Author Archive
Homemade Yellow Cake Mix
Yellow Cake Mix, a standard when I was growing up, came in a box, added a few ingredients, bake, and you have a cake. Where I live, the city does have this boxed mix at a premium price as well. This is the base mix recipe.
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1½ cups sugar
- 3½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to one month, or use right away to make a yellow cake.
- This mix equals 1 box of store bought mix which will make two 8 inch rounds or one 9x13 pan.
- Use in any recipe that calls for a box of yellow cake mix.
Notes
Low cost.
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
- Peach Dump Cake II.
- Red Velvet Cake, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Pineapple Upside Down Cake, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Homemade Yellow Cake, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Peach Dump Cake I, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Cake Batter Milkshake, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Pig Pickin' Cake, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Dream Cake, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Orange Juice Cake, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Any Flavor Cake, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Cherry Dessert Cake.
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake, made it, GO-TO recipe.
No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
I remember my Mom making these when I was little. Very happy to have this recipe now. I made this on 31 Mar 2017 and these are exactly as I remember them, fantastic and easy!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, this is 1/2 of a standard block
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/2 cup peanut butter, creamy
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups quick cooking rolled oats
Instructions
- Add the butter, sugars, milk, cocoa, and salt to a large sauce pan or pot.
- Bring to a rolling boil and hold for 1 minute. Remove from heat.
- Add peanut butter and stir until melted, then mix in the vanilla extract.
- Now mix in 2 1/2 cups of oats until completely coated, if it looks wet enough, add 1/4 cup at a time from the remaining 1/2 cup and mix in until coated.
- Drop the cookies by tablespoons onto wax paper or foil and let cool until set.
Notes
All readily available ingredients, low cost.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
United States.
Gouda Chorizo Jalapeno Poppers
Don't let the name fool you, even though Jalapeno peppers are not common except in the larger cities, just use the large green chilies available in all markets. And you can make the Chorizo yourself as well. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 12 big green chilies, Jalapenos if you can find them
- 24 slices smoked bacon
- 2 links Chorizo sausage, OR make from a shortcut
- 250 grams Gouda cheese, OR Edam cheese, shredded
- 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup Cream cheese, softened
- 3 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and remove stems and seeds.
- Remove the casings from chorizo links and crumble up a bit, if using patties, just crumble those up a bit. Brown chorizo in a skillet over medium-high heat, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well and place into a large mixing bowl.
- Add the rest of the except the peppers and bacon, mix together and press mixture into the pepper halves, mounded as well. Wrap each pepper half with a strip of bacon.
- Fire up your grill, gas or charcoal (charcoal preferred) and grill, covered until the bacon is cooked, about 10 minutes or so, I will update this when I prepare these.
Notes
I cannot buy chorizo premade so I have to make myself, figure about 50 Baht for two links or patties. For the cheese, figure about 180 Baht for the Gouda or Edam, and for Cream cheese figure 60 Baht for half a standard package. The total cost for 24 poppers would be about $8.53 or about 36 cents per popper. This would be a good item for a get together with family and friends.
Shortcut: Chorizo.
Provided courtesy of good friends, Garland Davis, US Navy Cook (Ret).
United States.
United States.
Easy Pilaf (Rice Cooker)
This comes from a good friend and a great cook. The rice cooker I have is off limits to me as that is my wife's territory, after I told her this recipe, now I can use the rice cooker. I will be making this for sure. This is a base, very easy to change this to your taste and make if different each time.
Equipment
- Rice Cooker
Ingredients
- dry white rice
- stock or broth
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- onion, chopped
- herbs, of your choice
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- The method my wife uses, and it works well for her, wash and rinse your rice, amount is up to you based on the number of people or servings desired, and add to the rice cooker. Add stock or broth of your choice until the liquid is about 1 inch above the rice. (Estimate 1 cup dry rice per 4 servings.)
- Then add in the butter, garlic, onion, herbs, salt and pepper, and what ever else you would like in a pilaf.
- Start the rice cooker and give it a good stir about halfway through the cooking, then it will switch to warm when it is done. Serve as a side dish.
Texas Roadhouse Butter
I have never heard of this, the restaurant chain seems to be huge from central Texas to the east coast. But then again, it has been a while since I was back in the states. Anyways, this sounds good and can be used on dinner rolls, corn on the cob, you get the idea.
Ingredients
- 1 block butter, this is a standard 227 grams
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup honey
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Remove the foil from the butter and place in a mixing bowl to come up to room temperature.
- Add the rest of the ingredients when the butter is at room temperature using a hand mixer or electric mixer, mix to your consistency and serve or refrigerate until use. Serve with dinner rolls, corn on the cob, etc.
Notes
Low cost.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
United States.
Caramelized Baked Chicken Legs
Sounds great, minimum ingredients and straight forward recipe. On my to cook list.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 kilos chicken legs, OR wings
- 1 2/3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1 2/3 tablespoons ketchup
- 3/4 cup honey
- 2-3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C. Place chicken in a 9x13 baking dish.
- Mix together the rest of the ingredients and pour over the chicken. Bake for 1 hour or until the sauce is caramelized and the chicken cooked through. Serve.
Notes
Chicken legs run about 66 Baht/kilo, 1 1/4 kilos would cost about 83 Baht. For 4 servings, this is about 61 cents per serving.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
United States.
Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup
Sounds like a very good soup made from common ingredients on hand. I am guessing with the servings until I make this as that was not stated on the recipe I tailored this from. On my to cook list.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup butter, this is 1/4 of a standard block
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups half and half cream
- 2 cup chicken stock, fresh or made from powder
- 250 grams fresh broccoli, cut into bite size pieces including the stems
- 1 cup carrot, cut into thin strips, or chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 250 grams Cheddar cheese, shredded
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Melt the 1/4 cup of butter in a large pot over medium heat then whisk in the flour and stir constantly for 3-5 minutes, then whisk in the cream, whisk until mixed well then whisk in the stock. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
- While that is cooking, melt the 1 tablespoon of butter in a non stick pan and cook the chopped onion until tender and soft. Set aside.
- Add the broccoli, carrot and onion to the stock and cream mixture. Simmer for 20-25 minutes, the broccoli should be tender and carrot cooked through. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the nutmeg and stir that in. Add the cheese and stir that in until melted. Serve.
Notes
The cheese would cost about 180 Baht for a 250 gram block and you would shred this yourself. For 4 servings, this would be about $1.33 per serving.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
United States.
Funnel Cake Bites
Sounds like a good snack or dessert.
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
- First start by mixing your milk, egg, vanilla, and butter together, then add in the salt, baking soda, and sugar. Slowly mix in the flour and mix until everything is a smooth combination. Pour the mixture into a gallon size zip lock bag, or an icing bag, or a funnel. Set aside.
- Pour about a 1/2 inch of vegetable oil into a deep frying pan and heat it up for about 2 minutes on high then turn down to a low medium. To test if the oil is hot enough drip a small dot of the batter into the oil. If it fries up, then its ready.
- Get your bag of batter, if using a zip lock bag snip off a corner, and make little dots in the oil with the batter, about 1 1/2 times the size of a 10 Baht coin. Let it cook for about a minute and then using a fork and a spatula carefully flip them over. Cook until they are golden brown. Remove them from the oil and place paper towels to drain and and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Can serve with whip cream or fruit.
Notes
Low cost.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
United States.
Seasoned Rice
This is basically a copycat of Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice boxed product. True wild rice is not rice but a seed from a grass found near the Great Lakes in the US so it is very rare to find it in a store here. I am going to use brown or black rice instead of the wild rice. This makes the equivalent of one 175 gram box.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry white rice
- ⅓ cup dry wild rice, OR white, brown, or black rice
- 1 teaspoon onion, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ⅛ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups chicken stock, fresh or from powder
- 1 tablespoon butter, optional
Instructions
- Combine all of the dry ingredients and onion in a saucepan and mix together. Add the chicken stock and butter if using that. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir the mixture.
- Cover with a lid and reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the rice tender, if you run out of liquid before the rice is tender, just add a bit more stock and continue cooking.
- Serve as a side dish or as an ingredient in other ingredients. Some recipes will just call for a box of Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice, so just mix up the dry ingredients and there is your shortcut to the box type.
Classic American Goulash
This was a staple growing up, and even served as lunch in schools. And just as delicious then as it was on 9 Feb 2017 when I cooked this, this is my go to recipe for goulash. Link to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 500 grams ground beef
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 1/4 cups tomato sauce, OR make from a shortcut
- 1 can whole peeled tomatoes, drained, chopped, OR chop 4-5 plum tomatoes
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcherstershire sauce, OR 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, OR make from a shortcut
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup dry elbow macaroni, or maccheroni
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, add splash of olive oil and add the garlic and onions and cook until softened.
- Add the ground beef , breaking the meat up as it cooks and mix into the onions, cook until the meat is no longer pink and has started to brown. Drain fat
- Stir water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, and salt and pepper to taste into the meat mixture and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir macaroni into the mixture, cover, and simmer over low heat until the pasta is tender, about 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, remove bay leaf.
- Serve.
Notes
Figure about 100 Baht for 500 grams of beef, and you may have to grind it yourself (which is preferred), for 4 servings, this is 74 cents per serving.
Variants: Add diced green bell pepper, parsley, it is up to you to tailor this to your recipe.
Shortcuts: Tomato Sauce, Italian Seasoning.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
