Archive for the ‘#1 Go-To Recipes’ Category
Meatball Dinner
This is a basic dinner to put together, easy for a weekday meal for a family or quickly prepared by senior citizens. I based this guide on Kroger brand meatballs, which I think are excellent in taste and value. Stated here will be a good meal for 3 people with leftovers that you can add to to make another meal. The meatballs are based on 4 oz per serving, or four 1 oz meatballs per serving. Use a store brand, or homemade, for the items and that is a money saver as well. The nice thing about this meal is that all the items are prepared at the same time. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 225 grams dry egg noodles, (8 oz)
- 2 packets beef gravy mix, Shortcut
- 12 frozen meatballs, 1 oz each, Shortcut
- vegetable of choice, frozen or canned, for a side dish
Instructions
- Heat a pot of salted water to a boil, add the egg noodles and cook until tender, drain.
- While the noodles are cooking, go ahead and prepare the gravy as listed on the package, and heat up the canned or frozen vegetables, I used the stove top for this or you can use your microwave, up to you. Count out the meatballs, add some extras, and heat those per the package instructions as well.
- Serve, ladle gravy over the meatballs and egg noodles, and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcuts: Beef Gravy Mix, Frozen Meatballs.
Variants: 1. Use mashed potatoes in place of egg noodles. 2. Use your own cooked and frozen meatballs for this.
Tart Cherry Crisp
This is an easy to prepare dessert with common ingredients. I made this on 18 Mar 2020, as written using canned tart cherries, absolutely delicious. My parents also enjoyed this dessert. This will be a regular. When I get back home (Thailand), I will be making this using fresh cherries.
Equipment
- Oven
- Pie Dish (9 inch)
Ingredients
- 2 cans tart cherries, drained well, (14½ oz / 411 g each)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup cold butter, cubed, (¼ block / ½ stick)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 190° C (375° F), get out a 9 inch pie pan.
- In mixing bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, salt, and ground cinnamon, whisk together, then add the butter and cut in with a large fork until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
- Add the well drained cherries to the pie pan, spread out in an even layer and sprinkle with the granulated sugar.
- Sprinkle the flour mixture over the cherries.
- Place in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the top is crisp and the cherries bubbly.
- Serve warm or cold, enjoy.
Notes
Variants: 1. Use 4 cups fresh tart cherries, pitted, in place of canned. 2. Use 1 can drained of tart cherries and 1 can of sweet cherries, also drained. 3. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Jon's Mac & Cheese
This recipe comes from my brother in law, Jon, and I must say, this is excellent Mac & Cheese and one of my favorites! And only 5 ingredients.
Ingredients
- 500 grams dry elbow macaroni, (1 lb / 16 oz)
- 8 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded, divided, (about 1 kilo / 2 lbs / 32 oz)
- 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup butter, (1/2 block / 1 stick)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F). Grease a pyrex 9x13 baking dish with butter.
- Heat a pot of salted water to boiling then add the macaroni and cook until just tender.
- While the pasta is cooking, add the whipping cream and eggs to a mixing bowl and mix with a whisk.
- When the pasta is just tender, pour into a colander to drain then add the butter to the pot and put back on heat to melt.
- When the butter is melted, return the drained pasta to the pot and add the whipping cream mixture. Stir together.
- Add 4 cups of the cheese and mix until the cheese is melted in.
- Pour pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Top with the remaining 4 cups of cheese. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown on top.
- Remove from the oven and let sit for 10-15 minutes to firm up.
- Slice into 8 squares, serve, and enjoy.
Notes
I will price this when I make this in Thailand, for now this is a fair cost per serving dish in Thailand.
Provided by my brother in law, Jon Bargeman.
United States.
United States.
"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, â…› 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:Â Cottage Cheese.
My spin on a classic cottage cheese salad, Lee Thayer.
United States.
United States.