Archive for the ‘#1 Go-To Recipes’ Category
Quick Fridge Dill Pickles
This is a brine-based pickle. The reason why they are called quick is because they are ready in about 2 days. They get a bit better if you wait, but they are very pickle-ish then.
Ingredients
- 1 empty pint jar with lid, mason or reused olive or mayo jar is perfect
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
- 1 handful fresh dill, chopped
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon fresh peppercorns
- cucumbers, small and short
Instructions
- Fill the jar about halfway with very hot water and dissolve the salt in the water. Add part of the peppercorns, dill, and vinegar to the hot saltwater and stir.
- Cut cucumbers lengthwise if you're making pickle spears, obviously if you want make chipped pickles just cut normally. Squeeze as many cucumbers as you can into the jar. Allow for a bit more liquid to be added if the cucumbers are not completely submerged.
- Add the rest of the dill and peppercorns.
- Let it cool down to room temperature. Put the lid on a shake it. Make sure the cucumbers are not poking up above the water. If they are, open the jar and push them back down. I made a jar of chips and a jar of spears.
- Put in the fridge... done... it's just that easy.
Notes
Low cost. I normally make two pints at a time, one spears, one chips.
Variants: 1. Add a few chili peppers to spice it up. 2. Add a teaspoon of mustard seed. 3. Add a teaspoon of pickling spice mix you can find in the spice row of most grocery stores.
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
- Chicken Olivye (Chicken Potato Salad), made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Dill Pickle Dip, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Pickle Deviled Eggs, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Sardine Salad Sandwich, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Ham & Cheese Pasta Salad, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Classic Tuna Salad Sandwiches, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Dill Pickle Bacon Grilled Cheese, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Deviled Egg Pasta Salad, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Dill Pickle Cream Cheese Sandwich, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Dill Pickle Bread.
- Russian Beet Salad.
Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole I
This is another recipe where everything was processed, I changed it up here to reflect fresh ingredients. I made this on 29 Sep 2016 using diced ham in place of the bacon, and this is very good and highly recommended! Now since all slow cookers are different, this one you need to keep an eye on regarding the time then you can make adjustments based on your particular slow cooker. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 4-6 potatoes, washed, skin on
- 250 grams Cheddar cheese, shredded, (8 oz)
- 500 grams cooked bacon, see Step 1, (1 lb)
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 12 eggs
- 1 cup, milk
Instructions
- For any meat used, it needs to be cooked first. Good choices would be cubed chicken, minced Italian sausage, minced or sliced breakfast sausage, or diced ham, or any combination.
- For your hash browns, wash, peel if you desire, then grate. Take the shredded potatoes and rinse them in cold water, and really squeeze them to get the water out, do this 3-4 times until the water is clear, this removes the starch, then your potatoes are ready. This photo shows the potatoes, bell peppers, onion, and ham ready. Only about ¾ of the potatoes were used.
- Now with your slow cooker, add this in layers, in this order: half the hash browns, half the bacon or meat of your choice or omit, half the onions, half the bell pepper, and half the cheese.
- Now add the remaining hash browns, remaining bacon or meat of choice, remaining onion, remaining bell pepper, and the cheese. If you like cheese, you know what to do. When you get done adding everything, it will look like this.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk, pour this over the contents of the slow cooker, add salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook on low for 8 hours. IF YOU HAVE NOT MADE THIS BEFORE IN YOUR SLOW COOKER, THIS IS WHERE YOU NEED TO WATCH THE TIME NEEDED. SO PLAN ON THIS FOR A DINNER FIRST BEFORE YOU COOK OVER NIGHT FOR A BREAKFAST. AT THE 4 HOUR MARK, INSERT A BUTTER KNIFE IN THE MIDDLE AND PULL OUT, IF CLEAN, THE EGGS ARE SET AND IT IS DONE, IF RUNNY EGGS, YOU NEED TO COOK MORE, ADJUST YOUR TIME AS NEEDED. I was hungry so I took two scoops out of the pot before I thought of taking the photo when the dish is done.
- Variations, you can figure this out as well, whatever you like in an omelet can go in here, think mushrooms, tomatoes, Swiss cheese, chilis, asparagus, etc. Serve with some toast and you have a meal.
- Two scoops in my bowl, ready for dinner. The peppers and onion are crunchy, excellent flavor overall.
Notes
Nothing expensive here, this is easily under $1.00 per person.
Shortcuts: Sausage, Breakfast Sausage.
Grilled Chicken Thighs Tandoori
Takes time to marinate the chicken but well worth it. This recipe is written as it was posted, so unless feeding a large group of folks, I think cutting back on the chicken thighs but keeping all the rest as written, would work fine. Inexpensive meal! I made this on 12 Nov 2016, well worth the time to marinate! I took some step by step photos and my report is in the comments section.
Ingredients
- 16 chicken thighs, skin on, bone in
- 2 containers plain yogurt
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
- 4 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin, see note on this
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, see note on this
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- olive oil
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, stir together yogurt, and all spices listed. Set aside. All the spices added on top of the yogurt.
- Everything mixed.
- Rinse chicken under cold water, and pat dry with paper towels. Place chicken in a large resealable plastic bag. Pour yogurt mixture over chicken, press air out of bag, and seal. Turn the bag over several times to distribute marinade. Place bag in a bowl, and refrigerate 8 hours, or overnight, turning bag occasionally.
- Get your outdoor grill fired up for direct medium heat.
- Remove chicken from bag, and discard marinade. Scrape off excess marinade with a spoon, using a brush, lightly coat each side of the chicken with olive oil.
- Place chicken on the grill over direct heat, and cook about 2 minutes. Turn, and cook 2 minutes more. Then arrange the chicken to receive indirect heat, and cook approximately 35 to 40 minutes, turning occasionally, to an internal temperature of 82 C. Serve with grilled corn on the cob and grilled potatoes for a meal.
- Removed from the grill.
- Dinner!
Notes
Note about the cinnamon and cloves, you can replace these two items with 1 tablespoon of Garam Masala and add 2 tablespoons of lime juice, if you choose.
Feel free to use just thighs, or legs and thighs, or quarters. Chicken thighs will run about 65 Baht/kilo, 16 thighs could cost, I am guessing about 200 Baht. This comes out to about 75 cents per person.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Smoky Pinto Beans
I made this on 4 May 2016, excellent flavor but slightly modified and the recipe is changed to reflect the changes. Highly recommended.
Equipment
- Slow Cooker (3½+ quart)
Ingredients
- 500 grams Pinto beans, dry, sorted, and rinsed, (1 lb)
- 1 large onion, diced
- 250 grams bacon, cut into ¼ inch strips, (8 oz)
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup water
- 1 can diced tomatoes, drained, (585 g / 20 oz)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the beans and place in a large bowl. Add water to cover by 2 inches. Let soak for at least 10 hours or over night.
- Drain the soaked beans in a colander and discard the soaking water, rinse with fresh water and allow to drain. Add the onion, bacon, beans, stock, and water to your slow cooker and mix. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours.
- Uncover and add the diced tomatoes and give a quick stir. Cover and cook on high for 3 more hours. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
Slow Cooker Chicken Stuffed Bell Peppers
Easy to prepare and do ahead recipe. You can add other leftover vegetables from the fridge and other spices to suit your mood.
Ingredients
- 4 red bell peppers, or yellow, gives a much better flavor than the green
- 4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cut into strips like you would do for a stir fry
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 can sweet corn, 165 gram can, the really small one
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes, OR fresh chilis of your liking
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 2 plum tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cup chicken stock
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Slice the top off each pepper, save the tops and pop out the stems. Remove seeds & membranes from peppers, do not puncture the bottoms. Dice the tops.
- Saute the chicken in a non stick skillet for 5 minutes with just a small splash of olive oil, remove from the pan (not trying to cook them through, just giving them a head start).
- Same pan, saute the onion until transparent, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the cumin, chili flakes, salt and pepper to taste, and mix in, then add the chicken again, then the rice, corn, chopped tomatoes, and the chopped pepper tops. Mix to combine and remove from heat.
- Fill each pepper with the mixture and place in the slow cooker. Any extra meat mixture left over, pack that around the peppers.
- Add the chicken stock to the slow cooker and turn on Low for 5 hours and cover. Do not open the lid unless you see no liquid in the pot, just add another cup of water then.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Chicken breast would be about 87 Baht/kilo, get 4 breasts and work with that, the cost will be close to 80-90 Baht. The bell peppers will run between 30 and 40 Baht each, for this pricing I will use 35 Baht per pepper. This meal is $1.70 per serving. Still reasonable and nutritious.
Variants: 1. If you want to add cheese, fill each pepper half full of meat mixture, then add some shredded cheese of your choice, then fill the peppers to the top with the meat. 2. You can also substitute or add to the corn, any vegetables you have left over in the fridge, celery and chives works very well. 3. Use ground chicken, or coarse ground chicken instead of the sliced chicken.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Variant 3. suggested by good friend, Jason Hanchey.
United States.
United States.
Stuffed Bell Peppers I
I like Stuffed Peppers, and when I did not have an oven, I made these and simply steamed them in a pot with some water, they were excellent. These can be steamed, baked, or even made in a slow cooker, cooking time varies. No need to use green bell peppers, feel free to use red or yellow ones. This is a versatile recipe, if you do not want to use cheese, leave it out, if you want to add mushrooms, added them, this recipe can be adapted to many tastes.
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Pan (7x11 inch)
Ingredients
- 6 small bell peppers, red, yellow, or green
- 500 grams ground beef, or minced pork, (1 lb)
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded, (4 oz / 113 g)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F), cut tops off peppers, remove seeds and pulp. Place peppers in a baking dish. A 7x11 dish holds 6 small pepper, a 9x13 dish will hold 6 large peppers.
- Dice tops of peppers. Add the ground beef, onion, eggs, tomato paste, oregano, diced tops, rice, salt and pepper to a mixing bowl.
- Mix together with a sturdy spoon.
- Fill each pepper half full with meat mixture.
- Add some Cheddar cheese to each pepper.
- Top with remaining meat mixture, mounding the tops. Any meat left over, just pack in a small baking dish. Add â…“ cup water to the baking pan.
- Cover pan with foil, bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 30 minutes. Top each pepper with Cheddar, bake for an additional 5-10 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Fair cost per serving.
Updated on 14 August 2021.
2 Ingredient Salsa Chicken
This could not be any easier, and only 2 ingredients, cooked in a slow cooker! Use in flour tortillas to make chicken tacos, quesadillas, salads, burritos, enchiladas, etc. I have made this and it really is easy and very tasty! My review listed below. Recipe modified by my findings. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, OR 6-8 thighs
- 2 cups salsa, OR make from a shortcut
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts or thighs in a slow cooker and cover with salsa. Toss until the chicken is covered.
- Cover and cook on high for 4 hours (or low for 6-8 hours), or until the chicken shreds easily with a fork. Remove the chicken from the the slow cooker to a plate, and shred with 2 forks, add back to the slow cooker and mix well with the remaining salsa and juices. Serve immediately, or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days. This also freezes well for use at a later time.
Notes
Chicken breasts run about 87 Baht/kilo, thighs about 65 Baht/kilo, and quarters 58 Baht a kilo.
About a kilo of breast, so that would be about 87 Baht, the salsa, even though Tesco brand, small jars, is probably 60 Baht each, would need 2 jars. Total costs would be 207 Baht or about $1.05 per person for 6 meals.
If using thighs or quarters, the cost is less than $1 per person.
Shortcut: Salsa.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Cottage Cheese Chicken Enchiladas
These are excellent enchiladas. This is not a low cost meal, but if using all home made ingredients, you save some money. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Pan (9x13 inch)
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, or 6 thighs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, small, diced
- 2-3 fresh green chili peppers, seeded and chopped
- 1 packet taco seasoning mix, Shortcut
- ½ cup sour cream, Shortcut
- 2 cups Cottage cheese, Shortcut
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 12 corn tortillas, 6 inch
- 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded, or Cheddar cheese
- 1 can enchilada sauce, Shortcut
Instructions
- Boil the breasts or thighs until cooked, allow to cool then shred, discarding any skin and bones.
- To make the meat mixture: heat oil in medium skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken, onion and green chile peppers and saute until browned, then add taco seasoning and cook according to package directions.
- To make cheese mixture: in a medium bowl mix sour cream with cottage cheese and season with salt and pepper; stir until well blended.
- Preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking pan with butter.
- To assemble: heat tortillas until soft. In each tortilla place a spoonful of meat mixture, a spoonful of cheese mixture and a bit of shredded cheese. Roll tortillas and place seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Top with any remaining meat and cheese mixture, enchilada sauce, and remaining shredded cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Serve with beans on the side and additional cheese if desired.
Notes
Boneless and skinless chicken breasts run about 87 Baht/kilo. For this recipe, 3 might set you back about 80 Baht. For the tortillas, I do not have a price on that, what I use was brought here from Phuket so I have no idea about the cost, considering that, I would say the cost per serving is about $1.50 to $2, max. Make the cottage cheese and seasoning packets yourself and save a lot of money as well.
Shortcuts: Taco Seasoning, Cottage Cheese, Enchilada Sauce, Sour Cream.
Variant: 1. Use flour tortillas in place of corn tortillas.Â
Easy Refried Beans (Slow Cooker)
Use as a side dish or as a filling for burritos, these are excellent beans.
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 500 grams Pinto beans, dry, sorted, and rinsed, (1 lb)
- 1 onion, peeled, cut in half
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1¾ teaspoons black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 8 cups water
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Place the rinsed dry beans, onion, pepper, cumin. and garlic in your slow cooker.
- Pour in the water and stir to combine. Cook on High for 8 hours, adding more water as needed. Note: if more than 1 cup of water has evaporated during cooking, then the temperature is too high.
- Once the beans are cooked, strain them and reserve the liquid, slightly mash, it will not take much, add reserved liquid from cooking for desired consistency. (I like to lightly mash just 2 or 3 cups of beans and mix that in with the remaining drained beans.)
- Serve as a side dish or fill burritos and top with burrito (taco) sauce and loads of grated Cheddar cheese.
Notes
Used in Recipe Listed on this Site:
- Cheesy Baked Enchiladas.
- Cheesy Bean Enchilada Casserole, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Mexican Tortilla Casserole.
Spanish Chorizo
Spanish Chorizo is a firm, drier sausage than Mexican Chorizo. A plate of Chorizo with a couple of sunny side up eggs on top, real hash browns on the side, makes me hungry! I made this on (cooked rather) the Chorizo on 19 Nov 2016, and it is excellent! Even got two thumbs up from my wife! I prepared the Chorizo on 17 Nov. Keep in mind this is not true Spanish Chorizo but a pretty good knock off in my opinion. The chorizo offered in some stores is Thailand will be of the Spanish type.
Ingredients
- 500 grams minced pork, (1 lb)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons chili powder, (4 tablespoons US chili powder, 2 tablespoons Thai chili powder)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, cover and place in the fridge overnight. This photo is after it had been in the fridge for 1 half days, the smell is wonderful.
- Form into patties or just crumble and fry.
- When the Chorizo is cooked, drop in a few eggs.
- Served.
Notes
Minced pork is about 110 Baht per kilo, 500 grams would be 55 Baht. Can easily make 4 servings from this for a cost of 40 cents per serving.
Used in Recipe Listed on this Site:
Chorizo Burgers with Cucumber Slaw,
Gouda Chorizo Jalapeno Poppers. Adapted from an internet recipe.
Chorizo Burgers with Cucumber Slaw,
Gouda Chorizo Jalapeno Poppers. Adapted from an internet recipe.
