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Warren’s Slow Cooker Stew
August 23, 2016 Lee
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Warren's Slow Cooker Stew

This is from a good friend and it sounds delicious! A must try for me.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 10 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kilo yard beans, cut into 2 inche pieces
  • 1 kilo ham, cubed
  • 4 potatoes, cubed
  • 1 onion, diced
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Prepare all the vegetables and cube the ham, add everything to your slow cooker, season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix together.
  • Add 3 cups of water. Cook on Low setting for 6 hours, serve.

Notes

The ham is the most expensive part of this dish. Estimate about 200 Baht for 1 kilo, think Makro, they have great sales on cooked ham, thick slices. For an estimate of 6 servings, this is about 98 cents per serving.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Warren Barker.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,Pork - Slow Cooker
Coconut Ant Eggs (and a few ants)
August 22, 2016 Lee
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Coconut Ant Eggs (and a few ants)

This is a basic, but often hard to find dish. As the name implies, this is made from ant eggs, the ants are the red flying variety. Surprisingly enough, the eggs taste like hard boiled chicken eggs. This actually very good, I have had this many times in Northern Thailand. Measurements are approximate.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Breakfast, Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine Thai
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups ant eggs, there will be ants in there as well, that is ok
  • 1 1/2-2 cups grated coconut
  • salt, taste

Instructions
 

  • Grate the coconut. Rinse the ant eggs.
  • Add the coconut to a pot and add water to cover by about 1 inch, bring to a boil, add the ant eggs and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for about 5 minutes (there, you made coconut milk), serve over rice.

Notes

Well under $1 per serving.
Provided courtesy of my wife, Rrayada Thayer.
Thailand.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,: THAI
Salisbury Steak Meatballs
August 21, 2016 Lee
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Salisbury Steak Meatballs

Sounds really good. There is a load of ingredients, for the meatballs and the sauce. On my to cook list. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 10 servings

Ingredients
  

For the Meatballs

  • 1 kilo ground beef, OR minced pork, OR ground chicken
  • 3/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs, OR make from a shortcut listed on this site
  • 1/8 cup brown mustard
  • 1/4 cup tomato ketchup, OR make from a shortcut listed on this site
  • 1 teaspoon beef stock powder
  • 1 tablespoon Worcherstershire sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten

For the Sauce

  • 1/4 cup butter, this is 1/4 of a standard blcok of butter
  • 1 large onion, halved and sliced
  • 2 1/2 cups beef stock, fresh or make from powder
  • 1 tablespoon Worcherstershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup, OR make from a shortcut listed on this site
  • 2 tablespoons corn starch, mix with a little beef stock to make a paste
  • 500 grams egg noodles, OR Fettuccine pasta, cooked to just done and drained
  • fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 180 C, or if you choose to pan fry these, omit this step.
  • In a large bowl, mix the meatball ingredients until completely combined. Form into golf ball size meatballs and place on a baking sheet pan or a rack on a sheet pan, just place on a plate if you are going to pan fry these.
  • To cook these, baking is preferred, bake for 20 to 30 minutes, cut one in half to make sure they are cooked through. Pan frying may result in meatballs falling apart.
  • In a large non stick skillet, add about a tablespoon of butter and olive oil and heat, then add the onion and cook until golden brown and softening. While doing this, add 1/2 cup beef stock to the corn starch to make a paste.
  • When the onions are cooked, add 2 cups of beef stock to the skillet, the Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and mustard. Bring to a gentle boil and add the cornstarch mixture. Return the meatballs to the pan, reduce the heat to low, simmer for 10 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through sauce is thick, use more beef stock as needed if the sauce is too thick.
  • Serve meatballs and the gravy over pasta and sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.

Notes

Only thing pricey here is the ground beef. At about 250 Baht/kilo, this comes out to about 75 cents per serving for 10 servings. Great value.
Shortcuts: Seasoned Breadcrumbs, Tomato Ketchup.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,MEATBALLS
Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs or Stuffing
August 21, 2016 Lee
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Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs or Stuffing

Adapted from an internet recipe.
This is a straight forward shortcut recipe if you need just plain breadcrumbs OR seasoned breadcrumbs or stuffing. I have made this dozens of times for both seasoned breadcrumbs and for plain croutons to make make homemade stuffing. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 8 slices white bread
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, Shortcut
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Mix together the salt, Italian seasoning, onion and garlic powders in a small bowl if needing seasoned croutons or crumbs.
  • Cube the bread and spread out on the baking sheet, sprinkle on the seasoning mixture. Place in the preheated oven. You need to pay attention to the bread now.
  • When the bread cubes are about half toasted, remove and use your hands to toss the bread cubes around on the sheet, place back in the oven.
  • When the bread is nicely toasted, remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool.
  • Now you just made toasted croutons for use in stuffing, OR you can crush them in your hands to make breadcrumbs (no seasoning) or seasoned breadcrumbs for use in other recipes.

Notes

Shortcut: Italian Seasoning.
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
#1 Go-To Recipes,INGREDIENTS
Spinach & Pasta Casserole
August 21, 2016 Lee
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Spinach & Pasta Casserole

Very easy to make and it is really delicious! This makes a lot! I made this on 20 Aug 2016. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 10 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams minced pork, OR ground beef, OR ground chicken
  • 1 can tomato pasta sauce, OR make from a shortcut listed on this site
  • 125 grams Cream cheese, softened, this is 1/2 a standard block
  • 500 grams dry Penne pasta, OR any bite size pasta
  • 2 cups spinach, I used frozen that was thawed, perfect
  • 400 grams Mozzarella Cheese, shredded, this is 2 standard blocks
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F). Get out 2 baking dishes.
  • Cook the pasta in boiling water until just done, drain and place in the baking dish or dishes.
  • While the water is heating for the pasta, brown the minced pork (or meat of your choice) in skillet (feel free to use more meats as well), drain any fat. Add the tomato sauce and softened cream cheese that has been cut into cubes, and the thyme, season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally until the cheese is melted or nearly melted.
  • Spoon the meat sauce over the pasta layer in the baking dish or dishes. Then add the spinach over the meat sauce.
  • Now layer the shredded cheese over the spinach. One block of cheese per dish.
  • Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese starts to brown. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Minced pork is about 62 Baht/500 grams. The Cream cheese is 60 Baht for half of a 250 gram block, and the Mozzarella cheese is about 280 Baht for two 200 gram blocks. Make the tomato sauce from paste for greater savings. This comes out to about $1.20 per serving for 10 servings. Using chicken this would be less, using beef would be more.
Shortcut: Tomato Sauce.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,CASSEROLES
Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas with Sour Cream White Sauce
August 18, 2016 Lee
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Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas with Sour Cream White Sauce

I like enchiladas, and these chicken enchiladas sounds great in this white sauce. Keep in mind, unless making the flour tortillas yourself, this is not a cheap meal. On my to cook list. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 10 flour tortillas
  • 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 2 cups chicken stock, fresh or from powder
  • 1 cup sour cream, OR make from a shortcut
  • 2 1/2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
  • 3 cups Monterey Jack cheese, OR Edam cheese, shredded
  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 6 green chilies, diced

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 180 C, lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish with butter, set aside.
  • Combine the chicken with 1 cup of cheese. Use the this mixture to fill each of the 10 tortillas, roll each tortilla and place seam side down in the baking dish. Set aside.
  • Melt the butter in a sauce pan over low heat, then stir flour into butter and whisk for 1 minute. Then add stock and whisk together. Cook over medium heat until it’s thick and bubbles up, remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Let this cool a bit or the next step will curdle.
  • Once the butter mixture has cooled, add the sour cream (or a substitute) and the diced chilies. Pour this over the enchiladas and add the remaining 2 cups of cheese over the top. Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes, then you may want to broil for 3 minutes to brown the cheese. Serve. Beans on the side would be perfect.

Notes

Figure about 60 Baht for the chicken, if you cook it then you have the stock, win win. The cheese, Edam, would be 180 per 250 grams, go with 1 to 1 1/2 blocks (or if you like cheese, 2 blocks), the tortillas are not cheap, about 250 to 280 Baht per package of 10. This cost per serving for 8 servings is about $2.47. Not a cheap meal, but would be good for a once in a while a meal.
Shortcut: Sour Cream.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* High Cost $1.51+ per Serving,CHICKEN & TURKEY
Garlic Chicken Primavera
August 18, 2016 Lee
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Garlic Chicken Primavera

This seems like a easy sounding Penne recipe cooked in one skillet.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 3 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 2 chicken breasts, thinly sliced
  • 2 cups fresh asparagus, chopped
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cup carrots, sliced
  • 4 cups Penne pasta
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 cup Parmesan cheese

Instructions
 

  • Cook the Penne pasta in a pot of boiling water until tender but still firm. Drain, set aside.
  • Heat oil in a large pot over high heat. Cook garlic and chicken until no pink is showing. Add asparagus, tomatoes, carrots, salt, and pepper, cooking for about 2 minutes. Add cooked pasta and Parmesan, stirring until cheese is melted and evenly distributed. Serve!

Notes

Two chicken breasts might be 30 baht, the Parmesan will be about 140 baht. This comes out to about $1.25 per serving for 4 servings.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,PASTA
Pork Leg Soup
August 17, 2016 Lee
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Pork Leg Soup

This is a non spicy Thai soup with just 3 ingredients. It is purposely made non spicy.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Breakfast, Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine Thai
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pork leg, see Step 1
  • 1 onion, quartered, OR about 3-4 shallots, also quartered
  • 3-5 handfuls Tamarind leaves, free from our yard

Instructions
 

  • A pork leg is basically a ham hock, these are large but inexpensive. Also called pork side leg. The tape measure is in view to show the size of these, and the tape measure in inches. These are cut through the bone in 4 places when you buy them.
  • Once you get the pork leg home, all you have to do is cut it the rest of the way through and the pork is ready.
  • Heat a large pot of water and add the onion and bring to a boil. Once boiling add the pork. Bring to another boil then reduce to a medium simmer and let the pork cook through, it will be fall off the bone tender when it is cooked, about 40 minutes to an hour. Use a ladle and skim off the foam at the beginning, then the broth will clear up.
  • While the pork is cooking, pull the leaves from the thick stems, small stems remain, it actually goes quickly.
  • Once the pork is tender, add the Tamarind leaves and simmer until they are wilted. Serve with a bowl of rice on the side.

Notes

The pork leg in the first photo is 1 1/2 kilos and cost 120 Baht. For an easy 8 servings, this is 45 cents per serving.
Provided courtesy of my wife, Rrayada Thayer.
Thailand.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,: THAI,PORK,SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI
Breakfast Potato Casserole
August 16, 2016 Lee
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Breakfast Potato Casserole

This recipe sounds very good but I had to question some of the ingredients listed in the original recipe, such as "country style" shredded hash browns, and the use of corn flakes. I aim for minimum processed and corn flakes are about as processed as you get, so this recipe is modified from the start. Also asked for in this recipe is condensed cream of chicken soup, 1/2 can only, for starters, use the shortcut to make this, you will get good soup, not chicken flavored water. This does sound good, and is on my to cook list. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Breakfast, Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup butter, this is half a standard block, divided
  • 500 grams hash browns, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1/4 cup spring onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup sour cream, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded, Sharp preferred
  • 1/2 can condensed cream of chicken soup, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1 cup bread crumbs

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 180 C. Put 1/4 cup of butter in a 8x8 baking dish (or a 9x13 if that is all you have), and place in the oven while it heats to melt the butter.
  • Meanwhile combine hash browns (if making from the shortcut, follow the steps right up to the point before cooking them), green onion, sour cream, shredded cheese, and soup in a large bowl and mix well. Transfer mixture to the casserole dish after the butter has melted. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
  • While this is cooking, melt the other 1/4 cup of butter in a sauce pan and mix in the bread crumbs. At 30 minutes, pour the bread crumb mixture over the casserole and bake for another 15 minutes. Serve with some fried eggs and some sausage on the side, this can be a breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Notes

Most expensive item, even though this is a side, is the cheese at about 90 Baht for 1/2 block. Make the soup yourself and the buttermilk to replace the sour cream. This is about 67 cents per serving for 4 servings. Add some cooked eggs, you have a meal.
Shortcuts: Hash Brown Potatoes, Buttermilk, Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,CASSEROLES
One Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
August 16, 2016 Lee
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One Pot Honey Garlic Chicken

This makes a complete meal and is easy, your slow cooker the work. This sounds really good. On my to cook list.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 5 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 8 chicken thighs, skin on, bone in, fat trimmed off
  • 500 grams potatoes, washed, skin on, cut in large cubes
  • 500 grams carrots, washed, skin on, cut into large pieces
  • 500 grams yard beans, washed, cut into about 2 inch pieces
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 6 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, OR 1/8 teaspoon of Cayenne powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions
 

  • In a bowl, mix together the honey, soy sauce, garlic, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, and black powder. Mix well, this is the sauce.
  • Place 4 thighs in your slow cooker, pour one half of the sauce over the chicken. then add the potatoes then the carrots. Place 4 more thighs on top of the carrots, pour the remaining sauce over the chicken. Cover and cook on Low setting for 7-8 hours or High setting for 3-4 hours.
  • 30 minutes before you serve, add the yard beans, cover and cook for another 30 minutes. If you want more crispy chicken, remove chicken at the end of the cooking time and place in your broiler for about 3-4 minutes. Serve, complete meal in your slow cooker.

Notes

Go with chicken quarters for 76 Baht/kilo, you may spend about 140 Baht for 8 quarters, you get larger thighs. cut the quarters yourself, and either freeze the legs for another meal, or give to the Thai family to make their own dish. I will use 90 Baht for the estimate since the legs are not used, just the thighs. For 6 servings, this would be about 45 cents per serving, less for more servings.
The original recipe called for baby red potatoes, I have never seen those where I live, I use the regulation potatoes found in Tesco or the open markets, works just as well.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Chicken - Slow Cooker