Author Archive
Tuna Casserole I
This is an easy to assemble casserole, simple but but nice quality flavor. Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Notes section.
Equipment
- Baking Pan (9x13 inch)
- Oven
Ingredients
- 500 grams dry elbow macaroni, (1 lb)
- 3 cans tuna, in water, drained, or 1½ cups fresh cooked, (about 185 g / 7 oz cans), Shortcut
- 1 can corn, drained, or 2 cups frozen or fresh, (425 g / 15 oz)
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, (10½ oz / 298 g), Shortcut
- 225 grams Cheddar cheese, shredded, (8 oz)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat a pot of salted water to boiling, then add the macaroni and cook until just tender, drain. Once the macaroni is added to the boiling water, go ahead and preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F) and get out a 9x13 baking dish.
- While the macaroni is cooking, and add the drained corn, tuna, and soup to the baking dish.
- Mix together.
- Drain the macaroni when done and pour into the baking dish. Using a large spoon, mix everything together thoroughly. Salt and pepper to taste, spreading the mixture out evenly.
- Sprinkle the cheese over the top.
- Place in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and starting to brown.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcuts: Fresh Tuna, Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup.
Variants: 1. Use chicken or chicken mushroom soup in place of mushroom soup. 2. Use peas or peas and carrots in place of corn.
Updated on 9 June 2023.
Ranch Dressing Mix I
An easy to make dry shortcut that is much less expensive than the store bought packets, and just 2 more ingredients, you can make a great dressing for a salad that is cheaper than the bottled versions.
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup dried parsley
- ¼ cup saltine crackers, finely crushed
- ⅓ cup dried minced onion
- 3 tablespoons garlic salt
- 2 tablespoons onion salt
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon dried dill weed
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Mix everything together and store in an airtight container. 1 tablespoon is one dry packet.
- To make Ranch dressing for a salad, combine 1 tablespoon of mix with 1 cup of mayo and 1 cup of buttermilk, refrigerate until use.
Notes
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
Italian Dressing Mix
An easy to make dry shortcut that is much less expensive than the store bought packets.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon garlic salt
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon celery salt
Instructions
- Add everything to a bowl and mix together.
- Store in an airtight container.
- Use 2 tablespoons for every 1 dry packet needed.
- To make salad dressing, mix together 2 tablespoons of dry mix with ⅔ cup olive oil, ¼ cup white vinegar, and 2 tablespoons water.
Notes
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
- Chicken Nugget Cordon Bleu Casserole, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Chicken Livers en Brochette.
- Italian Chicken.
- Rustic Beef & Ale Ragout (Slow Cooker), made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Slow Cooker Angel Chicken & Pasta.
Heavy Cream Substitute
Options to make heavy cream substitute. Each provides 1 cup of heavy cream substitute.
Ingredients
Option 1
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted AND cooled to room temp
- ¾ cup milk
Option 2
- 1 cup Cream cheese
Option 3
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Option 4
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
Option 1
- This combination is great when your recipe does not call for whipped heavy cream. melt the butter and let cool to room temp, then add to ¾ cup milk and stir. If you prefer to use low-fat milk, add 1 tablespoon flour to thicken your mixture and stir well.
Option 2
- Another substitute for heavy cream you can use in soups and sauces is low-fat cream cheese, which provides a similar consistency but with reduced calories and fat. However, you will need only half the amount called for in the recipe. Therefore, for every one cup of heavy cream needed, use only half a cup of cream cheese. Cream cheese tastes a little bit sour, so avoid using it in recipes that need to be sweet.
Option 3
- Just mix the cornstarch into the milk, stir and allow to thicken slightly.
Option 4
- Just mix the cornstarch into the evaporated milk to thicken.
Notes
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
Cornish Pasties
Last year I had a hankering for a pasty, not the traditional Cornish pasties that are layered, but the ones from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Lot of Scandinavians up there and they tailored their pasties from their homeland to what is now know as the UP Pasty. Typicaly made from ground beef, potatoes, onion, carrots, and a bit of diced rutabaga or turnip. This is mixed up and put in pie crust dough. All veggies diced small as well.
Ingredients
- 1/2 kilo minced pork, OR ground beef
- 2 potatoes, peeled and diced into small cubes
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 carrot, diced in small cubes
- 1/4 rutabaga, optional, diced into small cubes
- 6 tablespoons butter
- salt and pepper, to taste
Pastry
- 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup shortening
- 1 cup cold water
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water until mixture forms a ball. Shape into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate.
- Preheat oven to 180 C, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a non-stick baking sheet.
- In a large bowl, combine the meat, potatoes, onion, carrot, and rutabaga.
- Divide the pastry dough into 6 pieces and shape each into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball into a 6 inch round.
- Place about 1 cup of meat mixture on one half of the round, season with salt and pepper and place 1 tablespoon of butter on the top of the mixture. Draw the other half of the pastry over the filling and crimp the edge to seal.
- Prick each pasty with a fork and place the baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour or until golden brown.
- If you have extra meat mixture left over, pack into a meat loaf pan and bake that as well.
- I served with some Sriracha sauce for dipping, excellent lunch or dinner.
Notes
Minced pork is about 125 Baht/kilo, half kilo would be about 63 Baht, other items are minimal. Well under $1 per meal per person.
My recipe.
Chicken Lazone
In addition to chicken, this would be excellent with meatballs or veal medallions. I made this on 20 June 2017 and it is outstanding, the spices and the cream, perfect. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo chicken tenders/fillets, OR chicken breasts cut into strips
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 cups heavy cream, OR make from a shortcut on this site
Instructions
- Combine salt, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Sprinkle over both sides of chicken tenders.
- In large saute pan, melt half of the butter over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken tenders until done, about 8 minutes.
- Pour the cream and add remaining butter into the skillet. Lower heat and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 5-7 minutes.
- Serve chicken and sauce over pasta of your choice or mashed potatoes, if desired.
Notes
Chicken fillets run about 66 Baht/kilo, boneless and skinless breasts run about 87 Baht/kilo, bone in and skin on breasts run about 58 Baht/kilo, so for this to serve 6 meals, you are looking at about 15 Baht per meal per person, that is less than 50 cents, add in pasta or potatoes, and heavy cream, still well under $1 per meal.
Shortcut: Heavy Cream.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Garland Davis, US Navy Cook (Ret).
United States.
United States.
Hot German Potato Salad
Excellent tasting side dish, liked by the whole family. Highly recommended.
Ingredients
- 750 grams potatoes, cut into cubes, (1½ lb)
- 3 slices bacon
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- ½ tablespoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon celery salt
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup vinegar
Instructions
- Boil potatoes until tender, drain.
- Cook bacon in skillet until crisp. Remove and chop. Add the onion to the bacon fat and cook until tender. Stir in flour, sugar, salt, celery seed, and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until mixture is bubbly. Slowly add water and vinegar and heat to boiling stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat and combine with drained potatoes and bacon until potatoes are completely coated. Serve as a side dish, enjoy.
Sausage Muffins
I have not tried this yet but sounds promising! Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Bisquick Mix, OR make from a shortcut
- 1/2 kilo sausage, cooked and crumbled, OR make from a shortcut
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 C.
- Mix everything in a large bowl and spoon into a muffin pan filling each cell 2/3 full.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
Notes
Will provide pricing once I make this. Low pricing from what I see here.
Shortcuts: Bisquick Mix, Sausage, Breakfast Sausage.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Bisquick
Bisquick is a go to for quick baking of biscuits, dumplings, etc. I have not seen this available here so I did some research and found this shortcut to make your own.
Ingredients
- 6 cups all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 cup vegetable shortening
Instructions
- Sift flour, baking powder, and salt several times into a large bowl.
- Cut in shortening with a pastry blender or fork until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
- Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 months.
- Use whenever your recipe calls for Bisquick Mix.
Notes
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
- Zucchini Tart, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Creamy Chicken Casserole.
- Cream Cheese Sausage Balls.
- Corn, Beef, and Biscuit Casserole.
- Lasagna Pot Pie.
- Cheesy Italian Chicken Pot Pie.
- Easy Chicken Pot Pie.
- Mashed Potato Pancakes.
- Tuna Bake.
- Easy Homemade Biscuits.
- Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie.
- Macaroni And Cheese Ham Pie.
- Sausage Muffins.
- Strawberry Shortcake, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Impossible Pumpkin Pie, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Easy Apricot Pie, made it, GO-TO recipe.
Bleu Cheese Salad Dressing I
Sounds like a very good dressing.
Ingredients
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup milk
- 1 cup mayo
- 4 ounces Bleu cheese, crumbled
- ⅛ teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Mix all until smooth, electric mixer is best but not required. Tightly cover and refrigerate, use within 10 days.
