Archive for the ‘* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving’ Category
Pan Fried Whitefish I
November 5, 2016 Lee
Leave a comment

Pan Fried Whitefish I

This is a basic recipe that you can use to expand on to suite your taste. There is no quantities here as this is a make with what you want recipe, either way, this is a low cost meal, whether feeding 10 people (think a fish fry) or feeding just 2 people. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 6 minutes
Total Time 11 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • whitefish fillets, skin on or skin off is up to you
  • all purpose flour, you need about 1/2 cup per 4 fillets
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • cooking oil, as needed
  • tartar sauce, as needed, for serving, OR make from a shortcut

Instructions
 

  • Season the flour with salt and pepper and you like, coat the fish fillets in flour, shake off the excess flour.
  • Using a non stick pan, heat a splash of cooking oil and heat to hot but not smoking, place the fillets in the pan skin side down and cook for 3-4 until browned on the bottom and edges, then flip and cook for another 3 minutes or so, just until the flesh is cooked through and not translucent, and flakes with a fork. The thickness of the fillets will determine how long you cook these.
  • Serve. Fries on the side would be great, a green vegetable like asparagus or broccoli would be nice as well. If cooking for a fish fry, some potato salad would be a good choice. If tartar sauce is desired, there is a shortcut on the site for that.

Notes

Overall, this is a low cost meal, whether for 2 people or 10. This is not what would be called Fish and Chips, you need batter cooked fillets for that.
Shortcut: Tartar Sauce.
I have been cooking fish like this for many years, Lee Thayer.
Thailand.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,FISH - ALL,Fish - White Fish
NY No Knead Bread
November 4, 2016 Lee
Leave a comment

NY No Knead Bread

This comes highly recommended by a good friend in Phuket. This is a no knead bread but this does take some time. You will need a pot with a lid that can go in your oven, a cast iron dutch oven would be perfect.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 16 hours
Total Time 16 hours
Course Side
Cuisine American
Servings 1 loaf

Ingredients
  

  • 325 grams wheat flour, 3 1/4 cups
  • 125 grams rye flower, 1 1/4 cups, if no rye flour is available, then use 5 cups of wheat flour
  • 1 1/3 cup luke warm water, 320 ml for metric measuring cup
  • 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions
 

  • This is the wheat flour used, this is an import from Australia.
  • This is the rye flour used, this is also an import from Australia.
  • Put the water in a large mixing bowl, add yeast, salt, and sugar and let it dissolve. Then add the flour and stir until no dry flour is left. Cover the bowl with clear kitchen wrap and let it rest for 16-22 hours (now the yeast does its job).
  • Now you either can gently stir the dough one more time or plop it onto a smooth, well floured surface ( what I did) fold top to the middle, bottom to the middle then left to the middle and right to the middle cover it up with a clean kitchen towel for about an hour. (Even if you stir it one more time, still cover the bowl to let it rest.)
  • While the dough is resting, preheat your oven to 250 C and also preheat the pot and lid in the oven at the same time.
  • When the dough has rested, take out the hot pot from the oven, then take your dough and gently rub flour or wheat bran onto it and plop it into the pot, cover, and bake for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid and reduce the temp to 220-230 and bake for another 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven, done, enjoy. This is the wheat/rye bread.
  • This is the wheat only flour.

Notes

The flour is available at Tops Central in Phuket for sure for about about 40 Baht/ for 450 to 500 grams, each package shown. There is also a bakery supply place in Rawai, Phuket (Schmidt Bakery Supply) as well in several cities across Thailand. The cost is a bit more at the bakery supply shop. Over, this is an economical loaf of bread that you made yourself and you know exactly what is in it.
Recipe and photos provided courtesy of good friend, Daniela Dalaa Payerl.
Thailand.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,BREAD & PASTRY
Slow-Cooker Pantry Chicken Stew
November 4, 2016 Lee
Leave a comment

Slow-Cooker Pantry Chicken Stew

This sounds really good is very close to that of crustless chicken pot pie. A must try.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 15 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 700 grams chicken thighs, no skin, bone reomved, cut into bite size pieces
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 220 grams fresh mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 cups carrots, chopped
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 3/4 cup chicken stock, fresh or from powder
  • 6 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1/2 cup Cream cheese, softened, this is about 1/2 block of 250 grams

Instructions
 

  • Add the chicken to your slow cooker and add the flour, stir to mix. Add the rest of the ingredients except the peas and cream cheese, mix then cover and cook on Low setting for 6-8 hours or High setting for 3-4 hours.
  • Stir in the Cream cheese and peas, cook for another 30 minutes, serve over pasta, rice, or biscuits.

Notes

Chicken thighs will run about 75 Baht/kilo (figure 65 Baht for the chicken), the Cream cheese will run about about 60 Baht for 1/2 package of 250 grams. For 6 servings, this is about 62 cents per serving.
Variants: Add cubed potatoes to the slow cooker as well.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Soups, Stews, Chili - Slow Cooker
Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas
November 3, 2016 Lee
2 Comments

Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

Adapted from an internet recipe.
Sounds really nice, several shortcuts to make here as well for cost savings. The store bought tortillas is pricey so this is not a low cost meal. Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Equipment

  • Oven
  • Baking Pan (9x13 inch)

Ingredients
  

  • 8 flour tortillas, 8 inch should be perfect here
  • 250 grams Cream cheese, softened, (8 oz)
  • ¼ cup sour cream, Shortcut
  • 2 cups salsa, Shortcut
  • 1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 cup Pepper Jack cheese, or use 2 cups of Cheddar
  • 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
  • 1 cup corn, fresh cooked or canned - drained, or frozen - thawed
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin
  • 4 spring onions, chopped, divided, green and white parts
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 160° C (320° F) and get out a 9x13 inch baking dish, and 2 mixing bowls.
  • First mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and sour cream (or Greek yogurt) then mix in ½ cup of the salsa and stir in ½ cup of each shredded cheese (if using just Cheddar, then stir in 1 cup) and set aside. Second bowl, mix together the chicken, corn, chili power, cumin salt, and pepper to your liking, and half of the spring onion. Add the chicken mixture to the cheeses mixture, there, you just made the filling for the enchiladas.½
  • In the baking dish, add ½ cup of your salsa and spread that around to coat the bottom. Now take a tortilla and place about â…“ to ½ cup filling on a tortilla, roll up and put in dish seam side down. Repeat process for remaining tortillas. Pour and spread the remaining salsa over the top of the enchiladas and sprinkle on the remaining cheese.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes until bubbly and the cheese is starting to brown. Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes. Sprinkle on the remaining spring onion and serve. Some good beans on the side would be a great addition.

Notes

Ground beef will run about 100 Baht/500 grams. For 4 servings, this is about 74 cents per serving.
Shortcuts: Salsa, Sour Cream.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,TEX-MEX, sort of
Hamburger Steaks with Gravy
November 3, 2016 Lee
Leave a comment

Hamburger Steaks with Gravy

Sounds like good old fashioned comfort food to me. This is an easy and straight forward recipe. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams ground beef
  • 1/3 cup bread crumbs, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1 teaspoon Worcherstershire sauce
  • 1 onion, sliced and seperated into rings
  • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 1 cup beef stock, fresh or from the powder
  • splash olive oil, as needed

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, pepper, salt, onion powder, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce and form into thick patties. Heat a splash of olive in a large non stick pan over medium heat. Fry the patties and onion until patties are nicely browned. Remove the beef patties to a plate, and keep warm.Leave the onion in the pan.
  • Sprinkle flour over the onions and drippings in the skillet. Stir in the flour and gradually mix in the beef broth. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Simmer and stir over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the gravy thickens. Turn heat to low, and return the beef patties to the gravy, cover and simmer for another 15 minutes to heat through. Serve with mashed potatoes.

Notes

500 grams of ground beef will run about 100 Baht, for 4 servings, this is about 74 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Bread Crumbs.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,BEEF
Perfect Pan-Roasted Chicken Thighs
November 2, 2016 Lee
Leave a comment

Perfect Pan-Roasted Chicken Thighs

You start this meal in a cast iron pan on the stove top and finish it in an oven, sounds wonderful. Any oven proof pan would work but cast iron would be ideal.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 6 chicken thighs, bone in and skin on
  • olive oil, as needed
  • salt and pepper, as needed

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 250 C.
  • Season the chicken with salt and pepper to your liking. Heat a cast iron pan on high heat (that will fit in your oven) with a splash of olive oil and add the chicken, try and squeeze them all in, skin side down and cook for about 2 minutes, then reduce to about medium heat, continue to cook for about 12 more minutes. This is skin side down the entire time. Keep an eye on them, and moving them around a bit as you are not trying to burn them, just reduce the heat if they are getting too dark.
  • Place the cast iron pan in the oven and cook for 13 minutes, then flip the chicken over and cook for about 5 more minutes to crisp up the skin, remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes, then serve. A side of fried rice or even a pasta would be good here.

Notes

Chicken thighs are about 75 Baht/kilo, 6 would less than a kilo, so figuring 60 Baht for 6 thighs, and 4 servings, this is about 45 cents per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,CHICKEN & TURKEY
Tomato Beef Country Casserole
November 1, 2016 Lee
Leave a comment

Tomato Beef Country Casserole

Sounds really good, on my to make list. There is several shortcuts that will save you money as well with this recipe. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 350 grams dry egg noodles, OR go with Fettuccine like I will do
  • 500 grams ground beef
  • 1 can condensed tomato soup, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup onion, diced
  • 2 teaspoons Worcherstershire sauce
  • 1/2 to 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • salt, pepper, garlic powder, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 180 C and lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish with butter. Cook the egg noodles or pasta in a pot of boiling water until just tender, then drain.
  • Brown the ground beef and onion in a skillet with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to your liking, drain well, set aside.
  • In a large bowl, mix the soups, milk, Worcestershire sauce, and additional pepper if you like. Add the cooked and drained ground beef and cooked and drained egg noodles or pasta, stir to combine. Pour this into your baking dish and top with the cheese.
  • Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the cheese browned and bubbly, remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes, then serve.

Notes

Figure about 100 Baht for beef, cheese figure about 140 Baht for 1 cup. Make the soup yourself for additional savings. For 8 servings, this is about 89 cents per serving.
Shortcuts: Condensed Tomato Soup, Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,CASSEROLES
Cube Steaks with Gravy
November 1, 2016 Lee
Leave a comment

Cube Steaks with Gravy

A typical cube steak comes from the top round or top sirlion beef cuts and is normally mechanically tenderized which leave indentations in the meat in a process called cubing. Since I live in a out of the way place, there is two options for me for beef, buy online from a butcher and pay top dollar or I can buy local beef right here in the village. I bought a piercing meat tenderizer and since this is a slow cooker recipe, I am going to use any cut of beef I can get and will cut about 3/4 inch thick and use that. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 15 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1/3 cup all purpose flour
  • 6 beef cube steaks, go with 6 120-150 gram cuts of beef and tenderize yourself
  • 1 large onion, sliced and seperated into rings
  • 2 cups beef stock, fresh or from powder
  • 3 packets brown gravy, OR make from a shortcut on this site
  • 1 cup water
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • olive oil, as needed
  • garlic powder, as needed
  • 1-2 handfuls fresh mushrooms, your preference

Instructions
 

  • Season the flour with garlic powder, salt, and pepper to your liking. You can use either a bag to shake the steaks in the flour or just a plate to coat the steaks with flour.
  • Heat a skillet with a splash of olive oil and cook the steaks until lightly browned, you are not cooking them through, just lightly browning them and as you cook them, place them in the slow cooker. Once all the steaks are browned and in the slow cooker, top with the onions then pour in the beef stock. Cook on Low setting for 8 hours or until beef is tender. If your slow cooker runs a bit on the warm side, check on the beef at about 6-7 hours.
  • When the beef is tender, in a skillet with a splash of live oil, cook the mushrooms then add to the slow cooker. Whisk together the gravy packets and water (I cannot stress enough to make this shortcut, so easy!), and add to the slow cooker, cook for another 30 minutes. Remove the steaks to plates, stir up the gravy and ladle over steaks, mashed potatoes or pasta.

Notes

Beef would run about 200-250 Baht/kilo. You would need just under a kilo, for this I will estimate 200 Baht. For 6 servings, this is just under $1 per serving.
Shortcut: Gravy Mix.
Variant: add fresh chopped bell pepper.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Beef - Slow Cooker
Asian Glazed Orange Chicken
October 31, 2016 Lee
Leave a comment

Asian Glazed Orange Chicken

Sounds really good, a must try for me. Chicken is inexpensive and can be dressed up a lot of ways. This is a straight forward recipe with chicken, oranges, and some spices and sauces that are readily available.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 8 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless if you can get those, or just go with bone in and skinless
  • 1 cup fresh orange juice, from about 3-4 oranges
  • 1 cup chicken stock, fresh or from powder
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup hoisin sauce, it is available here in Thailand
  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 2 tablespoons orange zest, heaping
  • 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
  • 1 teaspoon Sriracha Chili Garlic sauce
  • fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish
  • orange slices, for garnish
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • olive oil, as needed

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 180 C. Get out a large baking dish or you can use a oven proof pan (think cast iron) if you wish.
  • Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Heat a splash of olive oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Place half of the chicken thighs in the pan and sear both sides of the chicken until lightly browned on both sides. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining thighs.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients until well combined. Pour into the same pan you cooked the chicken in and cook the sauce over medium heat until reduced by a third. Add the chicken back to the pan and and bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 74 C.
  • Remove the chicken from the fry pan and transfer to a serving platter, reserving the glaze in the pan. Place some foil over the chicken to keep warm. Cook the glaze over medium heat until the sauce is reduced by another third. Drizzle over the chicken and garnish with cilantro and sliced oranges if desired. Serve with fried rice on the side or just fresh pasta.

Notes

Chicken thighs will run about 75 Baht/kilo. How many thighs are in a kilo, I do not know until I make this, but for a more frugal option, buy 8 quarters, the thighs will be larger and use the legs for another recipe. Everything is minimal. For 4 servings (going with 8 thighs is a kilo), this is about 55 cents per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,CHICKEN & TURKEY
Easy Cheesy Sausage & Long Bean Skillet Pasta
October 31, 2016 Lee
Leave a comment

Easy Cheesy Sausage & Long Bean Skillet Pasta

Sounds really good and readily available ingredients, several shortcuts are listed to make this a very economical dish. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams Italian sausage, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 400 grams dry Penne pasta, cooked and drained
  • 2 cups fresh long beans, cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces
  • 3 cups tomato pasta sauce, OR make from a shortcut
  • 2-3 cups Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
  • olive oil, as needed
  • fresh parsley, chopped for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Heat a splash of olive oil in a large deep skillet and brown the sausage, onion, and long beans until the sausage is cooked through and the beans are tender.
  • Mix in the cooked pasta then stir in the pasta sauce. Add the cheese on top and let melt, OR you can use an oven safe pan and put in the broiler for a few minutes to melt the cheese, OR, just mix the cheese in and let it melt. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Notes

Unless you can find bulk Italian sausage, you may need to make the shortcut, I will base the pricing on home made sausage (so easy!). 500 grams of minced pork is about 55 Baht, the cheese however is about 142 to 210 Baht, depending if you want to use 2 cups or 3 cups (figure 100 grams (block type) per cup shredded. For 8 servings using 2 cups of cheese, this is about 75 cents per serving. Make the sauce yourself for more savings.
Shortcuts: Italian Sausage, Tomato Pasta Sauce.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,PASTA