Author Archive
Super Easy Orange Chicken
This recipe comes from a good friend on the Just a Pinch Recipe Club website. I made this on 23 June 20222, and it is excellent chicken, great flavor. My family really enjoyed this dish.
Equipment
- 1 Gallon Zip Lock Bag
Ingredients
For the Orange Sauce
- ¾ cup orange marmalade
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
For the Chicken
- 750-1000 grams chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, (1½-2 lb), I used 4 breasts
- ¼ cup corn starch
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- cooking oil, for frying
Instructions
- Add all the Orange Sauce ingredients to medium bowl and mix together. You can prepare this two different ways. Prepare the sauce right before cooking the chicken, or make the sauce a few hours before, or even in the morning before cooking the chicken, to let the flavors blend together.
- Prep the chicken by cutting into large bite size pieces.
- When ready to cook the chicken, add the corn starch, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to the gallon size zip lock bag. Seal the bag and shake to mix together. Add the chicken to the bag.
- Seal, and shake and mix the the chicken with the corn starch mixture to coat the chicken.
- To a large skillet, heat 3-4 tablespoons of cooking, when hot, remove chicken from the zip lock bag and add to the pan. (I use a wok pan which is a flat bottomed wok - works perfect for this.)
- Cook until golden brown, turning the chicken often, about 10-15 minutes. Do not overcook or you will have tough chicken.
- While the chicken is cooking, if you made the sauce earlier and let the flavors blend in the fridge, take that out and microwave to just warm it up.
- With the chicken still in the pan, pour in the sauce, stir with the chicken pieces and cook until hot and slightly thickened, it thickens more as it cools, about 3-5 minutes.
- When the sauce is hot and thickened, remove from heat, sprinkle with white poppy seeds if desired.
- Serve with rice of your choice and a vegetable for a delicious meal. Enjoy.
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins
This recipe comes from a friend, and these are excellent muffins! I made these on 16 Jun 2022 exactly as written, and these were very well liked my the family and I. Highly recommended.
Equipment
- Muffin Pan (12 cell)
- Paper Cupcake Liners
- Oven
Ingredients
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar, or lemon juice
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup butter, melted
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips, rounded, plus additional for topping if desired
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 220° C (425° F), line a 12 cup muffin pan with 12 paper liners.
- In a mixing bowl, add the milk and vinegar, stir together. (You are making buttermilk.)
- In another mixing bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and the salt. Whisk together.
- To the milk mixture, add the melted butter, eggs, and oil. Whisk together.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix until almost combined.
- Add the chocolate chips and mix in. Now the batter is very much like a cake batter.
- Spoon the batter into the 12 cup cake liners equally. Sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top of each cup.
- Bake for 5 minutes then reduce heat in the oven to 180° C (350° F) and continue baking for another 13 to 16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. (Mine were perfect at 13 minutes.)
- Remove muffins to a rack to cool completely.
- Serve and enjoy.
Creamy Ham & Potato Soup
This recipe was inspired from a recipe on the Just a Pinch Recipe Club that was a ham and bean soup. My wife suggested potatoes instead of the beans, and it worked perfectly! I made this on 27 Jun 2022 and it was devoured by the 5 of us.
Ingredients
- 800 grams potatoes, peeled and cubed, (1¾ lb)
- water, as needed
- 1 onion, diced
- 500 grams sliced sandwich ham, cubed, (1 lb)
- 2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup, (10½ oz / 298 g each)
- 500 grams Cheddar cheese, shredded, (1 lb)
- salt and pepper, as desired
Instructions
- Add the potatoes and onion to a large pot.
- Add water to cover the potatoes by 1 inch. Set on medium high heat. Cook until the potatoes are fork tender, stirring occasionally.
- While the potatoes are cooking, take the sliced ham and set the entire stack on a cutting board, then cut into ½ strips. Once you have the stack cut into strips, just turn the cutting board 90 degrees then then cut the strips crosswise into ½ inch cubes, there, the stack of ham is now diced. Using sliced ham allows more ham to be distributed throughout the soup.
- When the potatoes are tender, reduce heat to low. Scoop out some of the water so the water is just at the top of the potatoes, reserve the water to add if needed if you want a thinner consistency. Now add the soup, ham, and cheese, stir together.
- Simmer until the cheese is melted and the soup and cheese is mixed in well. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Stir in some of the reserved potato water if you want thinner soup.
- Ladle into bowls, serve, and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Creamy Ham & Beans
This recipe comes from the Just a Pinch Recipe Club and sounds delicious! Original recipe was for stove top cooked beans, and I will also include instructions to make using stove top pressure cooker.
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker , if preparing the beans with that.
- Stock Pot , if preparing the beans with that.
Ingredients
- 2 quarts water
- 500 grams dry Great Northern beans, (1 lb)
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil, required only if using a pressure cooker
- 1 onion, diced
- 500 grams ham, cubed, (1 lb)
- 2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup, (10½ oz / 298 g each)
- 500 grams Cheddar cheese, shredded, (1 lb)
Instructions
- Rinse the dry beans, removing any bad beans or debris, place in a large bowl and cover with water and set aside to soak for at least 6 hours or even overnight. This step applies to Stock Pot or Pressure Cooker methods.
To use a Stock Pot
- Add the 2 quarts of water to a large stock pot and place on high heat. Drain and rinse the soaked beans and add to the water. Stir occasionally. Cook the beans until softened to where you can mash with a fork. Adding additional water as needed.
- Add the ham and onion, reduce heat to a low boil, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally until the ham and onion are cooked.
- Reduce the heat to medium or medium low, add the soup and cheese, and stir together. Stir often until the cheese is melted and mixed into the beans.
- Ladle into bowls, serve and enjoy.
To use a Pressure Cooker
- I use my 9 liter (9½ quart) stove top pressure cooker with a pressure of 80 kPa (12 psi), so this will work equally well with electric pressure cookers. Follow all safety precautions for your model of pressure cooker.
- Drain and rinse the beans, add to you pressure cooker. Add the 2 quarts of water AND the 2 tablespoons cooking oil. The oil prevents the beans from foaming, DO NOT skip the oil.
- Place the lid on the cooker and lock in place, add the weight, place on high heat. When the weight (jiggler) starts to move and vent pressure, reduce heat to low to just keep the jiggler moving. Start your timer for 8 minutes.
- When 8 minutes have passed, turn off the heat and carefully move the pressure cooker to an unused burner. Allow the cooker to do a natural pressure release, meaning just let it set there until you have indications of zero pressure inside, normally a lid lock will drop to indicate this, can take 15-20 minutes.
- When you have indications of zero pressure, remove the weight from the lid and carefully open the cooker. Now you have cooked beans and bean broth.
- Drain the beans, and keep the broth. Return just the beans back to the pressure cooker pot (now we are going to use the cooker as just a pot, no lid needed now). Add the bean broth to just cover the beans by ½ to 1 inch. Place on medium heat.
- Add the ham and onion, simmer until the onion is good and tender, stirring occasionally. Add more broth as needed for the consistency you desire.
- Add the soup and cheese and stir together. Stir often until the cheese and soup are fully mixed into the beans.
- Ladle into bowls, serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Imitation Crab Dip
This is from the Just a Pinch Recipe Club website, it is easy to make and tastes delicious. To be honest, I do not know what a good crab dip is supposed to taste like, but I will say, this is an excellent tasting dip! This is a cold dip, not a hot dip.
Equipment
- Electric Mixer
Ingredients
- 250 grams cream cheese, room temperature, (8 oz)
- 150 grams sour cream, this is the small container, (about ⅔ cup)
- 1 packet dry ranch dressing, Shortcut
- 500 grams imitation crab sticks, (1 lb)
- 2 tablespoons spring onion tops, sliced
- butter crackers, for serving
Instructions
- Add the cream cheese, sour cream, and dry ranch dressing to a mixing bowl.
- Use an electric mixer to thoroughly mix together.
- Cut the crab sticks into ¼ inch slices and place in another mixing bowl. Then use your hands to break the pieces up a little.
- Add the crab sticks to the cheese mixture and use a spoon to mix together. Sprinkle in the spring onion tops and mix in. Cover and place in the fridge to chill for a 2-3 hours.
- Serve with butter crackers, enjoy.
Char Siu Noodles
This recipe is for the noodles, not the Char Siu (Roast Red Pork), feel free to use your preferred recipe to prepare the Char Siu, or you can use mine that is listed in the Notes section. This recipe assumes you already have Char Siu prepared.
Ingredients
For the Noodles
- 1 tablespoon Char Siu sauce , take this from the marinade sauce you made for your Char Siu
- ½ tablespoon light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons water
- ¼ teaspoon Chinese 5 Spice powder
- 2 servings dry Chinese egg noodles, or dry ramen
- 2 servings green vegetable of choice, such as baby bok choi, choi sum, broccoli, etc.
Additional Item
- 2 servings Char Siu, your preferred recipe or use mine in the Notes section
Instructions
- To a small saucepan, add the Char Siu sauce, soy sauce, water, and 5 spice powder, mix together, place medium heat and bring to a boil, then remove from heat and set aside.
- Cook the noodles per package instruction, and undercook by about 1 minute.
- Add the green vegetable and cook until tender, about 1-2 minutes to wilt.
- Drain the noodles then mix in the sauce you set aside.
- Portion into serving bowls and top with your sliced Char Siu. Enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Additional Recipe: Roast Red Pork (Char Siu).
24 Hour Chicken
This sounds really good, and the sour cream I am going to prepare from a powder, and it is sour cream and onion powder.
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Foil
- Oven
Ingredients
- 1½ kilo chicken pieces, legs, thighs, (2-3 lb)
For the Marinade
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon celery salt
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
For the Coating
- ¾ cup corn flake crumbs
Instructions
- I am using chicken quarters that I separated into legs and thighs.
- Add all the Marinade ingredients to a mixing bowl and stir together.
- Add the chicken pieces and toss to coat. Cover and place in the fridge overnight.
- When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F). Line a baking sheet with foil.
- Add the crumbs to a plate or tray, and roll chicken pieces to coat and place on the pieces on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 45 minutes, turning the pieces over halfway through cooking.
Notes
Low cost.
Bonnie's Potato & Onion Pie
This is from a friend on the Just a Pinch Recipe Club website. Easy to put together and it is delicious!
Equipment
- Mandoline
- Pie Dish (9 inch)
- Oven
Ingredients
- 1 kilo potatoes, peeled, sliced thin, (2 lb), a mandoline would be perfect for this.
- 1 onion, peeled, cut in half, sliced thin
- salt and pepper, as desired
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups cheese, your choice, shredded
- ⅔ cup sour cream, or whipping cream, or milk, or a combination of any listed
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- Prep the potatoes and onion. I used 5 medium potatoes for the 1 kilo and used a mandoline to slice the potatoes and onion.
- Preheat your oven to 190° C (375° F), grease a large pie dish with butter. Sprinkle ½ the garlic in the pie dish. I used a 9 inch pie dish.
- Add ½ the potatoes overlapping the slices.
- Add ½ the onion slices on top of the potatoes, and sprinkle with salt and lightly with pepper, as desired.
- Sprinkle ½ of the shredded cheese over the onion.
- Repeat the layers starting with the remaining garlic, then potatoes, onion, salt and pepper. Add the sour cream, whipping, or milk, or any combination of these evenly over the top. I used ½ cup sour cream then added milk to bring it to ⅔ cup.
- Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese over the top, then sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Then uncover and bake for 30 minutes more.
- Slice into wedges, serve as a side dish, enjoy.
My Spaghetti Sauce
I make this often and finally decided to write a recipe for it. This is a basic sauce but is well liked by myself and my Thai family. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Notes section.
Ingredients
- 500 grams ground pork, or beef, (1 lb), I typically use pork
- 1 onion, diced
- ½ tablespoon Italian seasoning, Shortcut
- 2 cans tomato paste, (170 g / 6 oz cans)
- 4 cans water
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning, Shortcut
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- salt, as desired
- hot cooked spaghetti , for serving
Instructions
- In a non stick pan, add the onion and ground pork, breaking up the meat with your spatula, and sprinkle with the ½ tablespoon of Italian seasoning. Cook, turning often until no pink remains and the meat is cooked through.
- While the pork is cooking, in a large saucepan, add the tomato paste, water, sugar, and 2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning, place on low heat and whisk together. Simmer until hot, stirring often. When hot, add the butter and stir in. Taste and adjust as needed for salt or sugar.
- When the pork is done, if any excess fat in the pan, drain that off, then add the cooked pork to the sauce and mix together. Taste, and adjust as needed with salt and or sugar. Continue to simmer on low heat for another 15 minutes.
- Cook spaghetti in a pot of salted boiling water until tender, drain.
- Serve sauce over spaghetti, enjoy.
Notes
Shortcut: Italian Seasoning, Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs.
Variants: 1. Add some hard boiled eggs to the sauce while it does the final simmer so the eggs can heat through. 2. Add sautéed mushrooms.
Seasoned Rice II
This recipe comes from a friend with amazing recipes. I made this on 17 Jun 2022, and it was very well liked by the family, this will be a regular now. I use my basic Cook/Warm, 1 liter (1 quart), rice cooker to prepare this.
Equipment
- Rice Cooker
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter, divided
- ¼ cup onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup dry Jasmine rice
- 2 cups beef broth, (I use OXO brand)
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
Instructions
- Add 2 tablespoons of the butter to your rice cooker and set to Cook setting, leaving cooker uncovered. When the butter is melted, add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is almost softened.
- Stir in the garlic, then add the rice. Stir to coat with the butter and continue cooking uncovered until the rice is just starting to toast and slightly brown.
- Add the broth, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and parsley. Stir together. Cover and let the cooker complete the Cook cycle.
- When the cooker switches to Warm setting, unplug or turn off cooker and let rice sit, still covered, for another 5 minutes.
- Open the lid, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, and fluff with a rice paddle.
- Serve as a side dish with any main dish. Enjoy.
Notes
Variants: 1. Added a diced bell pepper. 2. Add sautéed mushrooms.
