Blog - A Life From Scratch.

May crushes

May 3, 2017 / By Courtney / 2 Comments

Another month another crush list! Here is what I have my eye on this month of May and what is making me smile. Hope you find something you like!

This dress is from Cabi and is called their ‘Everyday Dress.’ It’s shown dressed down with sneakers and a baseball cap, or dressed up with heels and a scarf. Super versatile. Super comfortable. Totally on my list.
Tis rosé season my friends, YIPPEE! I die over the branding of this one called Summer Water. Brilliant.
This super safe for the whole family (read no scary ingredients) SPF stick is going in my purse, our pool bag, and our baseball bag.
I can not WAIT to get my herb garden going on my deck this spring. (Mom, are you ready to help me?) How cute are these herb markers. I don’t know what I am more excited about, the actual fresh herbs or the herb markers themselves.
Moms of boys. Read this.
I’m convinced there isn’t a better canvas tote bag for the price. Lands End, wonderful job. Got to love the classic shape and design and they last forever.
Don’t forget your lips! Mine are super sensitive. I’ve been told this brand is the best on the market. Super safe with no scary ingredients.
It’s entertaining season! I recently had a large group of women over and wished I had these wine crystal markers. They are magnetic, so they simply stick on to each ladies glass. So cute and festive!

That’s a wrap! Tell me, anything catch your eye?
C

Panzanella salad with burrata

May 1, 2017 / By Courtney / Leave a Comment

I had so much fun recipe testing this panzanella salad the other day! I had a craving, then proceeded to read/dream about it for roughly two days straight and came up with what I thought would be a winner. It sort of combined my favorite aspects from all four recipes into one glorious dish.

And I was right.

So right.

Items that stood out to me: all the basil. Yes please. Roasted garlic. Duh. Feta stuffed olives. Obviously. And then the kicker – no one had done it yet. Why, why? It seemed to be such an obvious answer to the whole what to you smear all over the bread question.

Burrata.

(Not an egg, as my four year old thought).

Nope, creamy delicious burrata. Is there anything more glorious?

Not in my world.

The best part about this recipe is that it only gets better the longer it sits. And, wait for it, it only gets better as the season goes on. Those tomatoes are just going to get more and more flavorful. Basil from the herb garden. Cucumbers from the market. See where I’m going with this? This is the side to perfect now so that when summer comes you are ready.

Because the vegetables will definitely be.

PANZANELLA SALAD WITH BURRATA
Recipe from A Life From Scratch

INGREDIENTS:

1 large loaf day old italian, french, or ciabatta bread
olive oil
salt & pepper
6 vine ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks
1 large seedless cucumber (seeds removed), cut into 1 inch chunks
1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced
Handful olives, any kind you like (I used green stuffed with feta)
1 whole head of garlic, top 1/2 inch or so sliced off
red wine vinegar
1 tsp dijon
red pepper flakes
20ish leaves of fresh basil
1 large hunk of burrata

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat your oven to 425. Tear up the bread into bite size chunks and spread on a rimmed baking sheet. Toss with a few TBS olive oil and some salt. Roast away until the edges are golden brown, roughly 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, throw your veggies (tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion) along with the olives in a large bowl. Pour a TBS or so of red wine vinegar, a TBS or so of olive oil, and a pinch of salt and gently toss together. (This can sit awhile, mine sat for 4 hours just like this).

Time for your dressing. For the garlic aspect you can simply finely grate up two garlic cloves. I wanted the smooth roasted flavor so I roasted a whole head of garlic (wrapped in foil with olive oil, salt, and pepper for 30 minutes in a 400 degree oven). From there, whisk together two grated or roasted garlic cloves, dijon, 2 TBS red wine vinegar, 4 TBS olive oil, salt, pepper, pinch of red pepper flakes, and 4 or so basil leaves chopped up.

When ready to assemble (this can be done up to 4 hours from serving) place your bread onto of your vegetables and pour the dressing over the top. (I would give this stage at least two hours for the bread to really soak up the dressing. Don’t worry, it won’t get soggy). When ready to serve, gently toss the salad all together along with the remaining fresh roughly chopped basil leaves. Top with burrata, a drizzle of olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

C’s picks – week of April 30th

April 30, 2017 / By Courtney / Leave a Comment

Oh gosh, what a dreary weekend around Chicago! Come on spring, where did you go? We all miss you!

I hope you are having a happy Sunday regardless of our missing sunshine. And I hope you have just a few moments to sit down and work out your plan for the week. If you need any meal ideas, you know where to find them. Let’s get to our kitchen menu plan for the week!

Sunday night I’m thinking some bubbly gooey chicken parmesan is just what the doctor ordered after a long cold weekend in the rain. Garlicky green beans on the side because everyone loves them.

Another cozy meal, but much lighter, these Italian sausage stuffed peppers are to die for. Have you made them yet? They are a family favorite. So so good.

A night with just the boys and no baseball means mama gets a date night out with her two favorite little men.

Wednesday night we are on the field and I’m testing out a meal prep dinner: greek chicken bowls. How can they be bad?

Thursday night is another game and another make ahead meal. Roasting up some delicious veggies and sausage with garlic and parmesan sounds perfect for when we get home.

And that brings us to Friday and to Cinco de Mayo! Yippee! It would be a crime not to make these. Best ever.

That’s a wrap. Happy cooking everyone!
C

Everyday Moms: Meet Amy

April 28, 2017 / By Courtney / 2 Comments

Do you ever wonder other moms secrets? Like actual real beautiful day to day hard working moms? So often I see a darling one at the park and think wow, she looks so great! I wonder what she is doing so well. With that in mind I thought I’d begin a new series on ALFS – Everyday Moms. These are moms I know, moms that have been recommended to me, moms that inspire and are beautiful inside and out. Let’s peak into their lives just a bit, shall we?

Meet Amy!

Location: North Barrington, IL

Job: Mom of 4, so….nurse, teacher, coach, cleaning lady, chauffeur, mentor, manager

Kids: Emilia (10), Ben (7), Julia (5) & Ryan (18 months)

You’re in your closet. What do you reach for first? I reach for workout clothes- anything from Lululemon to Target brand!

Hands down the one beauty product you can’t live without. Only one! I LOVE wearing make-up, but I can only pick one product….My MAC jet black eye liner pencil

Your daily moisturizer. Are you happy with it? I have used Aveeno face lotion forever and it has never failed me.

Your nightly moisturizer. Are you happy with it? Aveeno face lotion for nighttime too!

Something in your shopping cart online right now that you want to buy – budget is no limit! Haha- that amazing crockpot you love!!!

How do you feel your beauty routine changed when you became a mom? When I became a mom, I kept up with my love for make-up, but let my hair go out the window. Need to prioritize making time for a regular hair-cut and color!

Biggest indulgence you allow yourself. My biggest indulgence I allow myself is either taking walks in my beautiful neighborhood or getting to the gym. J

Tell us about your kid(s). We have four wonderful kids. 2 girls and 2 boys. Emilia (10) is our queen bee, Ben (7) is mr active- always wanting to play with a ball or go do something, Julia (5) is my spunky and imaginative tomboy, and Ryan (18 months), the baby in the family who thinks he should attend grade school with everyone else. He also has a ball in his hand most times (or food).

What is your biggest struggle as a mom day to day? My biggest struggle as a mom day to day is always striving to find the balance of creating a happy, organized, and fun household. The chaos of a larger family is something I love, but can also stress me out!

What is your biggest happiness as a mom day to day? My biggest happiness as a mom day to day is spending each and every day with my husband and our kids. I truly do enjoy every day. Maybe not ALL day every day, but every day.

Snap your fingers – you could have a magic fairy to help you with one thing around the home everyday. What is it? I need a magic fairy to help me put everybody’s stuff away in the right place. 6 people plus a dog equals random stuff constantly!

Because you are oh so pretty, tell us about your favorite feature! My favorite feature is staying fit and healthy overall.

Thank you so much Amy for sharing your time and your family with us! Love that Emilia and Logan have been together since Kindergarten, can you believe we will have fifth graders next year? You were always such an inspiration walking the hills of Biltmore so consistently and it pays off. You look so great! Absolutely darling mom and darling family.