Courtney, Author at A Life From Scratch.

Halloween’s coming…

October 16, 2015 / By Courtney / 21 Comments

“Halloween’s coming, skeletons will be after YOU!” I hope you know the song I’m referencing. Preschool? Anyone? Ok. It’s Halloween prep around here, and I wanted to share some of our spooky ideas that are major players in our get-together with close family and friends. Eek! Can’t wait.

This black bean soup. It’s everything. Not only is it insanely delicious and healthy, but, I cook it up in a big black pot and totally pretend I’m a witch.

Essie’s Devils advocate, every year.

What are your kids dressing up as this year? B has picked out this frog costume. So random, but it totally works on him. L has reached the age where he’s too cool to actually dress up, so you basically take your sports jersey and make it scary. Obviously I nominated M to handle that.

Spider cookies are oh so scary. And oh so delicious.

It is so rainy and cold every. single. year. Hoping this year is different but if not, these rain boots are ready to go.

Spooky napkins are a must.

DYING over these bat socks. This is as far as I go in terms of dressing up because I am a boring person. Ordered.

I’ve mentioned this Bogle Phantom wine before on the blog as one of our favs. Perfect for a spooky night!

And going along with the wine… obviously you need these red cups, you know, for your own little treat while you’re chasing little goblins all over the neighborhood in the freezing cold.

Good luck to all parents on the scariest night of the year – that is, until the next day. Because nothing is scarier than kids who are hungover on sugar. Nothing.

What are some of your family’s must-have and must-do traditions for Halloween? Tell me all about it in a comment below!

Chicken pot pie soup.

October 14, 2015 / By Courtney / 4 Comments

Oh my goodness, Chicago. Are we doing OK?

Of course we are, right? We are IN the play-offs. And doing really well. Heck yeah.

Yet the moments are still tense. I’m not sure what goes down in your household, but in mine there is screaming one minute followed by jumping for joy. It’s intense. It’s fun. It’s long. over. due.

Need a little comfort to get you through it all? Cozy up for the play-offs in your jersey and a big bowl of this chicken pot pie soup, no matter which team you’re rooting for.

Because I’m quite certain there isn’t a better way to get through the unknown of it all. And hey, even if your team is down, you’re munching on something pretty darn delicious. I know, I know… soup doesn’t make up for a loss, but hopefully it can take the edge off ever so slightly.

So go Cubs go!!! 2015 is your year.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

2015-10-13 10:29:28

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Ingredients

1 onion, diced
3 carrots
4 cloves of garlic, minced
salt & pepper
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup flour
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups 2% milk
1 teaspoon parsley flakes (I used fresh)
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 rotisserie chicken, meat shredded and set aside (should be about 2 cups of meat)
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
5 grates fresh nutmeg
1 pre-made pie crust - optional but highly recommended

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Lay your pie crust out on the counter and slice it into circles using a drinking glass and place on a baking sheet. When the oven is preheated, bake the pie crust for 10-15 minutes or until the discs are golden brown. Set aside.
Heat some olive oil in a large soup pan over medium high heat. When warm, add your carrots, onions, and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent. Season with salt and pepper.
Add in your butter and let that melt then stir in your flour letting cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
Pour in your chicken stock and milk. Add in your parsley, red pepper flakes, and nutmeg.
Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and simmer until thickened.
Add your chicken, peas, and corn and bring back to a simmer and cook until the frozen peas and corn are heated through. Taste soup and season with more salt and pepper if necessary. (It was for me).
If your soup gets too thick, add a little bit of milk and stir to combine. Top your bowls of soup with a pie crust disk and you are ready to go!

Adapted from The Garlic Diaries

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

Skin wonder.

October 12, 2015 / By Courtney / 17 Comments

Confession: while I do love certain skin products (Origins and Josie Maran Argan Oil come to mind), I never truly believed deep down they could make a difference. Of course they hydrate and provide SPF and do all sorts of wonderful things, but come on, genes are genes. And a ticking clock is a ticking clock.

Until now.

I was first introduced to Kerstin Florian Correcting Hyaluronic Serum on a seriously indulgent day with my darling cousin at the Langham. Over the top? Completely. But oh so appreciated. Every minute.

The facialist told me I had nice skin but it leaned a little to the dry side. She recommended Correcting Hyaluronic Serum for going on prior to my moisturizer. She said it plumps the skin and the hyaluronic acid attracts some serious moisture. Like, 50 times its weight in water moisture. Basically, its whole goal is to help your moisturizer reach its maximum potential.

Have you ever put yours on and it just doesn’t seem to settle in? Me too. This changed all that.

It changed a lot of things, actually. My skin tone is more even, pores are smaller, my day cream literally melts right in. It’s unbelievable! I’ve had two friends ask if I had botox. Ummmmmm no. But I’ll take it as a compliment? Maybe?

So let’s talk price. $88.00. A total splurge, yes, but a tiny amount goes a long way. Your face and neck will be covered in one little pump. I was told a bottle may last up to six months, putting it at roughly $14/month. Not bad at all. Way cheaper and way less scary than botox. 😉

You can find Correcting Hyaluronic Serum at Nordstroms (like you need a reason to go there), and on Amazon too!

So tell me… do you have a favorite skin care product? I’d love to hear all 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. 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.

C’s picks – week of October 11th.

October 11, 2015 / By Courtney / 5 Comments

Another week, another kitchen line-up. Are you ready to work on the coming week’s menu plan? Let’s do this!

On Sunday night, we are off to a good family friend’s birthday party. Happy 9th, William! I’m bringing along my classic chocolate chip cookies.

Well hello Monday, and hello again summer. How unexpected and sort of expected of you to visit again. Let’s celebrate by getting the grill going. The flavors of this basil lime chicken look oh so good. Grilled zucchini on the side.

Oh my goodness, one pot chicken fajita pasta that is done in 15 minutes? Music to my dinner in a snap ears. Testing this one out for you guys on Tuesday night.

Ahhhhh this soup is SO GOOD. Perfect for a cozy Wednesday night in.

These chicken burrito rice bowls look both satisfying and healthy. I’ll get them going in the morning so dinner is much easier come football carpool on Thursday night.

And that brings us to Friday, and we’re off to the big city for some delicious food for a great cause. Not bad at all.

What’s on your kitchen agenda for the coming week? Leave a comment below; you just might inspire someone else’s menu plan!

Motherhood: on the magical age of 3.

October 9, 2015 / By Courtney / 20 Comments

Age three can get a bad rap.

Terms like ‘threenager’ are thrown around between moms at parks, online forums, and blogs. And rightfully so. Three can be a tough age. I’ve seen it myself.

But not with my boys.

Ok, hold on. They have (/had) their moments at three, that is for sure, but let’s back up a bit here.

My boys were certifiably insane from about one year to turning three years old. To prove my point I often had people, sometimes randoms, ask me ‘are you OK?’ ‘do you ever sit down?’ ‘how many stitches?’ ‘he fell in the pool again?’

Yes, he did. They both have. And no, I’m not ok.

I feel it can be best summed up this way: All my boys wanted to do from the time they were babies was to run around in the yard by themselves. And that can’t happen at one. Neither of them were even walking at one so they were just… mad. Not content. Then when they were two and running around like insane wild things, they of course had to be supervised (no B, you can’t blindly run into the road. No L, you can’t run out into the middle of the 18th green of a golf course), and that made them even more upset.

They wanted to run, play, climb… exist, without mom.

L was different in the sense that he wanted all these things but also had zero attachment issues to me. B wanted all these things but also spent most of his time also trying to figure out how to re enter the womb. Needless to say, it was a very frustrating mix for both of us. He wanted to be independent of me but didn’t know how, like many two year olds. He also had an over the top experience with teething, which didn’t help things at all.

Reasoning is also huge, huge. Traveling with them when they were 18 months on a plane? Scary. They didn’t get it. You can’t get out of your seat because WE ARE ON A PLANE. But you don’t get that.

At three, they might still want to run around on the plane, but they understand they can’t. Here, watch a movie. Life changing.

At three most baby things are gone. Hallelujah. Bottles, pacifiers, cribs, diapers (ok, ok, we are working on it!), even strollers. We are in ‘big kid’ mode, and I love every minute of it. Yes the cuddly new born stage is endearing and nothing beats the chub of a 6 month old, but honestly? I thrive as a mom at age 3+.

So if you’re a mom worried about the bad rap three can get, I’m here to give you hope. If age one and two were tough, maybe three will be your turning point. And hey, I’ve found that it only continues to get better and better, because you know what? There is pretty much nothing more awesome than an eight year old son. Except for maybe a nine year old one. 😉