Author Archive
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.
Cooked Beets
Beets make a great side dish needing no gravy or butter as they have a lot of flavor. Beets a number of years ago were imported, and not cheap. Now they are grown in Thailand and you can get 4 decent sized beets for less than a $1.
Ingredients
- 2-3 beets
Instructions
- Wash the beets, put in a pot of water with water about 2-3 inches over the beets, and bring to a boil, then reduce to high simmer. When the beets are fork tender, remove from the water, let cool a little bit then cut off the root end, and peel off the skin and slice and serve as a side.
Notes
Low cost.
I have been doing this for years.
Pan Fried Steak
This is the only way I cook steaks, Rib Eyes, Strip Loins, and T-Bones. This is quick and makes a perfect rare steak. Best to use steak at least 1 inch thick, anything thinner you can over cook to well done. I buy steaks at Tesco, frozen from Australia, the latest find was Rib Eyes just over 1 inch thick, many times the Strip Loins are about 3/4 inch thick.
Ingredients
- 2 steaks, 1 inch thick is perfect, for thinner, less time cooking
- salt and pepper, as needed
- olive oil, as needed
- butter, as needed
Instructions
- The steaks should be at room temperature. Generously salt and pepper both sides of the steak.
- Heat a heavy flat bottomed pan, cast iron is ideal for this to medium high heat with a good splash of olive oil, when the pan is hot, place the steaks in the pan and add 2-3 tablespoons or so of butter to the pan, using tongs, move the steaks around in the butter and oil, after cooking for 2 minutes, use tongs and turn the steaks over. Cook for another 2 minutes, remove from the pan to plates and let them rest for a few minutes while you add your sides, and serve. This makes a rare steak, increasing time on each side, increases the doneness of the steak.
- Served with Dill Pickle Pasta Salad and mixed vegetables.
Notes
I cannot price this meal until I go back to Tesco again. Depending on your location, stores will have different products and the prices will vary. This is a high cost meal to say the least, but I have listed this as my Go-To recipe as this is great for a once in a while treat for yourself and family.
I have been making steaks like this for a number of years.
Deep Fried Eggplant & Pasta
This is the large purple eggplant, this used to be imported but are now grown in Thailand. This sounds really good as side dish, an appetizer, or even served on pasta with a tomato sauce. This is easy to prepare and low cost. I cannot price this until I buy more eggplant. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 purple eggplant, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
- all purpose flour, as needed
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons water
- all purpose flour, as needed, see Step 2
- Parmesan cheese, grated, as needed, see Step 2
- pasta, for serving
- tomato pasta sauce, for serving, OR make from a shortcut
Instructions
- Heat your deep fryer.
- Place some flour on a plate or shallow dish and season with salt and pepper to your liking, mix and set aside. In a shallow bowl add the egg and 2 tablespoons of water and beat slightly, place that next to the plate of seasoned flour. In another plate, add equal amounts of flour and Parmesan cheese and mix together, place that next to the egg wash plate.
- When the oil in the deep fryer is hot, take a slice of eggplant and coat with the seasoned flour, then dip into the egg wash to coat, then into the flour and cheese mixture, then into the deep deep fryer. Repeat the steps for the all the slices but do not overload the deep fryer. Cook until golden brown then place on a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
- Serve on pasta with tomato sauce as a light main dish or simply with a bowl of tomato sauce for dipping as a side or appetizer.
Notes
Low cost side dish.
Shortcut: Tomato Sauce.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Garland Davis, US Navy Cook (Ret).
United States.
United States.
Eggplant, Crab, and Cheese Bake
This is the large purple eggplant, this used to be imported but are now grown in Thailand. This recipe was given to me by a good friend in the US, and it does sound tasty! I cannot price this until I buy more eggplant.
Ingredients
- 1 purple eggplant, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
- all purpose flour, as needed
- salt and pepper, to taste
- olive oil, for frying
- cheese, shredded, Mozzarella would be good
- crab meat, real crab meat, not imitation
Instructions
- Heat a pan on medium heat and add a splash of olive oil.
- Place some flour on a plate or shallow dish and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Coat the eggplant slices in the flour and place in the hot pan, cooking these in batches. After a minute or two, check the bottom of the slices, if golden brown, flip them over, when the bottom is golden brown, remove from the pan and place on a baking sheet in a single layer. Add more olive oil as needed and heat that up before adding another batch.
- When all the eggplant has been fried and on the baking sheet, sprinkle some crab meat on each slice of eggplant, then top each slice with some shredded cheese. Place in the oven until the cheese melts and just starts to brown up. Remove from oven and serve as a side with any main course of your choosing.
Notes
Low cost side dish.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Chuck Ruth.
United States.
United States.
Pan Fried Eggplant
This is the large purple eggplant, this used to be imported but are now grown in Thailand. This is a great side dish, easy to prepare, and is low cost. I cannot price this until I buy more eggplant, I made this a few days ago and did not take any photos, which is rare for me.
Ingredients
- 1 purple eggplant, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
- all purpose flour, as needed
- salt and pepper, to taste
- olive oil, for frying
Instructions
- Heat a pan on medium heat and add a splash of olive oil.
- Place some flour on a plate or shallow dish and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Coat the eggplant slices in the flour and place in the hot pan, cooking these in batches. After a minute or two, check the bottom of the slices, if golden brown, flip them over, when the bottom is golden brown, remove from the pan to a paper towel lined plate. Add more olive oil as needed and heat that up before adding another batch. Done. Serve as a side with steaks, meatloaf, etc.
Notes
Low cost side dish.
Family recipe taught to me when I was a child, I have made this many many times.
Pork Tacos (Slow Cooker)
I found this recipe as originally stated as roast in the oven with the meat stacked on a skewer and called for achiote paste, which I am not going to find nor do I think I can make that here. I am going to write this as a slow cooker recipe as well.
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
For the Marinade
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoons black pepper
- 6 tablespoons vinegar
- ½ cup pineapple juice, from a carton, not fresh
- 1½ kilos pork shoulder, cut into ¾ inch cubes, (3 lb)
To Prepare
- 6-10 tortillas, corn or flour
- onion, chopped
- fresh cilantro, chopped
- salsa, of your choice, Shortcut
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, mix together the marinade ingredients except the pork.
- Cube the pork and add to the mixing bowl, and mix together with the marinade. Cover and place in the fridge to marinate for 2-24 hours.
- After marinating, place the pork in your slow cooker and cook for 6-10 hours on Low setting, remove and drain the meat, place a few spoons of meat on a tortilla, top with some onion, cilantro, and salsa, fold and enjoy!
Notes
The pork would cost about 100 Baht/kilo, so 150 Baht for that. The tortillas, flour, import from the states (actually good quality) will run 240 Baht/pack of 10. For 10 servings, this is about $1.15 per serving, not bad for visiting friends and family.
Shortcut: Salsa.
Chicken Burgers in Mushroom Gravy
Sounds delicious for sure. On my to cook list.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo ground chicken
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 cup dry bread crumbs, or butter cracker crumbs, or even panko
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, or 2 tablesppons dry parsley
- 2 eggs
- 1 medium onion
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 500 grams fresh mushrooms, roughly chopped, button mushrooms would be ideal, straw mushrooms may work as well
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 cups beef stock, fresh or make from powder
- 1 tablespoon Worcherstershire sauce
- fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the ground chicken, salt, pepper, bread crumbs, parsley, eggs, and grate in 1/2 of the onion. Mix with your hands then shape into patties, try to make about 7-9 patties. Chop the other half of the onion and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry patties until golden brown on each side in batches. They will not be done on the inside, they will cook through later. Set patties aside on a plate.
- Add the butter to the pan over medium heat until melted the add the mushrooms and onion and cook until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Sprinkle with the flour and stir to evenly coat, then cook for one minute then stir in the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce. Cook until gravy starts to thicken. Add the patties back into the gravy, cover with a lid, and cook in the sauce until patties are firm and cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.
- Serve over rice (would not be my first choice), pasta, or mashed potatoes, spoon some gravy over the top, garnish with chopped parsley. Enjoy.
Notes
I cannot price this until I make this. Ground chicken is not available where I live so I will grind myself using both breasts and thighs for an even balance of white and dark meat. For now, I will say this is low cost.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Stuffed Chinese Bitter Gourd Soup
This is an easy and delicious soup. The only chilies used are in the filling of the gourd. You can prepare this two different ways. 1. You can buy the already stuffed bitter gourd complete with sliced carrot and cilantro or spring onion, this is stuffed with minced pork and chopped chilies. 2. You can just buy all the separate ingredients do the stuffing part yourself. The already stuffed bitter gourd is the basic starter method, you add to this a few items and you have a delicious soup. For this recipe, I am using the already stuffed gourd as it is very cheap to purchase, less than $1. This is a make with quantities as you see fit recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 package stuffed Chinese bitter gourd, this is a ready to cook meal
- 1 package Enoki mushrooms, also called Golden mushrooms
- 1/4 carrot, sliced
- spring onions, chopped into 1-2 inch pieces, white and green parts
- cilantro, chopped
- chicken stock, fresh or from powder
Instructions
- In a pot, add the bitter gourd and chopped carrot, add stock to cover the bitter gourd and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 20-30 minutes or so, this is to cook the pork through, adding more chicken stock as needed. The stuffing is just minced pork with chopped chilies mixed into it.
- While this is cooking, prep the mushrooms. These come in packs of about 200 grams each, these are in big clumps, before separating the clump, cut about 1-2 inches off the root end and discard that. Now you can sort of pull the clumps apart, set aside. These mushrooms maintain a great crunchy bite to them when cooked. If you like mushrooms, add as much as you want.
- When the carrot and gourd is cooked through as well as the pork, add in the mushrooms, spring onion, and cilantro and cook for another 10 minutes or so, again, adding stock as needed. Serve.
Notes
For the package of stuffed bitter gourd, that is 32 Baht. One 200 gram package of Enoki mushrooms is 14 Baht. For 3 servings, this 45 cents per serving.
Provided courtesy of my wife, Rrayada Thayer.
Thailand.
Thailand.
