LIFE FROM SCRATCH Archives - Page 175 of 228

C’s picks.

September 8, 2013 / By Courtney / 3 Comments

I dragged my happy helpers shopping early today – like bring your blankie early. They were troopers!

So it’s another week of summer here apparently. Let’s fill this week with fresh, light, and heat worthy meals while we can. Fall will be here before we know it (yippee!) but that only means winter is on it’s way (sob).

Sunday night we are off to my mother in laws for dinner. I’ll be bringing fresh guacamole for an appetizer because in my opinion, it is the best summer app!

I have beautiful heirloom tomatoes from my moms garden to use up so how about a grilled caprese smothered chicken Monday night? YES PLEASE! A light salad on the side with my staple dressing.

Tuesday M flies away so you all know what that means – I can eat whatever I want! I’ll keep myself cool and full with a gazpacho soup. I like mine chunky, just like my babies.

Welcome home darling! Thursday night we’ll be dining on summer sandwiches, which is another perfect way to use up those beautiful tomatoes.

And we’ll close the week with…..you guessed it. Our pizza.

What’s cooking in your kitchen? I’d love to hear.
C

Fancy pants.

September 5, 2013 / By Courtney / 5 Comments

Anyone else see the word ‘tart’ in a recipe and frantically run the other way or at least quickly flip through the page? Uh yea, that would be me as well. The word tart just holds a whole connotation with fussy, difficult, fancy, and high maintenance. Not words I want to associate myself with.

Until I met this tart. Life changing.

Tina, my neighbor who you met here, posted the most beautiful heirloom tomato tart on her blog a few weeks ago. So beautiful that any tart anxiety I had immediately melted away. I knew I had to make it, soon.

Plus I’m a sucker for heirloom tomatoes. A huge sucker. I just feel like that needs to be said.

So Labor day weekend rolled around and I emailed Tina to come by to help me. I was ok with attempting one but hey, it’s still a tart. I wanted supervision. The result?

You guys – this could. not. be. easier. I almost felt foolish – like I had to apologize that I made her take time out of her day to babysit my weird anxiety. This dough came together beautifully. It rolled out beautifully. It folded beautifully. Think play dough like ease.

The rest was a piece of cake – beautiful thickly sliced tomatoes, bright herbs, freshly grated gruyere cheese, and bam! You just became one fancy gal. Want to show off at your next get together? Well of course you do. Tina explains it perfectly, right here.

Eat up!
C

wwww.

September 4, 2013 / By Courtney / 4 Comments

How is it already Wednesday? I have to admit – I scrambled this week. Tuesday came around and I had zero pictures prepared. These are random snap shots from our very random Tuesday – from the bus stop drop off to Target to the night ride on the tractor which thanks to M, pretty much made B’s day. If you can, please link up below or post on Facebook. I love seeing you and your little(s) looks each week!

Here is what we wore…

L: We had a pretty fantastic, albeit short shopping date Saturday morning as we had to rush back for football. Nordstroms, cheesecake factory for lunch, and abercrombie. He loved every minute – who needs a girl? We stocked up on new Nikes and long sleeve fall tees from abercrombie (40% off!). His shorts are the usual favs from Old Navy.

B: We started off in a neon crewcuts hoodie (thank you Grandad and Ginger!), pj pants, and his blankie. As the day progressed he went into a crewcut tee that states ‘off the leash at boneyard beach’ which – for anyone that knows B, pretty much sums him up. Gap skull jeans on the bottom thanks to his favorite neighbor kiddos.

C: I looooove the transition to fall and that was made easy today by a beautiful scarf that was a birthday gift from a fav housewife, wink wink. It’s from the Gap and super comfortable! B loved snuggling with it all day. J Crew tee and Joes ripped up jeans (M can’t stand these – what do you think?). Target flats.

Let’s see those looks!
C

Last gasp of summer RULES!

September 1, 2013 / By Courtney / 4 Comments

To be honest, I didn’t have anything lined up for C’s picks this week. I guess even ALFS needed a Labor Day break from all the planning. I was totally immersed in the last weekend of summer that without even knowing it I managed to stuff the essence of it all into a mere 48 hours. Stumbling upon a checked off list you didn’t realize you even had until it was over? Couldn’t have planned it better.

Without further ado here, in no particular order, is our family’s last gasp at summer rules:

1. These ribs. Nothing else needs to be said.
2. You better be wearing white today. Not that I’m against it after Labor Day but you can’t pull of the crisp white summer dress much longer.
3. Heirloom tomatoes. Find them. Eat them. And if you’re daring, do this to them.
4. Throw your kid in the pool, if they like that sort of thing. Mine happen to love it.
5. A fire + s’mores. Thank you, Amanda, for the s’more goodie bag. Genius.
6. A round of golf? Why not.
7. Roasted corn, extra salt and butter please.
8. It’s hot. You better roll your window down and cruz.
9. Big juicy hamburger cooked during a street festival. Bacon and cheese are not optional.
10. Remember the smell of sunscreen on your little one.
11. Get caught in a summer storm – heat lighting is much more entertaining than whatever is on TV. Yes, even housewives.
12. Pick some wildflowers and stuff them into mason jars.
13. Crisp rose wine, extra chilled.
14. Toms wedges. They really are the perfect mom heel.
15. Long hilly walks before morning nap and before bedtime. Gosh these will be missed.
16. Summer sides.
17. Enjoy the humidity. We have a love/hate relationship but in the dead of winter it’s certainly always missed.
18. Organize organize organize. I don’t know what it is but when fall is around the corner I have a dire need to get my house in tip top shape, asap.
19. Rainbow flip flops. We had a rocky start but thank you for becoming my most comfortable sandal ever.
20. Go outside! A lot. There is nothing better about summer than the ability to go outside at almost any given point. It is the thing I will miss most. With two rowdy boys, I’m sure you can imagine why.

So there you have it – isn’t summer a blast? That being said we’ve already enjoyed some of the perks fall has to offer. Football has been killer and you can’t beat back to school shopping…for the boys and mom, obviously.

Happy Labor Day my friends!
C

Logan, Montana.

August 29, 2013 / By Courtney / 7 Comments

There is a place – a sketchy place albeit a place called Logan, Montana. Think middle of no where abandoned rail road town type of place. In other words, eerily cool. I’ve been visiting this place for a large part of my life. My family has been drawn to Montana for quite some time and the best steak you can find at the best price would be in Logan at a place called Land of Magic. It can’t be beat. Especially for the price of $14.95.

In our last attempt at a getaway before we became parents for the first time we took our ‘babymoon’ (I know, so cheesy, sorry) to Big Sky and enjoyed the beautiful home, view, and most important when you are pregnant – delicious restaurants. We had just found out that our first born would be a boy and while I had a looooooong list of perfect girls names my boy list consisted of nothing. I was still in girl world at this point of my life and frankly nothing seemed quite cool enough.

That all changed over our steak dinner complete with the best ever twice baked potatoes. While looking down at the paper placemat complete with all the ranch’s brand symbols the name Logan jumped out at me. In between bites of ribeye and potato I threw out there ‘how about Logan?’ It was an immediate yes from M and we never looked back.

I love that his name has a tie back to my favorite place. Love it. And any time I have a killer ribeye or twice baked potato I think about that meal and laugh at how little we knew about the next phase of our lives. We’ve got it figured out by now, for the most part.

L's Twice Baked Potatoes

2013-08-30 11:44:18

Serves 4

Write a review

Save Recipe

Prep Time

20 min

Cook Time

20 min

Total Time

40 min

Prep Time

20 min

Cook Time

20 min

Total Time

40 min

Ingredients

4 baking potatoes, washed
1 stick salted butter
2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup Cheddar or Jack cheese (or a mix of both), plus more for topping
1/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoons seasoned salt
1 green onions, sliced
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, making sure they’re sufficiently cooked through.
Slice the butter into pats. Place in a large mixing bowl and add the bacon and sour cream. Remove the potatoes from the oven. Lower the heat to 350 degrees F.
With a sharp knife, cut each potato in half lengthwise. Scrape out the insides into the mixing bowl, being careful not to tear the shell.
Leave a small rim of potato intact for support. Lay the hollowed out potato shells on a baking sheet.
Smash the potatoes into the butter, bacon and sour cream.
Add the cheese, milk, seasoned salt, green onions and black pepper to taste and mix together well.
Fill the potato shells with the filling. Top each potato with a little more grated cheese and pop ‘em in the oven until the potato is warmed through, 15 to 20 minutes.

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

P.S. A HUGE thank you to our favorite cheese trader @ Hoogwegt, U.S.! The 2 1/2 year aged Wisconsin cheddar you so kindly gave us after our recent couples night out took these potatoes from awesome to over the top. Greatly appreciated and we are still enjoying the parm!

Eat up,
C