Archive for the ‘#1 Go-To Recipes’ Category
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)
- ⅓ 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 ⅛ 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
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
- ⅓ 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.
Cookie Dough Fudge
I found this recipe and made it on a whim, was not disappointed! This is excellent fudge, and so easy!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter, room temp, (3/4 block / 1 1/2 sticks)
- 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1/4 cup whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line a 9x9 pan with foil.
- Add the butter, cream, vanilla, and condensed milk to a mixing bowl, mix with an electric mixer until creamy and smooth.
- Add the brown sugar and mix again.
- Add the flour and mix that in with the electric mixer.
- Remove the mixer and clean off the blades. Swap those out for a sturdy spoon. Add half the powdered sugar and mix that in, then add the remaining powdered sugar and mix that in, the dough will be quite stiff. Then add the chocolate chips.
- Mix in the chocolate chips.
- Scoop the dough into the prepared pan, and pack down evenly. Place in the fridge to chill for at least 3 hours.
- Run a butter knife along each side of the pan where there is no foil, then use the foil and lift the fudge out of the pan and place on a cutting board. Use large knife and cut into 16 squares.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Chinese Pie
No, this is not Chinese, not even close, this is a French Canadian dish very much like a Shepherd's Pie. The French name for this is Pâté chinois. Possibly created by Chinese immigrants working on the Canadian Pacific Railway, or just a variant of making Shepherd's Pie.
Equipment
- Casserole (3 quart)
Ingredients
- 500 grams ground beef, or ground pork, (1 lb)
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 can whole kernel corn, drained, (16 oz / 454 g)
- 1 can creamed corn, (16 oz / 454 g)
- mashed potatoes, as needed, about 4 cups
Instructions
- Prepare the mashed potatoes, fresh made or instant. I made fresh, using 5 medium potatoes, peeled, boiled, mashed with milk and butter.
- Preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F), get out a 3 quart casserole and lightly grease with butter.
- Brown the ground beef in a non stick pan, season with salt and black pepper as desired, drain the fat after no more pink is visible.
- Place the drained beef on the bottom of the casserole and spread out evenly.
- Open the kernel corn and drain the water, sprinkle corn evenly over the beef.
- Open the creamed corn and spread that out over the kernel corn.
- Spread mashed potatoes evenly over the corn.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the edges of the potatoes are starting to brown.
- Let casserole rest for 5 minutes, then serve and enjoy.
Notes
Fair cost per serving using beef.
Variants: 1. Add some sliced canned mushrooms or sliced fresh mushrooms to the beef while browning that. 2. Add a diced green bell pepper to the beef when browning. 3. Sprinkle the mashed potatoes with Cheddar cheese for the last 5 minutes of baking.
Chocolate Malt Chocolate Chip Cookies
Excellent cookies, probably the chocolate cookies I have made, everyone loved these. Highly recommended!
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, room temp, (1 block / 2 sticks)
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup malted milk powder
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, and malted milk powder. Whisk together.
- In another mixing bowl, add the butter, brown sugar, and sugar, cream together using an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla, mix with electric mixer until fully incorporated.
- Now use a sturdy spoon and add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until combined, repeat until all the flour mixture is mixed in. The dough will be stiff.
- Add the chocolate chips and mix those in.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour or even overnight. (I chilled it for an hour then proceeded with cooking them.)
- When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Spoon dough by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes or until set.
- Remove from oven and let cool on sheet for 5 minutes.
- Then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Creamy Baked Tortellini
This is absolutely delicious, I did however use a jarred sauce, but the flavor of the dish is excellent. Highly recommended.
Ingredients
- 567 grams cheese tortellini, refrigerated, (20 oz)
- 2 cups ham, chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- salt and pepper, to taste, as desired
- 1 2/3 cups milk
- 1 1/2 cups Sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F), get out a 9x13 baking dish.
- Cook the tortellini per the package instructions, boiling would be the preferred method. Drain.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter with the garlic and basil on medium heat. Cook for a few minutes or until fragrant.
- Whisk in the flour and season with salt and pepper as desired. Cook and whisk for 1 minute.
- Slowly whisk in the milk, bring to a boil while continuously whisking on medium heat.
- Remove from heat and whisk in 1 cup of Cheddar and the Parmesan cheeses. Whisk until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
- Add the cooked tortellini, ham, and peas to the 9x13 baking dish, pour the sauce in.
- Mix everything together and spread out evenly.
- Sprinkle on the remaining Cheddar.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Serve with sides of your choice and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Variant: 1. In place of making the sauce, use your favorite jarred Alfredo sauce (22 oz jar), just heat sauce, stir in the cheese, and proceed per the instructions.
Inspired by Spend With Pennies and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
United States.
Fusilli with Meat Sauce
Or Rotini, either way, this is a quick and tasty meal. I made this on 21 Apr 2020 with several of the Variants listed, delicious. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 500 grams ground beef, (1 lb)
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, Shortcut
- 1/4 cup beef broth
- 1 jar pasta sauce, (24 oz / 680 g)
- 250 grams dry fusilli pasta, (8 oz)
- 1/4 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- Heat a large non stick pan and add the beef, onion, and garlic, cook beef until no pink remains. Drain any fat.
- While the beef is cooking, heat a pot of salted water to a boil then cook the pasta until just tender. Drain the pasta.
- Return the pan with the beef to heat, add the broth and Italian seasoning, stir into the meat, simmer until the broth evaporates.
- Stir the sauce into the meat, simmer for a few minutes to heat the sauce through.
- Add the pasta and stir into sauce, simmer for another few minutes to warm the pasta through.
- Sprinkle the cheeses on the top.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcut: Italian Seasoning.
Variants: 1. Use bulk Italian sausage in place of ground beef. 2. Use ground pork in place of beef. 3. Use rotini or sprials, or colored versions.
Inspired by Spend With Pennies and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
United States.
