A Traditional Sauce

Ok, so I scoured the net for a traditional Bolognese sauce recipe because I wanted to attempt a traditional version. The recipe, however, uses diced pancetta -- which wasn't available at the local Food Mart. So I substituted diced ham. Probably bacon would work too. Also, it calls for wine... but since I never have wine around the house or even know what kind to use for cooking, I skipped it. There's not a whole lot of tomato in this either. They say that Bolognese is not a tomato sauce with meat. It's a meat sauce with a bit of tomato in it.

Here's my "on the cheap" and simplified version...

Bolognese Sauce

1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced celery
1 large onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 package diced ham (about 8 oz.)
1 lb. ground pork
1 cup whole milk
1 can tomato sauce
olive oil
salt and pepper


Fry ham in olive oil for a few minutes until it sizzles. Add carrots, celery, and onions and mix and fry until vegetables are translucent. Mix salt and pepper into ground pork and add pork into vegetable/ham mix. Stir until pork crumbles and browns. There should be some liquid still in the pot from the oil, meat and vegetables. Add tomato sauce and garlic. Then add whole milk gradually, slowly mixing it in and stirring well each time.

I made only the sauce tonight to make it easy on myself. Tomorrow, I'll cook up the spaghetti and serve the dish with garlic bread.

More Recipes on a Budget

Ok, here's another one I made just the other day. I love love love this one for barbecue (and summer is just about here, so there is lots of opportunity to cook on the grill!) But this version I made for the oven.

Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken (instructions for grilled version follows)

2 lbs. chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons lemon pepper

This one can be more expensive if you buy the boneless, skinless chicken breasts. But cheaper with the bone and skin on and you just remove it yourself. Anyway, lightly season chicken with salt and pepper. Use a fork and pierce chicken all over. Combine olive oil, lemon juice, and lemon pepper and marinate chicken into this mixture for a few hours (overnight is best). When ready, put chicken in baking pan, pour marinade over, and bake in 350 degree oven for 45 min to 1 hour, checking for doneness.

For grilled version, definately marinate overnight. When grilling, use the oil/lemon juice/lemon pepper marinade to baste chicken.

Here's my side dish...

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

4 large russet potatoes
1 whole bulb of garlic
olive oil
1 cup whole milk
2 - 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
salt and pepper to taste

Boil potatoes in large pot of water for 30 to 40 minutes. Meanwhile, bake a whole bulb of garlic with a little olive oil drizzled on it and wrapped in foil in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes. When potatoes are done, peel and mash. When garlic is done, peel and squeeze out the roasted garlic. Add to potatoes and continue to mash. Add butter/margarine and milk slowly and mash until desired consistency, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

My Other Passion...

Ok, so I've seemingly have gotten behind on my personal challenge to remain creative for this month. However, I will say that I've been keeping busy with some other creative endeavors this week... cooking! Yes, one can only take so much of "take out" before longing for some nice home made food.



I've been on this "Top Chef" kick for the last few weeks too. I totally love that show! They had this one challenge where the contestants are supposed to cook a family meal for 10 dollars... 10 DOLLARS!!! Wow. But they came up with the most incredible meals that I was so inspired to come up with budget menus of my own.

Ok, so here's the first one that I'll post. Not sure if they will all be under $10... but I'm trying to make them affordable, easy, as well as tasty.

Balsamic Vinegar and Honey Pork Chops

2 lb. package of pork chops
salt and pepper
1-2 tablespoon oil
3 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup honey

Season pork chops with salt and pepper, and fry in frying pan with oil for a few minutes until browned. Not too long or else the meat will be tough. Combine vinegar and honey and pour over porkshops in pan, and continue to cook for a couple of minutes until porkchops are coated with vinegar/honey mixture. Remove from heat and serve with rice, or couscous, or scalloped potatoes. (my scalloped potatoes came from a box)