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.

Black-eyed Peas & Collard Greens for New Years Day - Video Recipes

Starting the New Year with Black-eyed Peas and Greens is a Southern tradition signifying good luck and prosperity. I'm not superstitious but what the heck, might as well just in case?

Peas represent coins and Collards are the green color of money. And you are visiting the right place, this Internet Chef likes cooking for cheap so you will save mucho dinero following my recipes. Black-eyed Peas and Collard Green have a lot of flavor the way I make them, so read on and see how much bang for the buck I deliver...free of charge!

I can honestly say I did not care for Black-eyed Peas as a kid as they were usually heated up right out of the can, but over time I have grown to savor them, especially when they are homemade. 

 My Black-eyed Peas video recipe below has the addition of a leftover hambone or ham hock. Ham is still cheaper than a buck a pound, but make sure to get it bone-in so you can add it to the Black-eyed Peas. Ham hock is more expensive but you are buying a small cut of pork.

The main vegetable additions are onion, garlic, and celery. If you are vegan it's easy enough to leave out the ham and add extra veggies like carrot and bell pepper. And for that smokey ham flavor add a few drops of Liquid Smoke.  

And for the New Year's Day Celebration, my Black-eyed Peas just need some rice to make the Southern traditional Hoppin' Johns. You can cook some rice (about 20 minutes of simmering, covered) with the finished Black-eyed Peas or steam the rice separately and add the Black-eyed Peas when you are ready to celebrate.

Check out my easy-to-make Black-eyed Peas video recipe below and click here to see my original blog post's step-by-step directions with yummy photos and tasty text. 

As for Collard Greens, I never had them until I started High School in Louisiana. We'd get them sometimes in the cafeteria for lunch and if you went to a local country-style restaurant or BBQ joint they were on the menu somewhere and they were always loaded with bacon or ham, of course.

My late wife Amy found a recipe she would make all the time and I fell in love with it, too. What makes the recipe over the top is the addition of a bottle of beer, a tablespoon of molasses, and a small splash of vinegar.  Bacon is included, too, but you can substitute it with a few drops of liquid smoke and make this a vegan entree. 

I get Greens here for about a dollar per bunch -- that's still a good and cheap deal. So check out my recipe video below and click here to see my original blog post and all the yummy details. 

Simplest to serve Black-eyed Peas and Collard Greens with white rice, and a hotlink, or Mom's Jambalaya!

How about combining Black-eyed Peas with Collard Greens. I came up with this tasty combo and it works! This is a recipe for all my vegan visitors. I even throw in some okra for extra Southern Cuisine flavor. Check out my recipe video below for all the delicious details.

! HAPPY NEW YEAR !