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A Life From Scratch.

A Life You Adore Around A Table You Love.

Archives for January 2015

All good things.

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french onion beef stroganoff

Oh. Hi there, comfort food.

It doesn’t get much better than this. Caramelized onions, browned mushrooms, fresh herbs, steak, and egg noodles all topped with perfectly shredded Guyere cheese. Man, what else is there to say?

Well, one tip that may help you, perhaps. This isn’t your go-to quick weeknight meal. This one takes a bit more time. I worked away at the stove while I had two happy boys sledding in the sunny yard on yet another day off school. And I enjoyed every minute. Sometimes it’s good to slooooow things down a bit. Caramelize, sauté, sear, deglaze, brown.

All good things. All good things.

This is the recipe for your next chilly day stuck inside, or Sunday dinner with your family. Just don’t count on leftovers.

French Onion Beef Stroganoff
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Ingredients
  1. ¼ cup unsalted butter
  2. 3 onions, sliced
  3. 1 clove garlic, chopped
  4. 1 bay leaf
  5. 1 sprig thyme
  6. 6 oz mushrooms, sliced
  7. 1 tablespoon olive oil
  8. 1.5 lbs round steak, cut into chunks
  9. Kosher salt and black pepper
  10. All-purpose flour
  11. ¼ cup red wine
  12. 1½ cups beef broth
  13. ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  14. 3 cups egg noodles
  15. ⅔ cup sour cream
  16. 1- 1½ cups grated Gruyere or Swiss
  17. Parsley, to top
Instructions
  1. Melt the butter in a large pan (with sides) over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaf, sprig of thyme, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper and cook until the onions are soft and nearly caramelized, about 20 minutes. Add in the mushrooms (with a little more butter, if necessary), and saute until the mushrooms are soft and slightly browned and the onions have caramelized, about 5 more minutes. Remove the onions and mushrooms to a bowl.
  2. Heat a tablespoon of oil over medium-high, and sprinkle the steak with salt, pepper, and flour. Saute until browned, about 3 minutes. Remove the steak and set in the bowl with the mushrooms and onions.
  3. Deglaze the pan with the red wine (so fun!). Add in 1½ cups beef broth and ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce and bring to a low simmer. Add back in the steak, mushrooms, and onions and let simmer, covered, until the broth reduces slightly and the steak is cooked, about 8 minutes.
  4. As you wait for the broth to reduce, cook the egg noodles according to the package. Drain and set aside.
  5. Remove the beef mixture from the heat and add in the ⅔ cup of sour cream, stirring well. Mix in the cooked egg noodles.
  6. Top with 1 to ½ cups grated Gruyere. If in a ovenproof pan, put under the broiler until cheese is melted and browned. Top with chopped parsley and serve.
Adapted from Host the Toast
Adapted from Host the Toast
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/

Death row shrimp.

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death row shrimp

I have a weird question for you. And by weird I mean… morbid.

If you were on death row, what would be your last meal request? Seriously, have you ever given this any thought? Because I have friends who have. Normal, nice, functioning members of society – like adopt all the babies friends. I’m pretty sure a nun would be more likely to end up on death row than them, yet this is a normal topic of conversation they have.

And these shrimp? Top of their list. Please meet death row shrimp.

The idea originated from Heinens. They offer this shrimp that… hmmm, how should I phrase this. Let’s just say I’ve bought them for friends and took shrimp out of the container for myself before giving it to them.

I have no shame. They are that good.

So I thought “Huh, why aren’t I making these?” I’ll be the first to admit they don’t come cheap, although they are so good I’d shell out more than an entire grocery budget for the month for these puppies. Yet, I can cook. Let’s figure this one out.

I did some research, i.e. stalked the poor lady behind the counter of Heinens, picking her brain. I read their label. I stared at them.

Although that is no different than normal.

The end result? I have what I feel has potential to be the exact recipe. The only thing lacking was the hint of a grilled flavor, yet let’s be honest, it’s cold out. I’m not lighting that thing up.

So into the oven these bursting with flavor shrimp went and out they came a 9 out of 10.

Hey, good enough for death row. No doubt.

Death Row Shrimp
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Ingredients
  1. 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
  2. 2 tablespoons olive oil
  3. 4 cloves garlic, minced
  4. 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  5. 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  6. sprinkle of crushed red pepper
  7. 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
  8. Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  9. Juice of 1/2 lemon
  10. 2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves, for garnish
Instructions
  1. If it's the winter, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cover a baking sheet with foil.
  2. Summer? Preheat the grill!
  3. Place shrimp in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Add olive oil, garlic, oregano, basil, crushed red pepper and Parmesan; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Squeeze lemon over everything. Gently toss to combine.
  4. Place into oven and roast just until pink, firm and cooked through, about 6-8 minutes. Summer? Get them on the grill for a few minutes a side!
  5. Serve immediately (or later!) garnished with parsley. To be honest, my favorite way is straight from the fridge cold. You can also toss with fresh pasta or saute with veggies and serve over rice etc.
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/

C’s picks – week of Jan 18th.

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menu plan week of january 18

Woohoo! Let’s hear it for the heat wave! We’re actually able to play in the snow. What a concept.

Alright, here we go with another week of meal planning. Who’s with me?

On Sunday we are off to my mom’s to celebrate my dad’s birthday. Yippee! I’m in charge of pasta salad and I’m bringing this oh so pretty one.

We need a soup Monday. Let’s go with this awesome mexican tomatillo one. Take that, Monday.

French onion beef stroganoff? Hold me. Totally making this for Tuesday.

On Wednesday let’s go with this super quick and healthy Chinese chicken. Yum.

We love this tortilla pie – have you made it yet? Perfect for Thursday.

And that brings us to Friday and to a night out for mom. See ya, boys!

What’s cooking in your kitchen this week? I’d love for you to share your menu plan with me in a comment below!

C

Think lovely thoughts.

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valentine-postSo, we’re deep into January, right? It’s cold. It’s dreary. It’s dark.

How about a little red and pink to cheer us up? Yep, Valentine’s Day is less than a month away and while it’s not exactly my fav holiday, it can be fun if celebrated the right way. Especially with kids! So here are some cheery ideas that will be circulating through our home on 2/14.

1. B is so rocking this Old Navy tee on Valentine’s Day… and beyond. Love the retro vibe.

2. In my dreams, my pretend girl is wearing this. Swoon. Man, stripes. They get me every time.

3. I may have purchased this for an upcoming February 2015 babe that’s due to arrive. So obsessed with everything about this onesie.

4. Let the guys get in on the fun! A shot of red with these Happy Socks is oh so fun.

5. Dogeared charms are the best. I have this sweet little heart charm next to my boys’ initials and I could not love it more.

6. I am obsessed with Minted’s collection of classroom Valentines. Obsessed. I love this classic one, but there are a ton to choose from… Stay tuned for my boys to showcase theirs next week!

7. I mean, these count as lingerie, right? Super cute, cozy, yet with a totally come cuddle me vibe…

8. B is obsessed with the llama llama series; totally wrapping this up for him with a big chocolate heart.

9. We love spreading out on the giant rug in our living room and playing memory games by the fire. This candy version would be such a sweet change up!

So, what do you think? Feeling the love? Why not share some of your Valentine’s Day ideas in a comment!

 

*The fine print: this post contains affiliate links which means that if you use one of these links to make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Of course, you are not obligated to use these links to make your purchase but please know that when you do, it helps to support my blog and for that I thank you.

Happy 500th…!

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DSC_1585-3-2890007723-OWow.

This is my 500th post on A Life From Scratch.

What started as a mere experiment (can I do this? is anyone reading this aside from my mother? how on earth do I take photographs of food?) has turned into a pretty exciting thing around here.

I always say the absolute best part of this blog is that I’m able, through mainly food, to document our lives. I can look back on our very first post, what we ate at L’s 5th birthday party, or the day we brought B home. Sometimes the posts are hard for me to read. I can’t believe how much my boys have grown (sobbing) and my photography skills early on? EEK. So scary.

If you’re new here, thank you so much, for stumbling upon my own little corner of the internet. I hope it captures you enough to deserve a following. And for those of you have been following me from day one, thank you oh so much. Every single comment, like, share, text, email, call is beyond appreciated and makes my day. I’ve gone from 37 Facebook Fans to approaching 3,000 and am averaging close to 12,000 visitors per month. That’s all you.

Let’s see. How to celebrate properly. I think you all deserve something pretty spectacular. Does this work…?

chocolate chip cookie brownies

I thought it might. Or were you thinking champagne? Don’t worry, I was too. So I made the ultimate sacrifice and tested it. These go great with champagne. Or milk. That might be the more logical choice but let’s be honest – that’s just not as fun.

You guys, we know ALFS has always had a serious deep mad obsession for cookies. From gaia cookies to bus stop cookies to the perfect chocolate chip – the list goes on and on. So when I saw these I just had to dive right in.

Is it a cookie? Yes.

Is it a brownie? Yes.

Is it completely ridiculous? Yes.

But hey, you don’t hit 500 posts every day. Make these to celebrate something great going on in your life. You totally deserve it. With the champagne.

Cheers, friend!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies
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Ingredients
  1. 1 stick salted butter (1/2 cup, very soft)
  2. ¾ cup white sugar
  3. 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
  4. 1 egg
  5. ½ teaspoon vanilla
  6. 1 cup + 2 tablespoons flour
  7. ½ teaspoon baking soda
  8. ¼ teaspoon salt
  9. 1 cup chocolate chips
  10. 18.9 ounce brownie mix - my all-time favorite is Ghirardelli Double Chocolate
  11. (eggs, oil, and water for brownie mix)
Instructions
  1. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugars in a small mixing bowl. Add vanilla and egg; cream again until smooth. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir gently until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare brownie batter as directed. Pour batter into a glass 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish. Scatter pieces of cookie dough over the top of the brownie batter. In my 8x8 square pan, I was able to get about ⅔ of the cookie dough to fit over the brownies and I just saved the rest for regular cookies. Press gently on the dough just until it starts to sink down into the batter a little bit.
  3. Bake for 35-40 minutes (35 for gooey, 40 or more for fully baked), covering with foil if you need to keep the cookies from getting too brown on top. I baked them uncovered for the first 20 minutes, then covered an additional 20 minutes. Let stand for 15-20 minutes and cut into pieces for serving.
Adapted from Pinch of Yum
Adapted from Pinch of Yum
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/
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