Author Archive
Balsamic Rosemary Chicken Breasts
This is very good! Excellent flavor, juicy, can cut with a fork. Highly recommended and on my Go-To list.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
- 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Make the marinade by whisking together garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, thyme, rosemary, and black pepper in a medium bowl. Pour into a large ziplock bag.
- Rinse the chicken breast and pat dry, add to the ziplock bag, squish the bag around to coat all the chicken, squeeze out the air, seal, and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F). Line a baking sheet with foil and place a rack on the sheet. OR, and highly recommended, fire up your grill.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and shake off excess, discard marinade. Place chicken on the rack and bake for 10 minutes then turn over and bake for another 10 or until juices run clear. OR grill on the BBQ.
- Let chicken rest for 5 minutes, serve with a side of your choice.
Notes
The chicken might cost 100 Baht, I just bought today, 3 large chicken breasts for 61 Baht. The vinegar will cost about 60 Baht (about half a bottle). For 4 servings, this is about $1.18 per serving.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
United States.
Turkish Eggplant and Ground Beef Casserole
This is a common dish in the eastern Mediterranean called Moussaka. This sounds really good. Very common ingredients, this sounds really good. It is unclear on the size of the eggplant used so I will clarify that when I prepare this. Times are estimated.
Ingredients
- 5 purple eggplants
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced into thin rings
- 4 large tomatoes, divided, 6-8 plum tomatoes
- 500 grams ground beef
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste, divided
- salt and pepper, as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 3 cups milk
- 1 cup mild yellow cheese, shredded
- red bell pepper, slices for garnish
- olive oil, as needed
Instructions
- Peel the eggplants using a vegetable peeler, begin at one end and remove a strip of peel from end to end. Leave a strip of peel about the same width, then peel another strip from end to end. Slice the eggplants about 1/4 inch thick and place in a large bowl of salted water and let them soak for about 30 minutes.
- Slice the green pepper into thin rings. Grate 1 large tomato or maybe 2 plum tomatoes.
- Cook the onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet until tender. Then add the bell pepper slices and cook until soft. Then add the ground beef and cook until browned, then add the grated tomato, 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and the allspice. Mix this together, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 10 minutes then remove from heat.
- Grate the other 3 large tomatoes or 4-8 plum tomatoes and put them into a small saucepan. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, oregano, and sugar. Simmer this on low heat for about 10 minutes then remove from heat.
- Remove the eggplant slices from the water and blot them dry with paper towels. Fry them on both sides in olive oil until tender and golden brown on both sides. Drain them well on paper towels.
- Line the bottom of a large baking dish with the fried eggplant slices to make a single layer, make sure there are no gaps between the pieces. Spread the tomato sauce over the eggplant. Next, cover the tomato sauce layer with the meat mixture.
- Preheat your oven to 180 C.
- In a large pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for a minute, then whisk in the milk and continue whisking until the sauce thickens, when it has the consistency of pudding it is ready.
- Pour the hot sauce over the meat layer, covering it completely. Sprinkle the grated cheese evenly over the top of the casserole. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top turns golden brown and the casserole is heated through.
- Let the casserole rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Notes
Figure about 100 Baht/500 grams ground beef and about 90 Baht for the cheese, Edam or a mild Cheddar would work well. For 6 servings, this is about 93 cents per serving.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
United States.
Easy Ground Beef Casserole with Potatoes
Sounds really good, a must try for me. Two ways to prepare the potatoes, diced or shredded. There is also several shortcuts for cost savings. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 5-6 cups potatoes, small diced or shredded
- 750 grams ground beef
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
- 1 carrot, shredded
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, OR make from a shortcut
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup sour cream, OR make from a shortcut
- 1 1/2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
- salt and pepper, to taste
- olive oil, as needed
- butter, as needed
Instructions
- Dice or shred the potatoes, skin on or off is up to you. For diced potatoes, add to a saucepan and cover with water, bring to a boil the reduce heat for about 4 minutes to soften the potatoes, drain well and set aside. For the shredded, rinse several times squeezing out the water, drain and set aside.
- Heat your oven to 180 C, lightly grease a 2.3 to 3 liter casserole dish with butter.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add a splash of olive oil, when oil is heated and add the onion and cook until soft, then add the ground beef and brown, then add the mushrooms and cook for another minute or two. Drain fat and season with salt and pepper to taste, pour this into the casserole dish.
- Add the potatoes to the dish covering the beef. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to your liking. Sprinkle the shredded carrot over the potatoes. Mix the soup, sour cream, and milk in a bowl, and spoon this mixture evenly over the potatoes.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake for 50 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Remove the foil and sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top, bake for another 5 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Notes
Figure about 150 Baht/750 grams of ground beef. The cheese, figure about 90 Baht for half a block of 250 grams. For 6 servings, this is about $1.18 per serving.
Shortcuts: Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup, Hash Browns, Sour Cream.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
United States.
Loco Moco
This is standard in Hawaiian fast food places, this is a simple recipe and it is good. (I thought this would have had SPAM in it being Hawaiian 😉
Ingredients
For the Gravy (or use a gravy packet)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Worcherstershire sauce
- 2 cups beef stock, fresh or from powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
For the Patties
- 500 grams ground beef, (1 lb)
- ½ cup onion, finely diced
- salt and pepper, to taste
Other Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 4 cups cooked rice
Instructions
- Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add flour; whisk until mixture becomes a dark brown color, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce and whisk for about 1 minute. Add beef stock and salt, and pepper to taste and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until sauce is thickened, about 20 minutes.
- While the gravy is thickening, mix the ground beef, onion, salt, and pepper together. Divide the mixture into 4 balls; flatten them into patties. Fry the patties to the desired doneness.
- Fry the eggs sunny side up.
- To plate this, divide the rice between 4 plates, place a burger patty on top of the rice, pour on some gravy, place an egg on top of the burger patty, drizzle a bit of gravy over the egg, serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving, figure about 100 Baht/500 grams of beef. For 4 servings, this is about 74 cents per serving.
Pork Knuckles & Sauerkraut (Kombes mit Eisbein und Kartoffelbrei)
This is a true German dish and if you have ever had pork knuckles, this is a good way to prepare them compared to just roasting, which is also very good.
Ingredients
- 2 pork knuckles, or 4 ham hocks
- 3 cups sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
- 4 cups beef stock
- 1 cup dark beer
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons juniper berries
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 tablespoons Worcherstershire sauce
- salt and pepper, to taste
- mashed potatoes, to serve
Instructions
- Place the pork knuckles in your slow cooker.
- Mix together remaining ingredients except the mashed potatoes and pour over the knuckles. Cover and cook on Low setting for 8 hours without removing the lid.
- Remove the knuckles from the slow cooker. Scoop out some sauerkraut and place on one side of each plate, place a pork knuckle on top of the kraut, then place a scoop of mashed potatoes on the other side of the plate. Serve.
Notes
These are available at Makro, frozen, each is 800 grams and cost is 200 Baht each. And I recently seen them 4 in a bag, frozen in Tesco, cannot remember the price. If serving one knuckle for 2 people (easily done), the cost would be about $2.95 per person. I will add the cost of sauerkraut when I find that. More expensive than other meals listed here but is a great treat for yourself.
Italian Casserole
The original recipe I found for this had a very much incorrect name for this dish, I simply changed it to Italian Casserole (this is in no way like Manicotti). This does sound good, and does sound like 2 baking dishes may have to be used as well. On my to cook list. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 500 grams Rigatoni pasta, OR Penne, OR Ziti
- 500 grams ground beef
- 500 grams Italian sausage, OR make from a shortcut
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 cup mushrooms, fresh sliced, and sauted, or canned
- 3 1/2 cups tomato pasta sauce, OR make from a shortcut
- 750 grams Mozzarella Cheese, shredded, divided
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C.
- Meanwhile, brown ground beef and Italian sausage in a large pot over medium heat, ass salt and pepper as desired. Drain the fat then stir the mushrooms, pasta sauce, half of the cheese, and cooked pasta into the meat in the pot. Once mixed, pour into a baking dish, or two. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
- Bake until the cheese is browned and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Lest rest for 5 minutes, serve.
Notes
The beef will cost about 100 Baht/500 grams, the pork about 50 Baht/500 grams, the cheese, that will cost about 425 Baht/600 grams. For 8 servings, this is about $2.12 per serving.
Shortcuts: Italian Sausage, Pasta Sauce.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
United States.
Asian Salmon & Vegetables
Sounds really good, I have to try this as we eat a lot of salmon.
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Foil
- Oven
Ingredients
- 2 salmon fillets, these are the 140-160 gram each
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
- ½ red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
- 1 cup fresh broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
- 1 cup snow peas, trimmed
- salt and pepper, to taste
- olive oil, as needed
- 2 spring onions, sliced for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200° C (400° F).
- Mix together the marinade of brown sugar, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and mustard in a shallow bowl. Place the salmon in the marinade and marinate for 15 minutes.
- While the salmon is marinating, lay down two sheets of foil on a baking sheet. On the first sheet, lay down the carrot sticks to make a layer about 2 sticks deep and about 6 inches across, on top of the carrots place the bell pepper cross way. On one end of the carrots place the broccoli, and on the other end, place the snow peas. Drizzle with a little olive oil and salt and pepper to taste and fold the foil over the veggys to make a sealed packet. set that packet off to one side of the next sheet of foil.
- Drizzle some olive oil on the second sheet. Remove the salmon from the marinade and shake off excess and place on the olive oil on the foil.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the salmon easily flakes with a fork. Plate the vegetables and place the salmon on top, sprinkle with chopped spring onion, serve.
Notes
For 69 Baht per fillet, this is about $2.03 per serving. High cost but I think ok for a once in a while, healthy meal.
Cool Whip Frosting
I remember my Mom making this and using on sponge cake from what I can remember. I have a shortcut for making stabilized whip cream which will have the consistency of Cool Whip but will taste like whipped cream, bonus. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 box instant pudding mix, dry, OR make from a shortcut
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 1 package Cool Whip, 8 ounce package, OR make from a shortcut
Instructions
- Add the dry pudding mix, powdered sugar, and milk to a mixing bowl. Blend on low speed until blended. Let mixture stand for 3 minutes, then fold in defrosted Cool Whip.
- Frost the cake of your choice and keep refrigerated.
Notes
Shortcuts: Homemade Cool Whip, Chocolate Pudding Mix.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
United States.
Homemade Cool Whip
This is a stabilized whipped cream that holds up like Cool Whip but tastes like whipped cream, and looks like whipped cream.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 3/4 cups whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pour the water into a small saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water, and let it sit for 2-3 minutes. Place the pan over medium low heat and stir until gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
- Once the gelatin mixture has cooled, place 1 tablespoon of the whipping cream and the cream of tartar in a small ziplock bag. Seal the bag and shake it until cream of tartar has dissolved completely and there are no lumps. If there are lumps, use your fingers to work them out.
- Pour the cream of tartar mixture into a large bowl (the bowl of your mixer if using a stand mixer) along with the rest of the whipping cream and the sugar.
- Beat with a hand mixer or the whisk attachment on a stand mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Once mixture begins to slightly thicken, slowly pour in the gelatin-water while continually mixing. Add the vanilla. Continue to mix until the cream is thick and smooth.
- Be sure not to over-mix during the whisking process. Do not try for stiff peaks, you will just end up with a curdled mess. Once the cream is thick enough to spread, stop whisking. It will still look soft, but that is okay. Store in the fridge until used in your other recipe.
Notes
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
Pineapple Sunshine Cake,
Cool Whip Frosting,
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie. Adapted from an internet recipe.
Pineapple Sunshine Cake,
Cool Whip Frosting,
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie. Adapted from an internet recipe.
Fried Rice with Bacon
There is as many ways to prepare fried rice as there is shades of green. There is no right or wrong way. The original use for fried rice was to use up left over rice and left over items from a meal, so this one is a little more creative and sounds really good.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3-6 slices bacon, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 6 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved or use cherry tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled, minced
- 3/4 cup snow peas, trimmed and cut in half
- 1 bell pepper, color is up to you
- 1 bunch spring onions, thinly sliced, white and green
- 4 cups cooked rice
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large non stick skillet over medium high heat. Add the bacon and cook, until almost crispy. Add the sugar and 1 teaspoon soy sauce; stir-fry until the bacon is glazed, about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl using a slotted spoon; reserve the drippings in a separate bowl. Wipe out the skillet.
- Heat 2 teaspoons of the drippings in the skillet over medium heat. Whisk the eggs and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl and add to the skillet and cook, undisturbed, until just set, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and break up the eggs into large pieces.
- Heat the remaining drippings in the skillet over medium high heat. Add the tomatoes and ginger and stir-fry until the tomatoes are softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the snow peas, bell pepper, and scallions; stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and the remaining 2 teaspoons soy sauce; stir-fry until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Stir in the eggs and cook 1 minute. Top with the bacon. Serve as a side with pork or a prawn dish.
Notes
Low cost.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
United States.