Archive for the ‘#1 Go-To Recipes’ Category
Chicken with Egg Noodles & Alfredo Sauce
This recipe uses canned chicken and it is very tasty. Feel free to use fresh cooked chicken.
Ingredients
- 2 cans chicken, drained, 15 oz cans
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- 225 grams dry wide egg noodles, (8 oz)
- ½ green bell pepper, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
- ½ small onion, diced
- 1 jar alfredo sauce, 15 oz jar
- 1½ cups frozen peas, thawed, or 1 can drained
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated, and more for garnish
- salt and pepper, as desired
- fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Prep the garlic, onion, bell pepper, and measure out the dry egg noodles.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil then add the egg noodles and cook until tender, drain, and cover to keep warm, set aside.
- After you get the noodles started, heat a non stick pan with the olive oil, when hot, add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic, saute until softened, then add the chicken.
- Cook the chicken until heated through. Add the Alfredo sauce and peas and stir together. Stir in the Parmesan, taste, and season with salt and pepper as desired.
- Drain the egg noodles when tender and add to the sauce and mix together. Garnish with parsley, serve with Parmesan for topping, and enjoy.
Notes
I will add pricing to this when I determine how much chicken I use. For now I will say low cost per serving.
Variant: 1. Add sautéed sliced mushrooms.
Fried Green Tomatoes I
This is the basic way to prepare fried green tomatoes and is the method I grew up with. No quantities stated as this is a make as much as you want guide.
Ingredients
- green tomatoes, as desired
- all purpose flour, as needed
- salt and pepper, as desired
- cooking oil, for frying, as desired
Instructions
- Rinse the tomatoes and slice thinly, less than 1/4 inch thick.
- Place some flour in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper as desired and mix into the flour. Coat the tomato slices in the flour.
- Heat a non stick pan with cooking oil to just cover the bottom of the pan, when hot, add a layer of tomato slices, don't overlap.
- Fry until golden brown on the bottom, then use tongs and turn the slices over and fry the other side until golden brown.
- Remove to paper towels to drain. Continue with remaining slices, adding and heating additional oil as needed.
- Serve and enjoy. Serve as a side dish or as a snack or appetizer.
Notes
Low cost.
Family recipe I have used for many years. Lee Thayer.
United States.
United States.
Mushrooms in Sour Cream Sauce
This recipe comes from a good friend and this is common in Russian cooking and served as a side dish, and it is delicious! Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Notes section.
Ingredients
- 500 grams button mushrooms, (1 lb)
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 3 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- 5 tablespoons sour cream
- salt and pepper, as desired
- 1 spring onion, sliced for garnish, optional
Instructions
- First we need to prep the ingredients. Finely dice the onion and slice the mushrooms thick, about 1/4 inch thick. And thinly slice the spring onion as well if you are going to use that.
- Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a non stick pan on medium heat, when hot, add the onion, cook, stirring them, until softened and starting to get golden brown.
- Pour the onions and any oil, into a bowl and set that aside.
- Add another 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to the same pan, when hot, add the mushrooms.
- Saute the mushrooms until starting to lightly brown, they will be soft, and release their water.
- When the mushrooms are ready, drain most of the liquid in the pan, leaving just a little liquid in the pan. Add the onion and sour cream, season as desired with salt and pepper. Stir everything together and heat through then remove from heat.
- Place in a serving bowl, sprinkle with spring onion, serve as a side with any meal, and enjoy.
Notes
Shortcut: Sour Cream.
Variants: 1. For Asia, use Straw Mushrooms sliced in half lengthwise. 2. Feel free to use cremini or baby bella mushrooms in place of white button. 3. Use an equal amount of whipping cream (heavy cream) in place of sour cream and sprinkle with some cornstarch to thicken.
Sausage & Summer Squash
For this recipe, which is more of a guide, I used Hillshire Farms Smoked Sausage and Kielbasa and yellow summer squash.
Ingredients
- 6 small yellow squash, sliced about ¼ inch thick or a bit thinner
- 1 package smoked sausage, sliced about ¼ inch thick, (400 g / 14 oz)
- 1 package Kielbasa sausage, sliced about ¼ inch thick, (340 g / 12 oz)
- ½ onion, diced
- extra light olive oil, as needed
- salt and pepper, as desired
Instructions
- Here is 4 of the 6 squash I used, these would be medium sized.
- Heat a non stick pan on medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil, when hot, add the onion and squash. Turn the sausage often, and season with salt and pepper as desired. The squash will release water and will cook down.
- Slice the sausage then heat a non stick pan with 1 tablespoon of oil, when hot, add the sausage. Turn the sausage often until starting to brown, you are basically heating it through as it is already cooked.
- Turn the squash as it cooks down, and let the water cook off as well.
- When the water is cooked off from the squash, add the sausage to the squash and turn to mix together. Season with black pepper and salt as desired.
- Serve with sides of your choice, enjoy.
Notes
It cost me $2.78 for the smoked sausage and $2.78 for the kielbasa. I think I paid $2 for the squash. For 6 servings, this is about $1.26 per serving.
My parents cooked this many times when I was growing up, I just thought combining them would be good and it was.
Strawberry Pie
This recipe comes from a good friend and this is her mother's recipe, and it sounds delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 kilo fresh strawberries, (2 lbs)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 graham cracker crust
- 250 grams Cream cheese, 1 block, softened, (8 oz)
- 453 grams powdered sugar, (1 lb or 3 2/3 cups)
- 1 envelope Dream Whip
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 small box strawberry gelatin, (jello)
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1/2 cup strawberry juice, (you are going to make this)
Instructions
- Trim stems off the strawberries, then depending on the size, for small to medium, cut each in half, and for large berries, cut into quarters (lengthwise). Place in a mixing bowl.
- Add the granulated sugar to the strawberries and gently mix together. This will juice the strawberries. Place bowl in the fridge for an hour.
- In another mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, Dream Whip, and vanilla extract.
- Pour mixture into the pie crust and spread out evenly. Place in the fridge.
- Place a strainer on another bowl and drain the strawberries, reserving the juice. Measure out 1/2 cup of that juice and set that and the strawberries aside. (For the remaining strawberry juice, save that and pour over angel food cake another day.)
- Another mixing bowl, dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water, stir in that 1/2 cup of reserved strawberry juice, then add the strawberries and stir together. Place in the fridge until set and cooled.
- Mix the strawberry gelatin and pour over the cream cheese mixture in the pie crust. Place in the fridge until ready to serve.
Notes
One item I cannot price for certain is the Dream Whip, that, I have never seen here. Strawberries are hit or miss on quality. For now I will say Fair cost per serving.
Recipe and photo provided by good friend, Patti Stone.
United States.
United States.
Chicken Giblets, Chili, and Basil
This is a Thai dish and is quite easy to prepare. The spiciness for this comes from the judicious use of orange, yellow, and light green Bird's eye chilies and Thai basil.
Ingredients
- 500 grams chicken hearts, (1 lb)
- 500 grams chicken gizzards, (1 lb)
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled
- large handful Thai basil leaves
- handful fresh black peppercorns, leave on the stems
- handful orange Bird's Eye chilies, orange, yellow, and light green, about 60
- salt and pepper, as desired
- 1-2 tablespoons cooking oil
Instructions
- Rinse the hearts and remove any visible blood, trim the tubes off if desired, and leave the fat on. Rinse the gizzards then slice them into smaller than bite size pieces. Remove the stems from the chilies and rinse. Rinse the basil and black pepper, and peel the garlic. This is a type of recipe that you want all the ingredients ready to go.
- Using a mortar and pestle, pound the chilies and garlic into a paste.
- Heat 1-2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a non stick pan on medium heat. When hot, add the hearts and gizzards. These will release water and the fat on the hearts will also render. Saute until there is no pink visible, they will get fully cooked shortly. Pour the contents of the pan into a pot and return the pan to heat.
- Add the chili paste and cook and stir for a 1-2 minutes.
- Add the giblets and the liquid back to the pan. Mix everything together and let come to a boil.
- Add the peppercorns and mix into the giblets, continue to boil for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the basil and mix in. Cook until the basil is wilted, remove from heat.
- Serve with hot cooked rice, enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Sausage Sandwich
Now a true British Sausage Sandwich would be Cumberland or Lincolnshire sausages on a floured bap with ketchup or brown sauce. However, this being Thailand, floured baps are quite scarce in a province where there is very few westerners, but I do make some excellent Cumberland sausage so that part is possible for me. But, I am going to make these with a bit of a twist. Here is 3 versions for you to enjoy.
Ingredients
1st Version (Asian)
- 4 links Arabiki sausage, in Thailand, these are 4 links to a pack
- 2 slices wheat bread, toasted
- ketchup, or Kewpie mayo, as desired
2nd Version (American)
- 1 link Italian sausage
- ½ onion, sliced
- 1 hamburger bun, or white bread
- Cream cheese, softened
3rd Version (British)
- 3-4 thin links Cumberland sausage
- 1 hamburger bun
- ketchup, or HP brown sauce
Instructions
1st Version (Asian)
- Stab the sausages with a fork along the length, this prevents bursting. Heat a non stick pan with a teaspoon of oil, when hot, add the sausage and cook until browned.
- Toast the bread, add the sausage links to one slice, top with ketchup or Kewpie mayo as desired.
- Top with the second slice of toasted bread, cut in half, enjoy.
2nd Version (American)
- Butterfly the sausage. Heat a non stick pan with a teaspoon of oil, when hot, add the sausage and cook until browned.
- In another pan, saute the onion until softened and starting to brown.
- Spread cream cheese on the top and bottom of the bun or on one side of each slice of bread. Place the sausage on the bottom of the bun or a slice of bread, top with the onion, top with the other half of bun or slice bread, enjoy.
3rd Version (British)
- Stab the sausages with a fork along the length, this prevents bursting. Heat a non stick pan with a teaspoon of oil, when hot, add the sausage and cook until browned.
- Add the sausage links to the bottom bun, top with ketchup or HP sauce as desired.
- Top with the other half of the bun, enjoy.
Notes
If making the Cumberland or Italian sausage yourself, this is a Low cost sandwich, if buying the sausage, this could be Fair to High priced per sandwich. I will mark this one as Fair priced for now.
Mushrooms & Eggs
This is a straightforward recipe that is tasty and can be tailored as you desire. Don't like cheese? Leave it out. Want to add some color to the dish? Add some chopped bell pepper.
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
- 2 tablespoons butter, or extra light olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 cup Fontina cheese, or Provolone, shredded
- 2 eggs
- salt and pepper, as desired
Instructions
- For this dish, you will need a pan with a lid, and a glass lid would be ideal so you can keep an eye on the eggs.
- Heat a non stick pan on medium heat and melt the butter, then add the mushrooms, onion, garlic, and thyme.
- Saute to soften the mushrooms and release any water and soften the onion, season with salt and pepper as desired. Saute until most of the water is evaporated.
- Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the mushrooms, crack the eggs on top, season with salt and pepper as desired. If all the water has cooked off, simply add a tablespoon or two of water on the side. (I did not use cheese this time.)
- Cover with the lid to poach the eggs, whites are set and the yolks are runny or to your liking.
- Season with more pepper if desired.
- Serve with toast, enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Asian Rice Noodle Soup
Generic name as this does not pertain to any Asian country, rather this is a type of soup made all over Asia in various ways, this soup is just one way, and the bonus is, you can add anything you like to this soup. This recipe assumes you have hard boiled eggs on hand already, if not there is shortcuts listed.
Ingredients
- 220 grams dry flat rice noodles, (about 8 oz)
- 3 quarts water
- 2 tablespoons pork seasoning powder
- 300 grams fresh Shiitake mushrooms, (about 10 oz)
- 150 grams fresh white crab mushrooms, (about 5 oz)
- 2-3 spring onions, chopped, or 3-4 chives
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 slices fresh ginger
- salt and white pepper, as desired
- 4 hard boiled eggs, Shortcuts
- 8 Arabiki sausages
Instructions
- First thing we are going to do make the stock. Add 2 quarts of water to a medium sized pot and stir in the pork flavoring and bring to a simmer. While that is coming up to a simmer, lay the Arabiki sausages on a cutting board and prick each sausage with a fork along the length of each sausage, this prevents them from bursting open and releases some of the fat to also flavor the stock.
- After the water comes to a simmer, add the sausage. Simmer for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the sausage with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Set the sausage aside.
- While the sausage is simmering, prep the remaining ingredients. For the Shiitake mushrooms, I used a Japanese cutting technique called Sogigiri, which is an angle slicing cut - remove the stems, quickly rinse the caps, place the caps stem side down, then slice each cap at a 45 degree angle, the purpose of this is to give a large surface area to provide even cooking. For the White Crab mushrooms, simple cut the root section off, quickly rinse, then chop the bundle into 3 sections.
- After the sausage comes out of the pot, another quart of water, bring the stock to a boil and add the garlic and ginger slices. Boil for about 3-5 minutes then add the rice noodles and reduce the heat slightly as they will foam up. I used flat rice noodles, these are not known as wide noodles, just flat, wide rice noodles can be 1/2 to 1 inch wide and those are normally bought fresh, not dry.
- When the noodle are about half cooked, you will see them expand in width and thickness, go ahead and add the mushrooms.
- When the noodles are tender, stir in the spring onion or chives and simmer for another 2 minutes then remove from heat.
- Cut the Arabiki sausages in half at an angle, and slice the eggs in half lengthwise.
- Ladle soup into bowls, place 4 sausage pieces on the side (2 links), and place 2 pieces of egg, cut side up, on the side as well. Enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcuts: Steamed Eggs (Rice Cooker), Perfect Hard Boiled Chicken Eggs.
My own creation from seeing hundreds of soups made. Lee Thayer, Thailand.
Arabiki Sausage 101
Arabiki sausage is a smoked Japanese coarse pork sausage in sheep casings, the casing give it a distinctive snap when bitten into. Here in Thailand, they come plain and also with cheese. These are typically small sausages, about the size of a finger, and these have to be cooked first. Oddly, the only brand of this sausage I have ever seen is only available at none other than 7-11. These come 4 sausages to a pack, which makes a nice single serving. These can be used in many ways.
Ingredients
- 1 package Arabiki sausage
Instructions
- Here is the two types, plain smoked on the left, and with cheese on the right.
- Heat a non stick pan and add the sausage, figure 4 sausages per serving, here I am cooking 4 packages.
- Turn occasionally and cook until browned.
- Serve with a potato and or vegetable side dish.
- Now with the pan fried sausages, serve as is, or slice and add to your favorite mac & cheese, add to a pasta dish.
- The directions on the packet are to microwave in the package (have to open the package first) for 45 seconds. Keeping them in the package prevents fat from splattering all over in your microwave, then they are ready for use.
- Another way to prepare these is to slice in half at an angle add to a pot of broth then serve with an Asian noodle soup, then you could stretch 1 package into say 2 servings.
- Another way to prepare these is to run onto skewers and place on a grill, turn often until nicely browned.
Notes
One package of 4 Japanese sausages is about 42 Baht. Figuring 4 sausage per serving, this is about $1.32 per serving. If adding to say a mac & cheese, you may only need to add 1 package, then the cost per serving would be less than $1 per serving.
Common preparation methods for Arabiki sausage. Lee Thayer.
Thailand.
Thailand.