Top 9 Recipes of 2022

As year-end recipe lists go, my Top 9 Recipes of 2022 is one you can really sink your incisors into. And all of my top picks are deliciously cheap to make. Just click on any recipe name to see the original 2022 blog post for tasty photos and my money-saving tips, and be sure to play any embedded videos below. The ranking order is random and not by delectability, so go ahead and dig in! 

1. Breakfast Tacos with Curly Fries

No Top 9 Recipes of 2022 would not be complete without a recipe from my Mom. And this one is a doozie, how about Breakfast Tacos with Curly Fries? 

This recipe is loaded and I don't mean just ingredient-wise. Mom opinies on the state of eggs for sale - is the Egg Industrial Complex pushing regular-size eggs as "extra-large?" Mom also shows how she heats up her tortillas...on a toaster, no less! 

But the main question is how delicious is her Breakfast Tacos with Curly Fries? I mean, how can you resist a Breakfast Taco with scrambled eggs, bacon, cheese, and reheated frozen curly fries? Check it out below.

2. Breakfast Croissant Sandwich

Speaking of morning munchies, I did a series on Breakfast Croissant Sandwiches. My local grocery chain, Ralphs, sells Croissants in its day-old bread bargain bin. 

Each Croissant is less than a buck so why not go for a French pastry breakie. I make them simply by toasting the Croissant loaded with scrambled eggs. Click here to see three Croissant Breakfast Sandwiches. Below is my loaded Breakfast Croissant Sandwich with Scrambled Eggs, Deli Ham, and American Cheese.

3. Raspberry Pancake

I a big fan of adding fruit to my Breakfast Pancakes. Every year I add a new video recipe that features fruit + pancakes. This year it is Raspberry Pancakes. Raspberries are not cheap, but when they are on sale this is my favorite way to have fresh Raspberries.

4. Old Fashioned with Candied Maple Bacon

I'm gonna throw a curve here with my next recipe, a Cocktail called an Old Fashioned. The basic recipe is made with whiskey, bitters, sugar, and finished with a Maraschino cherry or twist of lemon rind. My version is on the trendy side as I substitute sugar with a sweet slice of baked Candied Maple Bacon. It's a deliciously cool recipe you can check out below and try for your next home Happy Hour - make mine a double!

5. Cola Turkey Carnitas

My goto Taco from sidewalk cooks or food trucks is made with juicy slow-cooked pork Carnitas. Not everyone can handle pork so I came up with a tasty substitution using dark meat turkey legs. I shop every week at my local Latin market, Superior Grocers. I noticed in the deli department they make Pork Carnitas and right behind that heating tray are Turkey Carnitas, too. Turkey legs hold up well to braising, especially with Mexican Cola, orange, and lemon juice. Try out my sweet and succulent recipe for Mexican Cola Turkey Carnitas sometime, it's easy to make my way.

6. Easy Homemade Pastrami

This is what I make when we are entertaining guests that I want to impress. I made Homemade Pastrami the hard way once, from scratch. But my Easy Homemade Pastrami recipe below is the best and easiest way and it's as good as Pastrami you will get at a Jewish Deli. 

I buy packages of Corned Beef to freeze during St. Patrick's Day/Week. That's when it's the cheapest. Uncooked packages of Corned Beef from the meat department freeze well and are perfect for a summer BBQ or two. Check out below how I do a quick gas grill smoking of a slab of tender cooked Corned Beef. 

7. Easy Coleslaw

I make this recipe all the time. It goes well with any sandwich recipe you have. I make Easy Coleslaw when I grill burgers and steam hot dogs. Have you ever tried it on a hot dog? Believe me, it works. And read on to see another Top Nine Recipe that has Coleslaw as a featured ingredient called a Rachel Sandwich.

8. Ruben and Rachel Sandwiches

This is a twofer recipe listing. These Jewish Deli classic sandwiches are my favorite. You can make them with Pastrami (see my above Easy Homemade Pastrami recipe) or with Corned Beef (my Easy Corned Beef recipe is here). Both sandwiches are made with Rye bread, Swiss cheese, mustard or Russian Dressing. A Ruben Sandwich is loaded with Sauerkraut. A Rachel Sandwich is loaded with Coleslaw. Boy, are these great sandwiches. 

9. Meatballs

Everybody loves Meatballs. I don't know why but I keep adding more ingredients to a good thing. There are a lot of Meatball recipes around and I've tried a few. Lately, I make mine with ground turkey. It's a light Meatball even with my additions of sauteed veggies, plus mushrooms, spinach, bread crumbs, egg, and herbs. You can add or subtract from my ingredients list to suit your tastes. 

It has been a fruitfully abundant year of recipes here at the Cheap$kate Chateau. I did the heavy lifting for you, so now all you have to do is pick a recipe link and save yourself some hard-earned cash by trying out any of the above. And if you have a favorite recipe of mine, then leave a comment to share.

And make sure to keep checking in here from time to time. I create yummy-looking blog posts with a dollop of humor, and while my tastes are cheap, my recipe flavors are top-shelf !!

Easy Corned Beef - Video Recipe

There's nothing to this recipe when you use a packaged Corned Beef. Since it's raw, the only work is boiling the Corned Beef until tender, about 3 to 4 hours, depending on the beef's weight and size. 

Packaged Corned Beef usually comes with a spice pack, too. Just open it and drizzle it on when it's time to cook.

For Corned Beef and Cabbage, I cook the beef until tender then drain away half the liquid, as it's super-salty, and replace it with tap water. And finally add chopped cabbage, potato, and carrot. It's up to you how long to cook the veggies, 10 minutes for crunchy or 20 minutes longer, for tender. I like to chop potatoes to bite-sizes so they cook quickly, too. 

Packaged Corned Beef comes in a couple types called Point or Center Cut. I always get mine during St. Patrick's Day sales week. The type on sale is usually Point Cut. I guess Center Cut is best, but I've never had anyone complain about the Corned Beef Sandwiches I make from a Point Cut. 

Click on any photo to see larger.

These cuts of beef remind me of whole or sliced Smoked Brisket you get in Texas. There is often a bit of fat on the outside you can trim off or just leave it on for extra flavor. The meat is a lean cut, but there is still a small bit of marbling. 

I always get 3 or 4 packages of Corned Beef during the St. Patrick's Day week of sales. Along with heads of cabbage, carrots, and potatoes, the main ingredient, Corned Beef goes for around $2 a pound and that's a great deal. And it freezes great. I get mine in March and during summertime, I have Corned Beef Sandwich parties. 

Depending on the Corned Beef size I can get at least 4 or more sandwiches. My favorite Corned Beef sandwiches are grilled Reuben and Rachel Sandwiches. 

A Reuben Sandwich is grilled with Swiss Cheese, Sauerkraut, and Russian Dressing between slices of Rye Bread.

A Rachel Sandwich uses Coleslaw instead of Sauerkraut. I have a tasty Coleslaw Recipe, just click here. And Russian Dressing is just a mix of mayo and ketchup.

However you cut it, my Easy Corned Beef Recipe will be one of your favorite beefy indulgences.

                                           Easy Corned Beef- Video                             Play it here, video runs 1 minute, 25 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients

• 1 whole packaged Corned Beef - The ones I get are in the 3-pound range.
• Water - enough to cover the brisket.
• Packet of Spices that come with corned beef - sometimes they are not included. Of course, open the spice packet and pour it on the water with corned beef.

Directions

Add enough fresh water to cover the brisket by an inch. Add contents of spice package if included with Corned Beef package.

 Bring up the water to a boil, then lower the heat to a low simmer, cover the pot and cook for about 3 to 4 hours until the meat is tender.

Check every hour or so to make sure the water does not cook out. Add a 1/4 cup of water at a time, if needed. That's it -- just remove the Corned Beef and let it cool down enough to slice and serve.

You can cook Corned Beef ahead of time and reheat by microwave,  simmering in water or heating in the oven (not too long in the oven as you don't want a dried-out hunk of beef.)

When slicing Corned Beef, go against the grain. The brisket is a bit stringy so it's easy to see the beef grain.

National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day

Move over Canter's and Langer's Delicatessen (our local deli temples to cured and sliced meats) there's a new Pastrami Sandwich in town for National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day And I have an easy recipe you will want to bookmark, so you can make your own  Pastrami Sammies anytime.

I usually order my Hot Pastrami Sandwich with just mustard, but sometimes I have to go for it with a layer of creamy crunchy Coleslaw (recipe here) also known as a Rachel Sandwich. 

A Rachel Sandwich also has Swiss cheese and Russian dressing served between Rye bread. You'll want to toast the sandwich to get the Swiss cheese all melty and the Pastrami hot. Here is a video of how I make mine using corned beef -- substitute with Pastrami on this auspicious day!

 

NYC isn't the only game in town for Pastrami. We have our local noshing citadels all over L.A., from Canter's Deli on Fairfax Avenue to Langer's Delicatessen, voted the top-rated Pastrami Sandwich in Los Angeles!

Lately, I've been putting sauerkraut on my Pastrami Sammies. Add Swiss cheese and Russian dressing again, and you have a Reuben Sandwich. 

I just use Sauerkraut from the jar or a can and that's tasty enough and cheap too.

Believe it or not but Rye Bread and Swiss Cheese, well at least a Swiss Cheese blend, show up at my local 99c only Store every once in a while - it's the kind of cheap$kate deal you have to jump on.

Here's a video of my Homemade Reuben Sandwich, again it's made with corned beef, but that's easy enough to swap out for Pastrami.

Now if you don't want to spend your hard-earned bucks on a nearly $20 Pastrami Sandwich, how about making a whole Pastrami from a slab of Corned Beef, and for half the price?

Yep, and this is how I do it. I buy whole Corned Beef when it's for sale during St. Patrick's Day for about $2 per pound. Next, I cook the Corned Beef according to the package directions. Finally, I give it an hour of smoking in my gas grill.

So check out my easy-to-follow recipe and make your own Pastrami Sandwiches at home.

Easy Homemade Deli Pastrami - VIDEO

So is a burrito a sandwich? Hmmm...well, I say it's an honorary sammie.  There is a wild fast food joint in L.A. called World Famous Oki Dog and they make a burrito with two hot dogs, chili, and hot pastrami all wrapped in a large flour tortilla!

I can barely finish one, but if you're a hungry teenager from nearby Fairfax High School then that is not a problem. This culinary car crash of flavors is so outrageous I had to make a video about it.

I'll end this National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day on a wacky note with my Oki Dog video below -- this may be the only time you will need to take a Tums to get through it.