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 !!

Mom's Sugar-Free Cupcakes - Video Recipe

Diabetes runs in my Mother's family, so she will make Sugar-Free Cupcakes to take to her little brother, David, in Port O'Connor, Texas.

We were about to head out to visit her brother in Texas for his birthday, from her home in Louisiana, so I got her to show me the recipe. She uses a Sugar-Free Cake Mix from the box and Sugar-Free Frosting from the cardboard can, both sugar-free. It's an easy recipe anyone can make.

Party with Uncle David & the rest of the family.

My Uncle David was like a big brother to me in my grade school years in Port O'Connor. He is the youngest sibling and I am the oldest sibling, and he is just a year and a half older than me.

                                                Billy, Berry & Uncle David

Boy did we get in a lot of hijinx together, along with Berry, my younger brother, like shooting spitballs and tossing ice in the local theater when the movie was boring. 

One time Uncle David talked Berry into crawling around wearing a cardboard box like a turtle while we took aim with a BB gun from the roof of an abandoned house next door, and Berry would yell out when hit...hey, Uncle David and I were quite a distance away, and lousy shots at that. I could go on and on with other deeds.

Of course, Mom still sees him as a little brother to look after and worry about. Uncle David is turning 70 this year and his adult children are throwing him a big birthday bash in January...Happy birthday Uncle David!  

Uncle David and his crew are master home builders in Port O'Connor, Texas. Take my word for it and ask anyone in town, if you ever visit this sportsman's paradise. 

His contact info for Vasquez Construction is a click away here.

At the end of this recipe video, Mom hands out her Sugar-Free Cupcakes to a motley crew including the Swamp Chef, the 99Cent Chef, her grandson Zak along with his dog Marshall, and Uncle David, of course. 

The main Sugar-Free Cupcake box ingredient is flour, but there are other additives and artificial sweeteners that I am unsure of. As for the Sugar-Free Vanilla Frosting, it's mainly maltitol syrup and palm oil. Just read the labels below for all the ingredients. 

Click on any photo to see larger.

These are actually very tasty Cupcakes, light and fluffy with the right amount of sweetness. I wouldn't necessarily have them very often but whatever Mom cooks I will eat, as she has a delicious track record. 

For the recipe, you have to supply the wet ingredients of vegetable oil, 3 eggs, and water. I still get oil and eggs on the cheap at my local Dollar Tree.

The Sugar-Free Cake mixes are less than three bucks. I find regular Cake mixes and Frosting for around a buck each.

You blend the combined ingredients for a couple of minutes with an electric mixer, or as Mom says, before there were electric mixers she would do it with a large fork or spoon for about 5 minutes. 

The trick is to fill each paper Cupcake 3/4 full. Leave a little room so the finished Cupcake rises a little higher over top of the paper cup. It will create a nice round dome. If you fill the cups all the way to the top, they may overflow too much and look sloppy.

Bake the Cupcakes in a preheated 325-degree oven for about 20 minutes. When done allow them to cool down before adding the Sugar-Free Frosting. Hot Cupcakes will melt Frosting. 

She also uses paper cups placed into a cupcake pan so it is less messy and it's just cleaner to hold a papered Cupcake with your hands. 

That's about it. If you are looking for a tasty, easy, and quick Sugar-Free Cupcake recipe then watch my Mom's video below.

Mom's Sugar-Free Cupcakes - Video              Play it here. Video runs 7 minutes, 38 seconds.

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

Ingredients according to the Cupcake Box directions (makes about 20 Cupcakes.)

• 1 Package Sugar-Free Cake Mix - Mom uses Yellow Cake Mix from the box.
• 1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil 
• 3 Eggs
• 1 Cup of Water
• Paper Cupcake Holders - optional. Okay to lightly coat a cupcake pan with oil. Easiest to use a canned oil spray. A non-stick cupcake pan is an option.

Directions

Follow the Cake box directions. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Typically. add dry ingredients to a large bowl. Add three eggs. 

Pour in 1/3 cup of vegetable oil and one cup of water.

Mix well. Mom uses an electric mixer for about 2 minutes, until well blended into a batter.

Okay, to hand mix ingredients with a large spoon, fork, or whisk. It will take twice as long, about 4 to 5 minutes of mixing. You want a smooth batter without lumps of flour.

Add paper cups to the Cupcake pan. Or, it's okay to lightly spray/ coat the Cupcake pan with oil.

Fill each paper Cupcake 3/4 full. Leave a little room so the finished Cupcake rises a little higher over top of the paper cup. It will create a nice round dome. If you fill the cups all the way to the top, they may overflow too much and look sloppy.

Add the filled Cupcake pan(s) to the 325-degree preheated oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Cupcakes will rise and lightly brown. Remove when done.

Allow the Cupcakes to cool down for about 15 to 20 minutes before adding the Frosting. Mom gives the done Cupcakes a "bounce" test. Lightly press the top of the Cupcake and it should return to its original shape. Cupcakes will continue to cook for a little while as they cool down.

Always best to try one out before you serve to kids or guests to check for doneness. 

When Cupcakes are cool to the touch, smear on the Sugar-Free Frosting with a butter knife or the bottom of a spoon. Add as much or as little as you like.

Cupcakes will keep a couple of days at room temperature, any longer you should keep them in the refrigerator...if they last that long!

National Spaghetti Day

Twirling spaghetti strands is such a satisfying way to eat. On National Spaghetti Day you can twirl away with my many tasty recipes. Be sure to click on any recipe name to be redirected to the original recipe blog post for all the budget ingredients of yore and yummy details.

You know how cheap spaghetti is to buy and quick to boil. I like mine al dente, so I shave off a minute or two of the cooking time. My recipes go from creamy to filled with fresh veggies and tins of seafood.

In my second month of blogging way back in 2007, one of my first cheap$kate meals was Baby Clams & Spaghetti. 

They still sell small cans of Chopped Clams at my local 99c only Store and Dollar Tree. They also sell cheap Parmesan or a close facsimile.

I kick the pasta sauce up a notch with the addition of sauteed bacon and some veggies then finish it off with white wine and the baby clams -- all inexpensive ingredients (you only need a splash of wine - I used to get bottles for 99 cents when I created this recipe over a decade ago!)

I haven't tried this cheap seafood over pasta yet but now I have something to try out soon.

And this last year I continue to mix canned seafood with pasta. I used canned Sardines in Tomato Sauce I found for $1.29. It is enough for a hearty serving.

All I did was heat up the Sardines with Tomato Sauce while boiling spaghetti and then plating it. Check out below how fast it all comes together.

Next, I have to say Pasta all Carbonara is near the top of the Spaghetti list. Swirling bacon, parmesan, and creamy egg yolk through al dente spaghetti is my favorite pasta pastime. 

And my version uses cooked Bacon Bits from a small bag. You can use fresh sauteed bacon or pancetta if you like. 

If you mix the egg yolk into hot pasta the yolk thickens and cooks, maybe not enough to satisfy egg salmonella purist, but so far I have not had a problem. I gotta roll the dice sometimes for this decadent entree.

Mushroom and pasta belong together and my next Spaghetti dish has it all. 

I made mine with inexpensive sour cream instead of heavy cream and it turned out fine, so give my Creamy Mushrooms and Spaghetti a go.

My Nephew Zak is one hell of a cook working in kitchen joints since high school.

Pine nuts, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and angel hair pasta or thin spaghetti, and you have the makings of a heck of a pasta dish to show off. Cajun-style Tuscan Primavera Pasta is a mouthful worth seconds.

Look at the Salami choices I still find for 99.99 cents! So you know I'm gonna come up with some cheap$kate recipes and Salami & Spaghetti is a winner.

Of course, the recipe is deliciously simple to make by heating a little onion, garlic, and salami then mixing in the cooked spaghetti with a little pasta water.

 

Pasta with Kale and that's about it. I saute the kale with a little garlic in olive oil.

You can't get creamier than a plate of Fettucini Alfredo. And this recipe is a ripoff of the Olive Garden. 

All it is is heavy cream, half and half, or whipping cream, any way you pour it. It is made with fettuccini, but you know it's easy enough to replace with spaghetti.

On the Cheap$kate Dining Scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best...well, click here to read what a perfect 9 tastes like.

And I got it for a buck. You don't run across Cheap$kale Deals like this these days, so this is a flashback recipe review. Hey, if you have to pay full price, it still a decent deal.

I used to hate Brussels Sprouts but now I love them, even mixed into pasta.

Brussels Sprouts in Pasta holds up well when sauteed soft in butter, but you can keep it vegan using olive oil instead.

My next Flashback Deal of the Day gets a high rating and it's Lean Cuisine again.

You can't get more basic than Spaghetti with Meat Sauce. And it's got the right stuff in it.

It's not a lot but every bite is spot on...for a cheap frozen meal.

A most decadent Spaghetti entre is my meaty Pasta all Genovese. It is a wild combination of French Onion Soup and hearty meat sauce. Just cook the heck out of a pile of sliced cheap onions and a budget cut of beef. 

I like beef shank as it braises beautifully. My original recipe finished with penne pasta, but you can use spaghetti, of course.