Author Archive
Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
Probably the most widely used condensed soup for casseroles and even just for a bowl of soup, is Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup. Using only a whisk and a microwave, you can make your own version of this soup. Easy to customize to your needs and tastes.
Equipment
- Microwave
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- sugar, just a pinch, optional
- 1 can evaporated milk, 368 gram can, Falcon brand is what I use
- handful fresh mushrooms, chopped or sliced, your preference
Instructions
- Chop or slice your mushrooms, mushrooms of choice for me is Shimeji but you can use any mushrooms you like. I chopped about ⅓ of a 150 gram package.
- On 4 April 2019, I used 100 grams of fresh Shiitake mushrooms, chopped, perfect! (I like a lot of mushrooms in the soup.)
- Put everything except mushrooms in a microwave safe bowl, Pyrex or ceramic would be perfect, not a plastic bowl, and whisk together, then mix in the mushrooms.
- Microwave on HIGH for 3 minutes, whisking well after 2 minutes and again at the end of cooking time. If not thick enough, add 30 seconds and whisk again. If needed, continue for 30 seconds at a time and whisking after each 30 seconds.
- This makes just a bit more than a standard can of condensed soup.
Notes
Most recipes will just call for a can of condensed soup, some recipes (or if you just want to make the soup by itself) call for 1 can of water, 1¼ cups is a standard soup can. But as a healthier alternative to using water, try using whey if you recently made cottage cheese, or water used to boil potatoes. Milk can also be used in place of water to make a creamier soup.
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
- Ham & Potato Scallop, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Crab Bisque.
- Crab Meat Bisque.
- Sipo Egg II, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Buffet Layered Salad.
- Best-ever Meat Loaf.
- Veal Ham Foldovers.
- Chopstick Veal & Rice.
- Lobster Supreme.
- Drunk Monkey Garlic & Mushroom Pork Chops, made it.
- Slow Cooker Angel Chicken & Pasta.
- Hamburger Potato Casserole.
- Hash Brown & Pork Chop Casserole.
- King Ranch Chicken Casserole.
- Roast Beef & Gravy.
- Chicken Casserole (Slow Cooker).
- Hamburger Casserole II.
- Mushroom Soup, made it.
- Easy Ground Beef Casserole with Potatoes.
- Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff, made it.
- Creamy Beef Stroganoff.
- Mushroom Chicken Thigh Soup, made it.
- Cream of Mushroom Chicken.
- Creamy Burrito Casserole.
- Creamy Chicken with Spring Vegetables, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Baked Mushroom Thighs, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Pork Chop Supreme.
- No Peek Chicken, made it.
- Cheesy Brat Stew.
- Tuna Casserole II.
- Tomato Beef Country Casserole.
- Slow Cooker Beef and Gravy III.
- Slow Cooker Beef and Gravy II.
- Kielbasa and Potato Bake.
- Swiss & Ham Casserole.
- Slow Cooker Sausage & Potatoes, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Slow Cooker Chicken with Dijon Mustard.
- Slow Cooker Beef and Gravy I.
- Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings I.
- Chicken Broccoli Divan.
- Ranch Potatoes.
- Sausage & Green Bean Casserole.
- Tuna Casserole I, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Easy Beef Pot Roast, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Chicken & Broccoli.
- Gypsy Stew II, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Gypsy Stew I, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- 3 Ingredient Crockpot Ranch Pork Chops II, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Chicken & Rice Casserole.
- Chicken Pot Pie, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Slow Cooker Tuna Mornay, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Tuna & Noodles, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Meatballs & Gravy III, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Easy Ham Soup.
- Creamy Beef Gravy, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Baked Pork Chops.
- Beef & Noodles IV, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Super Supper.
- Tater Tot Casserole, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Chicken Noodle Casserole II, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Pork & Noodles, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Chicken Ritz Casserole, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Creamy Mushroom & Egg Toast.
- Pasta with Shrimp Sauce.
- Baked Corned Beef Burgers.
- Chipped Beef Chow Mein.
- Vegetable Stuffed Fish Rolls.
Buttermilk Marinated Chicken
I have made this in the oven plenty times and it tastes just as yummy. I add some smoked paprika spice to give it that barbecued hint. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, spatchcocked (butterflied)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
Marinade
- 1 cup buttermilk, can also make from a shortcut listed on this site
- 2 teaspoons garlic flakes
- 1 lemon, juice and grated rind
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon dried crushed chilies
- 1 teaspoon tumeric powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, optional
Instructions
- Spatchcock the chicken by cutting down both sides of the spine with a pair of kitchen scissors. Flatten the chicken out by leaning the heel of your hand on the chicken and press down to crack the breastbone. Keep the backbone to make soup stock.
- Season the chicken with the salt and pepper to taste and rub in the curry powder.
- Mix the marinade ingredients in a large bowl (large enough for the flattened chicken, or a baking pan) and coat the chicken by turning it over several times to ensure it is covered by the marinade. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- With a heated grill, move hot coals to one side, and place the flat chicken, breast side up, on the grill where there is no coals (indirect heat), baste with marinate and cover grill for 20-25 minutes.
- Turn the chicken over and baste again, cover and continue barbecuing for another 15-20 minutes.
- Pierce the chicken in a thick part of the thigh to check for juices running clear or use a meat thermometer and look for a target temperature of 75 C or 165 F. When juices are clear or the correct temp, remove from the grill and let rest for 5 minutes.
Notes
A whole chicken is on average 140 Baht in grocery stores, fresh markets would be cheaper, the other ingredients are minor, especially if using the shortcut for buttermilk, so about $1 per person per meal.
Tip, take a couple of bricks, wrap them in foil and use to weight down the chicken while it cooks. This comes highly recommended from a good friend.
Shortcut: Buttermilk.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Denise Georgiades.
South Africa. Use of the bricks tip provided by good friend, Lynn Batterman.
United States.
South Africa. Use of the bricks tip provided by good friend, Lynn Batterman.
United States.
How to make Buttermilk
If you cannot find buttermilk at the grocery, this is a great shortcut to make your own.
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, OR lime juice, OR vinegar
Instructions
- Measure out your milk in a measuring cup, stir in lemon juice, let stand for 5-10 minutes, the milk will be slightly thickened with some small curdled bits.
- Use as you would regular buttermilk in your recipe, including the curdled bits.
Notes
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
- Peg's Biscuits, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Linda's Biscuits, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Fried Green Tomatoes II.
- White Fish & Vegetable Casserole.
- Salmon Gravlax III.
- Simple Frog Legs, made it, GO-TO recipe.
Chicken & Mushroom Pan
Another go-to that can be adjusted to any taste. This is a recipe that I like to use if I have friends over at lunch time and I want to make an impromptu lunch while chatting away in the kitchen at the same time. A hit every time!
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, cut in half
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 250 grams fresh mushrooms, variety packs would work great for this
- 1 cup cream
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the thyme and garlic as well as the chicken pieces. Keep the heat low and slowly brown the chicken on all sides. Take your time with this, making sure that there is a lot of caramelization happening on the bottom of the pan.
- When the chicken is done, add the mushrooms and sauté in the pan juices for about 2 to 3 minutes until cooked through.
- Lastly, add the cream and allow the cream to reduce to about ⅔ of the original amount. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Take the pan to the table and serve with crusty bread.
Notes
Chicken breasts, boneless and skinless runs about 90 to 100 Baht per kilo, 4 breast would probably be just under a kilo, cream would probably cost more but with a larger quantity and you get get multiple uses from it. I'll say 190 Baht for the major costs, about $1.40 per serving.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Denise Georgiades.
South Africa.
South Africa.
Thin Crust Pizza and Sauce
This is my go to thin crust pizza dough recipe and my home made sauce that I have been making for several years. I am not going to break down the prices for this, as a cheese pizza is very reasonable, and when you start adding toppings, the cost per person per meal goes up as well. This is great to make when family is visiting as nearly all Thais enjoy pizza.
Equipment
- Pizza Pans (two 12 inch)
- Oven
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
- 2 cups flour
- ½ teaspoon instant yeast
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup water
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, optional, or herbs of your choice
Sauce
- 1 can tomato paste, (170 g / 6 oz can)
- ⅔ cup water
- ¼ cup olive oil, extra virgin
- salt, to taste
- ½ tablespoon dried oregano
- ½ tablespoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
Basic Cheese and Tomato Pizzas
- 1 dough recipe
- 1 sauce recipe
- thinly sliced tomato, about 6-8 slices per pizza
- fresh basil leaves, coarsly chopped
- 1 package Mozzarella Cheese, 200 gram package, shredded
Instructions
Pizza Dough
- About 30 minutes before baking, preheat your oven to 250° C (480° F).
- Measure out the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the salt and dried Italian seasoning/herbs of your choice (if using) and yeast, whisk to combine.
- Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the water. Use your fingers or a wooden spoon to combine everything together. When it comes together into a cohesive ball, turn it out onto the counter along with any extra flour in the bowl that hasn’t yet gotten worked in.
- Knead the dough until all the flour is incorporated and the dough is smooth/elastic to the touch, about five minutes. The dough should still feel moist and just slightly tacky. If it’s sticking to your hands and counter top like bubble gum, work in more flour one tablespoon at a time until it’s smooth and silky. Then divide the dough into two parts.
- I use 12 inch pizza pans, sprinkle some corn meal around on the pan, the place one ball of dough in the center. Use the heels of your hands and working from the middle gently press the dough outward until it’s about ¼ of an inch thick or less, while rotating the pan.
- Spoon ONLY the sauce into the center of each pizza and use the back of a spoon to spread it out to the edges. Put into the preheated over for 5 minutes, then rotate it 180 degrees so it is evenly cooked for another 3 minutes. Remove from oven.
- Now add the toppings of your choice, return to oven for another 3-5 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and crispy. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack, repeat with second pizza. Each pizza should cool for about 5 minutes before serving.
Sauce
- Mix together the tomato paste, water, and olive oil. Mix well. Add garlic, salt and pepper to taste, oregano, basil, and rosemary. Mix well and let stand several hours in refrigerator to let flavors blend. No cooking necessary, just spread on dough.
Basic Cheese and Tomato Pizzas
- Shred your Mozzarella Cheese, slice tomatoes thinly, if only using the small plum tomatoes, slice a few more. Chop your fresh basil leaves.
- Using two prepared pizza crusts, top each with tomato slices, basil, and cheese. I like to use one 200 gram package of cheese, shredded per pizza, I like a lot of cheese.
- Bake for 3-5 minutes or until edge is brown and crispy, let cool for 5 minutes, and enjoy. Here is a few examples we have cooked here at the house, these are thicker than what they look like, we use generous toppings and 200 grams of cheese per pizza. All the Italian sausage is made from a shortcut here on this site.
- Italian sausage, ham, mushrooms, pineapple, lot of cheese.
- Italian sausage, mushrooms, chopped ham, onion, lot of cheese.
- Italian sausage, shrimp, imitation crab, bacon, mushrooms, yellow bell pepper, lot of cheese.
- Italian sausage, mushrooms, onion, red and yellow bell peppers, lot of cheese.
- Italian sausage, mushrooms, chopped ham, bacon, black olives, lot of cheese.
- This is the everything pizza; Italian sausage, bacon, ham, imitation crab, jumbo prawn, pineapple, mushrooms, black olives, and a load of cheese, about 1 pound.
- This is the Cheese Burger Pizza, it is Italian sausage, bacon, mushrooms, and shredded Cheddar cheese.
Notes
No need for prices here, the basic pizza is Best Value, when you start adding toppings, then the price goes up, and can go up a lot, but is so good, and is a good treat for Thai relatives and neighbors. We normally make very thick pizzas with loads of toppings, cost increases but the servings also increase.
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
Easy Beef Pot Roast
This is cooked in a slow cooker with soup and one onion for a easy meal. The soup makes a great gravy for boiled or mashed potatoes. I make this from local raised beef right here in the village. A slow cooker is great because it can turn any cut of beef tender, it just may take a bit of time. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo beef, any large chunk or chunks will work
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, (Shortcut)
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 onion, quartered
- ground black pepper, to taste
- garlic powder, to taste
- potatoes, boiled or mashed, up to you
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Trim any large pieces of fat from the beef chunks and place in the slow cooker.
- Mix the soup and water in a bowl, add an ample shaking of ground black pepper and garlic powder, mix well. Pour this into the slow cooker. Place the quartered onion and bay leaf into the soup mixture. Put lid on the slow cooker.
- Turn on slow cooker to High for 1 hour then reduce to Low for 8 more hours. Leave the lid on, no need to look at it! At the 8 hour mark, try the tenderness, it should fall apart with a fork, if not, keep it on Low for several more hours until fork tender.
- Serve with a boiled potato or mashed potatoes with the soup mixture spooned on for gravy.
Notes
The beef cost me 150 baht, the soup was 42 baht and has lasted me 4 days, costing $1.42 per serving. Make the soup from the shortcut for more savings.
Shortcut: Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup.
My own recipe.
Peri Peri Chicken Livers with Bacon
Tasty chicken livers wrapped in bacon and BBQ'd. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Equipment
- Skewers
- Grill, Charcoal or Gas
Ingredients
- 1 kilo chicken livers, cleaned, cut in half, (2 lb)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon BBQ spice, Shortcut
- 1 teaspoon Peri Peri spice, Shortcut
- 4 tablespoons chutney
- 4 tablespoons tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 200 grams bacon, (7 oz)
Instructions
- Combine oil, barbecue spice, Peri Peri spice, chutney, tomato sauce and soy sauce in a large bowl.
- Marinate the livers in the mixture for about 30 minutes.
- Wrap a piece of bacon around each chicken liver and thread onto soaked wooden skewers, two per skewer.
- Barbecue over medium to hot coals turning frequently until the bacon is crispy and the bacon is cooked.
- Serve and enjoy with sides of your choice.
Notes
Chicken liver cost about 70 baht, bacon about 125 baht. We'll say 200 baht, comes out to about $1.50 per person per meal.
Shortcuts: BBQ Spice, Peri Peri Spice.
BBQ Spice Mix
Easy to make spice mix used either as an ingredient in other recipes or use as a rub for grilled meat.
Ingredients
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup paprika
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Mix everything well in a bowl and store in an airtight container.
Peri Peri Spice Mix
Also known as Piri Piri Spice Mix. A great spice mix used in various cuisines and extensively in South Africa. This is a rather expensive spice mix to purchase and I have not seen this in Thailand. This shortcut is very easy with items you have on hand.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamon
- ½ teaspoon powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground dried ginger
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons ground oregano
- 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Just add all the powders to a mixing bowl, mix extremely well to form a smooth powder. Store in air tight jar.
North African Vegetable Stew
Nutritious and healthy vegetable stew served with rice. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 3 zucchini, sliced
- 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1 can chickpeas, 410 gram can, drained
- 2 cups water
- 1 packet stew mix, Shortcut
- 2 tablespoons mint, chopped
- 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot and fry onion until soft then add the sugar and fry for about 5 minutes or until the onions start to turn golden brown.
- Stir in the garlic and paprika and cook for 30 seconds to release the flavour and aroma.
- Add all the vegetables and the water and allow to simmer on a low heat for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked.
- Stir in the chickpeas and stew packet and simmer for a further 5 minutes.
- Before serving, garnish with mint and yogurt. Serve with rice or couscous.
Notes
Easily $1 or less per meal per person.
Shortcut: Stew Seasoning Mix.
