Throughout the last couple years I have been very fortunate to partner with some fabulous companies here on Savory Sweet Life. The companies (and their products) I choose to work with are ones I personally love and use regularly, making my partnership with them very enjoyable and easy to share with SSL readers. I am happy to announce my partnership with Spice Islands – a well known producer of the finest spices from around the world.
One of my most favorite things I would do at the grocery store when I was young was to go down the aisle with the spices and look at all the different varieties or spices and herbs in the Spice Islands bottles with the brown caps. I was always fascinated with spices and I still am today. I love experimenting with new recipes using different spices to expand my knowledge for personal enrichment. Working with Spice Islands is a natural fit for me and I am looking forward to sharing new recipes I’ve created for you to enjoy – starting with this Spiced Roasted Chickpeas. [click to continue…]
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I missed the the No-Knead bread phenomena in 2006 when Mark Bittman posted Jim Lahey’s recipe for No-Knead Bread in the New York Times. Lahey’s ridiculously easy method for mixing bread dough and his method for baking it in a pot went viral as people around the world discovered they could, too, bake beautiful crusty artisan rustic bread at home without the fuss. It wasn’t until a couple years ago I heard about No-Knead bread when my neighbor brought over a loaf and we ended up sharing slices of yummy white bread slathered in buter and jam.
When Sarah told me how easy it was to make bread at home I didn’t believe her. I thought she was joking because I believe in the saying, if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is. But it was gloriously true. And since then I have become a convert.
I’ve always hesitated to write about this bread because it’s already been done. What left can be said about this bread? However, I’ve been baking two loaves every other day the last couple months and I thought it would be a great idea to share with you how I like to make this bread because it is faster and easier than Lahey’s original way of doing it.
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The last ten months has been a roller coaster of emotions, major life changes, and everything in between. We bought a new home and sold our old one. The girls started school and my youngest child started his first year of preschool two days a week for two hours a day. Add soccer practices, games, swim team commitments, play dates, and other family outings, by 10 p.m. I’m exhausted. By the time I get the kids to bed the only thing I want to do is watch Mad Men while eating ice cream.
Not a day goes by when someone doesn’t ask me how the unpacking and settling into our new home is going. The truth is, most of our things are still in boxes in the garage. My husband jokingly told me we should just donate all the boxes to charity and start over. I thought he was so silly for even suggesting this in jest a month ago but the idea is becoming more tempting by the day. Living out of boxes does have its privileges. Our house remains pretty clean because there really isn’t much to mess up. Eli’s toys are confined to a 18×18-inch box and most of the rooms are essentially empty. The great thing about living in an empty house is letting the kids and their friends literally run around in circles. I’ve also enjoyed cooking in my new kitchen, much more so than our old house. [click to continue…]
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Three days ago my husband and I quickly ate breakfast as we dashed for our car and headed downtown at 8:45 a.m.. Pleasantly surprised by not encountering much commuter traffic, we pulled our car into an alley parking garage off of Stewart. Holding hands, we walked up a few stairs into a high rise building only to separate for a few minutes. Me? I headed straight for the Godiva coffee shop calling out to me from the lobby while Rob continued to walk up another flight of stairs to the elevator hub. Moments later I reunited with him in a small office overlooking Puget Sound and the west side of downtown. We sat down and we started the process of signing escrow papers on the house we’ve lived in shortly after being married eleven years ago. With a latte in one hand and a black ball point pen in another, I listened to our closing offer go over the details of each form we were signing with a sad but joyful heart. Every form we signed brought us closer to saying goodbye to dear friends and neighbors simultaneously building anticipation of moving into our new home. We left the office that morning holding hands once again with an unspoken but understood smile on our face. [click to continue…]
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It’s often said, “Everything tastes better with bacon.” But I would like to make an argument for truffle salt making even the most simple food like popcorn seem gourmet. Truffles are a very rare and expensive fungi. This is why truffle salt is used as a flavoring accent elevating dishes from ordinary to extraordinary. Just a pinch goes a long way and is worth the $20 price for a 3.5 ounce bottle. For anyone who hasn’t tried truffle salt before, I know what you’re thinking. There is no way you would pay $20 for a little flavoring salt. You think this now, but if you try it, you might be singing it’s praises.. so don’t knock it until you try it. [click to continue…]
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