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A Life From Scratch.

A Life You Adore Around A Table You Love.

Cassoulet casserole

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IMG_0019Ah my devotion to the one tray dishes never seems to fade. The ease of throwing everything into one large massive dish and into a hot oven to roast away is just too lovely, don’t you think? 

The flavors in this dish are a total knock out. Think fresh herbs, summery tomatoes, chunks of onion, good sausages, white beans, and parmesan crusted (gluten free) panko bread crumbs sprinkled on top to seal the deal. Serious comfort food which, if you’re anything like me, you haven’t exactly been making lately.

Yet it was nice to give the overused grill a break for one dreary night and in between driving the boys back and forth to town four times a day in construction (why, WHY) the comfort was just a tiny bit needed. Well that, and a glass of pinot noir. Which just happened to go too perfectly.

A perfect easy one tray family recipe just in time for back to school. This one will be in serious rotation around here. 

Enjoy! 

Cassoulet Casserole
A rustic one tray dish perfect for an easy family dinner!
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
1 hr
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
1 hr
Ingredients
  1. 2.5 lbs sausages (I used chicken stuffed with feta and spinach)
  2. 3 pints cherry tomatoes, whole
  3. 1 onion, cut into 1 inch chunks
  4. 5 cloves garlic, sliced
  5. 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme, minced
  6. 3 whole fresh bay leaves
  7. sprinkle of red pepper flakes
  8. salt & pepper
  9. olive oil
  10. 3 cans cannellini beans, partially drained
  11. large handful of panko bread crumbs
  12. handful of parmesan
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Throw everything (not the beans!) up until the olive oil in one large tray. Sprinkle olive on top and shake things up a bit. Put in the oven for 45 minutes.
  3. Remove tray and add the beans (I partially drained and rinsed them). Mix together your parmesan and bread crumbs with a few drizzles of olive oil. Pour bread crumb mixture over the top and put back into the oven for 15 more minutes. I popped the broiler on at the end to get things nice and browned. Enjoy!
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/

Grilled peach and prosciutto pizza.

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IMG_8760I am a firm, firm, believer that there is a transition that takes place when school lets out and summer begins. For both mom and kids.

On one hand, mom is all ‘omg, I have to fill their time so I don’t hear ‘I’m bored’ over and over and over again and can have twenty minutes to myself to maybe like, I don’t know, do something so spectacular like attend my annual gynecologist appointment so I am signing them up for ALL THE CAMPS’ all the while the kids are all like ‘IT’S SUMMER!!!!!!! TAKE ME TO THE POOOOOOOOL AND ALL MY FRIENDS HOMES FROM SUN UP TO SUN DOWN!’

Summer is exhausting, man.

I thought it was hard to get up for school by 9AM with these two. And yet these past few weeks someone (ok, me) thought it would be brilliant to sign them up for camps that overlapped from 8:30-10:30 and 9:00-12:00

Read: not brilliant. Basically what that translated to was mom in her car all. morning. long. Not getting a much needed pedicure like she intended. I did sneak in a few runs that were…..wait for it…..twenty minutes long. I know, I know. Summer body sculpted that’s me. 

And yet finally we had a bit of a breather. Baseball was still in full force but we had absolutely no where to be in the morning. Days were….open. Pajamas were still on past 10:00. Laundry was getting done. Bills were getting paid. Mom was back in her home a little which meant all was getting a bit more balanced.

Look, summer fun is the best. And that’s just the problem. I think we are so freaking excited that it’s HERE that June can be a bit of a whirlwind. Party at Wool Street post a night baseball game? Sure why not. Let’s bring the three year old. Two playdates in the morning and another in the afternoon? That happened. Sleepovers and pool dates and baseball baseball baseball until finally I called it.

Enough.

Get. me. home.

Give me a free evening.

With just my family. Just the four of us. No extras.

I want to cook something delicious that we all can enjoy barefoot on the patio while soaking up the longest day of the year because even in our pure summer exhaustion nothing at that particular point could ever feel better.

Well, maybe something. A compliment from the husband that this grilled peach and prosciutto pizza was better than any restaurant he’s ever been to ever? My goodness do I love summer. And now, good night.

Grilled Peach and Prosciutto Pizza
A delicious summer pizza made on the grill with naan bread!
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
5 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
5 min
Ingredients
  1. 4 fresh garlic naan breads (store bought is fine)
  2. Olive oil
  3. 2 Peaches, sliced
  4. Fresh mozzarella, sliced
  5. Prosciutto, ribboned
  6. Basil, ribboned
Instructions
  1. Pre heat your grill to medium high heat.
  2. Rub the sliced peaches in a bit of olive oil and grill each side for roughly 2-3 minutes until char marks appear.
  3. Rub olive oil on both sides of the naan bread and place on the hot grill for a few minutes on each side until there are some nice char marks.
  4. Bring the grilled naan inside to layer up with toppings. Start with the fresh mozzarella, then prosciutto, then peaches.
  5. Turn the grill down to low heat and place the topped naan bread back on the grill and close the lid. Let ingredients get warm and melty for roughly five minutes or so. (You can check often and cook according to your preference).
  6. Remove from grill and top with fresh basil and a drizzle of olive oil.
  7. Eat on the patio, preferably barefoot.
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/

 

 

 

Slow cooker beer braised brats.

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IMG_8619

So, I’m having a major love affair with my crock pot recently. With summer hitting hard what is happening is a lot of time spent not being home due to soaking up the sun at the park, pool, or yes of course….baseball field.

Laundry piles up. Mail piles up. The home is in a bit of disarray and dinner? My goodness. I’m lucky if I get to the store to buy milk. That being said, I’m trying to take it week by week and keep up with my kitchen planning. Does it always happen? Heck no. But I’m trying. And relying, A LOT, on the ease of the crock pot. It’s there when I can’t be and doing most of the work for me. So needed.

That being said, I feel crock pot recipes tend to lean on the heavier side, think fall and winter dishes. More cozy and comforting less easy on the waistline. So my goal over the next few weeks is to establish some summer crock pot staple recipes that will carry us through the crazy long fun summer days and into the night. Because is there anything better than a beer braised brat topped with yellow mustard out on the patio? 

Not much. These hit. the. spot. I browned them up in the morning and they bubbled away all day in beer, onion, garlic, and…..um, butter. Ok, ok perhaps not the easiest on the waistline but nothing screams summer like a beer braised brats. Delicious.

Get them in your rotation this week. Your busy summer self (and family!) will thank you.

Crock Pot Beer Braised Brats
Beer braised brats - in the crock pot!
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
7 hr
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
7 hr
Ingredients
  1. 8 brats
  2. 2 sweet onions, sliced thin
  3. 3 cloves garlic, minced
  4. 3 TBS butter
  5. 2 12 ounce beers (I used miller lite)
  6. salt & pepper
  7. buns, mustard, etc for serving
Instructions
  1. Brown the brats on each side for a few minutes in a tiny bit of evoo.
  2. Place in bottom of slow cooker. Top with onions, garlic, butter, salt & pepper. Pour beers over everything. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/

Slow cooker marinara.

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IMG_8165-2It was one of those days were I felt stuck in the unknown. It happens a lot around here, with so much of the boys sports dependent on weather, at times it can feel we are living day to day and even at times, hour by hour. As a rigid serious planner, at times it can stress me out. I like to know what I’m doing and to have a plan and to control it all because I am a virgo to a faulty fault.

This particular night the forecast was pretty grim. 50’s and all rain. Yet no email. The day kept going on, bus time almost approaching and the game which, by the way, was over an hour away on a school night (hold me) was still on.

And then we got the email: cancelled.

HAPPY! DANCE!

I immediately threw the baseball bag in the mudroom, proceeded to climb into my flannel pj’s, poured myself a glass of wine, and sent the boys to play in the (not yet raining yard).

It was glorious.

Even more so because I had a homemade marinara sauce slow cooking away all day. And it smelled good. 

Did you know you could do that? Make a marinara sauce in the slow cooker? I would have never thought of that but got the tip from my super smart mom. Come dinner time you stir in tortellini of your choice, top with mozzarella and parmesan, serve in deep bowls on the couch and call it a night.

There are times when really the best of things aren’t quite planned at all, don’t you think? 

Slow cooker tortellini casserole.
Hearty and satisfying - this delicious sauce and pasta can all be made in your slow cooker!
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
7 hr
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
7 hr
Ingredients
  1. 1 lbs ground beef
  2. olive oil
  3. 1 small onion, diced
  4. 1 zucchini, diced
  5. salt & pepper
  6. red pepper flakes
  7. 1 tsp or so of freshly chopped oregano
  8. 1 14 oz can stewed tomatoes
  9. 1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce
  10. 1 package fresh tortellini , your choice
  11. mozzarella & parmesan cheese for topping
Instructions
  1. Brown the ground beef, onion, and zucchini together on the stove over medium heat and a little evoo. Stir in salt, pepper, oregano, and a pinch of red pepper flakes.
  2. Pour into slow cooker. Stir in tomatoes and sauce and cook on low for 7 hours (or high for 4).
  3. When there are 15 minutes left or so, stir in tortellini and top with handfuls of mozzarella and parmsean. Cook for 15 and enjoy!
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/

The old standbys.

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IMG_6732Sometimes, when it comes to dinner, it’s just about the old standbys. Nothing fancy, nothing new. You know exactly what you’re going to get and dinner feels all that more….comfortable. Homey. Relaxed. And dare I say it….easy.

This is exactly that. It’s so basic, you could do it half asleep (which I sometimes have). Throw it in the crock pot in the morning and go about your day. Work, kids, workout, homework, activities. It’s a lot. I know. But dinner doesn’t always have to be. Sometimes it can and should just be…simple.

Give yourself a break. Grab these items at the store and throw it together and come dinner time plop in a deep bowl and hang on the couch and cheer for the Cubs. Because that is precisely what we do when we eat cowboy chili together and there are very few things that could ever make me happier. 

Yee haw!

Cowboy Casserole
Serves 4
An easy and comforting crock pot meal for the whole family!
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
7 hr
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
7 hr
Ingredients
  1. 1/4 cup diced onion
  2. 1/2 tsp pepper
  3. 1 tsp salt
  4. 1/2 tsp Mrs. Dash or any other seasoning you may like (I've thrown in cumin and red pepper)
  5. 1 lbs small red potatoess, sliced thin (about 4-5 small red potatoes),
  6. 1 can of cream of mushroom soup (I know, I know)
  7. 1 lb ground beef browned and drained
  8. 1 can of diced tomatoes with liquid
  9. 1 cup canned corn, drained
  10. 1 can dark red kidney beans, drained
  11. 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, for topping
Instructions
  1. 1. Place all of the ingredients except the cheese in a crockpot and stir well.
  2. 2. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 7-8 hours. Uncover crockpot and sprinkle shredded cheese over top and recover and let cook an additional 30 minutes or so, until bubbly and melted.
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/
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