Pizzaghetti... just trust me on this one.

I thought I'd spice things up just a bit with this one... I know this sounds like a really odd combination, but I'm here to tell you, it was one of the most delicious meals I've had in a while. Try it and let me know if it works for you, or if mom and I are just the weirdos we've always felt like we are. hehe

Pizzaghetti

1 lb ground meat (I like turkey, but if you use beef, try to get 80/20 if you can.. it'll be so much better)

2 bell peppers (it's prettier if you use two different colors!)

1 cup diced onions

1 tbsp jar garlic

1 can tomato paste

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup Parmesan

1 tbsp Italian seasoning (or 1/2 tsp each oregano, thyme and basil)

salt and pepper to taste

dice peppers to 1/4 inch pieces. add seasoning, onion, garlic and peppers to dutch oven over med high heat and cook until onions are caramelized and peppers are quite soft. add tomato paste and let brown. add meat and stir occasionally until all meant is no longer pink. at this point, all the grease will have released from the meat and it will start to actually brown. you will have to keep an eye on it at this point so it doesn't get TOO dark, but you want all the meat to get truly brown. this will make the flavor so much richer. Serve with Parmesan and enjoy!

That's pretty much it. Once everything is good and brown, you are ready to serve. It tastes like pizza like this, but if you serve it over crispy garlic toast, you've now got the crust along with all the toppings! Just like a supreme pizza! If you're interested, I'm sure this would make a fantastic pasta sauce too. Let me know if you try it and it's good! :) Just remember, always make it e-Sally!

Tomato Gravy? hmmm.....

I use this recipe as the base for my spaghetti sauce, with either ground pork or turkey, and sometimes don't even use pasta! This is wonderful over crispy garlic toast! Mom and I have also used this as gravy for mashed potatoes and it was delicious! Tonight, however, I made up the sauce, added about 2 cups of frozen cut green beans and poured the gravy into a roasting pan. Then I split a whole roasting chicken down the middle (spine side) and laid him out on top of the gravy, covered him with a little mayo (but you can use butter or a good olive oil), a little salt and pepper and roasted at 350 for 45 minutes. He wasn't as brown and crispy as we wanted, so I cranked the heat to 400 and put back in for another 20 minutes. PERFECT! It was delicious served with mashed potatoes! Enjoy! :)

Tomato Gravy

1 large can tomato paste
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup white or red wine (optional)
1/2 tsp jar ginger
2 tbsp jar garlic
1/2 cup diced onion (I prefer green for this)
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

add olive oil to deep skillet or dutch oven on med high heat and add garlic, ginger and onions. saute until onions start to carmalize. add tomato paste and let brown - about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. add chicken broth, diced tomatoes and wine (if using). taste for salt and pepper and add what's needed. turn heat down to med low and let simmer for about 1/2 hour, stirring occasionally.

That's it! As I said, there are many uses for this gravy. Please try one of these, or your own idea, and let me know how it turns out! Either way, remember that everyday cooking can be made fancy e-Sally!

Chicken and Grapefruit Salad.. mmmmmmmm

So, I've never really been a fan of grapefruit, but mom LOVES this stuff! I had tried it once before and it was alright but I wasn't convinced it was something I would ever really enjoy. Well, I put it together Saturday night for dinner Sunday, and guess what? It was FANTASTIC! I suppose mom really is right, "Your tastes are constantly changing so be open-minded!" Just go with me on this one if you aren't a fan of grapefruit. If you aren't already a fan of grapefruit, please try it and let me know if this changes your mind. However, if you already do enjoy grapefruit, I assure you this will be the most light and refreshing summer meals you've ever had! Enjoy!

Chicken and Grapefruit Salad

chicken prepared however you prefer

(we used Banquet whole fried chicken but have used KFC popcorn chicken in the past.. I think it would also be good with grilled or roasted chicken too!) {mom says grilled and roasted really are good!}

jarred grapefruit

mayonnaise or salad dressing

your favorite lightly salted roasted nuts/seeds

(we use pumpkin seeds, but I think sunflower seeds would be fantastic)

Cut or shred chicken into bite-sized pieces. DRAIN GRAPEFRUIT for at least an hour in a colander!!! This is very important. If you skip this step, you will end up with cold soup, not salad. Add grapefruit, chopped to bite-sized pieces as well, and stir together. Now add mayo (or salad dressing) and stir together. Then add nuts/seeds and stir some more. Let sit for at least an hour before serving, but serve at room temperature. YUM!

SIDE NOTE: From our experience, this recipe works best at a proportion of 1/3 chicken to 2/3 grapefruit.

P.S. We do this the night before (at least) as it really needs that time to sit to really let all the flavors meld together and become what it needs to be. Also, there are not specific measurements because you can make this in just a single serving, enough to feed your family of 6, a cool Saturday lunch for you and your sweetie and it holds up really well in the fridge for up to a week (covered, of course). Very e-Sally made! :)

tarragon chicken and rice

This was a song that always brought me warm fuzzy feelings as a child. It also just happens to bring to mind recipes like this one. hehe Enjoy, and cook it e-Sally!!

i told you once, i told you twice
all seasons of the year are nice
for eating chicken soup,
eating chicken soup with rice
chicken soup, chicken soup with rice

written by King, Carole/Sendak, Maurice

Tarragon Chicken & Rice
makes 4 servings


4 chicken thighs (bone in, skin on)
2 cups rice
1 lg lemon (thinly sliced)
1 tbsp dried tarragon
1/2 cup dry white wine (optional)
extra chicken broth (for browning)
8 cups water
salt/pepper to taste

in dutch oven, bring chicken, sliced lemon, tarragon, salt and pepper to boil on med high heat. turn heat down to med low and simmer 45 minutes. remove chicken and let cool. turn heat back up to med high and let boil again. once boiling, add rice and stir. cover and lower heat to med low for 23-25 mins (follow package instructions). while rice is cooking, de-bone chicken and set aside. when rice is done (not all liquid will be absorbed yet) uncover, stir in chicken and turn heat back up to med high. this is where you may need to add more liquid for the browning process to take effect. if the rice is too dry, it will scorch (and nobody likes scorched rice!). stir rice and liquid together then leave for 5 minutes. go back and stir again, adding about a cup of broth if it's dry and then leave another 5 minutes. repeat this process until rice comes to a moist creamy consistency and it achieves the right level of golden brown for your taste!

P.S. this is one of those things that just gets better after a night in the fridge, but I don't recommend eating at anything cooler than room temperature! ;)

Our Aloo Gobi.. if you've never had it, IT'S WORTH IT!!!

This is something I'd never heard of, but my mother was very interested in so we went for it. She was telling me more or less how to do it and I cringed a little inside, it just sounded like SO much work but it sounded good, so away we went. As it turns out, it really is a lot of work, but the end result was way more than just worth it. It was SO good!!! If it sounds like too much work, or if you get a little scared.. don't worry. I'll be right here to hold your hand through it! It can be done, e-Sally! :)

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp jar ginger

2 tsp jar garlic

1 c frozen chopped onions (thawed and dried)

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets

2 med russet potatoes, diced into cubes

1 tsp chili powder

2 tsp coriander powder

2 tsp turmeric powder

chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1 small can chopped mild green chili's

2 + tsp salt

measure out onion, garlic, ginger, chili's and have ready. chop cauliflower and potatoes (but leave separate, will be cooked at different times). I chopped to just about 1/2 inch pieces. measure out cumin seeds. measure out chili powder, coriander and turmeric (to be put in together). Trust me, doing all this ahead of time will save your sanity!!!

in large wok or dutch over (i used dutch oven), over med heat, add olive oil and cumin seeds. toast until seeds begin to pop, then add turmeric and toast for few seconds more. add garlic, ginger and green chili's and saute until aroma arises. (about 30 seconds) add onions and stir to combine and saute for 8-9 minutes. add cauliflower to onion mixture and stir to combine. now add about tsp salt, chili powder and coriander powder and combine. leave cooking 5-6 minutes, then add potatoes and stir to ensure that everything is coated with spices. cover and reduce heat to med low for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring every 5 or 6 minutes to ensure that everything gets browned evenly, and until potatoes are fork tender. add another tsp salt and taste, add more if needed. add in chopped cilantro and combine, remove from heat and serve. makes about 6 servings

variations: I stirred in about 3 cups chopped dark meat chicken to make meal complete. feel free to use boneless skinless chicken breasts if you prefer, but I'm telling you, the flavor from dark meat will make this the best you'll ever have!

Madeleines (the easy way!)

My mother and I were looking for a fun, relatively easy cookie recipe the other night and I was searching through all her cookbooks she's had since my early childhood (or earlier) and ran across one for Madeleines. I'd never had them (or made them, for that matter) but it sounded pretty easy and the recipe said we could make them in a regular muffin tin rather than buying the expensive French tin that you're SUPPOSED to use. So we try it, and they are delicious! Turns out, the muffin tin works just fine, though they aren't nearly as cute. Anyway, so here is the original recipe, along with one variation we've tried so far! Enjoy!





1 c sugar

3 small (or 2 large/jumbo) eggs
1/2 c butter (melted)

1/2 tsp vanilla OR grated lemon rind
1 c flour

pinch salt
1 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 325 degrees
beat sugar and eggs together until light and lemon colored. stir in flour, baking powder and salt until no lumps. add melted butter and vanilla OR lemon rind and stir until completely incorporated. lightly butter tin and fill (only 1/4 full for regular muffin tins). bake 20 mins, or until just lightly brown around edges. makes approximately 24 cookies. Original recipe from Kaye Johns Family Cookbook.


VARIATION: We added two tbsp cocoa powder and they were fantastic!

P.S. If you aren't already aware, we are ALWAYS trying new things with existing recipes. We like to see if other things will work, add more flavor, substitute if we're out of things.. I'll be sure and let you know if something we try DIDN'T work, but most of the time, it turns out just fine (and sometimes, even better than the original!) Cook it e-Sally!

This may sound familiar, but....

I, along with my mother, have decided to create a blog about the things we come up with to cook. She has most of the ideas, but I do all the cooking. It's super fun, and we thought that somewhere out there, people might be looking for new things for dinner but might be scared to try them. I'm here to tell you, we only use the easiest ways possible to make the most incredible food you'll ever eat! Trust me, there is absolutely NO reason to be afraid of ANY of these recipes!