Archive for the ‘#1 Go-To Recipes’ Category
Cheesy Smoked Sausage Pasta Skillet
This is an easy one skillet dish that is extremely good and very versatile. Lot of things to change in this to suit your taste. I made this on 4 Oct 2016, recipe modified slightly and some step by step photos added, my comments below.
Ingredients
- 500 grams smoked sausage, OR ham, brats, or even plain quality hotdogs
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 bell pepper, you choice of color, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
- 3 cups chicken stock, fresh or from powder
- 1 can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped, with the juice as well
- 2-3 Bird's Eye Chilis, chopped
- 500 grams dry spiral pasta, any bite size pasta will work
- 1-2 cups Mozzarella Cheese, shredded, OR Cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Melt butter in skillet and brown the sliced sausage, onion, garlic, and bell pepper.
- Add, salt, pepper, chicken stock, tomatoes and juice, chilies, and pasta. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, and let cook uncovered, or until pasta is tender and just some of the liquid remains, about 20-30 minutes.
- Mix in the cheese and serve.
Notes
I get good quality smoked sausage at Makro for about 150 Baht/500 grams. One cup of cheese is about 1/2 of a 250 gram block (180 Baht), so I'll go with 90 Baht for the cheese. For 6 servings, I will estimate about $1.18 per serving. Good value overall.
Variants: 1. Add fresh sliced mushrooms. 2. Use fresh tomatoes but you will need tomato juice (just a bit) as well. 3. If you like cheese, use the whole block. 4. Add taco seasoning and use Cheddar cheese and you have a taco pasta dish. Variants add cost however but can change up the dish from one time you prepare it to the next.
Variants provided by good friend, Lynn Batterman, United States.
Toss in some Basil, Thyme, Oregano, and you have a great Italian dish. Leave out the sausage, but saute some chicken breast/thighs first, then add the rest with the herbs, and it's Chicken Cacciatore. Add paprika and you have Goulash. What you've done is reveal how EASY cooking can be... just add a few different herbs/spices, or even bake vs. pan fry, roast, and it becomes a whole different meal from a different country even though they are very similar. The biggest differences are the HOT dishes from various countries, India heat vs. Thai, vs. Jamaican, vs. Tex-Mex, is so different.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Toss in some Basil, Thyme, Oregano, and you have a great Italian dish. Leave out the sausage, but saute some chicken breast/thighs first, then add the rest with the herbs, and it's Chicken Cacciatore. Add paprika and you have Goulash. What you've done is reveal how EASY cooking can be... just add a few different herbs/spices, or even bake vs. pan fry, roast, and it becomes a whole different meal from a different country even though they are very similar. The biggest differences are the HOT dishes from various countries, India heat vs. Thai, vs. Jamaican, vs. Tex-Mex, is so different.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Deviled Eggs
I love some good Deviled Eggs. I have always made the base recipe for years, everyone likes them. This recipe is not only the base recipe, but many variants are listed in the notes. No measurements given for the base recipe, this is just a play it by taste recipe.
Ingredients
- 12 hard boiled eggs, chicken or duck, peeled
- mayo
- prepared yellow mustard
- paprika
- cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Take each egg and cut in half lengthwise, remove the yolk and place in a bowl, place the egg halves on a large plate or tray.
- Using a fork, mash up the yolks then start adding mayo to the bowl, I start with about 2 heaping spoonfuls, mix that together, you are looking for a creamy consistency, not too dry, and not too wet (this is a key step here and in the variants). After that, add a squirt or two of yellow mustard and mix that in, taste, if weak on the mustard, add another squirt and mix. Add cracked black pepper to taste.
- Using 2 spoons, scoop some of the yolk mixture and place in the egg half mounding it up a little, repeat this for all the egg halves. Sprinkle lightly with paprika and chill for at least 30 minutes before serving. For all the variants listed, chill them before serving.
- Wasabi Deviled Eggs.
Notes
12 eggs at a local market will cost about 60 Baht, for 4 servings, this is about 44 cents per serving, you will more than likely get more servings than this.
Bacon & Jalapenos Deviled Eggs - This could easily be done with the large Thai red or green chilies as well. To the mashed up yolk, add 1 1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar, 3/4 teaspoon ground mustard, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 2 Jalapenos seeded and chopped, 6 pieces of bacon cooked and crumbled, and mayo as needed. Mix that together with the yolk and spoon into the egg halves or use a bag with the corner cut off, sprinkle with paprika.
Wasabi Mayo Deviled Eggs - Same as the base recipe but make the wasabi mayo with 1 tablespoon of wasabi paste and 3 tablespoons of mayo, mix and use that as needed to get a creamy consistency with the yolks. Top each egg with a slice of green olive.
Shrimp Deviled Eggs - To the mashed up yolk, add 1 cup of small chopped shrimp, 1 tables spoon of ground mustard, 1 spring onion chopped, pinch of garlic powder, 2 tablespoons of sweet pickle relish, 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley, and mayo as needed. Mix that together with the yolk and spoon into the egg halves or use a bag with the corner cut off.
Crab Deviled Eggs - To the mashed up yolk, add 1 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder, 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, 3/4 cup crab meat, drained, and mayo as needed. Mix that together with the yolk and spoon into the egg halves or use a bag with the corner cut off.
Salmon Deviled Eggs - To the mashed up yolk, add salt and pepper to taste, 1 shallot minced, 3/4 cup salmon meat that is flaked apart, and mayo as needed. Mix that together with the yolk and spoon into the egg halves or use a bag with the corner cut off.
Bacon & Cheddar Deviled Eggs - To the mashed up yolk, add 4 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled, 1 teaspoon of mustard, 3 tablespoons Cheddar cheese finely grated, and mayo as needed. Mix that together with the yolk and spoon into the egg halves or use a bag with the corner cut off.
Loaded Deviled Eggs - To the mashed up yolk, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup cooked and crumbled bacon, 1/4 finely chopped fresh chives, 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix that together with the yolk and spoon into the egg halves or use a bag with the corner cut off. Garnish each with a piece of chopped bacon and chopped chives.
Shortcuts: Perfect Hard Boiled Chicken Eggs, Perfect Hard Boiled Duck Eggs.
My base recipe I have been making for years.
Variants inspired courtesy of good friend, Mike Early.
United States.
Variants inspired courtesy of good friend, Mike Early.
United States.
Cheeseburger Macaroni
This was a staple dinner for many families when I was growing up, easy to put together, can use ground beef or pork. I have posted similar recipes. I made this on 15 Nov 2016, took one photo as shown, and this is delicious! On my #1 Go-To List.
Ingredients
- 500 grams ground beef, OR minced pork
- 1 onion, diced, OR 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1¼ cups chicken stock, fresh or from powder
- 2 cups milk
- 1½ cups dry macaroni, or any bite site pasta
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced, OR 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1¾ cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the paprika, corn starch, pepper, and sugar.
- In a large non-stick skillet, brown the ground beef, garlic, and onion until the meat is no longer pink. Drain the fat.
- Add milk, broth, and pasta to the beef. Stir in cornstarch and spices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 9-12 minutes or until pasta is tender.
- Remove from heat and stir in the cheese, mix until melted, serve.
Notes
Ground beef would cost about 150 Baht/500 grams, minced pork runs about 60 Baht/500 grams. The cheese would be about 140 Baht as not a full block would be needed. For 4 servings using beef, this is about $2.13 per serving, using pork, this is about $1.48, a bit more reasonable and would be a good meal with friends and family, once in a while.
Inspired by Spend With Pennies and the link to this recipe is here. Canada.
Updated on 27 March 2025.
Fried Corn
This is Southern staple for a side dish, and is tasty.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter, (1/2 stick or 1/4 block)
- 1 tablespoon bacon fat
- 500 grams frozen corn, (1 lb)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Use a cast iron pan or non-stick skillet. Melt the butter and bacon fat. Add the corn, do not thaw, just add it frozen straight from the freezer. Fry over medium heat until the corn begins to brown. Stir frequently. Takes about 20-30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to your liking.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
A 500 gram bag of frozen corn at Tesco will run about 79 Baht, Makro would be cheaper. For 6 servings, this is about 38 cents per serving, more servings would be less cost per serving.
Variant: 1. Add a diced red or green bell pepper.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Classic Shakshuka
This is a Middle Eastern recipe for basically "use what you have in your fridge and throw in a pan." Basically this is an onion, bell pepper, and tomato dish with eggs on top. Sounds delightful indeed! I made this on 14 Sep 2016, and it is a keeper! On the regular rotation, my comments below.
Ingredients
- 5-6 eggs
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 4 cups tomatoes, diced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- pinch red chili flakes, optional, to taste
- pinch cayenne pepper, optional, to taste
- pinch sugar, optional, to taste
- salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the onion and garlic in a deep large pan until translucent. Then add the bell pepper and cook for another 5 minutes or so until the bell pepper is soft, then add the tomatoes and stir. You can at this point add in other items if you like, such as green chilies, parsley, mushrooms, spinach, etc.
- Reduce heat to a low simmer, add the tomato paste and stir until thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste, then add in chili flakes and/or paprika and/or cayenne for as much spice as you like.
- Once the mixture is thick to your liking, crack in eggs, making sure they are spread out from one another, then cover the pan and allow the mixture to cook and the eggs to set, about 8-10 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs.
- The egg on the left, broken yoke so it just sort of disappeared into the sauce. Other eggs are set but yolks are still runny, perfect.
- Serve with some toast on the side or like me, I served this with 2 Porcupine Meatballs I made another day, excellent meal.
Notes
Nothing expensive here, you might be looking at 30 cents per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Dijon Chicken
This is an excellent dish! I made this on 3 Sep 2016, very easy to put this together with common and minimal ingredients. I found this recipe on a recipe site and read all the reviews and made a few changes based on the reviews. This recipe reflects those changes. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
- 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 1/3 cup dry bread crumbs, OR use make with a shortcut on this site
- 200 grams Mozzarella Cheese, shredded, this is one block, Caroline brand
- black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F). Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish with butter, set aside. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
- In a shallow dish, whisk together the mustard, mayo, and milk. In another shallow dish, mix together 2/3 the cheese and bread crumbs. Photo shows my cluttered counter, the cheese and bread crumb mix, the milk mix, and the greased baking dish. Set everything up like an assembly line to make this go very fast. And for those paying attention, I did swap the order of the plates, milk mix, breadcrumbs, then the baking dish.
- Take each chicken breast and coat both sides in the milk mix, then coat in the bread crumbs mix, place in the baking dish.
- Pour the remaining mustard and milk mixture over the chicken.
- Then sprinkle on the remaining cheese. Add black pepper if desired.
- Bake for 30 to 45 minutes until cooked through, cut one breast in half to check. Serve. On pasta is great with some of the sauce spooned over the pasta, and a vegetable on the side would make this a complete meal.
Notes
Chicken breasts will run about 67 Baht/kilo boneless with skin on, just remove the skin and you are set. 4 breasts would likely be less than that, but I will figure at 67 Baht. The block of 200 grams of cheese will cost about 142 Baht. This is about $1.55 per serving for 4 servings.
Shortcut: Breadcrumbs.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Porcupine Meatballs I
I remember having these when I was a wee boy. Always tasted great. Meatballs with rice simmered in tomato soup or tomato sauce. Perfect. Can be made with beef or pork, or even chicken. I made this on 11 Sep 2016, excellent and on my Go-to list as a regular meal. Recipe modified to reflect my findings. The recipe is broke into cooking on the Stove Top and for Baking. Photos I took were for the baking method. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 500 grams ground beef, OR minced pork, OR bulk Italian sausage (sausage has a shortcut)
- 1/4 cup rice, uncooked
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 small onion, or one large shallot
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- dash black pepper
- 1 can tomato soup, divided, OR make from a shortcut on this site (1 1/4 cup), or tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 teaspoons Worcherstershire sauce
Instructions
For Stove Top
- Combine ground beef, rice, eggs, parsley, onion, salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup of the tomato soup or tomato sauce. Mix well. Shape mixture into about 20 small meatballs.
- In a large non stick skillet, mix rest of soup, water, and Worcestershire together and bring to a boil. Carefully add the meatballs (this will or should prevent the meatballs from falling apart). Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 40 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through and rice is soft, stirring often. Serve with pasta or potatoes and a vegetable for a complete meal.
For Baking
- Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F). Get out a 9x13 baking dish.
- First thing I did was made the tomato sauce from the shortcut using tomato paste, very easy. You will use the full amount that the shortcut states. Use a ladle and put 2 scoops of sauce in the bottom of the baking dish to cover it evenly.
- Combine ground beef, rice, eggs, parsley, onion, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and 1/4 cup of the tomato soup or tomato sauce. Mix well. Shape mixture into about 12 medium sized meatballs and place in the baking dish. If you have more meatballs than what will fit in the dish, use another smaller dish for those. Sprinkle with cracked black pepper.
- Pour the rest of the soup or tomato sauce over the meatballs.
- Bake for 1 hour. Then if using a counter top oven, switch to the top coil to brown up the tops a bit.
- Not the greatest photo, as I topped 3 meatballs on my plate with shredded Mozzarella cheese.
Notes
The meat is the only costly item in this dish. Ground beef would be about 125 Baht/500 grams, pork about 60 Baht/500 grams, and chicken would be about 42 Baht/500 grams (think thighs). This comes out to about 62 cents per serving for 6 servings using beef, less for pork or chicken.
Shortcuts: Italian Sausage, Tomato Soup, Tomato Sauce.
Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs or Stuffing
This is a straight forward shortcut recipe if you need just plain breadcrumbs OR seasoned breadcrumbs or stuffing. I have made this dozens of times for both seasoned breadcrumbs and for plain croutons to make make homemade stuffing. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 8 slices white bread
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, Shortcut
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Mix together the salt, Italian seasoning, onion and garlic powders in a small bowl if needing seasoned croutons or crumbs.
- Cube the bread and spread out on the baking sheet, sprinkle on the seasoning mixture. Place in the preheated oven. You need to pay attention to the bread now.
- When the bread cubes are about half toasted, remove and use your hands to toss the bread cubes around on the sheet, place back in the oven.
- When the bread is nicely toasted, remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool.
- Now you just made toasted croutons for use in stuffing, OR you can crush them in your hands to make breadcrumbs (no seasoning) or seasoned breadcrumbs for use in other recipes.
Notes
Shortcut: Italian Seasoning.
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
- Best-ever Meat Loaf.
- Crispy Sardines & Garlic Mayo, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Pasta with Sardines II.
- Mackerel Loaf, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Salmon Casserole, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Baked Ranch Chicken.
- Salisbury Steak with Mushrooms.
- Kielbasa Pasta Casserole, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Giant Meatball II.
- Giant Meatball I.
- Creamy Lemon Chicken Piccata Meatballs, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Broken Meatball Spaghetti, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Garlic Baked Fish.
- Creamy Ham & Egg Casserole.
- Fish in Coconut Milk, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Scottish Lorne Sausage.
- Irish Sausage.
- English Bangers, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Daikon Cakes.
- Broccoli & Ham Cheese Casserole.
- Fried Oysters, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Tuna Loaf, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Cherry Tomato Pasta, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Crock Pot Chicken & Rice.
- Salmon Loaf I.
- Oven Fried Fish.
- Oyster Casserole, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Minced Chicken Oven Dish.
- Real Swiss Steak.
- Braised Lamb Shanks with Jarlserg.
- Baked Corned Beef Burgers.
Spinach & Pasta Casserole
Very easy to make and it is really delicious! This makes a lot! I made this on 20 Aug 2016. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 500 grams minced pork, OR ground beef, OR ground chicken
- 1 can tomato pasta sauce, OR make from a shortcut listed on this site
- 125 grams Cream cheese, softened, this is 1/2 a standard block
- 500 grams dry Penne pasta, OR any bite size pasta
- 2 cups spinach, I used frozen that was thawed, perfect
- 400 grams Mozzarella Cheese, shredded, this is 2 standard blocks
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F). Get out 2 baking dishes.
- Cook the pasta in boiling water until just done, drain and place in the baking dish or dishes.
- While the water is heating for the pasta, brown the minced pork (or meat of your choice) in skillet (feel free to use more meats as well), drain any fat. Add the tomato sauce and softened cream cheese that has been cut into cubes, and the thyme, season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally until the cheese is melted or nearly melted.
- Spoon the meat sauce over the pasta layer in the baking dish or dishes. Then add the spinach over the meat sauce.
- Now layer the shredded cheese over the spinach. One block of cheese per dish.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese starts to brown. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Minced pork is about 62 Baht/500 grams. The Cream cheese is 60 Baht for half of a 250 gram block, and the Mozzarella cheese is about 280 Baht for two 200 gram blocks. Make the tomato sauce from paste for greater savings. This comes out to about $1.20 per serving for 10 servings. Using chicken this would be less, using beef would be more.
Shortcut: Tomato Sauce.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Minced Beef SOS
This is a old school classic than many US Armed Forces will remember. Served over toast traditionally, but may be served over biscuits, hash browns, or even pasta. Add a couple of fried eggs on top for a hearty breakfast or dinner. I have not had this since 2005, I made this last night on 22 Sep 2016 and was pleasantly surprised, excellent taste, easy to put together. My photo of it plated, no need to really take step by step photos for this, and my comments below.
Ingredients
- 500 grams ground beef, OR minced pork, see Step 1
- 1 teaspon powdered chicken stock
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- ground mace, OR ground nutmeg
Instructions
- The fat from the ground beef adds flavor to this, do not drain that off. However, if you use minced pork, drain the fat or this will not work out well.
- Heat a large non stick pan over medium high heat, add the ground beef, chicken bouillon, garlic powder, black pepper, and onion powder. Cook and stir until the beef is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink, about 7-10 minutes.
- Stir in the flour and stir constantly for 2-3 minutes, add the milk and continue stirring and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and add a little bit of mace or nutmeg, the flavor will be correct when you just start to taste the mace or nutmeg. Then simmer for about 5 minutes to thicken, it will thicken fast. Serve over toast, biscuits, hash browns, or even pasta. Top with a few fried eggs for a complete and filling meal.
Notes
Ground beef would cost about 150 Baht/500 grams, minced pork runs about 70 Baht/500 grams. For beef, this is about $1.10 per serving for 4 servings, if using pork, this is about 52 cents per serving.
Variants. Add a can of stewed whole tomatoes and break them up with the spatula, this makes Red SOS (in US Armed Forces, this would be called Train Wreck). Replace the minced beef (or pork) with chipped beef for Creamed Beef. Another option is to omit the beef and make the white sauce and then use a can or two of drained tuna.
For leftovers, stuff some bell peppers, top with cheese, and bake in a 180 C oven for 30 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.
Adapted from an internet recipe.