One of the many things I love about being back in central California is that I’m near my family again.  My grandparents are only 30 minutes away and it’s just an hour’s drive to see my Dad, who lives in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada near a tiny little mountain town called North Fork.  I’m currently in an apartment without much outdoor space to call my own, so this year I’m trying to get up to my Dad’s house as much as possible to help out in his huge, beautiful garden.  (...)
Continue reading My Dad’s Garden

© Pinch My Salt, 2012. | Permalink: http://pinchmysalt.com/my-dads-garden/ |

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While living in Sicily, my diet revolved around a few main staples during the warmer months: tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, olive oil, and bread.  I never grew tired of simple dishes like Insalata Caprese and Bruschetta al Pomodoro and I don’t think I ever will.  Each year, as the weather warms up, I start looking forward to tomato season, knowing it will bring plates of layered tomatoes and fresh mozzarella and trays of toasted bread topped with chopped tomato to my table once again.(...)
Continue reading Strawberry Bruschetta with Balsamic Vinegar and Basil

© Pinch My Salt, 2012. | Permalink: http://pinchmysalt.com/strawberry-bruschetta-with-balsamic-vinegar-and-basil/ |

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© Pinch My Salt, 2012. | Permalink: http://pinchmysalt.com/ideas-for-a-homemade-valentines-day/ |

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It’s hard to believe that it’s been over seven years since we brought home a scrawny stray kitten to terrorize Smack.  It wasn’t exactly love at first sight.  She looks quite a bit different now.

© Pinch My Salt, 2012. | Permalink: http://pinchmysalt.com/wordless-wednesday-learning-to-live-together/ |

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Did you watch the Super Bowl yesterday?  Did you eat way too much junk food and/or consume a few too many adult beverages?  I bet a lot of you did.  While I didn’t drink (or watch much of the game), I took full advantage of the Super Bowl Sunday excuse to eat junk food, including lots of chips and dip and a bit too much ice cream.  But the best thing I ate yesterday, by far, was this braised short rib sandwich.(...)
Continue reading Braised Short Rib Sandwich with Caramelized Onion Marmalade

© Pinch My Salt, 2012. | Permalink: http://pinchmysalt.com/braised-short-rib-sandwich-with-caramelized-onion-marmalade/ |

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Food Blog Friday is back and this week I’m featuring some delicious Coconut Bars from Elana’s Pantry.  These moist dessert bars are packed with coconut flavor and made with all natural ingredients.  They are grain and gluten-free and lightly sweetened with honey rather than processed sugar.(...)
Continue reading Food Blog Friday: Coconut Bars from Elana’s Pantry

© Pinch My Salt, 2012. | Permalink: http://pinchmysalt.com/food-blog-friday-coconut-bars-from-elanas-pantry/ |

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Simple instructions for making this delicious citrus-infused finishing salt can be found at 101 Cookbooks.

© Pinch My Salt, 2012. | Permalink: http://pinchmysalt.com/wordless-wednesday-homemade-citrus-salt/ |

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One of the best gifts I received this year was the gift of bread.  No, I wasn’t given a loaf of bread, but I was given a tool that allowed me to bake the best bread of my life. (...)
Continue reading Baking from Tartine Bread

© Pinch My Salt, 2012. | Permalink: http://pinchmysalt.com/baking-from-tartine-bread/ |

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Smoky Spiced Black-Eyed Peas with Bacon

(...)
Continue reading Favorite Recipes of 2011

© Pinch My Salt, 2011. | Permalink: http://pinchmysalt.com/favorite-recipes-of-2011/ |

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Welcome back to Doughvember! This week, Linda and I are giving away sourdough-related prizes, so keep reading if you’re interested in today’s giveaway.  Have you had any sourdough adventures yet this month?  I’m saving my bread baking for the second half of the month, but this week I decided to experiment with using sourdough starter to replace part of the flour and water in a simple pumpkin cake.(...)
Continue reading Pumpkin-Maple Sourdough Cake

© Pinch My Salt, 2011. | Permalink: http://pinchmysalt.com/pumpkin-maple-sourdough-cake/ |

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