Author Archive
Basic Chicken Fajitas
There is about as many ways to prepare fajitas as there is tacos, this is just a guide to start with and you can tailor this to make it your own. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 packet fajita seasoning mix, OR make from a shortcut on this site
- 1 kilo chicken breasts, cut into large strips
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- tomatoes, chopped, for garnish
- cilantro, chopped, for garnish
- cheese, shredded, for garnish
- limes, cut into wedges, for garnish
- flour tortillas, as needed
Instructions
- Place the chicken strips, oil, lemon juice, and seasoning mix in a large zip lock bag, squeeze out the air and squish everything to mix and coat the chicken. Place in the fridge for 1 to 24 hours to marinate. Highly recommended to make the seasoning from the shortcut.
- After the chicken has marinated, drain off any excess liquid and cook in large pan with a splash of olive oil, along with the onion and bell pepper. Cook the chicken until browned and cooked through.
- Serve with tortillas and top with tomatoes, cilantro, cheese, and a lime wedge on the side if desired.
Notes
Chicken breasts will cost about 59 Baht/kilo. Using that number, for 6 servings, this is about 29 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Fajita Seasoning Mix.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Easy Chicken Fajita Rice Bake
Sounds really good. On my to cook list. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 packet fajita seasoning mix, OR make from a shortcut on this site
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup white rice, uncooked
- 2 cups chicken stock, fresh or make from powder
- 750 grams chicken breasts, cut into large strips
- tomatoes, chopped, for garnish
- cilantro, chopped, for garnish
- cheese, shredded, for garnish
- limes, cut into wedges, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 190 C.
- In a large bowl, toss together the chicken strips, onion, and bell peppers, then add the oil and seasoning mix and mix until everything is coated. In a casserole dish, add the rice and the chicken stock, then add on top the chicken and veggy mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 50-55 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked.
- Serve topped with tomatoes, cilantro, cheese, and a lime wedge on the side if desired.
Notes
Chicken breasts will cost about 59 Baht/kilo. Using that number, for 6 servings, this is about 29 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Fajita Seasoning Mix.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Fajita Seasoning Mix
This makes one packet of mix.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
Instructions
- Mix everything in a small bowl and use in recipes that call for 1 packet of fajita seasoning mix.
Notes
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
- Easy Chicken Fajita Rice Bake,
- Basic Chicken Fajitas, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Fajita Peppers, made it, GO-TO recipe.
Cheesy Brat Stew
This sounds like a great recipe as an alternative to grilling brats (which I love by the way) so I will have to test this one out. The time stated for this was odd at best, so if you make this before me, check the potatoes at 4 hours, but you may need to cook until 6-8 hours, on low.Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 500 grams smoked sausage, cut into 1/2 inch slices
- 4 medium potatoes, cubed
- 1 1/2 cups fresh long beans, chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, OR make from a shortcut
- 2/3 cup chicken stock, fresh or make from powder
Instructions
- Place everything in a slow cooker and mix and cook on Low setting for 4-8 hours or until the potatoes are tender. You may need go to the 7 or 8 hours. You can add the long beans about an hour before the end.
Notes
For pricing, go with about 180 Baht for 5 Brats. For 6 servings, this is about 88 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Cheesy Smoked Sausage & Potato Casserole
This sounds really good and is wide open to changes to suit your taste. This is basically a base recipe to tailor at will, you could make this many times and have it different each time.
Ingredients
- 3 cups potatoes, cooked and cubed, skin on is fine
- 500 grams smoked sausage links, cut into 1/4 inch slices
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon paprika
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
Instructions
- Brown the sliced sausage in a pan for about 15 minutes, turning often to slightly brown the pieces.
- Preheat your oven to 180 C. Place the cooked and cubed potatoes in a baking dish and add the browned sausage and mix together.
- In a saucepan, mix together the butter, flour, milk, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup of cheese, stir continuously until smooth. Pours the sauce over the casserole, then sprinkle the remaining cheese on the top and then sprinkle with the paprika. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the top is golden brown, serve.
Notes
The smoked sausage is about 100 Baht/500 grams. For 4 servings this is about 74 cents per serving. When I go to Makro again I will get more accurate up to date pricing as well.
Variants. Think chopped bell peppers or cooked sliced mushrooms. Garnish with spring onions for a bit of color as well.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
United States.
Basic Grilled Brats
I get a lot of good advice from my friends and this is probably the best way to enjoy brats (Bratwurst or Bierwurst) is to grill them, then simmer in beer, unless you are in Wisconsin then you would simmer them in beer then grill them. I have made brats like this several times and they are very good!
Ingredients
- 1 package brats, 270 grams, pack of 4, Bratwurst or Bierwurst
- 1 onion, cut into 6 or 8 wedges
- 1 bell pepper, optional, cut into strips
- 1 can beer
Instructions
- Light your grill, charcoal (what I use) or gas if you have that. Setup for indirect grilling. Mr. Sausage is the brand of brats I use.
- Grill the brats with indirect heat, and place a metal baking pan (I use a bread pan) on the grill as well, add the beer and onion to the pan, and bell pepper if using that and let that heat while the brats cook. Close the grill and cook the brats, turn them occasionally, for about 20 minutes. Then take the brats and put them into the pan and let them simmer for about 20-30 minutes with the lid closed. Serve as is with sides of your choice or on buns with spicy mustard.
Notes
I use Mr. Sausage brand bratwurst and bierwurst. One package, 4 sausages, is 270 grams and the cost is 129 Baht. For two servings, this is about $1.89 per serving. High cost but very good for a once in a while meal.
Provided courtesy of good friends, Garland Davis, US Navy Cook (Ret), and Ed Crean.
United States.
United States.
Ham & Beans
Sounds good, minimal ingredients, on my to cook list.
Ingredients
- 500 grams dry Great Northern beans
- 250 grams cooked ham, diced
- 1 small onion
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Sort and rinse the beans and place in a container that has a lid. Add water to cover by about 2 inches and refrigerate over night.
- Drain and rinse the beans and place in a pot, add the rest of the ingredients and cover with about 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the beans are soft. Add more water as needed. Serve.
Notes
Low cost.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Homemade Chick-Fil-A Sandwiches
This is a cheater recipe for Chick-Fil-A Sandwiches in the US, I have never had one but unlike deep frying these are baked in your oven. These sound really good and is a must try for me.
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- salt, pepper, and paprika, to taste
- 1 cup dill pickle juice
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
- olive oil spray, as needed
- butter, as needed
- dill pickle, slices, as needed
- cheese, slices, your choice of type, optional
- 4 hamburger buns
Instructions
- Cut each chicken breast in half and pound them to 1/2 inch thickness. Sprinkle each piece on both sides with paprika, salt, and pepper to your liking. Place them in a large zip lock bag or plastic bag, like a Tesco shopping bag, and pour the pickle juice over them. Press out the extra air by twisting the bag, then place that in a bowl and place the fridge for 6 hours our anytime up to overnight.
- Preheat your oven to 230 C and place a wire rack on a baking sheet and set aside. While the oven is heating, stir together the flour, spices, sugar, and baking soda in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl whisk together the egg and milk. Take the chicken out of the fridge, dip each piece in the egg mixture, then coat well with the flour mixture making sure the entire piece is coated with flour.
- Place the chicken on the wire rack and generously spray each piece with olive oil, coating the flour completely. Turn the pieces over and spray the other side with olive oil. Bake for 12 minutes, then turn the chicken over and bake another 15 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown, crispy, and cooked through. Remove from the oven and top with cheese of your choice and let these rest for 5 minutes.
- Butter each bun and place on a sheet and bake for 3-4 minutes until toasted. Place 3-4 pickle slices on each bottom bun, top with a piece of chicken and the other toasted bun. Serve.
Notes
For 2 chicken breasts, this is low cost even if using cheese.
Provided by Barefeet in the Kitchen and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
United States.
Molasses Cookies
My mouth is watering for these, this is an old time recipe that I believe is similar to what my Mom would make. Been a long time since I have had these, and I did find a contact in Chiang Mai that is sending me a jar of molasses, imported from Australia. I made these on 29 Jan 2017, excellent but they do not have the classic cracked top. Recipe modified slightly with my findings.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter, softened, this is 3/4 of a standard block of butter
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- white sugar, optional, as needed
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix together the butter, brown sugar, and egg until smooth. Then mix in the molasses. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger in a separate bowl then mix that into the molasses mixture. Cover, and chill in the fridge for 1 hour. This photos shows mixed after the fridge, it does indeed look like peanut butter at this point.
- Preheat oven to 190 C. Drop a rounded tablespoon of dough using two spoons (the dough will be sticky like peanut butter) onto an ungreased cookie sheet, placing 2 inches apart. Bake for 15-25 minutes or until the tops are cracked, you will need to watch the time based on your oven (mine however did not crack on the top), cool on a wire rack. The timing is critical, do not over cook these.
- Enjoy.
Notes
Low cost.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Peppercorn Sauce
My wife and I tried peppercorn sauce on steaks about 10 years or so ago, loved the sauce but I never pursued how to actually make it. So a few day ago I found this recipe, it sounds like a good start to to be tailored, and I have a great idea on how to make this perfect using a good friend's idea using the peppercorns when cooking steak. I am going to modify this recipe slightly and will post my results when I make this.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup shallot, minced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 1/2 cups beef stock, fresh or from powder
- 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 4 teaspoons corn starch
- 2-3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Pan fry your steaks, then transfer to a plate, drain off the fat from the pan to a bowl and add 1 tablespoon or so of fat back to the pan and all of the peppercorns.
- Same pan, add the shallots and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes to soften them. Pour in the beef stock. In a small bowl, whisk together the corn starch and the heavy cream, then whisk this into the pan and simmer on low heat until lightly thickened. Then whisk in the mustard and pour in any juices from the plate the steaks are on. Serve over steaks.
Notes
Low cost.
Adapted from an internet recipe as well as inspiration from good friend, Jerry Collins.
United States.
United States.
