Author Archive
Cooked Beets
December 28, 2016 Lee
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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.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 1 minute
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 31 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine American
Servings 2 servings

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.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,SIDES
Pan Fried Steak
December 27, 2016 Lee
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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.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 minutes
Total Time 14 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 2 servings

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.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* High Cost $1.51+ per Serving,BEEF
Deep Fried Eggplant & Pasta
December 27, 2016 Lee
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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.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Appetizer, Main Dish, Side
Cuisine American
Servings 0

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.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,APPETIZERS / SNACKS,PASTA,SIDES
Eggplant, Crab, and Cheese Bake
December 27, 2016 Lee
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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.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine American
Servings 0

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.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,SIDES
Pan Fried Eggplant
December 27, 2016 Lee
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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.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine American
Servings 0

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.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,SIDES
Pork Tacos (Slow Cooker)
December 26, 2016 Lee
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Pork Tacos (Slow Cooker)

Adapted from an internet recipe.
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.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Passive Time 2 hours
Total Time 8 hours 20 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Tex-Mex
Servings 6 servings

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.
* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,PORK,Pork - Slow Cooker,TEX-MEX, sort of
Chicken Burgers in Mushroom Gravy
December 26, 2016 Lee
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Chicken Burgers in Mushroom Gravy

Sounds delicious for sure. On my to cook list.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

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.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,CHICKEN & TURKEY
Stuffed Chinese Bitter Gourd Soup
December 26, 2016 Lee
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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.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Thai
Servings 3 servings

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.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: THAI,MUSHROOMS,SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI
Fresh Strawberry & Blueberry Pie
December 26, 2016 Lee
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Fresh Strawberry & Blueberry Pie

Sounds like a great pie! On my to cook list. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 pie crusts, fresh, frozen, OR make from a shortcut on this site
  • 2 cups fresh blueberries
  • 2 cups fresh strawberries, stems removed and slightly chopped
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup corn starch
  • lemon zest, OR orange zest, from 1 orange or lemon
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 egg

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 205 C. Mix together the berries, sugar, zest, and corns starch in a large bowl.
  • Place one pie crust in a pie dish, pour the berry mixture into the dish. For the top crust, you can do this several ways, one complete crust on the top with a few slits cut in it, a lattice top, or use different shape cookie cutters and place the cutouts on the top. Mix together the egg and a tablespoon of water and brush this on the top crust.
  • Bake for about 50 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack before cutting to maintain the shape.

Notes

I cannot price this until I purchase the berries. For 8 servings I will say for now this is low cost.
Shortcut: Basic Buttery Pie Crust.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,BREAD & PASTRY
Parmesan Broiled Whitefish
December 26, 2016 Lee
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Parmesan Broiled Whitefish

This sounds not only good, but is quick to prepare as well. On my to try list for sure.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 6 minutes
Total Time 11 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 4 whitefish fillets, Tilapia, Pangasius, Sea Perch are all good choices
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1/8 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons mayo
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh dill
  • pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven broiler to High and place the rack near the top. If you have a counter top oven, preheat the oven to 200 C using the top coil only, and place the rack near the top.
  • In a small bowl, mix together the cheese, butter, mayo, lemon juice, dill, and pepper.
  • Place fish fillets on a baking sheet lined with foil and broil for 3 minutes, remove from oven and flip each fillet over and divide the cheese mixture over the fish fillets and broil for 3-5 minutes making sure you do not over cook the fish, serve.

Notes

Pangasius fillets would run about 115 Baht/kilo, four fillets would probably be less than so I will us 100 Baht. For 4 servings this is about 75 cents per serving. Sea Perch would cost more (96 Baht per fish), and you have to fillet yourself. Nile Tilapia and Tub Tim would cost less (51 and 58 Baht per fish) but you would have to fillet yourself.
Inspired by Spend With Pennies and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,FISH - ALL,Fish - White Fish