Archive for the ‘#1 Go-To Recipes’ Category
Pea Salad I
Excellent salad, even my wife enjoyed this.
Ingredients
- 2 cans peas, drained, or 2-3 cups frozen
- 1/4 cup spring onion, sliced
- 2 tablespoons dill pickle relish, or a couple of chopped diced pickles
- 1 hard boiled egg, chopped
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 250 grams Cheddar cheese, cubed small, (8 oz)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Open and drain canned peas, or steam frozen peas and allow them to cool. I used 3 cups of frozen peas.
- To cube the cheese, I sliced a 250 gram block of Cheddar into 1/4 to 3/8 inch slices, then with 2 slices stacked on the wide side, sliced that into 3 strips.
- Take each stack of strips and slice into cubes, add to the peas as you cube the stacks.
- To the peas and cheese, add the onion, relish, chopped egg, mayo, and black pepper as desired. (This time I left out the egg and relish, still delicious.)
- Mix together and taste, season with salt as desired, then cover and chill for at least two hours before serving.
- Serve as a side with any main dish, enjoy.
Notes
Low cost.
Variants: 1. Add cooked cubed ham. 2. For cheese, Swiss or Gouda would work well also.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Fried Corn & Onions
This sounds really good, can change this up every time you make it as well. This would make a great side dish with barbecued ribs or chicken, and with burgers. I made this on 11 Dec 2017, excellent!
Ingredients
- 4 ears fresh corn
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 small onion, diced
- salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Husk the corn, add to a pot of boiling water for 1 minute and remove and place in ice water (you just blanched corn) then cut the kernels off the cob. The amount of corn will be about 2-3 cups. You can also use 2 cups of drained canned corn or even thawed and drained frozen corn.
- Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Saute corn kernels just until tender, then mix in onion. Continue to saute until onion is just beginning to turn crispy. Season with salt and pepper.
Notes
Low cost.
Variants: Add 1/4 cup of diced red or green bell pepper.
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
Basic Pickled Eggs
You either like them or hate them. I love them, been years since I had one. I was chatting with a friend on facebook the other day and pickled eggs came up, so here is a basic recipe, several more will follow. I made these 5 July 2017 and tested them on 12 July, outstanding! This is a great basic pickled egg recipe.
Ingredients
- 12 hard boiled eggs, peeled
- 1½ cups white vinegar
- ½ cups water
- 1 tablespoons pickling spice, whole cloves removed
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Place the eggs in a large heatproof container, a 1 quart wide mouth jar would work well.
- In a saucepan, combine the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and carefully pour over the eggs. I fit 9 eggs in this 1 quart mason jar.
- Let cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate the eggs for 7 days. Enjoy.
Notes
Variants: 1. Add sugar, maybe several tablespoons for a sweeter pickled egg, also try adding ground horse radish for a more intense flavor.
Shortcut: Perfect Hard Boiled Chicken Eggs.
Ham & Cheese Pasta Salad
I was making another dish and wanted to make a pasta salad as a side and to make room in the fridge as well, glad I made this, it is excellent! Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 250 grams dry small pasta, small shells, spirals, or macaroni, (8 oz)
- 250 grams ham, cubed, (8 oz)
- 200 grams bacon, chopped, fried crispy, cooled, (7 oz)
- 125 grams Swiss cheese, cubed, (4 oz)
- 125 grams Cheddar cheese, cubed, (4 oz)
- 5 small dill pickles, sliced, Shortcut
- mayo, as needed
- black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling salted water, to just tender, this way when it cools, it will be a perfect tender pasta for a cold salad. Drain well and place in a large bowl.
- While the pasta is cooking, go ahead and cube the cheese, ham, and cook the bacon. Here I used only Gouda cheese.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl, except the mayo and black pepper, and gently mix together.
- Start adding mayo, couple of large spoonfuls and mix, add more mayo as needed to just coat everything, not dripping with mayo. Season to taste with black pepper. Refrigerate for several hours before serving. Serve as a side or as a main dish.
Notes
The ham will cost 135 Baht, the bacon 130 Baht, Swiss cheese is half a 250 gram block so that is 90 Baht, and the Cheddar cheese is half a 250 gram block to that is 90 Baht. For 10 servings, this is about $1.30 per serving, over all, not bad.
Shortcut: Fridge Dill Pickles.
Variant: 1. In place of Swiss use Gouda or use all Gouda.
Crispy Sardines & Garlic Mayo
These are very good. Serve as an appetizer or with a nice pasta salad or vegetables for a light dinner. I made this on 30 Aug 2017 and is highly recommended if you like sardines in olive oil. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 tin sardines in olive oil, (120 g / 4¼ oz), Shortcut
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 cup breadcrumbs, Shortcut
- cooking oil, for frying
- chili powder, for garnish
For the Garlic Mayo
- ½ cup mayo
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1-2 tablespoons oil from the sardine can
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Drain the tin of sardines and reserve the olive oil, this is the 120 gram tin, then split each sardine in half lengthwise. Or use 3-4 pieces of homemade sardines in olive oil.
- For garlic mayo, mix all the garlic mayo ingredients. Season to taste with salt and leave it in the fridge to let flavors to build.
- Lightly coat sardines in flour, followed by egg, then breadcrumbs. Heat oil in pan and pan fry till golden brown and crispy. (I did not have breadcrumbs, totally forgot that so I used tempura flour after the egg wash, that works well too.)
- Serve hot with garlic mayonnaise and a sprinkle of chili powder.
Notes
One tin of sardines in olive oil, Ayam brand costs 59 Baht. For 2 servings, this is about 87 cents per serving.
Shortcuts: Sardines in Olive Oil, Breadcrumbs.
Impossible Pie
This recipe is Amish in origin and I must say, it is delicious, beyond all expectations. All I can say is this is hands down a perfect, quick to throw together pie. I will certainly be making this often.
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 7 tablespoons butter, softened, just under 1/2 cup
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F). Grease a pie dish with butter then flour it.
- The flour, sugar, and coconut measured out, the nutmeg is ready for later.
- Liquid ingredients measured out, the milk, eggs, vanilla, and butter. Mix in the dry ingredients.
- Pour the batter into the pie dish and sprinkle the nutmeg onto the pie and the bit of reserved coconut.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until nicely golden brown on top. Remove from oven and let it cool completely, then refrigerate until cold. When the pie comes out of the oven it should be well above the edge of the dish, this is normal.
- When the dish cools, the center will sink in leaving a raised area around the edge of the dish, this is normal.
- Serve and enjoy.
Cheesy Garlic Baked Chicken
Minimal ingredients, and delicious.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cheese, shredded, Cheddar would be good
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 190 C. Line a baking dish with foil and lightly grease that with butter, makes clean up easier. Place the chicken breasts in the baking dish.
- In a small pan, heat the oil then cook the garlic until tender. Remove from heat and stir in the brown sugar and salt.
- Cover the chicken with 3/4 of the garlic and brown sugar mixture, season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, sprinkle the cheese on the chicken and top with the remaining garlic and brown sugar mixture, bake for 10 more minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Serve with mashed potatoes and a vegetable for a nice meal.
Notes
Low cost.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
United States.
Fisherman's Eggs
I love sardines, and I love eggs, this is a win win right here. I have changed this to reflect using individual Pyrex dishes. I made this on 6 Aug 2017, and it is yummy! This makes a very filling breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Dish (1¼ cup size)
Ingredients
- 1 tin sardines in olive oil, (120 g / 4¼ oz), see Step 2, Shortcut
- 1 small shallot, sliced
- fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- black pepper, to taste
- 2 eggs, chicken or duck
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 220°° C (425° F). When the oven is hot, heat a small baking dish for 5 minutes in the oven. I used a Pyrex serving dish, the 1¼ cup size dish.
- For the sardines, use a tin of sardines in olive oil, Ayam brand is the only one I found with oil and is highly recommended. Or use 2-3 pieces of sardines from a homemade batch of sardines. Drain the tin and place the sardines in another small bowl and use a spoon and just break the sardines into chunks. Add the shallot, garlic, and parsley and mix together, season with black pepper as desired.
- Remove the baking dish from the oven, add the sardine mixture to the heated dish and return to the oven for 5-6 minutes.
- Remove the dish from the oven, crack two eggs into a bowl, and slide them into the heated dish, season with salt and pepper to your liking, return the dish to the oven for another 7 minutes or until the whites are set. Remove the dish and place on the counter and cover with a lid for 5 minutes (the eggs will continue to cook, and it needs to cool, can actually let it sit for 10 minutes and you will have hot sardines and eggs).
- Serve with toast for a good breakfast or with a salad for a dinner.
Notes
If using tinned sardines, 1 tin per serving at 59 Baht, this is about $1.74 per serving. If making sardines at home, the cost will only be slightly less due to the cost of the olive oil needed. Not a inexpensive meal but certainly healthy.
Shortcut: Sardines in Olive Oil.
Moist Chocolate Cake (Bread Machine)
Yep, you read that right, cake in a bread machine. This recipe is from the cookbook that came with my bread machine, and I will say it is spot on as chocolate, and moist! No frosting needed! I made this on 4 Apr 2017 and it is excellent! Your bread machine needs a cake function in order to make this. I do use dry weight measurements in grams on a digital scale and liquid measurement in ml, ounces and cup measurement are provided as well.
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup butter, room temperature, 3/4 of standard block, (1 1/2 sticks)
- 180 grams sugar, (6.35 oz)
- 200 ml evaporated milk, (.83 cups)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 100 grams all purpose flour, (3.53 oz)
- 50 grams cocoa powder, (1.76 oz)
Instructions
- Place the ingredients into the pan of the bread machine in the order listed, select Cake function, press start. About 1 1/2 hours later, it will be done.
- Remove the pan from the bread machine and set it on the counter to cool for about 30 minutes to an hour. Once it has cooled, get a rack ready on the counter. Now fold up 2-3 paper towels, you are going use hand to hold the top of the cake, while you turn the pan over with your other hand by hold the attachment at the bottom of the pan, gently shake the pan and the cake will drop from the pan and paddle into your hand. Set the pan down, place the rack on the cake and turn the cake and rack over. Now your cake is on the rack and right side up, allow the cake to completely cool.
- Slice, and use a large spatula to pick up and set on plates, or it will fall apart. Top with some whipped cream, enjoy! Here is a slice served with two brownies.
Notes
Low cost.
Recipe from my bread machine cookbook.
Khow Suey (ခေါက်ဆွဲ)
This is a Burmese dish consisting of curried chicken with coconut milk served over Chinese egg noodles as a soup. I made this on 17 Aug 2017, delicious to say the least.
Ingredients
- 600 grams chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces, (1-1 ¼ lbs)
- ½ cup cooking oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced or 1/4 teaspoon powdered
- 1 onion, diced
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground corriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 200 grams egg noodles, (6 ozs)
- 4 cups chicken stock, fresh or from powder
Instructions
- Add the oil to a large deep skillet, heat then add the onion and cook until translucent, then add the garlic and ginger. Cook for a few more minutes, then mix in the cinnamon and add the bay leaves.
- Add the chicken to the pan and cook 8-10 minutes or until it changes color, then add the turmeric, coriander, soy sauce, cumin, chili powder, chicken stock, and bring to a boil.
- Add the corn starch to half a cup of water, and stir that into the pan and reduce heat to a simmer and cook until thickened. Then add the coconut milk. and simmer for 5 minutes.
- While the pan is simmering, boil some water in a pot and cook the egg noodles until tender, and drain.
- To serve, add some egg noodles to a bowl, spoon some curry over the top and top with condiments of your choice, such as a hard boiled egg, Bird's Eye chilies, chopped onion, etc.
Notes
The chicken would cost about 50 Baht/600 grams. For 4 servings, this is about 37 cents per servings.
Variant: In place of the chicken, you can use prawns, fish, pork, or beef.