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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Toasted Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Have you ever gotten a recipe idea stuck in your head to where you couldn’t let it escape until your creative destiny was fulfilled? No? Well, me either. Oh, who am I fooling? I was brainstorming recipe ideas for the second loaf of Nature’s Pride I received from Foodbuzz. The thought of creamy pumpkin bread [...]

Fried Green Tomato BLT

Droplets of water began to collect on my glasses as the clouds above released cold rain over the tiny farmers market. Shoppers began to scurry past the vibrant freshly picked produce in search of shelter. I wanted to linger a bit longer and interact with a few farmers, but I was a man on a [...]

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 [...]

Cinnamon Swirl French Toast with Maple Mix Berry Sauce

Since I work in a windowless office, my IPhone has become a digital portal to the world beyond my four boring beige walls.  A quick check of the phone showed a staggering 66 degrees with not a single cloud in the sky.  It was a perfect excuse to go out for lunch. I decided to [...]

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