Archive for the ‘* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving’ Category
No Roll Sugar Cookies
December 4, 2016 Lee
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No Roll Sugar Cookies

No roll as in no rolling pin needed. These sound really good. I am not a big fan of sweets but do enjoy a couple of cookies now and then and I enjoy cooking for my family. This is on my to cook list.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 24 cookies

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, this is 1/2 of a standard block of butter
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 1 2/3 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1 1/3 cup all purpose flour

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 150 C.
  • Mix together the butter and shortening until smooth and combined. You can do this by hand or with a electric mixer. Then add the sugar, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar and beat until fluffy. Then add the egg yolks and vanilla and mix that in.
  • Beat in the flour a little at a time and mix to form a smooth dough. Divide this into 24 pieces and using your hands, roll each piece into a ball and place the balls on a cookie sheet spaced apart as they will flatten on their own when baked.
  • Bake for 15-17 minutes or until just set, do not brown the cookies. Remove the sheet from the oven and cool for about 3 minutes on the sheet, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy.

Notes

This is minimal cost.
Now for those egg whites, make yourself an egg white omelette in the morning.
Inspired by Spend With Pennies and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,DESSERTS
Stir-Fried Pork Liver With Ginger & Spring Onion
November 30, 2016 Lee
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Stir-Fried Pork Liver With Ginger & Spring Onion

The Domestic Goddess Wannabe, Dianna Gale, Singapore.
This is an excellent dish as I love pork liver! This is an easy 2 step recipe with minimal ingredients. I made this on 8 Sep 2018 and very well liked by the family. Liver cooks fast so have everything prepped before you start. You do not want to over cook the liver, a little pink inside is perfect. This is wide open to changes to suit your taste, mushrooms come to mind.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Singaporean
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 250-500 grams pig liver, sliced thin, (½-1 lb)
  • 3-5 spring onions, cut into 2 inch pieces, white and green parts
  • 1 piece of ginger, thumb sized, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ onion, diced
  • 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • dash mushroom sauce
  • â…› teaspoon ground white pepper
  • olive oil, as needed

Instructions
 

  • Heat a non stick skillet, or wok, with a splash of olive oil. Fry the ginger until the sides start to turn white on the edges, then add the thicker pieces of the spring onion, onion, and garlic, cook this 30 seconds to a minute, stirring.
  • Add the liver, the remaining spring onion, and the sauces, cook while stirring this until the liver has turned light brown, take this off the heat for a minute or two (the heat in the pan will cook the liver through, serve with rice on the side. For this photo, this was about 1 minute before the liver was cooked, reason you see some pink on the liver.
  • Transfer to a serving plate, garnish with chopped cilantro if desired, serve.

Notes

Pork liver runs about 122 Baht/kilo, going with that, and for 500 grams the cost is 61 Baht, for 4 servings, this is about 45 cents per serving.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: SINGAPOREAN,Pork - Hearts, Kidneys, Liver
Coriander Pepper Pork Chops
November 30, 2016 Lee
1 Comment

Coriander Pepper Pork Chops

I thought of this after I added a fried pork chop recipe using fish sauce as the base. I made this (at least a similar recipe) Coriander Pepper Pork Chops some 25 or so years ago. This is a mild marinade and gives the pork chops a nice flavor without over powering the taste of the pork.
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 4 pork chops, about 1 inch thick
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander, OR 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds crushed
  • olive oil, as needed

Instructions
 

  • Mix together the garlic, brown sugar, soy saucer, pepper, and coriander in a small bowl. Using a sturdy fork or a needle tenderizer, poke holes all over in the meat part of the chop and place them in a baking dish in one layer. Pour the marinade over the top of the chops and flip them to coat. Marinate for 30 minutes to overnight, flipping the chops occasionally.
  • Remove the chops from the baking dish and discard the marinade.
  • Heat a large non stick pan to medium high heat with a splash of olive oil, once heated, place the chops in (cooking in batches).
  • Fry for 4-5 minutes each side, the juices should run clear to indicate cooked through. Remove from the pan and cover with foil, let rest for 10 minutes to allow the juices to soak back into the chops.
  • Serve the chops with a baked potato and salad or sides of your choice.

Notes

For the pork, all I can price this with for now is pork loin. Pork loin is about 118 Baht/kilo, going with that in order to cut thick steaks from, for 4 servings, this is about 87 cents per serving.
My recipe from many years ago, Lee Thayer.
Thailand.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,PORK
Pan Fried Vietnamese Pork Chops
November 30, 2016 Lee
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Pan Fried Vietnamese Pork Chops

The Domestic Goddess Wannabe, Dianna Gale, Singapore.
Sounds really good and is a must try for me! Since there is no real butcher shops where I live, so I will go with some loin cut into thick steaks and try that.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Vietnamese
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 4 pork chops, about 1 inch thick
  • 4-5 limes, cut in half
  • 1 small shallot, finely diced
  • â…“ cup brown sugar, packed
  • ¼ cup fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, can use any vinegar if you want
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • olive oil, as needed

Instructions
 

  • Whisk together the shallot, fish sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, and pepper in a small bowl. Using a sturdy fork or a needle tenderizer, poke holes all over in the meat part of the chop and place them in a baking dish in one layer. Pour the marinade over the top of the chops and flip them to coat. Marinate for 30 minutes on the counter top, flipping the chops occasionally OR you can cover and place in the fridge for up to 24 hours for a more marinated chop, again, flipping occasionally.
  • Remove the chops from the baking dish and scrape the marinade off the chops and reserve the marinade to make the sauce.
  • Heat a large non stick pan to medium heat with a splash of olive oil, once heated, place the chops in (cooking in batches) and fry for 4-5 minutes each side, the juices should run clear to indicate cooked through. Remove from the pan and let rest for 10 minutes to allow the juices to soak back into the chops.
  • In a saucepan add the marinade and heat that to a boil, stirring, until it is reduced to ¼ of what you started with, about 5 minutes.
  • Serve the chops with the sauce over the top and freshly squeezed lime juice with rice on the side.

Notes

For the pork, all I can price this with for now is pork loin. Pork loin is about 118 Baht/kilo, going with that in order to cut thick steaks from, for 4 servings, this is about 87 cents per serving.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: VIETNAMESE,PORK
Oyster & Spinach Chowder
November 29, 2016 Lee
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Oyster & Spinach Chowder

Sounds really good, the mushrooms and spinach sound wonderful in this. I have changed this recipe a little to use fresh oyster meat from Tesco but you are welcome to use fresh shucked oysters from a wet market. Oysters and spinach are estimates until I can make this.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 3 containers oyster meat, undrained
  • 1 frozen spinach, thawed and drained
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2-3 spring onions, sliced, white and green parts
  • 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced, Straw mushrooms would be ideal
  • 5 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 2 cups chicken stock, fresh or from powder
  • 1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • The original recipe called for 3 small cans of oysters, which I have never seen here, so go with fresh oysters, an easy place to source these would be Tesco for 42 Baht/container, they come in a container exactly as shown.
  • Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onion, spring onion, and mushrooms until tender. Stir in the spinach and heat that through.
  • Meanwhile, whisk together 2 cups of milk with the flour in a small bowl. Pour into pot when the spinach is heated through and then add remaining milk and chicken broth to the pot. Cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring occasionally, season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in undrained oysters and cheese. Cook, stirring often, until cheese has melted and the edges of the oysters have curled indicated they are cooked through. Serve.

Notes

Oysters in Tesco are about 42 Baht/container, the containers are small so go with three. Three containers is 126 Baht, the Cheddar cheese is about 90 Baht for half a block to make 1 cup of shredded. For 8 servings, this is about 80 cents per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI
Grilled Oysters
November 28, 2016 Lee
1 Comment

Grilled Oysters

I am putting this out here for those that have never experienced this. This can be a zero cost meal if you can find oysters on your own, except for Phuket Province, sorry I would never try this there nor would I ever eat oysters from Phuket. Now for those along either coast, if you have seen oysters while out swimming, here is the perfect chance to try this. Most people are familiar with oysters on the half shell, deep fried oysters, and many recipes one can make from the oyster meat from Tesco. No sauces or lime juice are listed unless you prefer that, simple salt and pepper works.
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Course Appetizer, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • fresh oysters, these should be tighly closed
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • First thing you have to do is get the oysters, two easy ways, one is to harvest yourself while swimming, and the other way is to get from local vendors in an open fresh market. For either choice you want the oysters to be tightly closed. There is no need to wash or scrub them, just a good rinse of any dirt is fine.
  • For portions, a general guide is 6 large oysters per serving or 12 medium oysters per serving.
  • Fire up your grill and let the coals get good and hot and spread those out. If you only have one of the small clay pots, you can use that as well.
  • Place some oysters on the grill and after 5-10 minutes, sometimes as long as 15 minutes, the oysters will open and will be cooked, rather warmed through.
  • Open the shell completely, add salt and pepper to your liking, and using a fork, scoop the oyster into your mouth and enjoy. It is as simple as that.

Notes

If you source the oysters from swimming, you have a free meal, well done! You should be able to get these from the open fresh markets, while not free, I do not know what the price would be per kilo.
Family makes these several times a year.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,GRILLED / BBQ / SMOKER
Sardine Club Sandwich
November 27, 2016 Lee
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Sardine Club Sandwich

I love sardines in olive oil and since they are not available at my location, I make them using a slow cooker with small mackerel the fish of choice. This recipe is based on using homemade sardines in olive oil. If you use tinned sardines in olive oil, figure 2 tins per sandwich. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 2 minutes
Total Time 2 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 1 sandwich

Ingredients
  

  • 6 pieces homemade sardines, split each piece in half lengthwise
  • 3 slices sandwich bread, toasted
  • 4 lettuce leaves
  • tomato, slices, as needed
  • 4 slices bacon, fried crispy
  • mayo, as needed

Instructions
 

  • Lay the 3 slices of toast on the counter in a row. spread mayo on slice of toast. Add a lettuce leaf to two slices, then lay sliced tomato over the lettuce, than split the sardine pieces in half and lay sardine pieces in a even layer on top of the tomatoes, then add two slices of fried bacon, break them up to fit, then add another lettuce leaf on top of the bacon. Lift up one slice of toast that has the lettuce, etc on it and place it on top of the other slice that has the lettuce, etc on it. Take the last piece of toast with just the mayo and place that mayo side down on the top. Done, enjoy.

Notes

Low cost if using homemade sardines. I make sardines using small mackerel which is sold per fish anywhere from 10 to 25 Baht each, so about 58 cents to $1.48 per sandwich. (I cut each fish into 3 pieces when making sardines.) I will say under $1 per sandwich if you shop around and get low priced mackerel to make your sardines from.
If using tinned sardines, figure 1 tin per 2 sandwiches at 59 Baht/tin, this is about 87 cents per sandwich.
Shortcut: Sardines in Olive Oil.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,BURGERS & SANDWICHES
Sardine Sandwich II
November 27, 2016 Lee
2 Comments

Sardine Sandwich II

I love sardines in olive oil and since they are not available at my location, I make them using a slow cooker with small mackerel the fish of choice. This recipe is based on using homemade sardines in olive oil. If you use tinned sardines in olive oil, figure 1 tin per sandwich. I made this yesterday, 7 Apr 2017, and I will certainly say this is a good combination of the Cream cheese and sardines, excellent flavor. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 2 minutes
Total Time 2 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 1 sandwich

Ingredients
  

  • 3 pieces homemade sardines, or 1 tin in olive oil
  • 2 slices wheat sandwich bread, toasted is optional
  • Cream cheese, softened, or thinly sliced
  • 2 lettuce leaves
  • mayo, optional

Instructions
 

  • Lay toast on a plate, spread softened Cream cheese on each slice, place the lettuce leaves on one piece of toast, split the pieces of sardines in half to make them thinner and lay on the lettuce in a single layer, top with the other slice of toast, enjoy as lunch or dinner.
  • An optional way to prepare this is spread mayo on each toasted slice of bread, lay the lettuce on once slice, top the lettuce with thinly sliced Cream cheese, I used a homemade sandwich roll.
  • Top the cheese with the split sardines, place the other slice of bread on the top. I used tinned sardines as they are now available here now.
  • Enjoy.

Notes

Low cost if using homemade sardines. I make sardines using small mackerel which is sold per fish anywhere from 10 to 25 Baht each, so about 29 to 74 cents per sandwich. (I cut each fish into 3 pieces when making sardines.)
If using tinned sardines, figure 1 tin per sandwich at 59 Baht, this is about $1.74 per sandwich.
Shortcut: Sardines in Olive Oil.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,BURGERS & SANDWICHES
Sardine Sandwich I
November 27, 2016 Lee
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Sardine Sandwich I

Lee
I love sardines in olive oil and since they are not available at my location, I make them using a slow cooker with small mackerel the fish of choice. This recipe is based on using homemade sardines in olive oil. If you use tinned sardines in olive oil, figure 1 tin per sandwich. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 2 minutes
Total Time 2 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 1 sandwich

Ingredients
  

  • 3 pieces homemade sardines
  • 2 slices sandwich bread
  • prepared yellow mustard, as needed
  • 2 lettuce leaves

Instructions
 

  • Lay bread on a plate, spread some yellow mustard on each slice, top one slice with two lettuce leaves. Split the pieces of sardines in half to make them thinner and lay on top of the lettuce in a single layer, top with the other slice of bread, enjoy as lunch, or for me, I make two of these for dinner.

Notes

Low cost if using homemade sardines. I make sardines using small mackerel which is sold per fish anywhere from 10 to 25 Baht each, so about 29 to 74 cents per sandwich. (I cut each fish into 3 pieces when making sardines.)
If using tinned sardines, figure 1 tin per sandwich at 59 Baht, this is about $1.74 per sandwich.
Shortcut: Sardines in Olive Oil.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,BURGERS & SANDWICHES
Pasta with Sardines I
November 27, 2016 Lee
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Pasta with Sardines I

Sounds really good, but when I found this recipe it seemed a bit lacking in the sardines, 1 tin (that would be the 155 grams very small can with the pull top) for the servings listed, I am going to increase this to 2 tins. This is a light tomato sauce based sauce. This can be made with sardines in tomato sauce or sardines in olive oil. For sardines in oil, this is a money saver for you as I have a shortcut on the site to make your own sardines in oil, very easy, much much less than the cost of tinned sardines in oil. On my to cook list. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 250 grams dry spaghetti, or Fettuccine (which would be my choice)
  • 2 tins sardines, see Step 1
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, see Step 2 (omit if using sardines in olive oil)
  • 4 tablespoons tomato sauce, see Step 2 (omit if using sardines in tomato sauce)
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 1 pinch red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions
 

  • For the sardines, you have a couple of options here, you can use canned sardines in either tomato sauce (155 gram tins) or olive oil (120 gram tins), or you can use homemade sardines in olive oil (for homemade I would start with 1 1/2 cups of sardines). Homemade is the preferred method, no packaging to worry about, and you have a product you made.
  • If using sardines in tomato sauce, you will use the sauce in the tins and you can omit that ingredient. If using sardines in olive oil, drain the oil into a cup and you will use 2 tablespoons of that and you will then need to add 4 tablespoons of tomato sauce.
  • Bring a pot of water to a boil then add the pasta and cook until just tender.
  • While the water for the pasta is heating, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large non stick skillet on medium heat and add the onion and cook until soft, then add the sardines including the tomato sauce they came in, or if packed in oil and drained then you will need to add 4 tablespoons of tomato sauce (feel free to chop them up with the spatula if you like). Once the sardines are heated through, reduce heat to very low and let simmer until the pasta is ready.
  • When the pasta is cooked, drain that well and add to the skillet with the sauce and sardines, stir, cover and remove from heat and let the flavors blend for a few minutes. Squeeze the lemon juice over the pasta and serve. Top servings with red pepper flakes and Parmesan cheese.

Notes

This is low cost. Sardines in tomato sauce is cheap, from 12 to 32 Baht per 155 gram tin. Not all sardines are the same with taste, the very cheap ones are not that good. For 32 Baht/tin think Ayam brand, very good. For 15 Baht/tin, the next best in flavor is Three Lady Cooks brand. These are the only brands I buy.
For sardines in olive oil, I have only seen one brand, Ayam, for 59 Baht per 120 gram tin, these are very good. If you make your own sardines in olive oil, you can reduce this price to probably 20 Baht/tin.
Figuring two tins with tomato sauce at 32 Baht each (64 Baht total), for 4 servings this is about 47 cents per serving. Figuring two tins with olive oil at 59 Baht each (118 Baht total), for 4 servings this is about 87 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Sardines in Olive Oil.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,PASTA