While living overseas, Cheap and I find ourselves longing for maple syrup. At least in the States you have an assortment of inexpensive, flavored maple syrup or the real stuff (which we prefer). Here the real stuff is doubly expensive Canadian Maple Syrup and there's no way we're forking over $10 for a small bottle. This is a tasty alternative from the more traditional and can really be a fab twist for special occasions.

Ingredients:
1 cup honey
1/2 cup water
1/2 tea vanilla or almond extract (I prefer almond but both work well)

Directions:
(Watch-out, they're incredibly intricate instructions)
Dump everything into a microwave safe bowl/mini-pitcher and nuke it (around 30 seconds depending on the size of your microwave oven) Use it as you would traditional maple.

Cheap and I really like the bright, natural flavors of this. Surprise your family and friends and look like a gourmet. Enjoy!

In a bind? Need a side dish without much prep?

Ingredients:
As many baking potatoes as will do the trick
As many chopped onions as you like (I like LOTS)
Melted butter or oil
Salt to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven 400F

Slice the baking potatoes lengthwise into thirds

Combine with onion

Drizzle butter or oil so that each tater and onion is lightly coated (salt to taste)

Whack it in the oven for 45 min or until golden.

Voilà!

Another option: Stick potatoes in a plastic bag and take a meat mallet to them so they get properly smashed into bits. Dump into pan and then continue with the recipe. Sweet Pea thought this method was hilarious.


Very cheap, very easy.

The Quesadilla is always a great standby. Everyone inevitably has one of those "before the market" type evenings, where you try to mix and match all the bits of food you have left. I can usually scrounge up tortillas in the freezer and some leftover cheese. From that point you can make "garbage quesadillas" filling the bad-boy with crazy leftovers or you can do something like this... (this might take a little more planning because I'm sure not all of you have chorizo in your freezer-I'm just a dried sausage freak)

Ingredients:
(Serves 4)
4 large (burrito size) tortillas
2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 6in sausage of dried chorizo (give or take as much as you like)
2 cloves minced garlic or 1 tea garlic powder
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cups frozen 3 pepper medley (I find this way cheaper than buying individual peppers. Trader Joe's for US, Tesco for UK)
1 cup frozen corn
salt to taste

Directions:

In a skillet add 1 Tbs oil and sauté chorizo, garlic, onion, pepper medley over hot/med-hot.

When sauté is beginning to brown, add corn. (I find that if you add corn with peppers/onion the corn dries out) Once peppers, onion, corn, etc.. are browned put the sauté to the side.

Put 1 tortilla on the hot skillet and add 1/2 cup cheese. Fill half side of the tortilla with the the sauté and fold tortilla over (like you would a taco).

Pan fry until cheese melts inside. Repeat with the other 3 tortillas.

The chorizo adds a nice surprise to these quesadillas and a little goes a long way with all the flavor chorizo has packed in side. We like to smother this dish with sour cream and salsa. The picture is pre-smother, obviously.