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Tuna Casserole III
September 26, 2017 Lee
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Tuna Casserole III

I really like tuna casserole, and this version sounds really good. On my to cook list. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1/4 cup butter, this is 1/4 of a standard block
  • 1-2 cups fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced, or a red pepper, or both
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 stalk import celery, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 cups whipping cream
  • 1 1/4 cups milk
  • 2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 2 cans tuna, or 1 cup fresh cooked tuna
  • 370 grams egg noodles, cooked, or macaroni
  • 3/4 cup breadcrumbs, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted, used at the end
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 180 C. Grease a 9x13 baking dish with butter.
  • In a large (I may use a medium size pot for this) non stick pan melt the 1/4 cup of butter then add the onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic for about 3 minutes, then sprinkle in the flour and mix and cook for another minute. Remove from heat.
  • Slowly stir in the milk, then return to heat and stir until thickened and the mixture comes to a boil, season with salt and pepper to your liking, stir, then stir in the mushrooms, Cheddar cheese, and tuna, when mixed, add in the egg noodles and mix to combine.
  • Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and smooth out, sprinkle on the breadcrumbs then Parmesan cheese, drizzle with the melted butter.
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes, remove and let rest 5 minutes, serve.

Notes

The Cheddar cheese is the most expensive part here, for 2 cups, think about 180 Baht. For 6 servings, this is about 88 cents per serving.
Shortcuts: Tuna, Breadcrumbs.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,CASSEROLES
5-Ingredient Crock Pot Chicken & Mushrooms
September 26, 2017 Lee
2 Comments

5-Ingredient Crock Pot Chicken & Mushrooms

This sounds very good! Chicken and mushrooms in a gravy sauce, on my to cook list for sure! (Salt & pepper do not count for the 5 ingredients.)
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours
Total Time 5 hours 5 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock, fresh or from powder
  • 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, OR make from a shortcut
  • 500 grams fresh mushrooms, sliced, think Shiitake
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Use the butter and grease your slow cooker insert, leave the remaining butter in the bottom of the insert.
  • Add the sliced mushrooms and spread into a layer. Place the chicken over the top of the mushrooms. Mix together the stock and soup and pour over the chicken. Add salt and pepper to your liking.
  • Cover and cook on Low setting for 5 to 7 hours. Chicken will be fall apart tender.
  • If a thicker gravy is desired, mix together 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water to make a slurry. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker, slowly whisk in the slurry, return the chicken to the slow cooker. Cover and cook for another 20 minutes on High setting.
  • Serve with pasta or rice and a steamed vegetable.

Notes

Figure about 70 Baht for the 4 chicken breasts. For 4 servings, this is about 52 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup.
Variant: 1. Use turkey in place of chicken for the same weight.
Provided by Slow Cooker Kitchen and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Chicken - Slow Cooker
5-Ingredient Crock Pot Pot Roast
September 25, 2017 Lee
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5-Ingredient Crock Pot Pot Roast

This comes from a good friend and chef and there is even a shortcut for the soup mix. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 10 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 kilo beef roast
  • 1 cup beef broth, fresh or from powder
  • 6 small potaoes, halved
  • 1-2 carrots, cut into chunks
  • 2 packets beefy onion soup mix, OR make from a shortcut

Instructions
 

  • Lightly butter your slow cooker insert, place the vegetables in the bottom. Sprinkle with one packet of onion soup mix.
  • Place the beef on the vegetables, sprinkle with the second packet of soup mix. Pour in the broth around the outside. Really just takes a cup of broth, gets the steam going.
  • Cover and cook on Low setting for 8-10 hours. Check at 8 hours for tenderness. If fork tender, remove and serve, if not tender, continue cooking and checking each hour until tender, for local Thai beef, trust me, 9-10 hours and you will be happy with the results.
  • If you would like to make an Au Jus dipping sauce, say for roast beef sandwiches, remove the beef and vegetables from the slow cooker and add a touch less than 1/4 cup Worcestershire and 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder to the slow cooker juices, mix well and serve in small bowls for dipping.

Notes

The beef would cost about 300 Baht for 1 1/2 kilo. For 6 servings, this is about $1.47 per serving.
Shortcut: Beefy Onion Soup Mix.
Provided by Slow Cooker Kitchen and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,Beef - Slow Cooker
Beefy Onion Soup Mix
September 25, 2017 Lee
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Beefy Onion Soup Mix

Provided by Slow Cooker Kitchen and the link to this recipe is here.
This comes from a good friend and very knowledgeable chef and sounds like a great shortcut for use in recipes.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Cuisine American
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • â…“ cup beef stock powder
  • ¾ cup dried minced onion
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
  • 1½ teaspoons celery salt
  • 1½ teaspoons sugar
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Put all ingredients in a blender and pulse until very fine. Store in an airtight jar until needed.
  • To use, ¼ cup of mixture = 1 store packet.

Notes

Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
5-Ingredient Crock Pot Pot Roast.
Provided by Slow Cooker Kitchen and the link to this recipe is here.
INGREDIENTS
Beef & Potato Pie
September 23, 2017 Lee
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Beef & Potato Pie

Sounds, this is a major change from what I read, the original recipe called for sliced canned potatoes. I understand the convenience in the states for that, but wow, I never heard of canned potatoes before. So for this recipe, you will be doing some cooking, but probably more healthy than canned potatoes. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams ground beef
  • 500 grams potatoes, sliced and boiled to tender
  • 1 cup 4 cheese blend, shredded
  • garlic powder, to taste
  • seasoning salt, to taste
  • black pepper, to taste
  • olive oil, as needed

Instructions
 

  • Slice the potatoes, skin on or off is your choice, slice about 1/4 inch thick. Boil until just tender, drain.
  • Preheat your oven to a high broiler temp or if using a counter top oven, heat the top coil to about 190 C, grease a 8 or 9 inch pie dish with butter, Pyrex would be perfect.
  • Add the beef to a non stick skillet with a splash of olive oil, season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Brown the beef and cook through. Remove from heat, drain fat and set aside.
  • Place a layer of 1/3 of the sliced cooked potatoes on the on the bottom of the pie dish, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle about 1/3 of the cheese, place in the oven until the cheese is melted.
  • Add the ground beef to the pie dish and spread into a layer, sprinkle with another 1/3 cup of cheese, cover with remaining potato slices, season again with salt and pepper as desired, back into the oven and broil for 6-7 minutes. Remove from oven.
  • Sprinkle with the remaining cheese, back into the oven and broil for another 1-2 minutes to melt and start browning the cheese. Remove and let rest 5 minutes, serve with a vegetable on the side for a good meal.

Notes

Figure about 100 Baht/500 grams of beef and 80 Baht for the cheese. For 6 servings, this is about 89 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Seasoning Salt.
Variants: 1. Use ground pork in place of beef. 2. Add some chopped onion and or garlic to the ground meat when browning. 3. Think mashed potatoes instead of sliced and boiled. 4. Use any cheese you want.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,BEEF
Red Curry Shrimp
September 23, 2017 Lee
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Red Curry Shrimp

This is a Thai dish and is a bit on the spicy side. My wife, Rrayada made this today for a quick lunch for the family and step-daughter Ampair made a Thai Omelet to go with it.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine Thai
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kilo shrimp, heads, shells, and tails removed
  • 2 handfuls clove basil leaves, rinsed, or Thai basil will work
  • 2 tablespoons red curry paste
  • 2 tablespoons shrimp paste

Instructions
 

  • Heat a non stick pan and add the curry paste. This is real, hand made red curry paste here, this is spicy stuff, basically, Bird's Eye chilies, black pepper, red onion, garlic, and lemongrass.
  • Add the shrimp paste right after the curry paste. This is local made shrimp paste, shrimp and spices pounded in a mortar into a paste, very common ingredient in Thai cooking.
  • Mix and cook for just a few minutes then add the shrimp and mix into the curry and shrimp pastes, the shrimp will release water, then add the clove basil and mix that in, stir fry until the clove basil is good and wilted.
  • Serve, how easy was that? Good dishes to go with this is a Thai Omelet and rice.

Notes

Figure about 400 Baht for small white shrimp from Tesco, 2 kilos, removing the heads, peels and tails will give you about a kilo. Save all the scrap for shrimp stock later if you like and just freeze that. For 6 servings, this is about $1.97 per serving.
Watched my wife, Rrayada Thayer make this.
Thailand.
* High Cost $1.51+ per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,: THAI,SEAFOOD - ALL,Seafood - Shrimp/Prawn
Baked Glazed Chicken Legs
September 23, 2017 Lee
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Baked Glazed Chicken Legs

This sounds good, and is a unique blend of seasonings for the glaze. On my to cook list.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 6 large chicken legs, or thighs, or breasts, skin on
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce, low salt is ok
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon grainy mustard
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Place the chicken legs in a 9x13 baking dish.
  • Mix the remaining ingredients in a small bowl with a whisk, whisk until it comes together, about 1 minute. Pour the glaze over the chicken, turn the chicken as needed to coat all the pieces.
  • Cover and let sit on the counter to marinate for about 30 minutes.
  • Preheat your oven about 15 minutes into the marinating time, then at 30 minutes bake the chicken for about an hour or until the chicken is cooked through.
  • Serve with mashed potatoes or rice and a vegetable for a nice meal.

Notes

Figure about 70 Baht/kilo of chicken legs, do yourself a favor and buy quarters and use the legs for this and same the thighs for another recipe, quarters generally have larger legs and takes just seconds to cut legs from thighs. For 4 servings, this is about 52 cents per serving.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,CHICKEN & TURKEY
White Trash Hash
September 23, 2017 Lee
1 Comment

White Trash Hash

This sounds very good, on my to cook list. 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 Breakfast, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

For the Hash

  • 500 grams hash brown potatoes, or even diced potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1 fresh Jalapeno pepper, sliced thin
  • 1/2 - 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, or Gouda cheese, shredded
  • 4 eggs
  • fresh chives, chopped, for garnish

For the Sausage Gravy

  • 350 grams bulk Italian sausage, OR make from a shortcut
  • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • pinch cayenne pepper

Instructions
 

For the Hash

  • Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet, when hot, add the hash browns and cook undisturbed for 5-10 minutes, then flip and cook 5 minutes more, until golden and crispy. Add onions and bell pepper and season with salt and pepper as desired and mix together. Cook until onions and bell pepper are tender, about 5 minutes. Then add the garlic and jalapeno and cook until fragrant, 1 minute.
  • Sprinkle on the cheese and let that melt then mix in well.
  • Use the back of a spoon and make for nests in the hash brown mixture, and crack an egg into each one and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook until the whites are set and yolk is still runny, about 8 minutes.

For the Sausage Gravy

  • While the eggs are cooking, make the gravy. Cook the sausage in a medium size non stick skillet until browned and cooked through, sprinkle the flour on the cooked sausage, mix and cook one minute, then add the milk and bring to a boil then reduce to heat to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste. Remove from heat.

To Serve

  • Scoop up some hash with an egg and place on a plate, pour over some gravy, garnish with chopped chives if desired.

Notes

Over all, low cost.
Shortcuts: Italian Sausage, Hash Browns.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,POTATOES
Saffron Rice (Rice Cooker)
September 20, 2017 Lee
1 Comment

Saffron Rice (Rice Cooker)

Adapted from an internet recipe.
This is Indian in nature, if you have never used saffron, understand it is the most expensive spice in the world, this is not cheap, and top dollar is paid for this spice. I used my small rice cooker for this and this is really good exactly as written.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine Indian
Servings 4 servings

Equipment

  • Rice Cooker

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup dry Jasmine rice
  • 1¼ cups chicken stock, fresh or from powder
  • ¼ teaspoon saffron threads, (6-7 threads)
  • â…› teaspoon ground turmeric
  • â…› teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ clove garlic, pressed or finely minced
  • â…› teaspoon chili powder
  • ¾ teaspoon fish sauce
  • lemon juice, just a squeeze or so

Instructions
 

  • Add the stock into a small pot and place over high heat and bring to a boil then remove from heat.
  • To the hot stock add the saffron, turmeric, cumin, garlic, chili powder, and fish sauce and mix well.
  • Add the dry rice to the rice cooker pot then pour in the stock mixture. Stir, cover, and set to Cook mode.
  • When the rice cooker switches to Warm, fluff the rice with a paddle. Taste for saltiness, add fish sauce to adjust, and if too salty, add a squeeze or two of lemon or lime juice.
  • Serve as a side dish with any Asian or Indian dish.
#1 Go-To Recipes,: INDIAN,Seasoned Rice - Rice Cooker,Sides - Rice Cooker
Red Wine Risotto
September 19, 2017 Lee
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Red Wine Risotto

Darhl Thomason, United States.
Sounds good, I have never eaten risotto so I must try this. This recipe is written as I found it. I have advice from a good friend to reverse the stock and wine, using the wine first and finishing with the stock. When I try this, I will make as listed first then will try the other approach. Sounds like a great side dish for sure.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4 servings as a side

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups chicken stock, fresh or from powder
  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 cup dry white rice, arborio would be great if you have that
  • 2 cups red wine
  • Parmesan cheese, grated, to serve
  • salt and pepper, as desired

Instructions
 

  • Heat the stock in a saucepan and keep it warm at the side of the stove. Melt half the butter in a shallow saucepan, add the onion and season with salt and pepper to your liking, cook for 5-7 minutes until soft, but not browned. Stir in the rice, stirring constantly, until it absorbs the butter, about 2 minutes.
  • Stir in about half the wine with a little salt and pepper and simmer, stirring, until the rice starts to dry, 5-7 minutes. Add a couple of ladlefuls of hot stock and continue simmering, stirring gently but constantly. When the rice dries again and needs more liquid, add the remaining wine.
  • Continue cooking, stirring all the time and adding more stock in batches. At the end of cooking, the rice should be tender, still slightly al dente (chewy) and creamy from the starch that has begun to leach from the grains. This will take 25 to 35 minutes and don't hesitate to use plenty of stock.
  • Take the risotto off the heat, add the remaining butter in pieces, and stir it into the rice as it melts. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed.
  • Serve immediately as a side dish topped with a bit of Parmesan cheese if desired.

Notes

Low cost.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: ITALIAN,SIDES