Archive for the ‘* High Cost $1.51+ per Serving’ Category
Chili Bean Chili
I came up with this on a whim. I like chili beans and I like chili with ground beef, so I made this, and it is very good and easy, and only 5 ingredients.
Ingredients
- 500 grams ground beef, (1 lb)
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cans chili beans, (439 g / 16 oz each)
- 1 can diced tomatoes, (565 g / 20 oz)
- salt and pepper, as desired
Instructions
- Heat a non stick pan on medium heat, add the onion and ground beef, season with black pepper as desired. Cook, breaking up the beef and mixing with the onion.
- While the beef is cooking, open the chili beans and diced tomatoes, and pour into a pot.
- Cook the beef until no pink remains, drain out most of the fat.
- Add the beef to the pot with the tomatoes and beans.
- Stir together and place on low heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring often.
- Serve and enjoy.
Frito Casserole
I found this recipe while looking for dishes to make with canned chili, and this is perfect! This is also known as Frito Pie and Frito Pie Casserole. Three ingredients and about 20 minutes of your time and you can have a great dish.
Equipment
- Casserole (2 quart)
- Oven
Ingredients
- 2 cans chili with beans, (15oz / 425g)
- 4 cups Fritos chips, divided
- 2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
- sour cream, for topping, optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F), lightly butter a 2 quart casserole dish.
- Add 2 cups of the Frito chips to the bottom of the casserole.
- Pour the chili over the chips and spread out evenly.
- Sprinkle the rest of the chips over the chili.
- Sprinkle with the cheese.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the chili is bubbly on the sides of the casserole. Remove from the oven and let the casserole rest for about 5 minutes.
- Serve, and optionally top servings with a big dollop of sour cream, enjoy.
Notes
The most expensive item in this casserole is the Frito chips, so this is a high cost meal but an excellent one in a while meal.
Bean & Sausage Soup (Slow Cooker)
I came up with this recipe based on my 15 Bean Soup recipe. This will use dry mixed beans, such as 11, 13, or 15 bean mixes. I made this on 7 Oct 2023, excellent flavor, well liked by the family.
Equipment
- Slow Cooker (3½+ quart)
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry bean soup mix, such as 11, 13, or 15 bean mixes
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 500 grams smoked sausage, sliced, (1 lb)
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can diced tomatoes, (14.5 oz / 411 g can)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Sort the beans and remove any debris or stones, then rinse and drain the beans.
- Place the beans, onion, sausage, and garlic in the slow cooker.
- Add the water and broth, stir to mix, cover, and set the slow cooker to High setting and cook for at least 4 hours, without lifting the cover.
- At the 4 hour mark, check the beans for tenderness. If the beans are not tender, continue cooking, checking again each hour until tender.
- When the beans are tender, stir in the tomatoes and lemon juice. Turn the slow cooker to Low setting and cook for another 30 minutes.
- You can leave on Keep Warm for several more hours if needed, and this blends the flavors as well.
- Serve and enjoy. (I like this with sour cream on top.)
Notes
High cost per serving based on the beans and sausage. I use Bob's Red Mill 13 Bean Mix from Lazada, and the smoked sausage is from Tesco.Â
Ham & Pasta Casserole
This is an excellent casserole, I used ham steaks I cubed. Easy and delicious, well liked by the family as well! I made this on 10 Aug 2023 and is a modified recipe from the original.
Equipment
- Casserole (3 quart)
- Oven
Ingredients
- 400 grams dry spiral pasta, or bowtie pasta, (about 12-14 oz)
- 3 cups ham, diced
- 3 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, (10½ oz / 298 g)
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Heat a pot of salted water to boiling, then add the pasta and cook until just tender, as it will go in the oven and cook more. Drain well. I used three color spiral pasta.
- After you start the pasta, preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F), get out a 3 quart casserole and grease with butter or cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the diced ham, soup, sour cream, milk, onion and garlic powders.
- Stir to mix together.
- Now add 2 cups of the Cheddar cheese, and mix together.
- When the pasta is drained, add to the mixing bowl and mix together.
- Pour mixture into the prepared casserole and smooth out the top. Sprinkle on the remaining 1 cup of Cheddar cheese.
- Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese is starting to brown.
- Serve with side dishes of your choice, enjoy.
Notes
High cost per serving based on the ham and cheese used, but certainly worth it for a great once in a while meal.
I used 3 ham steaks (500 g) from Makro, they come in a package of 6 which is 1,000 g).
Slow Cooker Bean Free Chicken Chili
This recipe is from a social media friend who specializes in slow cooker dishes. I made this on 4 Aug 2023, and the Thai family loved this, a very enjoyable chili for sure.
Equipment
- Slow Cooker (6+ quart)
Ingredients
- 4-5 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
- 2 cans creamed corn, (15 oz / 425 g each)
- 2 cans diced green chilies , (4 oz / 113 g each)
- 1 cup salsa verde
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin, heaping
- 1 teaspoon chili powder, heaping
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 tablespoon lime juice
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Add the chicken breasts to your slow cooker.
- To a large mixing bowl, add the remaining ingredients.
- Stir to mix together.
- Pour mixture over the chicken, cover and set to Low and cook for 4-6 hours.
- At 4 hours, using a meat thermometer, check the internal temp on the thickest chicken breast, when it reads 74° C (165° F), the chicken is done, if not, check again at 5 hours then at 6 hours. Mine was perfect at 5 hours. Remove chicken from the slow cooker to a cutting board, chop or shred with forks, and return to the cooker.
- Stir the chicken into the chili, cook for another 10-15 minutes.
- Serve, and if desired top with your favorite chili toppings, such as shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, green chilis, or spring onion. Enjoy.
Notes
For Thailand, this is high cost per serving based on the canned diced green chilis (import). The salsa verde can be an import or locally produced, I used a locally produced so I did save a few dollars that way.
Slow Cooker Roast Lamb
I made this on 18 Jul 2023 using a 1 kilo boneless roast, and the result is juicy and fork tender roast that the entire Thai family loved! Adjust the cooking time for a larger roast.
Equipment
- Slow Cooker (6+ quart)
Ingredients
- 1 kilogram lamb shoulder roast, boneless, (about 2¼ to 2½ lb)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 large carrots, peeled, chopped
- 4 medium potatoes, peeled, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1½ cups chicken stock
Instructions
- Mix together the salt, pepper, and garlic powder, rub mixture all over the roast.
- Heat the oil in a non stick pan, when hot, add the roast, brown the roast, turning as needed to get all the sides browned.
- Place the browned roast into the slow cooker.
- Now add the chopped carrots, potatoes, and onion all the way around the roast.
- Sprinkle the minced garlic, rosemary, and oregano on top, then pour in the stock. Cover and cook on Low setting for 6 hours.
- Remove roast from the slow cooker, slice and plate, add potatoes and carrots, spoon sauce from the cooker over the vegetables, enjoy!
Notes
High cost per serving based on the cost of lamb in Thailand.
Cheese Cannelloni
I made this on 18 Jun 2023, well beyond expectations! The family and I absolutely loved this dish. The recipe now reflects my slight changes, basically used more cheese and more sauce. More cannelloni tubes will be ordered again, soon! This dish is easy to prepare and is highly recommended. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Notes section.
Equipment
- Piping Bag , not required but helpful.
- Baking Pan (9x13 inch)
- Foil
- Oven
Ingredients
- 12-18 dry cannelloni tubes, oven ready
- 3 cups pasta sauce, jarred or homemade, your choice
- 2 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded
For the Filling
- 2 cups cottage cheese, (a 450 gram container / 14 oz works well), Shortcut
- 1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry, (10 oz / 285 g)
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F), get out a 9x13 inch baking dish.
- To a mixing bowl, add the Filling ingredients.
- Mix together.
- In another mixing bowl, add the pasta sauce then add â…“ cup water and mix together.
- Scoop out ½ cup sauce and add to the bottom of the baking pan, spread out evenly by gently shaking the pan.
- Add the filling mixture to a piping bag or a zip lock bag with a corner cut off, fill each cannelloni tube, and place in the pan in the a single layer.
- Pour the remaining pasta sauce over the cannelloni tubes.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
- Remove the foil, sprinkle the dish with cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and starting to brown.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Ricotta Gnocchi
This recipe comes from a good friend and it is excellent gnocchi, family and I loved this. Serve with your favorite sauce, we used a Prego canned mushroom carbonara. One thing I did change was I used my homemade cottage cheese and just strained it more so I had the consistency of ricotta, worked perfectly. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Notes section.
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- 500 grams ricotta cheese, (15-17 oz is fine, about 2 cups), Shortcut
- ¾-1 cup all-purpose flour, start with ¾ cup
- 1¼ cups Parmesan cheese, shaker can type works fine
- 2 eggs, beaten
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- â…› teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Get out a baking sheet and lightly spread some flour on it, you will use this to set the cut gnocchi on.
- Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl. For the flour, add just ¾ cup at first, add more as needed, a little at a time. If you get the mixture too dry, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time to get the proper consistency.
- Mix together until blended and forms a ball, the dough is soft.
- Flour your work surface, turn out dough to the work surface, if sticky, lightly flour the dough. Cut the dough into thirds.
- Use ⅓ of the dough and roll into a rope, about 1 to 1½ inches wide. Cut the rope into 1 inch or so lengths.
- Place the pieces on the prepared baking sheet.
- Repeat until all the dough is rolled and cut, and placed on the sheet. If you are not going to cook this right now, cover the sheet with plastic wrap and place in the fridge until you are ready to cook.
- When you are ready to cook the gnocchi, heat a pot of salted water to a gentle boil. Carefully add â…“ of the gnocchi to the pot, stir briefly to prevent sticking together or to the bottom. Boil for 3-5 minutes or until they float. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain.
- Top with your favorite pasta sauce, and serve with sides of your choice, enjoy.
Notes
High cost per serving based on the cheeses used.
Shortcut: Cottage Cheese.
Slow Cooker Pork Chops & Potatoes
This sounds like an excellent slow cooker meal. Servings are based on the number of chops you use. The use of a mandoline for slicing is highly recommended. Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Notes section.
Equipment
- Mandoline
- Slow Cooker (6+ quart)
Ingredients
- 4-6 pork chops, bone in or out is fine
- 4-6 medium potatoes, peeled or unpeeled is your choice
- 1 carrot, peeled or unpeeled is your choice
- 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, (10½ oz / 298 g), Shortcut
- 1 can condensed cream of onion soup, (10½ oz / 298 g), Shortcut
- ½ can milk, (¾ cup if making the soup from scratch)
- butter, as needed
- salt and pepper, as needed
Instructions
- The use of a mandoline is highly recommended, which is what I used. Thinly slice the potatoes and carrot. I used 5 potatoes, peeled.
- Grease the slow cooker with butter or cooking spray. Add half of the potatoes in an even layer, then cover them with half of the carrot in an even layer. Add salt and pepper as desired, and add 3-5 pats of butter. This is the first layer.
- Repeat the layers with the remaining potatoes and carrot, and again salt and pepper the top, add more pats of butter.
- Salt and pepper each side of your chops. I used fresh cracked white pepper and ¾ inch bone in Kurobuta chops.
- Place chops on top of the potato and carrot layer. I placed 3 chops in the first layer and 2 chops on top of those.
- In a mixing bowl, add the soup and milk and mix together. Pour over the chops and spread it out to the edges.
- Place the slow cooker on Low setting for 6-8 hours or until very tender.
- Place a chop on each place, side with some potatoes and carrots, and additional sides of your choice. Enjoy.
Notes
High cost per serving based on the cost of the chops, but worth it for a once in a while meal with visiting family and friends.
Variants: 1. Use 2 cans of chicken soup in place of chicken and onion soups. 2. Use 1 can chicken and 1 can of mushroom soups in place of chicken and onion soups. 3. Use 1 can of chicken and 1 can of celery soups in place of the chicken and onion soups.
Shortcuts: Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup, Condensed Cream of Onion Soup, Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup, Condensed Cream of Celery Soup.
This recipe was awarded a Blue Ribbon on the Just A Pinch Recipe Club.
Fried Pork Chops
My wife came home from the grocer with Kurobuta Pork Chops, these are the pork equivelent of Japanese Kobi Beef. So I did some research and came up with this. It is all about the timing and the temperature. An instant read thermometer is must for this.
Equipment
- Instant Read Thermometer
Ingredients
- 4 pork chops, mine were about ¾ inch thick, bone in
- olive oil, and as needed
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon white pepper powder
Instructions
- Remove pork chops from the fridge about 30 minutes before you want to cook and place on the counter to come to room temp.
- In a small bowl, mix together the garlic powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper to make the seasoning mix.
- Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels on both sides the rub some olive oil on all sides of the pork chops.
- Sprinkle the seasoning mix on each side of the pork chops, rubbing it in after sprinkling each side.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large flat bottomed pan, cast iron pan would be ideal but not required, when the oil is hot, add the pork chops, in batches if needed as I could only fry 2 at a time. Flip the pork chops every minute using the following times:¾ inch thick: 4-6 minutes.1¼ inch thick: 8-10 minutes.1½ inch thick: 10-12 minutes.At the minimum time stated, check the internal temperature with your instant read thermometer for 61° C (140° F), and remove from heat to a plate and cover with foil or a lid or 5 minutes. The temp will rise to 63° (145° F) while it rests. It is certainly OK for the center to be a little pink as long as the temp was reached.
- Serve with sides of your choice, enjoy.
Notes
High cost per serving, but these are great for a once in a while meal.
