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…
Category: recipe
{Reflection on a Tragedy} Cooking for the Moment
This post is about the powerful impact that allowing yourself to be present in the moment can have on your mental health, and on your family (and how your kitchen can help). On Saturday morning I had caught myself, for the hundredth time in 24 hours, glancing at my iPhone looking for information about the…
{edible gift} Apple Jalapeno Beef Jerky
As Erika will tell you, so many sweet things are given out this time of year. Seems that she and I think a lot alike as we both wanted to write about our beef jerky recipes! (We do share a mutual love of bacon, so really this is no surprise.) I really do think jerky…
{edible gift} Cornmeal Rye Pancake Mix in a Jar
If anyone loved me as much as I love pancakes, they’d give me Twelve Days of Pancakes, starting with the perfect griddle and ending with the funnest flours. Luckily, I already have all I need in that department, but if you want to prove your love via pancakes, here are some hints. The perfect griddle…
{from scratch holidays} Building A Home Bar 101
Whether you are throwing a big holiday shin-dig, or you just want to keep a well-stocked cabinet of libations, it is good to know how to create a home bar to suit a variety of tastes and palates. You don’t need to spend tons of money or buy-out an entire liquor store to achieve this……
{edible gift} Candied Grapefruit Peels
A few months ago, I bought a satchel of organic grapefruits. When I tried one a day or two later, I realized they were unbearably sour (serves me right for buying them out of season). They sat on my shelf for a couple of weeks, until I finally decided it was time to stage an…
{fsc podcast} Episode 9: Holiday Stories From Your Kitchens
With the holidays right around the corner, we thought we’d bring you a special storytelling episode of the From Scratch Club podcast. We talked with a few of our blog readers, podcast listeners, FSC Swappers and other friends and asked them to share holiday tales from their kitchen. The good, the bad & the ugly….
{edible gift} Butternut Squash Pickles, Two Ways
The holidays are upon us all and I love getting and giving gifts in mason jars. Holidays, birthdays, any days! There are so many fun and unusual things to do with them all year long. It’s not that common to see hard squash pickles, so they make an interesting gift for the hard to please…
{edible gift} Making D.I.Y. Treats for Your Food Allergic Friends
Ask Permission Many folks on a restricted diet simply aren’t comfortable eating treats—no matter how lovingly and safely made—from a kitchen that isn’t 100% free of their allergens. Before spending time and money on a recipe that your friend won’t be able to enjoy, ask them if they’re comfortable accepting a home baked treat. Let…
{edible gift} Spicy Chipotle Beef Jerky
Around the holidays I give and receive lots of sweets, which is fine, but sometimes you want a little something different. That’s why this year I’ve decided to make some spicy beef jerky for several of our friends. If you have a food dehydrator (I got mine a few years ago for $5 off Craigslist)…
{from scratch holidays} Embroidered Jar Lids
This year I have every intention of making Christmas gifts from scratch, or at least putting significant thought and effort into each gift My Dad is a chef and food is one of the things we truly bond over. We value each other’s opinions equally and consult each other constantly, whether it be cooking techniques,…
{edible gift} D.I.Y. Cocktail Party In a Box
Can you believe it we are in the heat of the holiday season, the past year has gone so quickly for our family, as I’m sure it has for most of you. My kitchen is relaxing after an amazing Thanksgiving food bonanza and I am preparing for some major homemade gifting this year. Between family,…
{edible gifts} Two Gifts in Under 20 Minutes
‘Tis the season to give gifts, even small ones. I give a fair number of edible gifts to friends, but most of them take weeks or months to prepare. For example, we make around 3 gallons of maple syrup every spring and only use one gallon or so a year ourselves. We give the…
{edible gift} Spicy Chocolate-Dipped Almonds
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…
{from scratch holidays} Ice Cream Cone Ornaments
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…
