Archive for the ‘5 Ingredients or Less’ Category
Yogurt Pie
This is surprisingly good, and easy. I have this written to use a store bought crust to make this very easy to put together, and you can also make from scratch if you desire.
Ingredients
- 1 graham cracker crust, store bought
- 3 containers flavored yogurt, all same flavor, (6 oz each)
- 1 container Cool Whip, thawed
- fresh fruit, same as yogurt choice, as garnish, if desired
Instructions
- Add the cool whip and yogurt to a mixing bowl.
- Fold the yogurt into the cool whip.
- Spread the cool whip mixture into the graham cracker crust.
- Place in the freezer and allow the pie to firm up. Remove from the freezer about 30 minutes before serving.
- Slice and place on plates, top with some fresh fruit that is the same as the yogurt. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost in the US, this would be costly in Thailand as I have only seen cool whip one time and that was pricey to say the least.
Adapted from a recipe on a cool whip container.
Andouille Sausage, Peppers & Mushrooms
Just a twist on the classic Sausage, Peppers & Onions. I had some Andouille sausage today (16 Oct 2019) and I really enjoyed that, very enjoyable. I put this dish together on a whim and it turned out perfect.
Ingredients
- 1 ring Andouille sausage, (about 396 g / 14 oz)
- 3 bell peppers, 1 red, 1 green, 1 yellow
- 250 grams button mushrooms, (8 oz)
- olive oil, as needed
- black pepper, as desired
Instructions
- Prep the ingredients by slicing the sausage into 1/4 inch pieces, slice the bell peppers into strips, and slice the mushrooms.
- Heat a large pan on medium to medium high heat and add the sausage. Cook and stir the sausage occasionally until browned and cooked through.
- Remove the sausage to a plate with a slotted spoon, draining as much fat as you can.
- Wipe out the same pan and place back on medium heat and add the bell peppers. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the peppers are tender yet crisp.
- Add the mushrooms and stir into the peppers. Season with black pepper as desired. Continue cooking, stirring often to work the mushrooms through the bottom of the pan, until the mushrooms are starting to wilt and release their water.
- Add the sausage back to the pan and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are fully wilted and the sausage heated through. Serve with rice, enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Just a different take on a classic dish.
Homemade Smoked Hocks (Pressure Cooker)
In Thailand, I have never seen smoked ham hocks, but uncooked hocks are widely available. These are called pork side leg or pork leg in Tesco, and are quite large, bonus is they are cut through the bone in several places on the large hocks. This recipe produces smoked hocks using liquid smoke and a pressure cooker, not a smoker. I will use my 9 liter (9½ quart) stove top pressure cooker with a pressure of 80 kPa (12 psi), so this will work with a electric pressure cooker as well. Follow all safety precautions for your model of pressure cooker.
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1-2 kilos pork side legs, (2-4 lb)
- 2 quarts water, (8 cups)
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns, heaping
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
Instructions
- Place a rack in your pressure if you have one. Add the hocks on top of the rack. (For this I used just over 2 kilo (4+ lb) with 4 thick side leg pieces and 1½ feet which were already cut in half.)
- Add the water, peppercorns, and liquid smoke.
- Place the lid on the pressure cooker and lock in place, add the weight to the lid. Place on high heat.
- When the weight (jiggler) starts to vent pressure and move a little, reduce heat to low or medium low, but maintain the pressure venting and movement on the jiggler. Set your timer for 35 minutes.
- When 35 minutes have passed, turn off the heat and move the cooker to an unused burner. Allow a natural pressure release, meaning you don't need to do anything, just let the pressure cooker cool until all pressure has vented, and the lid lock device indicates that zero pressure remains inside the cooker.
- When no pressure is in the cooker, keep your face pointed generally away from the cooker and open the lid.
- Scoop out the hocks and any meat that may have fallen off the bones. (This is the side leg pieces, the feet halves were placed on another plate.)
- For the broth, drain through several layers of cheesecloth into a pot, then pour into 1-2 quart jars. Allow to cool to room temperature, cover and place in the fridge. When chilled, remove most of the fat from the top. Now you have pork broth to use for making a pot of beans. This may keep in the fridge for 3-5 days.
- Serve the hocks as is with side dishes of your choice, or use as an ingredient in a hocks and beans recipe of your choice.
Notes
Pork side leg in Tesco will cost about 61 Baht/kilo or $1/pound, basically low cost per serving and you get pork broth for use in other recipes.
Orange Kissed Brownies
This recipe comes from a flavoring extract package and I will be trying this one soon. This recipe uses a store bought fudge brownie mix, which is perfectly fine, and using a store brand will be a savings. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 box fudge brownie mix, plus ingredients listed on the box, Shortcut
- 1 tablespoon orange extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven and prepare a baking pan as stated on the brownie mix box.
- Prepare the brownie batter as directed on the box then add the chocolate chips and extract.
- Mix in the extract and chocolate chips.
- Pour into the prepared pan and spread out evenly, bake as directed on the brownie box.
- Allow to cool, cut into squares, serve, and enjoy.
Notes
Several factors to determine cost per serving for this dessert. Cutting the brownies into 24 squares instead of 12 would reduce the cost per serving a lot, but who wants a smaller brownie. Based on location for pricing, the US would be Low cost per serving for sure, and using a store brand for the brownie mix will also help in reducing the cost. For Thailand, this would be Fair to High cost per serving if using a store bought brownie mix, using a homemade mix would reduce to the cost considerably even to Low cost per serving.
Shortcut: Gooey Fudge Brownies.
Adapted from a recipe on a flavoring extract package.
Pigs in Blankets
This is a recipe from my childhood, first being mentioned in a Betty Crocker cookbook in the 60's using packaged crescent rolls. When I was little, my Mom simply used hot dogs with the crescent rolls, now days there is many options for the sausage. This is just a guide and can be made in as many ways as there is types of sausage. Have fun and enjoy.
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- 1 tube crescent rolls
- 8 hot dogs, or sausage of your choice
- dipping sauces of your choice
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 190° C (375° F) or according to the crescent tube instructions. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
- Open the crescent rolls and separate into the 8 triangles. Lay a hot dog/sausage on the wide end of a triangle of dough. Roll the hot dog in the dough and place the roll on the baking sheet with the pointy end of the roll on the bottom. Repeat until all the hot dogs are rolled. I used cheese filled smoked sausages.
- When the rolls are golden brown, about 10-15 minutes, remove from the oven, place on a serving plate, enjoy with dipping sauce of your choice.
Notes
For the US, these are certainly low cost per serving, for Thailand, I have never seen the crescent rolls in tubes although I have made crescent rolls from scratch so I have included that recipe here for those that would like to make those.
Shortcut: Crescent Rolls (Bread Machine).
My Mom and I have made these for years.
Some Mores
You may be familiar with the more popular version of this name, "S'mores" which is a contraction of the phrase "some more". "Graham Cracker Sandwich" was the term used when the recipe was published by the Campfire Marshmallow Company in the 1920's, then appeared as "Some More" when published in a cookbook for the Girl Scouts in 1927, and the term "S'mores" was used in 1938 in a cookbook aimed for summer camps, and was popular in both the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. In 1957, the recipe for "S'mores" appears in a Betty Crocker cookbook. A s'more is basically a graham cracker topped with a toasted marshmallow and some chocolate bar. This recipe is just marshmallow cream sandwiched between graham crackers and dipped in melted almond bark, easy and simple. Since no toasted marshmallows are used, these could also be called "Moon Pies" which were created in 1917. Regardless of any name you wish to use, they are easy and tasty. Measurements are approximate, this is a make what you want guide.
Ingredients
- 2 packs graham crackers, (3 packs in a box, use 2 of those packs)
- 1 jar marshmallow cream, (7 oz / 198 g), you will use about 1/2 of that
- 750 grams almond bark, (aka chocolate coating, 1 1/2 lbs)
- candy sprinkles, optional
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with foil. Open the two packs of graham crackers. Using the lines on the crackers, break the crackers in half, then each half in half, so you have 4 crackers from each cracker from the packs. Don't worry if a few crackers break in odd shapes, those are treats for the cook, so just enjoy those at your leisure.
- Spread marshmallow cream on a cracker then top with another cracker, place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all the crackers are used. Place the baking sheet in the fridge to chill.
- Setup a double boiler, place on low heat, and add the almond bark. Allow the bark to melt, and stir the coating once in a while as it melts.
- When the bark is fully melted and smooth, remove the crackers from the fridge. Drop a cracker in the bark, turn it with a fork and coat all sides, lift the cracker out with the fork, scrape off the excess bark from the bottom of the fork and place the cookie back on the foil. Repeat until all crackers are coated. If you want to sprinkle with candy sprinkles, coat about 5 cookies then sprinkle them, if you wait until all the cookies are dipped, the coating may have set up and not able for the sprinkles to stick.
- Place the baking sheet back in the fridge to chill for about 20 minutes or longer.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Cost per serving would be based on location for these. Low cost per serving in the US, this would be costly in Thailand as 2 out of 3 items would have to be bought at high end western stores.
Just something I made on a whim, Lee Thayer.
United States.
United States.
Sauteed Shrimp
Shrimp is a versatile ingredient in pastas, soups, stir fry's, etc, and is easily overcooked resulting in a rubbery texture. Often times people will cook shrimp, normally by boiling them, then unintentionally 'cooking' them again in the final dish. Minimal is best when preparing shrimp, when they are pink, they are done, then just need to be heated in the final dish. No quantities are provided here, this is a make what you want guide.
Ingredients
- shrimp
- extra light olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Peel, remove tails, and devein the shrimp. I cleaned 4 pounds of Gulf shrimp for this.
- Heat a tablespoon of the oil in a large non stick pan on medium high heat. When hot, add shrimp in a single layer. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes or until the bottom is pink, the bottom of the sides no longer translucent. The shrimp, on average, will be just beginning to curl when they are ready to be turned.
- Turn the shrimp over and cook for about 2 more minutes or until the bottom is pink and there is no more translucent flesh visible. On average, the shrimp will be curled up now.
- Remove to a plate while you finish the remaining shrimp. When using in a recipe, such as a soup or pasta, you want to add the shrimp at the end as it is already cooked and you simply want to reheat it. Enjoy.
Notes
No pricing as that can vary widely based on the type, size, and amount of shrimp you are using.
Been preparing shrimp like this for use in other recipes for many years. Lee Thayer.
United States.
United States.
Baked Ranch Chicken
Easy baked chicken recipe with only 3 ingredients and you can use shortcuts to make two of them. Two methods are listed here as I have seen and done both. Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Notes section.
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Foil
- Oven
Ingredients
Method 1
- 6-8 chicken pieces, think legs, thighs, breasts
- ¼ cup bread crumbs, Shortcut
- 2 packets dry ranch dressing mix, Shortcut
Method 2
- 6-8 chicken pieces, think legs, thighs, breasts
- 2-3 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- 1 packet dry ranch dressing mix, Shortcut
Instructions
Method 1
- Preheat your oven to 190° C (375° F). Line a baking sheet with foil and turn up the edges, this makes clean up much easier. Place chicken pieces on the foil.
- In a shallow bowl, mix together the bread crumbs and dressing mix.
- Roll chicken in the crumb mixture and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 50 minutes, if checking with an instant read thermometer, 79° C (175° F) is the minimum needed.
- Serve with sides of your choice and enjoy.
Method 2
- Preheat your oven to 190° C (375° F). Line a baking sheet with foil and turn up the edges, this makes clean up much easier. Place chicken pieces on the foil.
- To small mixing bowl, add the oil and dry mix. Stir together. Use 2 tablespoons oil first, if mixture is too thick, thick it down with another tablespoon of oil.
- Brush mixture onto chicken pieces.
- Bake for 50 minutes, if checking with an instant read thermometer, 79° C (175° F) is the minimum needed.
- Serve with sides of your choice, enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcuts: Bread Crumbs. Ranch Dressing Mix.
Fried Summer Squash
This is a simple recipe that I started cooking when I was child learning to cook. No quantities are given as this is a make what you want recipe.
Ingredients
- fresh yellow summer squash, sliced 1/4 inch thick
- extra light olive oil, as needed
- salt and pepper, as desired, to taste
Instructions
- Heat a non stick pan with a tablespoon of olive oil. When hot, add the summer squash. Season with salt and pepper as desired and give the squash a toss in the pan.
- As the squash cooks, it will release water. Cook for about 20-30 minutes or until the thickest slices of squash are softened and tender, stirring the squash often.
- Serve with a main dish of your choice.
Notes
Low cost in the United States, this type of squash is hard to locate in Thailand.
Variant: 1. Add a chopped onion to the squash when cooking.
Been cooking squash like this for many years, Lee Thayer.
United States.
United States.
Smoked Sausage & Peppers
This is my very basic recipe for the common dish called Sausage, Peppers, and Onions. I make this as a side with pasta dishes, and typically the Sausage, Peppers, and Onions dish is a main dish. No quantities are given here, just use what you want. And this could not be easier, just smoked sausage and peppers, let the sausage season the peppers.
Ingredients
- smoked sausage, sliced at a bias
- bell peppers, your choice of color, sliced into strips
Instructions
- Prep the bell peppers and sausage. For this I used 2 yellow, 1 orange, and 1 green. For the smoked sausage, I used two 340 g / 12 oz packages.
- Heat the cooking oil in a non stick pan on medium heat, when hot, add the sausage and pepper and stir together.
- Cook, stirring once in a while until the peppers are softened and tender and the sausage heated through.
- Serve as a side dish.
Notes
Variation of a common dish, Sausage, Peppers, and Onions.
