Archive for the ‘* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving’ Category
Quail Egg Salad
Just something I threw together with local ingredients easily found near me.
Ingredients
- 40 hard boiled quail eggs, peeled
- 1 half dill pickle spear, diced
- 10 green olives with pimento, sliced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 Cha Hue, Vietnamese sausage with black pepper, (100 g / 3½ oz each)
- ranch dressing, as needed
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- black pepper, as desired
Instructions
- Have everything chilled before starting.
- Slice the eggs in half and place in a mixing bowl along with the pickle, olives, onion, and bell pepper.
- For the Cha Hue, it comes in a plastic tube, it is fully cooked. Slice off the ends of each tube and cut the piece into quarters. and feel off the plastic end. Peel off the rest of the plastic. Cut into quarters lengthwise then slice each piece, result is quarter round pieces. Add to the mixing bowl.
- Toss everything together.
- Add some ranch dressing and mix in. Goal is everything coated but not dripping wet either.
- Sprinkle with the mustard powder and black pepper as desired, and mix that in.
- Serve as a lunch or light dinner, and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Variants: 1. Serve over lettuce or baby spinach leaves. 2. Added diced tomato. 3. Serve in tomatoes.
Baked Chicken Salad Pie
This recipe comes from a social media friend. Very easy to put together, excellent flavor. Mine did not hold the best shape but I think the type of chicken I used was the blame, I used chicken in a pouch, which has a lot of water in it that does not drain, next time I will use fresh cooked and diced chicken. Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Equipment
- Oven
- Pie Dish (9 inch)
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust, unbaked, Shortcut
- ½ cup red onion, diced
- ½ cup celery, diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup pecans, chopped
- 3 cups cooked chicken, diced
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ cup mayo
- ½ cup sour cream, Shortcut
- 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, (10½ oz / 298 g), Shortcut
- 1 can water chestnuts, diced, (6 oz / 170 g)
- ½ teaspoon Herbs de Province
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1½ cups cheese, shredded, divided
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 190° C (375° F), get out a 9 inch pie dish, add the pie crust to the dish.
- Heat the oil and butter in a non stick pan, when hot, add the onion and celery, sauté until soft and translucent.
- To a large mixing bowl, add the sautéed onion and celery and the remaining ingredients but only ¾ cup of the cheese. I am using sharp Cheddar. Mix together.
- Pour mixture into the prepared pie crust. I had a little excess so I added that to a Pyrex custard cup and baked it along with the pie.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Sprinkle with remaining ¾ cup of shredded cheese.
- Bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the center of the pie set. Remove from oven and let rest for 10-15 minutes.
- Slice, serve with sides of your choice, enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcuts: Pie Crust, Sour Cream, Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup.
Variants: 1. For the chicken, feel free to use fresh roasted chicken, pressure cooked chicken, or even drained canned chicken.
Smokey Link Casserole
This recipe is from an extensive cookbook titled Favorite Recipes, compiled by the active and retired employees of Michigan Bell in 1981. I made this on 28 Sep 2021, mine did not thicken too much but the flavor is excellent. I used cream of celery soup. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Equipment
- Oven
- Casserole (2 quart)
Ingredients
- 1 can potatoes, sliced, drained, (15 oz / 425 g)
- 1 can creamed corn, (15 oz / 425 g)
- 1 can condensed cream of celery soup, (10½ oz / 298 g), Shortcut
- 1 cup half and half cream
- 500 grams little smokies, cut links into 3 pieces, (1 lb)
- salt and black pepper, as desired
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F), get out a 2 quart casserole.
- Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and stir together.
- Pour mixture into the casserole.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until casserole is thickened and lightly browned on top. (When I make this again I will try 60 minutes to see if the casserole will thicken more.)
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcuts: Condensed Cream of Celery Soup, Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup, Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup.
Variant: 1. Use condensed cream of chicken or mushroom soup in place of the celery soup.
Updated on 28 September 2021.
Stuffed Acorn Squash with Sausage Stuffing
This recipe is from an extensive cookbook titled Favorite Recipes, compiled by the active and retired employees of Michigan Bell in 1981. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Pan (9x13 inch)
- Steamer
Ingredients
- 2 medium acorn squash
- 500 grams bulk pork sausage, Shortcut
- 1 cup soft breadcrumbs, or ¾ cup dry bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons onion, finely diced
- salt and pepper, as desired
Instructions
- Cut squash in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds.
- Add water to your steamer and bring to a low boil. Add the squash, cut side down, to the steamer tray, and steam for 15 minutes or until tender, drain squash well. Work in batches to get all the halves steamed. (15 minutes for small to medium squash, 20 minutes for large.)
- Place squash halves cut side up in a 9x13 inch baking pan.
- While the squash is steaming, cook the sausage in a pan, breaking up the sausage with a spatula. Cook until no more pink is visible and it is cooked through. Drain off excess fat. (I went overboard and cooked up 2 lb of sausage thought I was using 2 large squash but turned out to be 1 large and 1 small, the excess was saved for another use.)
- Preheat your oven to 200° C (400° F).
- Add the onion and breadcrumbs, and stir together. Add a little milk or water if the sausage seems too dry.
- Spoon sausage mixture into the squash, pressing down lightly.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned and squash is heated through.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving if growing the squash yourself, as I have not seen acorn squash in any market. I am going to try and grow them in my garden.
Shortcut: Bulk Pork/Italian Sausage.
Variant: 1. Use Italian sausage in place of pork sausage.
Updated on 27 September 2021.
Seasoned Pork Belly (Pressure Cooker)
This recipe is from a friend on social media and is a make as much as you want recipe and seasoned to taste, keeping in mind the limits of your pressure cooker. When I make this, I will come up with some basic measurements. I will be using my 9 liter (9½ quart) stove top pressure cooker with a pressure of 80 kPa (12 psi), so this will work equally well with electric pressure cookers. Follow all safety precautions for your model of pressure cooker.
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
- Timer
Ingredients
- fresh pork belly
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- garlic, minced
- onion, diced
- soy sauce
- Chinese 5 Spice powder
- water, (I will say 1 cup as a starting amount)
- rice wine, (I will use Shaoxing when I test this)
- palm sugar
- star anise
- hot cooked rice, for serving
Instructions
- Cut the pork belly into 1 to 1½ cubes.
- With the lid off your pressure, add the oil and place the pressure cooker on medium heat, when hot, add the garlic and onion, sauté until tender.
- Add the pork belly and remaining ingredients, except the rice, stir together.
- Add the lid to the pressure cooker and lock in place, add the weight on the lid. Place on high heat until the weight (jiggler) starts venting and making some sound and moving a little. Reduce heat to low or medium low to just keep the jiggler venting and moving, set your timer for 20 minutes.
- At 20 minutes, turn off the heat and carefully move the pressure cooker to an unused burner and allow the pressure to release naturally, about 15-20 minutes.
- When you have indications of zero pressure inside the cooker, carefully remove the weight, then remove the lid.
- Remove the pork belly to a serving bowl, and pour the liquid into another bowl.
- Serve pork belly with hot cooked rice, and spoon over liquid from the pot, as desired. Enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Basic Pork Belly (Pressure Cooker)
This recipe is from a friend on social media and is a make as much as you want recipe, keeping in mind the limits of your pressure cooker. I will be using my 9 liter (9½ quart) stove top pressure cooker with a pressure of 80 kPa (12 psi), so this will work equally well with electric pressure cookers. Follow all safety precautions for your model of pressure cooker.
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
- Timer
- Broiler
Ingredients
- fresh pork belly
- dipping sauces of your choice, as desired, for serving
- hot cooked rice, as desired, for serving
Instructions
- Cut the pork belly into strips about 2 inches wide.
- Place a rack in your pressure cooker and add 1½ cups of water, the rack should be above the water.
- Place the pork belly strips on the rack.
- Add the lid to the pressure cooker and lock in place, add the weight on the lid. Place on high heat until the weight (jiggler) starts venting and making some sound and moving a little. Reduce heat to low or medium low to just keep the jiggler venting and moving, set your timer for 22 minutes.
- At 22 minutes, turn off the heat and carefully move the pressure cooker to an unused burner and allow the pressure to release naturally, about 15-20 minutes.
- When you have indications of zero pressure inside the cooker, carefully remove the weight, then remove the lid.
- Remove the pork belly to a cutting board to sit and dry out. I will verify the time when I prepare this.
- Lightly score the skin side of the pork belly with a knife.
- Now for crisping up the skin, I am going to use a broiler, but feel free to use an air fryer.
- Place the pork belly on a rack, skin side up, and broil until the skin is blistered and crispy. I will verify a time for this when I prepare this.
- Cut pork belly into 1 inch wide pieces.
- Serve with dipping sauces of your choice or simply with salt and pepper, and rice on the side if desired. Enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Creamy Swiss Chicken Bake
This recipe comes from a social media friend. And it is truly delicious! Only 5 ingredients and quick to put together. Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Pan (9x13 inch)
Ingredients
- 6 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
- 6 slices Swiss cheese
- 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, (10½ oz / 298 g), Shortcut
- 1 cup Chardonnay
- 1 box herbed stuffing mix, (6 oz / 170 g), Shortcut
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F), get out a 9x13 inch baking pan, and grease with butter or non stick spray. Arrange chicken breasts in pan.
- Place a slice of cheese on each chicken breast.
- In a small mixing bowl, add the soup and wine, whisk together. Pour mixture over the chicken.
- Sprinkle with the stuffing mix.
- Cover and bake for 40 minutes, then remove cover and continue baking for 20 more minutes or until the stuffing is browned and toasted. Test a piece of chicken for doneness, if using a thermometer, target temp is 74° C (165° F). I baked these for 1½ hours as I was using some large chicken breasts.
- Serve with sides of your choice, and don't forget to spoon the sauce and stuffing over the chicken, enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcuts: Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup, Stuffing Mix.
Shrimp Curry in a Hurry
This recipe is from a cookbook titled Casserole Cook Book by Better Homes & Gardens, printed in 1961. This recipe sounds very good, on my to make and taste list. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup onion, diced
- ¼ cup green bell pepper, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup sour cream, Shortcut
- 1 teaspoon yellow curry powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- dash black pepper
- 1 cup cooked shrimp, tails removed
- 1 recipe Saffron Rice, or hot cooked rice, Link in Notes
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook until tender but not browned.
- Stir in the sour cream, curry powder, salt, and pepper.
- Add the shrimp and stir in. cook until heated through, stirring often.
- Serve over Saffron Rice or just hot cooked rice. Enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving, but depends on where you source the shrimp.
Additional recipe: Saffron Rice.
Shortcut: Sour Cream.
Mushroom Pizza
This recipe is from a cookbook titled Casserole Cook Book by Better Homes & Gardens, printed in 1961. This recipe sounds very good, on my to make and taste list. Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Equipment
- Oven
- Pizza Pans (four 10 inch)
Ingredients
- 340 grams Mozzarella cheese, thin sliced, (12 oz)
- 4 pizza crusts, 10 inch, Shortcut
- 1 cup onion, diced
- ½ cup green bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup mushrooms, sliced, drained, canned or fresh
- salt and pepper, as desired
- 1⅓ cups pizza sauce, Shortcut
- banana pepper, slices, as needed
Instructions
- Cut each slice of cheese into 4 triangles. Set aside 16 triangles, add remaining slices among the 4 pizza crusts.
- Top the cheese with onion, bell pepper, then mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper as desired.
- Drizzle pizza sauce over the pizzas. Top each pizza with 4 cheese triangles, arranged in the center, top each triangle with a slice of banana pepper.
- Bake until the crust is browned. Or according to package instructions if using store bought crusts.
- Slice, serve, and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcuts: Tomato Sauce, Pizza Dough.
Sausage Pizza
This recipe is from a cookbook titled Casserole Cook Book by Better Homes & Gardens, printed in 1961. This recipe sounds very good, on my to make and taste list. Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Equipment
- Oven
- Pizza Pans (two 12 inch)
Ingredients
- 500 grams bulk Italian sausage, or pork sausage, (1 lb), Shortcut
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1½ tablespoons dried oregano, crushed
- 1 tablespoon dried basil, crushed
- 2 pizza crusts, 12 inch, Shortcut
- 2 cans tomato paste, (6 oz / 170 g each)
- 1⅓ cups mushrooms, sliced, drained, canned or fresh
- 340 grams Mozzarella cheese , thin sliced, cut in large pieces, (12 oz)
Instructions
- Crumble sausage in a non stick pan, cook until browned, break up large pieces with your spatula. Drain fan, then stir in garlic and seasonings.
- Spread each pizza crust with 1 can of tomato paste, sprinkle sausage mixture over both crusts.
- Add mushrooms to each pizza.
- Sprinkle each pizza with Mozzarella cheese.
- Bake until the crust is browned. Or according to package instructions if using store bought crusts.
- Slice, serve, and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcuts: Italian Sausage, Pizza Dough.
