Archive for the ‘#1 Go-To Recipes’ Category
Homemade Pepperoni
Yep, I can already hear the Pepperoni Gods complaining about this recipe, but I have made this on 16 Jan 2017 and it is good. The end goal for this is to use on a pizza or three. This does not have the red color to it since no curing salt or nitrites were used, but the flavor is spot on. I will be making some pizzas later this week with this.
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Sheet with Rack
Ingredients
- 1 kilo ground beef, you want fatty beef, (2 lb)
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke, or 2 teaspoons ground cumin if no liquid smoke
- 1 teaspoon mustard seed
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly crushed
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika, or smoked paprika if you have it
- 1½ teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix them together with your hands. Divide the meat mixture into two portions and roll them into logs about 1½ inch diameter. Wrap the rolls in aluminum foil and refrigerate them overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 100° C (215° F). Place the rolls on a wire rack, without the foil and put the rack on a baking sheet. Bake the pepperoni rolls for 6 hours, turning them every hour. Remove the pepperoni from the oven and allow it to cool as the fat continues to drain. Store the pepperoni in the refrigerator and slice it as needed.
- Finished and cooling. There is no red color to this as there is no preservatives or curing salt used, bonus. Store in the fridge for about 3 days.
Notes
Ground beef, I am taking a good guess at 200 Baht/kilo. How much this makes for a pizza, I have no idea until I test this out.
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
- Pizza Pasta Bake.
- Pizzadillas, made it.
- Thin Crust Pizza, made it, GO-TO recipe.
Cream Cheese Oyster Sauce
This is new territory for me, I normally eat large oysters on the half shell or grilled until they open. This recipe uses the small oysters. This recipe was touted as a casserole, which it is not, but makes a excellent pasta sauce. I made this on 3 Jun 2016, and this is really really good! On my Go-to list. My comments below.
Ingredients
- 500 grams oysters, shucked and drained
- 250 grams Cream cheese, room temperature, (8 oz)
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 cup spring onions, chopped, green and white parts
- ¾ cup milk, more as needed
- ¼ cup Thai celery, chopped, NOT western celery, use leaves as well
- salt and pepper, to taste
- splash olive oil
- hot cooked pasta, of your choice, for serving
Instructions
- Heat a skillet on medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of butter and a splash of olive oil, when hot, add the drained oysters, cook for a few minutes, this is quick, shucked oysters are typically small. When they are cooked through, edges curling, remove from heat, drain, and set aside.
- While the oysters are cooking, put a small pot on low heat, add the other 2 tablespoons of butter and the block of softened Cream cheese. Move from the heat to a counter and back to the heat several times to prevent burning. The photo shows perfect consistency.
- Once the cheese is melted stir in the milk, chopped spring onion, and celery and put back on the heat, stir in the cooked oysters and bring to a near boil, stirring constantly or it will burn, to ensure the oysters are heated through. Add more milk, a few tablespoons at a time to get the sauce consistency you desire.
- Once hot, serve over pasta of your choice. A vegetable on the side would make this a complete meal.
Notes
I bought fresh harvested oysters for 50 Baht for 350 grams, but I was not thinking, that weight includes the brine the oysters are in, so make sure the non shell and drained weight is 500 grams, no one will complain. Figure about 75 Baht for 500 grams, for fresh local harvested oysters, DO NOT USE oysters from Phuket! Cream cheese, Caroline brand which is made in Thailand will run about 110 Baht for 250 gram block. This comes to about $1.40 per serving for 4 servings. Serve with a vegetable and some Italian bread, you could stretch this to 5-6 servings for more savings.
Tomato Soup
I had to do some research as I have a recipe that states tomato soup, but that is not available where I live, so I found a shortcut. It is healthier than canned tomato soup, but is just as easy as opening a can of soup and heating it up. This is NOT a condensed soup. I made this on 28 Apr 2017, it is good, not fine dining but it is good soup.
Ingredients
Soup
- 1 can tomato paste, this would be a 170 gram can, the really small one
- 4 cans milk, use the tomato paste can
- pinch salt, to taste
- 1 teaspoon sugar, OR honey
Optional Additions
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Parmesan cheese, OR Mozzerella cheese
- 1 teaspoon bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
Instructions
- Put tomato paste in saucepan, add milk using empty tomato paste can and rinsing can thoroughly. Add salt and sugar and optional additions if using, whisk and heat this on medium heat and serve as a side dish with a sandwich. I topped my bowl of soup with grated Parmesan cheese.
- If this is just needed for a recipe, whisk all ingredients together and use as the recipe states, however, you will need to measure the amount needed for the recipe.
Notes
A can of tomato paste costs 17 Baht, a can of name brand soup would cost 52 Baht. And just for example, here is what is in Campbell's Tomato Soup.
A Thai brand of tomato paste consists of concentrated tomatoes to make a paste with skin and seeds strained out, and a pinch of salt, a lot healthier than what you see in the ingredients for Campbell's!
Banana Bread I
This is a simple recipe and it is excellent. I have made this several times, it is fool proof and I get great reviews from my Thai family and friends. I use the small bananas grown right here in our yard for this.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened, (1 stick or 1/2 block)
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 1/2 cups banana, mashed, small bananas if you have them
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F). Lightly grease with butter the bread pan.
- Cream together the sugars and butter. Mix in eggs and vanilla.
- Add the mashed bananas and mix in. Mix in the flour, then mix in the baking soda. (This looks like a lot as I doubled the recipe to make two loaves.)
- Pour batter into the prepared bread pan.
- Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and place the pan(s) on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, roll out onto the rack and let rest until cooled.
- Slice and enjoy!
Notes
Minimal cost and a great tasting bread.
Easy Baked Chicken
This is quick and excellent dish. I made this on 11 June 2016, my comments below.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, OR legs and thighs skin on bone in
- 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated, if you like cheese, feel free to use more
- 1 container plain yougurt, this is the regular small container
- salt and pepper, to taste
- milk, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 190 C. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish with butter. Add the chicken to the dish.
- Mix the cheese, yogurt, and salt and pepper in a bowl. The mixture will be very thick, add a tablespoon of milk or so at a time to get a thinner consistency.
- Spread mixture over chicken, bake for 45 minutes. Serve with a side of your choice. This would be excellent with buttered pasta, mixed vegetables, etc.
- Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temp, target temp is 82 C / 180 F.
Notes
Last time I bought chicken breasts, just a few days before posting this, that cost me 74 Baht. Everything else is minimal. This comes out to about 55 cents per serving for 4 people.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Chili Dog Casserole
When I found this recipe, the chili and cheese were both listed as processed, such as canned and packaged shredded. This recipe I am going to show here is a mix of recipes from the site. These are easy to make recipes. The cheese will be real as well. That leaves tortillas, which are packaged, and I have not tried to make yet. And the hotdogs, buy quality dogs, they do in fact make them in Thailand and are not the chemical laden import dogs. This recipe takes time in the planning but you can make several other dishes in between. I made this on 2 Aug 2016, excellent! I modified this for using some canned items I used while in the US in May 2020.
Ingredients
- 6 cups chili, see Step 1.
- 500 grams beef hot dogs, (1 lb)
- 8-10 flour tortillas, 8 inch tortilas are perfect
- 250 grams Cheddar cheese, shredded, real cheese, (1/2 lb)
Instructions
- You can make your favorite chili or use canned, with or without beans. I have made this with both. For canned, use two 24 oz (1 1/2 lb / 680 g) cans. When I made this in the US I used two 24 oz (1 1/2 lb / 680 g) cans of chili.
- I have also made this with my homemade Pinto Bean Chili.
- Preheat your oven to 200 C (400 F).
- Spread 1 can of chili and beans (OR 3 cups of homemade chili) in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Roll up franks inside tortillas and place in baking dish, seam side down, on top of chili and beans.
- Top with remaining can of chili (OR another 3 cups of homemade chili), and sprinkle with cheese to cover.
- Cover baking dish with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and allow to brown on the top, remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes, serve, and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost for the US and Fair to High cost per serving in Thailand based on quality hot dogs and quality cheese.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Chicken & Swiss Skillet
Chicken and Swiss cheese? My favorites! Chicken breasts cooked in a skillet and covered with cooked onions, bacon, and mushrooms. This is easy recipe. I made this last night, 18 May 2016, recipe updated with my findings, my comments below.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
- 250 grams sliced bacon, optional, diced
- Swiss cheese, slices, slice a block for this, no processed stuff
- 1 onion, sliced
- 2 cups mushrooms
- 1/4 cup white wine, optional, OR 1/4 cup chicken stock
- spring onions, optional, chopped for garnish
- salt and pepp
Instructions
- Heat a heavy bottomed skillet (or cast iron pan) over medium heat, then add the bacon and cook 5-6 minutes or until the bacon is crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon from the pan and set aside in a bowl, keeping the bacon fat in the pan.
- Turn the heat up to medium-high. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides, place the chicken breasts in the pan and set a timer for one minute. After the minute is up, turn the breasts over and turn the heat down to low, cover the pan, and set another timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, open the lid, lay one slice of cheese over each chicken breast (lay cheese slices over the breast from slices from a block is preferred, cannot go wrong with too much cheese) then re-cover and let cook for another 5 minutes. Remove the chicken breasts to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Photo shows real Swiss cheese used, and I am heavy handed when it comes to cheese so the slices are thick.
- Turn the heat back up to medium and add the sliced onions, cook until soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Remove onions from the skillet and place in the bowl holding the diced bacon. Add the sliced mushrooms to the pan and let them brown up a little, toss once in a while to get most browned.
- Once the mushrooms have cooked, add the white wine or broth to the pan and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the bacon and onions to the pan, then toss to combine. Serve by placing one chicken breast on a plate, then topping with the bacon, mushroom, and onion mixture. Garnish with chopped spring onion or parsley if desired. Serve with a side of your choice. Photo shows the chicken plated with the onions and mushrooms on the top and a side of potato salad.
Notes
I bought 4 large chicken breasts two days ago for 74 Baht. The cheese will run 180 Baht for a block of Swiss cheese (Mainland brand from New Zealand), 1/3 of a block will cover two chicken breasts. This comes out to about $1.70 per meal for 4 servings, if you add the bacon, the cost will increase. Overall, not a bad price for a very tasty meal.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Basic Mac & Cheese
This is the basic recipe, add to it what ever you like, change the cheeses, etc. This is a building block, change it to make it fit your tastes. I have made this many times. I do not use boxed mac & cheese, something about powdered, glow in the dark cheese that is not right.
Ingredients
- 500 grams uncooked pasta, of your choice
- 4 cups milk
- 1/2 cup butter, this is 1/2 a standard block of butter
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder, optional
- 3 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook it just until just tender, about 11 minutes. Drain the pasta then set it aside.
- In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, warm the milk until it is simmering then set it aside.
- In a large heavy-bottomed stock pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, whisk in the flour and cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until it turns light brown in color and has a slightly toasted aroma, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the dry mustard (optional).
- Remove the pot from the heat then slowly whisk the warm milk into the flour mixture. Continue whisking constantly to avoid any lumps. (The mixture will become very thick and then thin out gradually until it is smooth.)
- Return the pot to the stove over medium-high heat and cook the mixture while whisking constantly until it has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 2 minutes. Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste and reduce the heat to medium. Whisk in the Cheddar and Parmesan cheeses until they are melted and the cheese sauce is smooth.
- Add the pasta, stirring to combine, then add what ever else you would like to add and mix in, cook just until the pasta is warmed throughout.
- Serve with a salad for a nice meal.
Notes
Cheese is the biggest factor here, 1 cup of shredded cheese is about 100 grams, you would need 1 1/2 blocks of good Cheddar for 3 cups, about 180 Baht per block, cost would be about 240 Baht for Cheddar. For Parmesan, 1 cup is about 150 grams, that is about 150 Baht. Not a cheap meal. This comes out to about $1.90 per serving for 6 people. Reduce the price per serving by adding a vegetable side dish.
Variants: 1. Add leftover diced ham, leftover diced chicken, and a little on the pricy side, lobster, cooked prawns, cooked sausage, imitation crab, can or two of tuna. 2. Add cooked vegetables such as broccoli or cauliflower to name a few.
Been making this for several years now.
White Fish Bake
This is really good! It is economical and healthy. Any white fish can be used, but think Pangasius, Barramundi, or even Tilapia, but boneless and skinless, Pangasius would be a great option as it can be bought that way. I made this on 24 May 2016 and used Pangasius, excellent! My comments below, recipe adjusted slightly to reflect my findings and step by step photos taken as well. Added to my go-to recipe list!
Ingredients
- 500 grams white fish fillets, boneless and skinnless, think Pangasius
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon mayo, heaping tablespoon
- 1 carrot, medium size, shredded
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 3-4 lemon slices
- 1/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- salt and pepper, to taste
- paprika, to taste
- olive oil, for pan frying
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 190 C. Get out a 9x13 baking dish.
- Rinse the fish fillets and dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper to taste on each side.
- Heat a large non stick pan with a splash of olive oil, cook the fish fillets on both sides, about 2-3 minutes each side, remove fish as they are cooked and place in a single layer in the baking dish, pack them in tightly. Season with salt and pepper as desired.
- Use the same pan, bit more olive oil and add the sliced onions and cook until golden brown, then add the carrot and cook for another 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, add the yogurt, mayo, dill, cooked onion and carrot, season with salt and pepper as desired, and mix to combine.
- Place 3-4 lemon slices on top of the fish, then spread the yogurt mixture over the fish evenly. Sprinkle with paprika and 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes or until fish flakes. Remove from oven, let rest 5 minutes before cutting, sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. Serve with rice or pasta and a vegetable for a filling and nutritious meal.
- Plated on egg noodles mixed with vegetables. Delicious!
Notes
Pangasius will run about 60 Baht/500 grams. Barramundi will run 102 Baht/fish, would take 2-3 fish however. Go with Pangasius. 60 Baht for 4 servings would be about 80 cents per serving to include the cost of the cheese. Excellent value!
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Baked Melt in Your Mouth Chicken Breasts
This is easy and delicious! Would work well for thighs, which I think would be tastier. Just five ingredients and while it is baking, you can make your side dish.
Ingredients
- 3-4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, or large thighs
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
- 1 cup mayo
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 190 C (375 F). Place chicken in a 7x11 baking dish.
- Mix the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl.
- Spread mixture over the chicken.
- Bake for 45 minutes. I did remove one and cut it half to check doneness, perfect at 45 minutes.
- Serve with a side of your choice.
Notes
Minimal costs, well under $1 per person per meal.
Adapted from an internet recipe.