Archives for May 2013

The best summer app.

May 30, 2013 / By Courtney / 6 Comments

I have to say, I’ve marinaded a lot of things – but, cheese? Not so much.

This lovely idea was brought to us by my neighbor who writes Shredded Sprout. I followed her recipe to a tee aside from one thing – fresh buffalo mozzarella. It was Memorial Day. I had run to Fresh Market, Heinens (closed), a local Italian restaurant (closed) and finally in a desperate attempt, Jewel. At that point I gave up and bought the freshest (regular) mozzarella I could find.

And you know what?

It worked. Really really well.

So if you are balancing baseball schedules and playdates and nap schedules and just don’t have the time to run around to find a (sometimes) more difficult ingredient it’s ok. I promise. My version was gobbled up! I had to cut myself off after 4 (large) pieces to save room for dinner.

It’s also good to know that this one will only get better as this season goes on. Freshly picked summer tomatoes and if you get lucky that friendly cheese guy at the market might just carry exactly what we’re looking for.

Want the recipe? Of course you do. Head on over here. She walks you through it well.

Eat up!
C

Potato salad 2013.

May 28, 2013 / By Courtney / 8 Comments

Move aside Grandma, there is a new potato salad in town.

Hey – there is nothing wrong with the original. Plenty of mayo, bacon, celery – I’m not saying I don’t enjoy a scoop or two here and there. Yet if a fresh new version comes along filled with plenty of color and crunch, well, I’m going for it. Bonus that it’s much easier on the waistline.

I made a huge batch for a party this weekend and I always judge the outcome by the amount of leftovers. We didn’t have much – success! Just like the Hooks Baseball team. So far so good with a record of 10-1, and that one loss could be argued as unfair for 2 hours or so, as it was amongst the coaches.

Crunchy Herb Potato Salad

2013-11-23 12:59:09

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Ingredients

2 tsp good quality red wine vinegar (I was out, so used balsamic instead)
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
3 lbs small potatoes, cut into large chunks. I did not peel.
1/2 cup radishes, sliced
1 cup black olives, I left them whole
3/4 cup chopped red onion
3/4 cup freshly chopped parsley
3/4 cup freshly chopped basil
recipe calls for mint as well, if you like add in 1/2 cup or so (I left out)

Instructions

My go to way to boil potatoes: Add them to cold water with 2 TBS salt and bring to a boil. Once bubbling, reduce to simmer for 10-15 minutes, until barely fork tender. Drain into a colander, place colander over the pot you used and cover potatoes with a clean kitchen towel to steam for an additional 15-20 minutes. They will be perfect!
Meanwhile, combine all dressing ingredients up until olive oil. Whisk in and set aside.
Prep remaining ingredients. When potatoes are done steaming but still warm, gently mix in dressing. Add additional ingredients and combine carefully.
Let set in the fridge for 5-6 hours for the flavors to combine.

Adapted from Barbara Adams

A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/

Eat up!
C

C’s picks.

May 26, 2013 / By Courtney / 6 Comments

Pay attention to meeeeeeeeeeee – not that cool looking lobster!

It’s Sunday – you know the drill.

Tonight I’m taking a night off from cooking. We devoured greasy mexican take out for a late lunch so I’m hoping that tides us over through dinner time. If not, I have plenty of leftovers from last night. Hold the wine.

Memorial day we are having family over and will be enjoying this recipe (such a huge hit) along with some grilled ribeyes. Trying out these crash hot potatoes on the side.

Let’s get some burgers going Tuesday. Got to love a healthy turkey burger option. My new secret is adding diced roasted red peppers in for flavor and extra juciness. It works. Hand cut sweet potato fries on the side.

A light summer pasta dish sounds good for Wednesday. Curtis Stone has a fettuccine with fresh tomato sauce and shrimp I’ve been eyeing for a while.

Wow we’ve made it to Thursday without some type of chicken dish? Shocking. Let’s change that ASAP with some yogurt marinaded chicken cutlets. (Shhh – don’t tell M it’s yogurt. He still has no idea). Grilled veggies on the side.

And that brings us to Friday and to the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL for my kindergardener. Seriously? Where did the year fly by. I think L’s favorite dinner is in order – grilled italian sausage and tator tots. You rock L, I’m so proud.

Anyone cooking anything fun this week?
C

Need a warm up?

May 24, 2013 / By Courtney /

Sigh.

It’s not that I’m not excited about this recipe, because really, it totally rocks. I just thought somehow we’d be able to sneak by the chilly temps that somehow seem to always return before summer. I was banking on putting this recipe up come fall.

Yet typical Chicago – that is not the case. Back to a chilly 48 degrees and suddenly nothing sounds better than a bowl of soup. It’s hard to believe the other night I was sweating on a fast paced walk, thanks to L on his bike. Seriously, how many times can one say ‘stay to the side of the road!!!!!!!!!!!!’

Anyway, luckily this recipe is incredibly easy to whip up, totally healthy, and somehow the peas still make it feel like a spring dish. We don’t want to go to far back into winter mode when we’ve come so far.

Let’s hope for warmer temps this weekend (it HAS to happen – the pool opens!). Until then, ladle me another bowl please. I’m freezing.

Split Pea Soup w/ Cheesy Croutons

2013-11-23 12:51:06

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Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 celery ribs, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 large springs of fresh thyme
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 lbs green split peas
4 cups chicken stock
1 4 ounce smoked ham hock
one baguette, crust removed
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add 2 TBS olive oil to warm. Add in the veggies and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Season with salt & pepper.
Stir in the split peas, 8 cups water, and the stock. Add the ham hock, cover the pot, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour and 45 minutes or until the ham hock meat is tender.
Meanwhile, tear the baguette into bite sized pieces. On a large rimmed baking sheet toss the bread with the remaining 2 TBS olive oil. Season with salt & pepper. Arrange in a single layer and sprinkle with parmesan. Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside to cool.
Reduce the heat under the soup pot to low. Using a slotted spoon, remove the ham hock to a cutting board to cool. Remove meat, discarding the skin and bone, and chop into bite sized pieces. Return the meat to the soup. Remove thyme stems and season the soup to taste with salt & pepper.
Ladle the soup into deep bowls and top with homemade croutons.

By Curtis Stone

A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/

Eat up!
C

Easy breezy summer entertaining.

May 22, 2013 / By Courtney / 5 Comments

With Memorial Day weekend just around the corner it’s time to kick off the best entertaining season of them all – summer. Here are my top tips to make sure your summer entertaining is relaxed as you are after a glass of rose.

1. Plan ahead. Duh, right? This seems to be the most basic concept at all and yet there are so many people I know that are scrambling the day before and the day of. If you know you are hosting a get together in a week, start seriously thinking about it on Monday.

2. Set your menu – and write it out. With ideas for food, drinks, guests etc, all floating around in your head no wonder you feel overwhelmed! Write (or type if you’re a typer) out how many you’ll be serving, what your menu is, and what errands you need to run. Then, cross of as you go. By the end of the week shoot for 80% complete. The day of most parties I end up with very little to do aside from pick out what summer dress I’ll be wearing and figure out a way to sneak in a pedicure.

3. Prepare food ahead of time or grill. This summer dish is perfect in every way if you don’t want to cook or grill in front of guests. It’s beautiful. If you’re grilling, plan it out. For instance I will be serving 3 different meats on the grill this weekend and I also want grilled vegetables. That’s a lot to put on M to grill, so, I will grill vegetables the morning of so they are out of the way.

4. Signature summer cocktail. Who’s with me? Pour me one of these, ASAP.

5. Big jug of water, full, prior to guests arriving. Have you ever tried to fill a huge pitcher during a party? It seems to take practically an hour. Get it done early. Bonus if there are lemon & lime slices floating on top.

6. Ice. You can never have enough. Fill your water pitcher and glasses to the brim. Apparently Burger King sells the BEST (and cheapest) bags of ice. Oh yes, there are various levels of ice. Thanks to Jeff and Catherine for this tip!

7. I’m convinced drinks are just more fun if they are served in mason jars. I refuse to have a cocktail any other way.

8. Make your summer playlist. Topping ours? Well, we each have a selection. B’s song is ‘Ho Hey’ by the Luminers. L loves ‘Chicken Fried.’ M is digging ‘Stay’ by Rihanna and I’m going old school with ‘Hey Jude’ by the Beetles. The best playlist mixes it up and ours seems to naturally do exactly that.

9. Hit up TJ Maxx or similar stores for paper plates and napkins that are cute – not cheesy. They often have Kate Spade and other adorable brands.

10. Dress the part. We almost always entertain with the kids, so, I’m in flats (or barefoot which negates that pedicure) and a very breezy dress. Maxi’s are awesome as they have a bit of elegance to them but still fit the relaxed vibe. (I will be living in this). A hostess running around in heels just makes me uncomfortable to watch.

11. Flowers. Locals, if you can pull it off and get them from Piscaw Gardens in Woodstock – GO. It is beyond worth the drive. There are sold at the farmers market on Tuesday & Saturday there. If you can’t, keep the relaxed feel with bunches of wildflowers picked from around your neighborhood or your local farmers market. Keep them off the dining tables though – no scent by your delicious food!

12. Take this cookie recipe, use 2 TBS cookie dough for each cooking, up the cooking time by 2 minutes and bake away. Once cool, put vanilla ice cream between two cookies and you have homemade ice cream cookie sandwiches that are out of this world.

13. Have a bucket of water balloons filled and ready to go. For kids and adults. I’m just saying…

14. Realize that you can’t control the weather. It just helps on so many levels to accept that.

15. Pre slice (if needed) any hot dog or hamburger buns you are using. Saves a lot of time.

16. Relax. That’s the whole point right? I promise if you follow the above come party day you’ll so be that hostess that just nails it.

Happy summer planning my friends!
C