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A Life From Scratch.

A Life You Adore Around A Table You Love.

Archives for February 2015

Think pink.

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roasted pink radishes

In celebration of Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I thought we’d get a shot of something oh so pretty and pink in our lives.

Meet roasted pink radishes.

Different – yes – but completely delicious and unexpected. A little off-course from your typical day to day vegetable routine, which is a good thing. Let’s shake things up a bit, shall we?

These roast up beautifully with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. While still warm, toss with minced garlic, parmesan, and shredded basil for a healthy and beautiful side dish to any meal.

That color. Gets me every time.

Roasted Pink Radishes
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Ingredients
  1. 2 bunches radishes, cleaned and stems/leaves trimmed
  2. olive oil
  3. salt & pepper
  4. garlic clove, minced
  5. few TBS parmesan
  6. few leaves of basil, shredded
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
  2. Cut the prepared radishes in half and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place cut side down on a large baking sheet. Roast for 15-20 minutes, until undersides are browned around the edges.
  3. While still warm, toss with garlic, parmesan, and basil. Serve warm or cold for a snack later.
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/

C’s picks – week of February 8th.

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menu plan week of 2-8

Yep. In the dead of winter, this seems to be the game of choice for B. Over and over and over again. 

Alright! Time to plan. Carve out those 20 minutes to do this week’s menu plan, I know you have them! 

Sunday I’m going to get this awesome Chinese dish going in the crockpot. One, because it’s utterly amazing and two, because I need to update that photo. Yikes!

I’ve had my eye on this chicken & lentil soup so will be making a big batch Monday during nap. I can already feel the health!

On Tuesday let’s get something going in a skillet. I absolutely love this skillet sausage dish. It has veggies, chicken sausage, and panko bread crumbs all warmed up to a browned perfection. Naan on the side.

Wednesday I’ll be driving around baseball studs so let’s go with something quick. Philly cheesesteak sandwiches are always a home run.

And that brings us to Thursday the 12th and my calendar reminded me – hey, I’m OUT OF HERE! This crew, B, and I are headed south to warm up a bit while M & L are off to ski the Rocky Mountains in Montana with my dad. I will miss them all oh so much but hey – I will be warm.

That’s our line up this week – what’s cooking in your kitchen?

Winter crushes.

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winter crushes

Winter gets such a bad rap (especially around here), and while I completely agree, I also think it’s important, day to day, to focus on the little things that can make you happy during this God awful season. So without further ado, here’s what is currently making me smile.

1. After eight years of wearing the same worn down pair of  (disgusting) Uggs I thought it was time to invest in a new winter boot. I’ve been digging through 2 feet of snow in the woods looking for baseballs (don’t ask) in these from Sorel and my feet have stayed nice and warm and cozy every time. 

2. This oh so tropical candle takes me away…

3. You can look at snow two ways: 1. pure and pretty or 2. dirty and slushy. I buy white tulips religiously (at Trader Joe’s) as a reminder that winter can be beautiful and that spring is around the corner. 

4. Happy Socks! Why are these so amazing?! I have no idea but I’m totally smitten with them. This pair rocks. 

5. I’m pretty sure I would be in a mental institution if I didn’t have my Le Creuset dutch oven to slow cook and simmer and make soups in. In the winter, it’s what I do. 

6. Religiously, I put B down for his nap, do my chores (cook/clean/laundry/bills), and the last 1/2 hour or so I cuddle up in my living room with this fuzzy snow leopard throw to recharge for the second shift. Obsessed. 

7. Pinot Noir. Is it winter without it? That answer would be no.

8. On a recent trip to Sephora, B decided it wanted ALL THE NAIL POLISHES AT ONCE so needless to say, I had to get the heck out of there. While I thought I was grabbing my normal ‘a perfect world‘ moisturizer I realized when I came home I had this from Origins. Huh. No wonder it seemed more expensive as I was paying/frantically re-stacking nail polish bottles/sweating. For the price, I would probably go back to my normal pick, although in the dead of winter this sure was a treat.

9. Taylor. She gets me – the boys – even M, every time. Every song. Just think about this winter without ‘blank space.’ I know. Horrid.

What’s getting you through the season? I’d love to hear!

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Too easy.

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pulled buffalo chicken sliders

You know how sometimes the best ideas are right in front of you?

I’ll admit it – when researching C’s picks for the week, similar recipes and ideas to this one for pulled buffalo chicken sliders have come up more than once. And I always passed by them thinking, it’s just too easy.

How could something that requires literally zero effort taste anything more than mediocre? 

Well, that’s just the thing. Maybe, perhaps, sometimes the most basic recipes are in fact the tastiest. And this one proves just that. Three (!!!) ingredients dumped into a crock pot and you’re good to go. Nothing but an over the top delicious dinner awaits you a few hours later.

I served mine up on sweet Hawaiian rolls, which paired oh so nicely against the bit of kick the chicken had going on. Crunchy purple slaw and chunky blue cheese to top because hey, why not? Exactly. There is no reason.

Get these going this week! Promise?

Buffalo Chicken Sliders
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Ingredients
  1. 5 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  2. 12 ounce bottle Franks Buffalo Wing Sauce
  3. 1 package dry ranch dressing seasoning
Instructions
  1. Mix ingredients together in a crock pot. Cook on low 5-6 hours or high 3-4. Shred with a fork at the end.
  2. Serve on Hawaiian rolls topped with purple cabbage and good chunky blue cheese dressing. Try not to eat 6!
Adapted from Somewhat Simple
Adapted from Somewhat Simple
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/

Monday comfort.

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cheesy chicken enchilada soup

Oh my goodness. Are you drowning in snow? Because we so are! I hope everyone is safe and warm and cozy and well fed from SuperBowl festivities. We had enough food to feed an army but somehow made a pretty good dent at it all. #BigEaters

Well, now it’s Monday and that means the start of another snowy and cold week. Let’s whip up something delicious to help us through it all, shall we?

This cheesy chicken enchilada soup has it all. It goes along with this Dinner: Impossible tip, and it’s also a short cut recipe that easily comes together with a rotisserie chicken. Always a win.

Then, there’s the …. flavor. I fully believe it comes from one spot-on ingredient: masa harina. Think Mexican flour.

It gives this a sloooooow cooked, oh so authentic feel yet it comes together in roughly 20 minutes. Heck yeah, dinner’s done.

Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup
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Ingredients
  1. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  2. 1 cup diced white onion
  3. 2 cloves garlic, minced
  4. 1/2 cup masa harina (find it in the baking aisle by flours)
  5. 3 cups chicken stock (may need a bit more)
  6. 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
  7. 1 1/4 cups (or 1 10-ounce can) red enchilada sauce
  8. 1 (14-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
  9. 1 (14-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
  10. 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles
  11. 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  12. 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
  13. season with salt & pepper
  14. optional toppings: avocado, tortilla strips, cilantro, chopped tomato, sour cream
Instructions
  1. Heat the oil in a large stock over medium-high heat. (To save time, peel and dice the onion for the minute or so that the oil heats - love this tip) Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes, or until cooked and translucent.
  2. Add the garlic and saute for an additional minute until fragrant. Stir in the masa harina and cook for an additional minute to develop that deep flavor.
  3. Pour in half of the chicken stock, and whisk until completely combined. Add in the remainder of the chicken stock, and whisk to combine. Immediately add in the chicken, enchilada sauce, black beans, tomatoes, green chiles, salt, pepper and cumin, and stir until combined. Continue stirring occasionally until the mixture reaches a simmer.
  4. Reduce heat to medium-low and let it simmer for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally so that the soup does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Then stir in the cheese, one handful at a time, until combined. Taste, and season the soup to taste with salt.
Adapted from Gimme Some Oven
Adapted from Gimme Some Oven
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/

 

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