FROM SCRATCH CLUB

I asked my husband to write down some of the recipes he misses from his childhood in Estonia. He wrote Vatrushka on our family message board and it was there for over a year. I am on the third version and we are all happy with how it came out.  My starting point was a […]

Grain Brains Challenge A recipe challenge to help you get whole grains into your mouth, not just your kitchen. When Alan challenged me to a cracker duel, I thought I would whomp him with the kind of crackers I mostly make – very stiff flatbreads. But he sent me a beautiful recipe for crackers came out more […]

I feel bad. I’m forever making goodies for my family, friends, and neighbors… but what about our poor dogs? Should they be resigned to a life of drab kibble, and nothing but? Whenever I make cookies for lunchpails, etc., I also try to set aside some time to make cookies for the dogs. Yes, we call […]

Chocolate. Caramel. Shortbread. Three of the loveliest words in the English language. And bringing them all together is America’s beloved Twix bar. As I was preparing for my annual homemade Christmas gift extravaganza, I stumbled across a recipe for homemade Twix bars, and they have proven themselves to be a fan favorite. They were such […]

For my contribution this month, I figured I’d share one of my favorite go-to brownie recipes, and introduce its secret ingredient – roasted chickpea flour. Roasted chickpea flour is orders of magnitude different than plain chickpea flour as it comes from the bag. Roasting the garbanzo flour gives it a nice deep rich nutty flavor, […]

…(Or a how to make perfect chocolate chip cookies)   Chocolate chip cookies are great conversation starters. People are passionate about them. Some folks like ‘em crispy, others chewy, then there’s the whole “with nuts or without” debate. And don’t even get people started on their feelings about raisins in chocolate chip cookies. (I’m firmly […]

Grain Brains Challenge: A recipe challenge to help you get whole grains into your mouth, not just your kitchen. I never had a scone until I was in college. First week of school the Dean of Students sent out hand-written invitations to the freshmen class, instructing us, in groups of 25 or so, to attend an afternoon […]

 I say that ALL home cooking is a way to someone’s heart but if you want to focus on sweets & treats, here’s a couple recipes to inspire! -Christina Elizabeth’s step by step guide on baking cut-out cookies. +++ If you missed yesterday’s piece by Becky H’s on DIY Chocolate Bars- get to it! +++ Becky […]

I have a very large and scary birthday coming up in two weeks.  Last fall I pledged to lose twenty pounds to confront it and, while I did manage to lose 8 pounds, I am  painfully aware that I fell short of my goal.  I think I will drown my sorrows in birthday cake. I […]

Is it just me or does a plate piled high with cut-out cookies look both elegant and homespun at the same time? Over the years, however, I’ve had many people tell me that they avoid making cut-out cookies. Due to bad experiences, they only make drop cookies. And while drop cookies are wonderful, it’s nice […]

As I stated yesterday, we seriously like our sweets and our treats. While yesterday’s recap was all about the food-allergiy friendly sweet treats, now its time for the milk, wheat & nuts versions. -Christina Let us start with a bang –> Deanna’s Fried Cakes (OMG!) +++ Alexis’ Chocolate Coconut Popcorn +++ Dianna’s Biscotto de Nocciole […]

We seriously like our sweets and our treats. While putting together this ‘best of 2012′ post, I quickly realize that we have A LOT of sweets & treats recipes which screamed for multiple installments. While on said FSC Time Machine, I proudly saw that we have MANY, MANY food allergy friendly sweets & treats recipes […]

I am not a real fan of cookies. I mean sometimes I will eat one but I am usually disappointed and think they are not worth the calories.  So when people bring Christmas cookies to my house, I let my husband, sons and granddaughter polish them off without regret.  There is one kind of Christmas […]

The holidays are upon us, and many people are in the midst of exchanging presents with friends and family.  If you have kids on the list of those you are giving to, consider this fun {and delicious} way to decorate and label your gifts. Gingerbread Cookie  Gift Tags Gingerbread cookies make a sturdy base in […]

Thanksgiving and its attendant leftovers are my favorite things about that holiday. I’m sure my family isn’t alone in that planning the Thanksgiving meal also means planning for maximum leftover efficiency. We all have our favorites – my son is the stuffing king, my daughter hoards the mashed potatoes and gravy, and my husband loves […]