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A Life You Adore Around A Table You Love.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it…NO!

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[dropcap1 color=”rosy”]J[/dropcap1]ust when I began to have thoughts of spring break slowly approaching the Chicago winter jolts me back to reality with a blizzard. I should have known better. It’s really too soon to hope for spring. The visions I was having of swaying palm trees switched to visions of branches way too heavy with snow that they knock down electrical wires and shut off our power. Not as relaxing of an image.

My main reason to be a tad ‘cranky’ over the timing of this blizzard is my rescheduled St. Mark’s housewives night is due right when the blizzard is estimated to be in full force. Lovely! So it looks like, yet again, that will be delayed. Time to organize plan C.

All right, moving on. Let’s make the best of this…with food! If I’m going to be stuck at home, I’m going to be cooking and baking. I made sure to be adequately prepared with plenty of supplies on hand. I’m thinking brown bag apple pie for a dear friend (I WILL get it to her) and chocolate chip walnut cookies for the cookie jar. For dinner, warm and comforting meatball subs to be eaten by the fire in my favorite J Crew flannel. That should, somehow, take away the hard edge of the blizzard’s effects.

These subs are great. They are one of my ‘go to’ recipes for comfort food. I’ve found that I have made them a lot when M’s friends are over for football, or for when my dad comes by for dinner. Somehow ‘subs’ and ‘meatballs’ just go hand in hand with guys and comfort food. A bonus is that these are actually ‘figure friendly’ subs as they are made from ground chicken and are baked instead of fried. Shhh…don’t tell the men!

Chicken Meatball Subs
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Ingredients
  1. 1 lbs ground chicken
  2. 1 egg
  3. 3/4 cup good parmesan
  4. 1 TBS grill seasoning
  5. 3 TBS freshly chopped parsley
  6. 1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
  7. splash of tabasco
  8. salt and pepper
  9. 3 cloves of garlic, removed from the skins and cracked
  10. 3 TBS good olive oil
  11. pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
  12. 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes, use a good quality for a good sauce
  13. 1/2 cup of chicken stock
  14. basil, julienned
  15. more parmesan cheese, for the tops
Instructions
  1. Preheat over to 425 degrees.
  2. Combine the first 8 ingredients in a large bowl and mix together with a splash of olive oil. Form the meatballs, you should have about 12 good sized ones. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, work on the sauce. Warm the olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium low heat. Let the cracked garlic gloves hang out for a few minutes, to infuse the oil with more flavor. Remove cloves. Add the pinch of red pepper flakes, tomatoes, and chicken stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the basil at the end.
  4. When the meatballs are done cooking, add them to the sauce and switch your broiler on high. Take large sub rolls, split in half, and remove the bread from the bottom half so the meatballs will 'sit' in the rolls better. Top meatballs with more sauce, cheese, and brown in the oven for a minute or two. Remove, add more julienned basil and enjoy!
Adapted from Rachel Ray
Adapted from Rachel Ray
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/

I’m writing this next to the fire with L laying on my legs. So that night wasn’t all bad after all.

Stay safe,
Courtney

‘Sunday Morning’ Blueberry Muffins

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Sunday morning blueberry muffins

It’s quite rare that a blueberry will ever go to waste in my home. The media has engrained in us: blueberries = super food! I have totally bought into the hype. How can they not be good for you? They are blue, which is cool in itself, plus they are packed with antixodants. Important during these germy months.

The thing about blueberries though is that there isn’t a long shelf life for eating them totally raw. You only have a good day or so before they change from soft in a good way to soft in a bad way. If you are a blueberry fan, I believe you’ll know what I’m talking about. That’s when it is time to bake blueberry muffins.

I’m calling these ‘Sunday Morning’ blueberry muffins because I find myself typically making them on Sunday mornings. I like getting the kitchen stocked for the week with items for breakfasts, snacks, and treats and blueberry muffins are the perfect ‘grab and go’ breakfast for the car or train ride in. Plus, I think they brighten a Monday morning…just a bit.

This recipe comes from my mom and it is the best! An acquaintence from elementary school actually ‘friended’ me on facebook to request her recipe. That was from 20 something years ago…that’s a memorable muffin!

'Sunday Morning' Blueberry Muffins
Yields 12
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Ingredients
  1. Paper muffin cups
  2. 2 cups sifted flour
  3. 4 tsp baking powder
  4. 3/4 cup sugar
  5. 1 tsp salt
  6. 1 cup fresh blueberries, bonus for hand picked!
  7. 2 eggs
  8. 1/2 cup melted butter
  9. 1 cup milk
Cinnamon and Sugar Topping
  1. 1/8 tsp cinnamon
  2. 2 TBS sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat over to 400 degrees.
  2. Place paper cups in ungreased muffin tins. Sift dry ingredients together in large bowl. Add blueberries to dry mix and mix until well coated. In a small bowl, beat eggs well. Add melted butter and milk. Quickly stir liquid mixture into dry mix. Do not over mix as it will cause tough muffins. (No one wants that!) Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and sprinkle with cinnamon topping. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes until lightly browned.
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/

Naturally, I focus on the antioxidant part of this recipe, not the sugar and butter.

Thanks mom,
Courtney

Chicken Parmesan – with a twist!

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[dropcap1 color=”rosy”]C[/dropcap1]hicken Parmesan. It just ‘screams’ comfort food, doesn’t it? The breaded chicken, heavy marinara, pasta on the side which is obviously loaded with more parmesan cheese…all perfect for a snowy winter night. The end of January is a transition point for me. Yes, it is still chilly and snowy out, but the endless amount of eating from the holidays and comfort foods from the past few months seem to add up. Suddenly visions of snowmen and uggs switch to sand, shells, and swaying palm trees that seem to be calling my name. February and March…time to get to Florida for some much needed warmth and humidity. Along with that goes the shorts, dresses, swim suits….yikes! It was time to lighten up some of the classics that are still completely necessary to get through these remaining snowy months, but won’t hurt the waist line for sun bathing by the ocean. Ahhh…

A great place to start is with this recipe. You still get the comfort of the breaded chicken parmesan, but instead of a heavy marinara, pasta, and more cheese to go along with it you build a fresh salad on top. Not only is this better for you, but the dressing on the salad sitting on the warm chicken really kicks up the flavor. I promise, you won’t miss the pasta.

Another great quality of this recipe is that it is completely versatile. Easy to make on a week night for 2, or for company of 8 on the weekend. If you choose to make this for a crowd, have your oven at 200 degrees to keep the chicken warm while making additional servings. The ingredients are simple to work with, just buy the quantity that you need.

Lighten up - Chicken Parmesan
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Ingredients
  1. Chicken breasts, butterflied open and pounded to 1/4 inch thick. (Bonus if you have any aggression to get out...?)
  2. - 1 cup of flour
  3. - 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  4. - 1/4 tsp pepper
  5. - 2 eggs, lightly beaten with a splash of water
  6. - 1 cup fresh Italian bread crumbs
  7. - 1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese
  8. - Good olive oil
  9. - Unsalted butter
  10. - Mixed greens
  11. - Lemon, zest and juice
  12. - Tomatoes, the freshest you can find. In the winter I tend to turn to grape tomatoes
Instructions
  1. Make a little assembly line next to your stove. Have the chicken pounded out and ready to go. On one plate, combine the flour with the salt and pepper. Next have the eggs and water ready. Lastly, combine the bread crumbs and parmesan. Roll the chicken in the flour, dip in the eggs, and cover with the bread crumb/parmesan mixture. Repeat for each piece of chicken you are serving.
  2. To cook the chicken, warm 1 TBS good olive oil and 1 TBS unsalted butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Cook for about 3 minutes per side. If you are making additional pieces of chicken, you will need to add additional olive oil and butter as you go along.
  3. To build the salad, begin with the dressing. Whisk together 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1/2 cup of good olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss with the greens.
  4. Plate your chicken, place some salad on top, top with sliced tomatoes and freshly shaved parmesan cheese.
Adapted from Ina Garten
Adapted from Ina Garten
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/

Come on spring!
Courtney

‘Cure A Flu’ Chicken Noodle Soup

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 A rather unpleasant text from M in Houston confirmed it. The flu had invaded our home. So, I began my normal routine of getting out the fluids and saltines, thermometer, comfy blankets and pillows on the couch and then braced myself for the day ahead. There is only one recipe I turn to on days like these. Chicken noodle soup. This isn’t your normal ‘boil a chicken in water’ chicken noodle soup. Some of the basic ideas are the same, but the volume is kicked up with garlic, lots of fresh herbs, and lemon. Ingredients I swear heal you faster and prevent those who are still healthy to not get sick…wishful thinking on my part? Anyways, make it. From scratch. I promise it’s not too involved and the process of making it, eating it, and knowing you have a nice warm pot on the stove for anytime you need it is comforting. And comfort is necessary when you or your loved ones are sick.

Cure a Flu Chicken Noodle Soup
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Ingredients
  1. 2 pieces boneless skinless chicken breasts
  2. 2 onions, 1 halved and 1 chopped
  3. 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  4. 1 fresh bay leaf
  5. 2 TBS good olive oil
  6. 4 medium carrots, thinly sliced
  7. 4 celery stalks, thinly sliced
  8. Salt and black pepper
  9. 1 quart good chicken stock
  10. 1/3 lbs whole wheat noodles
  11. 4 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle
  12. 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
  13. 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill
  14. Zest and Juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
  1. In a sauce pot, combine first 4 ingredients with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then down to simmer for 15 - 20 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, in a soup pot or dutch oven heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables are tender, around 8 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.
  3. Remove the poached chicken from the liquid and add about 2 cups of the cooking liquid, pouring through a strainer, to the soup pot. Dice the poached chicken, then stir in the noodles along with the chicken and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and add all the fresh herbs along with the lemon juice and zest. Season with salt and pepper, if needed.
Notes
  1. I do not like soggy noodles in my soup, so if you are going to let the soup simmer on low all day I would advise to keep the noodles separate and add to cook a bit before you dish up.
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/

I all ready feel better.

Stay healthy,
Courtney

 

 

Brown Bag Apple Pie

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A single apple on a tree…the endless amount of options it could turn out to be. Sunny and crisp fall days turn into baking for hours. Smells of warming apples with cinnamon and nutmeg drift through the house, as pie after crisp after dumpling after sheet cake is removed from my mom’s prized double oven. ‘Apple picking day’ is my favorite day of the year. It typically goes hand in hand with my son’s birthday so to me, it is the perfect time of the year. I love the fall. I love apples. I love baking. And I love my son. Put those items together and you have one happy camper.

My favorite recipe to have evolved out of ‘apple picking day’ is the brown bag apple pie. This is an amazing pie for a multitude of reasons. 1. It is literally baked in a brown bag, at 425 degrees, for one hour, and the house does not burn down. (I promise!) 2. Two different crusts are featured, and neither are the ever so intimidating crusts you have to roll out! 3. To everyone that has tried this pie it has gotten the ‘best apple pie they have ever had’ comment. Not bad, right?

Make this pie for someone you love. Make it to comfort someone. Make it to remind yourself how perfect a fall day can feel. As a bonus, have a slice warm for breakfast. You just can not start a day any better than that.

Brown Bag Apple Pie
Serves 6
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Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 20 min
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 20 min
Bottom Crust
  1. 1 & 1/2 cups flour
  2. 1 tsp salt
  3. 2 tsp sugar
  4. 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  5. 1 TBS milk
Filing
  1. 6 large Granny Smith Apples
  2. 1/2 cup sugar
  3. 2 TBS flour
  4. 2 tsp cinnamon
Top Crust
  1. 1 cup flour
  2. 1 cup sugar
  3. 2/3 cup butter, softened on the counter
Bottom crust
  1. Mix all of the above together. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a pie plate.
Filling
  1. Core, peel, and slice all of the apples. Mix all ingredients together and pour into the bottom crust.
Top Crust
  1. Mix above together, it will be sticky! Pat the mixture of the top of the filing.
  2. Place pie in a brown paper bag, fold over to close, and place on a cookie sheet and bake for 1 hour at 425 degrees.
  3. Again, the house will not burn down…but I would keep an eye (or two) on it.
Adapted from Mix above together, it will be sticky! Pat the mixture of the top of the filing. Place pie in a brown paper bag, fold over to close, and place on a cookie sheet and bake for 1 hour at 425 degrees. Again, the house will not burn down…but I would keep an eye (or two) on it.
Adapted from Mix above together, it will be sticky! Pat the mixture of the top of the filing. Place pie in a brown paper bag, fold over to close, and place on a cookie sheet and bake for 1 hour at 425 degrees. Again, the house will not burn down…but I would keep an eye (or two) on it.
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/
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