Archive for the ‘#1 Go-To Recipes’ Category
Basic Salmon Patties
When I was growing up, these were a common staple for a dinner. Here is Thailand, the large cans of salmon are very high priced, so I will work this up with frozen salmon that I steam and will come up with a cost per serving when I make this. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 can salmon, drained, (14¾ oz / 418 g), Shortcut
- ½ small onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs, or regular breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup mayo
- 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- salt and pepper, to taste
- olive oil, as needed
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl.
- Mix together, season with salt and pepper as desired.
- Divide mixture into 4 sections, form into 4 patties and place on a plate.
- Heat a large skillet with a splash of oil, when the oil is hot, cook the patties about 4-5 minutes per side or until nice and golden brown.
- Turn patties over and cook another 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove patties to a serving plate.
- Serve with sides of your choice, enjoy.
Notes
In Thailand, I will price this when I steam some salmon and prepare this. For those in the US, a store brand of canned salmon would make this about 70 cents per serving and a Best Value.
Shortcuts: Steamed Salmon, Breadcrumbs.
Tomato & Onion Salad I
This is a basic salad that is Japanese in origin, and sounds like an excellent side dish. I made this on 19 Dec 2017, very good indeed!
Equipment
- Mandoline
Ingredients
- 500 grams cherry tomatoes, sliced in half, (1 lb)
- ½ small onion, thinly sliced, use a mandolin
- ½ - 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil, or olive oil
- 1½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 1½ tablespoons rice vinegar
- 6 shiso leaves, chopped, or basil or coriander
Instructions
- The tomatoes, onion, and bell pepper prepped.
- Mix together and add the oil, soy sauce, and rice vinegar and toss to coat everything.
- Sprinkle on the shiso or basil or coriander, serve.
Cardamom Bread (Bread Machine)
A friend of mine mentioned to me Cardamom Bread and that inspired me to research this and I came up with this. I made this on 17 Dec 2017, and wow is it good! This is a keeper.
Equipment
- Bread Machine
Ingredients
- ½ cup milk
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup applesauce, unsweetened
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 374 grams bread flour, 2¾ cups if no scale
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
Instructions
- Add the ingredients to your bread machine in the order listed.
- Set the bread machine to Regular Bread, 750 (1½ lb) loaf, light crust, and start.
- When the cycle is completed, remove the pan from the bread machine and remove the loaf to a rack to cool for a few minutes.
- Slice, butter, and enjoy!
Dumpling Egg Soup II
This is another version of the original soup, with the main ingredients being the potato, eggs, dumplings (wontons), and broth. For this version, the type of eggs was changed and I added Vietnamese sausage. This recipe is assuming you have dumplings (or wontons) ready made or already homemade and on hand, and hard boiled eggs on hand as well.
Ingredients
- 3 cups beef broth, fresh or from powder
- 6-9 vegetable dumplings, or wontons
- 15-20 hard boiled quail eggs, peeled
- 1 small potato, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 bunch fresh coriander, chopped
- salt and white pepper, to taste
- 180 grams Vietnamese sausage, cubed
Instructions
- Add the broth to a small sauce pan and add the potato and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer until the potatoes are almost fork tender, 8-10 minutes or so.
- Just when the potatoes are almost fork tender, add the eggs and Vietnamese sausage. Let this simmer for another 5-10 minutes or so to finish cooking the potatoes and to heat the eggs and sausage through. Vietnamese sausage is already cooked when you buy it, here you just need to heat it through.
- For the dumplings or wontons, you can do this two ways. You can pan fry them first then add to the broth, or for raw wontons, you can just add to the broth when you add the eggs and let them cook that way.
- When the potato is tender, season with salt and white pepper to taste and stir in some chopped coriander.
- Ladle into bowls with plenty of broth, sprinkle some of the coriander on the top and serve.
Notes
Low cost.
Shortcuts: Perfect Hard Boiled Quail Eggs, Vegetable Wontons.
Inspired by the original recipe provided courtesy of good friend, Drew Padilla.
United States.
United States.
Basic Applesauce (Slow Cooker)
I have never made applesauce before so I researched and found this, basically peeled, cored, and sliced apples and cooked with a bit of water, and if desired, sugar and salt as well. I made this on 14 Dec 2017, and wow is this better than from a jar! I have changed this up to a slow cooker recipe, which is perfect for the controlled heat.
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
- Potato Masher
Ingredients
- 6 medium apples
- ½ cup water
- pinch salt, small pinch
- ½ cup sugar, optional, not really needed
Instructions
- Add the water and a pinch of salt to your slow cooker and set to High setting.
- Peel, core, cut the apples in quarters, and slice. Put the apple slices in the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook until the apples are soft. Stir about every 15 minutes, after 30 to 45 minutes, mash with a potato masher. Add sugar if desired depending on how sweet you would like this. Cook to melt the sugar in and cook down to a sauce.
- Cook for another 30 minutes on Low setting, and you have the best tasting applesauce ever. Serve as a dessert or use as an ingredient in baking.
Notes
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
- Pig Pickin' Cake, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Red Hot Applesauce Jello, made it.
- Applesauce Cookies, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Applesauce Pie, made it, GO-TO recipe.
Garlic Butter Rice (Rice Cooker)
This is a wonderful side dish, and a rice cooker is used so you can concentrate on preparing the main dish, even better. I made this on 20 June 2018, perfect.
Equipment
- Rice Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry white rice, rinsed
- 2-3 cloves garlic, smashed and finely minced
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1¾ cups water
Instructions
- Place the first 5 ingredients in your rice cooker and mix evenly. Add the water. Set the cooker to the Cook setting. (After this photo, then the rice was added and mix together.)
- When the cooker switches to Warm setting, fluff the rice with a spoon and taste, season with a pinch of salt if needed. Serve as a side with any main dish.
Notes
Low cost.
______ & Gravy
You fill in the blank with a meat of choice, can be leftovers or bought purposely for this recipe. I like simple dishes that come together quickly, and can be changed numerous ways. This is a base recipe that you can can tailor to make your own specialty. This can be a side dish over rice, or a main dish over pasta, mashed potatoes, or biscuits.
Ingredients
For the Concept
- 500-700 grams meat
- 2 cups gravy, OR make from a shortcut
- 100-200 grams pasta, rice or mashed potatoes or biscuits
For Seasoning
- ground sage, to taste
- salt and pepper, to taste
- celery seed, to taste
For Additional Ingredients
- onion, diced
- garlic, smashed and minced
- mushrooms, sliced or chopped
Instructions
For the Meats - Pick One
- Think simple items that are cooked or can be cooked up quick. Chicken Hearts, Chicken Livers, Chicken Gizzards, Sausage, leftover roast chicken, leftover beef pot roast, leftover pork loin.
- Cook fresh meats in a non stick skillet with a splash of olive oil along with a diced onion and several cloves of mined garlic and mushrooms if using those. Drain and set aside.
- For leftover meats, cube or shred, your preference. Saute a diced onion and several cloves of garlic in a non stick pan with a splash of olive oil. When the onion is translucent, add mushroom if using, then add the cubed or shredded leftover meat and saute until heated through. Drain and set aside.
- For sausage, bulk or sliced would work well with a milk gravy.
For the Gravy - Pick One
- Gravy can be from a homemade mix, from a gravy packet, or from the drippings in the pan when using fresh meats. I use packets or from a homemade mix. Your choice.
- Chicken giblets and leftovers obviously pair up with chicken gravy. Beef with beef gravy, and pork with pork or chicken gravy. Sausage would pair nicely with a milk gravy.
- For 2-3 servings, go with 2 cups of gravy, either 2 packets, 2 cups worth from a homemade mix, or you can make in the pan with the drippings.
- Once the gravy is made, add the cooked or heated up meat of choice.
For the Seasoning
- After the meat of choice is added to the gravy and mixed, taste and add salt and pepper as desired. For the chicken giblets, sage and celery seed works very well, for two cups of gravy I used 1/2 teaspoon of sage and 1/4 teaspoon of celery seed.
- White pepper can be used in place of black pepper. Any herbs of choice can be used, like rosemary, thyme, parsley, coriander. Totally up to your preference.
For Serving - Pick One
- Rice, small amount for a side dish or a large amount for a main dish.
- Pasta, can be spaghetti, egg noodles, fettuccine, macaroni, small shells, spirals, totally your preference.
- Potatoes, mashed would be my first choice, boiled and fried potatoes also work.
- Biscuits, think milk gravy with sausage. And additional option for this would be a fried egg or two on top.
Example: Chicken Hearts & Gravy
- Trim and cut the hearts, 500 grams (1 lb) in half. Saute until just cooked through. Season with salt and pepper as desired while sauteing.
- Prepare 1 cup of Chicken Gravy.
- Drain the fat from the pan and add the hearts to the gravy. Simmer for 1-2 minutes, season with salt and pepper as desired. Serve over rice, with pasta, a pasta salad, you get the picture.
Notes
Cost is dependent on if you are using fresh meats specifically for this dish or using leftovers.
Shortcut: Gravy Mix.
Based on making Chicken Hearts & Gravy, Lee Thayer.
Thailand.
Thailand.
Chicken Hearts & Gravy
I like chicken hearts, and this is a simple and easy meal to put together. I made this on 12 Dec 2017 as a way to use up some chicken hearts I had in the freezer, and this gives me an idea for a base recipe for leftovers as well. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 750 grams chicken hearts, cleaned, cut in half lengthwise, (1½ lb)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper, as desired
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- ½ teaspoon ground sage
- ¼ teaspoon celery seed
- 2 cups chicken gravy, (prepare 2 packets), Shortcut
- 250 grams egg noodles, or pasta of your choice, (8 oz)
Instructions
- In a large non stick pan, heat the oil and add the chicken hearts and saute for a few minutes, they release a lot of fat was well (additional flavor), add the onion and garlic, and saute until the onion is translucent and hearts cooked through. Drain the hearts.
- While the hearts are cooking. In a small sauce pan prepare the chicken gravy according to the packet instructions, this is normally 2 packets to make 2 cups. Once the gravy is made, add the drained hearts and stir in, season with the sage, celery seed, and salt and pepper to taste.
- In another small sauce pan, cook the pasta in boiling water until tender, then drain.
- Place some noodles on a plate and ladle on the gravy, enjoy.
Notes
Figure about 50 Baht for the chicken hearts. For 2 servings, this is about 74 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Gravy Mix.
Corn Soup with Quail Eggs
This is a Filipino soup, and it is unbelievably delicious, and quick to prepare. This is from a good friend so it is authentic. This can be a breakfast, lunch, or light dinner. This was enjoyed by 4 of us at the house last night, 22 Aug 2018. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Notes section.
Ingredients
- 24 hard boiled quail eggs, peeled, Shortcut
- 2 cans cream style corn, (410 g/14½ oz each)
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- ¾ cup spring onion, chopped
- 1 chicken egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch, mixed with 2 tablespoons water
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a medium size pot, add the water and broth and bring to a boil. Add the creamed corn, stir, and allow to come to a boil again then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the spring onion and season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 2 minutes. Pour in the cornstarch and water mix (slurry), stir and simmer for 1 minute.
- Slowly stir in one direction while slowly pouring in the chicken egg. Then add the quail eggs, stir, then cover, turn off the heat and leave on the same burner. Let this sit for 5 minutes.
- Stir and then ladle into bowls, enjoy.
Notes
Dumpling Egg Soup I
I got this from a friend, who had an Asian friend make this soup for him, and as my friend calls it, 'comfort soup, right up there with chicken noodle soup'. My friend never kept the recipe and just goes by how he remembers it, and it not only looks great, it tastes great! This is a simple to prepare soup with plenty of nutrients. I will be making several versions of this easy and delicious soup. This recipe is assuming you have dumplings (or wontons) ready made or already homemade and on hand, and hard boiled eggs on hand as well.
Ingredients
- 3 cups beef broth, fresh or from powder
- 2-3 vegetable dumplings, or wontons
- 3 hard boiled eggs, peeled, chicken or duck
- 1 small potato, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2-3 spring onions, 1-2 chopped, 1 for the side
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Add the broth to a small sauce pan and add the potato and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer until the potato pieces are almost fork tender, 8-10 minutes or so.
- Just when the potatoes are almost fork tender, add the eggs. Let this simmer for another 5-10 minutes or so to finish cooking the potatoes and to heat the eggs through.
- For the dumplings or wontons, you can do this two ways. You can pan fry the dumplings first then add to the broth, or for raw wontons, you can just add to the broth when you add the eggs and let them cook that way. (And I totally forgot to add the wontons that I made just 2 hours before.)
- When the potato is tender, season with salt as desired, scoop the potato, eggs, and dumplings or wontons into a bowl, ladle over plenty of broth, top with 1 or 2 chopped spring onion.
- Serve with a spring onion or two on the side.
Notes
Low cost.
Shortcuts: Perfect Hard Boiled Chicken Eggs, Perfect Hard Boiled Duck Eggs, Vegetable Wontons.
Recipe provided courtesy of good friend, Drew Padilla.
United States.
United States.