Archive for the ‘* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving’ Category
Secret Ingredient Burgers
June 9, 2017 Lee
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Secret Ingredient Burgers

Not sure how I found this recipe, but it makes sense. Fish sauce is the secret ingredient. I will certainly try this one. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 750 grams ground beef
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 4 sandwich rolls, OR make from a shortcut
  • 2 tablespoons butter, for cooking, or oil
  • tomato, slices, as needed
  • lettuce leaves, as needed
  • dill pickles, sliced, as needed
  • ketchup, as needed
  • mustard, as needed
  • onion, sliced, as needed
  • Cheddar cheese, sliced, as needed

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl, add the beef, fish sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Using a fork or your hands, mix gently until just combined, do not over mix or you get a tougher burger.
  • Divide the mixture into 4 sections and using your hands, form into patties and place them on a baking sheet lined with foil. Do not pack the beef too tightly or compact it as this will result in tough burgers. Using your thumb, form a slight indent into the center of each patty. Cover the tray with plastic and refrigerate for at least half an hour, or up to a day.
  • When ready to cook, remove the burgers from the fridge. Heat a heavy bottomed skillet over high heat until quite hot, cast iron would be perfect. Add the butter or oil. Season the burgers with a sprinkle of salt (this helps form a nice crust) and place gently in the pan. They should sizzle violently if the pan is hot enough.
  • Cook, flipping every couple of minutes until desired doneness. 10-12 minutes for well done, less if you prefer medium/rare. Do not overcook or the burgers will dry out. Also, do not press down on the burgers while cooking or poke them or pierce them in any way, just let them cook in peace until nicely browned all over.
  • If using cheese, add on the top a minute before you remove from the pan.
  • Remove the patties from the pan to a plate to rest just for a couple of minutes, meanwhile return the pan to the heat and place your sliced buns in (cut side down) to toast for a bit and soak up all the lovely juices left in the pan from the burgers.
  • Assemble the burgers with toppings of your choice. Enjoy.

Notes

Figure about 150 Baht for 750 grams of good beef. For 4 servings, this is about $1.10 per serving.
Shortcut: Hamburger Buns.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,BURGERS & SANDWICHES
Crab Cakes I
June 9, 2017 Lee
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Crab Cakes I

Garland Davis, United States.
These are delicious! I made these on 4 Jan 2022, exactly as written, and used canned crab. Nothing short of perfect, I and the family loved these! Even a grand niece who does not care for seafood, loved the taste of these. Next test will be with imitation crab, then will test again with fresh cooked and picked crab. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Passive Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 3 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 eggs
  • 2½ tablespoons mayo
  • 1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, Shortcut
  • ¼ cup celery, finely diced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely minced
  • 500 grams lump crab meat, fresh cooked, canned, frozen cooked, (1 lb)
  • ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
  • cooking oil, as needed for frying
  • tartar sauce, optional, Shortcut

Instructions
 

  • To a mixing bowl, add the eggs, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay, celery, and parsley in a large bowl and mix well.
  • Drain and check the crab meat for any shell fragments, add the crab and panko to the wet mixture. (I used four 170 g (6 oz) cans, drained weight is 120 g (4¼ oz) that makes the 480 g (17 oz) which worked perfect for the recipe.
  • Gently fold mixture together until just combined, being careful not to shred the crab meat.
  • Use a ½ cup measuring spoon and scoop out mixture ½ cup, packed, add that to your hands and shape into a ball, place on a large plate and press down and shape the sides to make a patty. You will make 6 cakes using the ½ cup measuring spoon to measure. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
  • Preheat a large nonstick pan on medium heat and coat with the cooking oil. When oil is hot, place crab cakes in the pan and cook until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes per side.
  • Serve with sides of your choice or with tartar sauce or lemon wedges.

Notes

I used canned crab that I shipped from the US, which is actually a product of Indonesia. It is here in the larger western stores for a hefty price as well. I will try this recipe with imitation then fresh cooked and picked crab. For now I will say this is High cost per serving using canned crab, and probably Fair cost per serving using imitation / fresh cooked crab. Crabs from a local fisherman would be the cheapest, buying canned would be costly.
Shortcuts: Old Bay Seasoning, Tartar Sauce.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,SEAFOOD - ALL,Seafood - Crab
Shrimp Salad I
June 8, 2017 Lee
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Shrimp Salad I

This is a basic recipe that can be tailored to your taste. This sounds really good and easy, and common ingredients. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams shrimp, cooked, peeled, deveined, no tails
  • 1/2 cup mayo
  • 1/3 cup celery, chopped
  • 1/4 cup onion, finely diced
  • 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, OR make from a shortcut
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions
 

  • Cut shrimp in half, combine with remaining ingredients. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
  • Serve on a bed of lettuce, in a wrap, on a sandwich roll, on toast, etc as a light lunch or dinner.

Notes

Shrimp can cost anywhere between 100 and 150 Baht/500 grams depending on the size and where bought, grocery store or local. Fresh from a local fisherman or shrimp farm would cost less. Based on 150 Baht, for 4 servings, this is about $1.10 per serving, less if smaller or local bought shrimp is used.
Variant: Add cubed cheese.
Shortcut: Old Bay Seasoning.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,SEAFOOD - ALL,Seafood - Shrimp/Prawn
Garlic Lemon Butter Parmesan Shrimp
May 25, 2017 Lee
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Garlic Lemon Butter Parmesan Shrimp

Sounds wonderful. Low amount of ingredients, on my to cook list. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams fresh large prawn, peeled, deviened, tail removed
  • 1/4 cup butter, this is 1/4 standard block
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, OR make from a shortcut
  • 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • juice from 1 lemon, or 2 limes
  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced

Instructions
 

  • In a medium sauce pan, melt butter and cook for 1 minute. Add shrimp and sprinkle on Italian seasoning. Cook covered for 2 minutes. Add lemon juice over shrimp and then sprinkle on Parmesan cheese. Cook for another two minutes or until shrimp turn white. Add your favorite side and enjoy!

Notes

I cannot price this until I get large prawn again. Probably a Fair priced meal.
Shortcut: Italian Seasoning.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,SEAFOOD - ALL,Seafood - Shrimp/Prawn
Cheesesteak Casserole
May 24, 2017 Lee
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Cheesesteak Casserole

Sounds really good, I will certainly have to stock up on Provolone cheese next time in Phuket but I will make this before going there and simply use Mozzarella. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 750 grams ground beef
  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, OR make from a shortcut
  • 2 green bell peppers, chopped
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 350 grams Provolone cheese, or Mozzarella, or a bit of both
  • 500 grams dry macaroni
  • salt and black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 180 C. Get out a 9x13 baking dish.
  • In a large skillet, brown the ground beef with the garlic, season with salt and pepper as desired, add the Italian seasoning, drain fat off when cooked and remove beef to a bowl.
  • Same skillet, cook the peppers and onion until soft. While that is cooking, heat a pot of salted water to boiling then cook the pasta to just tender.
  • When the peppers and onions are done, add the ground beef back to the skillet and mix. Tear up the slices of cheese and add to the skillet and let them begin to melt, 2-3 minutes is all that is needed, it's ok if the cheese is not fully melted.
  • In a large heatproof mixing bowl, add the ground beef mixture and the drained pasta and mix everything together. Pour this into the baking dish and top with a few slices of Provolone, bake for 15-20 minutes or until the edges are starting to brown and the cheese is melted and starting to brown. Serve.

Notes

The beef will cost about 150 Baht/750 grams. The cheese, Mozzarella, will cost about 250 Baht/350 grams. I cannot price Provolone yet. For 8 servings, this is about $1.47 per serving.
Shortcut: Italian Seasoning, Italian Sausage.
Variant: 1. Use Italian sausage in place of ground beef.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,CASSEROLES
Taco Casserole
May 22, 2017 Lee
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Taco Casserole

Mention casserole, I like it! And this is really good. I was surprised I found nacho flavored tortillas up in the city, they are excellent as well, and made in Thailand with no preservatives as well. I made this on 2 June 2018, very well liked by the family. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 200 grams Nacho Cheese Doritos, about 1 bag
  • 500 grams ground beef, or ground pork, (1 lb)
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 packet taco seasoning mix, OR make from a shortcut
  • 250 grams Cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 200 grams Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
  • lettuce, shredded as needed
  • tomatoes, diced, as needed

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F).
  • Brown beef and onion in a skillet, drain off any fat, add taco seasoning and mix in. Mix together the Cheddar and Mozzarella cheese. Just starting. I used ground pork for this and two small diced onions.
  • Layer ingredients in a 9x13 pan as listed; crushed chips (just pour the bag of chips in and crush with your hands, seasoned meat, and 2/3 of cheese. (Now I messed up the cheese part, I added the 2/3 cheese to the meat in the pan, which actually turned out well and I have add that as a variant.)
  • Bake for 15 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and bubbly.
  • Remove from the oven, top with the remaining cheeses, shredded lettuce, and diced tomatoes.
  • Serve.

Notes

Ground beef will cost about 100 Baht, the Cheddar 180 Baht, and the Mozzarella 120 Baht. For 8 servings, this is about $1.47 per serving.
Shortcut: Taco Seasoning.
Variants: 1. Use a 7x11 baking dish instead of a 9x13 dish. 2. Mix the 2/3 cheese with the ground meat just before adding to the dish on top of the crushed chips.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,CASSEROLES
Chinese Sausage & Chicken in Soy Sauce
May 13, 2017 Lee
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Chinese Sausage & Chicken in Soy Sauce

This is very good! I made this on 16 May 2017. We received some Chinese pork sausage from Issan, we can find it locally here as well. I started looking for recipes that used this as an ingredient. Chinese sausage is a sweet, cured pork sausage. Recipe slightly updated with my findings and pricing updated as well.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 4 links Chinese sausage, short ones or two long ones
  • 5 chicken thighs, boneless, skinless, cubed
  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1 spring onion, thinly sliced
  • steamed rice, for serving
  • handful fresh Thai Basil, chopped

For the Sauce

  • 1/4 cup water
  • 3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sugar

Instructions
 

  • Prepare a steamer and steam the Chinese sausages for 5 minutes. Remove from the steamer and cut into thin slices diagonally. The reason for the steaming is to soften the sausage as it is quite hard out of the package. Photo shows steaming complete before cutting them.
  • While the sausage is steaming, in a measuring cup mix the sauce ingredients together and set aside.
  • Heat oil in a frying pan or wok on medium heat and cook the garlic until fragrant. Add the sliced sausage and cook for a quick 30 seconds, then add the chicken.
  • Cook until the chicken is no longer pink or very little pink, this is good right here.
  • Pour the sauce in and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked and the sauce has reduced a bit. Remove from heat, stir in the spring onion and basil, cover and let stand for 5-10 minutes.
  • Ready to serve.
  • Serve with rice on the side and some of the sauce spooned over the rice.

Notes

The thighs would be about a 1 kilo, so I will estimate this at 75 Baht. The sausages will cost about 75 Baht. For 4 servings, this is about $1.10 per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,: CHINESE,CHICKEN & TURKEY,Pork - Sausage
One-Pot Chicken & Rice I
May 10, 2017 Lee
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One-Pot Chicken & Rice I

Sounds really good, I will have to try this one. This recipe is listed using the Uncle Ben's Flavor Infusion Chicken and Herb Rice. For people in Thailand this might be a tough one to get outside of the larger cities, so I will add two more versions of this and will be listed as ...Rice II and ...Rice III.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 chicken breasts, cubed
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 cup red onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1 tablespoon butter, optional
  • 1 packet Uncle Ben's Flavor Infusion Chicken and Herb
  • 3 1/2 cups water
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 2 cups tomates, diced
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed and drained
  • fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet or a medium size pot. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook the chicken for about 2 minutes on each side. Add the onions, garlic, paprika, thyme, parsley, stir and cook 1 additional minute.
  • Add the water, butter, and contents of Uncle Ben’s Flavor Infusion Chicken and Herb. Bring to a boil, and then add bell peppers and tomatoes. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. 


  • Remove from heat and mix in the peas. Cover and let rest for about 5 minutes. 
Garnish with fresh chopped parsley or even diced tomatoes, enjoy.

Notes

For the chicken, this might cost 40 Baht. For the Uncle Ben's Rice I cannot price that yet, I will take a guess at 180 Baht. For 6 servings, this is about $1.10 per serving.
Variants:
Using Seasoned Rice: One-Pot Chicken & Rice II,
Using Copycat Rice-A-Roni: One-Pot Chicken & Rice III.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,CHICKEN & TURKEY
Slow Cooker Beef and Potato Au Gratin
May 9, 2017 Lee
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Slow Cooker Beef and Potato Au Gratin

This sounds really good, only expensive part would be the cheese.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 20 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams ground beef
  • 1 1/2 kilos potatoes, sliced, 1/4 inch thick
  • 1 cup white onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1/2 cup beef broth, fresh or from powder
  • salt and pepper, to taste, for seasoning the beef

Instructions
 

  • Brown the ground beef on the stove top, season with salt and pepper to your liking, drain well and set aside.
  • In a small bowl while the beef is browning, mix together the paprika, garlic powder, parsley, salt, and pepper.
  • Add half of the sliced potatoes to your slow cooker in a layer, add half of the onion in a layer, sprinkle over half of the seasoning mix, add half of the ground beef in a layer, add half of the cheese in a layer. Repeat the layers again. Drizzle the broth evenly over the top.
  • Cover and cook on High setting for 4 hours without opening the cover, opening the cover releases steam which is needed to properly cook the potatoes through.
  • Serve with a vegetable for a complete meal.

Notes

The ground beef will cost about 100 Baht/500 grams. The cheese, figure 180 Baht/250 grams (I would just go with a 250 gram block and shred that, about 100 grams in a cup, this would be 2 1/2 cups, fair enough). For 6 servings, this is about $1.37 per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,CASSEROLES
Mississippi Pot Roast II
May 9, 2017 Lee
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Mississippi Pot Roast II

Provided by a good friend, this is on my to cook list. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 15 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 boneless chuck roast, about 1 1/2 to 2 kilos
  • salt and black pepper, to taste
  • cooking oil, as needed
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, this is 1/2 of a standard block
  • 8 peperoncini peppers, pickled, OR use banana peppers
  • 1 packet dry ranch dressing mix, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1 packet dry onion soup mix, OR make from a shortcut

Instructions
 

  • Add a splash of cooking oil to a large pan and heat it up, season the beef with salt and pepper to your liking. Once pan is hot, brown the meat on all sides in the skillet for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
  • Transfer the meat to the slow cooker, sprinkle the dry dressing and soup packets over the beef. Top with the 1/2 block of butter and the peppers.
  • Cover and cook on the Low setting for 8 hours. At the end of the cooking time, the beef should be fall apart tender, shred with two forks and serve on mashed potatoes or even on a roll with a slice of Provolone cheese.

Notes

Beef will run about 150 Baht/kilo, large cities should be able to get a chuck roast, out of the way places, like where I am at, I will try this with just 1-2 large chunks of beef. 300 Baht for 2 kilos would be about $1.47 per serving.
Shortcuts: Ranch Dressing Mix, Onion Soup Mix.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Neal Hightower.
United States.
* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,Beef - Slow Cooker