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A Life From Scratch.

A Life You Adore Around A Table You Love.

Weekend gem.

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marinated buffalo mozzarella and tomato

I leave you for the weekend with this gem of a recipe.

We’ve been talking about the ease (and sometimes dirtiness) of summer, and this could not fit in more with that thought process. While it may look on the fussier side, it could not be easier as it’s more about the prep than anything else. The only actual cooking here is the chopping of the ingredients to marinade the burrata, and even that is minimal. In no time you’ll be out on your patio, smearing the cheese onto a crispy baguette with a chilled glass of rose nearby. 

Because that is exactly what you should be doing this weekend.

The recipe? Marinated Buffalo Mozzarella and Tomato. Shredded Sprout walks you through the beautiful marinade. Make sure to use burrata mozzarella, which has a higher cream content. Slice up a few heriloom tomatoes, lay out the prosciutto, and toast up some baguettes. Sprinkle the whole platter with salt & pepper and you are good to go. 

Happy weekend everyone!
C

Don’t mind if I do.

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photo-1001

So, M has been traveling a lot lately. Like, most of the past 4 weeks a lot, including leaving Sunday nights. 

A lot tends to change while he’s gone. To start, I have a little roommate that moves in with me and that begs me every single night to go to bed at the same time as him. Honestly? Sometimes I do.

Things get a bit more lax in the sense that I don’t have to worry about the home being perfect upon M’s return from the city. Not that he ever puts that pressure on me – that’s all in my head.

And dinner? Well, that’s anyone’s game. Take for instance the other night. We had a fun play date with a baseball bud that lasted close to 6:00. With no real prep for the boys being done, a Happy Meal, a rare yet big deal, seemed to be ideal. Off we went and the whole time of driving there, waiting in the drive thru, then waiting in a parking space for the order was a harsh realization that italian sausage on the grill would have been so. much. easier. Oh well, a movie in the car and Pokeman toys? The boys were content.

Then it came time to feed mom (that’s me). I had this grilled spicy salmon recipe on my brain for quite some time to blog about and man, was I in love. I bribed the boys with popsicles to leave me be while I grilled away, photographed, and devoured the delicious meal that sat along side brown rice and a veggie kabob. Oh, and let’s not forget Brad Pitt’s new Rose, Miraval. I mean, he’s not bad to have around.

So, yes, M….we miss you while we’re gone for sure. But we are hanging in pretty well here, for the most part. 

Grilled Spicy Salmon
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Ingredients
  1. 1 lb Salmon
  2. 1 tablespoon Sriracha
  3. 1/4 cup soy sauce
  4. 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
  5. 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  6. 1 teaspoon agave
  7. Freshly ground pepper
Instructions
  1. Whisk together marinade ingredients and let it hang out on the salmon for awhile - honestly anything works, 20 min or a few hours.
  2. Prepare a grill over medium heat and grill for 10-15 min, until salmon is cooked through.
Adapted from Dinner A Love Story
Adapted from Dinner A Love Story
A Life From Scratch. http://a-life-from-scratch.com/

 

All you need.

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skirt steak tacos & grilled salsaWith Memorial Day just around the corner, this week is going to be all about summer entertaining. What to serve, what to wear, what to drink, and what music to play. I’ll be sharing my go to tips, and I’d love to hear yours.

Enter this treasured duo. I dug up this oldie but goodie recipe from a very fat and very unorganized binder. I knew it was in there – buried beneath typed out recipes from mom, handwritten ones from my mother in laws, cut outs and print outs of magazines and blogs. Yep, there it was. And it kept coming back out into rotation each and every summer because, well, it worked.

Why? Well, this little skirt steak tacos & grilled salsa combo just happens to be summer entertaining at its finest. The beauty of the salsa is that it can be made days before and just hang out in the fridge until you are ready to go. The skirt steak requires no effort aside from a little oil, salt, and pepper. On the grill it goes. Set out some cute bowls for the fixings, wrap some warmed tortillas in foil, and you’ve got yourself a party.

To drink? Well, we will be sipping on these.

Ole!

Skirt Steak Tacos with Homemade Grilled Salsa
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Ingredients for tacos
  1. 8 (6-inch) flour tortillas
  2. 1 1/2 pounds skirt steak
  3. 2 tablespoons canola oil
  4. Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  5. 1/2 head romaine lettuce, thinly shredded
  6. 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
  7. 1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, halved and diced
Ingredients for Grilled Tomato Salsa
  1. 2 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for brushing tomatoes
  2. 2 serrano chiles
  3. 1 small red onion, coarsely chopped
  4. 4 cloves garlic, peeled
  5. 6 plum tomatoes, halved and seeded
  6. Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  7. 2 limes, juiced
  8. 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Directions for Tacos
  1. Heat grill to high. Wrap tortillas in aluminum foil and on the top rack of the grill while the steak is grilling.
  2. Brush steak with oil and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Grill on one side until golden brown and slightly charred, about 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the steak over and cook to medium-rare doneness, about 3 to 4 minutes longer. Let rest 5 minutes then slice against the grain into 1/4-inch thick slices.
  3. Fill each tortilla with some lettuce, 3 to 4 pieces of meat, onion, grilled tomato salsa, and avocado.
Directions for Grilled Tomato Salsa
  1. Heat grill to high. Heat oil in a small saute pan and saute the chiles, onion, and garlic until soft.
  2. Brush tomatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill on both sides until slightly charred and soft.
  3. Transfer tomatoes and serrano mixture to a food processor; add the lime juice and salt and pepper and process until smooth. Add the cilantro and pulse a few times (there should be flecks of cilantro in the salsa.) Transfer to a bowl.
A Life From Scratch. http://a-life-from-scratch.com/

 

Pan Bagnat.

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pan bagnat

With Mother’s Day this past Sunday I didn’t get around to the planning of C’s picks. It’s helpful, from a cooking standpoint, that M is out of town most of the week as I had one recipe on my mind and one recipe only. It’s the french version of a tuna sandwich called Pan Bagnat. Fancy right? I definitely felt super French shopping for the ingredients, chopping away, and mixing it all together. For a minute there I was strolling along a walkway in Southern France munching away on this delicious recipe served on homemade bread that was still warm. The sun was beating down, the flavors couldn’t be beat, the sandy beaches were calling my name… and then…

Bam! Mon petite bebe is up from his nap. Gotta run!

 

Pan Bagnat
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Ingredients
  1. Two 5 ounce cans of imported Spanish or Italian tuna, in evoo
  2. 2 roasted red peppers, diced
  3. 1/2 small cucumber, peeled and diced
  4. 1/2 red onion
  5. 2 radishes, diced
  6. 1/4 cup black olives, roughly chopped
  7. 4 scallions, thinly sliced
  8. 1 celery stalk, finely diced
  9. 2 canned artichokes, chopped
  10. 1 1/2 TBS Herbs de Provence
  11. 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or more!)
  12. 12 fresh basil leaves, torn
  13. Juice of 1 lemon, plus more as needed
  14. 1/3 cup evoo
  15. salt & pepper
Instructions
  1. Mix all of the above together, taste, and adjust lemon, salt, and pepper according to your preference. Serve how ever you'd like and Bon Appetite!
Notes
  1. This makes a lot and is the perfect thing to make on a Sunday to have on hand all week. I'll be eating mine on toasted wheat bread, over salad greens, and with sliced avocado. The original recipe called for capers and fennel (which I can't stand) so I switched it up by adding sun dried tomatoes and radishes because, well, the pink is so pretty. There is a lot of chopping going on here but NO cooking and you'll get a lot of meals.
Adapted from Buvette
Adapted from Buvette
A Life From Scratch. http://a-life-from-scratch.com/

The one platter dinner.

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one platter dinner

Let’s make a vow, shall we? Let’s keep things easy during this upcoming outdoor entertaining season. I’m talking last minute get-togethers that seem to happen after 5PM on a Friday while you’re chatting away on the phone with a friend –  wishing you were in person, clinking glasses. Do it. Invite that friend over, and hey, no need to panic. Enter the one platter entertaining idea.

In the winter I rely on my trusty red pot for the whole keeping it simply thing. Normally it’s a nice roast, or this divine chicken and mushrooms, or the ever so elegant company sauce. Whatever it is – the heart of the meal is in that pot, and the sides involve nothing more than picking up fresh bread and tossing a simple salad. The red pot takes the scene on the table. 

When spring and summer hit that concept shifts to my large white platter. I’ve found if I keep the meal to that rule the meal is stress free. There isn’t a lot fuss, thought, dishes – etc. It’s all on that platter and broken down into a very precise (and top secret, of course) equation:

50% Some type of grilled meat. 

  1. How much do you like your friends? Because nothing beats a simple grilled filet. Be sure to bring to room temperature! 
  2. Get these ribs going a few days before the weekend. Come Friday or Saturday all you have to do is toss on the grill.
  3. The best grilled chicken of your life.
  4. Marinated flank steak.
  5. A whole chicken flattened on the grill – sure to impress!

25% Starch. Suggestions for you:

  1. Crack potatoes
  2. Mexican street corn. Killer.
  3. Perfect roast potatoes. Hey, saves you room on the grill.
  4. Cheese, grilled. Not grilled cheese in a pan. Slices of cheese, grilled, outside. I know. There is nothing better over fresh veggies…

25% Vegetable. Find what is fresh, toss with olive oil, salt & pepper, and get it on the grill. We’re eating a ton of asparagus right now.

The most impressive one platter dish to entertain with ever? Enter the gorgeous salmon nicoise platter. Grilled ribeyes on the side keeps the guys just as content as the girls. Everyone goes home happy.

And, bam. 100% perfection. All you need to do is throw on a maxi, some flats (or keep it barefeet, if you’re like me), and get the summer jams cranking. Watermelon slices, pretzels, and grilled Trader Joes hot dogs are my go to for the kids, if we can ever find them to feed them.

Here’s to 65 and sunny this weekend! Who are you inviting over?
C

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