Blog - A Life From Scratch.

C’s picks.

January 5, 2014 / By Courtney / 5 Comments

Oh. my. goodness.

Is it just horrible where you live? Our area has been dumped on with snow and frigid temperatures. Like you kind of want to die if you leave your house cold. We are all going a bit stir crazy and the only answer seemed to book some tickets to Florida for in a few weeks. Until then though it’s going to be all about comfort here. Nothing else will do.

Sunday night my parents are coming by. Company sauce will be roasting away all day and will be tossed with fresh pasta. Good Italian sausage will also be served for my dad, the carnivore. A spinach salad will round out the meal.

Apparently Monday is going to be ‘life threatening cold’ – oh yippee! I can’t wait! Another day of being stuck inside with the kids. We’ll be baking homemade chocolate chip cookies to take the edge off. Winter vegetable soup is a recipe my mom recently told me I ‘had to blog about’ so seems like the perfect day to do just that.

Tuesday will be another night of bitter cold so let’s go with leftover soup and crusty french bread.

Wednesday the home will smell insane from the asian pork shoulder that will be simmering away in the crockpot all day. Brown rice and sugar snap peas on the side.

Thursday let’s go with a dinner from my quick ‘go to’ list for 2014. T-ball tacos are quick, easy, and delicious.

And let’s round out the week’s meal planning with our pizza.

What’s cooking in your kitchen this week? I’d love to hear!
C

The greatest of sins.

January 3, 2014 / By Courtney / 1 Comment

It was Christmas Eve Eve, and everything was going according to script. The champagne was flowing, the gifts were being opened – everyone was merry & bright.

I headed into the kitchen to check on Grandad, who has been given the prestigious job of carving the roast. The rosy pink slices curved ever so perfectly onto the cutting board, which was getting quite full. I quickly grabbed a rib bone to make more room and headed to the trash when I was hastily stopped by Grandad, who was giving me a look like I had just sprouted a second head. Throwing out a prime rib bone? A sin to some apparently, and once my champagne haze wore off, I couldn’t agree more. Prime rib bones must yield the best. beef. stock. ever.

The homemade beef stock recipe comes from my mom and is a starting point to her beef vegetable soup, although you could use this stock and make whatever soup you’d like. It’s the perfect recipe to make when you are snowed in, in pajamas, and wanting to give your kitchen repetoire just a bit of edge. Like honestly, who makes homemade beef stock?

You so do.

Homemade Beef Stock

2014-01-02 21:14:27

Yields 2

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Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

2 hr

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

2 hr

Ingredients

2 quarts water, or enough to cover
3 lbs beef short ribs with bones, or a mix of prime rib bones & short rib bones
1 large onion, quartered
2 medium carrots, quartered
2 celery ribs, quartered
8 whole allspice
2 bay leaves
1 TBS salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions

Bring broth to a boil in a soup kettle or dutch over. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 2 hours.
Remove and cool ribs. Skim fat and strain broth - discarding all veggies and seasonings.
Remove meat from the bones - it's golden!
Use for your choice of soup. Beef vegetable is perfect.

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

Eat up!
C

Hellooooo 2014.

January 1, 2014 / By Courtney / 6 Comments

It’s good to be back after my short but sweet blogging break. As much as I love this gig, it was nice to unplug just a bit. Though now that 2014 is here I am in full GO mode organizing my planner, thoughts, goals, and kitchen drawers to help go along with the whole clean slate thing a new year seems to give us.

What I want to give YOU is a fresh jump start to your kitchen planning. My new daily planner offers a large page to write down your ‘go to’ meals. Even though I may spend a (way) more than average amount of time each week planning out our family meals there are times when even I just. need. something. quick. Maybe I was supposed to head to the butcher for a pound of ground turkey for some kickass bolognese but B decided to drop a coaster on his toe instead. Or maybe it somehow, suddenly, was the last day of the month right before bedtime when it suddenly dawned upon us that the book report that we had been putting off for the previous 30 days was due in class in the morning. At that point, starting the process of a baked ziti would shift to the bottom of your priority list and pouring yourself a glass of pinot would shift to the top. These moments happen and it’s ok. No amount of strategizing can plan for a black toenail, a late bus, a last minute conference call, a delayed flight…

What you can plan on is this list. It’s golden. I went through the archives of ALFS and wrote down all of my favorite quick meals. Then after that, I narrowed it down to my top 10. These you. can. do. They are all one dish meals – who has time to think about side dishes nightly? You’ll get your protein, veggie(s), and carb. There is no lighting up a grill, or simmering soups, or a ton of chopping. Most come together in under 10 minutes and are ready within the hour. Yep – these are 100% without fail cross my heart pinky swear easy. And keeping in mode with the whole new year fresh start thing, they are all perfectly acceptable for your health.

I hope 2014 brings you much happiness – inside your kitchen and out!

Eat up!
C

2013 awards.

December 31, 2013 / By Courtney / 1 Comment

2013.

What a year.

Many ups – many downs, I’m choosing to share ‘our bests.’ These are from my home – my family, to yours. I hope they can give you a new idea for cooking, decorating, and fun. Enjoy and please, if you can, tell me a ‘best’ from your year. I would so love to hear!

Let’s start off with a bam. Best new wine? That would be Meiomi’s Pinot Noir – 2012. We pretty much don’t talk about anything else.

Best parenting advice I read all year? It can be done with 6 simple words. Read it, and pass it on.

If you know me you know I love soups – love them. The best one to join our family repertoire in 2013? Zuppa Tuscana.

Best new TV show that we enjoyed? Gosh, this one is hard. I have to go with a tie here between Friday Night Lights (ah, Tim Riggins) and The Americans (LOVE Keri Russell).

Best new addition to my wardrobe? I’m going to have to go with the hot pink shoes. Huge step outside my comfort zone and just plain FUN.

If you want to know the best way to make the best chocolate chip cookies click here.

Best new decor item? Love the reclaimed wood piece hanging in our dinner room – believe there is good in the world. Locals, you can find it at this shop.

This book was the best one to read to B. We probably read it 250 times this year.

Best new beauty product? You guys – this one is life changing. I’m honestly mad at myself for not buying it earlier.

Best what we wore wednesday look? Love the colors, pictures, and that all of us are together in this one.

We were fortunate to make a few changes to our home this year but my favorite new spot has to be the porch dining area. I love that it feels like a little cafe!

Best new recipe to entertain with? Hands down company sauce.

Best new toy would be Squiz. I’m not sure if my 16 month old or my 35 year old like them more. Nightly after dinner L stands at our double glass doors with a plastic shield. M and B then chuck them at him (hard) and get points for every time they get one to stick. Boys….!

Best trip? Ah my goodness this is a tough one. You can’t beat our trip to Sonoma – but I think I’m going to go with the 4 of us in Florida for spring break. We were there for over a week, L and B were in their total ‘summer’ elements, we caught the early bird specials each night and the boys were passed out by 7:30 which meant wine on the porch for us, and most importantly – we were all together.

Best blog post? This one about Mother’s Day is my favorite from the year.

Best photographs of the boys? L loved football this year so much and this picture sums up how grown up he is getting. I’m so proud of him and the year he had! This picture of B makes me laugh every time I see it. The expression – the tan – the hair – the ‘muscles’, he was rocking it all in South Carolina.

That’s our year in review, our bests! Do you have one?

Here’s to many more in 2014!
C