Archive for the ‘* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving’ Category
Pork Ragu
November 6, 2017 Lee
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Pork Ragu

Sounds very good. On my to cook list. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 20 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

For the Ragu

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
  • 1 kilo pork shoulder, cut into 3 inch chunks
  • 1 tablespoon sea salt, plus 1 teaspoon
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 250 grams bulk Italian sausage, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 1 large carrot, finely diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 2 teaspoons brown sugar, packed
  • 2 cans crushed tomatoes
  • 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 Parmesan cheese rind, this is a long shot where I live
  • 2 bay leaves

For the Garlic Butter Pasta

  • 500 grams Fettuccine pasta, cooked, drained
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, this is 1/4 standard block
  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley leaves, chopped
  • Parmesan cheese, grated, for garnish

Instructions
 

For the Ragu

  • Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a Dutch oven or heavy pot. While the pot is heating, in a large bowl, season the pork with the salt and pepper. Sear the pork on all sides, about a minute per side, remove from the pot and set aside.
  • Heat the remaining oil in the pot and then add the sausage, break up the sausage with a spatula and cook until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes.
  • To the pot, add the onion and carrot and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper as desired and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 2 minutes.
  • Stir in the white wine, tomato paste, brown sugar, tomatoes, thyme, oregano, bay leaves, and cheese rind if you have that. Mix together then add the meat back to the pot and stir in. Season with additional salt and pepper to your liking.
  • Reduce heat to low and simmer for 3 hours, the meat should be fall apart tender and the sauce slightly thickened. Use two forks and shred the pork and stir into the sauce.

For the Garlic Butter Pasta

  • In a large non stick pan on medium heat, add the butter, when melted, stir in the garlic and parsley and cook for 1 minute until the garlic is fragrant. Turn off the heat and add your cooked pasta and toss to evenly coat the pasta.'
  • Serve the ragu over the pasta and garnish with Parmesan.

Notes

Figure 85 Baht for the pork shoulder and 50 Baht for the sausage, if you make the sausage yourself from pork shoulder, the cost would be much less. For 6 servings, this is about 67 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Italian Sausage.
Variant: 1. This screams of using a slow cooker to simmer the ragu.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,PORK
Horseradish Deviled Eggs
November 5, 2017 Lee
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Horseradish Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs I like, horseradish I like, this is a winning combination. I made these on 8 Nov 2017, perfect!
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 8 hard boiled eggs, chicken or duck, peeled
  • 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt, or mayo if no yogurt on hand
  • 4 teaspoons creamed horseradish
  • 4 teaspoons pickle juice
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 pinch sea salt
  • 1 pinch black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons fresh dill, chopped
  • fresh dill, for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Cut your hard boiled eggs in half lengthwise, remove yolks to a separate bowl and place the egg halves on a large plate.
  • To the bowl, add the yogurt, horseradish, pickle juice, mustard, dill, salt, and pepper. Mix with a fork until creamy, taste and adjust salt and pepper, or even horseradish.
  • Place the yolk mixture into a zip lock bag, snip off a very small corner of the bag, squeeze the yolk mixture into the egg halves on the plate. Garnish with fresh dill, chill, and serve.

Notes

Low cost.
Shortcuts: Perfect Hard Boiled Chicken Eggs, Perfect Hard Boiled Duck Eggs.
Variant: 1. Add a bit of shredded Cheddar cheese to the yolk mixture.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,APPETIZERS / SNACKS,EGGS - ALL,Eggs - Chicken,Eggs - Duck
Beef Noodle Soup II
November 5, 2017 Lee
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Beef Noodle Soup II

Sounds really good, a nice comfort food. This is a Slow Cooker version, which would be perfect for Thai beef. I will verify the slow cooker time with Low setting when I make this, and soon.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams beef stew meat, cubed
  • 1 cup onion, chopped
  • 1 cup celery, chopped
  • 3 beef bouillon cubes
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 cup carrots, chopped
  • 5 3/4 cups water
  • 200 grams dry egg noodles

Instructions
 

  • Heat a large pot on medium high heat and add the beef, onion, and celery. Saute for 5 minutes or so until the beef is browned on all sides. Add this to your slow cooker.
  • Add the water, bouillon cubes, parsley, black pepper, and carrots to the slow cooker, mix together. Set on Low setting for 4 hours. Check the tenderness of the beef then, if not tender, continue to cook and check each hour after that until the beef is tender.
  • When the beef is tender, cook the egg noodles in a pot of salted boiling water until just tender. Drain and stir in the the noodles to the slow cooker and cook for another 15-20 minutes.
  • Serve.

Notes

Figure about 150 Baht for the beef. For 6 servings, this is about 75 cents per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Soups, Stews, Chili - Slow Cooker
Beef Noodle Soup I
November 5, 2017 Lee
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Beef Noodle Soup I

Sounds really good, a nice comfort food.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams beef stew meat, cubed
  • 1 cup onion, chopped
  • 1 cup celery, chopped
  • 3 beef bouillon cubes
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
  • pinch black pepper, or to taste
  • 1 cup carrots, chopped
  • 5 3/4 cups water
  • 200 grams dry egg noodles

Instructions
 

  • Heat a large pot on medium high heat and add the beef, onion, and celery. Saute for 5 minutes or so until the beef is browned on all sides.
  • Add the water, bouillon cubes, parsley, black pepper, carrots, and egg noodles. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 30 minutes or until the beef is tender and noodles cooked.
  • Serve.

Notes

Figure about 150 Baht for the beef. For 6 servings, this is about 75 cents per serving.
Variation: 1. Use course ground beef (using the wagon wheel plate on your grinder) in place of cubed stew beef.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI
Pork Liver Soup
November 4, 2017 Lee
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Pork Liver Soup

Adapted from an internet recipe.
This is based on a Chinese recipe I found and I will tailor this when I make it to make it a heartier soup. I added the noodles and spinach. I will update the ingredient amounts when I make this.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 300 grams pork liver, cleaned, sliced thin, (11 oz)
  • 250 grams frozen spinach, thawed, chopped, (8 oz)
  • 100 grams Chinese egg noodles, (3½ oz)
  • 20 grams fresh ginger, peeled, shredded, (¾ oz)
  • 4 cups water

For the Marinade

  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • ¼ teaspoon white pepper
  • 1½ tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine
  • ¾ teaspoon cornstarch

Instructions
 

  • Mix together the Marinade ingredients, place the sliced liver in a shallow bowl, pour the marinade in and mix together with the liver, let marinate for 20 minutes.
  • While the liver is marinating, prep the spinach. Squeeze any water from the spinach. If in leaf form, frozen in balls, chop those. Set aside.
  • Also while the liver is marinating, heat a small pot of water, when boiling, add the noodles and cook until tender, about 5-10 minutes, drain, and set aside the noodles.
  • When the liver is marinated, now heat the 4 cups of water in a medium pot, when boiling, add the ginger and remove the liver from the marinade and add to the pot. Boil for 30 seconds then cover and remove the pot from the heat and let set for 15 minutes.
  • At the 15 minute mark, place the pot back on a burner and set to high heat, add the noodles and spinach, just before boiling, remove from heat and cover for 2 more minutes to heat the noodles and spinach through.
  • Serve.

Notes

Figure about 40 Baht for the liver. For 2 servings, this is about 60 cents per serving.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: CHINESE,Pork - Hearts, Kidneys, Liver,SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI
Real Homemade Ketchup
November 3, 2017 Lee
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Real Homemade Ketchup

This does sound like ketchup recipe. This uses a slow cooker to prepare, this does take some time to prepare though.
Print Recipe
Cook Time 10 hours
Total Time 10 hours
Cuisine American
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cups tomatoes, peeled, crushed
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2/3 cup coconut sugar, or brown sugar not packed
  • 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon celery salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon mustard powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 1 clove garlic, smashed and minced

Instructions
 

  • Add all ingredients to your slow cooker and mix. Set to High setting without using the lid, until mixture thickens, about 10 hours. Stir occasionally.
  • Blend with an immersion mixer until smooth, about 30 seconds.
  • Strain ketchup through a fine mesh strainer to remove seeds. Pour into a jar and when room temperature, seal jar and store in the fridge.

Notes

Low cost.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Garland Davis, US Navy Cook (Ret).
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,CONDIMENTS
One Pot Chicken & Lemon Rice
November 3, 2017 Lee
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One Pot Chicken & Lemon Rice

This sounds really good. You will sear the chicken in a pan on the stove and will bake the rice and chicken together in the oven.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 5 servings

Ingredients
  

For the Chicken & Marinade

  • 5 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on
  • 1-2 lemons, use all zest + 4 tablespoons juice
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Rice

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small onion, finely diced
  • 1 cup dry long grain rice
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, fresh or from powder
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • black pepper, to taste

For Garnish

  • fresh parsley, chopped
  • lemon zest

Instructions
 

  • Add the chicken and marinade ingredients to a large zip lock bag and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Leaving the chicken to marinate overnight in the fridge would result in flavor.
  • Preheat your oven to 180 C. Remove chicken from the marinade and reserve the remaining marinade.
  • Heat 1/2 tablespoon in a large oven safe pan, cast iron pan would be perfect. If you do not have a oven safe pan, just use a regular pan you have and I will point out when to transfer the contents of the pan to a large baking dish.
  • When the pan is hot, add the chicken skin side down and cook until golden brown, flip and cook the other side to golden brown. You are just searing, no need to cook through. Remove the chicken and set aside.
  • Pour out fat and wipe out with a paper towel then heat the pan again with 1 tablespoon of oil, add the onion and saute until translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add the rest of the rice ingredients and the marinade you reserved. Stir and let the mixture come to a boil, let it boil for 30 seconds then remove from heat.

Using an Oven Safe Pan

  • Place the chicken on top of the rice, cover with a lid or foil and place in the oven. Bake for 35 minutes, then remove the cover or foil and bake for 10 more minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed by the rice and the rice is tender.
  • Remove from the oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving, garnish with parsley and lemon zest.

Using a Baking Dish

  • If using a glass Pyrex dish, first rule is NEVER add a hot item to a dish at room temperature, there is a chance the dish will shatter.
  • Second rule is never heat the dish when it is empty.
  • You need to heat the dish first, do this by adding water to the dish, about 1/2 inch, heat the dish for 10 minutes or so in the oven, remove from the oven, then pour in the rice mixture, then top with the chicken, cover with foil, then place in the oven to bake.
  • Bake for 35 minutes, then remove the cover or foil and bake for 10 more minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed by the rice and the rice is tender.
  • Remove from the oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving, garnish with parsley and lemon zest.

Notes

Figure about 70 Baht for the chicken. If you buy quarters and cut the thighs from the legs, you will have much larger thighs, reserve the legs for another dish. For 5 servings, this is about 42 cents per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,CHICKEN & TURKEY
Chicken, Mushroom, and Noodle Soup
November 3, 2017 Lee
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Chicken, Mushroom, and Noodle Soup

This sounds good and is very versatile, can use egg noodles, spaghetti, Chinese or Japanese noodles. I will be making this with some wonderful Japanese noodles I found in Tesco. I am basing the prep time on making the chicken broth, if you are pressed for time, use powdered broth and cooked chicken.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 3 chicken breasts
  • 1 cup fresh Shiitake mushrooms, stem removed, roughly chopped
  • 8 cups chicken broth, fresh
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 200 grams Japanese noodles
  • 1 cup spring onion, sliced

For Trinity

  • 1 carrot, cut into large chunks
  • 1 onion, quartered
  • 1 stalk celery, cut into large chunks

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot, add the chicken breasts and Trinity. Add 8 cups of water (I use a quart jar to measure 4 cups at a time.) Bring to a boil the reduce to a simmer until the chicken is cooked through about 20-30 minutes.
  • Remove the pot from the heat and let the pot cool to room temperature. Now you just made broth and juicy chicken.
  • When the broth has cooled, remove the chicken and roughly dice, set the chicken aside. Strain the broth, discard Trinity. If you have less than 8 cups of broth, just add some water to make 8 cups.
  • Rinse out the pot and dry it. Heat the oil in the pot and when hot add the garlic and ginger, saute for a minute or two until aromatic soft. Stir in the soy sauce.
  • Add the broth, mushrooms, and chicken. Bring to a boil, then add the noodles and reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes or so or until the noodles are tender.
  • Stir in the spring onion and simmer for another minute. Serve.

Notes

Figure about 50 Baht for 3 chicken breasts. For 6 servings, this is about 25 cents per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI
Potato, Mushroom, and Chicken Hash
November 3, 2017 Lee
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Potato, Mushroom, and Chicken Hash

This sounds delicious, and is easily change to suit your tastes, can make this different each time you prepare it or customize it to make your own creation.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kilo potatoes
  • 4 tablespoons cooking oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 250 grams fresh mushrooms, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 500-750 grams chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 cup whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions
 

  • For the potatoes, you can peel if you want, certainly not required, dice the potatoes to about 3/4 inch cubes. Place potatoes in a pot of water and bring to a boil. Cook for about 5 minutes until just nearly fork tender. Drain potatoes and set aside.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large non stick pan, when hot, add the onion, garlic, and mushrooms and saute until the mushrooms are just starting to brown. Then add the chicken and season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, pepper, and the thyme. Saute for 3-4 minutes until the chicken is nearly cooked through. Remove everything from the pan and set aside.
  • Same pan, quickly wipe that out with a paper towel then add the remaining oil and heat over medium high heat. When hot, add the potatoes and let cook without stirring for 5-6 minutes, then add 1/2 teaspoon salt, stir the potatoes and cook, stirring often until well browned, about 4-5 minutes.
  • Stir in the chicken and mushrooms mixtures, cream, and parsley. Cook until the chicken is heated through.

Notes

The chicken will cost about 35 Baht/500 grams. For 4 servings, this is about 26 cents per serving.
Variants: 1. Top each serving with a fried sunny side up egg or two. 2. Change the types of mushrooms you use each time, like button, Shiitake, Shimeji, King Oyster. 3. Add a diced bell pepper.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,CHICKEN & TURKEY,MUSHROOMS,POTATOES
Portobello Mushroom Pizzas
November 2, 2017 Lee
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Portobello Mushroom Pizzas

These sound really good, now I will have to look for large Portobello mushrooms to try this out. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 23 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 4 portobello mushrooms, large, stems removed
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons garlic, smashed and finely minced
  • 4 teaspoons Italian seasoning, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1 cup pasta sauce, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1/2 cup sausage, OR make from a shortcut, cooked
  • 1 1/2 cups Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
  • pepperoni slices, mini or large quartered

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to broil, if using a counter top oven, heat the top coil. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the mushroom caps on the paper with the top of the caps upwards.
  • Mix together in a bowl, the oil, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Brush the mushroom caps with the oil mixture, then turn the caps over so the underside is facing upwards.
  • Spoon on the pasta sauce, divided among the 4 mushrooms, onto the mushrooms, sprinkle on the cheese also divided between the mushrooms, then top the cheese with some cooked sausage, then some pepperoni slices.
  • Broil for about 8 minutes or until the cheese is starting to brown.
  • Serve.

Notes

Low cost really but I cannot say for sure until I source the mushrooms. I will say Low cost for now but that may change once I make these.
Shortcuts: Italian Seasoning, Pasta Sauce, Sausage.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,MUSHROOMS,PORK