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A Life From Scratch.

A Life You Adore Around A Table You Love.

3 minute dinner.

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3 minute dinner rotisserie chicken pesto fresh pasta

First it was the ever so famous 30 minute meal. Then it went to 15 minutes, then 10. But now? Meet the 3 minute dinner. Seriously. 

As a part of my Dinner: Impossible rotisserie chicken post, I had my eye on this recipe. It totally played off of this concept, which I’m a huge fan of, and adding warm rotisserie chicken on top? Genius.

Not to mention once I got my water boiling, the (fresh) pasta cooked for 90 seconds. I drained it, swirled in the pesto, plopped it in a bowl, and topped with sliced chicken, parm, and freshly cracked pepper in under 3 minutes. 

Ok – does it get any easier? (Or more delicious?)

No. It doesn’t.
C

Rustic chicken casserole.

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rustic chicken casserole
Steve Goering, this one’s for you…

While researching my Dinner: Impossible rotisserie chicken post, a rustic chicken casserole recipe popped up and I knew I had a winner.

Well, kind of.

No offense, Martha Stewart, but it seemed a little, well, bland. So I didn’t adapt the recipe you see below, making just a few minor tweaks here and there to the original. No, I sort of rewrote it. Martha’s was a great starting point for sure, and for that I’m forever thankful.

I mean, when you posts pics like the above on Instagram and get this type of response? Well, that’s the entire point.

photo-6

Well, wait no more Steve. And super darling Becca, who I have a feeling will be the one whipping up this rustic chicken casserole…

Rustic Chicken Casserole
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Ingredients
  1. 2 cups torn bread, I used ciabatta
  2. 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  3. Lawry's seasoning (2 TBS or so)
  4. Palmful of parmesan
  5. Coarse salt and ground pepper
  6. 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
  7. 3 garlic cloves, minced
  8. 1 TBS freshly minced thyme
  9. 1/4 cup white wine
  10. 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  11. 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
  12. 4 cups packed flat-leaf spinach, washed and chopped
  13. 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  14. 1.5 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
  15. Extra parm, for sprinkling
Instructions
  1. Rip up your bread into large chunks and put in a bowl. Toss generously with olive oil, Lawry's seasoning, parm, and salt & pepper.
  2. Heat up a large skillet over medium heat with a little olive oil. Saute onion until softened. Add in garlic and thyme and cook another minute.
  3. Pour in wine and cook until mostly reduced.
  4. Add in flour, cook for 30 seconds.
  5. Slowly whisk in half and half to create the sauce. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer. Stir in your chopped up spinach to cook until wilted, an additional minute or so.
  6. Stir in sprinkle of fresh lemon juice and chicken.
  7. Pour into a small casserole dish and top with prepared breadcrumbs. Top the whole thing with extra parm, just for good measure.
  8. Into the oven it goes at 450 degrees until bread is golden brown, roughly 10 minutes.
A Life From Scratch. http://a-life-from-scratch.com/

Smells like 10.

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Czechoslovakian Soup
Oh my. Does this Czechoslovakian Soup recipe bring back memories. I love when a smell jolts you back a few decades to the happy and carefree time of being 10, when the only worries in the world were Friday spelling tests and who to play with at recess. I’d get off the bus, run home, and be oh so happy when this smell (and my sisters) greeted me at the door. It’s unlike any other. 

What can I say? Even at 10 I. liked. to. eat. Give me the beef bones, the short ribs, the softened carrots, the perfectly browned dumplings on the side. I wanted it all. 

This passed down recipe came from one of my mom’s friends, and it’s as authentic as they come. The coolest part of this recipe, at least to me, is using all the beef bones. I love all that stuff – the meatier and bonier, the better. You throw them all in a big tray with some spices and veggies and roast away until softened and tender. After that all that flavor is scraped along with the other ingredients to simmer away the day in a big pot. As far as rich and flavorful soups go, aside from the roasting and the simmering there isn’t all that much to this one. It comes together beautifully and will last all week.

That is, if you don’t eat it all right away.

Czechoslovakian Soup
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Ingredients
  1. 2 lbs beef bones
  2. 2 lbs short ribs
  3. 1 cup onion, chopped
  4. 3 carrots, chopped
  5. 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
  6. 1 bay leaf
  7. 1 tsp dried thyme
  8. 1/2 tsp paprika
  9. 8 cups water
  10. 1 head cabbage, chopped
  11. 1 lbs canned tomatoes, diced
  12. 2 tsp salt
  13. 3/4 tsp tabasco
  14. 1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley
  15. 3 TBS lemon juice
  16. 2 TBS sugar
  17. 1 1lbs can sauerkraut
Instructions
  1. Place beef bones, onion, carrots, garlic, and bay leaf in roasting pan. Top with short ribs. Sprinkle with thyme and paprika and roast uncovered at 425 degrees for 25 minutes.
  2. Transfer meat and vegetables into a large pot, scarping the browned meat bits from bottom.
  3. Add water, cabbage, tomatoes, salt and tabasco and bring to a boil. Cover and let simmer 1 1/2 hours.
  4. Skim off the fat from the surface.
  5. Add parsley, lemon juice, sugar, and sauerkraut. Cook uncovered another hour.
  6. Remove beef bones and short ribs from pot. Once cooled, remove meat and return to the pot. Discard the bones.
  7. Simmer low until dinner, adjusting the seasonings as needed.
Adapted from Mary Nelson
Adapted from Mary Nelson
A Life From Scratch. http://a-life-from-scratch.com/

Ignorance is bliss. (round two).

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Chicken Tikka Masala
Dinner with M can be so entertaining at times. Over the years I’ve learned that it’s important to, I’m not going to say lie, but definitely tweak the truth a bit when it comes to dishing up a rather daring recipe for my meat and potatoes guy.

Take this (incredible!) Chicken Tikka Masala dish for example.

When asked what I was making for dinner during our once a day phone call, I responded “oh! It’s a new chicken crockpot dish. Smells awesome already.”

“So like Mexican?”

“Sure – kind of!” If you say so.

If I had said Indian crockpot chicken marinaded in greek yogurt with coconut milk swirled in at the end, he would have shown up with a bag of take out. Sometimes not all the information needs to be shared up front, especially when your gut tells you it’s going to be a hit. Ignorance is bliss, right?

Well, well, well, guess who gobbled up two bowls. That would be M.

My goodness, he’s just so predictable. In the best way.

P.S. This recipe received 5 stars from myself, M, and both of my parents. Not a morsel left over, we ate it all! It was amazing and the home smelled insane!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala
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Ingredients
  1. 1 to 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  2. 1 large onion, diced
  3. 3 cloves garlic, minced
  4. 1-inch piece whole ginger, peeled and grated
  5. 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  6. 1 to 2 tablespoons garam masala
  7. 2 teaspoons paprika
  8. 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  9. 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  10. 3/4 cup coconut milk
  11. Fresh cilantro, chopped
  12. 2 cups cooked rice, to serve
Instructions
  1. Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces and transfer them to a 3-quart or larger slow cooker. Stir in the onion, garlic, ginger, tomato paste, 1 tablespoon of garam masala, paprika, and kosher salt until the chicken is evenly covered with spices. Stir in the diced tomatoes with their juices.
  2. Cover the slow cooker and cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Fifteen minutes before the end of cooking, stir in the heavy cream. If you prefer a thicker sauce, leave the slow cooker uncovered for the last 15 minutes. Taste and add more garam masala or salt to taste.
  3. Serve over rice with fresh cilantro sprinkled over the top of each serving.
Extras
  1. Marinate the chicken in 1/2 cup yogurt for up to 6 hours. Shake to remove excess yogurt before transferring to the slow cooker.
  2. If you have the time: Sauté the onions and garlic in a little olive oil over medium-high heat in a skillet until softened, then stir in the ginger, tomato paste, and spices until fragrant. Transfer to the slow cooker with the chicken and diced tomatoes. This will give your tikka masala more depth of flavor.
Adapted from The Kitchn
Adapted from The Kitchn
A Life From Scratch. http://a-life-from-scratch.com/

Throwback Thursday, soup style.

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stuffed green pepper soup
Sometimes it’s just time for a throwback. Old school comfort. Recipes you know your grandpa probably loved and that your husband couldn’t be happier to eat.

That’s this dish. Stuffed green pepper soup. It isn’t the prettiest of recipes, yet it sure does the trick. And with a few twists I upped the health factor just a bit. Organic lean ground beef, loads of chopped peppers, San Marzano tomatoes, and brown rice. 

Ok, ok, when you still break it down it’s still a red meat soup topped with an excessive amount of cheese. And sometimes that’s just A-ok.

Stuffed Green Pepper Soup
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Ingredients
  1. 1 lbs ground beef (I used grass fed organic)
  2. 1 onion, diced
  3. 1 green pepper, diced
  4. 1 red pepper, diced
  5. 3 cloves garlic, minced
  6. 1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes (I used San Marzano)
  7. 1 14 ounce can tomato soup (I used Amy's Organics)
  8. 1-2 cups chicken stock, depending on the consistency you want
  9. 2 cups cooked rice (I used brown rice)
  10. 2 tsp garlic powder or garlic salt, either works
  11. 2 tsp italian seasoning
  12. a good amount of salt & pepper
  13. TBS or so of fresh oregano, minced
  14. Top with shredded cheddar and saltine crackers
Instructions
  1. In a large Dutch over cook the meat with all the veggies. Near the end add in the garlic.
  2. Drain, to get ready of any excess grease.
  3. Return to the pot and pour in your tomatoes, stock and soup. Add the cooked rice and stir to combine.
  4. In go your seasonings, stir again. Cover pot and simmer on low for 30 minutes or so.
  5. Be sure to taste again at this point, you may need more seasonings. Otherwise top with cheese, crackers, and you're good to go!
Adapted from The Country Cook
Adapted from The Country Cook
A Life From Scratch. http://a-life-from-scratch.com/
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