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A Life From Scratch.

A Life You Adore Around A Table You Love.

Hands down the BEST tortilla soup.

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Do you ever eat a dinner that just completely hit the spot? Based on everything that did or did not happen in your day, combined with the timing and the weather and all the other factors that may play a role in your appetite dinner just somehow turns out PERFECT. Exactly what you needed and satisfying beyond just filling your tummy.

That is what happened last night in our home.

Out of the past 28 days of April, 21 of them were gray and rainy. And each one kept getting harder and harder to handle. People were getting grumpy. Everyone was tired of being cold, tired of not wanting to get out of bed, and tired of waiting for spring.

I thought I had retired my red soup pot for the season – I kept pushing grilling recipes thinking if I grilled items – spring would surely follow. Well, a month of that was obviously not working so I had a thought. Instead of fighting the weather – try embracing it. Yes, it’s awful out. And yes it’s practically May, but obviously some comfort is still needed and that comfort can be found in a red pot.

I made Ina Garten’s ‘Mexican Chicken’ soup for the first time about a month ago and M fell in love. So did I – well, almost. I had a few ideas of how to enhance a smokey/grilled flavor in the soup so I got out the big red pot, lit the grill, chopped away, and stood out in the rain to char the veggies and chicken for trial #2.

The results? M had two HUGE bowls, I had two small ones, ok three if you count all the spoonfuls I took while snacking on it while it warmed up/cooled down. Honestly this might be my favorite soup of all time. I’m passing a good amount along to my dear friend and fellow foodie Lindsay for her take on it – I hope they enjoy!

Mexican Chicken Soup
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Ingredients
  1. 2 single chicken breasts
  2. grill seasoning
  3. 2 good sized green, red, or yellow peppers
  4. 2 ears of fresh corn
  5. 3 TBS olive oil, plus more for grilling
  6. 2 large onions, chopped
  7. 4 carrots, peeled & chopped
  8. 2 celery stalks, chopped
  9. 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
  10. 1 jalepeno seeded and minced
  11. 1 28 ounce can whole tomatoes, crushed by hand and juices reserved
  12. 3 quarts chicken stock
  13. 1 1/2 tsp cumin
  14. 1 1/2 tsp coriander
  15. 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  16. 1 TBS salt
  17. 4 flour or whole wheat fresh tortillas, cut into 1 inch strips
  18. freshly chopped cilantro
  19. shredded mexican cheese
  20. avocado
Instructions
  1. Preheat grill or grill pan.
  2. Brush chicken, peppers, and corn with olive oil. Rub chicken with grill seasoning. Grill chicken and veggies about 5 minutes per side. Rotate corn often to avoid burning.
  3. Meanwhile heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add in onions, carrots, and celery and saute until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Once other veggies are done grilling, chop. Add garlic, jalepeno, and grilled chicken and veggies to the pot and saute for a minute or so. Add in crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, cumin, coriander, pepper, and salt. Add in sliced tortillas and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
  4. Prior to serving, add freshly chopped cilantro. Top with your choice of toppings: avocado, mexican cheese, sour cream, salsa...etc.
Adapted from Ina Garten
Adapted from Ina Garten
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/

Is it weird to want to eat this breakfast?
Courtney

Deconstructed Dinner.

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Do you ever have a dinner where everything on your plate is just so amazing you don’t know what exactly to sink your fork into first? Each corner of your plate seems to be demanding your utmost attention and you have to do everything in your power to not resort to just ditching the fork entirely and diving in?

Welcome to that dinner. You know I don’t write about something I’m not completely obsessed with but if I could be possibly even more obsessive about a recipe I would be about this one. You need to make this – soon.

This is a festive and colorful meal which pairs the flavors of skirt steak with guacamole that is broken down or ‘deconstructed.’ So you get to experience the flavors individually as well as enjoy different combinations of flavors for each bite. A slice of marinaded skirt steak with charred avocado and a fresh cherry tomato topped with cilantro? Yes please. Grilled red onion, lime, and a forkful of herbed black bean rice? Sign me up.

This recipe came together effortlessly for a week night meal – we had it on a rather unassuming Monday. It would also make a beautiful presentation on a large platter for company – the colors are so warm and inviting. Don’t count on leftovers.

Skirt Steak with Deconstructed Guacamole & Herbed Black Bean Rice
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Ingredients
  1. 2 cups chicken stock
  2. 5 TBS olive oil
  3. 1 cup white rice
  4. 4 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle
  5. 1 15 ounce can black beans, drained
  6. 1 TBS hot sauce
  7. 2 TBS Worcestershire sauce
  8. 2 rounded TBS grainy mustard
  9. 1 1/2 TBS grill seasoning
  10. 2 lbs skirt steak
  11. 4 one inch slices of red onion
  12. 2 jalapeno peppers, halved and seeded
  13. salt & pepper
  14. 2 ripe Hass avocados, halved and pits removed
  15. handful of freshly chopped cilantro
  16. 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
  17. 4 limes
Instructions
  1. Bring the chicken stock and 1 TBS of olive oil to boil in a saucepan. Stir in the rice, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to medium low and cook for 12 minutes. Stir in the scallions, some cilantro, black beans, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Replace the lid and cook over low for 6 more minutes.
  2. Heat the grill to medium high. In a shallow dish combine the hot sauce, worcestershire, mustard, 3 TBS olive oil and the grill seasoning. Coat the steak and marinade at room temp for 10 minutes.
  3. Stick a toothpick through the side of each thickly sliced onion to keep the rings together. Brush the onions and jalapenos with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on the grill along with the meat. Cook for 5 minutes and then turn all items to cook for an additional 5 minutes on the other side. The last 4 minutes of the cooking time place the avocados on the grill to char and mark. Remove all items to a large platter and let rest.
  4. To serve, thinly slice the steak on an angle and divide among plates. Serve with an avocado half, a thick slice of red onion, a jalapeno half, a sprinkle of cilantro and a few halved tomatoes. Put a large scoop of the herbed black bean rice on the side and squeeze fresh lime juice over the entire plate.
Adapted from Rachael Ray
Adapted from Rachael Ray
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/

Not bad for a Monday…
Courtney

‘If I’m going to eat a burger…’

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It’s going to be this one.

If you haven’t figured out by now, I have a sweet tooth. Scratch that – I have sweet TEETH. It’s a bit of a problem if not properly balanced out with extreme healthy eating when it comes to my meals. I have to admit – I am quite disciplined. Extremely healthy breakfasts (aside from the sticky buns), almost always a salad for lunch, and a homemade dinner where I can control the quality/quantity of ingredients. Not bad.

But then I have moments where I just HAVE to have a burger. Since it’s rare it better be amazing. I’m not going to waste the opportunity on driving through Culvers. No way. I’m making my own brie/blue-rugala burgers.

What on earth are those? Well, they are a combination of a few things: 1. Rachael Ray’s original recipe titled ‘Blue-rugala Burgers’ and 2. M’s refusel to grow up and join the adult world’s absolute LOVE of blue cheese so we need to purchase TWO excellent gourmet cheeses, blue and brie. Way to keep the grocery costs down M.

But wait! The burgers don’t stop at the cheeses. The meat is flavored perfectly, there are slowly caramelized onions with spicy dijon mustard and brown sugar, and to top it all off, peppery arugula to sit on top. Or, as my editor’s husband would say ‘salad that tastes like dirt.’ Honestly – why am I dining with these people? Catherine – let’s go out.

Blue/Brie-rugala Burgers
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Ingredients
  1. 1 1/2 lbs ground sirloin
  2. 3 cloves garlic, mined
  3. 3 TBS worchestershire
  4. Handful of parsley, chopped
  5. 2 onions, sliced
  6. 2 TBS olive oil
  7. 2 TBS butter
  8. salt & pepper
  9. splash of water
  10. 1 TBS light brown sugar
  11. 2 TBS spicy dijon mustard
  12. Good quality brie cheese
  13. Good quality blue cheese
  14. Arugula, enough for 4 hamburgers
  15. 4 buns, toasted if you prefer
Instructions
  1. Mix meat, garlic, worchestershire sauce, and parsley together lightly with a fork. Form 4 patties.
  2. Heat large skillet over medium low heat. Melt the butter and olive oil together. Add in the onions, season with salt & pepper, and cook over low heat for 20 minutes. Add in the splash of water, brown sugar, and mustard. Stir to combine, heat through, and then turn off heat.
  3. Meanwhile, heat the outdoor grill or indoor grill pan. Cook the burgers over medium heat for about 8 - 10 minutes. The last minute put a thick slice of the brie cheese and a thick slice of the blue cheese on each of the burgers. (Unless you are M. In this case he won't even touch the blue cheese going on to my burger. Sigh.) Toast the buns at this point if you'd like.
  4. Top the cheesy burgers with the caramelized onions and 'clean' arugula.
Adapted from Rachael Ray
Adapted from Rachael Ray
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/

Totally worth logging in some miles on the treadmill. Totally.
Courtney

Vintage Glantz

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wingless buffalo chicken pizza

This recipe goes back. Way back. I’m not sure I was even 21 when I began making this for M. We were still dating and I saw Rachael Ray make it on the Food Network. I remember innocently thinking ‘hmm, that could be good.’ I didn’t know I was going to unleash a wingless buffalo chicken pizza monster from within M. Must. Eat. Every. Friday. Night. So we did…for years and years…

I use to tease that he’d never leave me because I knew the secret to the sauce that no one else knew, although if you follow her recipe step by step after making it once I’m sure you’d develop the same ‘secret.’ It’s pretty obvious. Either way, it got to the point where if I’d go out on a Friday night he would just have to make it for himself (heaven forbid he’d skip a week). So, I ended up divulging the secret. Oh well, it doesn’t look like he is going anywhere anytime soon.

We took a break from the pizza for a little while. Just like all good things, sometimes you just need a little space, right? But it is back now, and in full force. Better stock up on the pizza dough and worchestershire sauce.

This recipe really is outstanding. Guys love it. Girls love it as it’s a ‘figure friendly’ take on buffalo wings…we all know how awful those are for you. Battered and fried? No thank you. Grilled is the way to go. Bonus – eating a slice of pizza is a lot easier than attempting to look decent while eating a chicken wing. Important in those early dating years…wait, always important!

A few notes I have for this recipe: In terms of the pizza dough, this is entirely up to you. Fresh Market sells packaged pizza dough that is ready to bake – just ask the deli counter. Trader Joes sells dough you can roll out, or you can stop by your favorite pizzeria and ask for their dough. Whatever is convenient for you. As far as grilling goes, if you can’t bring yourself to light up the grill until we are at least around the mid 50 degree mark, I understand. Use an indoor grill pan if you have one, or a regular pan will work just fine as well.

Wingless Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Serves 2
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Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
30 min
Total Time
50 min
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
30 min
Total Time
50 min
Ingredients
  1. Pizza Dough
  2. Olive Oil
  3. 3-4 chicken cutlets, depending on size
  4. Grill seasoning
  5. 2 TBS salted butter
  6. 3 TBS worchestershire sauce
  7. 1 TBS hot sauce (use your preference here – more or less)
  8. 1 cup tomato sauce
  9. 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese
  10. 3/4 cup blue cheese
  11. Handful of scallions
Instructions
  1. Preheat grill, grill pan, or saute pan to medium high heat.
  2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  3. Rub the chicken in a little bit of olive oil and grill seasoning.
  4. Grill/saute chicken until done, about 3 minutes a side.
  5. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat a medium saute pan over medium heat.
  6. Melt butter and stir in the worchestershire and hot sauce.
  7. Stir in tomato sauce. Turn off heat.
  8. Mix together sliced grilled chicken with the sauce and spread onto pizza dough.
  9. Top with both types of cheese and chopped scallions.
  10. How long it will bake will depend on your dough. If it’s all ready partially cooked it should take around 10 minutes. If you’re using ‘raw’ dough, about 18 minutes. Just keep an eye on it.
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/
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