Archive for the ‘* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving’ Category
Refrigerator Cookies
July 16, 2018 Lee
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Refrigerator Cookies

This comes from a good friend and they sound delicious! I have not had refrigerator cookies in many many years. On my to cook list for sure. These can be tailored in many ways to make them different each time.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups butter, room temp, 2 blocks, (4 sticks)
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup nuts, chopped, optional

Instructions
 

  • Cream together the butter and sugar, then add the vanilla, egg, and milk. Mix well.
  • Stir in the flour until well combined, then mix in the nuts if using those.
  • Shape the dough into logs and roll in wax/parchment paper. Place in the fridge for 2 hours.
  • Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Unwrap the logs and slice thinly and place on the baking sheet.
  • Bake for 10 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes, transfer to a wire rack to cool fully.

To Decorate - Optional

  • 1. Feel free to dip half of each cookie in melted chocolate and let cool completely. 2 Dip half in melted chocolate then add colorful sprinkles or dots, chopped nuts, shredded coconut, etc. and let cool completely. 3. Drizzle the top with melted chocolate, making patterns, etc, adding sprinkles, etc. and allow to cool completely.

Notes

Low cost.
Recipe provided by good friend, Patti Stone.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,DESSERTS
Cajun Pinto Beans
July 15, 2018 Lee
1 Comment

Cajun Pinto Beans

Mary Jackson, United States.
This idea comes from a good friend. I love pinto beans as a side dish, in chili and burritos, and as refried beans. I modified this to make this is a main dish, and it is delicious! I am going to pressure cook the beans but the canned amount will be stated as well. Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Notes section.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cans Pinto beans, drained, (15 oz / 425 g each), Shortcut
  • 500 grams bulk pork sausage, (1 lb), Shortcut
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1-2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning, depending on taste, Shortcut
  • ½ cup large green chilies, roasted, peeled, chopped, (the bright green long chilies in Tesco, NOT Bird's Eye chilies)
  • 2 roma tomatoes, diced

Instructions
 

  • Prepare the beans either by draining and rinsing 3 cans or by cooking from dry beans. From dry, drain after cooking them. When using dry beans, use a heaping half cup of dry beans for each can, I pressured cooked the beans.  
  • In a large saucepan on medium heat, when hot, add the sausage, garlic, and onion. Cook, breaking up the sausage with the spatula, until almost cooked through. Drain off most of the fat, not all, as that is flavor for the beans.
  • Add the bell pepper, green chilies, tomatoes, and mix together.
  • Add the beans and Cajun seasoning, mix together. Simmer until the bell pepper is tender.
  • Serve and enjoy.

Notes

Low cost.
Shortcuts: Pinto Beans, Pork Sausage, Cajun Seasoning.
Updated on 22 March 2022.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Pork - Sausage
My Pasta Salad
July 15, 2018 Lee
1 Comment

My Pasta Salad

Lee
Salad bars in Thailand often have hard boiled quail eggs as a choice. I used to get just a bowl of quail eggs and Bleu cheese dressing as my salad, and my daughter and I gobbled these up. So I figured I would take this a step further and make a pasta salad with quail eggs and other salad fixings along with Bleu cheese dressing. I made this on 14 July 2018, and absolutely delicious. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Notes section.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Passive Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 250 grams dry pasta, any bite size pasta, spirals, shells, etc., (8 oz)
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • ½ jar green olives with pimento, sliced, (jar is 300 g / 11 oz)
  • 25 hard boiled quail eggs, Shortcut
  • 1 cup dry chickpeas, soaked and cooked or 1 can drained
  • Bleu cheese dressing, as needed

Instructions
 

  • Cook pasta of your choice in a pot of boiling salted water. When tender, drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking process then drain well again and place in a large mixing bowl. I used a mix of spirals and elbows.
  • Prepare the quail eggs, either using fresh eggs, which is what I do, or use canned eggs. I use 25 fresh eggs which is comparable to canned, which is 23-25 eggs. For canned, just open and drain. For fresh eggs, hard boil them and peel.
  • Dice the peppers and onion and place in the mixing bowl with the pasta. These are on top of the pasta.
  • Mix together the pasta, peppers, and onion.
  • Slice the olives and add to the pasta, gently mix those in. I do this is steps so as not to break up any of the ingredients.
  • Add the chickpeas and eggs.
  • Gently mix those into the pasta, then add the dressing, start with 1 cup and gently mix that in, then add ½ cup at a time for the consistency you want, the goal is everything coated well but not dripping in dressing.
  • Cover and place in the fridge until chilled. Serve with any main dish of your choice.

Notes

Shortcut: Perfect Hard Boiled Quail Eggs.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Eggs - Quail,Sides - Salads
Cinnamon Egg Soup
July 10, 2018 Lee
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Cinnamon Egg Soup

This is an off the beaten path Thai soup side dish or with rice for a main dish. If you are not a fan of cinnamon, you may want to give this dish a pass. I loved seasoned or flavored hard boiled eggs so this is on my to cook list for sure.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Main Dish, Side
Cuisine Thai
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 4 hard boiled eggs, peeled
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • tofu, I need to clarify amount/type
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1-2 black peppercorns
  • 1 tablespoon fresh coriander leaves, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 cube chicken stock
  • 1 cup water, + 2 tablespoons
  • 1 teaspoon cooking oil

Instructions
 

  • Using a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic, peppercorns, and coriander together.
  • In a medium small pot, add the water, the 1 cup and the 2 tablespoons, and the chicken stock cube. Turn on the heat to medium high and let the water and stock come to a boil.
  • While the water is heating, heat a non stick pan with the oil, when hot, add the mixture from the mortar and fry until the garlic is softened.
  • Add the soy sauces, salt, and sugar and stir into the mixture.
  • Add the eggs to the pan, and just stir fry for a minute or two to take on some intense flavor and then remove from heat.
  • Use a slotted spoon and transfer the eggs to the pot of boiling chicken stock, and pour in the contents of the pan.
  • Cut the tofu into bite size pieces and add to the pot.
  • Bring to a gentle boil and hold that for 10 minutes, reduce to a low simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool a few minutes.
  • Serve as a side of 2 eggs and tofu with any Thai dish or as a main when served with rice as a side.

Notes

Low cost.
This recipe for Cinnamon Soup with Egg is adapted from Appon's Thai Food.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: THAI,EGGS - ALL,Eggs - Chicken,SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI
Sausage Salad II
July 10, 2018 Lee
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Sausage Salad II

This is a Thai spicy sausage salad based on pork sausage, specifically, Vietnamese sausage, aka, Cha Lue or Cha Hue for the pepper variety. On my to cook list. Keep in mind, the number of Bird's Eye chilies will determine how spicy you would like this.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Appetizer, Side
Cuisine Thai
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 75 grams Vietnamese sausage, see Steps 1-3, (3 oz)
  • 1/2 small onion, coarsely chopped
  • 1-4 red Bird's Eye chilies, seeded, finely chopped, as desired
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely minced
  • 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • fresh mint leaves
  • fresh coriander leaves

Instructions
 

  • For the Vietnamese sausage, which is a pork sausage that is already cooked and found in the refrigerator section of grocery stores, the name is Cha Lua for the regular flavor. This is the Moo Dee brand (moo = pig, dee = good). Similar brands will close to what this looks like, grocery stores have all the Vietnamese sausage together as well.
  • This is the Cha Hue variety, which is heavy with cracked black pepper and garlic. When looking for this in the store, the pepper is clearly seen in the sausage, and more than likely, there is a picture of black pepper on the package. This is also the Moo Dee brand. I prefer this variety due to the pepper.
  • Unwrap the sausage and slice into about 1/4 inch thick slices, place on a serving plate.
  • To a mixing bowl, add the garlic, onion, chilies, lemon or lime juice, and the fish sauce and mix together well.
  • Pour over the sausage and garnish with mint and coriander leaves.
  • Serve as a side dish to any Thai meal or as an appetizer.

Notes

Low cost.
This recipe for Spicy Home Made Sausage Salad is adapted from Appon's Thai Food.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: THAI,APPETIZERS / SNACKS,Pork - Sausage,SIDES
Okra with Tomatoes
July 10, 2018 Lee
1 Comment

Okra with Tomatoes

Sounds like a good alternative from fried okra. I made this on 16 July 2018 and is perfect as written, with my wife doing the final taste test. She simply added a pinch of chicken stock powder, then it was perfect, and I wrote that step in as well. This is a keeper.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine American
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 10 pods fresh okra, stem trimmed, sliced in half lengthwise
  • 1 small onion, cut into wedges
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • splash oyster sauce
  • splash mushroom sauce
  • pinch chicken stock powder

Instructions
 

  • Garlic and okra prepped, I took the photo early before I had the onion prepped.
  • Heat the oil in a large non stick pan, when hot, add the garlic and stir fry until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
  • Add the okra and onion and season with salt and pepper as desired. Cook stirring often until the okra is tender and bright green, about 10-12 minutes.
  • Add the tomatoes, oyster sauce, and mushroom sauce and cook until tender and nearly bursting, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in a pinch of chicken stock powder, taste, and adjust with oyster or mushroom sauce as needed.
  • Serve as a side dish with any meal.

Notes

Low cost.
Variants: 1. Add some sliced fresh mushrooms. 2. Season with additional spices such as ground cumin or garam masala (1/4 teaspoon or so). 3. Add chopped bacon. 4. Add a slice bell pepper.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,SIDES
Wide Rice Noodles with Pork Gravy (ราดหน้า)
July 10, 2018 Lee
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Wide Rice Noodles with Pork Gravy (ราดหน้า)

This is a Thai dish with origins in China. This is a delicious meal with many variations. Salted soy beans are key in this, so do not omit those or the taste will not be the same. Rad Nah is the base, for this dish here, this recipe is called Rad Nah Moo (moo meaning pork).
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine Thai
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams pork loin, sliced thin, 2 inch pieces, (1 lb)
  • 500 grams fresh wide rice noodles, (1 lb)
  • 500 grams Chinese broccoli, sliced
  • 5 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
  • 1 tablespoon seasoning sauce, or Maggi sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons salted soy beans, also called yellow sauce
  • 3 tablespoons corn starch
  • 4 tablespoons cooking oil, divided
  • 3 cups water
  • black pepper, for serving

Instructions
 

  • Separate the noodles into strips and microwave for 1-2 minutes.
  • Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a non stick pan on medium heat, when hot, add the noodles and dark soy sauce. Stir fry to coat all the noodles until the sauce coats all the noodles. Remove the noodles and set aside. Wipe out the pan.
  • Add another 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan, When hot, add the garlic and fry for 1-2 minutes until fragrant, then add the pork and stir fry.
  • When the pork is starting to change color, add the light soy sauce, seasoning sauce (Maggi), oyster sauce, and sugar.
  • Stir fry until the pork is nearly cooked through, add the water and bring to a boil.
  • Stir in the salted soy beans and allow the mixture to come to a boil again.
  • Add the broccoli and stir in. In a small bowl, mix together the corn starch with 3 tablespoons of water to make a slurry and mix until dissolved.
  • Stir the slurry into the pan and stir until thickened, if not thick enough, sprinkle in some corn starch and stir in, if the gravy is too thick, sprinkle in some water and stir in. When the gravy is bubbling and thickened to your liking, remove from heat.
  • To serve, place some noodles on a plate and ladle on the gravy with a good amount of broccoli and pork. Sprinkle on some black pepper to taste, enjoy.

Notes

The pork loin will cost about 60 Baht/500 grams. For 4 servings, this is about 46 cents per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: THAI,PORK
Mushroom Spring Rolls
July 8, 2018 Lee
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Mushroom Spring Rolls

Sounds delicious. Making spring rolls seems tricky but it is so easy. These are Spring Rolls, Chinese in origin, spring roll wrappers fry up crispy. Egg Rolls are American in origin and are a thicker, chewier wrapper. On my to cook list. I will verify how many spring rolls, wrappers, are needed when I make these. And I will have step by step photos to show you how to assemble these.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 3 minutes
Total Time 43 minutes
Course Appetizer, Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine Thai
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • spring roll wrappers, I will determine the number needed
  • 50 grams fresh Shiitake mushrooms, coarsely minced, (2 oz)
  • 100 grams fresh shrimp, peeled, coarsely minced, (4 oz)
  • 1-5 red Bird's Eye chilies, seeded and minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1 teaspoon Thai Basil, minced
  • 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
  • 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
  • pinch sugar
  • cooking oil, as needed
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 2 teaspoons corn starch

Instructions
 

  • For the mushrooms and the shrimp, you can either use a knife to mince the stems, caps, and shrimp or just run them through a meat grinder if you have one, using the coarse plate, aka, the wagon wheel, you can mince the mushrooms and shrimp at the same time with the grinder.
  • Prepare the chilies, garlic, and basil.
  • Heat the oil in a non stick pan, when hot, add the chilies and garlic, stir fry for a minute, then add the shrimp, mushrooms, sauces, sugar, and basil. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Remove to a plate to cool to room temp.
  • To assemble the spring rolls, first we need to make the glue to seal the edge of the pastry. Mix together the water and corn starch in a small bowl, set that aside but close to where you will be working.
  • Open the package of spring roll sheets. Carefully pull off one sheet and place smooth side down on a clean counter with one corner of the sheet facing you. Very important, place a damp towel on the unused sheets, if the sheets dry out they are hard to pull apart and will tear. (This is where two people is very handy, one to pull the the pastry apart and the other rolling the spring rolls.)
  • Place a tablespoon or so of filling near the corner closest to you.
  • Fold the bottom (the corner closest to you) up over the filling.
  • Tightly roll, the filling will spread some, that is fine. When the roll is in the widest part of the pastry (left and right corners will be on the sides of the roll) fold each side towards the center. The roll should be about 5 inches long, and should look like an open envelope.
  • Continue to roll, and when there is just a pointy section at the end away from you, use your finger and apply some of the cornstarch slurry you made just a few minutes ago to the edges of the pointy section (just like sealing an envelope), continue to roll and seal the edge, and just pat that seam down with your fingers. There, you just made a spring roll.
  • Repeat until you have either used all the filling or all the pastry sheets.
  • To fry these, heat about 1 inch of oil in a pot. When hot, add 4-5 spring rolls at a time and fry, turn often, until golden brown, These cook fast so keep an eye on them. Remove to paper towels to drain and fry the remaining rolls.
  • Let cool for a few minutes then serve hot as is or serve with a dipping sauce of your choice. My Sweet & Sour Sauce is listed as a shortcut in the Recipe Notes section.

Notes

Low cost.
Shortcut: Sweet & Sour Dipping Sauce.
Variant: 1. Bake instead of fry, place on a rack on a baking sheet, spray with oil all sides, bake in a 200 C (400 F) oven until golden brown.
This recipe for Mushroom Parcels is adapted from Appon's Thai Food.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: THAI,APPETIZERS / SNACKS,MUSHROOMS,SEAFOOD - ALL,Seafood - Shrimp/Prawn
Fried Seasoned Wontons
July 7, 2018 Lee
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Fried Seasoned Wontons

Quick and easy appetizer or snack, think great with beer, and they are addictive! This is a make as you need recipe, no set amounts needed here.
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Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 1 minute
Total Time 3 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Asian, Thai
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • wonton wrappers, thawed if frozen
  • water, as needed
  • chicken seasoning powder, or pork seasoning powder
  • oil, for frying

Instructions
 

  • Lay out some wonton wrappers on some parchment paper or foil, lightly spray water on each wrapper.
  • Lightly dust with either the chicken or pork seasoning powder. Use either Knorr or Ros-Dee brands, very popular in Thailand and available in the US in Asian markets.
  • Heat some oil in a large pan, about 1/4 inch, to medium hot. Place a few wontons at a time in the oil and fry until golden brown, they fry up very quickly.
  • Remove to paper towels to drain, and continue the process to cook all the wonton wrappers you have prepared.
  • Serve as an appetizer or with beer or drinks of your choice.

Notes

Low cost.
This recipe for Fried Seasoned Wontons is adapted from Appon's Thai Food.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,: THAI,APPETIZERS / SNACKS
Turmeric Curry Pork Chops
July 7, 2018 Lee
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Turmeric Curry Pork Chops

Thai recipe, sounds good as the flavors are very nice. On my to cook list and I will verify some of the times and quantities.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Thai
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

To Marinate

  • 400 grams pork chops, bone in, I am thinking 2-3 chops
  • 3 tablespoons white wine, or chicken stock
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/4 cup milk

To Cook

  • 1 teaspoon green curry paste
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1/4 cup coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoons onion, diced
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1/4 cup water

Instructions
 

  • Add the wine or stock, milk, and salt to a shallow dish, stir to mix in the salt. Rinse the chops place in the dish shallow dish, turning occasionally to coat them, and place in the fridge for 2 hours.
  • Add the To Cook ingredients to a a large non stick pan, and whisk to mix the turmeric and curry paste in.
  • When the mixture is starting to simmer, add the pork chops, keep on a medium to low simmer, cover, and cook the chops for 20 minutes.
  • When the juices run clear and the chops are tender, remove from the pan and server with rice or potatoes with some curry drizzled over them.

Notes

I will price this when I get pork chops again in the city, I will say low price now.
This recipe for Turmeric Curry Pork Chop is adapted from Appon's Thai Food.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: THAI,PORK