Archive for the ‘BEEF’ Category
Garlic Bread Lasagna
February 11, 2017 Lee
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Garlic Bread Lasagna

If nothing else, this does sound interesting. On my to cook list. No measurements are given and I will sort that out when I make this, but it is pretty straight forward on how to assemble this. Use the shortcuts as well. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • olive oil, as needed
  • ground beef
  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • tomato sauce, OR make from a shortcut
  • garlic bread, OR make from a shortcut
  • Mozzarella Cheese, sliced
  • Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 200 C. Get out a baking dish, 7x11 should work, or even a 9x13 if making a lot of sauce and you have lots of garlic bread on hand.
  • Heat a large non stick pan with a splash of olive oil and add the garlic and onion, when the onion starts to soften, add the ground beef and break that up and mix in with the onions.
  • When the beef is cooked through, drain well then stir in the tomato sauce and let that simmer for 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat.
  • Toast the garlic bread following the shortcut. Once toasted, use your hand and flatten down each slice.
  • To assemble this concoction. Spread half the sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Then place slices of toasted and flattened garlic bread in an even layer. Cover that layer with slices of Mozzarella in an even layer. Spread the remaining sauce over the cheese, add another layer of garlic bread, another layer of Mozzarella, then sprinkle Parmesan over the top.
  • Bake for 40 minutes or until the top is starting to brown. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes, serve.

Notes

The beef will run about 100 Baht/500 grams. I will have to give a per serving cost after I make this.
Shortcut: Tomato Sauce, Garlic Bread.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
* High Cost $1.51+ per Serving,BEEF
Tenderize Beef with Tomatoes
February 8, 2017 Lee
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Tenderize Beef with Tomatoes

I was told of this trick from a good friend that was reluctant to tell me thinking this was common knowledge. I have since done this, and I will say 100%, this works great! And I never knew about this. The key to think about is beef that is going in a tomato based recipe. If you are making a dish that calls for cubed beef like for a stew, or something like Swiss Steak, this would be perfect. The acid in the tomatoes is a natural tenderizer.
Print Recipe
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Cuisine American
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 1 can whole peeled tomatoes, see Step 1
  • beef, see Step 2

Instructions
 

  • You will need 1 can of tomatoes, these can be crushed, diced, or in my case, whole in juice as the only thing available to me at my location. If using whole tomatoes in a can with juice, chop the tomatoes up, takes just a minute, you can do this while they are still in the can as well.
  • Cut the beef into what you need, like cubes for a stew, or larger pieces for say a Swiss Steak, add the beef to a pot, pour in the can of tomatoes, crushed, diced or whole that have been chopped, and all of the juice from the can as well. Add water to just cover the beef.
  • Heat this to a boil for 30 minutes. Then use the beef in your recipe as described. If the recipe calls for tomatoes, use the tomatoes and juice from the pot you cooked the beef in.

Notes

The cost to do this is low as a can of tomatoes, whole with juice is just 35 Baht.
I have used this with local raised beef in the village where I live, this beef is tough at best and it worked 100% as expected, fork tender beef for a Slow Cooker Swiss Steak I was making, the beef was fork tender before adding to the slow cooker. This would work with pork as well, and I have lived in the far north and ate local raised buffalo, this would be spot on for buffalo (and much needed!).
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
BEEF
Classic American Goulash
February 1, 2017 Lee
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Classic American Goulash

This was a staple growing up, and even served as lunch in schools. And just as delicious then as it was on 9 Feb 2017 when I cooked this, this is my go to recipe for goulash. Link to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams ground beef
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 2 1/4 cups tomato sauce, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1 can whole peeled tomatoes, drained, chopped, OR chop 4-5 plum tomatoes
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcherstershire sauce, OR 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 cup dry elbow macaroni, or maccheroni
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot over medium-high heat, add splash of olive oil and add the garlic and onions and cook until softened.
  • Add the ground beef , breaking the meat up as it cooks and mix into the onions, cook until the meat is no longer pink and has started to brown. Drain fat
  • Stir water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, and salt and pepper to taste into the meat mixture and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Stir macaroni into the mixture, cover, and simmer over low heat until the pasta is tender, about 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, remove bay leaf.
  • Serve.

Notes

Figure about 100 Baht for 500 grams of beef, and you may have to grind it yourself (which is preferred), for 4 servings, this is 74 cents per serving.
Variants: Add diced green bell pepper, parsley, it is up to you to tailor this to your recipe.
Shortcuts: Tomato Sauce, Italian Seasoning.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,BEEF
Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Skillet I
January 11, 2017 Lee
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Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Skillet I

It has been probably 5 years since I had cabbage rolls, and they were delicious! Here is a cheater recipe, no need to boil the cabbage leaves or roll anything, just make on the stove top in a large skillet. I have not tried this yet but it sounds really good and I will give my remarks after I make this. The recipe is normally made with beef but feel free to use pork or chicken. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kilo ground beef
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, smashed and chopped
  • 1 head cabbage, small, chopped
  • 1 can diced tomatoes, 565 gram can, chopped, drain but retain juice
  • 1 cup tomato sauce, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1/2 cup water, OR beef stock
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • salt, as needed
  • olive oil, as needed

Instructions
 

  • In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef and onion and cook, stirring, until ground beef is no longer pink and onion is tender. Add the garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute. Drain off any fat.
  • Add the chopped cabbage, tomatoes, tomato sauce, pepper, and salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until cabbage is tender, add reserved tomato juice as needed. Serve.

Notes

Ground beef can be 200 Baht/kilo. For this dish, that is your most expensive item, if using minced pork, you can almost cut the cost in half. For 6 servings this would be about 98 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Tomato Sauce.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,BEEF
Pan Fried Steak
December 27, 2016 Lee
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Pan Fried Steak

This is the only way I cook steaks, Rib Eyes, Strip Loins, and T-Bones. This is quick and makes a perfect rare steak. Best to use steak at least 1 inch thick, anything thinner you can over cook to well done. I buy steaks at Tesco, frozen from Australia, the latest find was Rib Eyes just over 1 inch thick, many times the Strip Loins are about 3/4 inch thick.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 minutes
Total Time 14 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 steaks, 1 inch thick is perfect, for thinner, less time cooking
  • salt and pepper, as needed
  • olive oil, as needed
  • butter, as needed

Instructions
 

  • The steaks should be at room temperature. Generously salt and pepper both sides of the steak.
  • Heat a heavy flat bottomed pan, cast iron is ideal for this to medium high heat with a good splash of olive oil, when the pan is hot, place the steaks in the pan and add 2-3 tablespoons or so of butter to the pan, using tongs, move the steaks around in the butter and oil, after cooking for 2 minutes, use tongs and turn the steaks over. Cook for another 2 minutes, remove from the pan to plates and let them rest for a few minutes while you add your sides, and serve. This makes a rare steak, increasing time on each side, increases the doneness of the steak.
  • Served with Dill Pickle Pasta Salad and mixed vegetables.

Notes

I cannot price this meal until I go back to Tesco again. Depending on your location, stores will have different products and the prices will vary. This is a high cost meal to say the least, but I have listed this as my Go-To recipe as this is great for a once in a while treat for yourself and family.
I have been making steaks like this for a number of years.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* High Cost $1.51+ per Serving,BEEF
Chili Cornbread Pie
December 24, 2016 Lee
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Chili Cornbread Pie

Sounds really good and there is several shortcuts you can prepare to cut costs but this will increase the time needed to prepare this. I think the lower cost, knowing what everything is made off is a good trade off. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

For the Cornbread Mix

  • 1 box Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup milk

For the rest of the Pie

  • 500 grams ground beef
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 packet taco seasoning mix, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1 can chili beans, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
  • salt, pepper, garlic powder, to taste
  • lettuce, tomatoes, onions, shredded, diced, chopped, for toping, optional

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 200 C.
  • Prepare cornbread batter by mixing in the egg and milk, pour into a lightly greased 8x8 baking dish. Bake cornbread for 10 minutes then remove from oven, yes, it is not done, we will get back to that.
  • Meanwhile, cook ground beef and onion in a medium skillet and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to your liking. Once cooked through, drain fat. Add the taco seasoning and undrained chili beans and stir well OR If using the shortcut for the beans, add the beans and 1/2 cup of water. Continue cooking on a simmer and until starting to to thicken, then spread chili evenly over partially cooked cornbread.
  • Combine sour cream and 1 cup of Cheddar cheese and mix well. Spread sour cream mixture evenly over chili. Start by evenly placing dollops on top of chili then the heat from the chili will make it easier to spread. Top sour cream mixture with remaining Cheddar cheese then continue baking for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
  • Serve, top each serving with shredded lettuce, chopped tomato and onion if desired.

Notes

For ground beef, figure 100 Baht/500 grams.Making the shortcuts, does take time, will save a lot. For 4 servings, this is about 74 cents per serving.
Shortcuts: Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix, Taco Seasoning Mix, Chili Beans.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,BEEF
Japanese Beef Curry
December 1, 2016 Lee
1 Comment

Japanese Beef Curry

I have not had Japanese Curry in over 11 years, it is excellent! And I just happen to have a friend in Udon Thani that found Japanese Curry paste in the Tops there and I had them ship 4 packages down here to my house in Nakhon Si Thammarat. I made this last night 19 Jan 2017 as written, and wow is it good!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Japanese
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams beef, cut into 3/4 inch cubes, (1 lb)
  • pepper, to taste
  • olive oil, as needed
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 2-3 potatoes, cubed
  • 2 1/2 cups beef stock, fresh or from powder
  • 100 grams Japanese Curry paste, this is 1/2 of a standard package
  • cooked rice, for serving

Instructions
 

  • Prepare the veggies and the meat. There is no need to add any salt to this, the curry has plenty in it already.
  • Season the beef with pepper to your liking. In a pot, heat a splash of olive oil and add the beef, just brown on all sides, no need to cook through. Remove the beef from the pot.
  • Same pot, add olive oil if needed and cook the onions and garlic until soft and translucent, then add the potatoes, carrot, and beef. Add the stock and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the beef is tender and the vegetables tender. I am using Thai beef so give it plenty of time to get tender.
  • This is the curry I used, a well respected Japanese brand and this is a import item.
  • This is half of the package, 100 grams.
  • And it does in fact look like a candy bar.
  • Add the curry to the pot and stir to mix in, it dissolves rather fast and simmer for 10-15 minutes and the curry will thicken.
  • Serve in a bowl with a scoop of rice on the side.

Notes

The box of curry is 160 Baht, you will use half that for a cost of 80 Baht. The beef, this is local sourced, not from Tesco, can range in price from 150 to 260 Baht/kilo. 500 grams would be 75 to 130 Baht. I will use the 130 figure for this. For 6 servings, this is about $1.03 per serving. If you make this with beef you get at a lower price, this would be less than $1 per serving.
Variant: Top with chopped pecans and raisins.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Variant provided by good friend, Jerry Juliana.
United States.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,: JAPANESE,BEEF
Lasagna Pot Pie
November 10, 2016 Lee
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Lasagna Pot Pie

This sounds absolutely wonderful. A must try for me. Lot of shortcuts to use in this recipe as well for cost savings. Since this dish does have cheese in it, it is not low cost. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams gound beef
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 2 cups Mozzarella Cheese, shredded, divided
  • 2/3 cup marinara sauce, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1/2 cup Ricotta cheese, OR make from a shortcut
  • 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1/2 cup Bisquick Mix
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 eggs

Instructions
 

  • Heat your oven to 180 C. Lightly grease a 9 inch pie dish.
  • In a large non stick pan, brown the ground beef and drain, then stir in the garlic salt, Italian seasoning, marinara sauce and 1/2 cup of the Mozzarella cheese. Spread the Ricotta cheese in the bottom of the pie dish, then sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese, next pour the meat mixture over the cheese.
  • In a separate bowl, mix together the Bisquick mix, milk, and eggs, pour this over the meat mixture. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, then top with the remaining Mozzarella cheese and bake for another 5 minutes to melt and brown the cheese. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes before slicing, serve.

Notes

The ground beef will run about 100 Baht/500 grams. The Mozzarella cheese will cost 142 Baht for one block of 200 grams, shredded that is about 2 cups. Ricotta and Parmesan is low quantities needed so no prices listed. Going with the prices listed, for 6 servings, this is about $1.18 per serving.
Shortcuts: Marinara (Pasta) Sauce, Cottage Cheese, Bisquick Mix.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,BEEF
Hamburger Steaks with Gravy
November 3, 2016 Lee
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Hamburger Steaks with Gravy

Sounds like good old fashioned comfort food to me. This is an easy and straight forward recipe. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams ground beef
  • 1/3 cup bread crumbs, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1 teaspoon Worcherstershire sauce
  • 1 onion, sliced and seperated into rings
  • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 1 cup beef stock, fresh or from the powder
  • splash olive oil, as needed

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, pepper, salt, onion powder, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce and form into thick patties. Heat a splash of olive in a large non stick pan over medium heat. Fry the patties and onion until patties are nicely browned. Remove the beef patties to a plate, and keep warm.Leave the onion in the pan.
  • Sprinkle flour over the onions and drippings in the skillet. Stir in the flour and gradually mix in the beef broth. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Simmer and stir over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the gravy thickens. Turn heat to low, and return the beef patties to the gravy, cover and simmer for another 15 minutes to heat through. Serve with mashed potatoes.

Notes

500 grams of ground beef will run about 100 Baht, for 4 servings, this is about 74 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Bread Crumbs.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,BEEF
Bacon Cheeseburger Pie
October 12, 2016 Lee
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Bacon Cheeseburger Pie

Sounds very good, a must try for me. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pie crust, uncooked, bought, OR make from a shortcut on this site
  • 500 grams ground beef, I would not use ground pork for this
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 5 slices bacon, chopped
  • 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
  • 3 tablespoons BBQ sauce, OR make from a shortcut on this site
  • 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup, OR make from a shortcut on this site
  • 2 teaspoons Worcherstershire sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded, this is about 1 standard block of cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup milk

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 205 C. Get out a 9 inch pie dish and get your crust placed in the dish.
  • In a large non-stick skillet, brown the ground beef, onion, and bacon until cooked through. Drain this in a colander would be good to drain the best. Place in large bowl and stir in the bread crumbs, mustard, BBQ sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper, pour this mixture into the prepared pie crust.
  • Using the same bowl, mix the cheese, milk, and egg (why dirty another bowl?) and spread this over the pie mixture. Cover the edges of the crust with foil (to prevent over cooking those) and bake for 15 minutes, remove the foil and bake for anther 15 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes and serve with a side of your choice, corn on the cob sounds excellent here or even just a dill pickle on the side.

Notes

The ground beef, or beef in general is costly. Depending on your location, you may be able to get ground beef and will pay top dollar for it. Getting large cuts of beef and grinding (or chopping) yourself is preferred and most cost effective. For ground beef, I will go with about 100 Baht/500 grams. The Cheddar cheese will run about 180 Baht for a 250 gram block. For 6 servings this about $1.37 per serving, less for 6 servings. Overall, not a bad cost.
Variants, keep in mind variants can add cost to the meal. Add sliced, cooked mushrooms to the top. Replace the Cheddar with Swiss Cheese.
Shortcuts: Basic Buttery Pie Crust, BBQ Sauce, Ketchup.
Inspired by Spend With Pennies and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,BEEF