find a recipe!

A Life From Scratch.

A Life You Adore Around A Table You Love.

Fall crushes.

/ By / 10 Comments

Fall Crushes 2015

It’s been exactly one year since I started doing my seasonal crushes posts, and I have to say, it’s one of my favorite things to write! It’s so fun to think of the little (and sometimes big) things that are making me and my family happy during the seasons. Here’s what is going on in our home this fall and if you missed it, last fall as well.

  1. Check out this goes-with-anything fluffy and warm scarf. I don’t want to take it off!
  2. It’s pretty rare that a bag comes along that makes me put my Louis on the shelf, but this Frye one has got it going on. Love the tough leather look, and it’s so roomy, which we moms always seem to need. Obsessed. Thank you, M!
  3. OMG! Did you know you could have something green in your home and not kill it? Helps that it’s fake, I suppose. Ha. I am on a serious succulent kick, and wrapped individually, these make awesome hostess gifts! I’ve already given away three.
  4. Call me crazy (or a witch doctor, as M likes to tease), but I’m getting on the whole essential oil kick. I love mixing them to diffuse in my boys’ rooms at night. Oh so necessary once the notes start coming home from school… “there is a case of strep reported in your child’s class”, “there is a case of hand foot & mouth disease reported in your child’s class” – looooovely. This oil starts going in the diffuser ASAP. Please protect us! And hey, if nothing else, I get comments from L like ‘oh mom, that smell last night made me have the best dreams.’ Yep, all me. All me. 
  5. These fun socks make me smile. Perfect for under your booties.
  6. Love the label, love the copper lid, love the festive scent. $5 at Target, not bad, not bad at all.
  7. Fighting for Grace in a world of Impossible Standards. Yes, please! Loving this read.
  8. And last but not least, a little tradition between M and me. The first 50 degree night – this is our wine. Spoooooooky!

These are just a few of my fall crushes. What are you and your family crushing on this fall? I’d love to hear about it in a comment below!

*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 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 supports my blog and for that I thank you.

Dinner in a snap: chicken enchilada skillet

/ By / 11 Comments

chicken enchilada skillet

Here’s another dinner in a snap post for you! Quick, healthy, fresh recipes made from minimal ingredients. Read: perfect for those busy school nights. Dinner is done, whew! Alright, here’s how this chicken enchilada skillet recipe breaks down.

The timing:

IMG_4282

So quick, right?! Yippee! Most of that was simply cooking the chicken. Once that happened, the recipe flew together.

The verdict:

We loved it. I served it with tortilla chips for dipping. M and I each had two bowls, L ate some of the chicken and chips, and B, well, he went for just the chips. We are trying!

Tips & tricks:

There really isn’t anything to speed up this recipe as, like I said above, once your chicken is done it’s only a matter of a few more minutes and dinner is complete. Really, really easy. And tasty.

Chicken Enchilada Skillet
Write a review
Save Recipe
Print
Ingredients
  1. 1 tablespoon olive oil
  2. 3 boneless, skinless thin-sliced chicken breasts
  3. Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  4. 6 corn tortillas, cut into bite-size pieces
  5. 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained
  6. 1 cup red enchilada sauce
  7. 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce (I only used about 6 ounces)
  8. 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  9. 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  10. 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
  11. 1/4 cup tortilla strips or chips
  12. 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
  1. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat.
  2. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides. Add to skillet and cook, flipping once, until cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side. Let cool before dicing into bite-size pieces.
  3. Add corn tortillas to the skillet, and cook, stirring often until golden brown and crisp, about 4 minutes. Stir in diced tomatoes, enchilada sauce, tomato sauce and chicken until well combined and heated through, about 2 minutes. Top with cheeses and cover until melted, about 2 minutes.
  4. Serve immediately, garnished with avocado, tortilla strips and cilantro, if desired.
Adapted from Damn Delicious
Adapted from Damn Delicious
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/

C’s picks – week of October 4th

/ By / 5 Comments

weekly menu plan week of 10-4

Oh my goodness – we are into October, and my baby is nine! Ah! I know, I know… where did the time go? So predictable, but yet oh so true. LOOK AT HIM. Sob. 

Ok. And now it’s time to work on our menu plan. Looks like fall temps are here to stay for now, so let’s work in some cozy comfort food this week, shall we?

Love the idea of this one – so versatile, super comforting, yet healthy for a Sunday dinner together. Perfect. 

Monday is a football night, which means super easy dinners. This one comes together in 15 minutes and M would looooove it, so I’m going to be a good wife and make it for him. I will just run forever the next day. 

For Tuesday let’s go with a soup; I love making them during nap time. How incredible and healthy does this one look? Drooling.

Wednesday is another football night, so let’s go with the trusty crock pot. I saw these honey sesame chicken lettuce wraps over on Imperfect Polish, and I can’t wait to try them out! 

M flies off to Florida for a long weekend, which means I get to eat this onThursday night. I can’t wait.

And that brings us to Friday, and a pending sleepover with my boys and my darling sister, Allie. Yipee! I’m thinking of making her this special meal while we dine in pj’s watching the Aristocats. Could there be anything better on a Friday night? That would be a no. 

How’s your menu plan for next week coming along? I’d love for you to share it in a comment below! Maybe it will inspire someone else!

 

Cooking club.

/ By / 23 Comments

IMG_3665

This photo literally makes my heart so happy. So, so happy.

It was a few months ago when we were deep, deep, deep in construction that I had the idea. I’d heard about people going to and from book clubs, and while that’s nice for them, I just simply can’t. Honestly, who has time to read? Am I doing something wrong?

Ah, that’s right. I’m focusing any ‘free’ time I have on cooking. Hence, the reason why cooking club was born.

See, I believe there are two types of people in this world. People who are obsessed with food. And people who are not. I am the former, obviously. Recipes and cookbooks and Food Network and entertaining, I could gobble it all up always. I wake up thinking about breakfast. As soon as I’m done with breakfast, I begin to think about lunch. And so on and so forth. It’s a never ending cycle. I will text M mid-day to discuss dinner ideas and he always responds ‘C, I haven’t even had lunch yet.’

Your point?

Obviously, he is the latter. A less obsessed with food person. That’s OK. He’s not part of the club.

But the women in the photo above? They totally are. A mix of family and dear friends and food bloggers that I hand picked to go on this little adventure with me. And I could not be more thrilled with them all.

I received interest about the club via social media, so I thought I’d share the low down, should you be interested in starting your own club. The rules are as follows, ahem:

  1. Show up. Seriously. The date goes out (one night every other month), and you show up. End of story. Leave your kids with someone from the street. I don’t care. (Tina, we made an exception for you!)
  2. For each meeting there is one head chef. This person determines the feel for the evening. For example, Catherine began with her authentic homemade guacamole, so it was Mexican night for us. Olé.
  3. I then assign the remaining items. I don’t tell people what to make; rather I split it up so everyone is in charge of an appetizer, side dish, main course, dessert, all divided up appropriately. 
  4. I don’t cook. Weird, right? As the hostess, I set it all up, including the table, and provide a festive drink.
  5. The head chef cooks her dish in front of us; the rest bring their dish ready to eat. 
  6. Everyone takes turns explaining what they brought, why they choose it, any special meaning, etc.
  7. Everyone brings a printed recipe of what they made. Or hand written, as Catherine did old school style. Love!
  8. Photographs are taken for bloggers to share.
  9. And lastly, you’ve got to end the evening with a bang as a hostess. Like, getting a call near the end of dinner to pick up your husband who has been pulled over for an unpaid (yet, it actually was paid) speeding ticket from North Dakota back in 2012. (With B!) And they wouldn’t. let. him. go.

Yep. That happened. The night got a tad dramatic, but we will never forget it. Julie, thanks for your help on that one…

Next theme is Fall comfort food; think football games, cozy sweaters, good pinot noirs. Can’t wait to get together again. The smiles in the photo say it all.

C

P.S. Want more details about the evening? Beth walks you through a pretty awesome recap, here.

Homemade No-Bake Granola Bars

/ By / 10 Comments

homemade granola bars

Ok, we already know you’re that awesome mom who’s got bus stop cookies going from time to time.

How about upping the health factor while still maintaining all the sprinkle and colorful fun? Watch your little’s eyes widen when they arrive home from school and find these no-bake granola bars! They’ll get excited about the rainbow sprinkles and mini chocolate chips. You’ll get excited about the whole grain oats, flax seed, minimal sugar, and the fact that they are gluten free. Obviously that means they are healthy.

Oh and hey! These are no-bake granola bars. Could not be easier. A win for everyone, I’d say! Whip some up today.

Homemade No Bake Granola Bars
Write a review
Save Recipe
Print
Ingredients
  1. 6 TBSP unsalted butter
  2. ¼ cup pure maple syrup
  3. ¼ cup honey
  4. 2 TBSP cup brown sugar [light or dark]
  5. 1 + ½ tsp vanilla extract
  6. ⅛ tsp sea salt, extra to taste
  7. 2 cups quick-cooking or instant oats
  8. 2 cups crispy rice cereal [like Rice Krispies]
  9. ¼ cup flax meal or wheat germ
  10. 2 TBSP mini chocolate chips
  11. 3-4 TBSP rainbow chips
Instructions
  1. Bring a saucepan to medium heat and melt your butter.
  2. After melting the butter, add your maple syrup, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and sea salt and stir to mix.
  3. Turn heat to low, simmer until bubbly, then whisk and remove from heat. Next add the flax, oats, and cereal and stir until the dry ingredients are fully coated.
  4. Fold in your chocolate chips and pour into a 9X9 square pan.
  5. Using a spatula, press the mixture down, then top with rainbow chip sprinkles and press down gently so they will set.
  6. Chill in fridge for 1-2 hours, this will help the bars cool and set. Remove from pan using foil/parchment and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into rectangular bars or squares and enjoy!
Adapted from Peas and Crayons
Adapted from Peas and Crayons
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/
Top