidneys before, so I am posting this to share information on the method I used. Once I got a good rhythm going, I was trimming the last 2 out of 4 that I prepped in about 10 minutes each. Key things you need, sharp kitchen scissors and keep cleaning. If you understand Biology 101, a pork kidney does exactly the same thing a human kidney does. On a positive note, the kidneys from my local village butcher are skinned already and soaked before they sell them, there is absolutely no foul odor when I receive them. I did a lot of research on how to prep (clean) pork kidneys, the method I used here seemed like the most logical approach. Slice crosswise then remove the center section. Keeping in mind, the center section, mainly the white area is the business end of what the kidney is doing and that is what is removed. I prepped 4 pork kidneys during this test. The main thing of this guide is to show the steps, not the quantities.
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Prep Time 1 hour
Passive Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 4 fresh pork kidneys

Instructions
 

  • Rinse the kidneys. these have had the skin peeled and soaked by the vendors before sale.
  • Slice the kidneys, only work with one at a time, into about ⅜ to ½ inch slices. The white center is the working part of the kidney, and to be on the safe side, consider most of that darker red area off limits as well.
  • Using a sharp pair of kitchen scissors, cut the dark red and white section out from the center. Discard the center section.
  • Slice each ring into 4 pieces.
  • For the two end pieces, just hold each one and snip out the dark red and white sections.
  • Rinse the pieces (I did this after all the 'rings' are trimmed and cut into 4 pieces. Rinse until the water runs clear. Place into a container. This is the meat from 2 kidneys.
  • After you process one kidney, rinse of the cutting board, knives, and scissors used, then process the next.
  • Repeat the processing, rinsing the meat, and equipment for all the kidneys you are using.
  • This is 4 kidneys cleaned and processed. See, just like using a heart, they do not look like kidneys anymore.
  • Now soak the kidney pieces. Once you have all the kidneys processed, rinse them again and return to the container. Fill the container with water to just cover the pieces.
  • 30 minutes later, drain the pieces, rinse, then add back to the container and refill with water for another 30 minutes.
  • Now you can drain, and rinse again, and they are ready to use in a recipe of your choice.

Notes

Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
INGREDIENTS,Pork - Hearts, Kidneys, Liver
Egg Butter (Munavoi)
August 25, 2018 Lee
2 Comments

Egg Butter (Munavoi)

Adapted from an internet recipe.
This is a Finnish appetizer, and it is exactly what it sounds like, hard boiled eggs mashed with butter. The west has their egg salad with mayo, the Finns and Estonians use butter. This is surprisingly good! Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 2 minutes
Total Time 2 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Finnish
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 hard boiled eggs, peeled, chopped, Shortcut
  • 2 tablespoons butter, softened
  • sea salt, to taste
  • pepper, as desired
  • butter crackers, as needed

Instructions
 

  • Let the butter soften in a bowl, then added the chopped eggs.
  • Mash together the eggs and butter with a fork until the mixture is spreadable, as you can see the yolks will mash and the whites are finely minced from the fork. Season with sea salt as desired.
  • Spread on your favorite butter crackers, bread, or even place on top of several lettuce leaves. Sprinkle some black pepper on if desired, enjoy.

Notes

Shortcut: Perfect Hard Boiled Chicken Eggs.
#1 Go-To Recipes,5 Ingredients or Less,: FINNISH,APPETIZERS / SNACKS,EGGS - ALL,Eggs - Chicken
Ham & Olive Rollups
August 25, 2018 Lee
2 Comments

Ham & Olive Rollups

These sound like delicious appetizers. I made these on 29 Aug 2018, excellent snacks or appetizers! This is a make what you need recipe.
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Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 1 jar green olives with pimento
  • 1 package sliced ham
  • 1 package Cream cheese, softened
  • toothpicks

Instructions
 

  • Drain the olives well in a strainer. Dry both sides of each ham slice you are going to use and lay them on a cutting board. I found it easy to lay down a double layer of paper towels, place two slices of ham near an edge and fold the paper towel over, pat dry then place on the cutting board.
  • Spread softened cream cheese on each ham slice. Right side is spread, starting left side, it is not a thick layer.
  • Add a row of olives on one side of each ham slice. Slice the ham into strips between each olive. I found a pasta cutter works wonders with this. (Yes, I ate the missing one on the left, and for the scrap piece on one side of the ham, I ate that too, I call that a pre-snack snack.)
  • Starting on the end with the olive, rollup each strip and secure with a toothpick. Place rollups in the fridge until ready to serve. (Yes, this was the second batch, first batch was only 7.)

Notes

Low cost.
Variant: 1. Replace the olives with spring onions.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Variant 1 provided by good friend, Mark L.
United States.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,APPETIZERS / SNACKS
Egg & Mustard Crackers
August 25, 2018 Lee
2 Comments

Egg & Mustard Crackers

This is a sliced hard boiled egg recipe that not only sounds good, they are! I made these on 27 Aug 2018, very tasty. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Servings 12 appetizers

Ingredients
  

  • 2 hard boiled eggs, peeled, (Shortcut)
  • 12 wheat crackers, think Rosi brand in Thailand
  • whole grain Dijon Mustard, as needed
  • fresh chives, minced
  • black pepper, as desired

Instructions
 

  • Slice the eggs with a slicer or knife.
  • Spread some mustard on each cracker, top with a slice of egg, skipping the end pieces, sprinkle on some chives then black pepper. Serve.

Notes

Low cost.
Shortcut: Perfect Hard Boiled Chicken Eggs.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,APPETIZERS / SNACKS,EGGS - ALL,Eggs - Chicken
Cheater Deviled Eggs
August 24, 2018 Lee
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Cheater Deviled Eggs

Easy to prepare snack or appetizer. I made these on 27 Aug 2018. absolutely delicious! Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Servings 18 appetizers

Ingredients
  

  • 3 hard boiled eggs, peeled, (Shortcut)
  • 18 butter crackers, or whole wheat crackers
  • 2 tablespoons mayo
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • paprika, as needed
  • fresh dill, as needed
  • black pepper, as needed

Instructions
 

  • Mix together the mayo and mustard in a small bowl.
  • Slice the eggs crosswise with a slicer or knife.
  • Spread some mayo mixture on each cracker, top with a slice of egg, skipping the end pieces with no yolk. Sprinkle a pinch of paprika, then pepper, and top with a small snippet of fresh dill. Serve. The 4 on the left are made with whole wheat butter crackers, and the 4 on the right are regular butter crackers.

Notes

Low cost. Use Rosi or Magic brand, less than half of Ritz, which is available but an import, and the taste is the same.
Shortcut: Perfect Hard Boiled Chicken Eggs.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,APPETIZERS / SNACKS,EGGS - ALL,Eggs - Chicken