{from scratch holidays} A Family Cook Book

I am not a handy person. When I tried knitting, the scarf was lumpy and grubby. I bend nails. I am too impatient to do embroidery or calligraphy and inevitably cut the sleeves out of the material for the skirt if I try to sew. So when it comes to home-made gifts, I have three…

{edible gift} Deliciously Easy Toffee Cookies

Holiday time is here! It’s time to start thinking of the edible gifts, cookie swaps, and desserts for parties. In the mood for an easy cookie recipe that will garner rave reviews every time? Look no further than this toffee cookie recipe! It’s so easy that anyone can make it. Even experienced bakers who take pride…

{from scratch holidays} scrub-a-dub-dub

Recently I made two types of body scrubs for FSC’s Saratoga Food Swap*. If you want to save money by cutting out luxury items without losing the luxury, this is an easy and cheap way to pamper yourself. Spend a tiny bit extra for some fab packaging and you have yourself a really delightful, super…

{edible gift} homemade chai concentrate

As an avid chai drinker, I was ecstatic to stumble upon the realization that I could make my own creamy, spicy chai concentrate! This recipe is a cinch to make- just add the ingredients to a jar and stir- and is a perfect from-scratch holiday gift. You can make several batches at once and bottle…

{DIY Backyard Chickens} Go for it!

So in the first two parts of this DIY series, I’ve shared some of the how-to and what not to do’s of keeping backyard chickens. You may be wondering, though, why bother with backyard hens? Or maybe, like the folks at All Over Albany, you’re thinking that backyard chickens seem like a lot of work. To…

{weekend reading} local edition

FARMERS MARKETS *last outdoor market for most markets this weekend* SATURDAYS, 9am-1pm unless otherwise noted Albany Central Avenue Farmers Market, Parking Lot of The Linda, 339 Central Avenue, 10-2pm. Brunwick Farmers’ Market, Town Office Rd & Rt 7, Brunswick Farmers Market at The Crossings, Colonie, Crossings Park of Colonie, Albany-Shaker Road across from Emerick Ln….

{how to} Cold Storage 101

I’ve pretty much wrapped up harvesting crops on Silly Goose Farm. Apples are done, tomatoes are done, and all that’s left to put-up is a couple of cabbages, a few rows of rainbow carrots, and a whole bunch of pears. The pear trees on our farm are over 100 years old and positively drip with fruit….

{DIY Halloween Candy} Part 3: Chocolate-Coconut Mounds Bars

I hope you’ve loved my DIY Peanut Butter Cups & Lollipop posts because I am back with more candy making! I’m finishing up a 3-part serieson DIY Halloween Candy with Chocolate Covered “Mounds Bars”. One of the things I have loved about making my own candy is that I am able to customize the ingredients…

{Mexican Cooking} Chicken Tinga

My son Jacob spent Hurricane Irene with a Mexican friend in Washington Heights, New York City.  Jose not only provided Jacob with shelter, he also cooked for him.  When I called Jacob to see how he had fared in the storm, he didn’t mention the howling winds or the torrential rain.  All he could talk…

{recipe} Butternut Squash Muffins

Editor’s Note: If you attended Honest Weight Food Coop‘s Harvest Fest, then you (hopefully) sampled these muffins before they were gone. For those who have been waiting for the recipe (sorry we ran out of recipe cards too!) here it is… its a keeper in the Fall Season Baked Goods Rotation if you ask me….

{DIY Halloween Candy} Part 2: Lollipops

Last week I showed you how easy it is to make your own Halloween Candy, starting a three part series with the old-school favorite: the peanut butter cup.  No longer are you stuck shopping the candy aisles.   Now you can have eat peanut butter cups even if you have food allergies, food restrictions, or even…

{meal plan routine} The Buddha Bowl

It’s Monday. You have a whole week of lunches and dinners to plan. Well here’s an idea that is super easy to slip into your weekly rotation: The Buddha Bowl! Make it for dinner and save the leftovers for a lunch that you can eat on the go. I’ve been experimenting with different rice bowl…

{weekend reading} local edition

FARMERS MARKETS SATURDAYS, 9am-1pm unless otherwise noted Albany Central Avenue Farmers Market, Parking Lot of The Linda, 339 Central Avenue, 10-2pm. Brunwick Farmers’ Market, Town Office Rd & Rt 7, Brunswick Farmers Market at The Crossings, Colonie, Crossings Park of Colonie, Albany-Shaker Road across from Emerick Ln. Delmar Farmers Market, 332 Kenwood Ave., Bethlehem Middle…

{Horn of Africa} Occupy your World…with a recipe!

A reader of this blog that I happen to be acquainted with shared some responses to Dianna’s post from Monday. “I didn’t know From Scratch Club was a political blog.” I don’t think it is, really, but we are a community of writers who share in a sort of hodge-podge way that represents a bit…

{drink it up} Rosie Collins

October is one of the busiest months for me. Well, make that August, September and October. Harvest time in the Northeast starts in August and doesn’t end until past Halloween (I won’t even begin to really harvest my pears until November!). Usually this means just cutting down and picking the wonderful veggies and apples and putting…