Archive for the ‘#1 Go-To Recipes’ Category
Trail Mix Bark
This is a straightforward recipe with just two ingredients, your favorite trail mix and almond bark. The trail mix I am using is just a combination of chopped walnuts, dried apple and cranberries, and raisins.
Ingredients
- 750-1000 grams almond bark, (1 1/2 - 2 lbs)
- 500 grams trail mix, your favorite kind, (1 lb / about 4 cups)
- candy sprinkles, optional, just to add some color
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Setup a double boiler, add the bark.
- While the bark is melting, open the bag of trail mix (I used a 1 lb / 500 g bag and it measured out to just over 4 cups) and place on a plate or shallow bowl so you can grab handfuls of this. The mix I used is just chopped walnuts, dried apple and cranberries, and raisins.
- Heat until the bark is all melted and smooth.
- Pour the bark onto the parchment. Gently shake the pan around while tilting it to spread out evenly.
- Sprinkle trail mix evenly over the bark. Use the bottom of a drinking glass, or I just used the bottom of the measuring cup I used, and justly tap down the mix, you are just making sure everything is in the bark.
- Top with sprinkles if desired to add bit of color.
- Allow the bark to cool and it will set up. Break bark up into large chunks. Enjoy as a snack or a dessert.
- I made this again on 6 Aug 2020, and used vanilla almond bark. Perfect.
Notes
I will price this when I get home, for now I will say Fair cost per serving. A lot depends on the type of trail mix used as well.
Variants: 1. Use vanilla or chocolate almond bark. 2. Use any type of trail mix you prefer, just keep the weight to 500 g / 1 lb.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Egg Roll Skillet
This dish does not use egg roll wrappers so this is a low carb dish. And this is delicious! Easy to put together and minimal ingredients. I made this on 15 Jul 2020, very tasty and highly recommended.
Ingredients
- 500 grams ground pork, (1 lb)
- 4 spring onions, sliced, white and green seperated
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 500 grams coleslaw mix, (1 lb)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil, or to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large non stick pan and add the pork, breaking it up with your spatula. Cook until no pink remains, drain off the fat.
- To the pork, add the spring onion white parts, ginger, and garlic. Stir to mix in. Add the coleslaw mix and stir that in.
- Cook, stirring often, until the cabbage is tender, about 5-8 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce and sesame oil, stir until coated. Garnish with the green parts of the spring onions
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
This is Low Cost per serving.
Variant: 1. Add sauteed mushrooms.
Inspired by Spend With Pennies and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
United States.
Strawberries & Cream
Specifically the whipped cream in the pressurized can. My Mom made this for a dessert one evening and I have never had strawberries like this, just strawberries and cream. Easy and brilliant. This is very versatile so you can make this with any berries you like, or any combination. No servings or quantities listed as this is a make as desired guide.
Ingredients
- fresh strawberries, as desired, trimmed
- 1 can whipped cream
Instructions
- Trim the strawberries by cutting off the green part, and coring if needed. Cut strawberries in half, and chop the large ones.
- If using other berries, give them a rinse and sort through them and remove any bad ones.
- Place strawberries in each serving bowl, adding a smaller amount of other berries as desired.
- Top with some whipped cream. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Variants: 1. Use additional berries with the strawberries, strawberries and blueberries is an excellent choice. 2. Instead of strawberries, use your favorite berries!
Common method for serving berries as a dessert.
Best Cheese Ball
I made this on 13 Sep 2020, and chilled it overnight and then rolled in the nuts on the 14th. Tasted it, and I will say this is an excellent cheese ball! My family that has tried this say it is really tasty. Doubtful this would be able to be made in Thailand as written since the jarred cheese would probably not be available.
Ingredients
- 2 packages Cream cheese, softened, (8 oz / 250 g packages)
- 1 jar Kraft Old English Sharp Cheddar, (5 oz / 142 g)
- 1 ½ cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
- ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
- ¼ teaspoon onion salt
- 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice, depends on how tangy you want this
- 2 heaping tablespoons mayo
- 2 cups pecans, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried
- crackers, your choice, for serving
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add the first 7 ingredients.
- Mix together until combined and smooth.
- Shape into a ball. Lay out a piece of plastic wrap on the counter and place the ball on top. Wrap up with the plastic wrap. Place wrapped ball on a plate and place in the fridge for 1 hour to firm up.
- Just before you are ready to serve, go ahead and chop the pecans and parsley. Place these on a plate and mix together.
- Unwrap the ball, and roll on the pecans to coat the outside.
- When fully coated, place in the center of a serving plate, and circle the ball with crackers of your choice. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost due to the high number of servings.
Variant: 1. You can prepare this 2 days ahead of time, just keep in the fridge, wrapped in plastic wrap until you are ready to serve.
Fried Red Tomatoes
Fried red tomatoes are common with Full English Breakfasts and are a great addition. These make an excellent side dish with any meal.
Ingredients
- 2-3 ripe red tomatoes
- dried basil, as desired
- dried thyme, as desired
- extra light olive oil, as needed
Instructions
- Cut out the stem core on the tomatoes, then slice thick, between 1/4 and 1/2 inch.
- Heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil in a non stick pan, when the pan is hot, add the tomato slices in a single layer, work in batches if needed. Sprinkle with basil and thyme as desired.
- Cook for about 4-5 minutes, turn slices over when the tomato is softened and cook the other side.
- Place cooked slices on a plate.
- Serve as side dish, enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Common way to cook red tomatoes.
Cake Batter Milkshake
Easy and oh so good! Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 4 scoops vanilla ice cream, (large scoops)
- ½ cup yellow cake mix, dry, Shortcut
- splash milk
- candy sprinkles, as desired, for garnish
- corn syrup, if using the sprinkles
Instructions
- If using the sprinkles, lightly wipe the edge of a tall glass with corn syrup then dip edge into sprinkles.
- To a blender, add the ice cream, dry cake mix, and a good splash of milk. Blend until mixed well.
- Pour into prepared glass, add a few sprinkles to the top, serve, and enjoy.
Notes
Shortcut: Yellow Cake Mix.
Mackerel Patties
This is a basic recipe for mackerel patties using canned mackerel in brine, and basic certainly is best, these are excellent tasting patties.
Ingredients
- 1 can mackerel, in brine, (15 oz / 425 g)
- 1 sleeve saltine crackers, crushed
- 2 eggs
- black pepper, as desired
- vegetable oil, for frying, as needed
Instructions
- This is the can of mackerel I tested, Kroger brand, $2.29 per can. This is a product of Thailand.
- Open and drain the mackerel, add to a mixing bowl and break up with a fork.
- Add the crushed saltines and eggs to the bowl.
- Season with black pepper as desired, mix together.
- Shape into 4 patties. Heat a non stick pan with a tablespoon or two of olive oil, when hot, add the patties.
- Turn patties over when browned turn over and repeat for the other side, seasoning pepper as desired.
- Transfer the cooked patties to a serving plate.
- Serve with sides of your choice and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost in the US, about 67 cents per serving for 4 servings from 1 can. In Thailand however, I have never seen mackerel in cans like this, always the small cans and in tomato sauce. So I will come up with a way to make 'canned' mackerel, probably just boil some. Then I will come back with a report on that.
Marshmallow Sandwich Cookies
For Christmas 2019 my Mom gave me a cookbook, specifically 'the chocolate cookbook' and that is where this recipe comes from.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 24 large marshmallows
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together.
- In a larger mixing bowl, add the butter and 1 1/4 cups of sugar and beat with an electric mixer at medium high speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg, corn syrup, and vanilla, beat until well mixed.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture, use a heavy spoon and mix together. The dough comes together quickly. Cover and place in the fridge for 15 minutes or until the dough is firm enough to shape into balls.
- When you place the dough in the fridge, preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F), get out a couple of baking sheets, use them as is ungreased, or line with parchment for easy cleanup.
- When the dough is ready, place the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar in a small bowl. Shape dough into 1 inch balls, roll in sugar, and place 3 inches apart on baking sheet. (This was my 2nd sheet before going into the oven, I missed the photo from the first sheet.)
- Bake 10-11 minutes or until set. Cool on the sheets for 3 minutes. (This is the 1st sheet that went into the oven, I missed taking the before photo with this sheet and took that photo with the second sheet.)
- Then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
- Place 1 cookie upside down on a microwave safe plate. Place the flat end of a marshmallow on top.
- Microwave on high for about 8-10 seconds or until the marshmallow is softened, it will expand when it is hot and soft, remove from microwave and quickly place another cookie on top, bottom side down, press down to make a sandwich cookie. Set aside to cool.
- Repeat with remaining cookies and marshmallows.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
A note about the marshmallows. I bought large roaster marshmallows, not the regulation marshmallow. On my first test, I used a pair of scissors and cut a marshmallow in half, cutting across the round side so you have two short cylinders. Using 1/2 marshmallow was too large, so next test was cut a marshmallow into thirds, cutting across the round side so you have three short cylinders. Using 1/3 marshmallow per cooking was perfect. So if all you have is the really large roaster marshmallows, cut them into thirds and they will work perfect.
Adapted from a recipe listed in 'the chocolate cookbook', page 48.
Turkey Meatballs with Summer Squash
I found this recipe on a bag of Kroger Turkey Meatballs. This is a basic recipe for an easy dinner, and is wide open to changes you want to make, such as roasting the vegetables instead of frying, changing the gravy, etc. Summer squash can mean several types of squash, for this, I am using yellow crookneck and zucchini. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 package turkey meatballs, I used Kroger brand, (26 oz / 737 g), Shortcut
- 1 large zucchini
- 1 large summer
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 packet turkey gravy, or chicken gravy, Shortcut
- salt and pepper, as desired, to taste
- extra light olive oil, as needed
Instructions
- Rinse the zucchini and summer squash, if the squash you find are small, just use several of them. For large squash, slice in half lengthwise, then slice each part into 1/4 inch or less half moons. For smaller squash, just slice into 1/4 inch or less rounds.
- Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large non stick pan. When hot, add the squash and garlic. Season with salt and pepper as desired.
- Cook the squash, turning often, until softened and tender.
- While the squash is cooking, heat the meatballs by spreading them out on a microwave proof plate, cover, and microwave for 2 minutes, turn them, and microwave for another 2 minutes.
- Prepare the gravy according to the packet instructions when the squash is looking almost done.
- When the squash is cooked, the gravy is cooked, go ahead and microwave the meatballs for 1 minute.
- Set all the items on the table and let everyone help themselves, spoon gravy over the meatballs, enjoy.
Notes
This is low cost in the US (I used Kroger turkey meatballs that I bought when they were on sale), but any kind of meatball would work well. Back in Thailand I will be making this often but will use homemade chicken meatballs.
Shortcut: All Purpose Chicken Meatballs, Gravy Mix.
Variants: 1. Use chicken or beef meatballs / gravy. 2. Roast the squash instead of frying.
Adapted from a recipe on the package of meatballs.
Strawberry Shortcake
This is absolutely delicious. I doubled the shortcake recipe and made it in a 9x13 pan, came out perfect. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Pan (8x8 inch)
Ingredients
For the Shortcake
- 2⅓ cups Bisquick Mix, Shortcut
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- ⅔ cup milk
For the Strawberries
- 4-6 cups fresh strawberries, trimmed / cleaned
- 1-2 tablespoons sugar
For Serving
- whipped topping, as desired
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200° C (400° F). Get out a 8x8 baking pan, lightly grease with butter.
- Add all Shortcake ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix together.
- Spoon batter into the prepared pan, spread out evenly.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
- While the cake is baking, slice the strawberries and place in mixing bowl, sprinkle and toss with 1-2 tablespoons of sugar. Cover and place in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Remove shortcake from the oven and allow to cool a little. You can serve the shortcake while it is a little warm or at room temperature.
- When ready to serve, cut the shortcake into 4 squares, slice each square in half horizontally, top each bottom with strawberries.
- top with the other half of the shortcake, top with more strawberries.
- Then top with whipped topping. Serve, and enjoy.
Notes
Shortcut: Bisquick.
Variants: 1. Double the recipe and bake in a 9x13 baking pan. 2. Use your choice of fruit, blueberries as well as peaches sounds very tasty. 3. Slightly mash the fruit after it has been soaking in the sugar, for a mush fruit presentation. 4. If serving warm, generously butter the bottom piece of the shortcake. 5. Use Jiffy Baking Mix, your favorite store brand of Baking Mix (I used Kroger brand while I was in TN) or make the baking mix from the shortcut.
