Author Archive
All Purpose Chicken Meatballs
This recipe can also be used for ground turkey as well and was originally posted as that in the title, but I am going to list this using chicken. This sounds really easy and the meatballs are baked which will aide them keeping their shape. Make a batch and freeze them, then use as needed as an appetizer with a dipping sauce, pasta sauces, etc. Consider this a base recipe to be used in a variety of recipes.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo ground chicken, OR ground turkey
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup minced onion
- 2/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C. Line a baking sheet with foil.
- Place all ingredients in a large bowl. I ground 1 kilo (2 lbs) of chicken tenders.
- Use your hands and mix to just combine, do not over mix as that will result in a tough meatball.
- Roll the mixture into 1 inch balls and place on the baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes until just cooked through, do not overcook or once again, tough meatballs. One inch meatballs should make about 50 meatballs. I use an ice cream scoop to measure, then place that in your hand and roll that, mine came out to about 1 1/2 inches and I made 26. I baked them for 35 minutes and they were perfect.
- Now, if you have a specific need for 1 kilo of meatballs at one time, go ahead and use, but more than likely, you are going to freeze these. Let the meatballs cool to room temperature, then place on another baking sheet and put in the freezer, once frozen then place all in a freezer bag or container, then you can take out the meatballs you need for a specific recipe.
Notes
The Tesco website lists Grade A Mince Chicken as 79 Baht/kilo, which very good considering 50 meatballs or so and can be used in several dishes. Easily under $1 per serving.
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
United States.
- Turkey Meatballs with Summer Squash, made it, GO-TO recipe.
United States.
Creamy Dill Pickle Chicken with Bacon
Creamy chicken sounds great, with the chopped dill pickles, this sounds very interesting! On my to cook list. Link to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- olive oil, as needed
- 6 slices bacon, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 onion, minced
- 500 grams chicken thighs, boneless, skinless, cut into bite size pieces
- 1 1/4 cups chicken stock, fresh or from powder
- 60 grams Cream cheese, softened, this is about 1/4 of a standard block of cream cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream, OR make from a shortcut
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/2 - 3/4 cup dill pickle, chopped, plus more to serve, OR make from a shortcut on this site
- scallions, OR spring onions, chopped, for garnish
- salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a non-stick pan heat a splash of olive oil and cook the bacon until it is almost crisp, remove from the pan and drain on a paper towel. Add more olive oil if no bacon remains, heat and add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is soft. Add the chicken and cook until lightly browned and just cooked through.
- Add the stock and once it simmers, add the cream cheese and break that up with your spatula. When the cream cheese is melted into the liquid, add the sour cream and Parmesan cheese and stir to combine into the sauce, cook for several minutes to thicken the sauce and season with salt and pepper to your liking.
- When the sauce has thicken, mix in the bacon and pickle and server over mashed potatoes or rice. Garnish some scallion and pickle slices if desired.
Notes
Chicken thighs will cost about 35 Baht/500 grams, you can bone and skin these yourself. The cheese needed for this is minimal so I will estimate about 50 Baht for the cheese needed. For 4 servings, this is about 63 cents per serving. Excellent value.
Shortcuts: Dill Pickles, Sour Cream.
Inspired by Spend With Pennies and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
United States.
Chicken Giblets & Basil
Giblets are the hearts, livers, and gizzards, even Thais refer to all these items sold together as giblets. This is how simple a Thai dish can be, and can be made to any degree of heat you like, my wife made this yesterday and she likes it on the spicy side. Minimal ingredients and takes just a few minutes to prepare.
Ingredients
- 500 grams chicken liver, heart and gizzards, (1 lb)
- 40-60 Bird's Eye Chilis
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2-3 handfuls basil, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon chicken stock powder
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- In a heavy mortar, grind up the chilies and garlic. Clean the chicken by removing the fat from the hearts and livers, cut the livers into 2-4 pieces. If the gizzards are fresh, clean the gizzards by splitting nearly in half and removing the lining, then chop each gizzard into smaller than bite size pieces.
- In a large non-stick pan, heat cooking oil of your choice, when hot, add the livers, hearts, and gizzards, and the chili and garlic paste from the mortar, and just a small amount of water, cook until the liver is no longer pink inside. While cooking, sprinkle in the chicken stock powder and stir that in. Stir the giblets occasionally. When the liver is cooked through, add the basil and stir that in until it wilts. Serve with rice.
Notes
If you buy the giblets at say Tesco, the cost is about 70 Baht/500 grams. If bought from a local chicken farmer, you can probably get these for about 40-50 Baht/500 grams. The basil and chilies are free from our yard. For 6 servings (based on store bought giblets), this is about 35 cents per serving, even less for 8 servings. Excellent value per serving.
Bacon Cheeseburger Pie
Sounds very good, a must try for me. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust, uncooked, bought, OR make from a shortcut on this site
- 500 grams ground beef, I would not use ground pork for this
- 1 onion, diced
- 5 slices bacon, chopped
- 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
- 3 tablespoons BBQ sauce, OR make from a shortcut on this site
- 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup, OR make from a shortcut on this site
- 2 teaspoons Worcherstershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded, this is about 1 standard block of cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 205 C. Get out a 9 inch pie dish and get your crust placed in the dish.
- In a large non-stick skillet, brown the ground beef, onion, and bacon until cooked through. Drain this in a colander would be good to drain the best. Place in large bowl and stir in the bread crumbs, mustard, BBQ sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper, pour this mixture into the prepared pie crust.
- Using the same bowl, mix the cheese, milk, and egg (why dirty another bowl?) and spread this over the pie mixture. Cover the edges of the crust with foil (to prevent over cooking those) and bake for 15 minutes, remove the foil and bake for anther 15 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes and serve with a side of your choice, corn on the cob sounds excellent here or even just a dill pickle on the side.
Notes
The ground beef, or beef in general is costly. Depending on your location, you may be able to get ground beef and will pay top dollar for it. Getting large cuts of beef and grinding (or chopping) yourself is preferred and most cost effective. For ground beef, I will go with about 100 Baht/500 grams. The Cheddar cheese will run about 180 Baht for a 250 gram block. For 6 servings this about $1.37 per serving, less for 6 servings. Overall, not a bad cost.
Variants, keep in mind variants can add cost to the meal. Add sliced, cooked mushrooms to the top. Replace the Cheddar with Swiss Cheese.
Shortcuts: Basic Buttery Pie Crust, BBQ Sauce, Ketchup.
Inspired by Spend With Pennies and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
United States.
Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese
This is a recipe that screams for the use of a slow cooker. As the author of this recipe stated, slow cookers can maintain a very low temp, much lower than a hob can maintain, so this will simmer for 6 hours and the flavors will blend perfectly and the beef will be tender. For this recipe, it involves some work on the hob first, then the slow cooker takes over. This feeds a crowd, perfect for visiting friends or family. On my to cook list.
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- olive oil, as needed
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 onions, diced
- 1 kilo ground beef, for this recipe, I do not recommend pork, (2 lb)
- ½ cup beef broth, fresh or from powder
- 2 cans whole peeled tomatoes, chopped, juice reserved, (565 g / 20 oz each)
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons beef stock powder
- 2 tablespoons Worcherstershire sauce
- 3 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 500 grams spaghetti, (1 lb)
Instructions
- In a large non-stick pan, heat a splash of olive oil and cook the onion and garlic until the onion is soft. Place this in your slow cooker. Add another slash of olive oil in the same pan. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, add the ground beef to the slow cooker.
- Add the remaining ingredients EXCEPT THE SPAGHETTI, to the slow cooker and give that a mix. Cook on Low setting for 6 hours.
- For the spaghetti, you can do this two different ways.
- 1st Way. Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling water until just tender. Reserve about 2 cups of water from the pasta pot and set aside, drain the rest and return the pasta to the pot and add sauce, about 4-6 cups and 1 cup of the reserved pasta water, gently mix over medium heat for a few minutes and the sauce will thicken and coats the pasta, serve.
- 2nd Way. Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling water until just tender. Drain and plate a serving of pasta and top with sauce, serve.
Notes
The ground beef, or beef in general is costly. Depending on your location, you may be able to get ground beef and will pay top dollar for it. Getting large cuts of beef and grinding (or chopping) yourself is preferred and most cost effective. For ground beef, I will go with about 200 Baht/kilo. For 8 servings, this is about 75 cents per serving.
Crock Pot Corn on the Cob
This is an interesting one and I am quite happy to list this and is a must try for me. This takes a few hours, but when you think about it, you can start this then go about getting the rest of meal, think a outdoor BBQ together, and you are not tying up a burner on the hob or space on the grill, the corn is seasoned and buttered, seems like a win win.
Equipment
- Slow Cooker (6+ quart)
Ingredients
- 6-8 ears corn, husked and break each in half
- olive oil, as needed
- â…” cup water
- salt and pepper, to taste
- butter, to taste
Instructions
- Add the water to your slow cooker.
- Lightly brush each ear of corn with olive oil, season with salt and pepper to your liking, and place in your slow cooker. Cook on High setting for 3-4. When the corn is bright yellow in color add the butter, it will melt down to the bottom of the pot, toss the corn with buttery liquid and serve.
Shrimp Pasta Salad
Pasta salads I love, pasta salads with shrimp, even better! Ingredients are easily available, and if you are near the coast, the local caught small shrimp is very inexpensive. This is a base recipe, meaning change this up with anything you want, such as crab, imitation crab, more or less bell peppers for color, with our without relish or change to chopped pickles. Very easy dish to put together. I made this on 12 Oct 2016, modified to what I had on hand, and it is very good! Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
For the Main Ingredients
- 250 grams dry elbow macaroni, or shell, spirals, or any bite size pasta
- 1 tablespoon onion, minced
- 2/3 cup celery, use import or local
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
- 1 1/3 cup shrimp, peeled,tails removed, cooked
For the Dressing
- 1 cup mayo
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish, OR chopped dill pickle, OR make from a shortcut
- 3 tablespoons fresh dill
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- In a pot of boiling water, add the pasta and cook until just tender, drain and rinse under cold water. (I made this using #32 Maccheroni.)
- While the pasta is cooking, mix the dressing ingredients in a large bowl, then add the pasta and the rest of the ingredients and gently mix with the dressing. Place in the fridge for at least an hour to chill before serving. (I added the chopped items on top of the drained pasta, I like eggs in a pasta salad so I added a few chopped eggs as well.)
Notes
If you can get small White shrimp from a local fisherman, this is minimal cost. If you get from Tesco, the small Whites will run about 48 Baht for 250 grams, which is plenty. This is easily about 23 cents per serving for 6 servings. More than reasonable for a side dish with shrimp.
Variant: I think real or imitation crab would work well in this, either with or without the shrimp.
Shortcut: Dill Pickles.
Inspired by Spend With Pennies and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
United States.
Fresh Apple Pie
Been many years since I have had apple pie, and even longer since having home made pie. I made this on 13 Oct 2016, and used the pie crust recipe as well listed in the Recipe Notes section, and it is wonderful, excellent pie! On my GO-TO list now! Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Notes section.
Equipment
- Pie Dish (8 or 9 inch)
- Oven
Ingredients
- 6-8 medium apples, peeled, cored, slices cut in half
- 1 cup sugar, or ½ cup white sugar and ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
- 2 pie crusts, Shortcut
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 190° C (375° F). Get out a 8 or 9 inch pie dish.
- Place the apple pieces in a large bowl, sprinkle with corn starch and gently mix to coat the apples. Cornstarch will thicken the pie.
- In a bowl, add the sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon, and mix together with a spoon. This batch is the white sugar, brown sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon version.
- Add the apples pieces and spread out evenly. I used an 8 inch pie dish for this pie.
- Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the apples. , cinnamon, and nutmeg. Dot the top with the butter pieces. Place the top crust on and slice a couple of vents in the top. You can also wrap some foil around the edge of the crust to prevent that from over cooking. In a small bowl, beat the egg with a tablespoon of water and brush the top of the pie, then the top will bake to a glossy brown, can also sprinkle sugar on the top to give the crust a sweet crunch.
- Now roll out the top crust, use as one sheet or lattice. I went for a wide lattice on this pie.
- Bake for 1 hour. Remove to a rack and let cool for 40 minutes or so before slicing.
- Slice, serve, and enjoy.
Notes
Shortcut: Pie Crust.
Egg wash and sugar topping guidance provided courtesy of good friend, Garland Davis, US Navy Cook (Ret). United States.
Updated on 8 August 2022.
Balsamic Pork Tenderloin
This sounds really good, and the slow cooker does all the work for you. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1-1 1/2 kilos pork tenderloin
- 1 cup chicken stock, fresh or from powder
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, OR make from a shortcut
- 1 tablespoon Worcherstershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes, OR go with 1-2 Thai chilies, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
Instructions
- Place the pork tenderloin into your slow cooker. In a bowl, mix together all remaining ingredients. Pour over pork and cook on Low setting for 6-8 hours.
- Once pork tenderloin has cooked, remove from slow cooker with tongs and a slotted spoon on to a serving dish. Break apart lightly with two forks and then ladle about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of gravy over pork tenderloin. Serve with mashed potatoes and a vegetable for a complete and easy meal.
Notes
Pork tenderloin will run about 148 Baht/kilo. Using just 1 kilo of tenderloin, for 6 servings, this is about 73 cents per serving, very reasonable cost, even with potatoes and a vegetable, this is still below $1 per serving.
Shortcut: Balsamic Vinegar Substitute.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Cheesy Garlic Shrimp Alfredo
Cheese, garlic, shrimp, sold! This sounds very nice and on my to cook list.
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk
- 125 grams Cream cheese, this is 1/2 a stand block, softened
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- pepper, to taste
- 500 grams medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
- 500 grams pasta, cooked, of your choice, Fettuccine would be a good choice
Instructions
- Mix together the milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt until smooth, set aside.
- In a saucepan, melt butter and add garlic. Cook garlic for about a minute, then add the shrimp, cook 3-5 minutes, or until pink, and just barely cooked through, then remove shrimp, leaving the garlic and butter drippings in the saucepan.
- Add milk mixture to the pan, and stir for 4 minutes on medium heat. Bring to a simmer, and keep stirring for about 6 more minutes until is starts to thicken. Remove from heat, add cheeses and mix. Cover, let stand for about 5 minutes.
- Add shrimp into sauce and let stand another 5 minutes to heat through. Serve over pasta of choice, garnish with some parsley.
Notes
The Cream cheese will cost about 60 Baht for 1/2 250 gram block. The 1 cup of Mozzarella will cost about 50 Baht for 1/2 200 gram block. The shrimp, that price can very from store bought to fresh local caught from fishermen. Medium Whites in Tesco will run about 135 Baht/500 grams. Fresh local caught will run about 100 Baht/500 gram or less. Going with store bought shrimp, for 4 servings this is about $1.80 per serving, for 6 servings, about $1.20 per serving, overall, not a bad cost.
Adapted from an internet recipe.