find a recipe!

A Life From Scratch.

A Life You Adore Around A Table You Love.

-15 degree stew.

/ By / 2 Comments

barley stew

I have to say, it was a bit of a shock to my system to return here. This winter can only be described as relentless and everywhere I look people just look….in pain. It doesn’t stop snowing. The wind is insane. I literally almost blew over while getting gas. And of course, it hurts to breathe. Nice.

I knew some type of soup had to get going on my stove ASAP as it’s the only thing that can help. This one is super healthy (kale!), super hearty (barley!), and comes together easily (almost one dish!). A big bowl of barley stew, some crusty bread, and a glass of pinot noir – hopefully it will take the edge off the fact that spring is nowhere in sight. Sigh.

Barley Stew
Write a review
Save Recipe
Print
Ingredients
  1. 2 cups water
  2. 1 cup quick-cooking barley
  3. Salt, to taste
  4. 2 Tbs. olive oil
  5. 1 lb. chicken sausage
  6. 1 yellow onion, chopped
  7. 4 garlic cloves, chopped
  8. pinch of red pepper flakes
  9. 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with juices
  10. 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  11. 4 cups kale, stemmed and chopped
  12. Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the water to a boil.
  2. Add the barley and a big pinch of salt, cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and set aside.
  3. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, warm 1 Tbs. of the olive oil.
  4. Add the sausage and brown on all sides, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
  5. Add the remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil, the onion and garlic to the saucepan and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 4 minutes.
  6. Cut the sausage into 1-inch slices and return them to the saucepan. Cook, stirring often, until the sausage is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
  7. Season with the red pepper flakes, salt, & pepper.
  8. Add the tomatoes with their juices and the broth. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
  9. Add the barley and the kale and cook just until the kale softens, about 5 minutes.
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/

Eat up!

C

A winter hug.

/ By / 4 Comments

chicken corn chowder

If you’re near me in Chicago you know for over a week now it’s just been rough.

The snow is relentless. The temps are painful. I’m all about cozy pajamas days inside with the kids, but after awhile you start to go just a little crazy. Let me rephrase that. The option of slamming your head into a wall doesn’t sound all that bad. 

It was day 5 (or 6 – who knows, I’ve lost count) of being stuck again inside with either a sick kiddo and/or bad weather. It was time to bring out the big guns. When your big outing of the day is walking running to the mail box while being slapped with icy cold wind, sometimes you just need a hug. I texted my girl friend the other day that the idea to leave my home and fill up my tank with gas was exciting to me. My goodness. Let this chicken corn chowder recipe fix all that.

It doesn’t cure the flu – or chicken pox (???)  – or magically bring on 40, heck I’ll even take 30 degree temps, but what it does do is (briefly) warm you from the inside out. It doesn’t get better than chicken corn chowder in a bread bowl on a chilly night, does it? Bonus that this one comes together beautifully and tastes almost good enough to make you forgot that tomorrow’s high is -17. Almost.

Chicken Corn Chowder
Write a review
Save Recipe
Print
Ingredients
  1. 6 ears of fresh corn, husked and silks removed (or 1-30 ounce can corn and 1-15 ounce can cream corn)
  2. 6 slices bacon, chopped
  3. 8 scallions
  4. 3 Idaho potatoes
  5. 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  6. 3 cups whole milk
  7. 2 cups chicken stock
  8. 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
  9. 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
  10. 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  11. 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  12. 1 4 ounce can chopped green chiles
  13. 2 cups roasted chicken, shredded (a Rotisserie chicken from the deli works great for this!)
  14. Salt and pepper, to taste
  15. handful of grated cheddar, for garnish
Instructions
  1. In a large stock pot, fry the bacon pieces until crisp. Remove from the pan, leaving the drippings, and set aside.
  2. Peel and chop the potatoes into bite sized chunks. Slice the scallions very thin and separate the greens from the whites.
  3. Place the potatoes and white scallion pieces into the stock pot and cook over medium heat until the scallions have softened, 2 or 3 minutes.
  4. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute.
  5. Pour in the milk, chicken stock, Old Bay, thyme, parsley, cayenne, salt, and pepper, stirring well. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
  6. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Add corn (If using fresh corn, cut from the cob with a sharp knife.
  7. Use the back of your knife to release the pulp from the cob.), chicken, and green chiles. Cook over low heat until heated through, about 5 minutes.
  8. Garnish with scallion greens, bacon, and cheddar cheese.
Adapted from Buns In My Oven
Adapted from Buns In My Oven
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/

Eat up!

C

The greatest of sins.

/ By / 1 Comment

homemade beef broth

It was Christmas Eve Eve, and everything was going according to script. The champagne was flowing, the gifts were being opened – everyone was merry & bright.

I headed into the kitchen to check on Grandad, who has been given the prestigious job of carving the roast. The rosy pink slices curved ever so perfectly onto the cutting board, which was getting quite full. I quickly grabbed a rib bone to make more room and headed to the trash when I was hastily stopped by Grandad, who was giving me a look like I had just sprouted a second head. Throwing out a prime rib bone? A sin to some apparently, and once my champagne haze wore off, I couldn’t agree more. Prime rib bones must yield the best. beef. stock. ever.

The homemade beef stock recipe comes from my mom and is a starting point to her beef vegetable soup, although you could use this stock and make whatever soup you’d like. It’s the perfect recipe to make when you are snowed in, in pajamas, and wanting to give your kitchen repetoire just a bit of edge. Like honestly, who makes homemade beef stock?

You so do.

Homemade Beef Stock
Yields 2
Write a review
Save Recipe
Print
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
2 hr
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
2 hr
Ingredients
  1. 2 quarts water, or enough to cover
  2. 3 lbs beef short ribs with bones, or a mix of prime rib bones & short rib bones
  3. 1 large onion, quartered
  4. 2 medium carrots, quartered
  5. 2 celery ribs, quartered
  6. 8 whole allspice
  7. 2 bay leaves
  8. 1 TBS salt
  9. 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
  1. Bring broth to a boil in a soup kettle or dutch over. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 2 hours.
  2. Remove and cool ribs. Skim fat and strain broth - discarding all veggies and seasonings.
  3. Remove meat from the bones - it's golden!
  4. Use for your choice of soup. Beef vegetable is perfect.
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/
Eat up!
C

Zuppa Toscana.

/ By / 2 Comments

zuppa toscana

Alright – let’s reel it in a bit here.

Thanksgiving is always a day to indulge – no questions asked. I enjoyed seconds thirds with absolutely no remorse and as I sat on my couch later in the evening while starting season 1 of Scandal (UM – LOVE!) I could not have been a happier person.

And then it was Friday. I woke up with the best intentions – whole wheat bagel with peanut butter and fruit for breakfast. And then the neighbors delivered a massive tray of beautiful Christmas cookies (you guys rock!). Two three cookies later I thought, ‘lunch – I will be better at lunch.’ I met my darling sister Allie out and something happened. We both finished our veggie potato pancakes topped with two eggs smeared with hollandaise sauce and we said ‘um, let’s order more food.’

Yes, my tiny sister and I actually asked for the menu back. Not one of my finest moments but hey – a couple of fruit crepes later we were finally satisfied. What can I say? We can eat and we have no one but our mother to thank for her super human like metabolism. 

Yet there comes a time and a place where enough is enough and that would be now. This recipe is a great way to cut through the over indulgence that is Thanksgiving (and the day after apparently) and get some super productive and lighter calories into your system. You’ve got a lot of health in this bowl and it could not be more delicious or better for you. 

Eat up,
C

P.S. If you have had and enjoy the Olive Garden’s zuppa toscana this tastes exactly like it – but is a much healthier version. Win win, all around.

Zuppa Toscana
Serves 6
Write a review
Save Recipe
Print
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
30 min
Total Time
45 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
30 min
Total Time
45 min
Ingredients
  1. 1lb lean Italian sausage (I used chicken sausage!)
  2. 2 large russet potatoes, cut into 1 inch thick sticks and then thinly sliced
  3. 1/2 onion, diced
  4. 2 garlic cloves, minced
  5. 1 quart (4 cups) chicken broth
  6. 2 cups water
  7. Salt and pepper, to taste
  8. 1 bunch kale, torn from stems
  9. 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
Instructions
  1. Brown Italian sausage in a Dutch oven set over medium heat (add a bit of oil if using lean meat).
  2. Cook, stirring often until cooked through. Drain fat if necessary.
  3. Add onion and garlic. Cook and stir until onion has softened.
  4. Add potatoes, chicken broth, water, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil.
  5. Lower heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are cooked through (about 10 minutes). Add kale.
  6. Cook until wilted. Lower heat to the lowest setting.
  7. Stir in yogurt; cook just until heated through.
  8. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
Adapted from Kitchen Simplicity
Adapted from Kitchen Simplicity
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/

Tim’s borscht soup.

/ By / 10 Comments


This ones for you, dad.

I’m not typically one to toot my own horn but I generally am one confident gal when it comes to my role in the kitchen. I can chop at lighting fast speed. I season to taste, which I believe to be a fine art, and I use recipes as guidelines, not hard rules. Yes I have to say the kitchen is where I happen to feel my most confident.

That all came to a screeching halt yesterday. Enter nervous, unconfident, full of questions, C.

Father’s day was suddenly upon us this year. Not wanting to simply pass by the day that was meant to honor the head of our family my darling sister and I came up with the brilliant plan of making him a russian feast. (My dad is russian by the way, this isn’t totally random). Once decided, the frantic text trail began from there as my sister ran around in the city and I waited for B to wake up from his am nap:

A: I was thinking it would be cute to do like a nice russian meal – borscht, pierogis, sausage…what do you think?
C: That’s awesome. We can bring it by during the day for them to eat when they can.
A: Perfect! I was hoping you’d say that.
A: Found a hole in the wall deli in ukrainian ullage and bought like 5 tons of pierogis.
C: Amazing!!! Sausage update?
C: What else do we need, heading out with B soon. Are we doing this homemade borscht?
A: Well, I wanted to save the sausage for this yuppy deli by us that’s won all sorts of awards, but I get there and they don’t have anything polish. So I got 2 that they guy said are most like kielbasa. Might want to get a couple more
C: Because we won’t have enough food, ha
A: The borscht does take a really long time…maybe you can get the beets going today?
C: Ok, let me look over the recipe now….
C: Ok, do you have the recipe? Ugh, I am so disorganized, I know mom gave it to me and of course I can’t find it and don’t want to bother her….
C: Never mind…!!! Found it. Woo hoo.
A: Yes!!
C: This is going to be a FEAST.
A: Toooooooooootally.
C: I love how you are essentially bringing a grocery store to mom and dads today.
A: I mean…I have cheese, bread, bacon wrapped dates, sausage, hummus, pierogis….
C: That’s just awesome.

At this point I was standing in Fresh Market looking at the stacks of dirty beets. Huh, I’ve never actually cooked a beet. Do I boil it or roast it? Peel it first or leave it be? I whipped out the recipe, a term I use lightly here. Oh my goodness it is pretty much a rambling of my mom’s and grandmother’s thoughts spilled onto a piece of paper. In regards to the beets, it says ‘cook them.’ Helpful. There were ingredients listed at the top and as I read my way through the directions new ingredients popped up here and there. Huh. I will be cooking with beef bones (comfortable) and ox tails (not comfortable). How long do I cook them? ‘Awhile.’ It called for a can of tomatoes…..well, diced? Whole? Crushed? 14 oz or 28 oz? I began to sweat.

B sensed my anxiety and wanted ‘up’ so I meandered my way through the market with my 24 pound bowling ball on my hip trying to decipher the code on that thin sheet of paper that was the key to taking father’s day to the next level.

Once I was confident I had all the necessary ingredients to get this going I made my way to the check out. A kind lady, who I have chatted with many times before, asked if I was making anything special for Father’s day. I replied ‘well, yes…borscht soup, but I am a little nervous about it.’

She smiled huge and said ‘oh you’ll be fine! Start with the beets – it’s just like cooking a potato.’

I breathed a sigh of relief. Potatoes! Well, I can handle those. I can do this!

And the recipe unfolded from there. I had to feel my way through most of it and questioned myself once or twice but I think, after all that, I pretty much nailed it. There was no other option. It was going to a pretty special guy.

And hey mom if that’s not the case, feel free to season away. Sugar and all.

Happy Father’s Day dad!

Tim's Borscht Soup
Write a review
Save Recipe
Print
Ingredients
  1. 1 qt beef stock
  2. 1 package beef short ribs
  3. 1 package oxtails
  4. salt & pepper
  5. bay leaf
  6. 4 to 5 larger sized beets
  7. onion, diced
  8. 1 28 ounce can tomatoes, diced
  9. 2 tsp garlic salt
  10. 3 carrots, grated
  11. smallish head of cabbage, roughly chopped
  12. 3 small red potatoes, diced
  13. 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  14. handful fresh dill, chopped
  15. 1 tsp sugar
Instructions
  1. Cover beef bones and oxtails with water. Add in bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer, until meat is tender. Roughly 1 hour or so.
  2. Place beats in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for roughly an hour, until fork tender. Peel skin off and roughly chop.
  3. To the meat pot add onion, tomatoes, garlic salt, and carrots. Simmer for 15 minutes.
  4. Add in cooked beets, cabbage, and potatoes and simmer for another 15 minutes or so.
  5. Last in goes your lemon juice, dill, and sugar. Taste at this point! You will need to adjust the salt and pepper.
A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/
 

Eat up,
C

Top