Archive for the ‘#1 Go-To Recipes’ Category
Italian Sausage & Peppers (Slow Cooker)
This is an easy, and flavorful dish. I used store bought sausage links and I look forward to making this again when I get back home (Thailand) and using my homemade Italian sausage. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 8 Italian sausage links, (about 1 lb 8 oz / 750 g), Shortcut
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 can crushed tomatoes, (28 oz / 793 g)
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- For the sausage, you can chop first or just place whole in the slow cooker and chop when the cooking time is done.
- Add everything to the slow cooker except the sausage and mix together.
- Add the sausage and move them down into the liquid. Cover and set to Low setting for 6 hours. I actually have 10 links in here.
- If you started with whole sausages, remove them to a cutting board, slice, and return them to the pot.
- Serve over pasta or rice or even as is. Enjoy
Notes
I am in the US currently and I bought the sausage at Kroger for about $5.25, the remaining ingredients are minimal. For 6 servings, this is about 88 cents per serving. When I return to Thailand, I will make the sausage myself and maybe get the cost down to about 50 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Italian Sausage.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Banana Split Pie
Easy and tasty! This is a delicious pie.
Ingredients
- 1 chocolate cookie crust
- 2 cups cold milk
- 2 boxes instant vanilla pudding, (4 serving size)
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced lengthwise
- 1 banana, sliced
- 12 maraschino cherries, drained well
- 1 tub Cool Whip, divided, (8 oz tub)
- 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
- chocolate syrup, as desired
Instructions
- To a mixing bowl, add the milk and pudding mixes, whisk for 2 minutes.
- Spread 1 1/2 cups of the pudding in the pie shell.
- Top the pudding with strawberry and banana slices.
- Add half the Cool Whip to the remaining pudding and stir together until blended.
- Spread mixture over the fruit. (I totally missed taking this photo.)
- Spread remaining Cool Whip over the pudding mixture.
- Drizzle with chocolate sauce and sprinkle with the chopped pecans.
- Cover and place in the fridge for at least 3 hours to set.
- Slice, top each slice with a maraschino cherry, serve, and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost in the US, I will price this again if I can make this in Thailand.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Mandarin Orange Pie I
Sounds good, on my to make and taste list, and soon.
Ingredients
- 1 can condensed milk, (14 oz can)
- 1 package Cream cheese, softened, (8 oz / 250 grams)
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 2 cans Mandarin oranges, drained well, (14 oz 425 g cans)
- 1 graham cracker crust
Instructions
- To a mixing bowl, add the condensed milk, cream cheese, and lemon juice.
- Beat with an electric mixer until mostly smooth.
- Fold in the drained orange segments.
- Spread filling in the graham cracker crust. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 3 hours to fully set.
- Slice, serve, and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving in the US, for Thailand, I will experiment making this with fresh mandarin oranges and will price that when I prepare that.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
15 Bean Soup (Slow Cooker)
I prepared this on 21 Nov 2019, and used a variant and added some meat and broth, result is hands down, delicious! I will be taking several bags of these beans back to Thailand with me.
Ingredients
- 1 bag 15 Bean Soup, (20 oz / 567 g)
- 8 cups water
- 500 grams smoked sausage, sliced, (1 lb) (optional)
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder, (optional)
- 1 can diced tomatoes, drained, (14.5 oz / 411 g can)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Sort the beans and remove any debris or stones, and remove the Seasoning Packet and set that aside for use later, then rinse the beans.
- Place the beans, onion, sausage, garlic, and chili powder in the slow cooker. (I went overboard with the meat addition, I added smoked sausage, Andouille sausage, and smoked ham, about 1 kilo / 2 lbs.)
- Add the water or broth, stir to mix, cover, and set the slow cooker to High setting and cook for at least 5 hours, without lifting the cover.
- At the 5 hour mark, check the beans for tenderness. If the beans are not tender, continue cooking, checking again each hour until tender. (Mine were done, and perfect right at the 5 hour mark.)
- When the beans are tender, stir in the tomatoes and lemon juice. Turn the slow cooker to Low setting and cook for another 30 minutes.
- You can leave on Keep Warm for several more hours if needed, and this blends the flavors as well.
- Just before serving, open and stir in the seasoning packet that came with the beans.
- Serve with bread, biscuits, or even over rice. Enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Variants: 1. Omit the sausage for a meat free dish. 2. Substitute the sausage with ham, ham bone, or ham hocks. 3. Increase the amount of sausage or other meat to 1 kilo (2 lbs). 4. Replace half the water with chicken, beef, or vegetable broth.
Adapted from the 15 Bean Soup recipe on the Hurst Beans website.
Dream Cake
This uses the dry whipped cream mix named Dream Whip. I look forward to making this as I just found a whipped cream dry mix on Lazada and then I may be able to prepare this in Thailand. This is on my to make and taste list. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 box cake mix, Shortcut
- 1 packet Dream Whip
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup cold water
- frosting, of your choice
Instructions
- For the cake mix, your choice, I have included in the Recipe Notes for three shortcuts for yellow, chocolate, and spice cake mixes.
- Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F), grease with butter two 9 inch rounds or one 9x13 inch pan.
- Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl, and use an electric mixer on on Low speed and mix until everything is combined. Switch to Medium speed and mix for 4 minutes or until well blended.
- Pour into the prepared dish(s) and spread out evenly. Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. For two round cake pans, cool for 15 minutes then loosen edge with a butter knife and turn out the cakes to cool completely. For a 9x13 pan, allow to cool completely in the pan.
- When the cake is completely cool, frost with frosting of your choice, and I have listed several shortcuts for frosting in the Recipe Notes section.
- Slice, serve, and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost in the US per serving and I will price this in Thailand using locally bought ingredients, not imported items, which would be high cost.
Shortcuts: Yellow Cake Mix, Chocolate Cake Mix, Spice Cake Mix, Dream Frosting, Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.
Adapted from the recipe on a box of Dream Whip.
Dream Frosting
Easy and tasty. This makes enough frosting to frost a 9 inch layer cake or a 9x13 inch pan.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cold milk
- 1 envelope Dream Whip
- 1 box instant pudding mix, any flavor, 4 serving size
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl, mix with an electric mixer on Low speed until combined.
- Switch to High speed on the mixer and beat for 4-6 minutes or until mixture forms soft peaks. I used sugar free chocolate pudding.
- Frost your cake of choice. Chill the cake until you serve.
- Serve and enjoy. If serving later, cover the cake and place in the fridge until serving.
Notes
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
- Dream Cake, made it, GO-TO recipe.
Homemade Manwich
This is a copycat recipe for the popular canned item called Manwich which is basically a Sloppy Joe sauce. This recipe as stated makes the same as one 15 oz can of Manwich sauce. One can can be used to make Manwich Sloppy Joe Sandwiches or for use in other recipes that require just a can of the sauce. I made this on 15 Jun 2024, very well liked by the family and I.
Ingredients
- 500 grams ground beef, or pork, (1 lb)
- 1 small green bell pepper, finely diced
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 cup tomato ketchup
- 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- ¼ teaspoon celery seed
- ½ teaspoon chili powder, optional
- buns, split, buttered, and toasted, for serving
Instructions
For Manwich Sloppy Joes
- Brown the beef in a pan until little no pink remains.
- While the beef is cooking, dice the bell pepper and set aside, then add the remaining ingredients, except the bell pepper and buns, to a small mixing bowl and stir together to make the sauce.
- Once the beef is cooked, drain the excess fat and return to heat. Add the bell pepper and cook for 3-5 minutes to soften the pepper, stir often.
- Add the sauce, stir and allow mixture to come to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring often, for 10-15 minutes.
- Serve on toasted buns with any toppings you desire. Enjoy.
- These are excellent with a slice of Cheddar on top.
For use in other recipes
- To use in recipes that simply require one 15 oz can, simply omit the ground beef and use the remaining ingredients as listed.
Notes
Fair cost per serving depending on where you source the beef from.
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
Updated on 15 June 2024.
Updated on 15 June 2024.
Red Potato Salad
Sounds like a great tasting potato salad, on my to make and taste list real soon.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 kilos red potatoes, scrubbed, cubed, (2 1/2 lbs)
- 1/2 cup celery, finely diced
- 1/3 cup spring onion, sliced, white and green parts
- 1/3 cup chives, sliced
- salt and pepper, as desired
For the Dressing
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Add the cubed potatoes to a pot and add water to cover by an inch. Put on medium high heat. Cook the potatoes until fork tender.
- Drain the potatoes and leave in the strainer for a few minutes to let them cool just a bit.
- While the potatoes are cooling, add the Dressing ingredients to a small mixing bowl and whisk until nice smooth. Dice and slice the celery, spring onion, and chives as well.
- Place the slightly cooled potatoes into a large mixing bowl, add the dressing and toss well to evenly coat all the potatoes.
- Add the celery, spring onion, and chives and mix to evenly distribute throughout the salad.
- Serve warm or chill to serve cold. Enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Homemade Country Gravy & Biscuits
This recipe uses the dry mix listed on the site, shortcut for that is in the Recipe Notes section. This makes the equivalent of using 2 store bought country gravy packets. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Notes section.
Ingredients
- 500 grams bulk breakfast sausage, (1 lb), Shortcut
- 1 bell pepper, your choice of color, diced
- 6 tablespoons homemade country gravy mix, Shortcut
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 3 cups milk
- ½ cup chicken broth, Shortcut
- hot cooked biscuits, your choice, Shortcut
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, add the breakfast sausage and cook, breaking up the meat with a spatula, until no longer pink and cooked through. Drain any excess fat, then remove the sausage to a plate and set aside.
- To the same saucepan, add the bell pepper and cook until softened, stirring occasionally. When cooked, remove bell pepper and place on the plate with the sausage.
- Now you will want the butter, gravy mix, and milk all measured out and ready, the gravy will come together quickly.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium heat, do not let it boil or burn, then add the gravy mix to the pan and whisk into the butter to make a thick paste, this takes less than a minute.
- Whisk in the broth and whisk continuously until the mixture is smooth and creamy, this should take less than a minute.
- Keep whisking and pour in the milk, keep whisking until the gravy just comes to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for another 1-2 minutes, whisk or stir often.
- When the gravy is thick and creamy, return the sausage and bell pepper to the saucepan and stir in. Cook for a minute or two to heat the sausage through.
- Serve over hot cooked biscuits, and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcuts: Breakfast Sausage, Homemade Country Gravy Mix, Chicken Broth, Linda's Biscuits.
Homemade Country Gravy Mix
This is the homemade version of the very popular gravy packets available in the US. This is just the dry mix. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Notes section.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon garlic salt
- 1 tablespooon black pepper, fresh ground
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, Shortcut
- ½ teaspoon rubbed sage
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a bowl and whisk together.
- Store in an air tight container and use within 1 year.
- 3 tablespoons of mix equals 1 store bought country gravy packet. How to use is listed in the Notes.
Notes
Shortcut: Poultry Seasoning.
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
- Homemade Country Gravy & Biscuits, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Broccoli Cheese Soup, made it, GO-TO recipe.