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A Life From Scratch.

A Life You Adore Around A Table You Love.

Archives for June 2011

Summer cake for a summer gal.

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My sister in law, Carolyn, turns 24 today!

We celebrated together as a family this past Sunday. I was in charge of dessert and couldn’t have been happier, another chance (/challenge) to bake a cake!

I let the birthday girl pick the kind and like a true summer girl she went with vanilla cake and a lemon frosting. I couldn’t wait to try it out for her. Real Simple put out an article (click here) on cake baking a few months ago and I have been inspired ever since. It breaks down the basics: chocolate or vanilla cake, throws in a few frosting options, fun toppings, as well as ‘fancy’ toppings to give it that wow factor. The result? You are left with a cake that’s sure to impress.

A few hints I’d like to point out to make the cake baking experience even easier:

– Don’t attempt to make the cake from start to finish all at once – it’s too much! First bake the actual cakes. Once cooled, wrap in saran wrap and store on the counter for a day or in the fridge for a few days. Frost and decorate your cake at a later point.

– You really need room temperature butter and eggs on this one. Don’t skip that step – for the cakes and frosting.

– To line the cake pans with parchment place the bottom piece on parchment paper and trace a circle. Then cut it out for a perfect fit.

Carolyn’s cake was a vanilla base, lemon frosting, and topped with candied lemons. We gobbled it up.

Can’t wait for the next birthday!
Courtney

Happiness in a jar + a summer frog.

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Meet your new summer staple. You need to have this in your fridge at all times this summer.

I feel like I’ve been searching my whole life for the perfect summer vinaigrette. And now that I’ve found it I can completely obsess about it. Here we go.

This will be a key ingredient to my summer cooking this year. It’s perfect tossed with mixed greens and grilled chicken or drizzled on top of grilled veggies or mixed with warm roasted yukon gold potatoes. It’s that versatile and more importantly that good. Tangy, sweet, and infused with fresh herbs. Gosh I’m happy. (And obsessive)

Take the 5 minutes to whisk this together on a muggy Sunday night and you’re good to go for the week. I promise you it will make a difference at 6:10 on an idle Thursday.

Happiness in a Jar Vinaigrette
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Ingredients
  1. - 1 heaping TBS dijon mustard
  2. - 4 TBS red wine vinegar
  3. - 1 tsp good honey
  4. - squeeze of 1 lemon
  5. - 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  6. - 1/2 tsp pepper
  7. - chopped up fresh herbs, whatever you have. I used basil and parsley. Chives or thyme are also good options.
  8. - 1/2 cup good olive oil
Instructions
  1. Whisk the above together and drizzle in the olive oil slowly. Chill in your favorite jar in the fridge. Shake vigorously before using.
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/

Seriously, this rocks.
Courtney

First frog of the summer – so happy!

My dad’s favorite cookie.

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Scrambling for a thoughtful father’s day idea? Look no further. Dads, (and grandpas!) love these.

My mom came upon this ‘special oatmeal cookie’ recipe some time ago and it has been my dad’s favorite ever since. It’s quite different than your typical oatmeal cookie. It’s super light and airy but also slightly crispy around the edges. For those of you who eat cookies for breakfast (wink wink Catherine) they are made for coffee dunking.

It’s also just happens to be the perfect cookie to help erase your dad’s memory of your behavior between ages 13 – 18…no wait, 19….hmmm, let’s say 25 just to be safe.

Happy Father’s Day!

Special Oatmeal Cookie
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Ingredients
  1. 1 stick margarine, softened
  2. 1 stick butter, softened
  3. 1/2 cup sugar
  4. 1 cup flour
  5. 1 1/2 cup quick cooking oats
  6. dash of salt
  7. 1 tsp vanilla
  8. powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together. Drop by the TBS onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten with a fork and bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar while cookie is still warm.
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/

What an easy way to put a smile on your dad’s face!
C

Asparagus lovers come here.

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Look at the above picture. I was presented with this dirty, uneven, ‘just dug up from the farm’ asparagus Wednesday morning from our dear nanny, MB. And I could not have been more thrilled about it. From that point forward a good chunk of time was spent day dreaming about what to do with this gloriously fresh vegetable. Since M was out of town, I knew it could be the main ‘feature’ of the meal as opposed to just a side. Ahhh…what to make?

I had one of those days where I really couldn’t remember sitting down. With a busy weekend ahead of me including tons of time spent in the kitchen (yea!) I wanted to treat myself to a nice dinner and a glass of wine to plan out my cooking schedule for the next few days. For me that ‘treat’ would be pasta. I rarely have it as I prefer to eat my sugar/carbs/heavier calories in the form of a baked good, but every once in awhile a pasta recipe comes around that just seems so light and fresh that it (easily) tempts me into trying it out.

This recipe is no exception. I love that it highlights the veggies that are freshest right now. I love that the ingredients are minimal and simple. And I love that the flavor of the whole wheat pasta and the farm vegetables is not drowned in a creamy sauce. This IS a good for you pasta dish. Eat up and use the energy it gives you towards something useful. For me that would be another (1/2) glass of wine and a rerun of Mad Men. Don Draper is always useful.

Spring Vegetable Pasta
Serves 4
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Ingredients
  1. 1 lb whole wheat spaghetti
  2. 1 small red onion, or a few shallots, minced
  3. 1 large bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
  4. 1 cup fresh peas
  5. olive oil
  6. salt & pepper
  7. 2 tsp lemon zest
  8. 4 large leaves of basil, julienned
  9. grated fresh parmesan
Instructions
  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, and cook the pasta al dente.
  2. Meanwhile, heat a large saute pan over medium heat with a few TBS of olive oil. Add in the minced red onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Throw in asparagus for a few minutes, and lastly add the peas to heat through.
  3. Drain the pasta and add to the large saute pan. Toss together with the veggies, a little more olive oil, salt & pepper, lemon zest, basil and parmesan. Top with more basil and parmesan if desired.
Adapted from DinnerALoveStory
Adapted from DinnerALoveStory
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/

I INHALED this:


Courtney

Summer in a bowl.

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Corn. Come summer – it’s everywhere. It’s at the Jewel, the market, your neighbors bbq, the bottom drawer of your fridge sitting in a bag and yet no matter how many times you eat it, some how it keeps showing up again and again even when you don’t want it to. Like an ex – except much tastier (right?) and less panic inducing.

I used to keep things real simple when it came to corn – grill it, rub the butter and salt on and bite right in. Sometimes, I would even skip the grilling part. Yep, i’d eat raw corn. Is that weird? I promise you in the dead of summer when it’s the freshest it tastes awesome – try it.

Well fast forward to meeting M I can no longer serve corn raw and/or on the cob. Remember when you were 8 and you had those super cool colored braces? Well, what did your mom or dad always do for you with your corn…cut it off the cob, right? M got so accustomed to that luxury that we still have to do that in our household even at 32 (his age not mine), so that’s when I came up with grilled corn salad.

This recipe is suuuuuuper flexible. I throw in different options based on what I have and what’s freshest. I’m showing my favorite combination, but feel free to play with it. Add some black beans or use thinly sliced scallions…really, the sky is the limit with this one.

Grilled Corn Salad
Serves 2
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Ingredients
  1. 2 ears of corn, husked and peeled
  2. olive oil
  3. salt & pepper
  4. dab of butter
  5. 1/4 cup red onion, minced
  6. cherry tomatoes, halved
  7. haas avocado, diced
  8. palmful of fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
  1. Heat grill to medium heat.
  2. Brush the ears of corn with olive oil. Rotate on the grill until lightly charred all over.
  3. Cut corn off the cob and season with salt & pepper. Mix in butter until melted. Toss with remaining ingredients.
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/

Ok, this is way better than raw corn. But if you’re in a pinch I promise it’s good.
Courtney

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