Pear, Gorgonzola & Caramelized Onion Focaccia

It was quite an experience the first time I had a back massage. My masseuse was a sturdy 35-year old woman with tattoos scattered on her arms, shoulder-length dreadlocks and a silver ring pierced through her nose. Her meaty hands pounded my tight muscles into submission as I thought to myself, “pain is beauty…pain is [...]

Slow Cooker Stuffing

It was always a family tradition to fill the cavity of the turkey with bread stuffing during Thanksgiving. Naturally, I continued such a tradition in my early adult years. My entire turkey roasting experience changed when I decided to cook the stuffing in a slow cooker while the bird cooked in the oven. This not [...]

Mini Brie Popovers

A vision of hosting a wine and cheese party sometime over the holidays has been dancing in my head recently. With a small gathering of guests bringing their favorite varieties, it’s a perfect way to try different wines while being surrounded by the warmth of the season. Of course, a wine and cheese party wouldn’t [...]

Sweet Sun-Dried Sweet Tomato Corn Bread

The magic of discovery was in full bloom when I swung by a local farmers market this past weekend. I’m no stranger to the deliciousness of sun-dried tomatoes, but I’ve never seen farm fresh cherry tomatoes in this form before. They were lovely tiny nuggets that were full of sweetness with every bite. I’m almost [...]

Artichoke & Roasted Red Pepper Focaccia

Located near Pittsburgh’s downtown core is a one half square mile area known as the Strip District. This landmark neighborhood is home to a wide variety of gritty independent retail shops, ethnic food emporiums and local restaurants. The place is not for those seeking to wrap themselves in the sanitized comfort of a suburban strip [...]

Easy Dipping Oil

Go to any fancy Italian restaurant and you are sure to be greeted with a basket of crusty bread and fruity olive oil. You don’t have to put on your Sunday best to experience the same pleasure of tearing chunks of bread and plunging them deep into a shallow bowl of goodness. I wasn’t planning [...]

Buttermilk Biscuits & Pittsburgh Storm Pt. 1

This is the first part to my Pittsburgh Snow Storm series. You can read the second part here. After growing up in northern Michigan, then living in Chicago for over five years and even in my current residence of Pittsburgh; I’m very accustomed to the glories of snow. But this weekend was ridiculous! Starting mid-Friday [...]

Parmesan Rosemary Breadsticks

Brent and I had an agreement to only spend $30 on two or more gifts this Christmas. It goes without saying that it was a challenge to find the perfect gifts on such a budget. But I pushed through and found what I wanted to give. While opening our presents, Brent pulled out a huge [...]

Dinner Rolls

I don’t make bread from scratch very often, but there are times when I crave the feeling of warm dough between my fingers. Fresh baked bread is a perfect way to add instant comfort to any home as the heavenly aroma from the oven glades through the house. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I [...]

Double Chocolate Swirl Bread

When I plunged my tense hands into the semi-dark dough, my frustrations began to melt away.  There was something wonderfully relaxing about kneading the dough when the only thing I wanted to do was scream at the stupidity that inspired me to bake bread in the first place. I rarely bake breads for the simple [...]

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