Blog - A Life From Scratch.

Zagat Dining Card giveaway…!

March 18, 2014 / By Courtney / 12 Comments

I am so excited about this Zagat Dining Card giveaway! You must know them, right? They rate top restaurants in top cities. So cool.

They are launching a new product, the Zagat dining gift card, which is redeemable at 200+ Zagat rated restaurants in Chicago, New York City, and District of Columbia. Don’t live near any of those cities? Hmmm. Maybe you know a friend that does or who knows… spring break is right around the corner – no better time to check out a new city! A card for you, a card for your friend – it’s the easy to buy please anyone gift!

So time for the prize – it’s a $50 Zagat dining card! Want to win? Of course you do! All you need to do is enter your information below and leave a comment letting me know what restaurant you’d like to use the card at if you win! You can find the list here.

Leave your comment to unlock additional entries in the Rafflecopter widget to increase your chances of winning! Just be sure to enter by 11:59pm ET this Saturday night!

Good luck to you and happy dining from ALFS & Zagat Dining Card!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the giveaway: No purchase necessary. Giveaway is open to US residents only. Giveaway will run from March 18, 2014 through March 22, 2014 at 11:59pm ET. A single winner will be randomly selected by Rafflecopter (powered by Random.org) and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to claim the prize; failure to do so will result in forfeiture of the prize. Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest do not sponsor, administer, or endorse this promotion. Participants must read and agree to Rafflecopter’s Privacy Policy before entering and participating in this promotion.

C’s picks.

March 17, 2014 / By Courtney / 3 Comments

This weekend was all about the grandparents! B and I had a fun visit with my mom, L had a sleepover at Mimi’s, we celebrated my grandma’s 98th birthday (I know, doesn’t she look amazing?) and we ended with dinner at Grandad and Grandma Ginger’s! L summed it up perfectly: ‘wow, I got to see all three of my grandmas in the same day!’ We’re pretty blessed that can happen.

Alright! It’s a short week this week, yippee! Let’s keep things quick and simple in the kitchen.

Monday I’m on my own. With a playdate of 7 little leprechauns scheduled post school, I’m thinking a quick call to Jimmy Johns sounds about right. And wine. Lots of wine.

Back in the kitchen on Tuesday and it’s supposed to be 51, woohoo! We are so grilling. Basil lemon pepper chicken on the green egg? Perfection.

Another warm(ish) night on Wednesday. We’ll be grilling this killer shrimp & asparagus dish. Grilled naan bread on the side.

Thursday – it’s FLORIDA eve, woohoo! Let’s go with something simple and quick. My fav go to 10 minute meal? T-ball tacos.

I can almost taste the freshly caught fish tacos that I hope to be dining on Friday night! And a icy mojito, of course.

That’s our kitchen line up – let’s hear yours!
C

Quick Chinese chicken.

March 13, 2014 / By Courtney / 4 Comments

You guys. This recipe rocks!

You’ve heard of General Tso’s Chinese chicken, right? Totally a dish that when I want to be really bad, I really want to order and eat. Well, now you can be bad right at your own home. And you actually aren’t being bad because it’s good. Following me?

Chicken and crisp pea pods stir fried together, serve over brown rice, bam – dinner is done. And you will still like yourself. Always a good thing.

Chinese Chicken

2014-03-12 22:03:37

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Sauce

1 tablespoon cornstarch
½ cup water
2 cups snow peas, trimmed and halved diagonally
4 garlic cloves, sliced
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
¼ – ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Chicken and Coating

2 large egg whites
3 tablespoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 pound chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
sesame seeds, for topping

For sauce

Mix together water and cornstarch until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients. Set aside.

For chicken

Whisk together egg whites, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Stir in chicken.

To cook

Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Add a small amount of oil. Add half of chicken to pan, dripping off excess coating.
Cook, stirring occasionally until golden brown and cooked through.
Remove from pan, add more oil if necessary and repeat with remaining chicken. Set the chicken aside.
Add sauce to skillet and cook until snow peas are tender and sauce is thickened.
Add chicken (and any collected juices) to skillet.Toss to coat.
Sprinkle dish with sesame seeds.

Adapted from Kitchen Simplicity

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

Eat up!
C

wwww.

March 12, 2014 / By Courtney / 4 Comments

Hey! We saw 50 degrees this past week. FIFTY DEGREES….! I don’t know about your crew, but mine was outside as much as could be – muddy and all. Go for it B, jump in every single puddle. I don’t care at all because I don’t feel like death.

Here are some looks from our week for What We Wore Wednesday! I’m trying to incorporate a new spring piece here and there. Have you done any spring shopping? Let’s see it – join us on our super chic Pinterest board or comment below to link back to your looks. Thanks for playing along!

On L: First, he got a haircut…! What do you think? I miss my shaggy boy but he does pull off short pretty well. He’s wearing an abercrombie shirt and jeans. Every single morning before school he runs down barefoot and every single morning I have to tell him to run back up and put socks on. Dude.

On B: Margarita cheers with dad! (And yes, that is a margarita IN A JAR. Only M would think to mix one up before he headed to Grandma’s. Kindly enough, he brought her one as well). B’s Junk Food jeans and tee are both from the Gap.

On C: Gap tee, Joes Jeans, and Target flats. I could not have been happier to be out of the skinny jeans and boots.

Well – it was good while it lasted, right? Snow today. Sigh.
C