Archives for October 2013

wwww.

October 22, 2013 / By Courtney / 7 Comments

Happy Wednesday to you my friends! I hope everyone is having a good and fashionable week – and staying warm! My goodness it got cold. Do you have some adorable bundled up looks to share? We’d love to see them! As always, play along by commenting below or join us on Facebook.

L: Abercrombie striped tee (love the moose!) and Gap skinny jeans. Doesn’t he look thrilled to be having his pic taken? He was SO over me at that point as I was rushing us all to get to the bus. ‘Mom, if we are running late and have no time WHY are you taking my picture?’ Valid question, L.

B: We had a little Panera lunch date together that day (mmmmm bagels) and by little I mean like 6 minutes because that is as long as he will sit in a high chair. I inhale my food. Anyway, he wore some Gap skull jeans, a striped comic tee from Target, and a neon hoodie from Crewcuts. I love that piece on him!

C: I have so many memories of wearing B in the sling and walking to the bus stop with him wrapped up in that long gray sweater. Now he is way too massive to pull that off. Sigh. The sweater is from Cabi and is so cozy. AG jeans, Free People tee, and Frye boots.

That’s our look – let’s see yours!
C

C’s picks.

October 20, 2013 / By Courtney / 4 Comments

B loves to moo at the bronze cow at the butcher. We have to moo for at least 5 minutes before he is satisfied.

Ok then…! Time for another week and with temps in the 40’s and 50’s it’s time for some awesome comfort food to stay warm.

Sunday I promised M burgers on the green egg. He’s been asking for like 3 weeks so it was time to cave. We’ll pick up some all ready to go from our fav butcher. I’m thinking homemade onion rings and roasted asparagus sound like the perfect sides.

Monday night let’s go with stromboli. It’s a super family friendly recipe – easy and little mess. Music to my ears.

I know I will have a huge urge to cook something in my red pot so let’s go with a hearty and healthy chili. Another awesome family recipe.

Wednesday night we will stick with leftovers – i.e. mom is going out!

Thursday night I’m going to try individual cottage pies. Don’t those just sound adorable?

Friday night – dinner out!

That’s our line up for the week – tell me something you’re cooking, I’d love to hear.
C

Winter weight.

October 16, 2013 / By Courtney / 4 Comments

This one isn’t for the faint of heart. First of all, there is butter. And cream. And whole milk. And two types of cheeses. And bacon. Hallelujah.

Wait…! Before you leave ALFS forever stay with me on this one. It’s getting cold, right? An extra pound or two can’t hurt in fact it helps. Winter is harsh! And let’s be honest here, it’s not like you’d eat this everyday. This is for that special ‘my stomach needs some love’ kind of a day.

Boy is it worth it.

Curtis Stone thinks so too, in fact this is his recipe and surprise surprise – it’s perfection. Hey, if he can eat it you can eat it. Yum all around.

Homemade Mac & Cheese

2013-10-17 09:47:43

Serves 6

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Prep Time

20 min

Cook Time

20 min

Total Time

40 min

Prep Time

20 min

Cook Time

20 min

Total Time

40 min

Ingredients

6 slices Bacon (cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide strips)
1/2 cup chopped Shallots
2 Garlic cloves (finely chopped)
2 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
3 1/2 cups Whole Milk (or as needed)
1 1/2 cups Heavy Cream (or as needed)
1 1/2 cups shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese (about 6 ounces)
1 1/2 cups shredded White Cheddar Cheese (about 6 ounces)
Kosher Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper
1 pound Penne
2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter (melted; plus butter for the baking dish)
2/3 cup Panko (Japanese Bread Crumbs)
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Flat-Leaf Parsley

Instructions

Cook the bacon in a heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat until golden brown about 5 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and reserve.
Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings. Add the shallots to the bacon drippings.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper and sauté until translucent about 2 minutes.
Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the flour.
Cook the flour for 1 minute stirring constantly.
Gradually whisk in the milk and cream.
Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium heat about 10 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and gradually add the cheese stirring to blend.
Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
Cook the pasta in the boiling salted water for 8 minutes stirring often to prevent it from sticking.
Drain the pasta and stir together with the bacon and cheese sauce.
The sauce will look loose but will continue to thicken once the pasta is added.
If the sauce begins to thicken too much add more milk or cream to thin it to the desired consistency.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Butter a casserole dish and transfer the pasta mixture.
Sprinkle the parsley over the pasta mixture then stir some of it into the pasta mixture.
Preheat the broiler.
In a small mixing bowl toss the breadcrumbs with the melted butter to coat well.
Season with salt and sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly over the pasta.
Broil until the topping is golden brown watching closely about 2 minutes.

Adapted from Curtis Stone

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

Eat up!

wwww.

October 15, 2013 / By Courtney / 4 Comments

Another week – another wwww! You know the drill – comment below for a link back to your blog or show off your little(s) on Facebook. Thanks for playing along!

L: Looking back from photos this past weekend L pretty much lived in his football or baseball uniform – so, I went with it. He makes a pretty cute baseball player, if I do say so myself. Team issued uniform. Funny story about the socks, they itch him so much I have to lotion his legs with my CO Bigelow lemon butter before we put them on. Eh – high maintenance much?

B: Isn’t B’s new trick just fantastic? It doesn’t stop there – he then flings himself off of the mantel. Sigh. I don’t know how to baby proof it so we’re just going with it. He’s actually oddly steady up there. This weeks outfit is the typical Gap skull jeans along with a gray henley which is also from the Gap. When it got cold we went with his monster sweatshirt which was a gift from his grandma Mimi and was pretty indicative of his mood that evening.

C: We went to L’s good friend, William’s, 7th birthday party – so fun! I wore a polka dot top from the Loft, jacket from Cabi, the new AG jeans and Target camel flats. Hard to tell in the pic but also had a pretty fun necklace on from J Crew. Don’t you love my baseball bat accessory?

That’s our looks from this past week – let’s see yours!
C

C’s picks.

October 13, 2013 / By Courtney / 3 Comments

I feel like I have begun every C’s picks for the last 4 weeks with a big ‘whew – what a busy weekend.’ I promise this will be the last one, at least I hope. We have been in GO mode with fall sports and birthday parties but now it seems to be drawing to a close. Part of me will miss the craziness and part of me can’t wait to just take a deep breath.

This weekend we enjoyed a great play off game, Logan’s 7th birthday party (homemade pizza making!), a sleepover with best gal pal O, a baseball game and one of L’s oldest and dearest friends, William’s, birthday party. Monday we have off school – yippee! Here is what we will be munching on in our kitchen this week:

I made homemade apple sauce the other day (to die for) and what better way to make it a bit more grown up than to serve it with sauteed pork chops. Perfect pairing.

I love this short cut vesuivo and it’s been awhile since we’ve enjoyed it. In one skillet you get your protein, veggie, and carbs – love that!

Wednesday and Thursday brings on 50 degrees – yikes! We’ll be warming up with big bowls of this and crusty bread.

Friday let’s mix it up this week – we typically go with our pizza, but I need some red meat. How about grilled rib eyes with green beans and roasted tomato vinaigrette and chili-gorgonzola butter? Yes please. I’ll even throw in twice baked potatoes if B gets a good nap in.

What’s cooking in your kitchen this week?
C