Archive for the ‘* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving’ Category
Slow Cooker Orange Chicken Thighs
August 27, 2016 Lee
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Slow Cooker Orange Chicken Thighs

Sounds really good, this is a must try for me. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 5 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 4 chicken thighs, bone in, skin off, trimmed of any fat
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 cup orange marmalade
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup, OR make from a shortcut on this site
  • 1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
  • all purpose flour, to coat the chicken

Instructions
 

  • Roll the chicken thighs in flour to coat, then place them in your slow cooker. The flour will thicken the sauce. Go with quarters and separate the thighs from the legs, you get larger thighs and legs for another meal.
  • Add remaining ingredients to a bowl and mix, pour this over the chicken, move each thigh with a spoon to make sure the sauce is coating all parts of the thighs. Cover and cook on Low setting for 4 hours.
  • Serve with rice and steamed broccoli for a complete meal.

Notes

Chicken quarters run about 80 Baht/kilo (quarters have the largest thighs). 4 quarters would be about 1 kilo, then you have 4 thighs for this recipe and 4 legs for another recipe. So I will figure about 50 Baht for the thighs. This is about 37 cents per serving for 4 servings, add in the broccoli, you might be approaching 50 cents per serving. Outstanding value.
Shortcut: Ketchup.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Chicken - Slow Cooker
Banana Mango Blueberry Bread Pudding Cobbler
August 27, 2016 Lee
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Banana Mango Blueberry Bread Pudding Cobbler

Wow! That is a name but I know from a very good friend who provided this recipe, it is also very good! Don't forget the Vanilla ice cream! On my to cook list for sure!
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Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

For the Bread Pudding

  • 1/2 loaf baguette, cubed and air dried or lightly toasted, or 6-8 slices of bread
  • 2 cups milk
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 bananas, over ripened, use 3 small ones if using local
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup butter, unsalted, this is 1/4 of a block, melted
  • 1 cup mango, cubed OR you can use peaches
  • 1/2 cup frozen blueberries

For the Crumble Topping

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 6 tablespoons butter, melted
  • pinch ground cinnamon

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 180 C. Lightly grease a baking dish, a 9x13 should be perfect for this, or a large pie dish. Add the cubed dried bread to the baking dish.
  • Put the Bread Pudding ingredients, except the dried bread, butter, blueberries, and mango, in your blender and blend until smooth, slowly dribble in the melted 1/4 cup of butter, while the blender is on the lowest speed. Once mixed, pour this over the bread in the baking dish. The liquid mixture should cover the dried bread. Cover this and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour, the bread will soak up the liquid.
  • While the bread pudding is in the fridge, mix the Crumble Topping in a bowl until it looks like rough sand and set aside.
  • When the bread pudding has chilled, remove from the fridge and sprinkle on the blueberries and mango, then sprinkle the Crumble topping over that. Bake for 35 minutes, rotating the dish half way through.
  • Cool slightly before cutting, serve as is or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Tastes better the next day!

Notes

This is really a low cost dessert.
Recipe & photos provided courtesy of good friend, Grace Adamson, Gourmet Kwi-zeen.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,DESSERTS
Southern Baked Mac and Cheese
August 27, 2016 Lee
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Southern Baked Mac and Cheese

I am not sure what makes this a "Southern" dish, but it sounds really good. I love a good Mac & Cheese. On my to cook list.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Dish, Side
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
  • 4 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded, this is about 1-1 1/2 250 gram blocks
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1/4 cup butter, this is 1/4 block of butter, softened
  • 4 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 block Cream cheese, softened
  • salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 200 C. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish with butter.
  • Place cooked and drain macaroni in a large bowl, add 3 cups of the Cheddar cheese, milk, eggs, butter, and cream cheese. Add salt and pepper to your liking. Mix until all combined. Pour into the baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of Cheddar on over the top.
  • Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown on the top. Serve as a side or as a main dish.

Notes

Low cost meal for sure, well under $1.00 per serving.
For variants, ad one of the following, cooked cubed ham, cooked sliced smoked sausage, cooked cubed chicken. Even with these, still under $1.00 per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Pasta - Mac & Cheese
Garlic Whole Chicken
August 27, 2016 Lee
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Garlic Whole Chicken

This is not an overwhelming flavor of garlic, it does season the chicken slightly. The chicken is indeed tender and juicy. The slow cooking of the garlic, much like roasting, reduces the garlic flavor but yield some great soft garlic you can just spread on the potatoes. Good chicken without a doubt. This is in my regular rotation. The plus side to this recipe is minimal ingredients, no olive oil, no water needed. The Thai family loved it, even the picky niece who normally refuses anything not Thai.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours
Total Time 5 hours 10 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 1 whole chicken, remove the head, neck, feet, and giblets.
  • 40 cloves garlic, peeled but whole
  • 3 large shallots, palm size is perfect, 2 sliced, 1 quartered
  • salt, pepper, and paprika, to taste
  • 3 small potatoes, optional, cut into big bite size pieces

Instructions
 

  • Rinse the chicken and remove the feet, head, and neck. Trim any fat near the chest opening.
  • Peel the garlic, set aside. Peel the large shallots, slice 2 and quarter 1, set aside. Feel free to use onions in place of the shallots.
  • Place slices of shallot on the bottom of your slow cooker.
  • Take the bird and sprinkle salt, pepper, and paprika on the backside, rub it in well, flip the bird over and do the same, coating the front of the bird, legs and wings. Place in the slow cooker, backside down on top of the shallots. Stuff the cavity with several quarters of the shallot and as many garlic cloves as you can. Place the rest of the garlic under and on the sides of the chick, top with the shallot slices.
  • Cover and cook on High setting for 4 hours, then reduce to low setting and add the large cubed potatoes on the top, salt and pepper as you desire. Cook for another hour. At the 5 hour mark of total cooking time, use a meat thermometer in the thickest section and check the temp to be safe, ours was perfect at 5 hours. The potatoes were perfect. The chicken, fall off the bone tender, and juicy.
  • Serve, use a pair of tongs to grab the meat, as it is fall off the bone tender. Add some potatoes and some garlic. A vegetable on the side would make this a complete meal (I took the photo before I added some spinach.)

Notes

This chicken in the photo was 113 Baht, that is 83 cents per serving for 4 servings, and just 55 cents per serving for 6 servings. A delicious and hearty meal for very good value.
Original recipe by Lee Thayer.
Thailand.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Chicken - Slow Cooker
Chicken Pizza Biscuits
August 24, 2016 Lee
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Chicken Pizza Biscuits

I received this recipe from a good friend in the states, sounds wonderful and is on my to cook list. Quantities are not listed, this is a make with what you have type recipe. When I make this I will narrow down the measurements. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes
Course Appetizer, Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • chicken, see Step 2
  • biscuits, see Step 3
  • Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
  • pizza sauce, OR make from a shortcut
  • butter, melted

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 180 C. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
  • Chicken, several options. 1. Use chicken meat from a whole slow cooked thicken (most economical), white meat or dark, up to you, and shred the meat you need. 2. Cook and shred several chicken breasts, seasoned with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. 3. Buy a rotisserie chicken or make one yourself.
  • For the biscuits, several options. 1. Use your favorite rolled biscuit recipe (most economical). 2. If you find, say, Pillsbury Grands biscuits in a tube, use those if you like. Then take each biscuit, either your rolled biscuits that you have cut into biscuits or those from a tube, and on a lightly floured surface, pat out biscuit each with your fingers to make a larger, thinner biscuit, like 5-6 inches in diameter.
  • Take the patted out biscuit and place some shredded chicken in the center of the biscuit, add shredded cheese on top of the chicken. Fold the sides of the biscuit to cover the filling and lightly pinch together, place biscuit on the baking sheet. When the sheet is full, allow room between the biscuits, brush with melted butter and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Repeat this if you have to cook in batches.
  • Serve with pizza sauce for dipping.

Notes

This is a snack or meal, great while watching a sports game on TV. If you make the biscuits and pizza sauce yourself, this is very inexpensive. Chicken is inexpensive, think cooking a whole chicken in your slow cooker, using some meat for this recipe, and then you have more meat for another 1 or 2 recipes. The cheese would not be that much as not a lot is used.
When I prepare this I will edit the recipe, pricing, and add photos.
Shortcut: Pizza Sauce.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Bob Wicker.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,APPETIZERS / SNACKS
Philippines Style Stuffed Crab
August 23, 2016 Lee
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Philippines Style Stuffed Crab

Allan & Sheila Conatser, United States.
This comes from a good friend, and it sounds absolutely wonderful! Takes time but I think this is well worth it. On my to try list.
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Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Filipino
Servings 6 servings

Equipment

  • Oven
  • Baking Sheet

Ingredients
  

  • 12 blue crabs, cooked, and cooled
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 small potatoes, diced
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • ½ box raisins, this would be the small box
  • ¼ red bell pepper, diced
  • ¼ cup peas, canned or cooked frozen peas
  • dash soy sauce, low sodium
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • salt, to taste
  • olive oil
  • panko breadcrumbs

Instructions
 

  • First task is, you guessed it, you have to pick all 12 crabs, putting the meat in a separate bowl, try to keep the meat in the largest chunks possible, pick everything. Save the top of the shells for use later to bake the crab in. Clean the tops and rinse them out and allow to dry.
  • Heat a large non stick skillet with a splash of olive oil, then cook the diced potatoes until done, remove from the pan and set aside.
  • Same skillet, cook the onion and garlic until the onion is soft. Then gently fold in the crab meat, make sure you do not make it mushy. Then fold in the cooked potatoes, then fold in the red bell pepper, peas, and raisins. Gently mix in a dash of low sodium soy sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and set aside, letting it cool.
  • Preheat your oven to 190° C (375° F) and get out a baking sheet.
  • Stuff each crab shell with the mixture, pack them tight and mound over the top, about 5-7 shells is what you will need. Brush each mound of filling with beaten egg and top with Panko breadcrumbs.
  • Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the breadcrumbs start to get golden brown. Remove from oven, let cool 5 minutes. Serve, coleslaw, corn chowder or a green salad would be excellent sides.

Notes

Blue Crabs would cost about 200 Baht for 12 decent sized crabs, for 6 servings (this is based on 6 stuffed shells and 1 stuffed shell per serving), this is about $1 per serving. Overall, not bad, but can be time consuming to put together.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,SEAFOOD - ALL,Seafood - Crab
Warren’s Slow Cooker Stew
August 23, 2016 Lee
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Warren's Slow Cooker Stew

This is from a good friend and it sounds delicious! A must try for me.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 10 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kilo yard beans, cut into 2 inche pieces
  • 1 kilo ham, cubed
  • 4 potatoes, cubed
  • 1 onion, diced
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Prepare all the vegetables and cube the ham, add everything to your slow cooker, season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix together.
  • Add 3 cups of water. Cook on Low setting for 6 hours, serve.

Notes

The ham is the most expensive part of this dish. Estimate about 200 Baht for 1 kilo, think Makro, they have great sales on cooked ham, thick slices. For an estimate of 6 servings, this is about 98 cents per serving.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Warren Barker.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,Pork - Slow Cooker
Coconut Ant Eggs (and a few ants)
August 22, 2016 Lee
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Coconut Ant Eggs (and a few ants)

This is a basic, but often hard to find dish. As the name implies, this is made from ant eggs, the ants are the red flying variety. Surprisingly enough, the eggs taste like hard boiled chicken eggs. This actually very good, I have had this many times in Northern Thailand. Measurements are approximate.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Breakfast, Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine Thai
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups ant eggs, there will be ants in there as well, that is ok
  • 1 1/2-2 cups grated coconut
  • salt, taste

Instructions
 

  • Grate the coconut. Rinse the ant eggs.
  • Add the coconut to a pot and add water to cover by about 1 inch, bring to a boil, add the ant eggs and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for about 5 minutes (there, you made coconut milk), serve over rice.

Notes

Well under $1 per serving.
Provided courtesy of my wife, Rrayada Thayer.
Thailand.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,: THAI
Salisbury Steak Meatballs
August 21, 2016 Lee
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Salisbury Steak Meatballs

Sounds really good. There is a load of ingredients, for the meatballs and the sauce. On my to cook list. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 10 servings

Ingredients
  

For the Meatballs

  • 1 kilo ground beef, OR minced pork, OR ground chicken
  • 3/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs, OR make from a shortcut listed on this site
  • 1/8 cup brown mustard
  • 1/4 cup tomato ketchup, OR make from a shortcut listed on this site
  • 1 teaspoon beef stock powder
  • 1 tablespoon Worcherstershire sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten

For the Sauce

  • 1/4 cup butter, this is 1/4 of a standard blcok of butter
  • 1 large onion, halved and sliced
  • 2 1/2 cups beef stock, fresh or make from powder
  • 1 tablespoon Worcherstershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup, OR make from a shortcut listed on this site
  • 2 tablespoons corn starch, mix with a little beef stock to make a paste
  • 500 grams egg noodles, OR Fettuccine pasta, cooked to just done and drained
  • fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 180 C, or if you choose to pan fry these, omit this step.
  • In a large bowl, mix the meatball ingredients until completely combined. Form into golf ball size meatballs and place on a baking sheet pan or a rack on a sheet pan, just place on a plate if you are going to pan fry these.
  • To cook these, baking is preferred, bake for 20 to 30 minutes, cut one in half to make sure they are cooked through. Pan frying may result in meatballs falling apart.
  • In a large non stick skillet, add about a tablespoon of butter and olive oil and heat, then add the onion and cook until golden brown and softening. While doing this, add 1/2 cup beef stock to the corn starch to make a paste.
  • When the onions are cooked, add 2 cups of beef stock to the skillet, the Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and mustard. Bring to a gentle boil and add the cornstarch mixture. Return the meatballs to the pan, reduce the heat to low, simmer for 10 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through sauce is thick, use more beef stock as needed if the sauce is too thick.
  • Serve meatballs and the gravy over pasta and sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.

Notes

Only thing pricey here is the ground beef. At about 250 Baht/kilo, this comes out to about 75 cents per serving for 10 servings. Great value.
Shortcuts: Seasoned Breadcrumbs, Tomato Ketchup.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,MEATBALLS
Pork Leg Soup
August 17, 2016 Lee
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Pork Leg Soup

This is a non spicy Thai soup with just 3 ingredients. It is purposely made non spicy.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Breakfast, Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine Thai
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pork leg, see Step 1
  • 1 onion, quartered, OR about 3-4 shallots, also quartered
  • 3-5 handfuls Tamarind leaves, free from our yard

Instructions
 

  • A pork leg is basically a ham hock, these are large but inexpensive. Also called pork side leg. The tape measure is in view to show the size of these, and the tape measure in inches. These are cut through the bone in 4 places when you buy them.
  • Once you get the pork leg home, all you have to do is cut it the rest of the way through and the pork is ready.
  • Heat a large pot of water and add the onion and bring to a boil. Once boiling add the pork. Bring to another boil then reduce to a medium simmer and let the pork cook through, it will be fall off the bone tender when it is cooked, about 40 minutes to an hour. Use a ladle and skim off the foam at the beginning, then the broth will clear up.
  • While the pork is cooking, pull the leaves from the thick stems, small stems remain, it actually goes quickly.
  • Once the pork is tender, add the Tamarind leaves and simmer until they are wilted. Serve with a bowl of rice on the side.

Notes

The pork leg in the first photo is 1 1/2 kilos and cost 120 Baht. For an easy 8 servings, this is 45 cents per serving.
Provided courtesy of my wife, Rrayada Thayer.
Thailand.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,: THAI,PORK,SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI