LIFE FROM SCRATCH Archives - Page 110 of 228

Summer party cake.

July 10, 2015 / By Courtney / 17 Comments

It’s a Friday in July! Is there anything better?

Well yes. This summer party cake. Unless you are eating this on a Friday, which might just be too much happiness to handle.

We chowed down on this bad boy right before the fireworks on the 4th because, hello, FESTIVE! The sweet bottom is a cross between a vanilla cake and pound cake. Think dense but light. It’s a lovely base for the homemade whipped cream and berries from the market that are piled high on top.

Get this one going before summer passes you by and hey, happy weekend!

Summer Party Cake

2015-07-09 11:45:23

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Ingredients

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 cup whole milk, room temperature
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
Summer berries, to top

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a 9-inch-square baking pan with foil, allowing 2 inches of overhang on two sides.
In a large bowl, using a mixer at low speed, mix the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the 1 1/2 sticks of butter, milk, eggs and vanilla and beat at medium speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Spread the batter in the pan and bake for about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Let cool on a rack, then cover with foil and let stand at room temperature for awhile.
In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the cream with the sugar at high speed until firm, 1 to 2 minutes. Unmold the cake; peel off the foil. Top with the whipped cream. Pile the berries on top and serve.

Adapted from But I'm Hungry

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

Dress of the summer.

July 8, 2015 / By Courtney / 23 Comments

Recently on vacation, my darling sister-in-law, Carolyn, sauntered out onto the porch in the most adorable beachy dress. She looked festive, relaxed, and in full summer mode. Absolutely perfect.

I begrudgingly asked her where the dress was from, already calculating in my head how I could possibly spring for another Anthro dress. Spoiler alert: post kitchen reno, I just simply can’t.

“Old Navy,” she replied, melty sauvignon blanc relaxing in her hand.

SCORE.

Now this I can wrap my mind around. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say this ‘vacation scene’ is the dress of summer 2015. Get it while you can. The print is killer in the most charming of ways – think ferris wheels and palm trees. It’s relaxed, it’s cool, it’s longer in the back (read: safe to bend over for diaper changes in the park). Basically, when you wear this you give off that easy, chill, beachy vibe of a gal who’s in love with summer.

And who doesn’t want to be that gal?

Exactly.

Hurry up – it’s on sale, right now. Happy shopping! And guess what? They even make a maternity version!

*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.

Baseball Orphan.

July 7, 2015 / By Courtney / 7 Comments

Poor B.

You see, lately he’s been, well, stuck at baseball fields. And generally it’s ok. He loves sports. He loves being outside. He loves baseball. But I’m talking like, thirteen hours in six days stuck. Which, in two year old world, is a lot of hours. Um, even in 33 year old world, it’s kind of a lot.

But I have to give him credit. He hangs well. Especially when there is a park and a few of his older lady friends nearby. And by older I mean five years old. But as two year olds often do, meltdowns have occurred from time to time.

And that’s where these mini banana muffins come in. I’m not saying they will end your two year old tantrums, but they sure do help. Packed with bananas, whole wheat flour, minimal sugar, and a touch of sweetness, well, they are just the thing to get kids through that hunger until dinner is served.

Even if dinner is at 9PM. I know, I know. I’m a horrible mother. One of the negatives of having an almost 6 year gap between your kids is that late night baseball games for one equals dinner past bedtime for another.

Hey, I don’t think any permanent damage is being done. So far.

P.S. These banana muffins go everywhere with us! Breakfast on the go, park snacks, baseball snacks in and out of the dugout. My boys gobble. them. up.

B's Banana Muffins

2015-07-06 15:22:55

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Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I tend to use half whole wheat)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large bananas, mashed
1/2 cup white sugar (recipe calls for 3/4, I've used 1/2 and they have come out just as good)
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, melted

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat muffin pans with non-stick spray, or use paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
Combine bananas, sugar, egg, and melted butter in a large bowl. Fold in flour mixture, and mix until smooth. Scoop into muffin pans.
Bake in preheated oven. Bake mini muffins for 10 to 15 minutes, and large muffins for 25 to 30 minutes. Muffins will spring back when lightly tapped.

Adapted from All Recipes

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

C’s picks – week of July 5th.

July 5, 2015 / By Courtney / 4 Comments

Alright! Let the holiday fun (and baseball) continue! I hope everyone is having a fantastic looooong summer weekend. It’s the best, right?

But, time to get serious for a moment. Let’s plan out our week so Monday is a bit less harsh. Who’s with me? And here we go…

On Sunday we are off to the club for a firework celebration – lots of games for the kids, a glass (or two) of wine for mom, bbq, and fireworks to end it all. So fun.

For Monday I’m thinking these chicken sandwiches stuffed with brie and roasted tomatoes and spinach sound pretty. darn. good.

I’ll admit it. The Montana girl in me has fallen for buffalo skirt steak. Guy, it’s unreal! (Locals, Heinens has it). All the flavor of regular skirt steak but so much more lean, huge win for swim suit season. We’ll be getting a nice piece on the grill Tuesday night topped with this sauce and grilled veggies on the side.

Wednesday sounds like a nice night for pasta. This one is so simple and so beautiful.

That brings us to Thursday and to one of my favorite combos. Spicy salmon for me, Italian sausage for the boys. Brown rice and veggies all around.

It’s probably been the longest we’ve ever gone without having our pizza. Time to end that Friday night.

What’s on your menu plan for the coming week? Share with me in a comment below!

Happy 4th of July!

July 3, 2015 / By Courtney / Leave a Comment

Oh my goodness, it’s the 4th of July already? I don’t know about you, but between construction and baseball and vacation, June just flew by.

Yet here we are. And you know something odd? We have a wide open 4th of July evening. At first I was like, wait, that can’t be right. Normally we are juggling friends and family and Michigan and the Club events. But nope, nothing. Well, aside from baseball earlier in the day, but that’s a given.

So, what to do? I mentioned it to M and we agreed almost instantly – let’s stay in with the kids and close family. Cook a kickass meal. And camp out somewhere later in the evening for the fireworks. After 6 straight nights of baseball games, I couldn’t agree more.

Now, let’s see. What to make? These summer ribs can’t be beat. Seriously, make extras because you will need them. This chopped tortellini salad would be a great addition as well. Herbed potatoes sound delicious as well and I have a fun dessert in the works as a surprise.

What else. Well, how darling is this dress? Completely appropriate I thought. I will be wearing it all weekend long to celebrate.

Isn’t the rustic flag wall hanging pictured above just oh so adorable? How cute would it be hanging on a front door or swinging in the summer breeze on a screened in porch? You can find it in the Etsy shop, Now Fancy That. And hey, good news for ALFS readers. Until the end of the month, the kind shop owner is offering us 20% off their order! Simply enter the code fromscratch715 at checkout. Happy shopping!

And let’s end with this. A sparkler in the form of a cocktail? Yes. Please.

Happy and safe 4th of July everyone!

*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 at no additional cost to you. 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.