Archive for the ‘* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving’ Category
Dad's Hamburger Gravy
This is a friend's Dad's recipe for Hamburger Gravy, and it is excellent! I made this on 7 Oct 2022 and the family absolutely loved this dish. Feel free to serve this over mashed potatoes, toast, or biscuits.
Ingredients
- 750 grams ground beef, (1½ lb)
- 1-2 tablespoons cooking oil, your choice
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups milk
- salt and cracked black pepper, as desired
Instructions
- Heat the cooking oil in a large pan, when hot, add the onion and sauté to just get the onion starting to soften. I am using a marble wok pan, which is a flat bottomed wok, it is deep, and very non stick. I am going to serve the gravy over mashed potatoes so the potatoes are starting to boil on the right.
- When the onion is starting to soften, add the ground beef, season generously with cracked black pepper. Cook, breaking up the beef with a spatula until cooked through. Drain the fat into a measuring cup, reserving ½ cup, discard the rest. Place cooked beef on a plate and set aside.
- Return the reserved fat and the butter to the same pan, place on medium high heat. When hot, sprinkle in the flour and whisk in until starting to just brown.
- Whisk in the milk and season generously with cracked black pepper. Taste and season with salt as desired. Continue whisking until gravy is bubbly and thickened.
- Return the cooked beef to the pan and stir in, reduce heat to medium and cook to heat the beef through.
- Serve over mashed potatoes, toast, or biscuits with a side of your choice, enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Updated on 7 October 2022.
Tofu & Meatball Soup
This comes from a friend in Sichuan, China and it sounds very good! I look forward to preparing this.
Equipment
- Food Processor / Blender , with S blade
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Pork Balls
- 300 grams ground pork, (11 oz)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 2 spring onions, chopped, white part only
- 3 slices fresh ginger
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Ingredients for the Soup
- 6 cups water, (I will verify the amount when I prepare this)
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 spring onion, sliced, green part - from the pork ball ingredients
- 1 slice fresh ginger
- ½ box firm tofu, cut into cubes, (I will verify amount when I prepare this)
- 20 grams nori , sliced, (dried seaweed), (¾ oz)
- ½ tablespoon sesame oil
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Add the first 8 ingredients for the Pork Balls to a food processor, mix for 15 seconds.
- Now add the egg and cornstarch and mix for about 30 seconds, goal is a very smooth and fluffy mixture.
- Add the the water, 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, spring onion (green part) to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil then turn off the heat but leave on same burner.
- Now to make the pork balls, use one hand and grab a handful of pork mixture, form a circle with your index finger and thumb, squeeze your hand to force the mixture from the circle, then use a spoon and scoop off a meat ball and place the meat ball in the hot water.
- Repeat until all the mixture is used and in the pot, average about 20-24 pork balls. Turn on the heat, add the 1 slice of ginger, and bring to a simmer, skim off any foam that forms on top. Simmer for 8-10 minutes.
- Add the tofu and nori, simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Stir in the sesame oil, taste and season with salt and additional sesame oil as desired.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Beef Chow Mein
Chow mein is a stir-fried noodle dish and is one of the most popular dishes in China. The most common noodles used in various chow mein dishes is egg noodles. This recipe comes from a friend in Sichuan, China. I made this on 27 Sep 2022, and it is delicious, family loved this! I doubled the recipe so the photos will show more of all the ingredients than what is stated.
Ingredients
- 1 cup flank steak, cut into 2 inch long strips
- 3 bell peppers, 1 red, 1 green, 1 yellow
- 1 medium onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil
- 250 grams egg noodles, can be fresh or dry, (8 oz)
For the Beef Marinade
- ½ tablespoon light soy sauce
- dash black pepper
- ½ tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
For the Stir-fry Sauce
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- pinch sugar
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add the Beef Marinade Ingredients and stir together, then add the beef strips. Stir in one direction until they become slightly sticky. Set this aside.
- In another small bowl, add all the Stir-fry Ingredients, mix together, then set this aside.
- For the bell peppers, you are only going to use half of each. Cut each pepper from stem end to the bottom. Set one half of each color aside, and wrap the other halves in plastic wrap and place back in the fridge. Remove the seeds.
- Cut each pepper half into strips, set these aside. Cut the onion in half from top to bottom, thinly slice each half and separate the pieces. Mince the garlic.
- In a saucepan, add enough water to cover the noodles, bring to a boil, then add the noodles, fresh noodles takes about 3-4 minutes, for dry noodles, cook until just tender. For fresh, just drain, for dry, drain and rinse under cold water.
- In a wok, wok pan, or large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of oil on medium high heat, add the garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. Increase heat to high then add the beef mixture and stir-fry for 30-60 seconds. Remove beef to a bowl, leaving the liquid in the pan.
- Add the peppers and onions, stir-fry until until just softened but crisp.
- Add the noodles, beef, and Stir-fry Sauce to the pan. Mix together well, remove from heat.
- Serve hot, and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Spam, Spam, Spam
This comes from a good friend, and chef, and this is easy to make and so much better tasting than the canned spam. Ingredients are listed in two groups, for those in Asia, and for those in the US, instructions are the same for either set of ingredient. (Morton Tender Cure and Lobo NS-Mix are two separate items, their use will be clarified in the ingredients and instructions.)
Equipment
- Meat Grinder , plus a Medium plate (5 mm holes).
- 2 Loaf Pan (5x9 inch) , one is used for baking, the other is used as a weight after baking.
- Parchment Paper
- Foil
- Baking Sheet
- 2 20 oz / 565 g canned goods , used for weights after baking.
- Oven
- Instant Read Thermometer
Ingredients
For those in Asia using Lobo brand NS-Mix Curing Salt
- 1.15 kilo pork shoulder, (2½ lb)
- 226 grams smoked ham, (8 oz)
- 4½ teaspoons NS-Mix Curing Salt, (Lobo brand)
- 1½ tablespoons sugar
- 1½ tablespoons corn starch
- ½ cup ice cold water
For those in the US using Morton brand Tender Quick Curing Salt
- 2½ lb pork shoulder, (1.15 kilo)
- 8 oz smoked ham, (226 grams)
- 2 teaspoons Tender Quick, (Morton brand)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, (fine grind)
- 1½ tablespoons sugar
- 1½ tablespoons corn starch
- ½ cup ice cold water
Instructions
- Set up your meat grinder, use a Medium plate with 5mm holes. Preheat your oven to 120° C (250° F). Line one loaf pan with parchment paper. Line the baking sheet with foil, make sure the edges are raised all around the sheet - this is to catch any fat that could run out of the pan while baking.
- Cut the pork shoulder and smoked ham into cubes that will fit in your grinder hopper.
- Run the cubed meat through the grinder into a mixing bowl.
- For Asia using NS-Mix: add the NS-Mix, sugar, and corn starch to a small bowl, then add the ice cold water. Mix together well.For US using Tender Cure: add the Tender Cure, salt, sugar, and corn starch to a small bowl, then add the ice cold water. Mix together well.
- Add the water mixture to the ground meat and use your hands to mix thoroughly. Mixture will like a thick paste.
- Pack the parchment line loaf pan with the meat mixture.
- Cover with tightly with foil. Place the foil covered sheet in the oven then place the loaf pan on the sheet. Bake for 2 to 2½ hours, start checking with the instant read thermometer at the 2 hour mark, internal target temp is 68° C (155° F).
- When the spam loaf has reached the target temp, remove from the oven place on a heatproof plate, and if oozing some fat, place some folded paper towels on the plate first.
- Place the second loaf pan (I use Pyrex) on top of the Spam loaf pan, and place canned goods in the pan for additional weight (two 20 oz / 565 g, works perfect). Let the Spam loaf pan cool to room temp.Once cooled, place everything in the fridge (the Spam loaf pan, the top pan, and the canned goods), to set overnight.
- The next day, remove the Spam loaf from the fridge. Remove the foil, and now you have Spam. Run a butter knife around the sides and invert the pan onto a plate. Use for any recipe calling for Spam. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days.
- This is an end piece sliced off for the taste test, and for those that like the jelly, this makes that too! Appearance wise, it looks exactly like sliced canned Spam. Taste wise, this is many times better than the canned stuff!
- And another view of how this looks.
Notes
Lower cost than canned Spam in Thailand, and this makes 2 to 2½ of the big cans of Spam.
340 g (12 oz) equals 1 regular size can of Spam.
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
- Spam Pie, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Squaw Corn, made it, GO-TO recipe.
Tuna Macaroni
I came up with this on a whim, and it is delicious!
Ingredients
- 250 grams dry macaroni, (8 oz)
- 1 can condensed cream of chicken mushroom soup, (10½ oz / 298 g)
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 cans tuna in oil, drained, (185 g / 7 oz each)
- 1 cup frozen peas
- black pepper, as desired
Instructions
- Heat a pot of salted water to a boil, then add the macaroni, cook until just tender.
- Drain the macaroni and return to the pot. Add the soup, sour cream, and milk. Stir together.
- Add the drained tuna and peas. Stir together.
- Place on low heat and simmer until warmed through, stirring often.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Chicken Nugget Sandwiches
I just kind of winged this to use chicken nuggets, and they are good! I made these on 6 Aug 2022 and they were very well liked by the family. For myself, I made one with lettuce and one with sweet pickle relish, both are equally good!
Ingredients
- 1 package soft rolls, can be soft rolls, dinner rolls, or even hamburger buns
- chicken nuggets, figure 1 nugget for each small roll, and 3 nuggets for average rolls, and 1-2 sandwiches per serving (I made 6 sandwiches and used 18 nuggets)
- Ranch dressing, as desired
- butter, as needed to toast the rolls
Additional Items - As Desired
- lettuce
- cheese slices, your choice
- dill pickle slices
- sweet pickle relish
Instructions
- Fry the nuggets in a non stick pan until crispy, remove to paper towels to drain.
- Split each roll in half, butter the cut sides. Heat a non stick pan on medium heat, when hot, place the rolls, buttered side down and toast until browned. Work in batches if needed.
- On the bottom rolls, spread Ranch dressing as desired, I topped one with lettuce and one with sweet pickle relish, the top with nuggets. I used 3 nuggets per roll.
- Spread more Ranch dressing on top of the nuggets.
- Top with a slice of cheese. I was going to use sliced Gouda I had in the fridge, that was dried out so went with the back up of processed cheese slices that we have on hand for the family when they make grilled cheese sandwiches.
- Top with the top bun, serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Basic Waffles
This is the recipe that was included with the instructions for my waffle iron, and it sounds good.
Equipment
- Waffle Iron
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1¾ cups milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, sugar, and salt, whisk together. Using a pastry brush, lightly oil the top and bottom irons or lightly spray with cooking spray, then preheat your waffle iron.
- In another mixing bowl, add the eggs, milk, and vanilla. and whisk together.
- Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and whisk together until just combined, lumps are ok. Stir in the melted butter.
- Ladle batter in an even layer onto the hot bottom iron and close the top of the iron. Cook until the waffles are golden brown and crisp, 3 to 6 minutes.
- Serve with butter and syrup, enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Classic Waffles
Sounds like a great recipe to test out my new waffle iron.
Equipment
- Waffle Iron
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1¾ cups milk, warmed
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar. Whisk together. Using a pastry brush, lightly oil the top and bottom irons or lightly spray with cooking spray, then preheat your waffle iron.
- In another mixing bowl, add the eggs and whisk. Add the milk, butter, and vanilla. and whisk together.
- Pour the liquid into the flour mixture, and whisk until well blended.
- Ladle batter in an even layer onto the hot bottom iron and close the top of the iron. Cook until the waffles are golden brown and crisp, 3 to 6 minutes.
- Serve with butter and syrup, enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Tomato Eggs (西红柿炒蛋)
This is a classic Chinese dish normally served at home, key things to keep in mind, you do not want to overcook the eggs and you do not want the tomatoes to watery. On my to make list and soon.
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing rice wine
- ground white pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil, divided
- 225 grams fresh tomatos, cut into thin wedges, (8 oz)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- hot cooked rice, for serving
Instructions
- Crack eggs into a bowl and mix with a fork, then add the salt, sesame oil, Shaoxing wine, and ground white pepper as desired, mix well.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a skillet or wok, when hot, add the egg mixture, use a spatula to move the eggs around and cook to form lumps, gently breaking up larger into smaller lumps.
- When the eggs are just cooked and not runny, removed from the pan to a plate and set aside.
- Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, when hot, add the tomato wedges and just give a few quick stirs to start to soften them.
- Sprinkle in the sugar and add the 2 tablespoons of water, give a quick stir, then cover to steam for 30 seconds.
- Add the eggs back to the pan, and stir fry for 30 seconds.
- Transfer to a serving dish.
- Serve with rice on the side, enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Slow Cooker Taco Pasta
This recipe comes from a social media friend and it is delicious! The pasta is cooked and added at the end so there is no chance it can get soggy.
Equipment
- Slow Cooker (4+ quart)
Ingredients
- 750-1000 grams ground beef, or pork, (1½-2 lb)
- 1 can corn, drained, (15 oz / 425 g, or 2 cups frozen)
- 1 can diced tomatoes, (20 oz / 565 g)
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 can diced green chilies, (7 oz / 198 g)
- ⅓ cup taco seasoning, (1 packet), Shortcut
- 3 cups sour cream, Shortcut
- 340 grams dry rotini pasta, (12 oz)
- 2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- In a non stick pan, cook the beef until no more pink remains. Drain.
- Butter, or use non stick spray of your choice, the inside of the slow cooker. Add the browned beef, corn, tomatoes, onion, green chilies, and taco seasoning.
- Mix together, cover, and set to Low setting for 4-6 hours.
- About 30 minutes before serving, cook the pasta in a pot of salted water until just tender, drain.
- To the slow cooker, add the sour cream and drained pasta, mix everything together.
- Sprinkle the Cheddar cheese over the top.
- Cover and let cheese melt.
- When the cheese has melted, serve and enjoy.
Notes
Fair cost per serving if using beef.
Shortcuts: Taco Seasoning, Sour Cream.
Updated on 1 September 2022.
