This is going to my my new Hub "thing". Cooking with Chez SandyCakes!!

Considering the cost of groceries is going up and our time is fleeting without reservations I will bring to you something way better than Rachel Ray, (you have noticed she has gained a few...right? Hint, hint).

All the recipes I present are simple, cheap and friggin good! Can I coin that? I just did. Cooking with SandyCakes is friggin good! Everything I cook is heart healthy, filling and can serve a family on a small budget.

I grew up in a family of six and started cooking when I was about six. I prepared my first Thanksgiving dinner when I was ten and I am constantly remaking recipes to suit my budget. Don't worry you wont miss an ounce of flavor because everything I make is friggin good!

I almost always have some onions, garlic, salt, pepper, flour, paprika, stewed or fresh tomatoes (I put those in the fridge), a couple cans of cream of mushroom soup or cream of chicken soup. Some pasta's, I really like the Organics from Vons or Safeway, but I almost always end up with whatever is 10 for 10.

I also keep rice, potatos, bread, milk, cheese, eggs, butter, olive oil or some sort of cooking oil, chicken breast or thighs, ground turkey or hamberger, pork loins or chops, some sausage links and steak in the freezer.

With all these ingredients you should be set for nearly every recipet I supply. Pay attention and good luck. I once tried to give cooking directions to a guy over the phone. I really didn't know I needed to be specific about keeping water in the pan. Umm...You get what I mean, use your common sense and by all means if you don't have an ingredient, substitute it baby!

Tonight we are having a pancetta with spinach mushroom cream sauce over pasta.I am choosing bow ties today because they're my favorite.

Ingredients:

1. pancetta (you can find it prepackaged in the deli section for about 4$.
2. milk (any kind of milk, though I don't recommend skim)
3. a package of small or button sized portobello mushrooms, or a large one cut up into small pieces is good too.
4. a "thing of spinach" fresh spinach if you use the kind out of the can it will be gross and fresh spinach is pretty cheap, a buck or two.
5. some flour
6. an onion
7. some garlic
8. salt
9. pepper
10. pasta
11. butter
12. olive oil (use any kind you have)

Before we get started, if you bought a spinach bundle that was not prepackaged, make sure you rinse it, pull of the stems and let it dry otherwise you will have dirt and too much water in your sauce. Also, chop up your pancetta, mushrooms and start your pasta. Trust me, you will want to be prepared before you start.

Having said that, and I hope you are paying attention otherwise you will be sorry, let's get started.

First, we need to build a rue. It is much easier than it sounds.

1. cut up some onions and garlic
2. put some butter and olive oil in you pan
3. let them cook down until the onions are translucent or light brown. (don't add your garlic right away or they will burn and burnt garlic is not always that good)
4. toss in the chopped pancetta, let it cook for a few minutes.
5. after you onions are cooked down, take a tablespoon of flour and throw it in, you may need more if you are cooking for a larger group. The onions and stuff will turn into a paste really fast, so have your milk ready. Stir it up a bit too. Don't just toss it in and do nothing, you gotta stir it.

I like to add my salt and pepper during the ruing process but that is just me, you can add salt and pepper later if you want. However, with this dish you will want to take it easy on the salt because the pancetta is pretty salty already.

Next, the sauce using the same pan...

1. add a splash of milk, let the rue thicken, add some more, let it thicken. Keep doing it until your sauce looks a little runny, but not too watery because your sauce will thicken as it cools.
2. put in the mushrooms and spinach and let it cook on super medium low to low for about 20 minutes or until your sauce looks gourmet.

That's it, done! Pour it over your pasta and you are good to go. It is friggin good! This meal only takes about 30 minutes from the time you start cooking, but I like to push it 45 to an hour just to look like I slaved over a gourmet meal.

I don't know yet, but take the Chez SandyCakes challenge. Let me know what you have in your fridge and I can tell you what to make with it and I know it will be friggin good!

If you have any questions about substitutions that are good without taking away the flavor, hit me a comment. If you have something in mind for tomorrow, let me know.