Archive for the ‘* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving’ Category
Cheesy Fried Potatoes
I love fried potatoes, and cheese and egg mixed in, sounds even better. I made this on 1 Jun 2019, and wow, are these good!
Ingredients
- 4 medium potatoes, cubed, peeling is optional
- bacon fat, as needed
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded, or more to taste
- salt and pepper, as desired
Instructions
- Prep the potatoes, then add to a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are not quite fork tender, we are going to fry them soon. Drain potatoes.
- Heat 1-2 tablespoons of bacon fat and the butter in a large non stick pan, when hot, add the onion and drained potatoes.
- Cover and cook, turning occasionally, season with salt and pepper as desired, until tender and starting to brown.
- Crack in the eggs and sprinkle on the cheese, mix together, cover.
- Cook until the egg is set and the cheese is melted in.
- Serve and enjoy with sides of your choice.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Variants: 1. Fry up some bacon, crumble, and add that. 2. Use a 4 cheese blend in place of Cheddar.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Shrimp & Crab Salad
This is a basic salad I put together on a whim and it is delicious. I use imitation crab because I like it and it is economical.
Ingredients
- 250 grams imitation crab, aka crab sticks, (8 oz)
- 250 grams medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed, (8 oz)
- 1 onion, diced
- ½ teaspoon lemon pepper
- ½ cup Kewpie mayo, or mayo of your choice, and as needed
- handful fresh dill, chopped
- lettuce, for serving
Instructions
- First thing to do is cook the shrimp, you can boil them or saute them, either way, when they are pink they are done, don't overcook the shrimp. I sauteed them, simply heat a non stick pan with a tablespoon or two of extra light olive oil, when hot, add all the shrimp at one time, stir fry, the shrimp release water as well, stir fry until all the shrimp are pink then dump them in a strainer to remove the water and any oil, run under cold water to cool them, and allow them to drain while you continue.
- For the crab, feel free to use lump crab meat if you prefer. To prepare the imitation crab, simply remove the wrappers and slice into ½ inch pieces and place in a mixing bowl.
- To the bowl, add the shrimp, onion, lemon pepper, mayo, and most of the dill, keep some for garnish when serving.
- Mix everything together, if the salad is too dry, mix in a few more tablespoons of mayo until you get the consistency you like. Cover and place in the fridge 2-3 hours before serving.
- To serve, tear up some lettuce leaves, scoop some salad on top of the leaves, garnish with some dill. Serve as a main dish or as a side. Enjoy.
Notes
The package of imitation crab was 52 Baht, the shrimp cost me 140 Baht. For 6 servings, this is about $1 per serving.
Thai Fried Potatoes
I just thought this was kind of unique so I am adding it as a recipe. Thais love french fries, you can see this is any grocery store, there will be 2-3 refer units with nothing but different brands of french fries, shoe string cut, crinkle cut, wedges, American fries, etc, really odd since most Thais normally eat regular potatoes just boiled, unless there is fries. This recipe is what my wife made, basically fried potatoes that taste like french fries. She made these on a whim to use up some potatoes I had on hand before they spoiled, and here is her creation.
Ingredients
- 5 medium potatoes, whole, skin on
- cooking oil, as needed
- sea salt, as desired
Instructions
- Wash and scrub the potatoes, place potatoes in a large pot and cover with about 2 inches of water. Turn on the heat to high. When the water is boiling, let boil for about 5 minutes, then turn off the heat, cover the pot and allow to cool to room temp, about 2 hours or so.
- Once the pot has cooled to room temp, remove the potatoes from the water, discard the water. Cut the potatoes into large dice, nice bite size pieces.
- In a large non stick pan (we use a wok pan) add about 1/2 to 3/4 inch of cooking oil and heat until hot but not smoking, you are going to shallow fry the potatoes. When the oil is hot, add all the potatoes, stir them around a bit and fry, stirring often, goal is golden brown without burning or charring the potatoes.
- When all the potatoes are golden brown, remove to a strainer to drain oil.
- Place on paper towels to absorb oil as well. Season with sea salt, serve as a snack or side dish as you would french fries. And there you go, fried potatoes that taste very much like french fries. Enjoy.
Notes
Low cost.
My wife's creation for the method. Rrayada Thayer.
Thailand.
Thailand.
Caesar Chicken Sandwiches (Slow Cooker)
Excellent sounding chicken, on my to make and taste list. Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 500 grams chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, (1 lb)
- 2 cups creamy Caesar salad dressing, plus more for serving, (Shortcut)
- 1 cup chicken broth, fresh or from powder, (Shortcut)
- 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- salt and pepper, as desired
- 1 head lettuce, chopped
- 6 sandwich rolls, of your choice
- butter, as needed
- Parmesan cheese, shaved or shredded, for serving
Instructions
- To your slow cooker, add the first 7 ingredients, season with salt and pepper as desired, mix together. Place the lid on and set to High for 3-4.
- Check the chicken at 3 hours, if it easily shreds, it is ready, if not, let cook for another hour.
- When the chicken is ready, drain most of the liquid from the pot then use two forks and shred the chicken, mix and add additional Caesar dressing to get a nice creamy consistency.
- Toast the sandwich rolls and butter each piece. On the bottom parts of the rolls, add lettuce as desired, the Caesar chicken, season with pepper as desired, add some Parmesan cheese, top with the top of the roll.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost.
Shortcuts: Creamy Caesar Dressing, Chicken Broth (Pressure Cooker).
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Tempura Batter
I am going to test this out with some crab sticks. There is a few items to keep in mind when making this. First, have your oil hot, 190° C (375° F). Have all items you are going to fry ready, such as vegetables, shrimp, crab sticks, etc. Always use ice water to mix the batter. Use a pair of chopsticks to mix with so you do not enter air into the batter, and use those to add items to the hot oil.
Ingredients
- 1 cup tempura flour, or all purpose flour
- 1 egg
- 1 cup ice water
Instructions
- Pour cold water from your fridge into a jar, I use a mason jar, then add a good handful or two of ice into the jar, there is your ice water. what you will need now is a measuring cup.
- In a mixing bowl, crack in the egg, use chopsticks to just mix together the egg yolk and white.
- Strain the ice water into a measuring cup until you have 1 cup and pour that into the mixing bowl.
- Sift in the flour into the mixing and stir with chopsticks to just combine the mixture, do not over mix.
- Use the batter immediately, that is the reason for having the items already prepared and the oil hot.
- Use chop sticks to dip your items into the batter and place in the hot oil.
- Fry until golden brown, turning items as needed, remove to paper towels to drain.
- Serve with dipping sauces of your choice.
Fried Crab Sticks aka Fish Fingers
In my never ending quest to find recipes that use crab sticks (imitation crab, which is just fish), I came across this one, and it is very good! Easy to prepare, these can be shallow fried in a pan or deep fried. I made these on 31 Jan 2022 and the family loved them! Serve as an appetizer or main dish.
Equipment
- Deep Fryer
Ingredients
- imitation crab sticks
- 3 eggs
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1½ cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- cooking oil, as needed
- dipping sauce, of your choice
Instructions
- For the crab sticks, estimate 1-2 sticks per serving as appetizers, or 6-8 sticks per serving as a main dish.
- Whisk together the eggs and milk in a shallow bowl. Place the flour in a bowl, and the panko in another bowl. Place a sheet of foil or parchment paper on the counter then unwrap the crab sticks and place on the foil. (And you can see I already had 4 sticks coated already when I took the photo.)
- For pan frying: Heat about ½ inch of oil in a pan, you want it hot but not smoking. For deep frying, set the dial to 180° C (350°).
- Roll a crab stick in flour to evenly coat, then coat evenly with egg mixture, then coat with panko, and place the crab stick back on the foil. (The coating is not thick, but the panko and egg give a nice texture and flavor.)
- When you have 4-6 sticks completed, and the oil is hot, add the sticks to the oil and fry until browned, turn to brown other side, this only takes 2 minutes or so and do not overcook or the crab sticks will fall apart. When using a deep fryer, place sticks in the basket so they are not touching, then deep fry for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove and drain on paper towels.
- Repeat for remaining crab sticks.
- Enjoy with a dipping sauce of your choice, such as sweet chili sauce, ketchup, or Japanese mayo (Kewpie). Figure 1-2 sticks per serving as an appetizer and 6-8 sticks per serving as a main dish.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Fried Corn & Cabbage
I had some cabbage in the fridge that needed to be used and some corn in the freezer, so I decided to cook them together since I do like fried corn as well as fried cabbage. This turned out very good!
Ingredients
- 1 head green cabbage, chopped
- 2 cups corn, fresh cooked, frozen, or canned will work
- 2-3 tablespoons bacon fat
- black and white pepper, as desired
Instructions
- Cut the stem off flush with the bottom of the cabbage, place stem side down, cut the cabbage in half then cut each half in half so you have 4 pieces. Cut the core out of each piece at an angle, then cut each piece into 1/2 inch slices, break up any pieces that do not fall apart. Now the cabbage is ready.
- For the corn, a few weeks earlier I bought some fresh sweet corn and pressure cooked that then cut the corn off the cobs, and froze it for later use. So I just thawed that out. If using canned corn, just drain it well before using.
- Heat a large non stick pan with the bacon fat, when hot, add the cabbage and corn. Season with black pepper and use a spatula and mix the cabbage and corn together.
- Turn the cabbage occasionally, as the cabbage cooks down, taste and season with white pepper as desired.
- When the cabbage is nice and tender, serve as a side with any dish. Enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Something I just threw together and it worked perfectly. Lee Thayer.
Thailand.
Thailand.
Bacon, Egg, Cheese, No Bun Required
Not really meant to be a sandwich unless you have plenty of napkins nearby. Use egg rings to cook the eggs, layer, sounds good!
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons hot water
- 2 slices bacon, cooked crispy, or as desired
- 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
- salt and black pepper, as desired
Instructions
- First thing, is cook up the bacon, your preferred is fine. Me, I will just fry it. When the bacon is cooked, remove from the pan to paper towels to drain. Pour out most of the bacon fat (I save the fat in a jar).
- Place two egg rings or quart size large mouth mason jar rings in the pan. Crack in an egg into each ring, break the yolks with a fork, season each with salt and pepper as desired.
- Add the water to the pan and cover, let the eggs cook (steam) for about 3 minutes or until the whites are cooked through.
- Remove the lid and add the cheese to one egg only, cover and cook for another minute or until the cheese is melted and gooey.
- To plate, turn the egg over with no cheese onto a plate, add the crispy bacon strips, turn the egg with cheese over the top of the bacon, cheese side down.
- Serve with toast, enjoy, with a fork.
Notes
Low cost.
Variants: 1. Add some ham slices. 2. Add some sliced spring onion to each egg after cracking into the rings. 3. Add some chopped mushrooms to the eggs after cracking into the rings. 4. For more cheese, add a slice of cheese, your choice, to the first egg on the plate. 5. Use duck eggs in place of chicken eggs.
Adapted from an internet recipe.Â
Crab Omelet
For this, I will use imitation crab meat, it is just fish, and I like it. This is based somewhat on Filipino and Thai Omelets. Some Filipino omelets cook the filling first and later added, and many Thai omelets are just flat with fillings added with the eggs, not folded, so let's combine these methods.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup imitation crab, slice at an angle, about ¼ inch thick slices
- ½ onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons spring onion, sliced
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 3 eggs, whisked
- salt and pepper, as desired
Instructions
- Prep the crab meat, onion, and spring onion. Add the eggs to a bowl and whisk.
- Heat the butter in a nonstick pan on medium high heat, when hot, add the onion, saute until almost soft.
- Add the crab meat and spring onion, stir to mix together.
- Pour in the whisked eggs to cover the pan and contents.
- Cook for a few minutes to set the bottom, lift the sides to check and move the pan around. When the eggs are set, flip the omelet and cook the other side until golden brown.
- Slide to a plate, serve with rice or toast, and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost.
Chicken Liver & Heart Adobo
This is a modified Filipino dish made with common ingredients. The use of flour is the out of place ingredient from the authentic recipe.
Ingredients
- 500 grams chicken liver, (1 lb)
- 500 grams chicken hearts, (1 lb)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons cooking oil, divided
- 4-5 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- ½ cup light soy sauce
- ¾ cup water
- 4-6 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 2 spring onions, sliced, for garnish
Instructions
- Rinse the liver and hearts, cut the livers in half and trim the hearts, prep the garlic, spring onions, and measure out the liquids. For the liver, I used 700 grams and 300 grams of hearts, if you don't like hearts, just use more liver. If you want to use gizzards, parboil those for about 30-60 minutes before continuing with the recipe.
- Add the flour to a shallow dish and mix in the salt and garlic powder.
- Heat a large non stick pan with 2 tablespoons of the cooking oil. When hot, coat the liver and hearts in flour and add to the pan, cooking the liver for 2 minutes per side, for the hearts, just kind of scoot them around the pan and remove those when you remove the liver to a plate, work in batches until all the hearts and liver are browned. They are cooked more in another step. I did this in three batches as I use a wok pan, simply grabbing a handful of liver and hearts, coating with flour, then coating more while the first batch was cooking.
- Just cook until browned a bit, not looking to cook through or you will have dry liver, remove from the pan, add a bit more oil if needed, and cook another batch, until all is browned.
- Same pan, add the other 2 tablespoons of oil and the garlic, stir, cooking the garlic until it is just brown and fragrant.
- Add the liver and hearts back to the pan, and add the soy sauce and water, stir to mix, let this come to a boil then add the bay leaves and peppercorns.
- Reduce heat to a simmer and cover for 15-20 minutes, this will cook the liver and hearts through, and the flour will make for a thicker sauce.
- Now add the vinegar, stir and bring back to a boil. Stirring often and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat, remove the bay leaves.
- Serve with hot cooked rice of your choice.
Notes
The liver will cost about 66 Baht/500 grams, the hearts will be about 30 Baht/500 grams. For 6 servings, this is about 52 cents per serving.