{FSC Book Club} Going Strong

  We’re still going strong with the FSC Book Club! Our discussion of Tamar Adler’s An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace is underway! If you haven’t stopped by our Facebook Book Club forum yet, please do! It’s not too late to “join”… all you need to do is head on over to Facebook…

{from scratch holidays} Mother’s Day Brunch

Mother’s Day is the weekend (yep… you better rush and get that card for Mom right now!!). In my family we have a tradition, like many families, of doing brunch on Mother’s Day Sunday. My mom’s mom (my “Mamie”) is a mother to ten children, and many of my aunts, uncles and cousins get together…

{community voices} For The Love of Good Food

I grew up loving food, so much so that I fluctuated between 180 and almost 200 pounds from the time I was 18 until after marrying my hubs at 33, almost eight years ago (we joke that I was overweight and he was bleach-blond when we got married…must have been true love). Much of what…

{giveaway} How to Cook Gluten-Free

THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED. The winning comment, selected by Random.Org is #6: “As I mentioned above, I love to bake! I grew up with a mom who made wedding cakes and married into a family where Christmas cookies are a huge tradition. Baking has been the hardest part for me. I never imagined that I…

{avant gardening} Hügelkultur

I spent three years of my childhood in Germany when my father was stationed there in the army.  I have very distinct memories of the allotment gardens people cultivated at the edge of town in little individual rented plots of land, each with its own immaculate garden hut for sitting and enjoying the summer days…

{paleo recipe} My Everything Baking Mix

I’ve been mulling over creating a great gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free baking mix in my brain for almost a year now. Finally a moment of inspiration came to me and I made a bee line for my kitchen to put together this gem of a recipe. I say gem because it is the most versatile mix…

{weekend project} DIY Soda Syrup

As spring gets underway and summer looms closer, popsicles, cool salads and fruity cocktails are on my mind. This weekend is Cinco de Mayo, which also happens to fall on Kentucky Derby day – both cause for celebrations in my family! Because I won’t be enjoying any margaritas or cervezas this year with baby #3…

{FSC Swappers} The New Food Swap Frontier

Schenectady. There I said it. Its a thing. Its happening. You’ve asked, we’ve answered with a THIRD food swap location: Schenectady, NY. Our fabulous host: The First Unitarian Church of Schenectady. What makes this such a sweet announcement is that the organization came to us! Longtime reader Melissa, the Church’s Education Director, approached me via…

{Dairy & Gluten Free} Brownie Swirl Cheesecake

Mother’s Day is around the corner, and now is a good time to start thinking about what to make for the “moms” in your life. Whether this person is your own mother or grandmother, or a neighbor, friend or coworker…..there are ladies in our lives that need to be celebrated! For those with food restrictions…

{foodie adventure} A Local, Foraging Potluck Feast

I have to apologize for my lack of photos of the amazing food that we ate. I was too entranced to think to take pictures of everything. However, if there were more, you’d probably drool on your computer, and then I’d owe you a new computer. Last week my husband, son, and I were invited…

{FSC PODCAST} episode 03: food entrepreneurs

This month’s podcast highlights a few of the creative, hardworking people who have made food not only their personal passion, but the basis for their professinal lives as well. We’re calling them food entrepreneurs. We spoke with two such food entrepreneurs to learn how they turned their passions for local foods into thriving businesses. A few…

{recipe} Ramp Fried Rice w/ Mostly Vegetables

Ramps entered my consciousness only a couple weeks ago, thanks to fellow blogger and farmers market master Jillian who suggested I pick some up as part of my first CSA share of the year. Since then I have learned to love them.  They are kind of a cross between garlic and scallions, although someone told me…

{FSC Book Club} Starts Today!

The FSC Book Club starts today! Click on over to our Facebook page and join in the discussion. Introduce yourself! Today we are discussing the Introduction and Chapters 1-2 of Tamar Adler’s An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy & Grace. We’ll be posting questions and chatting it up all week long, so don’t worry if you have’t quite…

{local link love} Thank You “Smallbany”

I’m not the only one who has been thinking about how our community of Albany, NY, jokingly referred to locally as “Smallbany”, is pretty fantastic. A popular local food-blooger, Leah the Nosher, just wrote a piece for All Over Albany extolling the virtues of the wide net of friends and family that came to her…

{pantry 101} Guide to Using Oil

Much like vinegar, cooking oil is such a broad category it can be hard to know which oil to use. There are so many options to choose from – olive oil alone has seemingly endless varieties. Keeping a well-stocked pantry means including a few different types of oils, but how do you know which oil…