Although it started as an accident, this Chick Pea Soup with Ginger and Coriander has turned into a favorite in my kitchen. It’s simple, healthy and satisfying and can be on the table in about 10 minutes (ok, maybe 15). Continue reading →

Chicken, Goat Cheese, and Black Olive Muffins. Sounds good, right? What if I told you they were also wheat-free, gluten-free, and low carb? Would you still be interested?

You guys know that I’m not a low-carber but that doesn’t mean that I shy away from low-carb recipes. When it comes to food blogs, I don’t discriminate! One of my favorite food blogs is Kalyn’s Kitchen and the majority of her recipes are South Beach Diet friendly. I don’t follow the South Beach Diet but I love Kalyn’s recipes because they are both healthy and delicious with an emphasis on whole, unprocessed foods. Continue reading →

I’m back, and this time I really mean it!

I won’t bother apologizing for another extended absence. If you’ve been following my adventures at all, you know that I recently located back to the United States after four years in Sicily. If that’s not a reason to take a month off, I don’t know what is! Continue reading →

Sorry for the unannounced disappearance!

The move back to the states, living out of a small bedroom with two animals, and being without a steady means of transportation has made it difficult for me to concentrate on blogging! On top of that, all of my spare time lately has been spent house hunting and Christmas shopping.

Luckily, we did find a nice house, but for now it’s empty since our furniture is still on its way back from Sicily! But Smack and Thumbelina have moved into the new place and Justin has been sleeping there on an inflatable mattress so that his commute to work is shorter. The animals are happy to have the run of the house after being mostly confined to one room for the last month! I’ve been borrowing a car when I can and splitting my time between my sister’s place and the new house. Hopefully the furniture and my car will arrive sometime in January. Continue reading →

A sandwich is a sandwich, but a Manwich is a meal!

As I have already mentioned, today I share a birthday with my cousin Jason. A week ago he e-mailed me and requested that I create ‘The Ultimate Manwich’ for his birthday and post it on Pinch My Salt. No other instructions or descriptions were given. He just asked for The Ultimate Manwich. Continue reading →

The vegetarian three bean chili from the other night turned out really great! As I had mentioned, I decided to try topping the chili with cornbread batter and baking it. I’ve never done this before but several of you talked about it during our weekend cornbread discussion and it sounded like a pretty good idea to me! Continue reading →

This is still on the stove and I’m not quite through fiddling with the seasonings so I won’t give you the exact recipe just yet. But it’s a simple one that I just threw together so you really don’t need an exact recipe! Continue reading →

Get into the holiday spirit a little early this year with some quick and easy egg nog french toast for breakfast! Although drinking spiked egg nog for breakfast might be frowned upon, sneaking a touch of rum into your french toast won’t cause any harm. Don’t worry, it will be our little secret! Continue reading →

Who says a pancake breakfast can’t be tasty and healthy? Whip up a batch of these Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes and indulge your fall cravings for foods that are warm, spicy and sweet. Your house will smell like pumpkin pie, your taste buds will think you’re eating something sinful, and your body will thank you for filling it with a wholesome meal! Continue reading →

I picked up the latest copy of Country Living magazine when I was standing in the checkout line at the grocery store. I was starving and fell for the photo of the halloween-themed chocolate cake on the front cover. The magazine promised that it was “Scrumptious!” and “Sooooo moist!” And how could I resist the cute orange frosting and dark chocolate glaze. The truth is that I am very easily swayed by advertising when I’m hungry.

After I got home and ate lunch, I really wasn’t that interested in the magazine anymore. In fact, I kind of forgot about it for a day or two. When I finally got around to thumbing through it, I realized the cake recipe was for a Chocolate Pumpkin Cake. “Mmmmmm,” I thought. “Possibly even better than just plain chocolate!” I’ve never combined chocolate and pumpkin before and I was instantly intrigued. Continue reading →