Archives for February 2015

Human cousin.

February 18, 2015 / By Courtney / 19 Comments

A little bit ago, something pretty spectacular happened. See, both M and I are the oldest in our families. I have two younger sisters, and he has three. That combined with the fact that we got married and became parents awkwardly young, well, our boys were left full of lovely Aunts but cousin-less for quite some time.

Until now. Meet William Parker.

Eek. I know!

L & B now have a human cousin (as opposed to just their dog cousin, Hugo). And I’m an official aunt and M is an uncle!

:::Happy dance all around:::

We decided to make a special day out of meeting such a special little guy. M took some time off work and we picked up big cousin L early from school and headed down to the city with this (affiliate link) as a gift and this carnitas tamale pie safely tucked away in the back.

Well, hello there. Almost enough to distract from the cuteness going on above, right? Almost.

What all started as this a day prior turned into the perfect meat to layer on top of a homemade tamale crust baked to a light, fluffy, and ever so browned perfection. Add in some enchilada sauce and cheese and you have yourself one comforting Mexican fiesta. You know it’s all about comfort in those first early weeks. And sleep. If you can find it…?

Congrats to Becky & Tyler!!! I am so happy to finally have family to share the oh so crazy world that is parenting. You guys will rock it.

Carnitas Tamale Pie

2015-02-11 15:19:30

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Ingredients

⅔ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup yellow corn meal
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 can diced green chiles
⅓ cup milk
1 egg
1 can cream corn
2-3 cups leftover carnitas
1 cup enchilada sauce
1 cup shredded white cheese (I used PepperJack)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk the cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar. Stir in the oil until the mixture makes soft crumbs. Whisk in the milk and egg. Add the cream corn and green chiles and stir until just combined. Bake in a 9-inch square pan for 25 minutes or until set. (Since it's a tamale-like base, it won't be completely dry like a cornbread. It's supposed to be just a little mushy).
Poke holes in the crust with a fork. Pour the enchilada sauce over the crust. Squeeze excess moisture out of the carnitas and arrange on top of the crust. Sprinkle with cheese.
Reduce oven temperature to 350. Cover with foil, return to oven, and bake for 20 minutes. When everything is heated through, remove foil and let bake for another 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly browned.
Top with freshly chopped cilantro, allow to cool for 5 minutes, and cut into slices or scoop into bowls. Coronas and limes on the side!

Adapted from A Pinch of Yum

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

Hunk of meat.

February 16, 2015 / By Courtney / 26 Comments

I mean, wow. Check out that hunk of meat.

Have you ever seen anything so beautiful? I’m pretty sure I have not. Meet the oh so tender, perfectly braised, crispy on the edges pork carnitas.

It’s a glorious thing.

Not to mention that it takes about all of 5 minutes to rub up with some killer spices and into the crock pot it goes to bathe away to a braised perfection in freshly squeezed lime juice, orange juice, a little salsa, and a bottle of Corona.

All that’s left is for you to roll up some of that bad boy in a warm tortilla and top with cilantro and avocado.

Olé my friends, Olé.

Braised Pork Carnitas

2015-02-11 15:11:33

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Ingredients

4-5 lbs. pork shoulder
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
juice and zest of 2 limes
½ cup and zest of fresh orange juice
12 ounces beer
½ cup salsa (I used Frontera)

Instructions

Pat the pork shoulder dry and rub with garlic. Mix your spices together and rub into the pork.
Add lime juice, orange juice, beer, and salsa to your crock pot and mix together. Add in your spiced pork, cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
Shred meat with two forks directly in the slow cooker (or take out, shred, and replace in sauce). It should fall apart easily.
At this point it will be perfectly delicious. If you want that browned edges texture though simply preheat broiler and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the shredded meat on the cooking sheet and pour a few spoonfuls of sauce over the top. Broil for 5-10 minutes or until you get the desired effect.
Serve on tortillas with fresh cilantro, avocado, and fresh lime juice.

Adapted from Pinch of Yum

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

C’s picks – week of February 15.

February 15, 2015 / By Courtney / 4 Comments

Oh my! Fun in the sun has been our motto for the past few days here in Florida – that is for sure! Yet there is still planning to be done for the upcoming week. Do you have 20 minutes to devote to your weekly menu plan? That’s all it takes. Who’s with me?

Here’s our line up for the week, in case you need a little inspiration!

Tonight, Sunday, is our last night in Florida. I’m hoping to hit up our favorite joint for dinner.

On Monday we’re home. This oh so hearty winter soup will help our sun kissed skin adjust accordingly to the cold.

I’m such a sucker for one pot roasted chicken dishes. This spanish one looks amazing. Let’s give it a go on Tuesday.

Wednesday I’m driving around baseball studs so let’s go with some super quick t-ball tacos. M could eat these weekly.

Cheesy chicken pot pie sounds lovely for a Thursday evening. I just can’t get enough.

And that brings us to Friday. I’m hoping for a family date night out!

What’s cooking in your kitchen this week? I’d love for you to share some ideas in comments below!

On guard.

February 13, 2015 / By Courtney / 35 Comments

The other day I was casually strolling through Heinen’s, picking out the perfect bulb of garlic when BAM!

A woman – like, an adult! – sneezed ON B. I almost froze, like did this really just happen?

To top it off, she was wearing scrubs. Like, hospital scrubs. Thanks for infecting him with whatever crazy illnesses you were a part of today. Awesome.

Look, if you’re anything like me, you’ve had it with these germs. We had an awesome run, I really shouldn’t complain; but then too many weeks were filled with too many pediatrician visits, too many antibiotics (hate those things), too many sleepless nights (zzzzz), and too many of our dear friends sick. Not cool.

I decided to attempt another action plan for my family. I do my best to keep everyone healthy with proper sleep + food + exercise + vitamin + flu shot. It’s a great start, for sure. But the bugs this year are relentless, and obviously our basic plan is just not cutting it.

That’s when I did a little research and decided to come up with the healthiest chicken noodle soup I could possibly make. This one has it all: antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant, and anti-parasitic ginger, vitamin C, vitamin B6, selenium and manganese packed garlic, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial packed lemongrass, and lastly, anti-inflammatory antioxidant packed turmeric. All brightened up in a freshly chopped parsley and big squeeze of zesty lemon juice package.

Convinced?

Hey, with the flu shot only being 20% effective this year (really? really?), I’m going to go out on a limb and say this might even protect you better. And if you still end up sick (I’m so sorry), nothing will appeal to you more then a big bubbling bowl of this. Tea, a fire, and pj’s on the side.

Be well!

Flu Season Chicken Noodle Soup

2015-02-11 14:54:54

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Ingredients

Extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onions (about 1/2 of a medium)
3/4 cup sliced leeks (about 1 medium, white and light green parts only)
2 sliced carrots
2 chopped celery
1 tablespoon freshly minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced lemongrass (or paste)
3 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
4 cups chicken stock (I ended up using a bit more, and increased seasonings as well)
8 ounces cooked chicken, chopped or shredded (rotisserie chicken is great)
squeeze of 1 lemon
1 cup whole wheat egg noodles
salt and pepper
chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

Heat a TBS of oil in a dutch oven/soup pot over medium heat. Add onions, leeks, carrots and celery and saute until softened, roughly 5-8 minutes.
Stir in the ginger, lemongrass, garlic, and turmeric and stir until fragrant. Season with salt & pepper.
Pour in your stock and chicken and simmer together to blend flavors. Squeeze in one lemon and taste to adjust seasonings accordingly. I used a good amount of salt and pepper and added a touch more lemongrass.
Right before serving, add noodles until soft. Pour into deep bowls and top with freshly chopped parsley.

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

Sweet nothing brownies.

February 11, 2015 / By Courtney / 4 Comments

Quick!

Want to be that oh so cool mom who comes up with a brilliant and festive idea for Valentine’s Day? You know the mom I’m talking about. The queen of Pinterest, the leader in crafts, the oh so creative and perfect yet completely exhausting mom?

Yea, let’s not be her. Instead, let’s keep it simple.

A box of Ghirardelli dark chocolate brownies + a box of conversation hearts is so my idea of something fun and festive for Valentine’s Day. Cute and crafty, yet totally attainable. Simply mix brownies according to package directions, place hearts on top, and bake away.

Genius, right? Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!