Archive for the ‘#1 Go-To Recipes’ Category
Fish Tacos
For the best Fish Tacos I have ever had, that would be San Diego, California, many many years ago, at the Mexican owned and operated places. This recipe is spot on for a good tasting fish taco. I made these last night, 7 June 2017 and two thumbs up from my wife as well. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 2 fillets Pangasius fillets, cut each fillet in half to make 4 pieces
- olive oil, as needed
- 2-3 tablespoons butter
- garlic salt, as needed
- salsa, as needed, OR make from a shortcut
- sour cream, as needed, OR make from a shortcut
- Cheddar cheese, shredded, as needed
- cabbage, shredded, as needed
- 4 large flour tortillas
Instructions
- Heat a large non stick skillet with the butter and a splash of olive oil, cook the fillets over medium heat until cooked through and flakes easily with a fork. Season with garlic salt to taste, remove from the skillet and place on paper towels to drain.
- In a separate non stick skillet on low heat with no oil or butter, heat the tortillas on each side for a minute or so, this just to make them more pliable to fold. Once they are warmed, place a piece of fish on one side of each tortilla.
- Top the fish with a spoon or two of salsa, sour cream, shredded cabbage, and cheese.
- Fold the other side over and enjoy.
Notes
The fish is low cost, the high cost would be the store bought tortillas (imported as well) (I really need to find a recipe to make these), for now I will say fair cost per serving.
Variant: 1. Add a dash or two of hot sauce to the taco, or even a squeeze of fresh lime.
Shortcut: Fast and Simple Fresh Salsa II, Sour Cream.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Basic Chicken Fajitas
There is about as many ways to prepare fajitas as there is tacos, this is just a guide to start with and you can tailor this to make it your own. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 packet fajita seasoning mix, OR make from a shortcut on this site
- 1 kilo chicken breasts, cut into large strips
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- tomatoes, chopped, for garnish
- cilantro, chopped, for garnish
- cheese, shredded, for garnish
- limes, cut into wedges, for garnish
- flour tortillas, as needed
Instructions
- Place the chicken strips, oil, lemon juice, and seasoning mix in a large zip lock bag, squeeze out the air and squish everything to mix and coat the chicken. Place in the fridge for 1 to 24 hours to marinate. Highly recommended to make the seasoning from the shortcut.
- After the chicken has marinated, drain off any excess liquid and cook in large pan with a splash of olive oil, along with the onion and bell pepper. Cook the chicken until browned and cooked through.
- Serve with tortillas and top with tomatoes, cilantro, cheese, and a lime wedge on the side if desired.
Notes
Chicken breasts will cost about 59 Baht/kilo. Using that number, for 6 servings, this is about 29 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Fajita Seasoning Mix.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Basic Grilled Brats
I get a lot of good advice from my friends and this is probably the best way to enjoy brats (Bratwurst or Bierwurst) is to grill them, then simmer in beer, unless you are in Wisconsin then you would simmer them in beer then grill them. I have made brats like this several times and they are very good!
Ingredients
- 1 package brats, 270 grams, pack of 4, Bratwurst or Bierwurst
- 1 onion, cut into 6 or 8 wedges
- 1 bell pepper, optional, cut into strips
- 1 can beer
Instructions
- Light your grill, charcoal (what I use) or gas if you have that. Setup for indirect grilling. Mr. Sausage is the brand of brats I use.
- Grill the brats with indirect heat, and place a metal baking pan (I use a bread pan) on the grill as well, add the beer and onion to the pan, and bell pepper if using that and let that heat while the brats cook. Close the grill and cook the brats, turn them occasionally, for about 20 minutes. Then take the brats and put them into the pan and let them simmer for about 20-30 minutes with the lid closed. Serve as is with sides of your choice or on buns with spicy mustard.
Notes
I use Mr. Sausage brand bratwurst and bierwurst. One package, 4 sausages, is 270 grams and the cost is 129 Baht. For two servings, this is about $1.89 per serving. High cost but very good for a once in a while meal.
Provided courtesy of good friends, Garland Davis, US Navy Cook (Ret), and Ed Crean.
United States.
United States.
Pan Fried Steak
This is the only way I cook steaks, Rib Eyes, Strip Loins, and T-Bones. This is quick and makes a perfect rare steak. Best to use steak at least 1 inch thick, anything thinner you can over cook to well done. I buy steaks at Tesco, frozen from Australia, the latest find was Rib Eyes just over 1 inch thick, many times the Strip Loins are about 3/4 inch thick.
Ingredients
- 2 steaks, 1 inch thick is perfect, for thinner, less time cooking
- salt and pepper, as needed
- olive oil, as needed
- butter, as needed
Instructions
- The steaks should be at room temperature. Generously salt and pepper both sides of the steak.
- Heat a heavy flat bottomed pan, cast iron is ideal for this to medium high heat with a good splash of olive oil, when the pan is hot, place the steaks in the pan and add 2-3 tablespoons or so of butter to the pan, using tongs, move the steaks around in the butter and oil, after cooking for 2 minutes, use tongs and turn the steaks over. Cook for another 2 minutes, remove from the pan to plates and let them rest for a few minutes while you add your sides, and serve. This makes a rare steak, increasing time on each side, increases the doneness of the steak.
- Served with Dill Pickle Pasta Salad and mixed vegetables.
Notes
I cannot price this meal until I go back to Tesco again. Depending on your location, stores will have different products and the prices will vary. This is a high cost meal to say the least, but I have listed this as my Go-To recipe as this is great for a once in a while treat for yourself and family.
I have been making steaks like this for a number of years.
Stuffed Chinese Bitter Gourd Soup
This is an easy and delicious soup. The only chilies used are in the filling of the gourd. You can prepare this two different ways. 1. You can buy the already stuffed bitter gourd complete with sliced carrot and cilantro or spring onion, this is stuffed with minced pork and chopped chilies. 2. You can just buy all the separate ingredients do the stuffing part yourself. The already stuffed bitter gourd is the basic starter method, you add to this a few items and you have a delicious soup. For this recipe, I am using the already stuffed gourd as it is very cheap to purchase, less than $1. This is a make with quantities as you see fit recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 package stuffed Chinese bitter gourd, this is a ready to cook meal
- 1 package Enoki mushrooms, also called Golden mushrooms
- 1/4 carrot, sliced
- spring onions, chopped into 1-2 inch pieces, white and green parts
- cilantro, chopped
- chicken stock, fresh or from powder
Instructions
- In a pot, add the bitter gourd and chopped carrot, add stock to cover the bitter gourd and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 20-30 minutes or so, this is to cook the pork through, adding more chicken stock as needed. The stuffing is just minced pork with chopped chilies mixed into it.
- While this is cooking, prep the mushrooms. These come in packs of about 200 grams each, these are in big clumps, before separating the clump, cut about 1-2 inches off the root end and discard that. Now you can sort of pull the clumps apart, set aside. These mushrooms maintain a great crunchy bite to them when cooked. If you like mushrooms, add as much as you want.
- When the carrot and gourd is cooked through as well as the pork, add in the mushrooms, spring onion, and cilantro and cook for another 10 minutes or so, again, adding stock as needed. Serve.
Notes
For the package of stuffed bitter gourd, that is 32 Baht. One 200 gram package of Enoki mushrooms is 14 Baht. For 3 servings, this 45 cents per serving.
Provided courtesy of my wife, Rrayada Thayer.
Thailand.
Thailand.
Sub Sandwiches
When I was growing up, these were a regular meal, sub sandwiches, this is a basic meal, filling, and can be made anyway you want. This is a starter recipe, tailor as you see fit. I am going to list what I use on one sandwich but I did enjoy two of these last night. Use any amounts of the ingredients as you see fit.
Ingredients
- 1 hamburger bun
- 2 leaves lettuce
- onion, sliced
- tomato, sliced
- 3 slices smoked ham
- 3 slices baloney with chilies, this is a great flavor, if not a fan of chilis, just push them out from the slices
- Cheddar cheese, sliced
- mayo, as needed
Instructions
- Spread mayo on the bottom and top pieces of the bun. Starting on the bottom bun, add onion slices, lettuce, smoked ham, baloney with chilies.
- Keep adding with cheese slices (I used real cheese, not the processed rubbish), tomato slices, top with the other piece of bun, enjoy.
Notes
Low cost meal.
Variants: Use spicy mustard instead of mayo, add cooked bacon, add or change the meats used, use sliced bell peppers, the combos are endless and up to your liking!
Been making these for years but will give credit to my parents for showing us kids this many many years ago.
Slow Cooker Baked Beans
I made this on 16-17 Oct 2018. Everything went into the slow cooker at 6 pm on the 16th, set to Low and cooked overnight. At 4 am on the 17th, 10 hours later, I have to say these are good! I forgot to add the ketchup, not even noticed, excellent beans, better than anything out of a can. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 500 grams dry Great Northern beans, soaked 6-8 hours, (1 lb)
- 1 onion, diced
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- â…“ cup ketchup
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- 250 grams bacon, chopped into 1 inch pieces, (8 oz)
- ¼ cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Bring beans to a boil for about 5-10 minutes in large pot with plenty of water. Then simmer on low until nearly soft, about 40 to 50 minutes. Drain and place beans in your slow cooker. OR as I did, I cooked the beans in my slow cooker.
- Add all other ingredients to the slow cooker.
- Give it a mix to get everything distributed in the beans.
- Cover and cook on Low setting for 10 hours or High setting for 5 hours. Stir occasionally. One hour before finished, if there is too much liquid in the pot, leave the lid off until the liquid is to your liking. Serve or use in other recipes as needed.
Notes
Shortcut: Great Northern Beans (Pressure Cooker).
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
- Anastasia's Best-ever Baked Beans.
- Cowboy Stew, made it, GO-TO recipe.
Ultra Creamy Mac & Cheese (Slow Cooker)
This is by far the best Mac & Cheese I have ever made, and actually, a low cost meal as well. This is a slow cooker recipe. Link to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry macaroni, any bite size pasta works here
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, Shortcut
- ½ cup sour cream, Shortcut
- ½ cup mayo
- ½ teaspoon course ground black pepper
- 4 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded, (500 g / 1 lb)
Instructions
- In a pot of boiling water, cook the macaroni until just near tender, do not over cook, basically under cook it by a minute or so. Drain and rinse under cold water, the cold water will stop the cooking process. Add the pasta to your slow cooker.
- Add the onion powder, mustard, soup, sour cream, mayo, and black pepper to the slow cooker.
- Give the slow cooker a stir to mix everything together.
- Add the cheese and mix that in.
- For a Variant, I added to the slow cooker about 500 grams (1 lb) of cheese stuffed smoked sausage that I had sliced.
- Mix the sausage in. Cook on Low setting for 3 hours.
- Stir once or twice during the cooking but quickly so not all the heat is let out of the cooker.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
High cost per serving, but well worth it. The cheese is the costly part here, 180 Baht/250 gram block, two blocks are needed at 360 Baht. For 6 servings, this is about 1.88 cents per serving.
Shortcuts: Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup, Sour Cream.
Variant: 1. Add cubed ham or smoked sausage, highly recommended!
Teriyaki Marinade II
This is from a good friend, and is very good, just a doctored up Teriyaki sauce from a bottle. I marinated a bunch of chicken legs in this for about 30 hours, excellent and very well received by the Thai family.
Ingredients
- 2 parts Teriyaki sauce
- 1/2 part soy sauce
- fresh garlic, crushed, amount is up to you
- course ground black pepper, amount is up to you
Instructions
- Mix everything together. Place your meat in a large zip lock bag pour in the sauce and squeeze out all the air and seal the bag, squish everything around to coat all the meat and place in the fridge. How long you marinate is up to you, 1-2 hours minimum, but for great flavor, go up to 24+ hours, then grill.
Notes
Low cost.
Provided courtesy of good friend, David McAllister.
United States.
United States.
White Chicken Chili I
There is as many ways to cook white chicken chili as there is stars in the evening sky. This recipe is very tasty and is a slow cooker recipe for the most part. The beans listed are for beans that you have prepared from dry beans, not only is this a money saver, some places do not have canned beans available. Plan your timing appropriately. I made this on 19 Dec 2016 and it is very good, recipe modified slightly. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
- 1 medium onion, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 500 grams dry Great Northern beans, cook in the morning, very easy
- 2 cups chicken stock, fresh or from powder
- 2-3 green chilies, chopped
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, OR make from a shortcut
Instructions
- Rinse and sort the dry beans, place in a pot and cover with about 3 inches of water, and a couple of good shakes of crack black pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Stir the beans every 15 minutes or so and add more water as needed. Cook the beans for 2-4 hours until soft. Remove from heat and drain.
- Place the chicken in the slow cooker, put everything else in the slow cooker including the beans, except the sour cream and heavy cream. Cover and cook on Low setting for 5-7 hours. Chicken should be fall apart tender at 5 hours, if using frozen chicken breasts, then go the full 7 hours, or on High setting for 3-4 hours.
- Remove the chicken to a plate using some slotted spoons, shred with a couple of forks and return the chicken back to the slow cooker.
- Mix together the heavy cream and sour cream in a small bowl until smooth and stir this into the slow cooker. Cover and continue cooking on Low setting for 30 minutes. Serve.
Notes
Chicken breasts will cost about 30 Baht/500 grams. For 6-8 servings, this well under $1 per serving.
Shortcut: Heavy Cream.
Provided by Barefeet in the Kitchen and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
United States.