Archive for the ‘#1 Go-To Recipes’ Category
Cottage Cheese Jello Salad II
This is variant I found of a common cottage cheese jello salad. Just 4 ingredients and no water for this version. I state one of the ingredients as gelatin, in the US, you will know this as Jello, in Thailand, you will know this as Imperial or Lobo brand. This is also called "... Stuff" so if you make this with orange jello and oranges, then it would be "Orange Stuff."Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 box any flavor gelatin, small box, 3 oz, if using Jello brand
- 2 cans crushed pineapple, drained well, (8 oz / 250 g cans)
- 1 tub Cool Whip whipped topping, (8 oz / 250 g)
- 1 container Cottage cheese, (1 lb / 500 g), Shortcut
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add the cottage cheese, drained pineapple, and the gelatin powder from the box. I used a box of strawberry jello.
- Stir together until the color is uniform. No water is used.
- Fold in the cool whip until combined 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.
- Flavors I have tested (and they are great):
Strawberry Jello & Strawberries.
Orange Jello & Mandarin Oranges.
Pineapple Jello & Pineapple Tidbits.
Lime Jello & Fruit Cocktail.
Cherry Jello & Tart Cherries.
Orange Jello & Fruit Cocktail.
Peach Jello & Fruit Cocktail.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcut: Cottage Cheese.
Variant: 1. Mix in 2 cups of mini marshmallows.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
This recipe comes from a friend and these are excellent, flavorful cookies that are chewy. These are a great base to adjust each time you make these, read the Variants in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, (1 block / 2 sticks)
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 1/2 cups raisins
- 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped, optional
- 3 cups quick cooking rolled oats
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F). Grease a cookie sheet or line the sheet with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract.
- In another mixing bowl, add the flour, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg. Mix together.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix together.
- Add the raisins and walnuts and fold in.
- Add the oatmeal and mix that in.
- Scoop the dough and drop by large tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the just the edges are browned.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on the sheet for several minutes.
- After a few minutes, remove the cookies to a rack to cool completely. The cookies are very soft when you remove them from the sheet, they will set up as they cool.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Variants: 1. Use chopped nuts of your choice in place of the walnuts. 2. Don't like nuts? Just leave them out. 3. Use any combination of nuts, chocolate chips, dried cranberries, MM candies, and shredded coconut. 4. Use 2 cups of your favorite trail mix in place of the raisins and nuts.
This recipe for Oatmeal Raisin Cookies is from Simply Recipes.
Yellow Squash Casserole
This is an excellent low carb casserole and is a nice twist on yellow squash.
Ingredients
- 4 cups yellow squash, chopped
- 1/2 cup spring onion, sliced
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup ham, chopped, heaping cup
- salt and pepper, as desired
- spring onion, sliced, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200 C (400 F). Grease with butter an 8x8 baking dish.
- Place the squash in a pan and add water to almost cover the squash. Bring to a simmer and cook the squash for 5 minutes.
- Drain the water and return the pan with the squash to heat and add the spring onion and ham. Season with salt and pepper as desired, saute for 1-2 minutes. While the squash is sauteing, add the egg and cream to a bowl and lightly mix together with a fork.
- Add the squash to the prepared baking pan and pour the egg mixture over the squash.
- Sprinkle the Cheddar cheese over the squash.
- Place in the oven uncovered and bake for 20 minutes or until browned and bubbly.
- Sprinkle with sliced spring onion, serve, and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Variant: 1. Add chopped cooked chicken or bacon in place of the ham.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Chocolate Coconut Macaroons
Only 3 ingredients and these are tasty. For the chocolate, feel free to use chocolate compound, almond bark, or chocolate chips.
Ingredients
- 285 grams shredded coconut, (10 oz)
- 3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 chocolate, melted, type and method of your choice
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. The parchment paper is highly recommended, if you are out, foil greased with butter will work but expect a little sticking as well.
- In a mixing bowl, add the coconut and the condensed milk.
- Scoop out 2 tablespoons of coconut mixture and place on the prepared baking sheet, shape into a rounded mound. These do not spread so you can place them fairly close.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes.
- Remove from the sheet and place on a rack to cool.
- Melt the chocolate of your choice, I used chocolate almond bark melted in a double boiler. When the chocolate is melted. Drop a macaroon onto the chocolate and lift out with a fork to a sheet of foil and allow to cool.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Oreo Pie
This recipe comes from the label on a Oreo pie crust, and uses Oreo Cookies N' Cream pudding mix, and I will be taking a few boxes of that with me when I return to Thailand. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 Oreo pie crust, store bought or homemade, Shortcut
- 2 boxes Oreo Cookies N' Cream pudding, (4 servings per box)
- 2 1/2 cups cold milk
- 1 tub Cool Whip whipped topping, thawed, (8 oz)
- 3-4 Oreo cookies, cut in half, for garnish
Instructions
- Add the pudding mix and milk in a large mixing bowl. Whisk for 2 minutes.
- Stir in half of the whipped topping.
- Pour mixture into the pie crust. Cover and place in the fridge in the fridge for at least 4 hours or until the pie is fully set and firm.
- When ready to serve, top with remaining whipped topping. Top with the cookie halves, evenly spaced. Use 6 pieces for 6 slices or 8 pieces for 8 slices.
- Slice evenly between the cookies, serve, and enjoy.
Notes
Orange Slice Cookies
I found this recipe on the internet and decided to give it a try, and I must say, these are really good! These cookies contain the orange slice candies.
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, room temp, (1 block / 2 sticks)
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 370 grams orange slice candies, (13 oz)
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped
- 2 cups quick cooking rolled oats
- 1 cup coconut, shredded
Instructions
- Set the butter out to soften. Place the tablespoon of flour into a medium size bowl. Slice the orange slice candies into 5 pieces. As you slice a few candies and add them to the bowl, toss them with the flour - the pieces are sticky and this will prevent them from sticking together.
- Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F). Measure out the oats, coconut, and walnuts and set them aside.
- Cream together the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, salt, and baking soda. Whisk together then add the butter mixture and mix together.
- Add the oats, coconut, walnuts, and orange slices, and mix those in. The mixture will be stiff.
- Scoop out dough with a cookie scoop or a heaping tablespoon of dough. Roll the dough between your hands then place the dough ball on an ungreased baking sheet.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest on the sheet for a few minutes, then remove cookies to a wire rack to cool.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Variants: 1. Use pecans or roasted peanuts in place of walnuts. 2. Use the mixed fruit jelly candies in place of just orange. 3. This would be an excellent recipe to shape then freeze for fresh baked cookies at a later time.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Ghirardelli Brownie Cake
This recipe is from a boxed Ghirardelli Brownie Mix and is straight forward as well, and for this I am using the dark chocolate mix as that is my Mom's favorite type of chocolate. This is a 3 layer cake, and the frosting is your choice, such as store bought, a homemade ganache, or a even a homemade buttercream frosting. I will be using my homemade chocolate buttercream frosting for this cake. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 2 boxes Ghirardelli Brownie Mix
- 1 cup cooking oil
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 eggs
- frosting, of your choice, Shortcut
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 165 C (325 F). Grease with butter 3 round cake pans if you are using pans with easy release cutters or removable bottoms. If using fixed pans grease the sides and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- To a mixing bowl, add both mixes, eggs, oil, and water.
- Mix batter, pour the batter equally into all three pans.
- Bake for 38 minutes and remove from the oven. Allow the cakes to cool completely before removing them from the pans.
- When the cakes are completely cooled, prepare your frosting of choice. I made my homemade chocolate buttercream frosting and made 1 1/12 times the recipe.
- Frost just between the layers or between and the sides, totally up to you.
- I also added some candy sprinkles.
- Place in the fridge until you serve.
- Slice, serve, and enjoy.
Notes
For the US, this is low cost per serving since each box of this brand of brownie mix is $2.75, in Thailand, another brand mix would be $10+. I will also work up a brownie mix for Thailand that will greatly reduce the cost.
Shortcut: Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.
Adapted from a recipe on a boxed brownie mix.
Snowman Cookies
This recipe will use the store bought Nutter Butter cookies and the reason for this is the shape. No quantities are given for this guide, this is just a make what you want guide.
Ingredients
- Nutter Butter cookies
- vanilla almond bark
- MM candies
- decorating gel, red or orange
- decorating gel, black
Instructions
- Place the cookies in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before you start, you need them chilled when you start dipping them.
- Setup a double boiler and add the vanilla almond bark and let it melt fully. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Add some MM candies to a small bowl.
- When the bark is melted and smooth, drop a Nutter Butter cookie into the bark, use a fork and roll it over to make sure it is coated, lift it out, shake off the excess, and place on the foil or parchment. Place two MM candies (same color) on one end of the cookie, these will be the buttons. Repeat for as many as you want to make.
- Once the vanilla bark cools and hardens, use the black decorating gel to make eyes and a mouth and the red or orange to make a nose. Let the gel set.
- Serve and enjoy, don't stack these or you may damage the eye, mouth, and nose features.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Adapted from looking at a photo of these.
Chocolate Covered...
I used the Tulip brand of chocolate compound, aka almond bark, in Thailand when I made Rocky Road Candies, and they turned out great. Then after that, I dipped cookies spread with peanut butter in the chocolate, and even cherries. This is just a guide and more or less for me to document what I am coating with the chocolate. Since chocolate compound needs no tempering, just melt and use. No quantities are listed for this guide.
Ingredients
- chocolate compound
Items to Dip (what I have used)
- large marshmallows
- maraschino cherries
- vanilla wafer cookies
- graham crackers
- butter crackers, flavor the chocolate with peppermint extract
- peanut butter cheese crackers
- Nutter Butter Peanut Butter Cookies
- Cream Wafer Cookies
Instructions
- First thing to do is to chill whatever you plan on coating with chocolate. Place items on a tray and place in the fridge to chill for at 30 minutes.
- Setup two pots, one that fits inside the other, with the smaller pot ideally with handles to keep it above the bottom of the larger pot. Add water to the larger pot set the smaller pot inside. The goal is to just heat the smaller pot with steam from the larger pot. Add your chocolate compound. I have 1 kilo (2 lbs) in this pot. Put the pot on medium heat to create steam, no need for a rolling boil with the water.
- Once the chocolate compound is fully melted, you are ready to start. When you get done, just pour the left over chocolate into a small foil dish or heatproof bowl and allow to cool. Once hardened, you can simply use it again at a later date.
Marshmallows
- For large marshmallows, you can spear each one with a wooden skewer or simply toss one in the chocolate, flip it around with a fork, lift it out, shake off excess, and place on parchment paper or foil to cool.
- Serve and enjoy.
Peanut Butter Cheese Crackers
- Here is the glow in the dark crackers I remember from my childhood.
- Simply toss one in the chocolate, flip it over with a fork, lift it out, shake off excess, and place on parchment paper or foil to cool. I sprinkled on some chocolate sprinkles I had on hand.
- Serve and enjoy.
Butter Cracker Thin Mints
- Mix in 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract, after it is mixed in, simply toss a cracker in the chocolate, flip it over with a fork, lift it out, shake off excess, and place on parchment paper or foil to cool. I sprinkled on some chocolate sprinkles I had on hand.
- Serve and enjoy.
Marshmallow Peeps
- Dip then add a mini marshmallow for a tail. I also added chocolate sprinkles.
ChipMates
- This is my shout to Kroger. ChipMates are a Kroger brand of cookies that are excellent, and I used the Chunky version of these.
Graham Crackers
- This basically makes S'mores but I dipped the crackers first in the chocolate, let that set up.
- Add some marshmallow cream to a cracker, top with another cracker, cheater type S'more.
Notes
In Thailand, a block of Tulip brand chocolate compound, 1 kilo (2 lbs), costs about 218 Baht ($7.25), in the US, Walmart brand, chocolate almond bark, 1 1/2 lbs (24 oz / 680 g) costs about $2.77. Per serving cost is actually low as you can dip a lot of items. The good part is you can save leftovers of the compound and use at another time or add to a new batch.
Common method for making candies, nothing new here.
Biscuit Pigs in Blankets
I come across this when researching what to make with store bought biscuits in a tube, and I made these, and they are actually pretty tasty and a different way to prepare Pigs in Blankets. When I return to Thailand, I will prepare these again in Thailand with homemade biscuits. No servings or measurements given, this is just a make with what you want guide.
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- biscuit dough, tubed or homemade
- smoked sausage links, hot dogs
Instructions
- Preheat your according to the packaged biscuits or per your own biscuit recipe. Get out a baking sheet and line with foil or parchment paper for fast cleanup.
- For tubed biscuits, open and remove the biscuits. Lay a biscuit on the counter, flatten down with your fingers, shaping the dough about 2 inches wide and 4 inches long. Place a sausage link or hot dog (I used cheese filled smoked sausage links) on a narrow end of the dough and roll the dough around it, ending with the end of the dough on the bottom. Place on your baking sheet. Repeat as desired.
- For homemade biscuits, roll the dough out and cut into triangles, place a sausage link or hot dog on a narrow end of the dough and roll the dough around it, ending with the end of the dough on the bottom. Place on your baking sheet. Repeat as desired.
- Bake until the biscuits are golden brown. Serve with your favorite dipping sauces.
Notes
Low cost per serving.