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A Life From Scratch.

A Life You Adore Around A Table You Love.

Back to summer…!

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lemony quinoa with arugula

Woohoo! After a week or so of playing pretend with Fall, we are back near the 70’s – looking to the 80’s this weekend! That means more Sauvignon blanc, more grilling, and more summery light dishes. Because it’s not over until it’s over, right? Right.

This dish has it all. Tons of flavor, arugula, quinoa – all wrapped up in a light lemony dressing. It’s the perfect thing to hang out next to some grilled chicken or skirt steak. Make a big batch so you have extras for a healthy lunch or two during the week.

Come on Chicago – I know you’ve got one more good month of summer left in you!

Lemony Quinoa with Arugula
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Ingredients
  1. 1 box quinoa, cooked according to package directions
  2. few handfuls of arugula
  3. 1/2 cup parmesan
  4. 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  5. 2 chopped shallots
  6. 1/3 cup lemon juice (3-4 lemons)
  7. 2 teaspoons of honey
  8. 1/3 cup of olive oil
Instructions
  1. Whisk together the dijon, shallots, lemon juice, and honey. Slowly stream in the olive oil, whisking to combine.
  2. Pour over the cooked quinoa (you may not need to use all the dressing). Add in the arugula and parmesan, mix to combine.
Adapted from Imperfect Polish
Adapted from Imperfect Polish
A Life From Scratch. http://a-life-from-scratch.com/

(Late) summer love.

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Sweet & Sticky Roasted Tomato Bake

I don’t know about you, but I’ve completely fallen for late summer cooking.

I am totally smitten with it.

The fresh tomatoes. The sweet basil, highlighted in so many of my recent recipes, and rightfully so. I can’t get enough. I want to make this one, and this one, over and over again until every last sun drenched tomato is used. 

Then this roasted tomato bake recipe crossed my path. Passed along by my mom, who had spoken of nothing else for a few days, and I knew I had to give it a try.

Like always, she was dead on. The tomatoes and mini onions blister into pure caramelized perfection. The potatoes, browned at the edges, are buttery soft on the inside. I added whole cloves of garlic, which might just be the best thing to be roasted, ever. A fresh bite from the basil and some staying power with the cannelini beans – this really could be a one dinner dish, no meat required.

(Grilled chicken on the side never hurts though.)

Get this roasting away in your oven while you can. We’re deep into August, friends, and I don’t even want to think what is around the corner. For now it’s summer, sun, and this sweet & sticky recipe.

Sweet & Sticky Roasted Tomato Bake
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Ingredients
  1. 2 bags mini pearl onions
  2. 2 pints large cherry tomatoes
  3. 2 lbs mini yukon gold potatoes, or new potatoes
  4. 1 garlic bulb, cloves separated but still peeled
  5. sea salt
  6. pepper
  7. pinch of red pepper flakes
  8. 2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
  9. large bunch fresh basil
Instructions
  1. Put the mini onions in a bowl and cover them with boiling water. This will make peeling them easier.
  2. Throw the peeled onions into a large roasting pan. Add tomatoes, potatoes, garlic, a generous about of salt & pepper, and the pinch of red pepper flakes. Pour over the olive oil and toss to coat.
  3. Into the oven it goes for 1 hours. Gently shake the pan every 15 minutes or so, if you can, so things roast evenly.
  4. After an hour, add the drained beans and some whole basil leaves. Roast for another 15 minutes.
  5. Remove from the onion, topped with some more fresh basil and serve immediately.
Notes
  1. Tip from my mom - she fried up the leftovers with an egg the next morning. Genius!
Adapted from Anna Jones
Adapted from Anna Jones
A Life From Scratch. http://a-life-from-scratch.com/

Alone.

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Grilled Caprese Baguettes

I’m not alone often.

And I like to be alone. Really – I do. I like quiet. I like being able to think and create and dream. It’s a challenge for me to do that when there is a lot of noise, which is quite often. But this is the stage of my life. I wouldn’t trade it for the world yet given two free hours right before dinner time to be home… alone? To me, there isn’t a greater gift. M came home with the football scuffed boys to perhaps the happiest wife in the world.

I went to my garden and picked tomatoes.

I went to the store and picked up still warm from the oven ciabatta.

I strolled over to my neighbor’s and stole some basil (thanks, Tina!).

I massaged olive oil, freshly cracked pepper, and salt from France (thank you, Catherine!) into thinly sliced pieces of bread, and then rubbed both sides with raw garlic.

I lit the grill in bare feet while sipping on sauvignon blanc.

I slowly sliced the most perfect heirloom tomatoes I could find.

I grilled avocado. So much easier than one would think.

I assembled each baguette like it was a work of art. Different combos to showcase the over the top summer flavors. I kept it simple with just burrata. Went all out with prosciutto and avocado. Stayed traditional with the heirlooms and basil. Each time I created one I decided that was my favorite… until the next one was assembled.

I photographed the platter outside in the most perfect light, without a toddler on my leg.

A whole lot of ‘I’s in a world so often filled with ‘you’s’ lead to perhaps one of the most beautiful summer dinners we’ve ever had. The taste? Well, heaven on earth of course.

Grilled Caprese Baguettes
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Ingredients
  1. 1 loaf crusty sourdough or ciabatta bread, thinly sliced
  2. 2 large ripe, but firm avocados, peeled, pitted + sliced
  3. olive oil (enough to drizzle over bread slices and avocados)
  4. 1 clove garlic
  5. salt and pepper
  6. 8 ounces burrata cheese (or use fresh sliced mozzarella)
  7. 1 bunch fresh basil
  8. 4-6 heirloom tomatoes, sliced
  9. handful of slices of prosciutto
  10. balsamic vinegar, for drizzling
Instructions
  1. Preheat your grill to medium-ish heat or preheat your oven to 400° degrees F.
  2. Place the slices of bread of bread on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil on both sides. Rub each side of bread with the halved garlic clove. Sprinkle the toast with salt and pepper.
  3. Place the avocado slices on a plate and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  4. Place the bread slices and avocados on the grill and grill both for about 2-3 minutes per side or until lightly chard. Remove from the grill.
  5. Cut into the burrata and divide it among the toast. Top the burrata with whatever combos your heart desires. End by drizzling with the balsamic.
Adapted from Half Baked Harvest
Adapted from Half Baked Harvest
A Life From Scratch. http://a-life-from-scratch.com/

 

Salad à la LG.

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And no… that’s not salad a la Logan Glantz.

One last Lake Geneva inspired post, I promise. Trust me, it’s well worth it.

On Saturday night we headed on over to beautiful Pier 290 for dinner with my parents and sister, Allie. It’s a lovely spot right on the water with white sandy beaches for the kids to play in while the adults sip on cocktails. Everyone is happy.

My dad made the smartest order of the night, at least to me. A large and leafy salad dressed up in a tangy dressing and topped with soft goat cheese all wrapped up in fresh summer herbs. Killer. And oh so chic. I was so inspired, I recreated the dish Sunday night for dinner with our super cute friends. It was a major hit all around.

What are you waiting for? Impress some friends – or yourself – today!

Herb Wrapped Goat Cheese Salad

Let’s keep this one summer casual. Grab some fresh herbs – I used chives, basil, and parsley. Finely chop about 2 TBS or so of each and make a little pile. Grab some goat cheese and gently roll into the herbs pressing down so they stick on nicely.

Time to grab some lettuce. I loved the look of the big leafy greens from boston bibb and red lettuce. Wash up and get in a bowl. Toss gently with this dressing and top with the herbed goat cheese.

*Before serving, I sliced up the goat cheese log so that everyone got a nice large chunk.

C
P.S. Thanks to Jeff, Jenny, and Colston for a great night in Lake Geneva. Your home is so beautiful and I’m so glad the kids finally all got to play!

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Smells like heaven.

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The other night we had an intimate dinner with our dear friends and serious foodies, Jeff and Catherine. I love these two for many reasons but near the top of that list would be their deep appreciation and love for food. We’ve bonded over the stove more times than I could ever count, so when I knew I was going to attempt my first ‘farm to table’ dinner, it would be with them.

All was going well. L was running in the yard with William and Henry, sticks in hands. Catherine, in wedges, was running after B, who was flying down the road on his scooter. The men were drinking red wine on the front porch while also prepping the green egg for the ribeyes, and I was inside working with the beautiful summer squash from our garden.

Balancing the different needs of the kids, I knew it would be best to get B to sleep and then eat, so I prepped this quickly (I’m talking like 10 minutes, if that) and stuck the skillet in the oven to stay warm until B was all tucked in and snoozing away. I think it made it even better and a huge bonus that, as Catherine so kindly stated, it made my home ‘smell like heaven’. Seriously – the fresh herbs, the lemon zest, the butter, the parmesan – all nestled in between the freshest squash you could find.

We could not get enough.

Skillet Squash
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Ingredients
  1. 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  2. 2 cloves garlic, minced
  3. 4 zucchinis, thinly sliced to 1/2-inch thick rounds
  4. 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  5. Zest of 1 lemon
  6. Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  7. 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
  8. 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more, to taste
Instructions
  1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic to the skillet, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  2. Working in batches, add zucchini, thyme and lemon zest. Cook, flipping once, until golden, about 1-2 minutes on each side; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  3. Serve immediately, sprinkled with Parmesan and lemon juice.
  4. (The skillet sat in my oven for about 20 minutes and I gave it a little more fresh parmesan and thyme before I set on the table. I went light on the lemon juice.)
A Life From Scratch. http://a-life-from-scratch.com/
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