Author Archive
Cheesy Sloppy Joe Burgers II
This a variant of Cheesy Sloppy Joe Burgers I and is worthy of a new recipe. I made this last night and it is delicious. Add mustard to a bun, add a scoop of this mix and top with a few pickle slices, and it tastes just like a cheese burger. The major departure from the first recipe is that you make the sausage as you cook the meat.
Ingredients
- 500 grams ground beef, OR minced pork, OR ground chicken, (1 lb)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 300 grams Cheddar cheese, shredded, (10 oz)
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- olive oil, as needed
Instructions
- In a large pot heat a bit of olive oil then add the onion, when it starts to soften.
- Add the meat and all the spices, mix with a spatula to break up the meat and mix in the spices and onion. (I tripled the recipe, and used 2 lbs beef and 1 lb pork.)
- Cook the meat well until no longer pink. Drain well. Add the meat back to the pot. (I missed taking a photo of this and went right to adding the cheese.)
- Reduce the heat to a low simmer and add the cheese and mix well, mix often to prevent burning. When the cheese is melted and heated through, remove from heat.
- Serve on buns. some pickles and a squirt or two of mustard, and these are delicious!
Notes
The cheese alone is pricey at about 130 Baht/250 grams, ground beef will run about 75 Baht/500 grams, if using minced pork, that will cost about 60 Baht/500 grams, chicken even less. This is about $1.80 per person for 4 meals.
Adapted from a recipe courtesy of good friend, Mike Early.
United States.
United States.
Hasselback Chicken
This recipe has great potential to be modified greatly to suit your tastes. This is a must try. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup fresh spinach, OR frozen thawed if that is all that is available
- 1/4 cup Cottage cheese, OR make from a shortcut on this site
- 2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
- 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
- paprika
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200 C, lightly grease the bottom of a baking dish.
- Cook the spinach on a medium heat in a splash of olive oil for 3-5 minutes until it is slightly wilted. Stir in the ricotta and cook for a further 30-60 seconds. Allow to cool.
- Cut slits into the chicken breasts about 1/2 inch apart but don’t cut all the way through - about 75% of the way down is what you should aim for.
- Stuff all of the spinach and ricotta mixture into the slits. Season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the Cheddar cheese on top. Shake a good bit of ground paprika over the chicken to add some color and flavor. Place chicken in the baking dish.
- Bake in the center of your oven for 20-25 minutes until the cheese has melted and the juices are clear. Serve with a side of egg noodles and vegetable, enjoy.
Notes
Without even doing the math, this is under $1 per serving.
Variants could be add diced onion and garlic to the spinach when cooking; adding chopped mushrooms; wrapping with bacon.
Shortcut: Cottage Cheese.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Stir Fried Ground Chicken on Mashed Tators
An original recipe from a good friend of mine in Phuket. Sounds excellent and will be a must try for me.
Ingredients
- 4 large potatoes, quartered and boiled
- butter, for mashing potatoes
- milk, for mashing potatoes
- 500 grams ground chicken
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- fennel seeds
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- salt and pepper, to taste
- plum tomatoes, for garnish
Instructions
- In a big frying pan, lightly coated on olive oil, add ground chicken, cover and cook on low so that it retains the juices. Chop it up further with a spatula and then add green bell pepper, onion, a good dash of fennel seeds, stir to combine then cover and let it simmer for 10 - 15 minutes , stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, mash the potatoes with a good amount of butter and a splash of milk. Set aside.
- Add mildly spicy tomato sauce to the chicken mixture and stir. Simmer again, stirring occasionally until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- To plate, make a flat bed of mashed potatoes on a plate (add a bit more butter to the center) and ladle the chicken mixture over the top.
- Garnish with quartered plum tomatoes.
Notes
Ground chicken would run about 50 Baht for 500 grams, potatoes, tomatoes, etc is minor costs. For 4 servings this is about 38 cents per serving.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Dave Williams.
Thailand.
Thailand.
Slow Cooker Spicy White Chicken Chili
Chili without tomatoes is a cousin to classic chili. Chicken and white beans make it "white chili," while cumin, pepper sauce, and cilantro give it the zip. The recipe called for canned beans and canned corn, I am revising this to stay with fresh or less processed. I made this yesterday, 13 Feb 2016, excellent! My remarks are in the comments section.
Ingredients
Chilli base
- 6 chicken thighs, skinless, excess fat removed
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
- 1 3/4 cups chicken stock, make from powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper sauce
- 2 ears white corn, boiled, and kernals cut off
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
Beans
- 500 grams dried Great Northern Beans, soaked overnight, rinsed
- 1 onion, quartered
- 2 bay leaves
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In your slow cooker, mix onion, garlic, broth, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper sauce. Add chicken. Cover; cook on Low setting 4 to 5 hours. (I used 4 large meaty thighs, this photo is when they went into the pot.)
- While the chicken is cooking, prepare your beans. Drain soaked beans and transfer to a large pot. Cover by 2 inches with cold water, add onion and bay leaves and bring to a boil; skim off and discard any foam on the surface. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, gently stirring occasionally, until beans are tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Drain beans, discard onions and bay leaves and season with salt and pepper. Set aside. (This photo is just when I turned on the heat, the onion will fall apart as it cooks, so no need to expend any time chopping it, just quartered is fine.)
- At the 4 hour mark, check on the chicken, if tender and cooked through, if done, go to the next step, if not cooked through, just keep cooking until about the 5 hour mark.
- Remove chicken from slow cooker using a slotted spatula. Use 2 forks to remove bones and shred chicken into pieces. (keep the bones for your dog.) Return chicken to slow cooker. Stir in beans, corn, lime juice and cilantro. Add a tablespoon of cornstarch if you desire a thicker chili. Cover; cook on Low setting 15 to 20 minutes or until beans and corn are hot. (Photo is the cooked chicken at the 4 hour mark, tender and juicy.)
- Serve.
Notes
Chicken will cost about 65 Baht/Kilo for thighs, 56 Baht/Kilo for quarters. Go with quarters for a lower cost, use 4 thighs and 4 legs, or 6 thighs and save the legs for another recipe. Beans will run about 60 Baht for a 500 gram bag. About 140 Baht for the meat and beans. For 8 servings, cost would be 45 cents per serving, an excellent value meal.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Homemade Manicotti Shells
This is a basic recipe and you are free to fill with what ever filling you desire; cheese, cheese and spinach, beef and cheese, chicken and cheese, etc). This is an expensive dish based on the cheese used, but there is a shortcut to use as well. I will be trying this! This would be a great as a once in a while dish when friends or family is visiting. I am going to go with 6 manicotti for this recipe based on photos, after I make this I will revise the recipe. The sauce part is based on several recipes. The photos for making the shells is credited in at the end. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
Shells
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Filling
- 3 eggs
- 3 cups Cottage cheese, OR make from a shortcut
- 2 cups Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 2-3 cups tomato pasta sauce, OR make from a shortcut
Instructions
Filling
- Mix the eggs, cottage cheese, half the Mozzarella cheese, all the Parmesan cheese, basil, oregano, and parsley, refrigerate while you make the shells.
Shells
- Mix ingredients until blended, it will be watery looking, no problem!
- Lightly oil a frying pan and then heat the pan for about a minute over medium high heat. Spoon in the batter or use a dry measuring cup to pour the batter into the middle of the pan.
- Quickly and carefully tilt the pan in a circular motion until the batter forms a round, thin layer in the pan, about 6-8 inches across. (Similar to a crepe). Cook about 1 to 2 minutes until the shell surface appears dry. Carefully turn the manicotti shell over using a spatula and cook for an additional 20-30 seconds. Stack cooked shells on a plate between waxed paper for later use.
Assembly
- Now it's time to assembly the Manicotti. Preheat your oven to 180 C. Take one of your shells and add a bit of Mozzarella cheese in the center.
- Spoon a generous helping of the ricotta cheese onto the shell.
- Now fold like a burrito and place in baking pan, seam side down. Repeat steps until your baking dish is full of manicotti shells filled with cheese mix.
- Pour pasta sauce over the top and sprinkle the remaining Mozzarella cheese over the top. Bake for 35 minutes.
Notes
Pricing when I make this. For now I will say this will come out to a fair price.
Shortcuts: Cottage Cheese, Pasta Sauce.
A big thank you goes out to Jamie & Jen Dish for their recipe for the shell recipe and photos.
Slow Cooker Bacon Cheeseburger Soup
Now this looks good! This is a slow cooker recipe where one needs to cook the meat first. I will be trying this.
Ingredients
- 500 grams ground beef, OR minced pork, OR ground chicken
- 1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes
- 4 cups chicken stock, make this from the powder
- 4 cups potatoes, cubed, skin on or off is up to you
- 2 cups Cheddar cheese, grated, count on two, 250 gram blocks if you like cheese
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup carrot, chopped
- 1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, optional
- salt and pepper, to taste
- bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled, optional, for serving
Instructions
- Place ground beef, tomatoes, potatoes, carrot, bell pepper, onion, celery and garlic in your slow cooker and pour chicken stock over the top.
- Season with chili powder, salt and pepper, then stir everything together. Cover slow cooker, turn on HIGH and cook for 3-4 hours, or until vegetables are softened.
- Stir flour into heavy cream until no chunks remain, then pour mixture, along with cheddar cheese, into slow cooker.
- Stir to combine, then cover and cook for another 20-30 minutes, then ladle into soup bowls, top with cheese and crumbled bacon, if using, and serve hot!
Notes
500 grams of beef would be about 100 Baht. Cheese will run about 180 Baht per 250 grams and you will need almost 2 for this. Total cost is about $1.70 per person for 8 servings, not bad really. Use minced pork or chicken and lower the cost a lot.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Chicken and Bacon Pasta with Spinach and Tomatoes in Garlic Cream Sauce
This one has potential, looks really good!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 500 grams chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 5 medium tomatoes, chopped into large cubes
- 1 cup spinach, cooked
- 5 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
- 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
- 6 bacon strips, cooked, fat drained, and chopped
- 1 1/3 cups half and half
- 1 1/3 cups Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 1/4 cups Penne pasta, dry
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated, to serve with
Instructions
- In a large skillet, on high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil until hot. Add chicken and cook on one side on high heat for 1 minute. While it cooks, sprinkle the uncooked sides of the chicken with paprika and Italian seasoning. Flip the chicken over, and cook on the other side for 1 minute on high heat. Reduce heat to medium, flip chicken over again and cook, covered, for several minutes until no longer pink in the center. Remove chicken from the pan and keep chicken warm.
- To the same pan (but without chicken), add chopped tomatoes, spinach, garlic, red pepper flakes, 1/3 of the chicken (sliced into small strips) and half the bacon. Mix everything.
- Add half and half and bring to boil. Only after half and half starts boiling, add grated Parmesan cheese - immediately reduce to simmer and stir, while simmering, until the cheese melts and makes the sauce creamy, only about 1 minute (at most 2 minutes). Then, immediately remove from heat. Season with more red pepper flakes and salt, if needed.
- In the mean time bring a large pot of water to boil, add pasta and cook it according to instructions. Drain the pasta, rinse with cold water and drain again.
- Add pasta to the skillet with the sauce. Add remaining half of bacon. Season with more salt if necessary. Slice the remaining 2/3 of chicken into thin strips. To serve, top the pasta with chicken strips and grated Parmesan cheese.
Notes
Chicken breast will cost about 50 Baht for 500 grams, cheese however, that is nearly 200 Baht for 125 grams (would need at least 125 grams, probably 200 to be on the safe side), shop around so you can find a better price. Based on these two prices, the total is 320 Baht, about $2.35 per person, but a good meal for a special occasion.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Denise Georgiades.
South Africa.
South Africa.
Slow Cooker Beef and Gravy I
This is an easy recipe much like the slow cooker Easy Pot Roast recipe listed on this site. Use the shortcuts stated and you make make this dish for less than what you think. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo beef, any cut, such as a roast, stew beef, large chucnk from a market, you get the idea
- ground black pepper, OR lemon pepper would be good as well
- 1 packet onion soup mix, OR make from a shortcut
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, OR make from a shortcut
- 1 3/4 cups beef stock, make from the powder
- 2 tablespoons butter, optional, see Step 4
- 3 tablespoons flour, optional, see Step 4
Instructions
- In your slow cooker, add the soup, beef stock, and dry onion soup mix, whisk to mix, lumps are ok, they will work out when it cooks.
- Cut beef into about 1 1/2 inch cubes. Sprinkle beef with ground black pepper or lemon pepper if you have that. Add the beef to the slow cooker and stir to get everything mixed.
- Cover and cook on low for at least 6-8 hours. Check at 6 hours, beef should be tender.
- Now, you can serve this up just as it is when it is ready. But if a thicker gravy is desired it couldn't be any easier to make. First, remove the beef from the slow cooker, draining the liquid into the slow cooker. Melt the butter in a small sauce pan, then add 3 heaping tablespoons of flour, whisk together until it turns a light golden color, then add 2 cups of the liquid from the slow cooker. Whisk this until smooth, whisking continuously, then increase heat and it will start to thicken, when you have the right consistency, remove from the heat and pour into the slow cooker, mix, then add the beef and mix to coat the beef.
- Serve over rice, mashed or boiled potatoes, or egg noodles. A vegetable on the side makes this a complete meal.
Notes
Beef will cost about 200 Baht/kilo. Just go with a large chunk from an open market, the slow cooker takes care of the tenderness. Use the shortcuts listed for a big savings on the other ingredients. For 4 people, the cost is about $1.50 per meal, for 6 people, the cost is about $1 per meal. If you can locate a local farmer that slaughters their own beef, you can normally get beef for a bit less than 200 Baht/kilo.
Variant: Add fresh mushroom at about the last 30 minutes of cooking.
Shortcuts: Onion Soup Mix, Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Denise Georgiades.
South Africa.
South Africa.
Macaroni And Cheese Ham Pie
This sounds really good, a must try for me. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry elbow macaroni
- 3 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded (this 1 1/2, 250 gram blocks)
- 1 cup cooked ham, cubed
- 2 1/4 cups milk
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup Bisquick Mix, OR make from a shortcut
- salt and pepper, to taste
- fresh parsley, chopped, optional
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 200 C. Lightly grease a glass deep dish pie pan or 9x13 baking dish with butter. In large bowl, mix 2 cups of the cheese, the ham and uncooked macaroni. Spread in the baking dish.
- Mix milk and eggs until smooth. Add Bisquick mix and salt if desired; mix until smooth (you can use a blender for this if you want. Pour over mixture in baking dish.
- Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 1 to 2 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve with a green vegetable for a complete meal.
Notes
Cheese is the major cost here at 185 Baht/250 gram block, this will take 1 1/2 blocks, about 278 Baht for cheese. The ham would be another cost factor. If using leftover ham, that would be perfect. Store bought ham, Makro is between 150 to 200 Baht for 500 grams, about 140 grams would be needed here so we'll call that, 80 Baht. About 360 for cheese and ham or about $1.75 per person for six meals.
For variants, add a chopped onion, broccoli, or even try with cooked and chopped chicken.
Shortcut: Bisquick Mix.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Denise Georgiades.
South Africa.
South Africa.
Mushroom Chicken Thigh Soup
This is my recipe and is a variant from the Baked Mushroom Thighs recipe. I like Cream of Mushroom soup, I make it here at the house, it is so easy, takes about 5 minutes and the main ingredient is evaporated milk. Mushrooms go well with chicken. When I was making Baked Mushroom Thighs, I had one thigh left over that could not fit into the baking dish, so I added it to the soup mixture, good move. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 4-6 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, OR make from a shortcut
- 1 soup can milk
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon corn starch, optional, depends if you want a thicker soup
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1-2 handfuls fresh mushrooms, Tesco variety pack is good a good choice
Instructions
- Boil the chicken thighs until cooked through, drain and remove the meat from the bone. Keep the bone and skin for your dog, cube the meat, reserve the water, you just made chicken stock (refrigerate and use in recipes that call for stock or chicken recipes that call for water).
- Pour the soup into a pot. Fill the empty can with milk, and add to the pot along with the parsley and onion powder. Mix well, season with salt and pepper if desired. Add chicken meat and mushrooms. If you want a thicker soup, add the cornstarch before adding the chicken and mushrooms.
- Heat to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer (the soup will thicken if you used cornstarch) and simmer until chicken is heated through and mushrooms are cooked through.
- Serve in a bowl over rice or pasta.
Notes
Chicken is the most expensive part here, chicken thighs run on average, 59 Baht/kilo but are smaller due to being trimmed. Chicken quarters average about 56 Baht/kilo, you would have to buy 8 quarters, probably a kilo and half or so, then cut yourself (very easy), you get larger thighs and you get 8 drumsticks that you can freeze for use in another recipe. I'll say the chicken costs you 150 Baht, half of that is 75 Baht since you have 8 legs to use later. The soup would cost on average 54 Baht for a can, about 18 Baht if you make it yourself. About 129 Baht if using store bought soup, for 4 meals this would be just under $1 per meal, when stretched to 8 meals (easily done with the larger thighs) this comes out to about 50 cents per meal. All other ingredients are minimal cost or already on hand.
Shortcut: Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup.
My own recipe.
