Archive for the ‘* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving’ Category
Garam Masala Pork Chops
November 9, 2018 Lee
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Garam Masala Pork Chops

Sounds like a good use for garam masala, on my to cook list for certain. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 4 thick cut pork chops, 3/4 to 1 inch thick
  • vegetable oil, as needed
  • 2 tablespoons garam masala, OR make from a shortcut
  • 2 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 3/4 cup cranberry-raspberry juice blend, or just chicken stock
  • 1/4 cup chicken stock, powder or homemade
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch
  • salt and pepper, as desired

Instructions
 

  • Rinse the chops, trim excess fat off if desired, pat dry with paper towels. Rub each chop on both sides with oil, about 1 teaspoon for each chop.
  • In a small bowl, mix together the garam masala and garlic powder.
  • Rub the garam masala mix all over the chops, both sides and edges.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large non stick pan on medium heat. When hot, add the chops, work in batches if needed. Brown each side for about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and set aside.
  • Same pan, stir in the juice and stock, if no juice, stock will work fine, season with salt and pepper to taste, add the chops, then bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook the chops for 15 minutes, turn them half way through. Cut one chop open to check for doneness, if cooked through, remove the chops to a serving platter using a slotted spoon. Cover with foil and set aside.
  • In a measuring cup, mix together the corn starch and 2 tablespoons of water to make a slurry, stir into the pan and heat the pan to boiling and whisk and cook for 2 minutes to thicken. Remove from heat, taste and season with salt and pepper as desired. Pour over the chops.
  • Serve.

Notes

I will price this when I get chops again in the city, for now I will say Fair cost per serving.
Shortcut: Garam Masala.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,PORK
Scottish Lorne Sausage
November 8, 2018 Lee
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Scottish Lorne Sausage

Adapted from an internet recipe.
This sounds very nice, on my to make and taste list for sure, and no casings involved in this. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Total Time 31 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Scottish
Servings 2 lb of sausage

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams ground beef, (1 lb)
  • 500 grams ground pork, fatty pork, pork belly is perfect, (1 lb)
  • ½ cup ice water
  • ¾ cup bread crumbs, Shortcut
  • 1½ teaspoons salt
  • 1½ teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions
 

  • Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
  • Mix thoroughly using your hands.
  • Place the meat mixture into a loaf pan and firmly pack it to make a level 'loaf'. Place the pan in the freezer until it stiffens up yet is still able to be sliced.
  • Remove the pan from the freezer and turn upside down on a cutting board.
  • Slice into ½ inch slices.
  • Fry up the slices now, or place the slices in a plastic container with parchment paper between slices and place in the freezer for later use. Enjoy.

Notes

I will price this next time I buy beef, for now I will say Fair cost per serving just based on the use of beef.
Shortcut: Bread Crumbs.
* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,: SCOTTISH,Pork - Sausage
Beef Casserole
October 17, 2018 Lee
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Beef Casserole

The idea for this comes from a good friend in Thailand, and it turned out much better than expected, and the family loved it!
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups bowtie pasta, or any bite size pasta
  • 500 grams ground beef, (1 lb)
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 8 small Shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
  • 1 jar Artisan 3 Cheese Pasta Sauce, Prego, 411 gram jar
  • 2-3 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
  • panko breadcrumbs, as needed
  • salt and pepper, as desired

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 200 C (400 F). Grease a 9x13 baking dish lightly with butter.
  • Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling salted water until just tender. Drain and add pasta to the baking dish. While the pasta is cooking, heat a non stick pan and brown the ground beef, drain and add to the baking dish.
  • Add the mushrooms, peas, and cheese pasta sauce to the baking dish.
  • Mix together. Season with salt and pepper as desired.
  • Spread the mixture out evenly and sprinkle the shredded cheese on the top, use as much cheese as you like.
  • Add some panko on top of the cheese.
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the casserole is bubbly and the top is golden brown.
  • Serve and enjoy.

Notes

The cheese sauce, in Thailand, is available from Lazada if you reside outside of a major city, cost is 178 Baht for a jar, which is not bad, it is a very good sauce. The Cheddar cheese will use 1 200 gram block, about 180 Baht. For 8 servings, this is about $1.36 per serving.
Recipe inspired by good friend, Kurt Hammerschmidt.
Thailand.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,CASSEROLES,PASTA
Crab Rangoon Spring Rolls
October 14, 2018 Lee
2 Comments

Crab Rangoon Spring Rolls

Adapted from an internet recipe.
Crab Rangoon is not Chinese in origin, it as American. This recipe uses imitation crab which is left whole, not chopped, and simply rolled in spring roll wrappers. The dipping sauce in combination with the fried spring rolls = Crab Rangoon Spring Rolls. Feel free to use dipping sauces of your choice and simply call these Crab Stick Spring Rolls.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

For the Dipping Sauce

  • 250 grams Cream cheese, 1 package, room temperature, (8 oz)
  • 1-2 tablespoons mayo, and as needed
  • 1 tablespoon Sriracha Chili Garlic sauce
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 spring onion, finely sliced, white and green parts

For the Spring Rolls

  • 500 grams imitation crab, (1 lb)
  • 1 package spring roll wrappers, thawed, you will have leftovers from this
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch
  • lard, or cooking oil, for frying

Instructions
 

For the Dipping Sauce

  • Add the cream cheese to a bowl and mash with a sturdy fork, add the Sriracha, spring onion, mayo, and soy sauce.
  • Mash with the fork, adding more mayo as needed to achieve the consistency you want. Set this aside.

For the Spring Rolls

  • The only prep work is unwrapping each crab stick. Unwrap the sticks from the entire package. I ended up with 38 sticks (a cat stole 1 and there was one left over, quick snack for me). You will use all the sticks, you won't use all the wrappers. Place the sticks in a bowl, and in a small bowl, mix together the water and cornstarch to make a slurry.
  • Two people is very handy to do this step, one to pull the the pastry apart and the other rolling the spring rolls. Spring roll wrappers are very thin pastry, and if doing this by yourself, place a damp towel on the unused sheets while you roll, if they start to dry, they will be hard to pull apart and will tear. This will actually go by rather quickly now.
    Note: Spring roll wrappers come in two sizes, 8½ x 8½ inches and 5½ x 5½ inches. If using the larger sheets, which is show here, use 3 crab sticks, if using the smaller size use 2 crab sticks.
  • Open the package of spring roll sheets. Carefully pull off one sheet and place smooth side down on a clean counter with one corner of the sheet facing you. Use two fingers and dip into the slurry then rub your fingers the two sides of the pastry that are farthest from you. Place 3 crab sticks near the corner nearest you.
  • Fold the corner of the pastry onto the crab sticks.
  • Tightly roll the sticks up to just before you get to the widest part of the pastry.
  • Now fold the the left and right corners towards the middle.
  • Continue to roll, place on a plate. Repeat for as crab sticks you have. I made 12.
  • Heat a large pan with about 1/2 inch of lard or cooking oil.
  • When hot but not smoking, fry the spring rolls for about 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden brown (shallow deep fry). Remove to paper towels to drain, continue frying, working in batches until all the spring rolls are fried. Repackage the unused spring roll wrappers and return to the freezer.
  • Serve and enjoy.

Notes

Tesco brand crab sticks, which taste perfectly acceptable, will cost about 95 Baht for 500 grams. Cream cheese will cost about 120 Baht (Caroline brand). I made 12 spring rolls, figure 2 spring rolls per serving as a snack or appetizer, or 6 servings. This is about $1.08 per serving.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,APPETIZERS / SNACKS,SEAFOOD - ALL,Seafood - Crab - Imitation
Sausage, Peppers, and Onion (Slow Cooker)
October 3, 2018 Lee
1 Comment

Sausage, Peppers, and Onion (Slow Cooker)

This is my twist on the classic Sausage, Peppers, and Onions dish prepared in a skillet on the stove. Simply slow cook and it is delicious! I added a can of whole tomatoes, chopped, with the tomato juice for the liquid. You need a large slow cooker to make this as listed.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours
Total Time 5 hours 15 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 900 grams sausage, see Step 1, (2 lbs)
  • 2 red bell peppers, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped plus juice (this is about 2 1/2 cups)

Instructions
 

  • For the sausage, I use what is sold as 'sausage scraps' which are the cut offs from larger sausages to make a uniform weight, this is what they come like in the package, already cut. The large pieces are very much like kielbasa or a good summer sausage. As you can see the colors and sizes are different, based on the meat used, as well as the seasoning. Some have black pepper, chilis, garlic, basil, etc. These come in 100 gram (about 1/4 lb) packages. For this I used 9 packages. If you are using kielbasa or a sausage of your choice, just slice it up to bite size pieces.
  • Place the sausage in your slow cooker.
  • Dice the peppers and onion, and add those to the slow cooker. (I state 2 red bell peppers as ours here are much smaller than the green and yellow ones.)
  • Mix everything together.
  • Pour the juice from the can of tomatoes into the slow cooker, then chop up the tomatoes and add them to the slow cooker, and give another stir to mix everything again. Place the lid on the cooker and set to High setting and cook for 5 hours.
  • Finished. And you can see, the sausage will swell up a bit during cooking.
  • Serve with rice on the side for a nice meal.

Notes

I cannot really price this per serving yet. The sausage I used and in the photos here were free when you bought a package of bacon. I will say Fair cost per serving now until I can track down the regular kielbasa.
My creation, Lee Thayer.
Thailand.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,Pork - Sausage,Pork - Slow Cooker
Ham & Provolone French Toast Sandwich
September 28, 2018 Lee
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Ham & Provolone French Toast Sandwich

Sounds delicious! On my to cook list.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 8 slices bread
  • 16 slices ham
  • 4-8 slices Provolone cheese
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • powdered sugar, optional, for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Lay out 4 slices of bread, top each with 1-2 slices of cheese, if you like cheese, use 2 slices per slice of bread.
  • Top the cheese with 2 slices of ham.
  • Top the ham with the remaining slices of bread.
  • In a shallow dish or pie pan, add the milk, eggs, and cinnamon, and whisk together.
  • Heat a non stick pan, cast iron pan, or a griddle would be ideal with some butter or ghee.
  • When the pan is hot, dip a sandwich into the milk mixture, allowing the bread to soak up the milk, then turn the sandwich over and repeat with the other side, shake off excess milk.
  • Place the sandwich in the hot pan, cook 2-3 minutes or until the bottom is golden brown, carefully flip and cook the other side until golden brown, remove from pan to a plate. Repeat with remaining sandwiches.
  • Cut each sandwich in half, and optionally, dust with powdered sugar. Serve.

Notes

I will price this next time I get Provolone cheese. I will say fair cost for now per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,BURGERS & SANDWICHES
Marinated Cheese
September 25, 2018 Lee
3 Comments

Marinated Cheese

This is really good, very mild flavor added by the herbs and garlic, tasty overall.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 day 15 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 200-250 grams block cheese, (6-8 oz)
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • 1 sprig fresh thyme
  • 2 small shallots, peeled and halved
  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
  • 1 teaspoon white peppercorns
  • extra virgin olive oil, as needed
  • 1 pint mason jar, or a suitable size reused jar

Instructions
 

  • For the cheese, Jarlsberg, Swiss, Gouda, Edam, Cheddar, and Mozzarella would be good choices. Cut the cheese into 3/4 to 1 inch cubes.
  • Place the cheese, garlic, white peppercorns, shallots, thyme, and rosemary into the sterilized mason jar.
  • Pour in olive oil to cover the cheese, but about ½ inch from the top.
  • Place the lid on the jar and leave on the counter top for at least 24 hours or as long as 2 weeks. Do NOT place in the fridge, leave it on the counter top at room temperature.
  • Served with Green Olives and Salami speared on top.
  • Served with Quail Eggs and Salami speared on top.

Notes

One block, 200-250 grams (about 6-8 oz) is about 180-200 Baht each. I need to determine how many appetizers I get out of one block.
Variants: 1. Replace the thyme and rosemary with dill and sweet basil leaves. 2. Serve as appetizers by spearing a green or black olive with a toothpick then spearing a cheese cube. 3. Fold up a slice of salami, spear that with a toothpick then spear a cheese cube. 4. Serve on butter crackers.
Idea adapted from several internet recipes.
* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,APPETIZERS / SNACKS
Ground Beef Stroganoff
September 11, 2018 Lee
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Ground Beef Stroganoff

Spend with Pennies, Holly, Canada.
Easy, and delicious! I made this on 15 Apr 2020 and was extremely pleased with the result, this is tasty and was enjoyed by the family. Highly recommended.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams ground beef, or ground pork, (1 lb)
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
  • 350 grams fresh button mushrooms, sliced, (¾ lb), or 1 can, drained and sliced
  • 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 2 cups beef broth, fresh or from powder
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • ¾ cup sour cream,
  • fresh parsley, chopped, to garnish
  • salt and black pepper, as desired
  • egg noodles, cooked, for serving

Optional - to thicken more

  • cornstarch
  • cold water

Instructions
 

  • Heat a pot of salted water to boiling, then add egg noodles and cook until tender for the desired number of servings, once tender, drain and set aside. Feel free to use mashed potatoes in place of the egg noodles, your choice.
  • While the noodles are cooking, heat a large non stick pan on medium heat and when hot, add the ground beef, onion, and garlic. Break up the meat a little, goal is a good chunky beef sauce. Cook the beef until no longer pink. Drain off any fat.
  • Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook 3-4 minutes.
  • Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute more.
  • Add the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and season with salt and pepper as desired.
  • Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. (To thicken the sauce more or to your desired consistency, make a slurry with equal parts cornstarch and cold water and stir into the sauce.)
  • Remove the pan from heat, stir in the sour cream and parsley if using.
  • Serve over the egg noodles or mashed potatoes if you wish. Enjoy.

Notes

Fair cost per serving depending on where the beef is sourced. I use local raised beef and grind myself for savings.
Variants: 1. Use 1 can of whole button mushrooms, drain and sliced in place of fresh mushrooms. 2. Add 1 can of cream of mushroom soup after adding the beef broth and stir into the mixture.
# Buster Approved,#1 Go-To Recipes,* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,BEEF
Pork Chops & Tomato Sauce
September 5, 2018 Lee
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Pork Chops & Tomato Sauce

Adapted from an internet recipe.
This is a Singaporean way to prepare pork chops, and it does sound. On my to cook list. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Singaporean
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 4 pork chops
  • 1 potato, cubed, skin on or off is up to you
  • 1 small can green peas, drained
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 tomato, chopped
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • butter crackers, crushed, as needed

For the Marinade

  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce, and as needed
  • black pepper, as desired
  • 1 tablespoon corn flour

For the Sauce

  • 3 tablespoons tomato sauce, Shortcut
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • ¾ cup water, pinch over ¾ cup (200 ml is goal)

Instructions
 

  • Mix the Marinade ingredients in a shallow dish (like a baking dish), coat the chops with the marinade, add more soy sauce as needed, and let set for 30 minutes.
  • While the chops are marinating, shallow fry the cubed potato, when nicely browned, drain and set aside.
  • Coat a chop in the beaten egg and coat it with crushed butter crackers, repeat for all chops.
  • Shallow fry the pork chops until golden brown on both sides, drain on paper towels.
  • For boneless chops just cut into bite size pieces. For bone in chops, cut meat from the bones and then cut the meat into bite size pieces. Place the pieces on a serving dish, cover with foil.
  • In a large non stick pan or a wok, stir fry the potatoes, peas, onion, and tomato until the onion is softened, about 2-3 minutes.
  • Add the Sauce ingredients, stir together, and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, stir often until the sauce thickens.
  • When the sauce is thicken to your liking, pour over the pork chop pieces.
  • Serve with cooked rice for a side and enjoy.

Notes

I will price this when I get pork chops in the city next time. For now I will say Fair priced per serving.
Shortcut: Tomato Sauce.
* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,: SINGAPOREAN,PORK
Honey Za’atar Hot Wings
September 5, 2018 Lee
1 Comment

Honey Za’atar Hot Wings

Adapted from an internet recipe.
Hot wings with a Mediterranean / Middle Eastern touch from two ingredients used. I made these on 10 Sep 2018, the chicken is outstanding, tender, juicy, excellent flavor.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Appetizer, Main Dish
Cuisine Mediterranean
Servings 4 servings

Equipment

  • Oven
  • Baking Sheet with Rack
  • Foil

Ingredients
  

  • 24 chicken wing sticks, or middle wings, skin on

For the Rub

  • 2 tablespoons baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, or paprika
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder, ½ to 1 teaspoon if using Thai chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons za'atar

For the Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons harissa paste, or 2 tablespoons of Sriracha sauce
  • ½ cup honey
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • white sesame seeds, optional, for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 200° C (400° F). Line a baking sheet with foil and place a rack on the sheet. Oil the rack with some olive oil.
  • In a large mixing bowl, add all the Rub ingredients and mix together.
  • Dry the wings with paper towels, add to the mixing bowl and toss together with the rub until all the wings are evenly coated.
  • Place wings on the rack evenly so they are not touching.
  • Bake for 45-50 minutes. Then place the baking sheet under your broiler (for counter top ovens, turn off the bottom coil and turn on the top coil) and broil until crispy, watch them so they do not burn. Remove from the broiler or oven.
  • Now melt the butter in a sauce pan on medium heat, when melted, add the remaining Sauce ingredients. Stir and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and stir occasionally until slightly thickened, about 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Place the chicken wings in a large bowl and pour on the sauce and gently toss together until the wings are evenly coated.
  • Place wings on a serving tray, garnish with sesame seeds if desired. (This is without the sauce, which I did not make, family is not keen on sweet sauces with honey.)
  • Serve with rice or sides of your choice and enjoy.

Notes

I bought 24 wings that weighed 2 kilos (just under 4½ lbs) for 139 Baht. For 4 servings, which is very conservative, this is about $1.05 per serving.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,: MEDITERRANEAN,APPETIZERS / SNACKS,CHICKEN & TURKEY