I guess it’s a good thing that we’re moving to California in a month because I need to get back to San Francisco as soon as possible in order to try this Salted Caramel Ice Cream! Here I was this morning, minding my own business and quietly wandering through my favorite food sites, when all of a sudden my senses were assaulted by first a photo, then a video, of what could possibly be my favorite ice cream flavor ever! Sweet, salty, caramel-y. I can’t wait. Continue reading →

I’m back from Transylvania and I just had to share with you my favorite food discovery! We ate these kurtoskalacs twice and I wish I would have had a chance to eat them a few more times!

Kurtoskalacs are a traditional Hungarian pastry and, depending on who you talk to, they are the oldest Hungarian pastry. History and Geography are two of my worst subjects but Transylvania, which is now part of Romania, was once part of Hungary. Or something like that. Anyway, there is still a sizable Hungarian population in Transylvania and these yummy kurtoskalacs, which I believe originate from Transylvania, are widely available. 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 →

Well, I don’t think I could ever get tired of banana bread. But if you’re looking to try something a little different with those overripe bananas sitting in your fruit basket, how about a banana roll? Banana sponge cake spread with a thick cream cheese filling rolled up into one yummy package — what’s not to love?

You’ve had pumpkin roll before, haven’t you? This is the same thing, except made with banana sponge cake rather than pumpkin. In fact, I just used the recipe for pumpkin roll, substituted banana for the pumpkin, took out the spices, and voila!

It was one of those experiments that could have been a total disaster but just happened to turn out very well. If you’ve been reading Pinch My Salt long, you know that most of my ‘original recipes’ are created this way! Continue reading →

This is the lemon cake that my Nana usually always makes for me when I go home to California. We both forgot about it during my last visit and I didn’t realize until I got back to Sicily that I hadn’t had my Lemon Jello Cake fix.

Luckily, I have the recipe! And lucky for you, I’m going to share it!

This is one of the easiest cakes you can make and I will argue that it’s one of the best-tasting cakes you will ever eat. Continue reading →

If oranges are citrus symbol of winter, bright and sunny lemons are what we reach for during the summer! In Sicily, lemons star in refreshing summer treats such as lemon granita, sorbetto, and gelato, and who in the United States can imagine a summer without fresh-squeezed lemonade, or a cool glass of iced tea accompanied by slices of lemon? Continue reading →

I can’t remember the last time I made cupcakes. It’s just not really my thing. It’s not that I dislike them. I mean, what’s not to like? They’re cute, they’re easy, they’re made of cake and they’re covered in frosting! No wonder so many people decided in the last few years that cupcakes should no longer be strictly relegated to school birthday parties. The cupcake craze has been sweeping the nation for quite some time now and the fact that I haven’t dedicated at least one blog post to this trendy treat shows how decidedly unhip I am (like I really had to point that out). But, whatever. My friends Jon and Julie just had the cutest baby on the planet and when Julie, sleep-deprived and recovering from an emergency C-section, repeatedly mentioned that she would love to taste the Lemon-Scented Blueberry Cupcakes that she saw in her Cooking Light magazine, I decided that maybe it was time for me to finally join the cool kids and bake some cupcakes. Continue reading →

Snickerdoodle. It’s a fun word to say, isn’t it? But even better than saying the word is eating one of those buttery, sugary, cinnamony cookies. Given the popularity of this simple treat, I’m sure most of you know what I’m talking about. But here’s a short explanation, just in case! A snickerdoodle is typically a basic sugar cookie that has been rolled in cinnamon and sugar before baking. They have a crackled appearance that develops because the cinnamon sugar coating breaks up as the cookies spread out during baking. Depending on baking time, the texture can range from crisp crunchy to very soft and chewy — it’s just a matter of preference.

I must admit that although I have enjoyed many snickerdoodles in my lifetime, I don’t often make them at home. In fact, I don’t remember ever making them. Is it the silly name? Are they just too old-fashioned? I’m not sure. But whatever reasons I had for not making the cookies disappeared when I ran across an incredible recipe for Chai Snickerdoodles at Baking Bites. The recipe is a fresh take on the traditional snickerdoodle and brings a somewhat old-fashioned, out-dated cookie into the 21st century. Continue reading →