FROM SCRATCH CLUB

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 […]

I’ve lived a lot of places but grew up mostly in Phoenix. Phoenix is a very interesting place. The things I love about it are pretty much what most tourists would find really stupid, or just plain odd. Since my whole family still lives there (How can they possibly still live there? It’s so hot!!) […]

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 […]

Yes you read that title right- Sweet and Spicy Chocolate Black Bean Dip. I feel like you need to understand my inspiration for this recipe before I go on… So a few years back during one of my many health kick phases, a.k.a. damn my ass got big I need to do something about it, I […]

Guess what kids… it’s still winter. At least it is here in Upstate New York. While the temperatures are supposed to hit a “balmy” 40 degrees this week, there is still a decent blanket of snow and ice covering everything on my little farm. While the terms “hot chocolate” and “hot cocoa” might seem interchangeable, […]

Kohlrabi is one of those unusual vegetables that you don’t often see in your local supermarket. It grows well here in the Northeast, and is often found far into winter at farmer’s markets or in veggie shares. Kohlrabi is another member of the brassica family, along with cabbage, and kale, and has a sweetness along […]

While I love granola, sometimes it’s too sweet for my liking. Don’t get me wrong, sweet granola has a place in my heart–and in my kitchen. But starting in January, after munching through more Christmas cookies than I care to admit, I just don’t want a sweet granola. Instead, I prefer a granola where the […]

I really love popcorn.  When I make a bowl of popcorn for my daughter to snack on, I find myself unable to stop eating it and usually consume an entire batch in one sitting.  Most often I eat it sprinkled with nutritional yeast, but when given the opportunity to consume sweetened popcorn, I get excited. […]

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 […]

Chocolate almonds are an easy project that children can participate in.  My eleven year-old niece Isabelle and I spent a relaxing half hour making them.  Most of the time is spent dipping the almonds in the chocolate mixture.  We decided to experiment with a “Mexican” flavor by adding cinnamon and cayenne pepper and we loved […]

Thanksgiving Day is behind us, and it seems we are in a mad dash towards the December holidays. My neighbors have begun putting up their holiday lights, cars are zipping through town with Christmas trees tied down on top, and Santa is stopping for pictures at every mall.  It would appear that we should begin […]

  I have been blessed to find new neighbors who own apple trees this year! Though I am somewhat sheepish to go up to a random person’s house, knock on their door, and ask if they use their apples, I do it anyhow. Both times I’ve done this, the people have responded kindly, and say […]

Editor’s Note: Swapper Becky H wowed us with her piece on The Simplicity of Coconut Butter and now she’s back as a regular monthly contributor! I’m excited to have Becky join the team because she will bring something new, as a native of The Rio Grande Valley,  she will be featuring recipes & stories influenced by […]

Hi Folks! I’m thrilled Christina asked me to contribute to the FSC blog. For my first entry, I thought I’d share a bit of a culinary confession. Ready? I don’t like…cake pops. It’s not that I don’t think they’re adorable, I do! It’s just that I find the interior of the pops, usually a mixture […]