Archives for July 2015

Gooey brie and chicken sandwiches.

July 13, 2015 / By Courtney / 4 Comments

A sandwich that is worthy of your dinner. That is this gooey brie and chicken sandwich.

Think a warm and toasty french baguette, garlic infused oil, creamy brie melting into the crevasses,and pulled (and easy!) rotisserie chicken all mixed up with fresh spinach and honey thyme roasted tomatoes.

Did I have you at baguette and brie? Yeah, me too. But all the other stuff is just as good. And, let’s face it, it’s all you really need for a quick dinner that’s easy to pull together and sits perfectly next to your chilled sauv blanc on the patio.

Bon Appetit!

Gooey Brie and Chicken Sandwiches

2015-07-09 11:50:43

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Ingredients

-one large baguette
-rotisserie chicken
-nice hunk of brie
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-olive oil
-handful of fresh spinach
-pint cherry tomatoes
-fresh or dried thyme
-TBS or so of honey
-salt & pepper

Instructions

I made the tomatoes earlier in the: mix them up with the honey, some evoo, salt, pepper and thyme. Roast away for 15-20 minutes in a 425 degree oven.
Come dinner time, get the oven going to 300 or so. Warm up the olive oil and garlic over medium heat. Cut open the baguette and spread the garlic oil mixture along one side.
Next up smear the brie, then top with chicken and tomatoes. Place in the oven to warm for 8-10 minutes or so. When done, add in some fresh spinach.

Adapted from But I'm Hungry

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

C’s picks – week of July 12th

July 12, 2015 / By Courtney / 1 Comment

What? How is it already time to to put together another weekly menu plan? Where are these summer weeks going? Ah, that’s right. Baseball!

Alright, let’s talk about our kitchen line-up for the coming week. Just 20 minutes, that’s all it takes! Let’s do this.

A big platter of this chicken, piled high with arugula and tomatoes fresh from the market, works for Sunday night. Just what we’ve been craving after too many ballpark hot dogs from the concession stand.

With our weekends being filled up with baseball, we haven’t had the chance for a date night as much as we typically like. That changes on Monday night!

I’ve made these southwestern egg rolls before, and they were to die for. Can’t wait to make (and hopefully photograph!) again Tuesday night.

It’s not summer if I don’t get these on the table. Looks perfect for a Wednesday night.

And that brings us to Thursday and Friday, which will be a whirlwind of Montana prep (!!!!!!!!!) and a far away baseball tournament. Dinner should be interesting, I’m counting on our his & her pizza late night for at least one night.

How about you? What’s cooking in your kitchen this coming week? I’d love for you to share some ideas in a comment below!

P.S. How charming is that barn pictured? It randomly sits all alone in Logan, Montana. Eerily perfect.

Summer party cake.

July 10, 2015 / By Courtney / 17 Comments

It’s a Friday in July! Is there anything better?

Well yes. This summer party cake. Unless you are eating this on a Friday, which might just be too much happiness to handle.

We chowed down on this bad boy right before the fireworks on the 4th because, hello, FESTIVE! The sweet bottom is a cross between a vanilla cake and pound cake. Think dense but light. It’s a lovely base for the homemade whipped cream and berries from the market that are piled high on top.

Get this one going before summer passes you by and hey, happy weekend!

Summer Party Cake

2015-07-09 11:45:23

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Ingredients

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 cup whole milk, room temperature
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
Summer berries, to top

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a 9-inch-square baking pan with foil, allowing 2 inches of overhang on two sides.
In a large bowl, using a mixer at low speed, mix the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the 1 1/2 sticks of butter, milk, eggs and vanilla and beat at medium speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Spread the batter in the pan and bake for about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Let cool on a rack, then cover with foil and let stand at room temperature for awhile.
In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the cream with the sugar at high speed until firm, 1 to 2 minutes. Unmold the cake; peel off the foil. Top with the whipped cream. Pile the berries on top and serve.

Adapted from But I'm Hungry

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

Dress of the summer.

July 8, 2015 / By Courtney / 23 Comments

Recently on vacation, my darling sister-in-law, Carolyn, sauntered out onto the porch in the most adorable beachy dress. She looked festive, relaxed, and in full summer mode. Absolutely perfect.

I begrudgingly asked her where the dress was from, already calculating in my head how I could possibly spring for another Anthro dress. Spoiler alert: post kitchen reno, I just simply can’t.

“Old Navy,” she replied, melty sauvignon blanc relaxing in her hand.

SCORE.

Now this I can wrap my mind around. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say this ‘vacation scene’ is the dress of summer 2015. Get it while you can. The print is killer in the most charming of ways – think ferris wheels and palm trees. It’s relaxed, it’s cool, it’s longer in the back (read: safe to bend over for diaper changes in the park). Basically, when you wear this you give off that easy, chill, beachy vibe of a gal who’s in love with summer.

And who doesn’t want to be that gal?

Exactly.

Hurry up – it’s on sale, right now. Happy shopping! And guess what? They even make a maternity version!

*The fine print: this post contains affiliate links which means that if you use these links to make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. Of course, you are not obligated to use these links to make your purchase but please know that when you do, it supports my blog and for that I thank you.

Baseball Orphan.

July 7, 2015 / By Courtney / 7 Comments

Poor B.

You see, lately he’s been, well, stuck at baseball fields. And generally it’s ok. He loves sports. He loves being outside. He loves baseball. But I’m talking like, thirteen hours in six days stuck. Which, in two year old world, is a lot of hours. Um, even in 33 year old world, it’s kind of a lot.

But I have to give him credit. He hangs well. Especially when there is a park and a few of his older lady friends nearby. And by older I mean five years old. But as two year olds often do, meltdowns have occurred from time to time.

And that’s where these mini banana muffins come in. I’m not saying they will end your two year old tantrums, but they sure do help. Packed with bananas, whole wheat flour, minimal sugar, and a touch of sweetness, well, they are just the thing to get kids through that hunger until dinner is served.

Even if dinner is at 9PM. I know, I know. I’m a horrible mother. One of the negatives of having an almost 6 year gap between your kids is that late night baseball games for one equals dinner past bedtime for another.

Hey, I don’t think any permanent damage is being done. So far.

P.S. These banana muffins go everywhere with us! Breakfast on the go, park snacks, baseball snacks in and out of the dugout. My boys gobble. them. up.

B's Banana Muffins

2015-07-06 15:22:55

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Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I tend to use half whole wheat)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large bananas, mashed
1/2 cup white sugar (recipe calls for 3/4, I've used 1/2 and they have come out just as good)
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, melted

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat muffin pans with non-stick spray, or use paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
Combine bananas, sugar, egg, and melted butter in a large bowl. Fold in flour mixture, and mix until smooth. Scoop into muffin pans.
Bake in preheated oven. Bake mini muffins for 10 to 15 minutes, and large muffins for 25 to 30 minutes. Muffins will spring back when lightly tapped.

Adapted from All Recipes

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