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Easy Homemade Biscuits
June 21, 2016 Lee
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Easy Homemade Biscuits

These sound really good, I have it on good faith that the ingredients listed, do in fact work. This is a must try for me. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine American
Servings 10 biscuits

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup all purpose flour, and more as needed
  • 1 cup Bisquick Mix, OR make from a shortcut
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons butter, room temp, this is 1/4 of a regular block of butter
  • 1 cup milk

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 230 C.
  • Add the flour, Bisquick, baking powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda to a large mixing bowl. Stir with a fork well to combine the dry ingredients thoroughly, stir for at least 30 seconds continuous.
  • Add two tablespoons of the butter to the flour mix and use a spoon to press it in. Once the first two tablespoons are completely combined, add in the last two tablespoons and repeat the process.
  • Pour in the milk and stir with a spoon until just combined. The dough will likely be too wet. Add in more flour, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough is just dry enough to handle. Dough should come away clean from your fingers when you touch it, but stick to your fingers if you pinch it.
  • Dump dough onto a well floured work surface. Sprinkle lightly with flour. Fold dough over on itself three times. Use your hands to pat the dough to 3/4 inch thick. Cut dough out with biscuit cutter or the open end of a can and place on baking sheet. Let sit 5 minutes before baking. Note about the cutter or can, do not twist, just push straight down. Twisting will seal the edges and the biscuit will not rise. If you run out of area to cut biscuits, form the scraps into a ball, spread out and cut more.
  • Bake for 10 minutes and then keep watching, when the tops turn golden brown, remove from the oven, this can be 10-15 minutes so you need to keep an eye on them. Serve.

Notes

Minimal cost for 10 biscuits. Use these with Sausage Gravy and Biscuits as a start. Enjoy with just butter, butter and jam, etc.
Shortcut: Bisquick.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
SIDES
Tetrazzini Bake
June 21, 2016 Lee
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Tetrazzini Bake

Contrary to popular belief, this is an American dish, not Italian. Cook the pasta, mix with other ingredients, then bake, easy! This sounds really good and is on my to cook list. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams spaghetti, OR linquini
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened, this is 1/2 a regular block of butter
  • 4 chicken breasts, boiled and diced
  • 2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup, OR make from a shortcut on this site
  • 2 cups sour cream, OR use plain yogurt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock, fresh or from the powder
  • 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 2 cups Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

Instructions
 

  • Cook pasta until almost done, drain, and set aside.
  • Preheat your oven to 150 C, lightly butter a 9x13 baking dish.
  • In a large bowl, mix together the butter, cooked chicken, soup, sour cream, chicken stock, salt and pepper. When mixed, add in the pasta and mix to coat. Add mixture to the baking dish, sprinkle the cheeses on top, cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes.
  • Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes, serve with a vegetable on the side for a good meal.

Notes

Chicken will be less than 100 Baht, the cheeses will run about 200 Baht. This comes to about $1.10 per serving. When I make this I will have a better price per serving. Use the shortcuts for savings as well.
Shortcut: Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,CASSEROLES
French Onion Dip Sandwiches I
June 21, 2016 Lee
1 Comment

French Onion Dip Sandwiches I

This sounds really good, I am looking forward to making this.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 5 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2-2 kilos beef roast, any cut will work
  • 3 3/4 cups beef stock, OR consomme
  • 1 onion, thinly sliced
  • 8 sandwich rolls
  • 8 slices Provolone cheese
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • dried thyme, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Heat a splash of olive oil in a non stick pan on med heat, add the sliced onion and cook until translucent but not browned. Add the cooked onion to the beef stock, season with salt, pepper, and thyme.
  • Place the roast in your slow cooker, pour the stock over the top of the roast. Cover and cook on Low setting for 8 hours or High setting for 4 hours. Leave the cover on, you want this to be falling apart beef!
  • Preheat your oven to 180 C.
  • Remove 3 cups of liquid from the slow cooker and add to a sauce pan. Heat on medium and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
  • Remove beef from the slow cooker and place on a plate and shred with a fork.
  • Place the sandwich rolls on baking sheet and spoon meat on to the rolls, top each roll with Provolone cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve with the sauce on the side for dipping.

Notes

Beef will run from 150 to 200 baht/kilo. The cheese I do not have a price for, yet. When I make this I will give a much better estimate on the cost per serving. I will go with 300 Baht for the beef, and 100 Baht for the cheese. This comes out to about $1.50 per serving for 8 servings.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,BURGERS & SANDWICHES
Homemade Pepperoni
June 19, 2016 Lee
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Homemade Pepperoni

Adapted from an internet recipe.
Yep, I can already hear the Pepperoni Gods complaining about this recipe, but I have made this on 16 Jan 2017 and it is good. The end goal for this is to use on a pizza or three. This does not have the red color to it since no curing salt or nitrites were used, but the flavor is spot on. I will be making some pizzas later this week with this.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 10 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Servings 1 kilo / 2 lb.

Equipment

  • Oven
  • Baking Sheet with Rack

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kilo ground beef, you want fatty beef, (2 lb)
  • 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon liquid smoke, or 2 teaspoons ground cumin if no liquid smoke
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seed
  • ½ teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly crushed
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika, or smoked paprika if you have it
  • 1½ teaspoons salt

Instructions
 

  • Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix them together with your hands. Divide the meat mixture into two portions and roll them into logs about 1½ inch diameter. Wrap the rolls in aluminum foil and refrigerate them overnight.
  • Preheat the oven to 100° C (215° F). Place the rolls on a wire rack, without the foil and put the rack on a baking sheet. Bake the pepperoni rolls for 6 hours, turning them every hour. Remove the pepperoni from the oven and allow it to cool as the fat continues to drain. Store the pepperoni in the refrigerator and slice it as needed.
  • Finished and cooling. There is no red color to this as there is no preservatives or curing salt used, bonus. Store in the fridge for about 3 days.

Notes

Ground beef, I am taking a good guess at 200 Baht/kilo. How much this makes for a pizza, I have no idea until I test this out.
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,Beef - Sausage
Scrapple
June 19, 2016 Lee
1 Comment

Scrapple

Adapted from an internet recipe.
This is a an old Pennsylvania Dutch recipe that in my opinion is very good, an acquired taste really. Recipe is based on making your pork sausage. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Notes section.
4 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Passive Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 25 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine German
Servings 8 servings

Equipment

  • Loaf Pan (4x8 inch)

Ingredients
  

  • 750 grams pork sausage, Shortcut
  • 1 can evaporated milk
  • 1 cup yellow corn meal
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain and rinse in colander under cold water, breaking sausage into pea sized pieces. Return to skillet along with the condensed milk, and heat over medium until just bubbling. Immediately stir in the cornmeal and pepper and reduce heat to simmer. Continue cooking, 5 minutes total; mush will be stiff.
  • Remove from heat and pack into 8x4 loaf pan, cover and chill overnight, pack tightly. To serve, cut into ¼ to ½ inch slices and sauté until golden in nonstick skillet.
  • Removed from the fridge the next morning, the end piece fell apart when I floured it, the other pieces, cut about â…œ inch thick, held together well for the most part.
  • I did the optional step and floured the slices and fried them in bacon fat.
  • Browning in the pan.
  • Served.

Notes

Minced pork is about 130 Baht/kilo, 750 grams would be about 98 Baht. For 8 servings minus sides (like eggs and hash browns), this is about 37 cents per serving.
Optional, slice about ¼ inch thick, roll in flour then fry, also, slice thin for crispy fried slices or slice a bit thicker for a softer less crispy variant.
Shortcut: Pork Sausage.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,: GERMAN,Pork - Sausage
Canadian Oyster Soup
June 14, 2016 Lee
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Canadian Oyster Soup

Not sure where the Canadian part comes from, but this is the second oyster recipe with carrot and celery. This sounds really good however, and easy!
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cups small oysters, shucked and drained, non shell and drained weight
  • 1 carrot, grated
  • 1/2 cup celery, finely diced
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 4 cups milk
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Melt butter in saucepan and add the celery and carrot. Cover and simmer over very low heat for 20 minutes, without browning the vegetables. Add milk to the pan and bring to a boil.
  • Meanwhile, heat the oysters in pan over medium heat with a splash of olive oil until cooked through, about 5 minutes; do not boil.
  • Pour the cooked oysters into the soup and heat through, season to taste and serve.

Notes

I buy oysters, small, shucked, for about 50 Baht per 350 grams, probably 700 grams would be 4 cups, that is 100 Baht, everything else is minor cost. This is about 75 cents per serving for 4 servings, less for 6.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI
Easy Oven Fried Chicken
June 14, 2016 Lee
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Easy Oven Fried Chicken

This is your basic oven friend chicken, without the oil soaked up by the chicken. On my to cook list. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kilo chicken, think legs and thighs
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon Cajun spice mix, OR make from a shortcut on this site
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground sage
  • 1 teaspoon ground thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 2-3 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions
 

  • Heat your oven to 205 C. Wash and dry the chicken pieces, sprinkle the chicken with paprika.
  • Combine the remaining spices in a small bowl, sprinkle half of the spices over the chicken, use your hands to coat the chicken.
  • Add the flour to another bowl and add the other half of the spices and whisk to combine, set aside.
  • In another bowl, add the egg and milk and whisk.
  • First dip the chicken into the egg mixture let excess drip off. Then place the chicken in the flour and coat. Shake off the excess flour and place the chicken on a plate. Let chicken sit for 5 minutes. Recoat in flour if desired.
  • Generously grease a grill pan rack with vegetable oil. Place the chicken on the grill rack. Mix butter and olive oil and drizzle over chicken. Bake for 40 minutes. Broil for the last 3-4 minutes to crisp up the skin more if desired. Let chicken rest before serving. Serve with a boiled potato and an ear of corn, complete meal.

Notes

1 kilo of chicken (think quarters) will cost about 62 Baht/kilo. This comes to 46 cents per meal for 4 servings, and 31 cents per meal for 6 servings. Add sides, you are still under $1 per meal.
Shortcut: Cajun Spice Mix.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,CHICKEN & TURKEY
Oven Baked Fajitas
June 12, 2016 Lee
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Oven Baked Fajitas

Adapted from an internet recipe.
This is a straight forward recipe to bake the chicken with everything else, then serve over rice, pasta, stuff into a flour tortilla, etc. Real possibilities with this recipe.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine Tex-Mex
Servings 4 servings

Equipment

  • Oven
  • Baking Pan (9x13 inch)

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, cut into strips, (1 lb)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 4-6 plum tomatoes, diced
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • ½ red bell pepper, cut into strips
  • ½ green bell pepper, cut into strips

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 200° C (390° F). Place chicken strips in a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish.
  • In a small bowl combine the oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, dried oregano, and salt. Drizzle the mixture over the chicken and stir to coat.
  • Next add the tomatoes, peppers, and onions to the dish and stir to combine.
  • Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Serve over rice, pasta, in flour tortillas, etc.

Notes

500 grams of chicken breast would set you back a whole 41 Baht. Everything else is minor in cost. Well under $1 per serving for 4 servings.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,TEX-MEX, sort of
Swiss Cheese Meatloaf
June 7, 2016 Lee
1 Comment

Swiss Cheese Meatloaf

Looking through my freezer and fridge, I had minced pork, Swiss cheese, bread, pickles, and eggs, so I decided to make a meatloaf. This is a twist on the Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf in that no bacon was used, Swiss instead of Cheddar was used, this turned out excellent. When using pork for a meatloaf, you will want to use a meat thermometer to ensure the correct internal temp is reached. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kilo minced pork, OR ground beef
  • 125 grams Swiss cheese, this is 1/2 block of real cheese
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 dill pickles, small, sliced, OR make from a shortcut
  • 2 tablespoons dill pickle juice
  • 3 slices bread, torn apart
  • prepared yellow mustard, couple of squirts
  • BBQ sauce, about 1/3 of a bottle, OR make from a shortcut
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 180 C. Get out a couple of loaf pans.
  • In a large bowl combine all the ingredients. I just use a large spoon, no need for hand mixing. I have seen recipes that call for pickle juice or pickle relish, I decided to use sliced pickles.
  • Mixed, takes just a few minutes.
  • Next, slice your cheese, use real cheese. This is Mainland brand cheese from New Zealand.
  • I use two loaf pans when making meatloaf. Take the meat mixture and pat down and using your spoon, mark it into 4 sections, use 1/4 of the mixture in each loaf pan, then top with the cheese slices.
  • Use the remaining meat mixture to to cover each loaf pan. Top with more BBQ sauce. Bake for for 40 minutes, and use a meat thermometer to check internal temp then continue to bake about 10 minutes more to ensure the cheese is melted. Remove from oven and let rest for about 10 minutes before serving.
  • Serve with mashed potatoes or boiled, or pasta, add a vegetable and you have a complete meal.

Notes

Minced pork is about 135 Baht/kilo. The half block of cheese will cost about 90 Baht. For 8 servings this would be about 85 cents each, even less for 10 servings.
A variant would be to layer in some sliced mushrooms over the cheese before adding the remaining meat mixture.
Shortcut: BBQ Sauce, Dill Pickles.
My own recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,PORK
Ranch Chicken Thighs
June 5, 2016 Lee
1 Comment

Ranch Chicken Thighs

Easy and foolproof recipe. Season chicken, marinate, and grill. I am looking forward to making this but I will use a shortcut for the Ranch Dressing. Servings are up to you and not specified, figure 1-2 thighs per person with a side such as potato salad and fresh corn on the cob for a complete meal. Photo courtesy of Ed Crean. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 4 hours
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 40 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • chicken thighs, amount is up to you
  • seasoning, up to you, chicken rub, salt and pepper, etc.
  • Ranch dressing, amount needed is up to the amount of chicken used, OR use a shortcut

Instructions
 

  • For the chicken, use thighs then most of the pieces are uniform in size, if you use legs and thighs, you will need to check the grill more often. Go with quarters then separate the thighs, keep the legs for another recipe, this will give you bigger thighs.
  • Season chicken as you desire, salt and pepper, with a rub, etc. Marinate in Ranch Dressing for 4-5 hours in the fridge.
  • Light your grill, if using gas, go for about 180 C, if using charcoal, go for a medium hot burn but once the coals are hot, move the coals to one side of the grill. Prep your grill with some olive oil on the grill, place chicken on the grill on the indirect heat side, the side with no coals or flame under it, close the lid for 30-40 minutes. Check at 30 minutes and continue cooking if not done. Serve with a side such as potato salad and corn on the cob.

Notes

Chicken quarters run about 60 Baht/kilo, 6 to 8 quarters will be about a kilo. The Ranch Dressing can be pricey as in import item, go with a shortcut to reduce that cost to about 1/4 of what the import is, or less. Well under $1 per meal per person, including fresh corn on the cob and potato salad.
Shortcut: Ranch Dressing.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Ed Crean.
Unite States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,GRILLED / BBQ / SMOKER