The Salty Spoon

Why I Cook | Salty Spoon Challenge, Month 2

Bria — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 07:12:16 +0000

Last month, Michael Ruhlman challenged food bloggers to join him in thinking about why we cook. His post has received over 200 comments and has inspired many blog posts in response. Here is mine. Why I Cook I cook because I love to eat. At the heart of all my reasons, my cooking is primarily an [...]

[[continue reading on saltyspoon.com]]

Heaven Scent | Baby Brown Bettys

Bria — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 16:11:32 +0000

Can we talk for a moment about the irresistible scent that apples and cinnamon drape across a kitchen as they cook together? It’s unbeatable. The sweet, tart brightness of a good apple and the nose-tingling cha-cha-cha of potent cinnamon cradle each other carefully, gently. I can understand why Glade and its ilk are constantly trying [...]

[[continue reading on saltyspoon.com]]

A Very Good Place to Start | Salty Spoon Challenge, Month 1

Bria — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 05:56:05 +0000

Is there anything more effervescently exciting to send out into the world than an invitation? Regardless of the event, I find a certain kind of lime green, spine-buzzing energy every time I nudge one out for consideration. By saying to your recipients here, come share this with me, you open a piece of yourself to [...]

[[continue reading on saltyspoon.com]]

Old Faithful | Rotini with Butternut Squash and Italian Sausage

Bria — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:49:31 +0000

On January 2, 2010, I made a colossal mistake. My reason paralyzed by the overwhelming desire to install a cookbook shelf in my kitchen, I ventured out to the Pottery Barn in Pasadena. Inside, I found myself surrounded by a scene that bore marked resemblance to my idea of hell. Noisy, crowded, lots [...]

[[continue reading on saltyspoon.com]]

Down Came the Rain | Spicy Chicken & Quinoa Stew

Bria — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 06:33:03 +0000

Have you heard? It’s raining in LA. I am sure my readers in Canada and New York and Chicago and Utah and Montana and Michigan and… everywhere else outside California, with real, snowy winters of your own, may not consider several consecutive days of rain in Southern California to be newsworthy, but around here it’s [...]

[[continue reading on saltyspoon.com]]

Braised Brussels Sprouts With Tomatoes and Scallops

Bria — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 07:25:32 +0000

Wee, tiny versions of regular-sized things are almost always irresistible. Mini Twix? Check. Kittens? Check. Those tiny, lady finger bananas? Double check. Brussels sprouts? Not so much. I think of them as an adult vegetable – one you only learn to properly appreciate when you’ve finally laid your inner six-year-old to rest so she can stop [...]

[[continue reading on saltyspoon.com]]

Cider’s House Rules | Wintry Wassail

Bria — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 06:29:31 +0000

It took me weeks to figure out why I am almost always somewhat disappointed by fresh, hot apple cider. Months, even. I greedily snap up jugs of the stuff as soon as it shows up in our grocery store. One jug lives in the fridge (sometimes a depressingly short life, truth be told) while its [...]

[[continue reading on saltyspoon.com]]

Under the Wire | Gift List 2009

Bria — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:58:41 +0000

Spend the better part of 27 years following an academic calendar and you’ll suffer a few years of being taken unaware by the holidays. That’s my excuse, anyway. It has been over two years since I graduated from law school, and I’m still a bit lost when it comes to taking note of the advent [...]

[[continue reading on saltyspoon.com]]

Wishes Do Come True | White Birthday Cake

Bria — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 02:15:04 +0000

About a year ago, I blew out a candle on a piece of white cake with pink frosting, my standard birthday fare. I made a wish. I wished that I would have the inspiration, time, and wherewithal over the coming year to figure out a way to bring my writing and cooking together into a [...]

[[continue reading on saltyspoon.com]]

The Best of the Best | Cinnamon Rolls

Bria — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:24:03 +0000

I’m not sure why I decided cinnamon rolls would be my Everest during the three weeks between graduating from college and starting my first real job, but I did. It was one of several projects I took on when faced with twenty empty days (the others being unpacking, sleeping in, and adopting a kitten previously [...]

[[continue reading on saltyspoon.com]]