Archive for the ‘* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving’ Category
Macaroni Salad II
This is an excellent macaroni salad, I made this on 11 Jan 2018. This is a very versatile recipe that you can make different each time.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups dry macaroni, or any small bite size pasta
- 1 cup mayo
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cups import celery, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 3 hard boiled eggs, chopped, chicken or duck
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Heat a pot of salted water to boiling, add and cook the macaroni until tender, drain and rinse under cold water, set aside to cool.
- While you are cooking the eggs and pasta, prep the vegetables.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mayo, vinegar, and mustard until smooth.
- Add the garlic, onion, celery, bell pepper, eggs, and parsley. Mix to coat then add the pasta and mix to coat.
- Refrigerate for several hours before serving as a side dish.
Notes
Low cost.
Variants: 1. Add 100 grams or so of shredded or cubed Cheddar or Swiss cheese. 2. Use any color bell you like.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Classic Chicken and Dumplings II
Sounds like a great variant to Chicken and Dumplings. On my to cook list.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, cut up or any 6-8 pieces you like
- 2 stalks import celery, sliced
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- water , as needed
For the Dumplings
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
Instructions
- Add the chicken pieces, celery, carrots, onion, salt, and pepper in a pot and add enough water to cover chicken. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer for 1 hour or until the chicken is cooked through. There, you just made chicken broth and cooked the chicken.
- Remove the pot from heat and let cool, THEN remove the chicken with a slotted spoon to a plate and remove the skin and bones (makes for juicy chicken), skin and bones, great treat for your dog. Return the meat to the pot, taste for salt and adjust as needed. Return the soup to a simmer.
- Mix the dumpling ingredients together and mix to form a stiff ball, drop by tablespoons into simmering soup, cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Serve with bread and a salad for a complete meal.
Notes
For the chicken, go with 2 kilos, about 140 Baht. I myself will go with legs and thighs, skin on bones in to make the broth. For 8 servings, this is about 52 cents per serving.
Variants: Where do I begin. 1. Make a slurry of cornstarch and cold water, stir that in will thicken this. 2. Think pasta, egg noodles would be perfect, but even macaroni would be good in this. 3. If using a heatproof pot, place the pot under your broiler for a few minutes at the end to brown up the dumplings.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Tuna Casserole III
I really like tuna casserole, and this version sounds really good. On my to cook list. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter, this is 1/4 of a standard block
- 1-2 cups fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced, or a red pepper, or both
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 stalk import celery, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups whipping cream
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 cans tuna, or 1 cup fresh cooked tuna
- 370 grams egg noodles, cooked, or macaroni
- 3/4 cup breadcrumbs, OR make from a shortcut
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted, used at the end
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C. Grease a 9x13 baking dish with butter.
- In a large (I may use a medium size pot for this) non stick pan melt the 1/4 cup of butter then add the onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic for about 3 minutes, then sprinkle in the flour and mix and cook for another minute. Remove from heat.
- Slowly stir in the milk, then return to heat and stir until thickened and the mixture comes to a boil, season with salt and pepper to your liking, stir, then stir in the mushrooms, Cheddar cheese, and tuna, when mixed, add in the egg noodles and mix to combine.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and smooth out, sprinkle on the breadcrumbs then Parmesan cheese, drizzle with the melted butter.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, remove and let rest 5 minutes, serve.
Notes
The Cheddar cheese is the most expensive part here, for 2 cups, think about 180 Baht. For 6 servings, this is about 88 cents per serving.
Shortcuts: Tuna, Breadcrumbs.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
United States.
5-Ingredient Crock Pot Chicken & Mushrooms
This sounds very good! Chicken and mushrooms in a gravy sauce, on my to cook list for sure! (Salt & pepper do not count for the 5 ingredients.)
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup chicken stock, fresh or from powder
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, OR make from a shortcut
- 500 grams fresh mushrooms, sliced, think Shiitake
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Use the butter and grease your slow cooker insert, leave the remaining butter in the bottom of the insert.
- Add the sliced mushrooms and spread into a layer. Place the chicken over the top of the mushrooms. Mix together the stock and soup and pour over the chicken. Add salt and pepper to your liking.
- Cover and cook on Low setting for 5 to 7 hours. Chicken will be fall apart tender.
- If a thicker gravy is desired, mix together 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water to make a slurry. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker, slowly whisk in the slurry, return the chicken to the slow cooker. Cover and cook for another 20 minutes on High setting.
- Serve with pasta or rice and a steamed vegetable.
Notes
Figure about 70 Baht for the 4 chicken breasts. For 4 servings, this is about 52 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup.
Variant: 1. Use turkey in place of chicken for the same weight.
Provided by Slow Cooker Kitchen and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
United States.
Beef & Potato Pie
Sounds, this is a major change from what I read, the original recipe called for sliced canned potatoes. I understand the convenience in the states for that, but wow, I never heard of canned potatoes before. So for this recipe, you will be doing some cooking, but probably more healthy than canned potatoes. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 500 grams ground beef
- 500 grams potatoes, sliced and boiled to tender
- 1 cup 4 cheese blend, shredded
- garlic powder, to taste
- seasoning salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- olive oil, as needed
Instructions
- Slice the potatoes, skin on or off is your choice, slice about 1/4 inch thick. Boil until just tender, drain.
- Preheat your oven to a high broiler temp or if using a counter top oven, heat the top coil to about 190 C, grease a 8 or 9 inch pie dish with butter, Pyrex would be perfect.
- Add the beef to a non stick skillet with a splash of olive oil, season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Brown the beef and cook through. Remove from heat, drain fat and set aside.
- Place a layer of 1/3 of the sliced cooked potatoes on the on the bottom of the pie dish, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle about 1/3 of the cheese, place in the oven until the cheese is melted.
- Add the ground beef to the pie dish and spread into a layer, sprinkle with another 1/3 cup of cheese, cover with remaining potato slices, season again with salt and pepper as desired, back into the oven and broil for 6-7 minutes. Remove from oven.
- Sprinkle with the remaining cheese, back into the oven and broil for another 1-2 minutes to melt and start browning the cheese. Remove and let rest 5 minutes, serve with a vegetable on the side for a good meal.
Notes
Figure about 100 Baht/500 grams of beef and 80 Baht for the cheese. For 6 servings, this is about 89 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Seasoning Salt.
Variants: 1. Use ground pork in place of beef. 2. Add some chopped onion and or garlic to the ground meat when browning. 3. Think mashed potatoes instead of sliced and boiled. 4. Use any cheese you want.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
United States.
Baked Glazed Chicken Legs
This sounds good, and is a unique blend of seasonings for the glaze. On my to cook list.
Ingredients
- 6 large chicken legs, or thighs, or breasts, skin on
- 1/4 cup soy sauce, low salt is ok
- 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon grainy mustard
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place the chicken legs in a 9x13 baking dish.
- Mix the remaining ingredients in a small bowl with a whisk, whisk until it comes together, about 1 minute. Pour the glaze over the chicken, turn the chicken as needed to coat all the pieces.
- Cover and let sit on the counter to marinate for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven about 15 minutes into the marinating time, then at 30 minutes bake the chicken for about an hour or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Serve with mashed potatoes or rice and a vegetable for a nice meal.
Notes
Figure about 70 Baht/kilo of chicken legs, do yourself a favor and buy quarters and use the legs for this and same the thighs for another recipe, quarters generally have larger legs and takes just seconds to cut legs from thighs. For 4 servings, this is about 52 cents per serving.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
United States.
White Trash Hash
This sounds very good, on my to cook list. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
For the Hash
- 500 grams hash brown potatoes, or even diced potatoes
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 fresh Jalapeno pepper, sliced thin
- 1/2 - 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, or Gouda cheese, shredded
- 4 eggs
- fresh chives, chopped, for garnish
For the Sausage Gravy
- 350 grams bulk Italian sausage, OR make from a shortcut
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- pinch cayenne pepper
Instructions
For the Hash
- Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet, when hot, add the hash browns and cook undisturbed for 5-10 minutes, then flip and cook 5 minutes more, until golden and crispy. Add onions and bell pepper and season with salt and pepper as desired and mix together. Cook until onions and bell pepper are tender, about 5 minutes. Then add the garlic and jalapeno and cook until fragrant, 1 minute.
- Sprinkle on the cheese and let that melt then mix in well.
- Use the back of a spoon and make for nests in the hash brown mixture, and crack an egg into each one and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook until the whites are set and yolk is still runny, about 8 minutes.
For the Sausage Gravy
- While the eggs are cooking, make the gravy. Cook the sausage in a medium size non stick skillet until browned and cooked through, sprinkle the flour on the cooked sausage, mix and cook one minute, then add the milk and bring to a boil then reduce to heat to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste. Remove from heat.
To Serve
- Scoop up some hash with an egg and place on a plate, pour over some gravy, garnish with chopped chives if desired.
Notes
Over all, low cost.
Shortcuts: Italian Sausage, Hash Browns.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
United States.
Red Wine Risotto
Sounds good, I have never eaten risotto so I must try this. This recipe is written as I found it. I have advice from a good friend to reverse the stock and wine, using the wine first and finishing with the stock. When I try this, I will make as listed first then will try the other approach. Sounds like a great side dish for sure.
Ingredients
- 2 cups chicken stock, fresh or from powder
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 cup dry white rice, arborio would be great if you have that
- 2 cups red wine
- Parmesan cheese, grated, to serve
- salt and pepper, as desired
Instructions
- Heat the stock in a saucepan and keep it warm at the side of the stove. Melt half the butter in a shallow saucepan, add the onion and season with salt and pepper to your liking, cook for 5-7 minutes until soft, but not browned. Stir in the rice, stirring constantly, until it absorbs the butter, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in about half the wine with a little salt and pepper and simmer, stirring, until the rice starts to dry, 5-7 minutes. Add a couple of ladlefuls of hot stock and continue simmering, stirring gently but constantly. When the rice dries again and needs more liquid, add the remaining wine.
- Continue cooking, stirring all the time and adding more stock in batches. At the end of cooking, the rice should be tender, still slightly al dente (chewy) and creamy from the starch that has begun to leach from the grains. This will take 25 to 35 minutes and don't hesitate to use plenty of stock.
- Take the risotto off the heat, add the remaining butter in pieces, and stir it into the rice as it melts. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve immediately as a side dish topped with a bit of Parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
Low cost.
Slow Cooker Meatloaf
This does sound like a good way to prepare this, and a lot less heat in the kitchen as well. I will make this and report my findings. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 750 grams ground beef
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 cup breadcrumbs, OR make from a shortcut
- 2 teaspoons onion, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
For the Glaze
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together all the Glaze ingredients, set aside.
- Grease your slow cooker insert with butter.
- In the slow cooker insert, mix together the eggs, milk, breadcrumbs, onion, and sage. Add the beef and mix well, use your hands for this. Once mixed, shape into loaf in the center of the insert, with about a 1 finger width of space on the sides of the insert. There, wasn't that easy, and no mixing bowl to wash.
- Spoon the glaze over the top of the loaf.
- Cook on Low setting for 6 hours.
- Slice and serve with mashed potatoes and a vegetable for a complete meal. Think meatloaf sandwiches for leftovers.
Notes
Figure about 200 Baht for the beef. For 6 servings this is about 98 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Breadcrumbs.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
United States.
Baked Dorado
For as long as I have been in Thailand, I have never eaten Dorado. Dorado is known as Dolphinfish (it is a fish, not a dolphin), and in the US, particularly Hawaii, known as Mahi Mahi. This is an excellent table fish. I will use the Dorado term here.
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Pan
Ingredients
- 2 Dorado fillets, about 120 grams / 4¼ oz each
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ cup butter, (1 stick / ½ block)
- 1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon, or lime juice
- 2 drops hot sauce, or to taste
- 1 roma tomato, seeded and chopped
- 1 spring onion, green and white parts, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 230° C (450° F).
- Rub the fish fillets with olive oil and place into a baking dish, bake for about 20 minutes or until the fish easily flakes with a fork.
- While the fish is cooking, in a small saucepan, melt the butter, stir in the lemon juice, garlic, and hot sauce and then add the tomato and spring onion. Cook while stirring until good and hot.
- Remove the fish from the oven and plate, spoon the sauce over the fish and serve. A rice side dish and a vegetable would be great.
Notes
I cannot price this for Dorado, for Pangasius this would be low cost.
Variant: 1. Use any whitefish.