FROM SCRATCH CLUB

I have written a lot about breakfast on this blog.  I’ve realized recently that making breakfast is meaningful to me.  I like eating breakfast foods, but I now recognize that, more importantly, the process of cooking breakfast improves my mental health.  When I feel scattered and disorganized, making breakfast helps me to consolidate and settle […]

Grain Brains Challenge A recipe challenge to help you get whole grains into your mouth, not just your kitchen. I grew up in Mississippi right outside of New Orleans. Down there, every family has a favorite gumbo, and everyone thinks theirs is the perfect recipe. But the truth is gumbo is about as variable as South Louisiana […]

Its Earth Day and I get to gush about a book (and host a giveaway) that inspires and educates folks on the ins & outs of putting fruit up, whether that’s in jam-form, syrup-form, frozen-form or or or…the sky is the limit! Growing your own fruit or buying fruit from your local farmers market or […]

We read, we cook, we chat. That is the FSC Book Club. I might have jinxed us. On the last recap, I noted that these assignments might be tricky with its focus on some of the more uncommon grains like barley and buckwheat. I commented in the forum that I was nervous because those whole […]

We read, we cook, we chat. That is the FSC Book Club. Oats, oats, oats. Such a popular grain with so much interesting potential too. I eat oatmeal at least a few times a week, but I confess that beyond the occasional chocolate chip oatmeal cookie, I don’t do much else with it. And farro? I […]

One of the reasons I think people read and write for this blog is because they want to challenge themselves to cook and eat thoughtfully.  I love the challenge of eating well but not the challenge of finding the ingredients to do so.  I moved to this area several years ago and was immediately aware […]

We read, we cook, we chat. That is the FSC Book Club. Quinoa! It’s the superfood that’s all the rage these days and we tackled it using the delicious recipes from Whole Grains for a New Generation. We also took a look at the spelt recipes in the book to round out our second “meeting” […]

We read, we cook, we chat. That is the FSC Book Club. The third round of the FSC Book Club starts today! We are excited to start cooking and reading our way through our newest book club selection, Whole Grains for a New Generation: Light Dishes, Hearty Meals, Sweet Treats, and Sundry Snacks for the Everyday […]

We read, we cook, we chat. That is the FSC Book Club. We are happy to announce the book selection for the 3rd Round of the FSC Book Club! We will be reading and cooking our way through Whole Grains for a New Generation: Light Dishes, Hearty Meals, Sweet Treats, and Sundry Snacks for the Everyday […]

It’s safe to say that round two of the FSC Book Club was a success! We had over 120 members join us at our new book club host site, Goodreads, and lots of folks chiming in on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook. Over the course of a few months, we cooked our way through the wonderful […]

After our summer ‘trial-run’, I am thrilled to announce that FSC will be sticking around as TAC’s Culinary Arts Faculty! These classes are intimate, affordable and low-key and at the premiere arts center in our area! We have all had a *blast* teaching our classes, and can’t wait for more eager, curious, food-loving students! Classes […]

We eat a lot of beans in my house. I love beans. I love them on salad or in stir fries, pasta or soup.  They are versatile and good for you, as well as tasty.  Just about any bean can be made in to a “burger”.  I typically use black beans to make burgers, but […]

I have to apologize for my lack of photos of the amazing food that we ate. I was too entranced to think to take pictures of everything. However, if there were more, you’d probably drool on your computer, and then I’d owe you a new computer. Last week my husband, son, and I were invited […]

I have always loved the folk tale of “Stone Soup” because in it a delicious soup is created from meager ingredients.  I love the challenge of creating delicious food from not-so-obvious ingredients.  Over one year ago I pledged to stop buying grocery store meat and this prompted me to start purchasing whole chickens at the […]

When I was young I remember my parents hosting dinner parties for their friends. I also remember them cooking fancy meals for each other. I will never forget them eating escargot and feeling totally freaked out as a five-year-old watching them eat it. I just always thought this is what adults did with their friends. […]