FROM SCRATCH CLUB

NEWS Biggest food policy story of the week: Grist reports (Tom Laskaway) that researchers from the University of Southern California decided to test actual brand-name sodas — including Coke, Pepsi, and Sprite — to confirm their exact sugar content and makeup. They found that the High Frutose Corn Syrup (HFCS)  in the vast majority contained [...]

I had to really think about indulgences when it was brought up as a theme this week.  I’ve been trying so hard to eat healthier over the past 6 months or so to fuel my runs, so I’ve eliminated so many indulgences from my diet.  Anyone who knew me when I was pregnant could tell [...]

Fairs, Festival, Harvest Fests, Conferences, Charity Events. This weekend is Saratoga Springs’ {massive} Fall Harvest Festival. There is so much to do, I have linked to the full two-day schedule. Spooky trolley rides, pumpkin carving, apple baseball, zombie brunch, cupcake decorating, petting zoo & pony rides, and much more. The festival ends with a kid’s [...]

Now that I’ve pondered my own indulgent eating I’m taking a 180 degree turn and focusing attention on the Halloween holiday and tots 1+. What is out there for trick-or-treaters that are either “slightly healthier” or at least “less artificial” or “food allergy friendly” and also the non-food category for the tiny kiddos? At our [...]

Indulgences. If our homes are filled with candy/cake/chocolate/brownies/ice cream/cookies is the act of eating it really an indulgence? If we give into desert on a daily or weekly basis? What happens when your child gets multiple food allergies and whole group of foods are taken away without a say in the matter? These are questions [...]

Butter, heavy cream, peanut butter, sugar…..yeah not so healthy but sometimes you must indulge and if you are going to indulge this is one way to do it! Halloween might be just the right time to pull out this recipe and take it for a spin! I came across a fabulous picture of a chocolate [...]

Those that know me at all know that I typically eat a pretty healthy diet. I do a lot of baking, and rarely do I actually follow the recipe. I substitute whole wheat flour for white flour; I use honey instead of refined sugar; I throw in fruits and veggies; I use applesauce instead of [...]

As I sit writing this I am eating one of my most recently acquired indulgent food habits, a chocolate peanut butter sandwich.  It’s a snack that I’ve made for several years now, and one that has evolved with my changing kitchens.  When I lived alone in a city apartment with a very small kitchen, I [...]

Trick-Or-Treat? {boo!} October 31 begins the cornucopia of food-centered holidays; Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Years. As a parent of a severely food allergic toddler, don’t get me started on the stress induced by these dates. You’ll hear more later in the week because during the days leading up to the big day, Alexis, [...]

As our first week of our series {1 food 1 week} comes to a close , I will tackle apples with not one, two or three apple-based recipes but four moderately simple applications. 1. Juicing. When I lived in Los Angeles, I did A LOT of juicing. Daily. Blame it on the 98% sunshine and [...]

As Sarah mentioned in her Apple Butter post, we took the boys apple picking a few weeks back at Indian Ladder Farms in Altamont, NY. Indian Ladder is unique, they are certified eco-apple farm. Directly from their website: Indian Ladder Farms apples have been certified as Eco Apples. As an Eco-Apple farmer, we ensure specific [...]

{troy, ny}   Hey Everyone! I have got so much food-related goodies for you this week, my head is spinning and my fingers hurt from all the typing! EVERYTHING FOODIE AND NEWSIE! An Op-Ed (interactive graphic) in this week’s New York Times explores the idea in how to restructure secondary school’s “lunch lines” to be [...]

This is my favorite breakfast, and it is cooking on the stove in our home just about every morning in the Fall. It fills the entire house with warm, Fall-inspired smells–who doesn’t love that? It’s Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal, and I’m not talking that instant Quaker, dehydrated apple stuff. REAL food. Here’s how to bring this [...]

{Dancing Ewe Farm} EVENTS Food Pantries of the Capital District is hosting its Autumn Evening Gala at Washington Park’s Lakehouse tonight at 5pm. In a maybe-this-is-food-related catagory: Don’t miss two gigantic corn maizes- ’tis the season! Liberty Ridge and Hoosick Fall’s Kettle Farm, supposedly its the largest on the East Coast! Brew & Boo Fest [...]

I have the recipe for Mark Bittman’s Light and Fluffy Pancakes from his How to Cook Everything cookbook memorized because I have been making them for many many years.  They require more of an effort than regular pancakes, but if you have the time and energy, I think they’re worth it!  The content of these [...]