Author Archive
Frosted Graham Crackers
I remember these from my childhood, and remembered these after I put some frosting in my shopping cart and wandered through the cracker aisle and seen graham crackers. Feel free to use your favorite canned frosting for convenience or make your own frosting. Store brand crackers would be a cost saver over name brand. This is a make as much as you like guide.
Ingredients
- 1 can chocolate frosting, (1 lb / 453 g)
- graham crackers
- candy sprinkles, optional, as desired
Instructions
- Open a package of graham crackers and break each cracker in half so you have squares.
- Generously frost a cracker square, top with another square. Repeat with as many crackers as you have.
- Optionally, add some candy sprinkles to a bowl and tap the frosting oozing cracker edges into the sprinkles. This is one package, there is 3 packages in a box.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving, keeping in mind, store bought frosting in the US is very inexpensive and store brand crackers is a cost savers as well. For Thailand, the frosting would best be homemade to lower cost but the graham crackers are pricey however but you can make a lot from box of crackers.
Made these many times when I was a child, Lee Thayer.
United States.
United States.
Smoky Hard Boiled Eggs
I made these on 30 Dec 2021 and taste tested on 31 Dec, and these are excellent hard boiled eggs salty from the soy sauce and a nice flavor from the liquid smoke. This recipe assumes you have hard boiled eggs on hand, if not, a Shortcut is provided to my preferred way to make them. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- hard boiled eggs, amount is up to you, Shortcut
- 1 cup light soy sauce, for less salty, use ½ cup light soy sauce and ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons liquid smoke
Instructions
- Prepare the hard boiled eggs with your preferred method. Cool and peel. Place eggs in a glass or ceramic container, preferably with a watertight lid, makes for turning the eggs easier. I used just 4 eggs to test out the recipe.
- Measure out the light soy sauce and liquid smoke.
- Add the liquid smoke to the soy sauce and mix together, pour over the eggs, cover and soak eggs for 3 hours or even overnight, rotating the eggs occasionally until all the sides are a nice brown, containers with waterproof seal, just shake the eggs around to turn them. Soak longer for a darker brown.
- Serve as is, make into deviled eggs, slice for salad or a sandwich, enjoy.
Notes
Shortcut: Perfect Hard Boiled Chicken Eggs.
Lentil Chili
This chili is easy to make, common ingredients, and it is delicious. I used the variants and added 1 lb of cooked ground pork, and can of kidney beans and a can of pinto beans. If making this with fresh cooked from dry beans, use about 3 cups of cooked and drained beans. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 cup green bell pepper, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 2 tablespoons chili powder, Shortcut
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 1/4 cups dry brown lentils, rinsed
- 2 cans kidney beans, drained, (15 oz / 411 g each), or 3 cups cooked, Shortcut
- 2 cans diced tomatoes, with juice, 15 oz / 411 g cans
- 1 cup tomato sauce, Shortcut
- 4 cups beef broth
Instructions
- I added a variant and cooked 500 grams / 1 lb of ground pork. Once it was just cooked through, I drained it and removed it from the pot and set it aside.
- Heat the oil in pot on medium heat, when hot add the onion and bell pepper. Saute for about 5 minutes or until softened.
- Stir in the chili powder, cumin, and garlic, and cook for about 1 minute.
- Add the rinsed lentils, beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and broth, and stir to mix.
- Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 25 minutes, stir occasionally.
- Remove cover and cook for an additional 15 minutes to thicken the chili. Thicken to your liking.
- Serve, add toppings of your choice, cheddar cheese, spring onion, oyster crackers, and sour cream are all good choices. Enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcuts: Chili Powder, Red Kidney Beans (Pressure Cooker), Tomato Sauce.
Variants: 1. Brown 500 g / 1 lb of ground beef, pork, or Italian sausage and add to the chili. 2. Use pinto beans instead of kidney beans, or 1 can kidney and 1 can pinto. Or use beans of your choice.
Inspired by Spend With Pennies and the link to this recipe is here. United States.
Best Chicken Enchiladas
This recipe comes from a friend, and it is delicious! I made this with red sauce as well as green sauce. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Pan (9x13 inch)
Ingredients
- 8 flour tortillas, 7-8 inch size is perfect
- 1 kilo chicken breasts, or thighs, (2 lb)
- 113 grams Cream cheese, room temperature, (4 oz / ½ block)
- â…“ cup sour cream, Shortcut
- 1 can diced green chilies, mild, with juice, (113 g / 4 oz)
- 2 cans red enchilada sauce, mild, (283 g / 10 oz cans), Shortcut
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 2½ cups Mexican cheese blend, divided
Instructions
- If the chicken is already cooked, go ahead and shred that. If the chicken is not cooked, add chicken to a pot, cover by 1-2 inches of water and sprinkle in ¾¾ teaspoon of salt. Bring the pot to a boil and cook the chicken for 8-10 minutes or until cooked through. There, you just cooked chicken and made a basic broth. If you have time, allow the chicken to cool in the water to room temperature, this will give you juicy chicken. Remove and shred the chicken, pour the liquid through cheese cloth and reserve that for use in another recipe.
- Preheat your oven to 200° C (400° F) and get out a 9x13 baking dish.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, chilies, enchilada sauce, ¼ teaspoon salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Beat until combined. Remove ⅓ of sauce to a smaller bowl and set that aside.
- To the large bowl, add the chicken and 2 cups of the cheese, and fold into the sauce until combined.
- Lay out a tortilla, add â…› of the filling down the center of the tortilla.
- Fold one side over the middle.
- Roll the tortilla tightly in the same direction as the first fold. Place tortilla seam side down in the baking pan.
- Repeat with remaining tortillas.
- Pour the reserved enchilada sauce over the top of the tortillas.
- Sprinkle with remaining cheese (or more as desired).
- This step is optional, but the family really likes cheese so I added sliced Pepper Jack to half the pan, and the other half with Colby slices, worked perfect!
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted on top.
- Serve with toppings of your choice, and enjoy. I doubled the recipe, made one pan with red sauce, and one with green sauce, both were well liked and either one is highly recommended.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcuts: Sour Cream, Enchilada Sauce.
Variants: 1. Use green enchilada sauce in place of red sauce. 2. Add sliced cheese to the top before baking, I used Pepper Jack and Colby.
Carrot Cake II
Sounds like a great tasting cake. My daughter, Samantha has made this and she swears it is delicious! On my to bake and taste list.
Ingredients
- 3 cups carrot, peeled, grated
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus 1 tablespoon of flour, divided
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 eggs, room temp
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup crushed pineapple, drained, (canned)
- 2 cups walnuts, chopped, or pecans, for decoration, optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F) and grease with butter three 8 inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper, or three 8 inch pans of your choice.
- Grate the carrots using the small holes on a box grater.
- To a large mixing bowl, add the flour, cinnamon, allspice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, and whisk together.
- In another large mixing bowl, add the brown sugar, sugar, and eggs and beat with an electric mixer until just combined.
- Keep the mixer running, medium speed and slowly pour in the vegetable oil.
- Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture while still using the mixer, when just mixed in, add another 1/3, repeat until all the flour has been added and mostly mixed in. Stop mixing where there is a small amount of flour not mixed in.
- Add the raisins, pineapple, and carrot to the bowl and fold that into the batter.
- Pour batter evenly between the pans and smooth out each pan.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a fork inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool the cakes in the pans until cooled. Remove from the pans and cool on wire racks until completely cooled.
- Frost with your choice of cream cheese frosting. Decorate the sides with chopped nuts if desired.
- Slice, serve, and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Variant: 1. Substitute chopped pecans or walnuts for the raisins.
Adapted from an internet recipe, photo provided by my daughter, Samantha Thayer
Peanut Butter Pie
This is an easy, no bake recipe. Feel free to use a store bought or homemade crust, such as graham cracker, oreo, or shortbread crust.
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust, graham cracker, oreo, etc.
- 1 package instant vanilla pudding mix, 4 serving size
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tubs frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided, (226 g / 8 oz tubs)
Instructions
- For the pie crust, feel free to use a store bought graham cracker, oreo, or shortbread crust or make your own.
- In a mixing bowl, add the peanut butter, vanilla extract, pudding mix, and milk. Whisk.
- When mixed well, fold in 1 tub of whipped topping.
- Pour mixture into the pie crust, spread out evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours or even overnight.
- When ready to serve, top with other tub of whipped topping.
- Can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days, covered, or can even be frozen.
- Slice, serve, and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Variation: 1. Use a regular pie crust that has been blind baked and fully cooled.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Cilantro Lime Chicken II
A great sound chicken recipe, on my to make and taste list for sure. Simply prepare the marinade, marinate the chicken (any pieces you want), and cook the chicken (grill, bake, or broil), how simple is that?
Ingredients
- 1 kilogram chicken breasts, boneless, or thighs, (2 lbs)
- 1 lime, for serving
For the Marinade
- 2 tablespoons lime juice, fresh preferred
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced, plus some for garnish
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Add all marinade ingredients to a mixing bowl that will hold all the chicken and stir to combine.
- Place the chicken into the marinade and mix them around to coat the chicken. Cover and place in the fridge for at 30 minutes and up to 2 hours, but NOT over 2 hours.
To Grill
- Heat your grill to medium high heat. When hot, oil the grates and grill the chicken for 7-8 minutes, turn the chicken over and grill for 7-8 minutes more. Use a meat thermometer for a reading of 74 C (165 F) to indicate done.
To Bake
- Preheat your oven to 200 C (400 F), line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper, place chicken pieces on the baking sheet and back for 20-25 minutes, use a meat thermometer for a reading of 74 C (165 F) to indicate done.
To Broil
- Line a broiling pan with foil, place grate over the foil, place chicken on the grate. Broil 5-6 minutes per side with the chicken 4 inches from broiler element. use a meat thermometer for a reading of 74 C (165 F) to indicate done.
To Bake Bone in Thighs
- Preheat your oven to 220 C (425 F), remove chicken from marinade, reserving the marinade, and place chicken skin side down in a shallow baking pan, bake for 3-4 minutes to brown them up a bit. Turn the pieces over and bake for another 2 minutes.
- Pour in the reserved marinade into the pan, bake for 20-25 minutes, use a meat thermometer for a reading of 74 C (165 F) to indicate done.
- For any method used, when done, let rest for 5 minutes, then sprinkle with chopped cilantro leaves and serve with lime slices as desired. Enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Inspired by Spend With Pennies and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
United States.
Sausage Potato Soup
Sounds like an excellent soup, on my to make and taste list.
Ingredients
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 340 grams ring smoked sausage, sliced, (12 oz)
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 large potato, diced
- 3 cups cabbage, chopped
- 1 1/4 cups corn
- 4 cups beef broth, (1 quart)
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 can diced tomatoes, with juice, (15 oz / 425 g)
- 1-2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a non stick pan, when hot, add the onion, celery, and sausage. Saute until the onion and celery is tender.
- Place the contents from the pan into your slow cooker, add the remaining ingredients, except the diced tomatoes and cornstarch, to your slow cooker. Cover and set to High setting for 4 hours or Low setting for 8 hours, or until the potatoes are tender.
- When the potatoes are tender, stir in the cornstarch then stir in the undrained diced tomatoes. Cover and cook for another 10-15 minutes.
- Remove the bay leave, taste and season with salt and pepper as desired.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Inspired by Spend With Pennies and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
United States.
Rice A Roni (Rice Cooker)
This is excellent rice, highly recommended if you like seasoned rice. A basic Cook and Warm rice cooker works perfect this. This can be tailored to your liking in many ways. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Equipment
- Rice Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry Jasmine rice, rinsed
- â…“ cup dry orzo pasta, or broken spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups chicken broth, Shortcut
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add the butter to the rice cooker pot and place on Cook. Melt the butter then add the orzo. Cook the orzo for a few minutes, stirring, until just starting to brown.
- Add the rinsed rice, broth, and seasonings. Stir together.
- Cover and let the cooker run its cycle.
- When the cooker switches to Warm, remove lid, fluff rice, serve as a side dish and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcut: Chicken Broth (Pressure Cooker).
Variants: 1. Use beef broth in place of chicken broth. 2. Use mushroom broth in place of chicken stock, and add sautéed mushrooms. 3. Add cooked chopped chicken. 4. In place of orzo, use broken spaghetti in ½ to 1 inch lengths.
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
- Rice A Roni Casserole, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- BJ's Rice A Roni, made it, GO-TO recipe.
Cream Cheese Frosting
This is a basic, but tasty, cream cheese frosting, this is my go-to frosting.
Ingredients
- 250 grams Cream cheese, this is one regular block, (8 oz)
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon sour cream, Shortcut
- 2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Add the cream cheese, butter, and sour cream to a mixing bowl and allow the butter to come to room temperature.
- Cream together with an electric mixer.
- Add half the powdered sugar, beat until the mixture is free of lumps, then add remaining sugar and mix until smooth and free of lumps. Mix in the vanilla extract and lemon juice. You may need to mix just a bit more powdered sugar to get the consistency you desire.
- This will easily frost a 9x13 cake, a 9 inch layer cake, or 24 cupcakes. Only frost when the cakes are completely cooled.
Notes
This is low cost per serving.
I would not make the sour cream if just making this, just plan this this around sour cream you have made and available.
Shortcut: Sour Cream.
Adapted from several internet recipes.