FROM SCRATCH CLUB

My daughter Abby just turned 7 years old and she’s looking forward to celebrating with her friends at a party this weekend. She has multiple food allergies, some of which are life-threatening. I’m finalizing the snack and dessert menu and I thought I would share a bit about what I’ve learned about serving food at [...]

As the weather has turned warmer, and more Spring-like, my family has been spending more and more time outdoors. We take walks after dinner, race down the giant slides at the playground, and delight in the smells from our neighbor’s grill. A few evenings we have even smelt wood burning from fire pits and campfires [...]

Besides Farmer Michael of Kilpatrick Family Farm, Justine & Brian of Denison Farm, Dianna & Michael for their urban maple syrup, Josh & Stephanie of West Wind Acres, Rick of Ballston Lake Apiaries, and the uber-talented Canners & Jammers of FSC Swappers,  I can also thank General Manager Tracie, Kendra & Kaia and the rest [...]

Many people have a specialty in the kitchen. For some, it’s a killer chocolate cake. Others have a meatloaf recipe that cannot be matched. For Mrs. Stiles, it was fried cakes. What are fried cakes? They are essentially the same thing as Old-Fashioned cake donuts (okay, they are the same thing). Who is Mrs. Stiles? [...]

Warmer days have started to descend on us, here in the Capital Region of NY, and everyone is cheering, hoping Spring is here to stay. The happiest of those in my house are my children.  They have been playing outside constantly, soaking up the fresh air and the sunny skies.  I wanted an easy, delicious [...]

Incorporating Chia Seeds Into Your Diet This year the Salvia hispanica, or chia seed, is popping up everywhere. This superfood is worth all of the hype, even if it somehow possesses some people to randomly break out into song about pets. The chia seed has many nutritional benefits. According to Dr. Andrew Weil, Chia is very [...]

*Reader alert: The following story involves some general information on poultry processing (no gory details or photos, though). If you’d rather not hear more about how the meat my family eats came from real live animals, some of whom grew up in our backyard, stop here. If you do eat meat, however, I would encourage [...]

Some say that the kitchen is the heart of the house; the warm gathering spot where good food and laughter is shared.  Unfortunately, this warm, lovely place can sometimes turn into a battle ground when attempting to cook with your kids.  Flour goes flying, tears start pouring and mom/dad feel like shouting. I know that [...]

How Does Your Garden Grow? Sizing up our land and making the most of 1 acre. My husband is a cultivator; it’s in his veins. By the time most people begin their Spring cleaning he is out tilling the ground and planning the upcoming year’s garden. When were looking to build a home all he [...]

Valentine’s Day is a holiday of love, but also of CANDY! While you might immediately imagine a red, heart-shaped box of chocolates when thinking of Valentine’s Day, there is another candy that has also been capturing hearts. A favorite amongst school-aged children, the Conversation Heart has had a steady fan base over the years.  I [...]

Popovers are my latest food obsession. Since having a baby a couple months ago, we’ve had guests staying with us periodically.  Despite being preoccupied with the baby, I love to cook and have been relieved to have something special for our visitors that doesn’t require excessive amounts of my time.  I have wonderful memories of [...]

Editor’s Note: Selifishly, I’m really excited about this post. Miles’ 3rd birthday is Monday and I plan on making him some special cupcakes to share at school… and these are the ones! Hi Hat Cupcakes- nope, I’ve never heard of them either but they look amazing and Becky’s description of them makes me wish a [...]

Editor’s Note: Who wants to learn to make berry-filled hot pockets of goodness? I do! I do! Deanna’s post was first published, in springtime on May 23rd 2011 as Sundays on the Sunporch: Three Berry “Pop-Tarts”. We also get a glimpse of a toddler cooking with a bucket on her head… who doesn’t do that? [...]

I like local food. I like to eat it, I like to read about it and I like to sell it. Every Saturday morning I am lucky enough to talk about and sell local vegetables for Michael Kilpatrick (Kilpatrick Family Farm) at the farmers market in Saratoga Springs. Working at the market is so much fun for me, [...]

The first holiday dinner I had with my husband he made his mom’s sweet potato casserole for me. To be honest, I was nervous I’d hate it, even though he swore up and down that I’d love it. Up until this point I’d really hated the sweet potatoes that would grace our table on the [...]