Archive for the ‘#1 Go-To Recipes’ Category
"Canned" BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches
This is a low budget recipe specifically for using commodity canned pork. No measurements, except for the canned pork, given, as this is a make as much as you want recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 can pork, or more cans, (1½ lb / 24 oz / 680 g each can)
- BBQ sauce, your choice
- hamburger buns, or bread of your choice
- dill pickle slices, optional, as desired
- cheese, optional, as desired
Instructions
- Open and drain a can of pork. Place pork in a saucepan and scrape off and discard any fat. Break up pork with sturdy spoon and place on medium heat. I used 2 cans of pork as I was feeding a get together of 5 people.
- Once the pork is heated through, add BBQ sauce as you desire and stir that in. Stir often until pork is heated through.
- Serve on hamburger buns or bread of your choice, with optional cheese and or pickles. Enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Fruit Cocktail Cake II
This sounds really good, on my to make and taste list. This will use a bundt pan for baking.
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup evaporated milk
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 can fruit cocktail, undrained, (15 oz / 425 g)
For the Glaze
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup evaporated milk
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup walnuts, or pecans, chopped, optional
- candy sprinkles, optional, as desired
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F), grease a bundt pan with butter or spray with cooking spray.
- Add all Cake ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix together.
- Pour into the prepared bundt pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Make the Glaze.
- Turn the cake out onto a plate.
For the Glaze
- In a small saucepan, add the Glaze ingredients and put on medium heat. Stir as the glaze heats until almost a boil, and the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat.
- Pour the glaze over the warm cake after it has been turned out onto a plate.
- Cut into slices, serve warm or cold, enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Recipe provided by my Mom, Joann Thayer.
United States.
United States.
Chocolate Cake Milkshake
For Christmas 2019 my Mom gave me a cookbook, specifically 'the chocolate cookbook' and that is where this recipe comes from. Excellent milkshakes! My family loved these, these I will make again! Feel free to use your favorite chocolate cake for this or use the one stated in the Recipe Notes section.
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 slice Rich Chocolate Cake, ⅛ cake slice, Shortcut
- ½ cup cold milk
- 2-3 scoops vanilla ice cream
- whipped topping, optional
- maraschino cherries, optional
Instructions
- For the cake, cut a round layer cake into 8 slices, use 1 slice per milkshake. Here my cake is marked for the 8 slices.
- Place a slice of cake, milk, and ice cream in a blender, blend until the cake is just mixed in and the mixture is not quite smooth.
- Pour into a glass, enjoy. Optionally, top with some whipped topping and a maraschino cherry.
Notes
Shortcut: Rich Chocolate Cake.
Rich Chocolate Cake
For Christmas 2019 my Mom gave me a cookbook, specifically 'the chocolate cookbook' and that is where this recipe comes from. I made this on 15 Mar 2020, excellent cake as is and makes an excellent Chocolate Cake Milkshake! This recipe is also used in the Chocolate Cake Milkshake recipe, and has a link in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 box devil's food cake mix
- 1 cup cold water
- 1 cup mayo
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 containers chocolate frosting, (1 lb / 500 g each)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F). Grease two 9 inch cake pans with butter.
- Add the cake mix, water, mayo, and eggs to a large mixing bowl.
- Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds to combine the ingredients, then 2 minutes on medium speed.
- Pour batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool in pans on a rack. When completely cool, remove from the pans.
- Place first cake out upside down on a serving plate, frost the middle, be generous.
- Place the second cake on top, right side up, frost the sides then top.
- Serve and enjoy, or use as directed in the Chocolate Cake Milkshake recipe.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Used in Recipe Listed on this Site:
- Chocolate Cake Milkshake. Made it, GO-TO recipe.
Extra-chocolaty Brownie Cookies
For Christmas 2019 my Mom gave me a cookbook, specifically 'the chocolate cookbook' and that is where this recipe comes from. I made these on 6 Mar 2020, as written but used chocolate chips instead of chunks. These are excellent cookies, well liked by the family.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter, softened, (1 block / 2 sticks)
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 package semisweet chocolate chunks, or chips, 11-12 oz / 312-340 g)
- 2 cups walnuts, or pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F), line baking sheets with foil, for easy clean up.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix together well.
- In another larger mixing bowl, add the butter, brown sugar, and sugar, beat with an electric until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla extract and beat until well mixed.
- Add the flour mixture and mix with a large sturdy spoon until fully blended.
- Mix in the chocolate chunks and walnuts.
- Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets, flatten each slightly.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until set. Remove from oven, cool on sheet for 2 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Adapted from a recipe listed in 'the chocolate cookbook', page 32.
Chocolate Malted Cookies
For Christmas 2019 my Mom gave me a cookbook, specifically 'the chocolate cookbook' and that is where this recipe comes from. Great tasting cookie, not heavy on the malt flavor but a very good cookie. I made 27 cookies.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened, (1/2 block / 1 stick)
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1 3/4 cup powdered sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup malted milk powder, divided
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add the butter, shortening, vanilla extract, and 3/4 cup of powdered sugar. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
- To the mixing bowl, add the eggs, flour, 1/2 cup malted milk powder, and cocoa powder. Beat until well blended.
- Cover and place the bowl in the fridge for at least 2 hours or even overnight.
- When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F). Line 2 cookie sheets with foil (for easy clean up).
- Shape slightly rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, place 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake for 14-16 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool for 5 minutes.
- While the cookies are cooling, mix together 1 cup of powdered sugar and 1/2 cup of malted milk powder in a medium mixing bowl. Roll warm cookies in mixture to coat, place cookies on rack to cool completely.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Adapted from a recipe listed in 'the chocolate cookbook', page 44.
Tart Cherry Cottage Cheese Salad
I made this on a whim and it turned out better than expected. Highly recommended if you like tart cherries. The cottage cheese salads I have made always used crushed pineapple, so I decided to change it up. This recipe uses canned tart cherries, not sure if those are available in Thailand so I will look after I return and report back on that. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 can tart cherries, in water, (15 oz / 425 g can)
- 1 box black cherry gelatin, small box, 3 oz if using Jello brand
- 1 tub Cool Whip whipped topping, (8 oz / 250 g)
- 1 containter Cottage cheese, (1 lb / 500 g), Shortcut
Instructions
- Open and drain the cherries, place on a cutting board and cut each cherry in half, then drain them again.
- Place the cherries, cottage cheese, and gelatin powder in a mixing bowl.
- Stir together until the color is uniform.
- Fold in the whipped topping but do not over mix.
- You can leave the salad in the mixing bowl, or do as I did and spoon into a serving dish, I used a 1 1/2 quart glass serving dish. Cover and place in the fridge to set for at least 1 hour.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcut: Cottage Cheese.
My spin on a classic cottage cheese salad, Lee Thayer.
United States.
United States.
Dilly Cheese Ball
This sounds really good, I got this recipe from my Mom and she got it out of a magazine in 2016. I prepare this on 22 Mar 2020 and we the family, tasted it on 23 Mar, and this is really good, excellent flavor. Highly recommended.
Ingredients
- 1 package Cream cheese, softened, (8 oz / 250 g)
- 1 cup dill pickle relish, drained
- 1/4 cup onion, finely diced
- 1 1/2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons mayo
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
Instructions
- To a mixing bowl, add all ingredients except the parsley.
- Use an electric mixer and beat until smooth.
- Shape mixture into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. I also wrapped this in foil to help keep the shape. Place in the fridge to chill and firm up for at least 2 hours or even overnight.
- When ready to serve, unwrap and place on a serving tray or plate.
- Sprinkle with the parsley and arrange crackers. For this I used regular and wheat butter crackers.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Adapted from a recipe in a magazine.
String Cheese Manicotti
This recipe uses, as the name says, string cheese to fill the manicotti tubes, which not only sounds like a brilliant idea, it is an excellent idea. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Pan (9x13 inch)
Ingredients
- 1 box manicotti shells, about 14 shells, (8 oz / 226 g)
- 500 grams ground beef, (1 lb)
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 jar marinara sauce, (26 oz jar, or 3¼ cups), Shortcut
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, and as needed, Shortcut
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 28 pieces Mozzarella string cheese
- 2 cups Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
- fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish, as desired
Instructions
- Heat a pot of salted water to a boil, add manicotti shells and cook until shells are not quite cooked through, about 2-3 minutes underdone, then drain and run under cold water.
- Cooked and drained shells. OR you can use dry shells but you will need to increase the bake time.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat a pot and cook the onion and ground beef, breaking the beef up with the spatula as it cooks. Cook until the beef is no longer pink. Drain any fat and return the pot, with the beef, back to heat.
- Preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F). Get out a 9x13 inch baking pan.
- To the pot, add the marinara sauce, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder, stir together.
- Spread half of the meat sauce in the baking pan.
- Stuff each manicotti shell with 2 pieces of string cheese. Arrange all the shells in the pan in a single layer. If the string cheese is too much, pull one piece of cheese in half and stuff a shell with 1½ pieces of cheese. OR you can stuff the dry shells with 1½ pieces of cheese but the baking time will increase.
- I stuffed the shells dry, arrange all the shells in the pan in a single layer.
- Top the manicotti with the remaining sauce.
- Top with Mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning as desired.
- Bake for 30 minutes if using cooked pasta, or 50 minutes if using dry pasta, or until bubbly and starting to brown.
- Garnish with parsley as desired, serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcuts: Marinara Sauce, Italian Seasoning.
Variants: 1. Use bulk Italian sausage in place of ground beef. 2. Add a layer of sliced Provolone on top of the Mozzarella. 3. Use canned beef or pork in place of fresh ground. 4. Cut smoked sausage into 4ths lengthwise and stuff shells with 1 piece of sausage and 1 piece of cheese.
Broccoli Cheese Soup
This is from a Pioneer brand country gravy packet and it is easy and really good. For this recipe you can use the gravy packet stated or make the shortcut and use that. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 packet country gravy, Pioneer brand, or Shortcut
- 1 package frozen chopped broccoli, cooked per instructions on package, (10-12 oz / 283-340 g)
- 2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded, (8 oz / 226 g)
- 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 tablespoon onion, finely minced, optional
Instructions
- Prepare the gravy packet per the instructions on the packet. Cook the broccoli per the instruction on the package, normally just steamed in the bag in the microwave then drained.
- Stir in the cheese until mixed in. Stir in the onion if using that.
- Stir in the cooked and drained broccoli. Heat the soup to warm the broccoli through. For a thinner soup, just stir in milk to your desired consistency.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcut: Homemade Country Gravy Mix.
