find a recipe!

A Life From Scratch.

A Life You Adore Around A Table You Love.

Archives for March 2013

C’s picks.

/ By / 5 Comments

Mmmmm….rosemary rolls….

Has it really been two weeks since I’ve planned out my meals? Slacker! Let’s do this.

Happy Easter to you! I hope you are enjoying some great family time and of course some fun Easter treats today. I’m hosting a little get together later in the day, mainly for the grandparents to see the boys but of course there will be food on the counter. I’m baking a mini version of my mom’s old recipe for the best ham sandwiches ever. Grilled veggies and colorful Easter eggs on the side.

Well, a hint of spring graced us with it’s presence this weekend for Easter which was nice, but doesn’t look like it’s staying around. Back to something a bit warmer (and healthier) Monday night. I’m making a red & green hearty soup.

It’s been awhile since we’ve had Mexican so I’m going with my homemade chicken tostadas on Tuesday night. M loves these.

Wednesday will be a yummy pan sautéed balsamic chicken with flavorful mushrooms and brussel sprouts. I can’t believe I haven’t posted this recipe yet – it will go up this week as it’s quick, easy, and flavorful.

Thursday we need some pasta on our bones! Smitten Kitchen’s sweet peas and shells alfredo looks pretty amazing. It’s a grown up version – good peas and whole grain pasta. There. I feel better about eating it now.

And we’ll round out the week with our pizza.

What’s cooking in your kitchen this week?

Eat up!
C

The kitchen dance.

/ By / 4 Comments

A lot goes on in my kitchen between the hour of 5:00PM and 6:00PM, and it seems fitting to describe it as ‘the kitchen dance.’

See, I slide the high chair to the center of my kitchen, and B goes in around 5:00. Coincidentally, that is precisely when I pour myself my first (half) glass of wine. Back and forth a few times between the fridge and high chair to get B enough to keep him occupied till at least 5:03.

Then I bounce over to the ipad – let’s get some tunes going. B is still set on Mumford & Sons ‘I Will Wait’ so on it goes. Now we’re jamming.

Back to B, he dropped his spoon, pick it up. Back to the ipad – what am I making for dinner tonight again? I really don’t know what I would do without C’s picks documenting everything. My memory is still iffy since the bebe. Alright, spring risotto, let’s do this.

Over to the fridge to grab ingredients and onto the cutting board they go. B dropped 90% of his dinner on the floor, pick it up – back on the tray it goes. No judging here. The cleaning crew was here last week.

Back to the cutting board, chop chop chop, boil boil boil. Music is off – over to the ipad. Sorry B, my pick this time. On goes ‘Mercy’ from Duffy. Have you cooked to this song yet? Try it.

Back to the cutting board. L runs in muddy from head to toe. Gross. Into the sink go his arms, head, feet – pretty much anything I can wash without leaving the kitchen. A scrubbed up L heads to the couch to relax a bit before dinner.

I head back to the cutting board when I hear ‘mom, I’m thirsty.’ To the fridge, get some OJ, over to L. Back to the cutting board.

B is whining for something – probably hummus. Over to him to give a few bites. Now ‘Like a G6’ is playing on the ipad (boom boom?). Huh, I’m not so sure about this one. I’m standing in my kitchen, not a club. Alright, let’s go with ‘Bittersweet Symphony.’ An oldie but a goodie.

Back to the cutting board to check in on dinner. Ok, things seem prepped well for after B’s bed time. Over to the sink, bottles need to be washed and prepped. Scrub scrub scrub, measure measure measure.

Look over at B. He is pretty much a disaster – like food caked in his eyelashes disaster. I mean, EW.

The floor doesn’t look much better. Sigh. Take off anything remotely cute I might be wearing. I’m going in.

The floor is clean. B is clean. Balancing him on one hip the Goo Goo Dolls ‘Iris’ comes on (gosh this is so high school, how fun) and I prep L’s dinner as he is just starving. Onto the counter it goes, order up! B goes down on the floor for a bit more play time before bed and it’s now time to polish off that other half glass of wine.

Bath and bedtimes are just around the corner. Good thing, because I’m quite beat. I love my kids but sometimes 6:30 can’t come soon enough. It’s a signal of calm and quiet to come.

And that, my friends, is how dinner is prepped. It all then comes together after B is (hopefully!) blissfully asleep and I can enjoy the lovely process of slowly stirring a risotto and throwing in the fresh spring ingredients. For me, it’s soothing. Bonus that tonight I get to chat with my seriously awesome sister.

Spring Risotto
Write a review
Save Recipe
Print
Ingredients
  1. 1 cup fresh peas
  2. 1/2 cup chopped asparagus
  3. 3 cups chicken stock
  4. 2 TBS olive oil
  5. 1 small onion, minced
  6. 1 cup Arborio rice
  7. 1/2 cup dry white wine
  8. zest and juice of 1 lemon
  9. 1/4 cup freshly grated parm, plus more for serving
  10. 2 TBS butter
  11. 2 TBS freshly chopped parsley
  12. salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Bring two cups of water to a boil. Drop in the peas and asparagus and cook for 1 minute. Drain and immediately put into an ice bath to stop the cooking. Set aside.
  2. Bring your chicken stock to a simmer and heat the olive oil in a large heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, roughly 4-5 minutes. Add the rice and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes stirring frequently with 2-3 minutes.
  3. Add in the white wine and stir until evaporated. Begin adding the warm stock, 1 ladle at a time until the stock is absorbed before adding more. Continue adding more stock and stirring slowly until it is all gone. This process will take roughly 18 minutes and a 1/2 glass of wine (to consume).
  4. The rice should look creamy at this point. Stir in your veggies, lemon zest and juice, cheese, butter, parsley, salt & pepper. Cover and let rest at low heat for a few minutes.
  5. Stir immediately, in deep bowls, with more grated parm on top.
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/

 

Love.

Eat (and dance!) up,
C

Sunny thoughts.

/ By / 3 Comments

So, I went from 80’s and sunny to 40’s and sunny. Not as shocking as my typical return from the sunshine state but let’s call a spade a spade – it’s not great.

Seeing as though I couldn’t bring the warm weather back with me like I promised I would try, I thought I’d reflect on the sunny parts of my trip as well as the sunny parts about my return. There is always good, right? Yes, there is.

Sunny times in FL:

1. Sun, palm trees, ocean, pool – it’s just easy on the eyes there.

2. B actually napped. Not on top of me. This was a huge breakthrough people!

3. Morning runs. I’m not sure what I enjoyed more – the actual workout part of it or the alone time to jam out to my tunes. Actually I do know, it was so the alone time.

4. Nights off in the kitchen. Don’t get me wrong, obviously I love to cook. Yet a break from the planning and grocery shopping and lugging in the bags and unpacking and making a mess and cleaning up that mess? Well, that was nice.

5. Summer attire. This one is rough as I am already back in one of my depressing winter uniforms. There is nothing better than being able to just throw on a sundress and sandals. The ease of it all…sigh. I am tired of wrestling skinny jeans and boots.

Sunny times back at home:

1. My kitchen! It’s already stocked back up. I have anxiety if I am home and there isn’t food in the house so naturally that was one of this first things I accomplished.

2. The snow is about 90% melted. Not perfect, but it’s progress.

3. Catching up on ‘The Americans’ – oh my goodness people are you watching this show? For ‘Homeland’ fans, this is a wonderful replacement while we wait for that to start back up. It’s about a ‘normal’ next door couple who are actually Russian spies. So cool, right? I totally fantasize that I could be as awesome as Keri Russell is in the show. She’s pretty badass.

4. I enjoyed a glass of a new killer pink wine (newsletter subscribers – you’ll get that answer soon!) I searched for it in FL, but the local Publix just didn’t have the wine collection that would include it. This isn’t your grandma’s rose.

5. L has been up since 3AM and yet is still running around happy as a clam with his neighborhood buddies. It’s a great home that way.

6. Spring SHOPPING and home updates – hello! I have my eye on this for L, this for B, and something from here for the home. Locals, have you been? It’s like I’ve died and gone to rustic/reclaimed/shabby chic heaven. Love. Also, can’t seem to get this dress out of my mind.

7. And finally, I get to cook tonight! It has been awhile since I had red meat and I was craving the iron. Say what you want about getting it from other sources, for me, it just doesn’t cut it. (Spinach…really people?) I need red meat a few times a month. Everything in moderation here.

So – what to make. Grilling sounded nice as it was a throw back to FL. Flank steak was swirling around in my mind but needed something…how about an herbed butter? Throw some grilled asparagus along the side and you have yourself a pretty tasty dinner. Fit for a spy, I’d say. Wink wink.

Grilled Flank Steak & Herbed Butter
Write a review
Save Recipe
Print
Ingredients
  1. 1 flank steak, a little over a pound for 2
  2. salt & pepper
  3. 2 TBS unsalted butter, room temperature
  4. 2 TBS minced cilantro
  5. 1 TBS freshly squeezed lime juice
  6. 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
  1. Bring the flank steak to room temperature. Season generously with salt & pepper. Grill over medium heat for 3-4 minutes a side. Rest for at least 5 minutes, or as long as your stomach can wait.
  2. Mix together butter ingredients. Dot on top of the flank steak while it's resting.
  3. Serve immediately.
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/

Eat up!
C

Talia’s Guest Post: Yum

/ By / 6 Comments

…It’s really all I could say when I took a bite of this cake. Don’t get me wrong: I am a chocolate girl through and through. There are few chocolate-free desserts in this world that are able to satisfy my sweet tooth and keep me from inevitably reaching for the nearest box of chocolates—and this is one of them.

Pioneer Woman’s Ree Drummond brings us her surprisingly light and fluffy take on a classic sweet treat: Pineapple Upside-Down Cake. It is gorgeous and great for company; my favorite part is the buttery, caramelized brown sugar crust on top garnished with juicy pineapple slices. Again….it’s just….YUM!

I could barely stop eating this cake; my obsession combined with the company we had over helped it vanish within about a 24-hour period. I hope you enjoy as much as we did!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake (in an iron skillet)
Write a review
Save Recipe
Print
Ingredients
  1. 2 ½ cups flour
  2. 3 tsp baking powder
  3. 1 tsp salt
  4. 2 cups sugar
  5. 1 stick butter
  6. ¼ cup shortening
  7. 1 ½ cups milk
  8. 2 large eggs
  9. 2 tsp vanilla
  10. 1- 20oz can sliced pineapple, 2 tablespoons juice reserved
  11. 1 1/3 cups brown sugar
  12. Maraschino cherries
Instructions
  1. 1) Preheat the oven to 350.
  2. 2) In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, 1/2 stick of the butter, shortening, milk, eggs, vanilla and the 2 tablespoons pineapple juice.
  3. 3) Mix until well combined.
  4. 4) Melt the other 1/2 stick of butter in a 10- or 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Swirl to coat the entire skillet. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the melted butter evenly and let the butter soak into the sugar for a few minutes (do not stir).
  5. 5) Place a layer pineapple slices on top of the brown sugar and the cherries in the center of the pineapple rings.
  6. 6) Slowly and evenly pour the cake batter over the pineapples so you don't move the cherries around. Gently spread to even out the surface.
  7. 7) Bake for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cake.
  8. 8) Take a knife around the edge of the pan and place a metal cake plate upside down on the skillet and turn everything upside down. Remember to use hot pads!
  9. 9) Allow to cool before cutting into wedges with a serrated knife. Best served when warm, with a little whip cream/ice cream.
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/

It’s not chocolate, but…YUM!

-Talia

Checking in from FL.

/ By / 3 Comments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I miss you all, how is everyone? I hope well.

To be honest, I’ve sat to write this post quite a few times and nothing seemed to come to me. I think my brain is checked out from vacay. And who can blame it? Coming from Chicago weather it can be a bit of a shock to enter a balmy 88 degree environment. This winter has been harsh and combined with the transition of being home full time with the boys, well, I was bound to go a bit stir crazy. FL could not have come a day sooner. I was starting to stare at walls.

I felt like we stood out like sore thumbs – glaringly white skin, eyes squinting from the harsh sun, breathing deeply to soak in that thick air. After a few days though we found our summer groove and the brownberry skin, freckles, and wavy hair reappeared as it seems to do each year. (Reminder: L’s haircut in the humidity? Oh so cute. In the long winter months? A bit homeless). Face it, we are warm weathered pool people and we were in our element.

Part of that summer lifestyle we love oh so much is breaking out the grill. I mentioned on Facebook the other day about Ina’s Tuscan Chicken and we went for it. I’ve made it before, here, and thought it would be a nice break from our current repertoire of grilled (/fried for M) fish in every format.

A note to make it easier on you – ask your butcher to kindly flatten the chicken. After that happens, it’s minimal work on your part. Throw together a few fresh items for your marinade and let it hang out all day. On the grill it goes to deliver that flavor that only spring and summer can provide. We ate it on the screened in porch watching a pretty kickass storm blow through.

I promise to try and bring the sun home with me. Or at least a cool storm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuscan Lemon Chicken
Write a review
Save Recipe
Print
Ingredients
  1. 1 fryer chicken, flattened
  2. kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
  3. 1/3 cup olive oil
  4. 2 tsp lemon zest
  5. 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  6. 3 garlic cloves, minced
  7. 2 TBS freshly minced rosemary
Instructions
  1. Salt and pepper your chicken. Whish together the remaining ingredients and pour over the chicken in a dish large enough to hold it flat.
  2. Let it sit in the fridge for at least 4 hours or up to overnight. Flip a few times while marinating.
  3. When ready to cook, get your grill on medium low heat. Place skin side up on the grill and flatten with a heavy dish. Grill for 15-18 minutes. Flip the chicken so it's skin side down. Place the dish on top, and grill an additional 15-18 minutes until the skin is golden brown and the chicken is cooked through.
  4. Sprinkle with salt and serve with additional fresh lemon wedges if desired.
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/

 

Eat up!
C

 

 

Top