Househomekits

I realize the name of this recipe may be alarming to some. But have no fear, no salami was used in the making of this salami . Nope, this here salami log is pure chocolate goodness peppered with more goodness, such as candied ginger, pistachios, amaretti cookies, etc. If you're looking for a great DIY gift, this one is a charmer. Dust it in icing sugar, tie it up with twine like a proper salami roll and give it to your favorite chocolate lover. You can find my recipe over here at PBS Food . And if you are in need of another chocolatey DIY gift idea… here is my chocolate truffles recipe . Truffles are incredibly easy to make and a box of homemade ones makes a perfect present, especially for those people on your list who have you scratching your head for gift ideas. Here's wishing you a very chocolatey holiday season! (unless you don't like chocolate, of course)

These gifts stand out to me because they are at least one, if not all of the following: a) super useful to have in your kitchen b) exceedingly delicious c) made by artisans or small businesses, d) ecologically-minded to make your kitchen a greener place, or e) just very very nifty!  Of course,  the best gifts for the food lover are often homemade.  And there are many great sources of DIY edible gift inspirations out there, from this one to this one . I have a couple ideas coming your way soon too. But for now, this is my list of gifts that have been DIY-ed by someone else. Enjoy! $25 AND UNDER GIFTS 1. Hand-printed organic cloth napkins   I am totally in love with the gorgeous hand-printed organic cotton napkins made by the cool cats at Oh Little Rabbit. (Check out their adorable printed baby onesies too!) 2. Organic cotton hand-printed tea towels While we're on the topic of table linens, you have to check out Madder Root 's beautiful tea towels and re-usa...

If your household is swimming in turkey and mashed potatoes leftovers, here's an easy meal to prepare with what remains of Thanksgiving dinner. Make it and bake it right in the skillet, doesn't get much easier than that! Find my recipe here on PBS Food . And with Thanksgiving behind us and December just around the corner, I've got a wonderful giveaway for you, generously provided by the lovely folks at Nature's Path . This giveaway features Nature's Path Feel Good Holiday Gift Box which includes $50-worth of goodies including their amazing  Love Crunch Gingerbread Granola, their super addictive Chia Coconut Granola, and tons more yummies that will bring some tasty and healthy holiday cheer to your kitchen table.  PLUS, in this lovely gift box, you'll find everything you need to create these 3 super duper DIY edible holiday gifts (click on the links for the recipes): Chocolate Gingerbread Crunch Cookies-Mason Jar Cookie Mix :  Give someone the gift of a beautifu...

Tomorrow is my first American Thanksgiving and here's what I'm thankful for right now (other than the fact I will get to eat multiple pies tomorrow): I'm thankful for people who aren't afraid to speak up. We live in a pretty messed-up world and I'm really grateful that there are people out there willing to put themselves on the line to make this world a better place and make it so that this planet can continue to sustain us and produce delicious food for us to enjoy.  I'm thankful for the activists working so hard to make sure the Keystone XL pipeline never rips apart some of the best farmland in this country . We can live without oil, but we can't live without food.  I'm thankful for the hundreds of volunteers who put in so much time in Oregon to try to help pass the GMO labelling vote that took place a few weeks ago. Thanks to their work, Measure 92 is now headed for an official recount because (despite millions of dollars in misleading ads from Mon...

Last month, while October was still in its full glory, something kind of magical and marvellous happened.  We hosted our first corn harvest day at the farm, in part because in previous years, it took us days on end to pick and husk our field corn (in other words, we desperately needed some helping hands) but also because it was a great excuse to host an outdoor feast and gathering with family and friends. I like to think of it as an early Thanksgiving-picnic of sorts. Photo by Cindy Beams For the occasion, I prepared several large pots of hearty chili made with our homegrown beans, some chewy chocolate chip cookies made with our own whole wheat flour, and copious amounts of golden cornbread made with the very corn that we were harvesting.  Surrounded by the sounds of kids laughing, some heartfelt conversations with new and old friends, and the birds chirping their pre-winter songs, corn picking suddenly became way more appealing than when it was just two of us face to face w...