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Slow Cooker Beef Stew II
February 24, 2017 Lee
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Slow Cooker Beef Stew II

Another good sounding stew recipe, this one uses caraway seed as well. On my to cook list.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 30 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kilo beef, any cut, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika, plus more for garnish
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/3 cup all purpose flour, plus more for coating beef
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 500 grams potatoes, cut into large chunks or quarters
  • 250 grams fresh mushrooms, sliced or chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 2 1/2 cups beef stock, fresh or from powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions
 

  • Toss the beef with the paprika, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Coat in flour and shake off any excess. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and brown on all sides. Remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the beef to your slow cooker and add the potatoes, mushrooms, carrots, and onions and stir to combine.
  • Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the tomato paste and stir until the oil begins to turn brick-red, about 1 minute. Add the flour and wine and whisk until thick, some lumps are ok. Add the beef broth, thyme, caraway, salt and pepper to your liking and bring to a simmer, whisking, continue simmering and whisking until the gravy is smooth and thick, just a few minutes.
  • Pour the gravy into the slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 8 hours. The meat and vegetables should be tender. Season with salt and pepper as needed and stir in the parsley. Serve.

Notes

Estimate about 200 Baht/kilo for beef, this vary greatly. For 8 servings this is about 74 cents per serving.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Garland Davis, US Navy Cook (Ret).
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Soups, Stews, Chili - Slow Cooker
Meat Loaf and Potato Casserole
February 20, 2017 Lee
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Meat Loaf and Potato Casserole

Sounds very good, much like a Cottage Pie. There is two shortcuts to used for cost savings as well. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams ground beef
  • 3/4 cup onion, diced
  • 1/3 cup seasoned breadcrumbs, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1/4 cup BBQ sauce, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt

For the Potatoes

  • 6-8 potatoes, quartered
  • 2/3 cup evaporated milk
  • 1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 cup bacon, cooked crsipy and chopped
  • 2/3 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 190 C. Coat 9x9 baking dish with lightly with butter. In a large bowl, combine beef, onion, breadcrumbs, BBQ sauce, egg, chili powder, and salt until well mixed. Gently press into bottom of baking dish.
  • Bake uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove from oven and carefully pour off any excess fat if needed.
  • Adjust oven temperature to broil and place oven rack 6 to 8 inches from heat source. If using a counter top oven like me, switch to the top coil only and leave the rack in the center.
  • While the beef is cooking, boil the potatoes until tender, skin on or off is up to you. Once the potatoes are done, remove from heat, same pot, add the milk, butter, parsley, and garlic powder, mash with a potato masher until smooth. Stir in bacon. Spread evenly on top of beef mixture and sprinkle with cheese.
  • Broil for 3-5 minutes or until the cheese is lightly browned. Serve with a vegetable on the side for a nice meal.

Notes

Figure about 100 Baht/500 grams of beef. For 4 servings, this is about 74 cents per serving.
Shortcuts: Seasoned Breadcrumbs, BBQ Sauce.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,BEEF
Asian Beef Burgers
February 19, 2017 Lee
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Asian Beef Burgers

Sounds like a really good alternative to a standard burger, I am looking forward to making this.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Mixed
Servings 4 burgers

Ingredients
  

For the Burgers

  • 500 grams ground beef
  • 1 cup Shiitake mushrooms, chopped
  • 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 2 spring onions, chopped, white and green
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons Chinese 5 Spice
  • 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
  • olive oil, as needed
  • 4 hamburger buns, OR make from a shortcut
  • 2 cups cabbage, thinly sliced or chopped

For the Tomato Garlic Jam

  • 2 medium tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • fresh lime juice, from 2 limes
  • 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
  • 5 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1 Bird's Eye Chili, minced
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Peel tomatoes by slicing a small X in the base of each tomato. Place tomatoes in a pot of boiling water for 30 to 45 seconds or until skin loosens. Remove tomatoes with a slotted spoon and slip skins off when cool enough to handle. Chop tomatoes.
  • To make tomato garlic jam, combine sugar and lime juice in a small saucepan. Warm over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add chopped tomatoes, red bell pepper, garlic, and chili. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes or until mixture has reduced by about half. Stir in fish sauce (if using) and allow to cool to room temperature.
  • In a large bowl, gently mix together ground beef, shiitake mushrooms, cilantro, scallions, soy sauce, Chinese 5 spice, and ginger. Form into 4 equal-size patties.
  • Add a splash of olive oil to a non stick skillet over medium heat. Place patties in the pan. Cover and cook 4 minutes. Then flip and cook 3 to 4 more minutes. Serve burgers on buns topped with tomato garlic jam and shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix.

Notes

The beef would cost about 100 Baht/500 grams, for 4 servings, this is about 74 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Hamburger Buns.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,BURGERS & SANDWICHES
Homemade SPAM
February 19, 2017 Lee
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Homemade SPAM

I really like canned SPAM but the price is very costly, and has preservatives and a load of salt as well. So I set out and found a couple of recipes on the internet. This version has NO curing salt to keep the color a nice pink shade and cannot be stored like the canned stuff.
Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 1 loaf

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/4 kilos pork shoulder
  • 250 grams ham
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1 tablespoon sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/4 cup corn starch

Instructions
 

  • Take the pork should and cut into large cubes/strips that will fit in your grinder, fat and all. Place the chopped pork in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Cut the ham into large cubes/strips that will fit in your grinder. Mince the garlic and mix into the ham chunks, place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
  • Preheat your oven to 150 C. Set up your grinder. Remove the ham from the freezer. Grind the ham with the finest grate on your grinder. To the ground ham, add the salt, sugar, and corn starch, mix with your hands. Remove the pork from the freezer, add the ground ham to the pork chunks and mix in with your hands, then grind the pork with the ham mixture with the finest grate on your grinder. After grinding, give it a mix with your hands as well.
  • Pack the ground meat mixture into a loaf pan and cover with foil. Place the loaf pan in a large baking dish and fill that dish with water to 3/4 full. Carefully place this in the oven and cook for 3 hours, the target internal temp of the SPAM should be minimum 68 C at 3 hours.
  • Take out the baking dish carefully and remove the foil on the loaf pan it will be full of fat. Carefully drain this off (you can save this for fried potatoes if you like or discard). Cover the loaf pan loosely will foil, set another loaf pan on top and fill with weights, like bricks that are covered with foil, etc, place this in the fridge overnight. The next morning, the SPAM is ready for use. Slice, fry, enjoy.

Notes

Pork shoulder will cost about 125 Baht/1.25 kilos. Ham (Makro has good ham) will cost about 100 Baht/250 grams. This will make about 1,500 grams of SPAM, minus the fat you will drain off. This makes 4 cans of SPAM.
One can of SPAM (US import) is about $6.15 (340 grams), one can of Tulip brand SPAM equivalent (Denmark import) is about $3.07 (340 grams).
This homemade type is about $1.65 per can. Great savings!
Per serving, figuring about 3 slices per person, 9 slices in a can, this is about 55 cents per serving. This can be used in many recipes, Mac and Cheese comes to mind.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,PORK
French Onion Dip Sandwiches III
February 19, 2017 Lee
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French Onion Dip Sandwiches III

This is another way to make French Dip sandwiches preparing the meat in a slow cooker with condensed soup. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 kilos beef, any cut
  • olive oil, as needed
  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2 cans condensed French onion soup, OR make from a shortcut
  • 8 slices Provolone cheese
  • 8 sandwich rolls, split
  • 8 salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Season the beef with salt and black pepper. Heat a splash of olive oil large non stick skillet over high heat. Add the beef and brown on all sides. Place the beef in your slow cooker slow cooker.
  • Add the onion, garlic, thyme sprigs and soup to the cooker. Cover and cook on High setting for 4 1/2 hours or until the beef is tender. NOTE about the beef, if using local raised beef from a village, you may want to cook for longer, check it at 4 1/2 hours then keep cooking and checking every hour after that.
  • When the beef is almost done, heat the oven to 180 C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the rolls, cut-side up, onto the baking sheet. Divide the cheese among the rolls. Bake for 1 minute or until the rolls are toasted and the cheese is melted.
  • Remove the beef to a cutting board. Cut the beef into thin slices. Divide the beef among the rolls. Serve with the soup mixture from the slow cooker on the side for dipping.

Notes

Beef will run about 200 Baht for local raised beef, figure 300 Baht for the beef. For 8 servings, this is about $1.10 per serving, actually not that bad at all. I cannot price this with the cheese yet.
Shortcut: Condensed French Onion Soup.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,BURGERS & SANDWICHES
Baked Garlic Chicken & Potatoes
February 19, 2017 Lee
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Baked Garlic Chicken & Potatoes

Stephen Connell, United States.
This is a traditional Lebanese dish and comes highly recommended. On my to cook list for sure. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Lebanese
Servings 8 servings

Equipment

  • Oven
  • Baking Pan (9x13 inch)

Ingredients
  

  • 2 kilos chicken, legs, thighs, breasts, up to you, (4 lb)
  • 5 medium potatoes, sliced in ½ thick slices
  • 20 cloves garlic, about 1½ heads
  • 1 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • salt, to taste
  • pinch Lebanese 7-spices, Shortcut
  • vinegar, optional, as needed

Instructions
 

  • Optional, if the chicken has a strong "chickeny" smell to it, soak in vinegar for 2 minutes, rinse well with cold water, pat dry with paper towels.
  • Preheat your oven to 200° C (400° F). Get out a large baking pan.
  • Remove skin from the chicken and discard, then make cuts in chicken in order to allow for garlic sauce to seep deep inside. Rub chicken with a tablespoon or two of olive oil, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of Lebanese 7-spices. Place chicken in a large baking dish.
  • Place sliced potatoes on top of the chicken. and bake for 40-50 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
  • While the chicken is baking, place the garlic cloves, ½ teaspoon of salt and 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in a blender/food processor and mix for 4-5 minutes, add the lemon juice and mix for another 4-5 minutes until you have a nice lemony-garlicky sauce. OR Traditionally the sauce is made by crushing garlic with a pestle in a mortar while slowly adding the salt and olive oil thus turning it into a paste. And finally once you start adding the lemon juice all while continuing to stir and crush with the pestle, the paste turns into a beautiful sauce with a balanced garlic and lemon flavoring.
  • Once the chicken has baked, take the tray out of the oven and very carefully drain any excess liquids that you see on the bottom.
  • Pour the garlic sauce all over it while mixing it well with the potatoes and chicken, put back in the oven and broil for another 5-10 minutes until the potatoes start to brown up.
  • Serve with a salad for a complete meal.

Notes

Chicken will cost 60 to 70 Baht/kilo depending if you are using breasts or legs and thighs. Going with quarters (separate the thighs from the legs) at 70 Baht/kilo, 2 kilos at 140 Baht, for 4 servings this is about $1.03 per serving.
Shortcut: Lebanese 7-Spices.
* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,: LEBANESE,CHICKEN & TURKEY
Lebanese 7-Spices
February 19, 2017 Lee
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Lebanese 7-Spices

Adapted from an internet recipe.
A common spice mix used in Lebanese cooking, and is very easy to prepare this yourself as you probably have everything on hand for this.
Print Recipe
Cuisine Lebanese
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • allspice
  • black pepper
  • white pepper
  • ground cinnamon
  • ground cloves
  • ground nutmeg
  • corriander

Instructions
 

  • Mix all the spices together in equal quantities and store in an air tight container.
: LEBANESE,Ingredients - Spice Mixes
German Cucumber Salad
February 19, 2017 Lee
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German Cucumber Salad

This sounds really good, and is very low cost. The vegetables, as well as the parsley and dill are all grown locally here. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine German
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 large cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced
  • 3 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced

For the Dressing

  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons milk

Instructions
 

  • Place the cucumbers, onion, and tomatoes in a large bowl and set aside.
  • In another bowl, whisk together all the dressing ingredients, pour over the vegetables and toss to coat evenly. Refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.

Notes

Low cost.
Shortcut: Sour Cream.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Sides - Salads
Oil & Vinegar Coleslaw Dressing
February 19, 2017 Lee
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Oil & Vinegar Coleslaw Dressing

Adapted from an internet recipe.
Really easy and is an alternative to heavy mayo slaw dressings. This is for 1 batch of coleslaw made with one head of cabbage.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 2 minutes
Total Time 2 minutes
Cuisine American
Servings 1 batch

Ingredients
  

  • 3 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 1½ tablespoons olive oil
  • pinch sugar
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Toss the chopped cabbage with the vinegar and olive oil to coat evenly. Add the sugar, and salt and pepper to taste and toss again. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Ingredients - Salad Dressings
Chicken in Coconut Milk Soup
February 18, 2017 Lee
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Chicken in Coconut Milk Soup

This is a easy Thai soup that even I make, and it is so good. To make good Thai food, think like a Thai, boil meat, add vegetables, add flavorings, I know that does not sound right or even good, but that is the basic premise for Thai soup and curry cooking. This is an adjust as you go recipe, many ingredients are general in amount.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Thai
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 4-8 chicken legs, or legs and thighs, skin on
  • 1-2 cups coconut milk
  • mushrooms, Straw would be best, button is ok
  • 5-6 slices ginger, OR galangal
  • 4-5 Bird's Eye Chilis, sliced
  • 4-5 kaffir lime leaves
  • 2 stems lemon grass, see Step 1
  • fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 2-3 tablespoons fish sauce, OR soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • salt, to taste

Instructions
 

  • For the lemon grass, take each stalk and on a heavy cutting board and using a pestle, the flat side of a meat tenderizer, rolling pin, etc, smash the stem until it is pliable then tie into an overhand knot. This does 2 things for you, releases the oil, and keeps everything in one bundle so it can be removed (last thing people want to do when eating is to remove items that cannot be eaten from their dish).
  • In a large pot, add the chicken and cover by about 2-3 inches of water, and add the ginger, lemon grass bundles, lime leaves, and bring to a boil for about 5 minutes, then reduce to a medium heat. You just made a chicken broth, basis for your soup. At this point you can remove the skin if you like.
  • Now add the coconut milk, chilies, simmer until the chicken is cooked through and tender. Adjust taste to your liking with lime juice, fish sauce, and sugar. As more water as needed.
  • Add the mushrooms and some cilantro, cover and cook for 5 minutes then remove from heat. This will cook the mushrooms.
  • Remove the lemon grass bundles, lime leaves, and ginger, Serve with rice.

Notes

Chicken legs cost about 65 Baht/kilo, for this, maybe 40 baht. For 4 servings, about 30 cents per serving.
Recipe I have made many times.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: THAI,CHICKEN & TURKEY,SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI