Archive for the ‘#1 Go-To Recipes’ Category
Slow Cooker Sausage & Potatoes I
Excellent and spruced up a bit with cheese if you like. I made this on 17 Aug 2016. Photos added and the recipe modified slightly. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 5 links spicy smoked sausage, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
- 1 large onion, quartered then sliced
- 6-8 small potatoes, washed, skin on, cut into large chunks
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, OR make from a shortcut
- 1/2 teaspoon Cajun spice mix, OR make from a shortcut, or to taste
- 1 1/2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded, optional
Instructions
- Place the sausage, onion, and potatoes in your slow cooker.
- Add the Cajun spice mix and the can of soup, mix, then cover 7-8 hours on Low setting or until the potatoes are cooked.
- When the potatoes are cooked, you can serve at this point, or if you are using the cheese (recommended), add the cheese and mix, cover and cook for another 20 minutes, then serve. This photo shows I added cheese and is after the 20 more minutes of cooking.
Notes
The sausage would cost about 150 Baht/500 grams (this is about 5 large links). This makes the dish to about 55 cents per serving for 8 servings. If you make the soup from the shortcut here you have more savings. If you use the cheese, one block (250 grams) is 180 Baht. This increases the price per serving to $1.21. Overall, a reasonable price for a filling meal.
Variant, add sliced or chopped mushroom.
Shortcuts: Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup, Cajun Spice Mix.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Baked Chicken Nuggets
These are homemade nuggets not the nuggets from stores or fast food places. These are really good, I made these on 22 May 2017.
Ingredients
- 500 grams chicken tenders/fillets, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1/2 cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200 C (390 F). Get out a baking sheet with a rack.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, cheese, and seasonings. Place milk in a separate bowl. I took this photo well after I was dipping and coating the chicken.
- Dip the chicken pieces in the milk, then in the breadcrumbs to coat, place well coated pieces on the rack and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. I used a foil lined baking sheet, and a foil covered rack. These are ready for the oven now.
- Serve as an appetizer with a dipping sauce of choice, as a side, or as a main dish.
Notes
The chicken will cost about 40 Baht/500 grams. Easily under $1 per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Ham Soup
Delicious and easy! Not an overpowering cheese sauce. Takes several steps to make but still very easy. Once it goes in the slow cooker, 6 hours on low is perfect, you do not have to touch it at all. I made this on 10 Aug 2016, my comments below. Recipe modified slightly to reflect my findings.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup butter, this is 1/3 of a standard block of butter
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 6 tablespoons all purpose flour
- salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
- 5 cups chicken stock, fresh or from powder
- 6 cups fresh broccoli, cut to bite size pieces, plus stems
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 cup milk
- 250 grams Cheddar cheese, this is one block, shred the whole block
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 3 cups ham, cooked, cubed, I get thick ham slices at Macro
Instructions
- In your slow cooker, add the chicken stock or 5 cups of water and a heaping tablespoon of chicken stock powder and the thyme, stir to mix. Cut up the broccoli, dice the onion, and measure out the flour and the evaporated milk.
- Melt butter in a large non stick skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until they begin to soften, about 3-4 minutes.
- Whisk in flour and season lightly with salt and pepper then cook, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. While whisking, slowly pour in evaporated milk (whisk well to smooth). Cook mixture, stirring constantly until it begins to thicken (this only takes a few minutes).
- Pour the onion mixture in the slow cooker along with chicken broth and whisk to mix well, then add the broccoli. Cover with lid and cook on High setting for 2 1/2 - 3 hours or Low setting for 6 hours.
- Turn heat to Warm setting and stir in milk, then add in shredded cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese and stir to blend. Season with salt and pepper to taste, allow to heat through for about 30 minutes, serve.
Notes
Cheese cost 180 Baht for a 250 gram block of New Zealand import cheese, brand is Mainland. The ham slices, 3 thick slices was about 125 Baht, the broccoli was about 50 Baht. This comes out to about $1.30 per serving for 8 servings. If you use cubed chicken, the price would be at about $1 per serving.
Variants: Substitute cooked diced chicken for ham, add sliced mushrooms.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili
What is Cincinnati Chili? I have no idea except that is has cinnamon and allspice in it. Normally, I guess, this is made with ground beef which is boiled rather than pan browned, but I will be using minced pork, but by all means if you use chicken, leave a comment on the results. I will make with ground chicken as well. Maybe Cincinnati was the start of Chili Mac? Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo ground beef, or ground pork, or ground chicken, (2 lbs)
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 cup tomato sauce, Shortcut
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon Worcherstershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 teaspoons chili powder, adjust to your liking
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 can red Kidney beans, Shortcut, 1-2 cups cooked
- pasta, spaghetti, fettuccine, or linguine, for serving
- Cheddar cheese, shredded, for topping
- onion, diced, for topping
Instructions
- In a large non stick pan, add the onion and ground meat.
- Brown the ground meat and onion, breaking up the ground meat with your spatula but still leaving it a bit chunky. Drain fat, then place in your slow cooker.
- Add to the slow cooker the garlic, tomato sauce, water, Worcestershire, vinegar, salt, pepper, chili powder, cinnamon, allspice, and beans. Give everything a mix, there is a lot in the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on High setting for 2 hours. Then switch to Low setting for another 1 hour. (You can also cook just on Low setting for 5 hours.)
- Cook your desired pasta in a pot of boiling salted water until tender, drain. Put pasta in a bowl and ladle on the chili. Top with cheese and onions as desired. Enjoy.
Notes
Beef in my village will run about 250 Baht/kilo, but you have to mince that yourself. Minced pork at Tesco will run about 115 Baht/kilo, chicken, I have no idea on the price for ground chicken as I have not done this yet. For 8 servings, made with beef this is only 92 cents per serving. For 8 servings, made with pork this is about 43 cents per serving. Using beef and 8 servings, this is still only about 92 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Tomato Sauce.
Variants: 1. Replace the tomato sauce with a can of whole peeled tomatoes, chopped, plus juice. 2. Use your favorite chili seasoning packet in place of the chili powder, cumin, and black pepper.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Sausage, Peppers, and Onion
This is an old school recipe that has been a mainstay for years of many folks. This used to be considered poor folks food, but sometimes the simplest recipes are the best. I have been making this for years but stopped when I got to my present location due to availability of the sausage, now that I have found the sausage, this is a excellent dish and low cost. You can change this up to your liking. You can use any sausage you like, chicken, beef, or pork.
Ingredients
- 500 grams smoked sausage, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
- 1 onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large non-stick skillet on medium high heat, add the sliced sausage.
- Brown the sausage, about 5-10 minutes.
- Then add the onion, garlic, and bell pepper.
- Season with oregano, and salt and pepper to your liking. When the pepper and onion are tender, remove from heat. (I cover with a lid while it is cooking and just mix it every few minutes.)
- Sprinkle on the cheese and mix to coat everything, serve.
- Serve as is, or over hot rice or pasta.
Notes
The sausage at Makro will cost about 125 Baht for 500 grams. This comes to about 90 cents per serving for 6 servings. From my experience, Makro has sales on this sausage, buy 1 kilo get 500 grams free so there is even more savings.
Variants: 1. Use more sausage and add a red bell pepper. 2. Add a good handful of sliced mushrooms, King Oyster or Shiitake would be good, and I think Straw mushrooms sliced in half lengthwise would be excellent.
Another variant, provided by good friend John Petersen, United States, serve this on a bed of freshly cooked hash browns and top with a couple of sunny side up eggs. (This I will do!)
Been making this for years.
Old Fashioned Ham Salad
This is an excellent ham salad and is very easy to prepare. Serve as a snack or appetizer on crackers, or in a sandwich for a lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
- 2 cups ham, fat removed, minced, (about 325 g / 11-12 oz ham)
- 1 tablespoon onion, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish, or minced sweet pickle and a bit of juice
- mayo, as needed
Instructions
- Use a meat grinder, or a cleaver and a chopping block, and mince the ham, add the onion, mustard, and pickle. Mix together. I used diced sweet gherkins.
- Add and mix in mayo, a heaping tablespoon at a time, until you have achieved a creamy consistency. Serve on crackers, crackers and cheese, or use as a filling for sandwiches. Enjoy.
Notes
Nice ham slices can be bought at Makro if you do not have ham on hand. If using sliced ham from Makro, the type that comes 6 slices in a package of 1 kilo, use 2 slices.Â
Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
This is a shortcut to make the popular Jiffy Corn Muffins, some recipes use this as a base or you can just make muffins. This makes 1 box of mix, which makes 6 muffins. I made the muffins on 30 Mar 2017 and they are very good.
Ingredients
Corn Muffin Mix
- 2/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup yellow corn meal
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted, OR vegetable oil
To make just muffins, add this
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup milk
Optional Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 tablespoon fresh chilis, minced
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped
Instructions
- Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl, mix well. Whisk in melted butter and mix until dry mixture is smooth and lumps are gone.
- If another recipe is calling for a box of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix, add the above mixed ingredients to that recipe.
- To make Corn Muffins, preheat your oven to 200 C (390 F), lightly butter a muffin pan. OPTIONAL: add any combination of optional ingredients you prefer. Combine mix with egg and milk, mixing well. Let mixture rest for 5 minutes, then give it a quick stir, fill muffin pan cells half full, bake for 15-20 minutes.
Notes
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
- Chili Cornbread Pie.
- Tamale Pie.
- Creamed Corn Cornbread, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Beef & Beans Casserole.
Best Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
From a good friend of mine, and these are excellent muffins, not over powering from the banana, great flavor.
Equipment
- Muffin Pan (12 cell)
- Paper Cupcake Liners
- Oven
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chocolate chips
Wet/Other Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 2 bananas, over ripened, mashed, or 5 small Thai bananas
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup white sugar
- ½ cup butter
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt, or regular yogurt, or Sour Cream
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F). Get out your muffin pan and line with 12 cupcake papers.
- Mix all the dry ingredients together except the chocolate chips.
- Mix all the wet/other ingredients together.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Swiftly mix until just combined, do not over mix.
- Add the chocolate chips and give it a quick mix.
- Spoon the batter into a muffin pan lined with paper liners, dividing batter between all 12 cells, each cell will be almost full.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until they have rose and golden brown, they are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the muffin pan and set on a rack to cool.
- Serve and enjoy. Best the day they are baked.
Notes
Updated on 20 April 2022.
Updated on 18 April 2022.
Mom's Oyster Stew
No, this is not my Mom's stew, just happens to be the name of the recipe I found, but it is very easy to prepare, and very good! Keep in mind these are the small, already shucked and packaged oysters. I am going to go with 3 small containers from Tesco for a pint of oysters. I made this on 6 June 2018 and used fresh oyster meat from a local fisherman, 1 pint was 45 Baht, much less than Tesco. Excellent soup as well.
Ingredients
- 1 pint oyster meat, shucked and drained, (2 cups)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 clove garlic, smashed and finely minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 1½ cups evaporated milk
- ½ cup milk
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic, salt and pepper; cook and stir until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in the evaporated milk and milk and reduce to a simmer.
- When the milk is hot add the oysters and cook just until the oysters start to curl and turn opaque. Taste and season with more salt and white pepper if needed.
- Serve with saltine or oyster crackers on the side. (Not much to look at, but tasty!)
Notes
For a main dish, 2 servings with a salad on the side, and as a side dish, 3-4 servings. For pricing, a small container of oyster meat from Tesco is 45 Baht each, I am thinking 2-3 containers for a pint, I have to verify this still. I buy fresh oyster meat by the pint from the local fishermen at a cost of 45 Baht. For 2 servings 70 cents. Tesco bought oysters would be twice this.
Variants: 1. Add diced celery at the beginning and soften that up with the butter, then proceed with the recipe. 2. Double the amount of oysters.
Cheeseburger Meatloaf
This is the Cheddar variant to the Swiss Cheese Meatloaf recipe I posted here. I just threw this together but did not take any step by step photos, as I thought this would just be average, but was I wrong. This is excellent and so easy. I use minced pork for meatloaf so if you do the same, you should use a meat thermometer to make sure the correct internal temp is reached. I will make this again so I can take the step by step photos. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo minced pork, OR ground beef
- 250 grams Cheddar cheese, real cheese, no fake stuff here
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 eggs
- 2 dill pickles, small, sliced, OR make from a shortcut
- 2 tablespoons dil pickle juice
- 4 slices bread, white or wheat works, torn apart
- prepared yellow mustard, couple of squirts
- 3 tablespoons BBQ sauce, OR make from a shortcut
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C. Get out a couple of loaf pans.
- In a large bowl combine all the ingredients with just a large spoon, no need for hand mixing, takes just a minute.
- With your block of cheese, you will need 10-12 slices (1/2 to 2/3 of the block), the rest of the block you need to shred for the topping. This is the cheese I use. This Mainland Brand Cheddar cheese, 250 grams, from New Zealand, and is real cheese.
- I use two loaf pans when making meatloaf. Take the meat mixture and pat down in the bowl and using the large spoon, mark it into 4 sections, use 1/4 of the mixture in each loaf pan, spread out and pack down, then top with the cheese slices, 5-6 slices on the meat mixture.
- Use the remaining meat mixture to to cover each loaf pan. Top with more BBQ sauce. Bake for for 40 minutes, and use a meat thermometer to check internal temp then continue to bake about 10 minutes more to ensure the cheese is melted. Remove from oven and sprinkle on the shredded Cheddar cheese and return to the oven for just a few minutes to melt the cheese on top. Remove from oven and let rest for about 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Minced pork is about 135 Baht/kilo. The block of cheese will cost about 180 Baht. For 8 servings this would be about $1.12 per serving, for 10 servings this would be about 90 cents per serving. Very reasonable.
Variants: Layer in some sliced mushrooms over the cheese before adding the remaining meat mixture. Another variant would be to add sliced bacon to the top.
Shortcuts: BBQ Sauce, Dill Pickles.
My own recipe.