Author Archive
Basic Salmon Patties
When I was growing up, these were a common staple for a dinner. Here is Thailand, the large cans of salmon are very high priced, so I will work this up with frozen salmon that I steam and will come up with a cost per serving when I make this. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 can salmon, drained, (14¾ oz / 418 g), Shortcut
- ½ small onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs, or regular breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup mayo
- 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- salt and pepper, to taste
- olive oil, as needed
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl.
- Mix together, season with salt and pepper as desired.
- Divide mixture into 4 sections, form into 4 patties and place on a plate.
- Heat a large skillet with a splash of oil, when the oil is hot, cook the patties about 4-5 minutes per side or until nice and golden brown.
- Turn patties over and cook another 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove patties to a serving plate.
- Serve with sides of your choice, enjoy.
Notes
In Thailand, I will price this when I steam some salmon and prepare this. For those in the US, a store brand of canned salmon would make this about 70 cents per serving and a Best Value.
Shortcuts: Steamed Salmon, Breadcrumbs.
Fruit Salad
First thing, think fresh, not canned. This is just fruit, not 'heavy syrup' or anything like that from a can. Original recipe stated pineapple from a can, so easy and quick to prep a fresh pineapple. Maraschino or glaced cherries will increase the sugar however.
Ingredients
- 1 fresh pineapple, peeled, sliced, cored, chopped
- 1-2 apples, peeled, cored, diced
- 1-2 oranges, peeled, diced
- 1-2 bananas, peeled, sliced
- 1 cup seedless grapes, sliced in half
- 1/2 cup maraschino cherries, or glaced, cut in half, optional
Instructions
- Toss everything together in a large bowl. Use maraschino or glaced cherries to add a nice red color but keep in mind they add a lot sweetness to this.
- Refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving.
Notes
Low cost.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Apple Butter (Slow Cooker)
I have not enjoyed apple butter for probably 30 years, I need to change that. On my to cook list.
Ingredients
- 3 kilos apples, peeled, cored, and sliced, (6 lbs)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- For the sugars, you can reduce the amount based on the sweetness of your apples.
- Place the apples as you prepare them into your slow cooker, after they are done, add the sugars, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix together.
- Set your slow cooker to Low and cook for 10 hours, stirring every 2 hours or so. When the apple butter is thick and dark brown, it is ready.
- Mash with a potato masher if you would like a chunky version, or use an immersion blender (or pour into a blender) to make a smooth version.
- Pour into jars and refrigerate covered for up to two weeks or freeze in small containers.
Notes
Low cost.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Tomato & Onion Salad I
This is a basic salad that is Japanese in origin, and sounds like an excellent side dish. I made this on 19 Dec 2017, very good indeed!
Equipment
- Mandoline
Ingredients
- 500 grams cherry tomatoes, sliced in half, (1 lb)
- ½ small onion, thinly sliced, use a mandolin
- ½ - 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil, or olive oil
- 1½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 1½ tablespoons rice vinegar
- 6 shiso leaves, chopped, or basil or coriander
Instructions
- The tomatoes, onion, and bell pepper prepped.
- Mix together and add the oil, soy sauce, and rice vinegar and toss to coat everything.
- Sprinkle on the shiso or basil or coriander, serve.
Egg Salad with Capers & Dill
This is a good egg salad, uses capers and dill which give it a great flavor.
Ingredients
- 6 hard boiled eggs, chicken or duck, peeled, chopped
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 small red onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon capers, drained and chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
- toast, for serving
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayo, zest, juice, salt, and pepper.
- Large mixing bowl, add the eggs, dill, onion, and add the mayo mixture. Mix to combine.
- Add the capers and mix in.
- Cover and place in the fridge for a few hours to chill.
- Serve on crackers or toast.
Notes
Low cost.
Shortcuts: Perfect Hard Boiled Chicken Eggs, Perfect Hard Boiled Duck Eggs.
Variant: 1. Serve on saltine crackers.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Cardamom Bread (Bread Machine)
A friend of mine mentioned to me Cardamom Bread and that inspired me to research this and I came up with this. I made this on 17 Dec 2017, and wow is it good! This is a keeper.
Equipment
- Bread Machine
Ingredients
- ½ cup milk
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup applesauce, unsweetened
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 374 grams bread flour, 2¾ cups if no scale
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
Instructions
- Add the ingredients to your bread machine in the order listed.
- Set the bread machine to Regular Bread, 750 (1½ lb) loaf, light crust, and start.
- When the cycle is completed, remove the pan from the bread machine and remove the loaf to a rack to cool for a few minutes.
- Slice, butter, and enjoy!
Dumpling Egg Soup II
This is another version of the original soup, with the main ingredients being the potato, eggs, dumplings (wontons), and broth. For this version, the type of eggs was changed and I added Vietnamese sausage. This recipe is assuming you have dumplings (or wontons) ready made or already homemade and on hand, and hard boiled eggs on hand as well.
Ingredients
- 3 cups beef broth, fresh or from powder
- 6-9 vegetable dumplings, or wontons
- 15-20 hard boiled quail eggs, peeled
- 1 small potato, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 bunch fresh coriander, chopped
- salt and white pepper, to taste
- 180 grams Vietnamese sausage, cubed
Instructions
- Add the broth to a small sauce pan and add the potato and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer until the potatoes are almost fork tender, 8-10 minutes or so.
- Just when the potatoes are almost fork tender, add the eggs and Vietnamese sausage. Let this simmer for another 5-10 minutes or so to finish cooking the potatoes and to heat the eggs and sausage through. Vietnamese sausage is already cooked when you buy it, here you just need to heat it through.
- For the dumplings or wontons, you can do this two ways. You can pan fry them first then add to the broth, or for raw wontons, you can just add to the broth when you add the eggs and let them cook that way.
- When the potato is tender, season with salt and white pepper to taste and stir in some chopped coriander.
- Ladle into bowls with plenty of broth, sprinkle some of the coriander on the top and serve.
Notes
Low cost.
Shortcuts: Perfect Hard Boiled Quail Eggs, Vegetable Wontons.
Inspired by the original recipe provided courtesy of good friend, Drew Padilla.
United States.
United States.
Basic Applesauce (Slow Cooker)
I have never made applesauce before so I researched and found this, basically peeled, cored, and sliced apples and cooked with a bit of water, and if desired, sugar and salt as well. I made this on 14 Dec 2017, and wow is this better than from a jar! I have changed this up to a slow cooker recipe, which is perfect for the controlled heat.
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
- Potato Masher
Ingredients
- 6 medium apples
- ½ cup water
- pinch salt, small pinch
- ½ cup sugar, optional, not really needed
Instructions
- Add the water and a pinch of salt to your slow cooker and set to High setting.
- Peel, core, cut the apples in quarters, and slice. Put the apple slices in the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook until the apples are soft. Stir about every 15 minutes, after 30 to 45 minutes, mash with a potato masher. Add sugar if desired depending on how sweet you would like this. Cook to melt the sugar in and cook down to a sauce.
- Cook for another 30 minutes on Low setting, and you have the best tasting applesauce ever. Serve as a dessert or use as an ingredient in baking.
Notes
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
- Pig Pickin' Cake, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Red Hot Applesauce Jello, made it.
- Applesauce Cookies, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Applesauce Pie, made it, GO-TO recipe.
Vegetable Wontons
These are the Chinese type of wantons that use a small square wrapper that is about 3 inches by 3 inches. These can be fried or just dropped into a broth and cooked that way, each method will be listed below. And these freeze well also.
Ingredients
- 1-2 packages frozen wonton sheets, thawed
- 2 cups green cabbage, shredded then finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot, shredded then finely chopped
- 1 bunch spring onion, green only, minced
- 3 large mushrooms, finely minced
- 1 clove garlic, smashed and finely minced
- 1 inch fresh ginger, finely minced or grated or 1 teaspoon ginger powder
- salt and white pepper, to taste
Instructions
- The reason for the cabbage and carrot to be shredded then minced is any long pieces will tear the wonton wrapper, and no one likes a torn wonton 😉
- Once the vegetables are prepped, set a small bowl of water near the filling, and line a baking sheet with a sheet of parchment.
- Pick up a wrapper, these are floured so they are much easier to work with than spring roll wrappers, and place on one hand with one corner pointing away from you, and one corner pointing towards you. Place about 1/2 teaspoon of filling in the center of the wrapper.
- Dip a finger in the water and run along a edge from the corner farthest from you to the next corner, dip your finger in water again and now run along the other edge farthest from you.
- Now take the corner closest to you and fold in half, that corner going to the corner farthest from you, to make a triangle, then use your fingers to seal the two edges. There, you just made a wonton 🙂
- Place the wonton on the parchment paper, and repeat the steps for the remaining wrappers. It goes fairly fast once you get the hang of how much filling, which is very small.
To Fry Wontons
- Heat about 1 inch of oil in a heavy pan, when the oil is hot, add wontons but do not overcrowd them. Cook for a minute or two on each side until golden and crispy, remove to paper towels to drain. Continue with more wontons as desired. Serve with a dipping sauce of choice if desired.
To use Wontons in a Broth
- Heat a broth of choice in a sauce pan, about 3 cups, chicken is a common broth used. Simmer a few fresh made wontons at a time, don't over crowd the pot, when they float to the top, they are done. Place some spinach leaves in a bowl, place wontons in the bowl, ladle some hot broth in which will cook the spinach and top with some chopped spring onion.
To Freeze Wontons
- Place a single layer of wontons on a sheet with parchment paper and place in the freezer for about 10 minutes, when good and firm, place wontons in a zip lock bag, use within 1 month.
Notes
Low cost.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Garlic Butter Rice (Rice Cooker)
This is a wonderful side dish, and a rice cooker is used so you can concentrate on preparing the main dish, even better. I made this on 20 June 2018, perfect.
Equipment
- Rice Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry white rice, rinsed
- 2-3 cloves garlic, smashed and finely minced
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1¾ cups water
Instructions
- Place the first 5 ingredients in your rice cooker and mix evenly. Add the water. Set the cooker to the Cook setting. (After this photo, then the rice was added and mix together.)
- When the cooker switches to Warm setting, fluff the rice with a spoon and taste, season with a pinch of salt if needed. Serve as a side with any main dish.
Notes
Low cost.