Archive for the ‘* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving’ Category
Cheesy Smoked Sausage & Potato Casserole
January 4, 2017 Lee
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Cheesy Smoked Sausage & Potato Casserole

This sounds really good and is wide open to changes to suit your taste. This is basically a base recipe to tailor at will, you could make this many times and have it different each time.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups potatoes, cooked and cubed, skin on is fine
  • 500 grams smoked sausage links, cut into 1/4 inch slices
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 4 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded, divided

Instructions
 

  • Brown the sliced sausage in a pan for about 15 minutes, turning often to slightly brown the pieces.
  • Preheat your oven to 180 C. Place the cooked and cubed potatoes in a baking dish and add the browned sausage and mix together.
  • In a saucepan, mix together the butter, flour, milk, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup of cheese, stir continuously until smooth. Pours the sauce over the casserole, then sprinkle the remaining cheese on the top and then sprinkle with the paprika. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the top is golden brown, serve.

Notes

The smoked sausage is about 100 Baht/500 grams. For 4 servings this is about 74 cents per serving. When I go to Makro again I will get more accurate up to date pricing as well.
Variants. Think chopped bell peppers or cooked sliced mushrooms. Garnish with spring onions for a bit of color as well.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,CASSEROLES
Ham & Beans
December 30, 2016 Lee
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Ham & Beans

Sounds good, minimal ingredients, on my to cook list.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 1 day
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 1 day 2 hours
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams dry Great Northern beans
  • 250 grams cooked ham, diced
  • 1 small onion
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Sort and rinse the beans and place in a container that has a lid. Add water to cover by about 2 inches and refrigerate over night.
  • Drain and rinse the beans and place in a pot, add the rest of the ingredients and cover with about 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the beans are soft. Add more water as needed. Serve.

Notes

Low cost.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,PORK
Homemade Chick-Fil-A Sandwiches
December 30, 2016 Lee
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Homemade Chick-Fil-A Sandwiches

This is a cheater recipe for Chick-Fil-A Sandwiches in the US, I have never had one but unlike deep frying these are baked in your oven. These sound really good and is a must try for me.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 6 hours
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 6 hours 30 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 sandwiches

Ingredients
  

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • salt, pepper, and paprika, to taste
  • 1 cup dill pickle juice
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
  • olive oil spray, as needed
  • butter, as needed
  • dill pickle, slices, as needed
  • cheese, slices, your choice of type, optional
  • 4 hamburger buns

Instructions
 

  • Cut each chicken breast in half and pound them to 1/2 inch thickness. Sprinkle each piece on both sides with paprika, salt, and pepper to your liking. Place them in a large zip lock bag or plastic bag, like a Tesco shopping bag, and pour the pickle juice over them. Press out the extra air by twisting the bag, then place that in a bowl and place the fridge for 6 hours our anytime up to overnight.
  • Preheat your oven to 230 C and place a wire rack on a baking sheet and set aside. While the oven is heating, stir together the flour, spices, sugar, and baking soda in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl whisk together the egg and milk. Take the chicken out of the fridge, dip each piece in the egg mixture, then coat well with the flour mixture making sure the entire piece is coated with flour.
  • Place the chicken on the wire rack and generously spray each piece with olive oil, coating the flour completely. Turn the pieces over and spray the other side with olive oil. Bake for 12 minutes, then turn the chicken over and bake another 15 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown, crispy, and cooked through. Remove from the oven and top with cheese of your choice and let these rest for 5 minutes.
  • Butter each bun and place on a sheet and bake for 3-4 minutes until toasted. Place 3-4 pickle slices on each bottom bun, top with a piece of chicken and the other toasted bun. Serve.

Notes

For 2 chicken breasts, this is low cost even if using cheese.
Provided by Barefeet in the Kitchen and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,BURGERS & SANDWICHES
Molasses Cookies
December 30, 2016 Lee
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Molasses Cookies

My mouth is watering for these, this is an old time recipe that I believe is similar to what my Mom would make. Been a long time since I have had these, and I did find a contact in Chiang Mai that is sending me a jar of molasses, imported from Australia. I made these on 29 Jan 2017, excellent but they do not have the classic cracked top. Recipe modified slightly with my findings.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 16 big cookies

Ingredients
  

  • 3/4 cup butter, softened, this is 3/4 of a standard block of butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • white sugar, optional, as needed

Instructions
 

  • In a medium bowl, mix together the butter, brown sugar, and egg until smooth. Then mix in the molasses. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger in a separate bowl then mix that into the molasses mixture. Cover, and chill in the fridge for 1 hour. This photos shows mixed after the fridge, it does indeed look like peanut butter at this point.
  • Preheat oven to 190 C. Drop a rounded tablespoon of dough using two spoons (the dough will be sticky like peanut butter) onto an ungreased cookie sheet, placing 2 inches apart. Bake for 15-25 minutes or until the tops are cracked, you will need to watch the time based on your oven (mine however did not crack on the top), cool on a wire rack. The timing is critical, do not over cook these.
  • Enjoy.

Notes

Low cost.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,DESSERTS
Cooked Beets
December 28, 2016 Lee
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Cooked Beets

Beets make a great side dish needing no gravy or butter as they have a lot of flavor. Beets a number of years ago were imported, and not cheap. Now they are grown in Thailand and you can get 4 decent sized beets for less than a $1.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 1 minute
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 31 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine American
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2-3 beets

Instructions
 

  • Wash the beets, put in a pot of water with water about 2-3 inches over the beets, and bring to a boil, then reduce to high simmer. When the beets are fork tender, remove from the water, let cool a little bit then cut off the root end, and peel off the skin and slice and serve as a side.

Notes

Low cost.
I have been doing this for years.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,SIDES
Deep Fried Eggplant & Pasta
December 27, 2016 Lee
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Deep Fried Eggplant & Pasta

This is the large purple eggplant, this used to be imported but are now grown in Thailand. This sounds really good as side dish, an appetizer, or even served on pasta with a tomato sauce. This is easy to prepare and low cost. I cannot price this until I buy more eggplant. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Appetizer, Main Dish, Side
Cuisine American
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 1 purple eggplant, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
  • all purpose flour, as needed
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • all purpose flour, as needed, see Step 2
  • Parmesan cheese, grated, as needed, see Step 2
  • pasta, for serving
  • tomato pasta sauce, for serving, OR make from a shortcut

Instructions
 

  • Heat your deep fryer.
  • Place some flour on a plate or shallow dish and season with salt and pepper to your liking, mix and set aside. In a shallow bowl add the egg and 2 tablespoons of water and beat slightly, place that next to the plate of seasoned flour. In another plate, add equal amounts of flour and Parmesan cheese and mix together, place that next to the egg wash plate.
  • When the oil in the deep fryer is hot, take a slice of eggplant and coat with the seasoned flour, then dip into the egg wash to coat, then into the flour and cheese mixture, then into the deep deep fryer. Repeat the steps for the all the slices but do not overload the deep fryer. Cook until golden brown then place on a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
  • Serve on pasta with tomato sauce as a light main dish or simply with a bowl of tomato sauce for dipping as a side or appetizer.

Notes

Low cost side dish.
Shortcut: Tomato Sauce.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Garland Davis, US Navy Cook (Ret).
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,APPETIZERS / SNACKS,PASTA,SIDES
Eggplant, Crab, and Cheese Bake
December 27, 2016 Lee
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Eggplant, Crab, and Cheese Bake

This is the large purple eggplant, this used to be imported but are now grown in Thailand. This recipe was given to me by a good friend in the US, and it does sound tasty! I cannot price this until I buy more eggplant.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine American
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 1 purple eggplant, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
  • all purpose flour, as needed
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • olive oil, for frying
  • cheese, shredded, Mozzarella would be good
  • crab meat, real crab meat, not imitation

Instructions
 

  • Heat a pan on medium heat and add a splash of olive oil.
  • Place some flour on a plate or shallow dish and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Coat the eggplant slices in the flour and place in the hot pan, cooking these in batches. After a minute or two, check the bottom of the slices, if golden brown, flip them over, when the bottom is golden brown, remove from the pan and place on a baking sheet in a single layer. Add more olive oil as needed and heat that up before adding another batch.
  • When all the eggplant has been fried and on the baking sheet, sprinkle some crab meat on each slice of eggplant, then top each slice with some shredded cheese. Place in the oven until the cheese melts and just starts to brown up. Remove from oven and serve as a side with any main course of your choosing.

Notes

Low cost side dish.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Chuck Ruth.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,SIDES
Pan Fried Eggplant
December 27, 2016 Lee
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Pan Fried Eggplant

This is the large purple eggplant, this used to be imported but are now grown in Thailand. This is a great side dish, easy to prepare, and is low cost. I cannot price this until I buy more eggplant, I made this a few days ago and did not take any photos, which is rare for me.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine American
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 1 purple eggplant, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
  • all purpose flour, as needed
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • olive oil, for frying

Instructions
 

  • Heat a pan on medium heat and add a splash of olive oil.
  • Place some flour on a plate or shallow dish and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Coat the eggplant slices in the flour and place in the hot pan, cooking these in batches. After a minute or two, check the bottom of the slices, if golden brown, flip them over, when the bottom is golden brown, remove from the pan to a paper towel lined plate. Add more olive oil as needed and heat that up before adding another batch. Done. Serve as a side with steaks, meatloaf, etc.

Notes

Low cost side dish.
Family recipe taught to me when I was a child, I have made this many many times.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,SIDES
Chicken Burgers in Mushroom Gravy
December 26, 2016 Lee
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Chicken Burgers in Mushroom Gravy

Sounds delicious for sure. On my to cook list.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kilo ground chicken
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 1 cup dry bread crumbs, or butter cracker crumbs, or even panko
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, or 2 tablesppons dry parsley
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 medium onion
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 500 grams fresh mushrooms, roughly chopped, button mushrooms would be ideal, straw mushrooms may work as well
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 3 cups beef stock, fresh or make from powder
  • 1 tablespoon Worcherstershire sauce
  • fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl, add the ground chicken, salt, pepper, bread crumbs, parsley, eggs, and grate in 1/2 of the onion. Mix with your hands then shape into patties, try to make about 7-9 patties. Chop the other half of the onion and set aside.
  • Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry patties until golden brown on each side in batches. They will not be done on the inside, they will cook through later. Set patties aside on a plate.
  • Add the butter to the pan over medium heat until melted the add the mushrooms and onion and cook until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Sprinkle with the flour and stir to evenly coat, then cook for one minute then stir in the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce. Cook until gravy starts to thicken. Add the patties back into the gravy, cover with a lid, and cook in the sauce until patties are firm and cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.
  • Serve over rice (would not be my first choice), pasta, or mashed potatoes, spoon some gravy over the top, garnish with chopped parsley. Enjoy.

Notes

I cannot price this until I make this. Ground chicken is not available where I live so I will grind myself using both breasts and thighs for an even balance of white and dark meat. For now, I will say this is low cost.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,CHICKEN & TURKEY
Stuffed Chinese Bitter Gourd Soup
December 26, 2016 Lee
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Stuffed Chinese Bitter Gourd Soup

This is an easy and delicious soup. The only chilies used are in the filling of the gourd. You can prepare this two different ways. 1. You can buy the already stuffed bitter gourd complete with sliced carrot and cilantro or spring onion, this is stuffed with minced pork and chopped chilies. 2. You can just buy all the separate ingredients do the stuffing part yourself. The already stuffed bitter gourd is the basic starter method, you add to this a few items and you have a delicious soup. For this recipe, I am using the already stuffed gourd as it is very cheap to purchase, less than $1. This is a make with quantities as you see fit recipe.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Thai
Servings 3 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 package stuffed Chinese bitter gourd, this is a ready to cook meal
  • 1 package Enoki mushrooms, also called Golden mushrooms
  • 1/4 carrot, sliced
  • spring onions, chopped into 1-2 inch pieces, white and green parts
  • cilantro, chopped
  • chicken stock, fresh or from powder

Instructions
 

  • In a pot, add the bitter gourd and chopped carrot, add stock to cover the bitter gourd and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 20-30 minutes or so, this is to cook the pork through, adding more chicken stock as needed. The stuffing is just minced pork with chopped chilies mixed into it.
  • While this is cooking, prep the mushrooms. These come in packs of about 200 grams each, these are in big clumps, before separating the clump, cut about 1-2 inches off the root end and discard that. Now you can sort of pull the clumps apart, set aside. These mushrooms maintain a great crunchy bite to them when cooked. If you like mushrooms, add as much as you want.
  • When the carrot and gourd is cooked through as well as the pork, add in the mushrooms, spring onion, and cilantro and cook for another 10 minutes or so, again, adding stock as needed. Serve.

Notes

For the package of stuffed bitter gourd, that is 32 Baht. One 200 gram package of Enoki mushrooms is 14 Baht. For 3 servings, this 45 cents per serving.
Provided courtesy of my wife, Rrayada Thayer.
Thailand.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: THAI,MUSHROOMS,SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI