Archive for the ‘* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving’ Category
Larb Gai
March 12, 2018 Lee
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Larb Gai

Larb = salad, Gai = chicken, there is your Thai lesson for the day 🙂 This is a Thai dish, and eaten often in Laos as well, in the US Thai restaurants, this may be called Spicy Thai Chicken Salad. Easy to prepare, can be served on a bed of lettuce if you desire, and normally served with sticky rice and fresh veggies such as cucumber, spring onion, long beans, and cabbage.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Thai
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams ground chicken
  • 2 tablespoons shallots, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons spring onion, finely sliced
  • 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons roasted rice powder
  • 2 tablespoons fresh Thai chili, ground, or to taste
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice
  • 3 tablespoons fish sauce

Instructions
 

  • In a large non stick pan, cook the chicken and 2 tablespoons of lime juice on medium heat, and cook until done, stirring often until the chicken is cooked through.
  • Pour the chicken into a heat proof mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients and mix together. Taste and season as desired with lime juice and or fish sauce.
  • Serve with stick rice and fresh vegetables.

Notes

Low cost.
Variants: 1. Use beef instead of chicken, then it is Larb Nuea. 2. Use pork instead of chicken, this it is Larb Moo. 3. Add and mix in glass noodles (bean curd noodles).
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Inspired by good friend, Khanthary Singnhoth.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: THAI,CHICKEN & TURKEY
Fridge Bread & Butter Pickles
March 11, 2018 Lee
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Fridge Bread & Butter Pickles

I love bread and butter pickles and when I was growing up, my Mom and Grandmother made them a lot during the summer months. I just found this recipe and I will be trying it soon! This is NOT a canning recipe and is NOT recommended to can this, this is a make and place in the fridge recipe. I made these on 22 May 2018, delicious!
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Prep Time 3 hours
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 1 day 3 hours 5 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine American
Servings 1 quart

Ingredients
  

  • 750 grams small cucumbers, sliced 1/4 inch thick, (1 1/2 lbs)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 2 small onions, thinly sliced, white onion preferred
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 cup white vinegar
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seed
  • 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric

Instructions
 

  • In a large shallow bowl, add the cucumber slices and onion slices.
  • Add the salt, toss together. Cover and place in the fridge for 1-1 1/2 hours.
  • When the cucumbers are ready, add to a colander and rinse well. Drain the cucumbers well, there you just removed excess moisture from the cucumber slices to provide a good crisp cucumber slice.
  • Add the drained cucumbers to a heat proof bowl this time, or to a quart jar.
  • In a medium sauce pan, add the vinegars, sugars, mustard and celery seeds, and finally the turmeric. Stir together then and bring mixture to a simmer on medium heat. Stir until the sugars are dissolved.
  • Pour the hot mixture over the cucumber and onion mixture, let set at room temp until cooled, cover and place in the fridge for 24 hours.
  • The bread and butter pickles are ready now to be enjoyed. Can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 month as long as they are covered airtight.

Notes

Low cost.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,SIDES
Sliced Baked Potatoes
March 10, 2018 Lee
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Sliced Baked Potatoes

I like potatoes cooked many ways, this certainly sounds good. On my to cook list. Low number of ingredients, always a plus as well. No quantities are stated, this is a make with what you have on hand or need recipe, just adjust the ingredients to your needs. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine American
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
  • Cheddar cheese, shredded
  • bacon, chopped, fried crispy
  • spring onions, finely sliced
  • sour cream, OR make from a shortcut
  • butter, melted

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 200 C (400 F), line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Brush both sides of the potato slice with melted butter and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, flip them half way through, until lightly browned on each side.
  • When the potatoes are browned, top with the bacon, spring onion, and cheese.
  • Return the to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted, keep an eye on them!
  • Remove from your oven and spoon into a serving dish, add a few spoons of sour cream and serve. Have sour cream available on the side as well. Enjoy.

Notes

Low cost.
Shortcut: Sour Cream.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,POTATOES,SIDES
Spaghetti Salad
March 9, 2018 Lee
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Spaghetti Salad

This comes from a good friend and sounds very nice, I love a good pasta salad and this seems to be on par with that. This is a make with what you want, think left overs or cleaning out the fridge, no measurements are given for the ingredients. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine American
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • spaghetti, cooked, drained, cooled
  • black olives, pitted and sliced
  • cucumber, cut into bite size pieces
  • tomatoes, diced large
  • spring onions, sliced
  • Italian dressing, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1 packet dry ranch dressing mix, OR make from a shortcut
  • Italian cheese mix, or go with Mozzarella and Parmesan
  • pinch garlic powder
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Mix everything together in a mixing bowl, use amounts of items based on how much spaghetti you are using, and dress with the Italian dressing and Ranch mix to taste, add cheese, and seasonings to taste.
  • Cover and place in the fridge for 2-3 hours before serving as a side with any dish.

Notes

Low cost.
Shortcuts: Italian Dressing, Ranch Dressing Mix.
Recipe and photo provided by a friend, Joeann Lafferty, and her recipe is here.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Sides - Salads
American Goulash II
March 8, 2018 Lee
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American Goulash II

Stephen Connell, United States.
This is another variant to American Goulash, there is hundreds of ways to make goulash, and many countries have their own variants, all are good and ingredients are based on locality. You will need to use your stove top and a slow cooker for this. On my to cook list.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Equipment

  • Slow Cooker

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams ground beef, (1 lb)
  • ¾ cup onion, diced
  • 1 can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped. plus juice
  • 3 cups tomato soup, Shortcut
  • 4 cups dry macaroni, or spirals or corkscrew pasta
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
  • â…“ cup butter
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • ¾ teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
  • ¾ cup Cheddar cheese, shredded, or your favorite cheese

Instructions
 

  • In a non stick pan, add the ground beef, onion, red pepper flakes, paprika, and salt and pepper as desired, brown the beef until just no longer pink, no need to over do this, just lightly brown the beef.
  • Add the beef to your slow cooker, then pour in the soup and tomatoes, stir. Cook on Low setting for 2 hours.
  • Add the dry pasta, stir into the mixture, top with the cheese and cook for another 1-2 hours.
  • Serve.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
Shortcut: Tomato Soup.
Variants: 1. Add some mixed vegetables. 2. Add some sliced or minced mushrooms.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Pasta - Slow Cooker
Creamy French Onion Mac & Cheese
March 8, 2018 Lee
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Creamy French Onion Mac & Cheese

This sounds really good and no canned soup needed, which is always a bonus. On my to cook list. If you cannot find Gruyere cheese, just go with a mild Gouda or additional Swiss cheese.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 250 grams dry macaroni, or any bite size pasta, (8 oz)
  • 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • salt and black pepper, as desired
  • 250 grams cavatappi pasta, or spiral or corkscrew pasta, (8 oz)
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 can evaporated milk, (12 oz)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 115 grams Gruyere cheese, grated, or Gouda or Swiss, (4 oz)
  • 170 grams Swiss cheese, grated, (6 oz)
  • 60 grams Parmesan cheese, grated, (2 oz)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 190 C (375 F). Lightly butter a 8x8 baking dish.
  • In a large non stick pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter on medium low heat. When melted and hot, add the onion and a pinch of salt as desired. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally until golden brown and reduced in volume, about 30 to 40 minutes. When cooked, remove from heat and set aside.
  • While the onion is cooking, heat a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, drain then set aside.
  • Same pot used for the pasta, add the 4 tablespoons of butter and heat over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the flour and whisk constantly for 1-2 minutes until golden brown and smooth, then slowly pour in the milk, also whisking constantly until smooth, about 5 minutes. Now slowly pour in the evaporated milk, and you guessed it, whisking constantly until thickened.
  • Reduce the heat to low and add the cheeses to the pot, reserve 2 tablespoons of Parmesan for later use, whisk until the cheese is melted into the sauce. Whisk in the nutmeg, mustard, and season to taste with salt and pepper as desired.
  • To the pot, stir in the pasta and the onion and mix to coat well. Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish, and sprinkle the reserved Parmesan on the top.
  • Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes until the top is golden brown.
  • Cool for 3 to 5 minutes, serve and enjoy.

Notes

I will price this when I get some Swiss and Gouda cheese, Gruyere would be a long shot where I live. I will say Low cost for now.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Pasta - Mac & Cheese
Crab & Shrimp Soup
February 27, 2018 Lee
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Crab & Shrimp Soup

I made this on 26 Feb 2018 on a whim. I used fresh chicken stock I made in my pressure cooker (perfect), added some veggies, imitation crab and some shrimp, easy and delicious!
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups chicken stock, OR make from a shortcut
  • 6-8 cups water
  • 3 medium potatoes, diced large
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 stalks imported celery, diced, plus tops chopped and reserved
  • 500 grams imitation crab, chopped, (1 lb)
  • 500 grams shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed, (1 lb)
  • pepper, to taste
  • olive oil, as needed
  • 1/2 cup dry spaghetti, broken into 2 inch pieces

Instructions
 

  • Add the stock and water to a large pot and add the potatoes and bay leaf, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for about 15 minutes or so until the potatoes are nearly fork tender.
  • While the potatoes are cooking, heat a non stick pan with a splash of olive oil and when hot, add the onion and diced celery. Stir often, you are not trying to brown this, just softening up onion and celery.
  • When the onion and celery is softened, add that to the pot with the potatoes.
  • When the potatoes are just about fork tender, add the chopped up crab sticks to the pot and just let the soup simmer on low heat. Add the broken spaghetti. Season with pepper to taste.
  • While the soup is simmering and the spaghetti cooking, clean the shrimp. When the spaghetti is cooked, add the shrimp and the chopped celery tops.
  • Turn off the heat and cover and the hot soup will cook the shrimp in a few minutes.
  • When the shrimp are pink, remove the bay leaf, ladle into bowls and enjoy.

Notes

I will price this next time I get the imitation crab, for now, with 6 to 8 servings, this is low cost.
Shortcut: Chicken Stock (Pressure Cooker).
Variants: 1. Add bite size pieces of whitefish. 2. Add diced carrots, daikon, or mushrooms.
Just a soup I threw together, worked out great, Lee Thayer.
Thailand.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI
Authentic Slow Cooker Louisiana Red Beans & Rice with Sausage
February 26, 2018 Lee
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Authentic Slow Cooker Louisiana Red Beans & Rice with Sausage

I have been looking for a good red beans and rice recipe, I made this on 2 Mar 2018 and it is delicious! I am very impressed with this dish. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 15 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 250 grams dry red beans, soaked overnight, (1/2 lb)
  • 4-6 cups water
  • 4 cups chicken stock, fresh or from powder
  • 500 grams smoked sausage, sliced 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick slices, (1 lb)
  • 2 cups ham, diced
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1 fresh Jalapeno pepper, chopped, optional
  • 8 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning, OR make from a shortcut, divided
  • black pepper, to taste
  • cooked rice, for serving

Instructions
 

  • Heat the butter in a non stick pan, when melted and hot, add the onion, garlic, bell pepper, celery, and jalapeno pepper (if using) and cook and stir for a few minutes, you are not trying to brown them, just heating them all through, remove from heat and pour it all, butter and all, into your slow cooker, there, you just made a mirepoix 🙂
  • Drain and rinse the beans, add to the slow cooker, then add diced ham, sliced sausage, bay leaves, 1/2 teaspoon of Creole seasoning.
  • Here I added the mirepoix after I added beans, ham, and sausage. The order in which you add it does not matter at all.
  • Add the stock and 4 cups of water, add more water as needed to make sure everything is covered by the liquid, also take into account the beans will expand some during cooking so do not overfill the slow cooker. Stir to mix everything together.
  • Cover and set to Low setting and cook for 8 to 10 hours for the consistency of beans you prefer.
  • Remove the bay leaves, stir in the remaining Creole seasoning, serve over cooked rice.

Notes

I will say Low cost for now based on 8 servings and using homemade sausage (which I will be doing). I did buy some ham to dice up just for this but forgot the price. I will price this when I get accurate numbers.
Shortcut: Creole Seasoning Mix.
Variants: 1. Use a ham hock in place of the diced ham. 2. Sausage can be Andouille, smoked sausage, kielbasa, or any sausage you prefer. 3. For creamier beans, tilt the lid on the slow cooker for the last 1-2 hours. 3. Use Cajun seasoning instead of Creole, they are nearly the same.
Provided by Slow Cooker Kitchen and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Pork - Sausage,Pork - Slow Cooker
Coleslaw
February 26, 2018 Lee
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Coleslaw

This is from a good American friend, Brian, who lives in northeastern Thailand. I made this on 21 Oct 2018, and it was very well liked by the family. Excellent flavor.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 heads green cabbage, or purple cabbage
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 large carrot
  • 2 cups mayo
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup white vinegar
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • coarsely ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Coleslaw 101 basic ingredients, cabbage, onion, and carrot.
  • The way I prepare cabbage is to quarter it then cut the core out of each piece at an angle, then slice each piece, the slice again crosswise.
  • Add the cabbage, onion, and carrot to a large mixing bowl.
  • In a large mixing bowl, add the the mayo, sugar, vinegar, and oil.
  • Whisk and you will get a nice creamy dressing.
  • Pour about half of the dressing into the veggies and mix, then add the remaining dressing and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least two hours before serving, or even overnight, as this will allow the flavors to blend.
  • Serve as a side dish with any meal.

Notes

Low cost.
Recipe provide by good friend, Brian Colligan, Pleasures & Pastimes (which is a great resource for gardening seeds and other items).
Thailand.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Sides - Salads
Forget the Rice Cooker Rice
February 26, 2018 Lee
1 Comment

Forget the Rice Cooker Rice

Brian Colligan, Thailand.
Or use a rice cooker, which is what I did and this is great rice! This is from a good American friend, Brian, who lives in northeastern Thailand, and he makes this often. This has a twist to it, flavored with star anise and cardamom.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine Asian
Servings 4 servings

Equipment

  • Rice Cooker

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups dry white rice, rinsed
  • 2½ cups cold water
  • 2 whole star anise
  • 3-4 cardamom pods, or â…› teaspoon ground, see Step 1

Instructions
 

  • For the cardamom pods, you can use fresh, dried, or even ground. Fresh would be preferred, If using dry, soak the pods for at least an hour before use. For ground cardamom, use â…› teaspoon. You can also use â…› teaspoon of cinnamon in place of cardamom.

Stovetop Method

  • Place everything in a pot and bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Remove the star anise and cardamom pods, fluff with a fork and serve as a side with any Asian dishes.

Rice Cooker Method

  • Add everything to your slow cooker, stir together. Cover and set to Cook setting.
  • When rice cooker switches to Warm, unplug, remove the star anise and cardamom pods, fluff, serve as a side dish. Enjoy.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,SEASONED RICE,Seasoned Rice - Rice Cooker,SIDES