Archive for the ‘* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving’ Category
Mexican Rice I
January 9, 2017 Lee
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Mexican Rice I

I look forward to making this and trying it out. I like a good Mexican rice, best I have eaten was in Pattaya at a friend's restaurant. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine Tex-Mex
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 3 tablespoons cooking oil
  • 1 cup dry white rice
  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed and finely minced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce, OR make from a shortcut
  • 2 cups chicken stock, fresh or from powder

Instructions
 

  • Heat oil in a large non stick skillet over medium heat and add the garlic and onion, when the onion is soft, then add the rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until the rice is golden brown. While rice is cooking, sprinkle with salt and cumin.
  • When the rice is golden brown, stir in the tomato sauce and chicken stock and bring to a boil, once boiling, reduce to a low simmer, cover and cook for 20 to 25 minutes. Add more chicken stock as needed to keep the rice from drying out. Fluff with a fork and serve as a side with any Mexican dish.

Notes

Low cost any way you look at this.
Shortcut: Tomato Sauce.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,SIDES
No Peek Chicken
January 9, 2017 Lee
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No Peek Chicken

This comes highly recommended from a good friend who makes this often, it is filling, and everyone likes it. Easy to put together with common ingredients except the Uncle Ben's rice unless one is in a larger city. On my to cook list very soon. For the rice, Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice is listed, but regular Jasmine rice works just as well. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 6-8 chicken breasts, skin on, boneless
  • 1 box Uncle Ben's Long Grain & Wild Rice, original recipe, 170 gram box, OR use 1 cup dry jasmine rice
  • 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, OR make from a shortcut on this site
  • 1 can condensed cream of celery soup, OR make from a shortcut on this site, OR use 2 cans of mushroom soup
  • 1 can water, if making the shortcut soup, this is 1 1/4 cups

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 180 C. Grease a 9x13 baking dish with butter.
  • In a bowl, mix together the box of rice (or the 1 cup of jasmine rice) with the mushroom soup and celery soup (or you can use 2 cans of mushroom soup), and the 1 can of water. If you want moister rice, then you can use 1 1/2 to 2 cans of water. Pour this into the baking dish. Place the chicken on top, cover with foil and seal.
  • Bake for 2 1/2 hours, serve.

Notes

Chicken breasts run about 60 Baht/kilo. 6-8 breasts would be maybe 60-90 Baht. The box of rice I cannot price yet until I can source that. Using 90 Baht and say 6 servings, this is about 67 cents per serving. Make the soup from shortcuts, takes just 5 minutes each and costs less than half of store bought canned soup.
Variant: add sliced mushrooms to the rice and soup mix.
Shortcuts: Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup, Condensed Cream of Celery Soup.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,CHICKEN & TURKEY
Chicken Lombardy
January 8, 2017 Lee
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Chicken Lombardy

This sounds really good. On my to cook list. Readily available ingredients makes this sound like it could be a regular and inexpensive meal.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 6 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
  • 170 grams fresh mushrooms, sliced, button, king oyster, shiitake, would be good
  • butter, as needed
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock, fresh or make from powder
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 2 spring onions, chopped, green and white parts

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 230 C.
  • Cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise then flatten a bit with the smooth side of a tenderizer mallet. Coat the chicken in flour.
  • In a large nonstick skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium high heat and cook the mushrooms for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove the mushrooms to a bowl, then cook the chicken in batches, adding more butter as needed, 2-3 minutes per side. As the chicken is cooked, place in a large baking dish in layers, leave the drippings in the skillet. After all the chicken is cooked, pour the mushrooms over the chicken.
  • Using the same skillet, add a tablespoon of butter and add chicken stock and bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to your liking and pour the sauce over the mushrooms and chicken. In another bowl, mix together the cheeses and spring onion and sprinkle that over the mushrooms and chicken.
  • Bake for 12-14 minutes, serve with a buttered pasta or potato on the side.

Notes

Chicken breasts, go for the large ones, maybe 100 Baht for 6 large ones. All the rest of the items are minimal. For 4 servings, this is about 74 cents per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,CASSEROLES
Squid Macaroni
January 8, 2017 Lee
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Squid Macaroni

Adapted from an internet recipe.
Sounds tasty! This is a cheater version of the Greek dish called Macarontha, which is squid in a tomato sauce served over macaroni pasta and topped with sheep's cheese. I'll pass on that type of cheese however. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Greek
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 250 grams dry macaroni, (8 oz)
  • 500 grams squid, cleaned inside and out, skin removed, (1 lb)
  • 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2½ cups tomato puree, Shortcut
  • ¼ cup dry white wine
  • juice from ½ lemon
  • 1 stick cinnamon, broken in half, OR use ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • Parmesan cheese, grated, for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Cook macaroni in a pot of boiling water until tender, drain and set aside.
  • In a small saucepan, boil the squid in cups of water mixed with the red wine vinegar for 4-5 minutes. Drain, cut into rings, reserve the tentacles and set aside.
  • Heat the olive oil in a large heavy non stick skillet. Cook the onion and garlic until onion is tender but not brown. Stir in the squid and cook for 2 more minutes. Pour in the tomato puree, white wine, and lemon juice. Season with cinnamon stick, bay leaves, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer partially covered for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Remove from heat, remove the bay leaves and cinnamon stick pieces then mix in the macaroni. Serve with Parmesan cheese for topping.

Notes

Squid will run about 100 Baht/500 grams, for 4 servings this is about 74 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Tomato Puree.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,PASTA,SEAFOOD - ALL,Seafood - Squid
Amish Broccoli Salad
January 8, 2017 Lee
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Amish Broccoli Salad

Sounds really good!
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Lunch, Side
Cuisine American
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 1 head broccoli, chopped
  • 1 head cauliflower, chopped
  • 1 cup mayo
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 250 grams bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
  • 1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl toss together the broccoli and cauliflower.
  • In another bowl mix together the mayo, sour cream, sugar, and salt until creamy. Pour this on to the broccoli and cauliflower mix, stirring to coat the vegetables. Then stir in the bacon and cheese (reserving a bit of each to garnish the top of the salad when serving). Serve as a side or a light lunch.

Notes

Low cost.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Kathy McAllister.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Sides - Salads
Corn on the Cob
January 7, 2017 Lee
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Corn on the Cob

I will have to give this a try, sounds good. We are fortunate to have sweet corn grown right here around the village.
Print Recipe
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine American
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup butter, this 1/2 standard block
  • 1 cup milk
  • fresh corn on the cob, amount is up to you

Instructions
 

  • Fill your large pot about 3/4 full with water, add the butter and milk, bring to a rapid boil then place the corn in the pot and turn heat down to a simmer. Cook for 10-15 minutes, serve as a side.

Notes

Low cost.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,SIDES
Classic Deep Fried Catfish
January 5, 2017 Lee
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Classic Deep Fried Catfish

Adapted from an internet recipe.
This is not intended for Pangasius (Shark Catfish), I intend to make this using one Striped Catfish first.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Passive Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 10 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Striped Catfish, filleted
  • 1 cup milk, or buttermilk
  • ¼ teaspoon hot sauce
  • â…“ cup yellow corn meal
  • â…“ cup corn flour
  • â…“ cup all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • cooking oil, as needed for deep frying

Instructions
 

  • Fillet the catfish and wash the fillets, place fillets in a baking dish. Whisk together the milk and hot sauce and pour over the fillets. Cover the dish and place in the fridge for 8 hours, turning the fillets once at the 4 hour mark.
  • Mix the flours, corn meal, salt, peppers, and garlic powder in a shallow dish. Remove the fish from the fridge and let sit on the counter for 10 minutes to get them back to room temperature.
  • Heat the oil in a large thick skillet or pot, about 2 inches of oil is good. When the oil is hot, like deep frying type of hot, then it is ready. Remove the fillets from the milk and drain off any of the milk, roll the fillets in the corn meal and flour mixture, and deep dry for 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown, remove and place on a wire rack to drain. Serve.

Notes

I will price this when I buy a fish, but easily a Low cost meal.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,FISH - ALL,Fish - Catfish
Basic Chicken Fajitas
January 5, 2017 Lee
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Basic Chicken Fajitas

There is about as many ways to prepare fajitas as there is tacos, this is just a guide to start with and you can tailor this to make it your own. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Tex-Mex
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 packet fajita seasoning mix, OR make from a shortcut on this site
  • 1 kilo chicken breasts, cut into large strips
  • 1/2 onion, sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
  • 1 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • tomatoes, chopped, for garnish
  • cilantro, chopped, for garnish
  • cheese, shredded, for garnish
  • limes, cut into wedges, for garnish
  • flour tortillas, as needed

Instructions
 

  • Place the chicken strips, oil, lemon juice, and seasoning mix in a large zip lock bag, squeeze out the air and squish everything to mix and coat the chicken. Place in the fridge for 1 to 24 hours to marinate. Highly recommended to make the seasoning from the shortcut.
  • After the chicken has marinated, drain off any excess liquid and cook in large pan with a splash of olive oil, along with the onion and bell pepper. Cook the chicken until browned and cooked through.
  • Serve with tortillas and top with tomatoes, cilantro, cheese, and a lime wedge on the side if desired.

Notes

Chicken breasts will cost about 59 Baht/kilo. Using that number, for 6 servings, this is about 29 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Fajita Seasoning Mix.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,CHICKEN & TURKEY
Easy Chicken Fajita Rice Bake
January 5, 2017 Lee
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Easy Chicken Fajita Rice Bake

Sounds really good. On my to cook list. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Tex-Mex
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 packet fajita seasoning mix, OR make from a shortcut on this site
  • 1/2 onion, sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
  • 1 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup white rice, uncooked
  • 2 cups chicken stock, fresh or make from powder
  • 750 grams chicken breasts, cut into large strips
  • tomatoes, chopped, for garnish
  • cilantro, chopped, for garnish
  • cheese, shredded, for garnish
  • limes, cut into wedges, for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 190 C.
  • In a large bowl, toss together the chicken strips, onion, and bell peppers, then add the oil and seasoning mix and mix until everything is coated. In a casserole dish, add the rice and the chicken stock, then add on top the chicken and veggy mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 50-55 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked.
  • Serve topped with tomatoes, cilantro, cheese, and a lime wedge on the side if desired.

Notes

Chicken breasts will cost about 59 Baht/kilo. Using that number, for 6 servings, this is about 29 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Fajita Seasoning Mix.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,CASSEROLES
Cheesy Brat Stew
January 4, 2017 Lee
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Cheesy Brat Stew

This sounds like a great recipe as an alternative to grilling brats (which I love by the way) so I will have to test this one out. The time stated for this was odd at best, so if you make this before me, check the potatoes at 4 hours, but you may need to cook until 6-8 hours, on low.Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
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 smoked sausage, cut into 1/2 inch slices
  • 4 medium potatoes, cubed
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh long beans, chopped into 1 inch pieces
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, OR make from a shortcut
  • 2/3 cup chicken stock, fresh or make from powder

Instructions
 

  • Place everything in a slow cooker and mix and cook on Low setting for 4-8 hours or until the potatoes are tender. You may need go to the 7 or 8 hours. You can add the long beans about an hour before the end.

Notes

For pricing, go with about 180 Baht for 5 Brats. For 6 servings, this is about 88 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Soups, Stews, Chili - Slow Cooker