Archive for the ‘* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving’ Category
Basic Spinach Quiche
This is the basic quiche recipe. A quiche (French) is essentially a custard made with milk and eggs in a pie dish, what you add to the quiche is up to you to tailor the quiche to your preference. If you make this without adding any of the fillings, then you will be making a giant egg tart. This is a basic spinach quiche. What you can add is listed in Step 1 as options. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup mayo
- 1/2 cup milk
- 5 eggs
- 1-2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1-2 cups fresh spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 1/4 cup onion, chopped
- 1 pie crust, OR make from a shortcut
Instructions
- Options for fillings, there is no measurements here, but it is safe to assume 1/2 to 1 cup of each. The goal is layer in the fillings then pour the milk and egg mixture over that to fill up the pie crust, if feeding a crowd, use two pie crusts and different fillings for each: Spinach, chopped Onion, sliced Mushrooms, Broccoli, cubed and cooked Ham, Bacon, chopped Bell Pepper, chopped Tomatoes, other types of Cheese, you get the idea.
- Preheat your oven to 200 C. Line a cookie sheet with foil. If using a frozen ready made pie crust, thaw that before you preheat the oven. Place the pie crust in a pie pan and set aside.
- Whisk together the milk and mayo until smooth, then whisk in the eggs.
- In a skillet with just a splash olive oil, heat up the spinach and onion until the onion is just soft. If using other items, cook those as well until almost cooked through.
- Add the spinach and cheese in layers in the pie crust, making several layers of each. Pour the milk mixture over the filling until the pie crust is not quite full to the top. Place the pie dish on the cookie sheet, cover the pie dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes, remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Remove from oven and let rest for a few minutes, serve.
Notes
I cannot price this until I prepare it once. Basically it will be a fair price meal based on the cheese.
Shortcut: Basic Buttery Pie Crust.
Inspired by and photo courtesy of good friend, Mark Bowen.
Guinea.
Guinea.
Chicken Liver, Bacon, and Eggs
In keeping with the traditional Thai cooking style of minimal ingredients, I put this together last night just to clean out the freezer. Actually quite good as well. I like quick, easy, and low cost meals, and this fits the bill perfectly. Serve as a breakfast or dinner.
Ingredients
- 200 grams bacon, (7 oz)
- 200 grams chicken livers, (7 oz)
- 3-4 eggs
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a cast iron pan heated with just a small splash of olive oil, add the bacon and the chicken livers. Separate the bacon as it cooks and turn the livers occasionally and cook until the bacon is just near crispy.
- Push the liver and bacon to one side and crack in the eggs, season with salt and pepper to your liking, and cover with a lid to cook the eggs.
- When the eggs are set and the whites cooked through, serve as a breakfast or as a dinner.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
The bacon is 62 Baht per 200 grams, the liver is about 30 Baht. For 2 servings this is about $1.35 per serving, very reasonable.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Cobbler
This sounds very nice, easy to make, common ingredients, on my to cook list for sure!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 8 cups fresh stawberries, whole, capped, I will verify the amount
- 125 grams Cream cheese, this is 1/2 of a standard block, cut into small cubes
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C. Melt the butter and pour into a 9x13 glass baking dish. In a bowl, mix together the egg, milk, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pour directly over the butter in the baking dish, but do not stir.
- Add the strawberries, arranging in a single layer as much as possible. Sprinkle cream cheese pieces over strawberries. Place in preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until top is golden brown and edges are bubbling. The crust rises up and around the strawberries, and they still peek out of top.
Notes
I cannot price this until I buy strawberries again but should be very reasonable.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
United States.
Grandma's Goulash
This is an excellent version of goulash, made on 24 Dec 2017, hit with the family as well. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 onion, chopped
- 500 grams ground beef
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 1/2 - 2 cups tomato pasta sauce, OR make from a shortcut
- 1 can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped, drained
- 1/2 can tomato paste, this is the 170 gram can
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup dry macaroni
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
- salt and pepper, to taste
- olive oil, as needed
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat a splash of olive oil then add the garlic, onion, and bell pepper (I also added 3 Shiitake mushrooms, chopped) and saute until the onion and bell pepper are softened.
- Then add the beef and cook until no pink remains then drain off any fat.
- Add the pasta sauce, tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, seasonings, and water. Mix together, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you want a thicker goulash, simmer for a bit longer to reduce some of the liquid. If too thick, add some of the tomato juice from the canned tomatoes.
- Add the macaroni and mix in, cover and simmer until the macaroni is tender, about 20 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.
- Top with the shredded cheese if desired, cover and let sit for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Serve.
Notes
Ground beef will cost about 100 Baht/500 grams, the cheese will cost 90 Baht for 1/2 block. For 8 servings this is about $1.40 per serving.
Shortcut: Pasta Sauce.
Inspired by Spend With Pennies and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
United States.
Pizza Pasta Bake
Sounds really good, feel free to add any pizza toppings you like. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 340 grams dry Penne pasta, spirals, shells, any bite size pasta works here
- 1 onion, diced
- 250 grams Italian sausage, OR make from a shortcut on this site
- 250 grams ground beef
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped and drained
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 4 cups pasta sauce, OR make from a shortcut on this site
- 2-3 cups Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
- Pepperoni, slices, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C. grease a 9x13 baking dish with butter.
- Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling water until just tender, drain and rinse with cold water, drain well then place the pasta in the baking dish and spread evenly.
- In a large non stick skillet, brown the sausage and beef along with the onion and garlic until the meat is no longer pink then drain off the fat. Add the diced peppers and cook for 2-3 minutes until the peppers are just starting to get tender, then mix in the pasta sauce and oregano. Mix this together then pour the meat sauce over the pasta in the baking dish.
- Top the meat sauce with a layer of cheese then top the cheese with slices of Pepperoni. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the pasta is warmed through. Serve.
Notes
Bulk sausage I cannot price but you can make yourself with ground pork which will cost about 25 Baht/250 grams. Figure about 50 Baht for 250 grams of ground beef. The Mozzarella cheese will cost 140 Baht for a 200 gram block which will make about 2 cups of shredded. If using 3 cups of shredded, go with 1 1/2 blocks at 210 Baht. For 8 servings, this is about $1.05 per serving.
Shortcuts: Italian Sausage, Pasta Sauce.
Inspired by Spend With Pennies and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
United States.
Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings II
This is a tailored version from a internet recipe sent to me by a good friend. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts
- 2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup, OR make from a shortcut
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock, fresh or made from powder
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 3/4 cup peas, canned or frozen is fine
- carrots, sliced, amount is up to you
- celery, sliced, amount is up to you
- bacon, cooked crisp and chopped, amount is up to you
- dried parsley, to taste
- salt and pepper, to taste
- garlic powder, to taste
Dumplings
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 3/4 cup buttermilk, OR make this with a shortcut on the site
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
Instructions
- Place the chicken in your slow cooker, pour the broth and soup over them, then add the onion, carrots and celery, then sprinkle on garlic powder, salt and pepper to your liking. Cook on High setting for 3 hours.
- Remove the chicken and shred with forks then add back to the slow cooker along with some cooked and crumbled bacon and the peas. Mix together.
Dumplings
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk in the butter, buttermilk, and parsley. Drop the mixture into the pot in 8 large spoonfuls and continue to cook covered for 12 to 15 minutes or until the dumplings are firm.
Notes
Chicken breast run about 88 Baht/kilo, the chicken and the soup will run about 200 Baht max, for 4 people, this is about $1.45 per person, if you make the soup and buttermilk from scratch as listed on shortcuts here on the site, the price will be $1 or less per person.
Shortcuts: Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup, Buttermilk.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
United States.
Garlic Shrimp Pasta
This sounds really good, a must try for me. Basic ingredients that are normally on hand.
Ingredients
- 500 grams white shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed (or any shrimp you want)
- 500 grams Fettuccine pasta, or spaghetti
- 6-8 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1/4 cup butter, this is 1/4 of a standard block of butter
- olive oil, as needed, a few splashes
- Italian seasoning, to taste
- salt and pepper, to taste
- red chili flakes, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling water until tender, save 1 cup of the pasta water then drain the rest and set the pasta aside.
- In a large non stick skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and add the shrimp. Let the shrimp cook until starting to turn pink then add the garlic and cook until the shrimp are all pink and cooked through, then add a splash or so of olive oil. Mix together then add the pasta. Add the seasonings to your taste and add about 1/4 cup of the pasta water so that the pasta is not dry but not soaked in liquid either.
- Continue to toss the pasta, using additional pasta water as needed to maintain the consistency you like and is heated through, serve.
Notes
White shrimp at Tesco will cost about 140 Baht/500 grams. Everything else is low cost. For 4 servings, this is about $1.02 per serving. If you get local farmed shrimp, you can reduce the cost.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
United States.
Fish Tacos
For the best Fish Tacos I have ever had, that would be San Diego, California, many many years ago, at the Mexican owned and operated places. This recipe is spot on for a good tasting fish taco. I made these last night, 7 June 2017 and two thumbs up from my wife as well. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 2 fillets Pangasius fillets, cut each fillet in half to make 4 pieces
- olive oil, as needed
- 2-3 tablespoons butter
- garlic salt, as needed
- salsa, as needed, OR make from a shortcut
- sour cream, as needed, OR make from a shortcut
- Cheddar cheese, shredded, as needed
- cabbage, shredded, as needed
- 4 large flour tortillas
Instructions
- Heat a large non stick skillet with the butter and a splash of olive oil, cook the fillets over medium heat until cooked through and flakes easily with a fork. Season with garlic salt to taste, remove from the skillet and place on paper towels to drain.
- In a separate non stick skillet on low heat with no oil or butter, heat the tortillas on each side for a minute or so, this just to make them more pliable to fold. Once they are warmed, place a piece of fish on one side of each tortilla.
- Top the fish with a spoon or two of salsa, sour cream, shredded cabbage, and cheese.
- Fold the other side over and enjoy.
Notes
The fish is low cost, the high cost would be the store bought tortillas (imported as well) (I really need to find a recipe to make these), for now I will say fair cost per serving.
Variant: 1. Add a dash or two of hot sauce to the taco, or even a squeeze of fresh lime.
Shortcut: Fast and Simple Fresh Salsa II, Sour Cream.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Pork Tacos (Slow Cooker)
I found this recipe as originally stated as roast in the oven with the meat stacked on a skewer and called for achiote paste, which I am not going to find nor do I think I can make that here. I am going to write this as a slow cooker recipe as well.
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
For the Marinade
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoons black pepper
- 6 tablespoons vinegar
- ½ cup pineapple juice, from a carton, not fresh
- 1½ kilos pork shoulder, cut into ¾ inch cubes, (3 lb)
To Prepare
- 6-10 tortillas, corn or flour
- onion, chopped
- fresh cilantro, chopped
- salsa, of your choice, Shortcut
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, mix together the marinade ingredients except the pork.
- Cube the pork and add to the mixing bowl, and mix together with the marinade. Cover and place in the fridge to marinate for 2-24 hours.
- After marinating, place the pork in your slow cooker and cook for 6-10 hours on Low setting, remove and drain the meat, place a few spoons of meat on a tortilla, top with some onion, cilantro, and salsa, fold and enjoy!
Notes
The pork would cost about 100 Baht/kilo, so 150 Baht for that. The tortillas, flour, import from the states (actually good quality) will run 240 Baht/pack of 10. For 10 servings, this is about $1.15 per serving, not bad for visiting friends and family.
Shortcut: Salsa.
Cheesy Chicken Pasta Skillet
This is a variant of the Cheesy Smoked Sausage Pasta Skillet, but I thought this warranted a separate recipe due to not being a one skillet dish, this one takes a little time. Lot of things to change in this to suit your taste. I made this on 8 Dec 2016, and it is delicious, I took the step by step photos and my comments below.
Ingredients
For the Chicken and Stock
- 3 chicken quarters, seperate the legs from the thighs
- 1 onion, cut in half, no need to peel
- 1-2 tablespoons peppercorns
To Prepare
- splash olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 500 grams dry spiral pasta, any bite size pasta will work
- 1 can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped, with the juice as well
- 3 cups chicken stock, you just made that
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 2 cups Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
Instructions
For the Chicken and Stock
- Place the chicken in a large pot and fill 3/4 of the way full with water, add the onion and peppercorns, feel free to add any additional veggys you like such as carrots or celery. Place on high heat and bring to a boil and reduce to almost a simmer. Cook for about 20-30 minutes or until the meat is tender. You do not want the meat to fall off the bone.
- Remove the chicken from the pot to drain and cool for about 20 minutes so you can handle it. Turn off the heat to the pot and cover.
- Once the pieces have cooled a bit and you can handle them, use your fingers to pull the meat off the bones, do not use forks, use your hands as you can feel if there is any gristle attached to the meat, this is the reason you do not want the meat to fall off the bones, then the gristle is attached to the meat. By cooking until tender, the meat will easily pull off the bones and the gristle bits remain attached to the bone. Turn the heat back on to a simmer on the pot with the stock in it put the bones back in and continue to simmer this until needed. This photo shows the meat from 3 thighs and 3 legs. Feel to chop or pull apart to smaller pieces if you desire.
To Prepare
- Melt butter in skillet and cook the onion and garlic until tender and starting to brown, then add in the chicken meat.
- Add, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, parsley, chopped tomatoes and juice, 3 cups of the stock you just made, and the pasta and stir together. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, and let cook uncovered, or until pasta is tender and just some of the liquid remains, about 20-30 minutes. Turn off the heat and cover.
- Juice and stock is absorbed, the pasta is perfect.
- Mix in the cheese and cover for about 5 minutes to melt the cheese.
- Serve.
Notes
My wife bought 5 quarters for 110 Baht, I used 3, so I will say 75 Baht for the chicken. The cheese is about 140 Baht for a 200 gram block, shred the whole block for 2 cups of cheese. For 6 servings, this is about $1.05 per serving.
Variants: Add fresh sliced mushrooms. Use fresh tomatoes but you will need tomato juice (just a bit) as well. Variants add cost however, but can change up the dish from one time you prepare it to the next. Add taco seasoning and use Cheddar cheese and you have a taco pasta dish.
Inspired by good friend, Lynn Batterman.
United States.
United States.
