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Potato Casserole II
June 3, 2017 Lee
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Potato Casserole II

I love a good potato side dish, this sounds really good. On my to cook list. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 kilos potatoes, diced, peeled is up to you
  • 10-12 slices bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled
  • 250 grams Cream cheese, room temperature
  • 2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
  • 2/3 cup sour cream, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with 1-2 inches of cold water. Bring up to a boil, then reduce heat and cook for 20 minutes, or until fork tender.
  • Remove pot from heat, drain potatoes and return to empty pot. Preheat your oven to 180 C. Smash potatoes to desired consistency, season to taste with onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
  • Mix in cream cheese, sour cream, milk, Parmesan cheese, butter, and 1 cup Cheddar cheese, then transfer to a 9×13-inch baking dish.
  • Sprinkle bacon and remaining cheddar cheese over the top and place in oven; bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes before serving.
  • This would be good with pork chops, pork steaks or fried chicken.

Notes

Figure about 130 Baht for the bacon, 120 Baht for the Cream cheese, and 180 Baht for the Cheddar cheese. For 8 servings, this is about $1.58 per serving, expensive for a side but would be great for visiting friends and family.
Shortcut: Sour Cream.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
* High Cost $1.51+ per Serving,SIDES
Breakfast Casserole I
June 3, 2017 Lee
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Breakfast Casserole I

Sounds very good, would be good when having house guests for sure.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 12 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup butter, melted, 1/2 of a standard block
  • 16 slices white bread, crusts cut off
  • 16 slices Canadian bacon, or ham
  • 16 slices Cheddar cheese
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 2-4 drops tobasco sauce, or to taste
  • black pepper, to taste
  • 3 cups milk
  • 1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/4 cup green bell pepper, diced
  • 1/4 cup spring onion, finely sliced
  • 2 cups corn flakes, crushed

Instructions
 

  • Melt butter and brush inside a 9x13 inch baking dish with some of it.
  • Assemble 8 "sandwiches" in this order, bread, slice of meat, slice of cheese, slice of meat, slice of cheese, then bread and fit them into the baking dish in one layer. Brush the top layer with some of the melted butter.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the Worcestershire sauce, salt, mustard, hot sauce, and black pepper. Whisk in the milk and pour over the bread layers in the casserole. Sprinkle the top with red and green bell pepper, and the spring onion.
  • Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight to absorb the custard mixture.
  • When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 180 C. Melt the remaining butter and mix with the crushed cereal. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the casserole and bake for 1 hour until the center is set. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.

Notes

The cheese would cost about 180 Baht, think slicing a block of cheese or using pre-sliced (real cheese), and for the ham or Canadian bacon, figure about 100 Baht. For 12 servings this is about 70 cents per serving.
If I was a betting man, I would say assemble this the night before and put in the fridge overnight, however, very important, let the baking dish if using Pyrex to come up to room temp before placing in the oven.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,CASSEROLES
Mexican Rice II
June 3, 2017 Lee
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Mexican Rice II

Sounds good, I like Mexican Rice as a side with various Tex-Mex recipes. Only 3 ingredients as well unless you prepare the shortcut offered. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine Tex-Mex
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup dry rice, white or Jasmine work fine
  • 2 cups chicken broth, fresh or from powder
  • 1 1/4 cups enchilada sauce, OR make from a shortcut

Instructions
 

  • In a large saucepan add the rice, chicken broth and enchilada sauce. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stir well, cover the pot, then turn down the heat to medium.
  • Cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until the rice is completely cooked, stirring occasionally.
  • Season with salt and pepper and top with sliced green onions and cilantro if you desire. Serve.

Notes

Low cost.
Shortcut: Enchilada Sauce.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,SIDES
Northern Thai Sausage (Sai Oua) I
June 3, 2017 Lee
1 Comment

Northern Thai Sausage (Sai Oua) I

This recipe is from a Thai brand (Lobo) seasoning pack to make this sausage, the recipe is on the back of the package, and the package even contains the collagen casing. I made this on 16 June 2017 and it is delicious! Lot of lemon grass flavor and not overly spicy, the Thai family really enjoyed this. The packet contains the collagen casings, there is 5 casings, already knotted on one end and are easy to use.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Thai
Servings 5 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 packet Northern Thai Sausage seasoning (Sai Uoa), Lobo brand
  • 100 milliliters warm water
  • 500 grams pork belly, skin removed, coarsely ground, (1 lb)

Instructions
 

  • In a medium size bowl, dissolve the contents of the seasoning pack in the warm water. This is the seasoning pack used.
  • Add the pork belly to the seasoning mix and blend well until sticky, use your hands for this, takes just a few minutes for this. Shape into 5 equal size balls.
  • Now for the collagen casing, first, it is used dry, never soak them. I used a funnel when I made these as I have never used casings before. If you are experienced using casings, use the method of your choice. Grease up the funnel tube with vegetable for the first sausage, and fit the casing onto the tube all the way to the knotted end.
  • Fill the casing with the pork mixture by pressing it into the funnel tube, pierce any air pockets with a pin or toothpick.
  • Repeat for all 5 casings. Use kitchen string to tie off the ends. Five sausages ready for the grill.
  • Cook on a charcoal grill over low heat until cooked through, or bake at 140 C (280 F) for 20 minutes. Slice diagonally and serve with sticky rice and vegetables such as cabbage, lettuce, or cucumber. These were grilled, Sai Krok on the top, Sai Oua on the bottom.

Notes

The seasoning packet for this is 37 Baht, and it includes the casing. The pork belly will cost about 70 Baht/500 grams. For 5 servings, this is about 63 cents per serving.
Variants: Beef, chicken, and shrimp can be used instead of pork. For shrimp, increase to 600 grams and do not use any water, just mix the seasoning packet into coarsely chopped shrimp.
From a recipe on a spice packet.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,: THAI,Pork - Sausage
Spicy Chicken-in-Rice (Rice Cooker)
June 2, 2017 Lee
1 Comment

Spicy Chicken-in-Rice (Rice Cooker)

From a recipe on a spice packet.
This is a recipe from a seasoning packet, Lobo brand. I made this on 1 Oct 2017 and I will state this will be my go to chicken and rice dish, very good flavor, next to no spiciness to it at all.
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Thai
Servings 4 servings

Equipment

  • Rice Cooker

Ingredients
  

For the Chicken and Rice

  • 500 grams chicken legs, or thighs, (1 lb)
  • 1 packet seasoning mix, see Step 1
  • 300 grams dry rice, 1½ cups of dry rice

Mixture used in the Dipping Sauce and Salad

  • 4 tablespoons vinegar
  • 4 tablespoons water
  • 6 tablespoons sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt

For the Dipping Sauce

  • 3 green Bird's Eye chilies
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 10 leaves mint
  • 1 bunch fresh coriander leaves
  • 3-4 tablespoons Mixture

For the Cucumber Salad

  • 2 cucumbers, sliced
  • 2 red Bird's Eye chilies, sliced
  • 5 shallots, sliced
  • remaining Mixture

Instructions
 

For the Chicken and Rice

  • This is the brand of seasoning for this chicken, Lobo brand. This packet contains TWO packets inside, for 4 servings, only one packet is used, so for 26 Baht, you can get two 4 serving meals out of it. Great value.
  • Place the chicken in a bowl and add the contents of 1 seasoning packet for 4 servings, use both packets for 8 servings. coat the chicken with the seasoning mix and let sit for 15 minutes.
  • Put the rice in the rice cooker, add the chicken and mix into the rice. Add the appropriate amount of water and switch on the rice cooker to Cook. While it is cooking, prepare the dipping sauce and cucumber salad if desired.

Mixture used in the Dipping Sauce and Salad

  • Add all of the Mixture ingredients to a small pot and bring to a boil and stir well.

For the Dipping Sauce

  • Add the ingredients for the Dipping Sauce to a mortar and grind up with the pestle. Add 3-4 tablespoons of Mixture and stir well, pour this into a small serving bowl.

For the Cucumber Salad

  • Add the Salad ingredients to a bowl and the remaining Mixture and mix well.

To Serve

  • Place rice and a piece of chicken in a bowl with the dipping sauce and cucumber salad on the side. Enjoy.

Notes

The chicken will cost about 35 Baht/500 grams of legs. For 4 servings this is about 26 cents per serving, even less if using quarters.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: THAI,Chicken - Rice Cooker
Chicken Parm Stuffed Peppers
June 1, 2017 Lee
1 Comment

Chicken Parm Stuffed Peppers

This is delicious! This is a great alternative to regular stuffed peppers. Not a $1 per serving meal due to the cheese used, but is certainly worth it. I made this on 1 June 2017 Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 3-4 bell peppers, any colors, halved, seeded
  • 3-4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cubed
  • 3 cups Mozzarella Cheese, shredded, divided
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1 1/2 cups pasta sauce, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • pinch red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock, fresh or from powder
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • olive oil as needed

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 200 C (390 F). Get out a 9x13 baking dish.
  • Heat a skillet with a splash of olive oil and add the cubed chicken, season with salt and pepper as desired.
  • Cook until just cooked through for tender chicken, drain any oil, I use a colander for this and just let the chicken sit in the colander until it is needed.
  • Cut bell peppers in half and remove the stem and seeds. Place in a 9x13 baking dish, fit them in there tight.
  • In a large bowl, combine 2 cups Mozzarella, Parmesan, garlic, pasta sauce, parsley, and red pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Stir until combined, then gently fold in chicken.
  • Spoon chicken mixture into halved bell peppers and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup Mozzarella cheese.
  • Pour chicken broth into baking dish to help the peppers steam and cover the dish with foil.
  • Bake until peppers are tender, about 1 hour. Uncover and broil 2 minutes.
  • Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and Parmesan cheese, serve.

Notes

Chicken will cost about 75 Baht/kilo, that should be 5-6 breasts, get a kilo and use the rest in another recipe. The Mozzarella will cost about 280 Baht for two 200 gram blocks. For 4 servings, this is about $2.60 per serving.
Shortcut: Pasta Sauce.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* High Cost $1.51+ per Serving,CHICKEN & TURKEY
Potato & Chicken Casserole II
June 1, 2017 Lee
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Potato & Chicken Casserole II

This is a scalloped potatoes dish with chicken added and french fry cut potatoes, sounds good, on my to cook list.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 4-5 strips bacon, cooked crispy, crumbled
  • 4-6 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
  • 5-6 medium potatoes
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup butter, this is 1/2 of a regular block
  • 2 cups whipping cream
  • 2 teaspoons dried parsley
  • 2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Heat a skillet with the butter. In a shallow dish, add the flour and season that with salt and pepper to your liking, roll chicken in the flour to coat well. Cook the chicken in the skillet until golden brown on each side.
  • Place browned chicken in a 9x13 glass baking pan.
  • Preheat your oven to 200 C. Line a baking sheet with foil.
  • Cut your potatoes into thin french fry strips, and lay the fries around and on the chicken. Pour all of the cream over the top of the fries and the chicken. Salt and pepper a bit more. Sprinkle the bacon on the top.
  • Sprinkle at least 2 cups grated Cheddar Cheese over the top. Sprinkle parsley flakes on top of the cheese.
  • Cover with foil and poke the foil with a fork in a few places to release some steam so the cream does not boil over.
  • Place the baking dish on a foil covered baking sheet and bake for about 1 hour or until the potatoes are tender.
  • Serve.

Notes

Chicken will cost about 75 Baht/kilo, that should be 5-6 breasts. For 4 servings, this is about 55 cents per serving.
Variants: Use browned pork chops or thick ham slices.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,CASSEROLES
Chinese Five Spice Pork Belly
June 1, 2017 Lee
1 Comment

Chinese Five Spice Pork Belly

My mother in law loves Chinese Five Spice Chicken, and loves it more when made using pork belly, so this is a slightly different recipe than what is on the spice pack. This is not a secret recipe or an internet recipe, this is a modified recipe based on the pack of spice you can buy in every town. The Lobo brand of spices have instructions in Thai and English on every spice packet I have used from them. I made this on 31 May 2017 and it was very well received by my mother in law, and it is delicious, my comments below. I did not get all the step by step photos so I will be making this again soon, so easy and inexpensive as well.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 minute
Total Time 11 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Thai
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 600-700 grams pork belly, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
  • 7 hard boiled eggs, peeled
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons 5 Spice Powder, rounded
  • 6 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons black soy sauce
  • water, as needed
  • olive oil, as needed
  • 1 package bean curd, this is tofu, amount is up to you, cut in 1 inch peices, optional
  • 2 sticks cinnamon
  • 1 whole star anise

Instructions
 

  • Prepare the pork belly by slicing into 1 1/2 inch pieces, we used 700 grams. Place the meat in a bowl.
  • In the bowl of meat, add the 5 Spice Powder. Rub that in with your fingers until all pieces are coated. This photo is just before I added the spice powder.
  • In a large pot, heat a splash of olive oil then add the garlic and sugar, when the garlic is fragrant, about a minute, add the pork, cook for a few minutes turning a few times. You are browning them, not needing to cook through, that will happen later.
  • Add the eggs, salt, light and black soy sauces, and bean curd if using, add enough water to nearly cover the eggs, and simmer for an hour. This photo is right after the eggs and water was added.
  • At 1 hour, the eggs should be a light brown, check for tenderness of the pork, if tender, serve over rice, add some of the broth as well to the rice.

Notes

Prices can very with pork, if you go with a local vendor at an open market, you are getting fresh and much lower cost. Pork belly at Tesco is 220 Baht/kilo, the pork belly used in this recipe and in the photos, I purchased from an open market, 140 Baht/kilo. For this recipe the pork cost about 105 Baht/700 grams. For 4 servings this is about 77 cents per serving.
Modified from a recipe on a spice packet.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: THAI,PORK
Homemade Labneh (think Sour Cream)
May 31, 2017 Lee
1 Comment

Homemade Labneh (think Sour Cream)

Mark Bowen, Guinea.
This is a Middle Eastern item made from strained yogurt. That's it! With strained plain full fat yogurt, you can make several items, and the item I am going to concentrate on is soft labneh which is basically sour cream. I have it from a good friend that has made this and it is a very close to sour cream. As my friend states "Can't have Mexican night without sour cream." I made this on 6 June 2017, and soft labneh is very close to sour cream, it is excellent and will be my Go-To recipe for sour cream. This makes about 800 g (28 oz) of sour cream.
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Passive Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 10 minutes
Course Condiment
Cuisine Lebanese
Servings 0

Equipment

  • Cheesecloth

Ingredients
  

  • 8 containers plain yogurt, 135 gram (4¾ oz) each
  • pinch salt, optional

Instructions
 

  • For the yogurt, use plain, unflavored, full fat yogurt, NOT Greek yogurt. I used 2 packages of 4 containers each of Dutchie Original Yogurt, each container is 135 grams, so in total I used 1,072 grams of yogurt.
  • Line a sieve with 2-3 layers of cheesecloth. Place the sieve on a large bowl. Add the salt, if using, to the yogurt and stir until smooth. Pour into the prepared sieve.
  • Gather the edges of the cheesecloth together, twist and tie securely with string or a plastic clip and hang it above a bowl or let it just in the sieve. Cover the top of the bowl & sieve with plastic wrap.
  • Place this into the fridge to allow the whey to drain out. How long you let it drain will determine what particular style of labneh you are making.

For Soft Labneh (think Sour Cream)

  • Strain for 8-14 hours. This would provide a soft type of labneh with a consistency to that of Sour Cream. Check the consistency and taste during the time stated and make note of the time for future times you make this. When the consistency is good, remove from the fridge and place all the labneh in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to a week. Use in place of sour cream in recipes.

For Firmer Labneh

  • Strain for 24-48 hours will result in a Cream Cheese like consistency. Remove from the fridge and place all the labneh in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to a week. This sounds like it would be good on a sandwich.

For Yogurt Cheese

  • Strain for 48-72 hours will result in Yogurt Cheese, which is normally rolled into small balls, coated with herbs or spices and stored in olive oil. Store in the fridge for several weeks. These sound like they would make great appetizers.

For Greek-style Yogurt

  • Strain for 3-4 hours will result in a Greek-style of yogurt. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, use in recipes calling for Greek yogurt.

Notes

Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
#1 Go-To Recipes,5 Ingredients or Less,: LEBANESE,CONDIMENTS,INGREDIENTS
Crescent Casserole
May 31, 2017 Lee
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Crescent Casserole

Sounds good, minimal ingredients. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams ground beef
  • 1/4 cup onion, finely diced
  • 1 cup pasta sauce, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
  • 1/2 cup sour cream, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1 can crescent rolls, OR make from a shortcut
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 190 C.
  • In a skillet, brown ground beef with chopped onions, season to taste with salt and black pepper. Drain any fat. Pour beef into a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan.
  • Pour pasta sauce over the meat, then the sour cream over the top. Top with the shredded cheese.
  • Cover the top of the dish with crescent rolls, making sure all edges are sealed. Combine the butter, Parmesan, and Italian seasoning in a small bowl. Brush over the top of the pie.
  • Bake for 20 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Notes

Figure 100 Baht/500 grams of beef. The Mozzarella cheese about 120 Baht. For 4 servings, this is about $1.62 per serving.
Shortcuts: Crescent Rolls (Bread Machine), Pasta Sauce, Sour Cream.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
* High Cost $1.51+ per Serving,CASSEROLES