Archive for the ‘# Buster Approved’ Category
Rich Chocolate Cake
For Christmas 2019 my Mom gave me a cookbook, specifically 'the chocolate cookbook' and that is where this recipe comes from. I made this on 15 Mar 2020, excellent cake as is and makes an excellent Chocolate Cake Milkshake! This recipe is also used in the Chocolate Cake Milkshake recipe, and has a link in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 box devil's food cake mix
- 1 cup cold water
- 1 cup mayo
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 containers chocolate frosting, (1 lb / 500 g each)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F). Grease two 9 inch cake pans with butter.
- Add the cake mix, water, mayo, and eggs to a large mixing bowl.
- Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds to combine the ingredients, then 2 minutes on medium speed.
- Pour batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool in pans on a rack. When completely cool, remove from the pans.
- Place first cake out upside down on a serving plate, frost the middle, be generous.
- Place the second cake on top, right side up, frost the sides then top.
- Serve and enjoy, or use as directed in the Chocolate Cake Milkshake recipe.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Used in Recipe Listed on this Site:
- Chocolate Cake Milkshake. Made it, GO-TO recipe.
Tart Cherry Cottage Cheese Salad
I made this on a whim and it turned out better than expected. Highly recommended if you like tart cherries. The cottage cheese salads I have made always used crushed pineapple, so I decided to change it up. This recipe uses canned tart cherries, not sure if those are available in Thailand so I will look after I return and report back on that. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 can tart cherries, in water, (15 oz / 425 g can)
- 1 box black cherry gelatin, small box, 3 oz if using Jello brand
- 1 tub Cool Whip whipped topping, (8 oz / 250 g)
- 1 containter Cottage cheese, (1 lb / 500 g), Shortcut
Instructions
- Open and drain the cherries, place on a cutting board and cut each cherry in half, then drain them again.
- Place the cherries, cottage cheese, and gelatin powder in a mixing bowl.
- Stir together until the color is uniform.
- Fold in the whipped topping but do not over mix.
- You can leave the salad in the mixing bowl, or do as I did and spoon into a serving dish, I used a 1 1/2 quart glass serving dish. Cover and place in the fridge to set for at least 1 hour.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcut: Cottage Cheese.
My spin on a classic cottage cheese salad, Lee Thayer.
United States.
United States.
String Cheese Manicotti
This recipe uses, as the name says, string cheese to fill the manicotti tubes, which not only sounds like a brilliant idea, it is an excellent idea. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Pan (9x13 inch)
Ingredients
- 1 box manicotti shells, about 14 shells, (8 oz / 226 g)
- 500 grams ground beef, (1 lb)
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 jar marinara sauce, (26 oz jar, or 3¼ cups), Shortcut
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, and as needed, Shortcut
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 28 pieces Mozzarella string cheese
- 2 cups Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
- fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish, as desired
Instructions
- Heat a pot of salted water to a boil, add manicotti shells and cook until shells are not quite cooked through, about 2-3 minutes underdone, then drain and run under cold water.
- Cooked and drained shells. OR you can use dry shells but you will need to increase the bake time.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat a pot and cook the onion and ground beef, breaking the beef up with the spatula as it cooks. Cook until the beef is no longer pink. Drain any fat and return the pot, with the beef, back to heat.
- Preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F). Get out a 9x13 inch baking pan.
- To the pot, add the marinara sauce, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder, stir together.
- Spread half of the meat sauce in the baking pan.
- Stuff each manicotti shell with 2 pieces of string cheese. Arrange all the shells in the pan in a single layer. If the string cheese is too much, pull one piece of cheese in half and stuff a shell with 1½ pieces of cheese. OR you can stuff the dry shells with 1½ pieces of cheese but the baking time will increase.
- I stuffed the shells dry, arrange all the shells in the pan in a single layer.
- Top the manicotti with the remaining sauce.
- Top with Mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning as desired.
- Bake for 30 minutes if using cooked pasta, or 50 minutes if using dry pasta, or until bubbly and starting to brown.
- Garnish with parsley as desired, serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcuts: Marinara Sauce, Italian Seasoning.
Variants: 1. Use bulk Italian sausage in place of ground beef. 2. Add a layer of sliced Provolone on top of the Mozzarella. 3. Use canned beef or pork in place of fresh ground. 4. Cut smoked sausage into 4ths lengthwise and stuff shells with 1 piece of sausage and 1 piece of cheese.
Broccoli Cheese Soup
This is from a Pioneer brand country gravy packet and it is easy and really good. For this recipe you can use the gravy packet stated or make the shortcut and use that. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 packet country gravy, Pioneer brand, or Shortcut
- 1 package frozen chopped broccoli, cooked per instructions on package, (10-12 oz / 283-340 g)
- 2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded, (8 oz / 226 g)
- 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 tablespoon onion, finely minced, optional
Instructions
- Prepare the gravy packet per the instructions on the packet. Cook the broccoli per the instruction on the package, normally just steamed in the bag in the microwave then drained.
- Stir in the cheese until mixed in. Stir in the onion if using that.
- Stir in the cooked and drained broccoli. Heat the soup to warm the broccoli through. For a thinner soup, just stir in milk to your desired consistency.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcut: Homemade Country Gravy Mix.
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
These sound delicious, and easy, on my to make and taste list.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp, (1/2 block / 1 stick)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg, room temp
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups quick cooking rolled oats
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and whisk together.
- In another larger mixing bowl, add the butter, brown and white sugar, and beat with an electric mixer for 1-2 minutes until well mixed. Then mix in the egg and vanilla. Use a spoon and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Using the mixer on slow speed, slowly add the previously whisked dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Remove the mixer and clean off the blades.
- Use a sturdy spoon and mix in the oats and chocolate chips. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- About 10 minutes before you want to start baking, preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F), and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or foil.
- Remove the cookie dough from the fridge, scoop out dough in 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoon scoops and place evenly on the baking sheets. Place one sheet in the fridge.
- Bake one sheet for 12-15 minutes or until the tops of the cookies are set up (I did have to flatten the cookies with a glass about 10 minutes into cooking as they were not changing shape from how they were scooped, then I added a few chips on each cookie as well and continued to bake for a few more minutes). Remove from the oven and place the second sheet in the oven to bake. Cool the sheet on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
- Remove the cookies from the sheet to a wire rack to cool completely. Cool the second sheet also before removing the cookies to a rack.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per cookie.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Tater Tot Casserole I
I am not a fan of tater tots, but since I am still in the states, tater tots are a common ingredient, and there is even a fast food hamburger joint that has tater tots as a side instead of fries. My Mom really likes tater tots so I made this mainly for her, but I will say, it is delicious. When I return to Thailand I will make this but use homemade hash browns instead of tater tots. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 500 grams ground beef, (1 lb)
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, Shortcut
- 1/2 cup sour cream, Shortcut
- 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 2 1/2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
- salt and pepper, as desired, to taste
- 1 bag tater tots, (32 oz / 2 lb / 907 g)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200 C (400 F), grease a 9x13 baking dish.
- In a non stick pan on medium heat, cook the ground beef and onion, breaking up the beef with your spatula as it cooks. Cook until there is no more pink visible. Drain off any fat. (I am cooking ground pork for this.)
- While the beef is cooking, to a large mixing bowl, add the soup, sour cream, milk, garlic powder, mustard, 1/2 cup of the Cheddar cheese, and mix together.
- To the mixing bowl, add the drained beef and the mixed vegetables. Mix together. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread out evenly.
- Lay the tater tots on top of the beef mixture.
- Sprinkle the remaining 2 cups of Cheddar over the tater tots.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcuts: Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup, Sour Cream.
Variant: 1. Use ground pork in place of ground beef.
Inspired by Spend With Pennies and the link to this recipe is here. United States.
Impossible Pumpkin Pie
I made this on 17 Feb 2020, and it was very well liked by the family, my Mom loved this pie, even she said this is good pie! The beauty of this recipe, no crust is needed. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 can canned pumpkin, (15 oz can or 2 cups fresh cooked)
- 1/2 cup Bisquick Mix, Shortcut
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 1 tablespoon butter, softened
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, Shortcut
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- whipped topping, for serving, as desired
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F) and grease a pie dish with butter.
- Add the bisquick mix, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice to a mixing bowl and use a whisk to mix together. Goal is to reduce any lumps.
- To the mixing bowl, now add the pumpkin, butter, evaporated milk, vanilla, and eggs. Whisk together, again, goal is to reduce the amount of lumps. Whisk until you have a mostly smooth mixture.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pie dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until the center is set and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes then place in the fridge to chill for at least 3 hours.
- Slice, top with whipped topping as desired, serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcuts: Bisquick Mix, Pumpkin Pie Spice.
Adapted from a Betty Crocker recipe and the link to the recipe is here.
Easy Apricot Pie
This is a simple pie that goes together quickly, and it is delicious! This is basically an 'impossible' pie in that this makes its own 'crust.' Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 2 cans apricot halves, drained, (15 oz / 425 g cans)
- 1/2 cup Bisquick Mix, Shortcut
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 eggs
- whipped cream, for serving, optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F), grease a pie dish with butter.
- After draining the apricots well, remove 6 halves to a bowl and set that aside. Add the rest to a sturdy mixing bowl as you will mash those. The remaining apricots will be used last. Mash the apricots in the mixing bowl.
- Then add the remaining ingredients except the whipped topping and the reserved apricots. Mix together well.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pie dish.
- Place the leftover apricot halves, evenly spaced, on the batter, cut side up and press them down gently into the batter.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean and the edge is lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack for at least an hour, then place in the fridge to chill for a few more hours.
- Slice, top with whipped cream as desired, serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcut: Bisquick Mix.
Adapted from a Betty Crocker recipe and the link to the recipe is here.
Quick Quesadillas
I say quick for these as I use a microwave and only a few ingredients. These are excellent for a quick meal. This is basically a make with what you have on hand or want to use. A full quesadilla uses 2 tortillas, a half quesadilla use 1 tortilla that is folded. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Equipment
- Microwave
Ingredients
- 2 flour or corn tortillas, 8-10 inch size
- cooked chicken, chopped
- Cheddar cheese, shredded
- Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
- sour cream, for serving, as desired, Shortcut
Instructions
- This will make 1 full quesadilla. Place both tortillas on a microwave safe plate, microwave for 15 seconds. Remove the top tortilla, sprinkle some Cheddar or Mozzarella on the tortilla on the plate.
- Spread some chopped chicken on the Cheddar. I had some diced red bell pepper on hand so I added some of that as well.
- Sprinkle some Cheddar, then some Mozzarella over the chicken.
- Place the other tortilla on top and press down just a little to even everything out. Place back in the microwave for 1 to 1½ minutes.
- Cut in half or quarters, top with sour cream, serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcut: Sour Cream.
Variants: 1. Use cheeses of your choice. 2. Add refried beans. 3. Add chopped green chilies. 4. Use no meat or add cooked chopped meats of your choice.
Death by Chocolate Poke Cake
For Christmas 2019 my Mom gave me a cookbook, specifically 'the chocolate cookbook' and that is where this recipe comes from. This sounds good, I look forward to making and tasting this, and soon. This will use two box mixes plus the ingredients to prepare each mix.
Ingredients
- 1 box dark chocolate cake mix, plus ingredients to prepare this
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 box instant chocolate pudding mix, 4 serving size, plus ingredients to prepare this
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to the temp stated on the cake package, prepare a 9x13 baking pan as stated on the cake package.
- Prepare the chocolate cake mix according to the instructions on the box using the ingredients it calls for.
- Add the semisweet chocolate chips and mix them in.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake according to the box instructions.
- Cool cake in the pan on a wire rack until completely cool.
- When the cake has cooled, use the handle end of a wooden spoon or a wood skewer and poke holes in the cake about 1/2 inch apart.
- Prepare the pudding mix according to the box instructions using the ingredients it calls for. Pour pudding over the cake and smooth evenly over.
- Sprinkle the white chocolate chips on the top, I used a Variant and used dark chocolate chips. Place the cake in the fridge for 2-3 hours to firm up.
- Slice, serve, enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Variants: 1. Use semisweet, milk chocolate, or dark chocolate chips in place of the white. 2. Sprinkle with candy sprinkles of your choice.
Adapted from a recipe listed in 'the chocolate cookbook', page 12.
