January 2012
7 posts
Easy Cheesy Chicken Noodles →
Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting →
Pinch of Yum has moved! →
September 2011
2 posts
Spicy Peanut Chicken Salad
Did you know that red Thai chilis at the farmer’s market are only sold by the hundreds?
Not kidding.
And yes, I’m still talking about the farmer’s market.
So what do you do when you only need one? Just one little itty bitty red Thai chili?
Well, you could do what I did, which was ask the lady for $1.00 worth of red Thai chilis, even though you only need about 1 cents...
Hot Dog Bar
Hot dog lovers unite.
I am proud to admit my love for a good hot dog.
No more of this middle school “eeww” act. Summer equals at least a few good hot dogs with a lot of good friends and there’s no getting around it. Who’s with me?
One of the things we’ve loved doing this summer (ok, maybe more than once) was hosting a good ole hot dog bar. We gave everyone...
August 2011
12 posts
Fresh Blueberry Tarts
Well, isn’t that just the cutest dessert you ever saw?
Mmhm. It should be. I went through my own version of blueberry tart boot camp to make it happen.
After making about one million tart crusts unsuccessfully, and getting blueberry filling stains all over my counter top, and eating at least nineteen sloppy looking tarts, I finally think I’m getting the hang of this tart making...
Farmer's Market Flatbread Pizza
Seems like I’ve developed a little trick. Have you noticed?
Not the one where I stuff five of these into my mouth in 60 seconds.
Or the baby-powder-to-degrease-hair trick.
Ok, I’ll just tell you. My trick is when I don’t know what to name a recipe that has lots of fresh vegetables and herbs (score!), I just add “Farmer’s Market” to the beginning of the...
Mango Chicken Salad
P90X.
Have you heard of it? No?
Come to this house and you will hear about it. Possibly every other sentence this week has started with “P90X…”
And now’s the part where I smirk and tell you that it’s not actually me that’s doing the P90X exercise program and you think I’m a little bit lazy. And I think so, too.
Hard core exercise is not for...
Fudgy Oreo Brownies
Oiy.
There goes that new pencil skirt potential first day of school outfit.
And here come the sweatpants.
Except, um, it’s 90 degrees in my house. Why would I bake and then wear sweatpants in a house where I break a sweat just sitting at the computer?
I’ll tell you why. Because peeling your legs off of a leather chair more than five times in an hour deserves at least five of...
Red Pepper & Goat Cheese Panini
I heart predictable things.
My panini maker is more than predictable.
There’s usually a 100% chance that whatever comes off of that thing is going to be goldenbutterycrispy goodness. And this red pepper goat cheese panini is no exception.
On one slice of bread, creamy, crumbly goat cheese. I can’t get enough. And if you don’t love goat cheese, first of all, who are...
Ginger Melon Chillers
Pst. I need to get this off my chest.
I…..
don’t like cantaloupe. Or, as my grandma calls it, muskmelon.
With a name like muskmelon, it’s got to be, like, for old people?
I’m sorry Grandma, I’m sorry Grandpa, I’m sorry to anyone who loves this melon and has ever served it to me and I pretended to like it. But the secret is out. I’d just plain...
Creamy Cilantro Dressing
There’s power in a good salad.
The problem is, most salads are not delicious. Come on. You know you were thinking the same thing.
I try to like to eat salads because
they make for a fast, filling meal- when done right,
I can use up all my fresh farmer’s market produce,
my new pencil skirt from the Loft (potential first day of school outfit?) fits a little more nicely.
So...
PB Cookie Dough Bites
I had to do it.
Posting three sweet recipes in a row might not be an advisable blogging strategy, but I had to do it.
I’m hoping ya’ll are as addicted to sweets as I am? Because then maybe I can get away with it. (Yeah, ya’ll, I’m southern today.)
And if you’re the 1 percent that’s not addicted to sugar but still read my blog full of sugary recipes,...
Chocolate Scotcheroos
I’ve been hot on the Nutella trail for a while now.
Like, since high school.
Like, since Bjork (my highschoolboyfriendnowhusband) casually mentioned this super good chocolate spread that he put on toast, and what, I hadn’t heard of it?
And then one fateful day I went to his house and watched him spread that creamy chocolate love on toasted bread. Can you say love at first...
Crunchy Pecan Granola
Completely unrelated to granola…
It’s been a hard week. Thanks for all your kind words. And thanks for still checking in, even though things have been a bit unpredictable around here.
Today, I’m thinking about my grandpa, but I’m writing about granola. I guess the balance of remembering and moving on takes time. If you’ve done this before, maybe you can...
Saying Goodbye
My Grandpa passed away yesterday.
Needless to say, making delicious food has temporarily dropped off my list of priorities.
Thanks for being patient while I say goodbye to my Grandpa.
There are so many things I will miss about Grandpa. The sound of his boots coming in the house, the feel of his sturdy hug, his mouth-wide-open laugh when something was really funny, his smell, his...
5-Minute Green Curry Salad
There’s a battle going on over here.
It’s hot out.
I want to bake and I don’t want to bake. And I want to bake. Wahh.
Then again, do I really want to turn on the oven when we live in a cute little house with no air conditioning?
I have a few really good books that have been collecting dust over in the corner. They’re calling for me and a cold, non-baked glass of...
July 2011
18 posts
Real Strawberry Lemonade
Hello, beautiful.
You are red, sweet, and seductive.
You should meet my tart, juicy, yellow friend.
In fact, you should meet in a blender with sugar.
And then I’ll take all your seeds out so you can be smooth.
And the three of us will spend the summer together.
…Have I introduced you to my friend Rum?
Real Strawberry Lemonade, serves 3-4
10 strawberries
juice of 4...
Hello, Fall.
I’m guilty.
Yes, I’m guilty of wishing for … fall.
Hello self, wake up. You don’t have to work full time in the summer because your students are on summer vacation? Hello??
But what’s full time work compared to a luscious pumpkin muffin, sweet maple glaze, and a strong cup of Cinnamon Vanilla Nut coffee on a crisp, fall morning?
By the way, Cinnamon Vanilla...
Soda Pops: Our Annual Date
These are last year’s pictures, but hey, we do the same thing every year. It works.
Grab a menu from the crate. Find a small, wooden booth and get cozy.
Admire the old fashioned glass bottle sodas displayed…everywhere.
Cream Soda, Root Beer, Orange Crush? Choose a good one.
Pop the top off on the side of your booth…
And take a long swig. Wait, give your lady the first...
Creamy Basil Parmesan Dip
Good news, bad news.
Or should I say good news, good news?
Good news: Every year, my family takes some time during the summer to go up to a cabin in northern Wisconsin. And that time is now! Today!
Good news: I’ve decided that this would be a good time for me to go through some of my most popular summertime recipes and share the joy with you all over again!
Starting with this big boy.
...
Farmer's Market Pasta
Trust me.
You don’t even want to know how many titles I came up with for these little pots of joy.
Instead of sharing all of the potential recipe titles with you, I will give you the chance to do something more productive with your 3 seconds.
Like look at this picture and wonder what’s going on (that’s exactly what I was doing, too).
That, and talking on the phone with...
Garlic Edamame
Ahh, this.
Now this is a crave-able vegetable.
We had a mini sushi party with my sushi-expert cousin.
He told me to make edamame with garlic, so I did. And it’s heaven-sent and it’s coming up in a minute.
But first, more of this.
That would be my casual reach across the sushi table for… yes, more edamame. I’m sneakkky.
Then there was some more of this. Done...
Classic Bean Burgers
Would you make bean burgers 10 (ten) times to get the recipe just right?
Me, either.
But they would! Meet Alex and Sonja of A Couple Cooks.
Well, actually, the one in the blue plaid who looks like he might have something stuck in his throat is not Alex. That’s Bjork. And the one in the other blue is me. So, really this is just a cute picture of Sonja. And their delicious...
Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies
It rained, and I got desperate.
So desperate that I’ll have you know I drove to the gas station across the street for some last-minute cookie ingredients. Such as sugar and pretzels and Reeses Pieces.
How could I seriously be out of white and brown sugar?
Don’t ask. Just thank the gas station employees who keep me stocked with sugar.
Because when I’m stocked with...
Mango Black Bean & Coconut Tacos
Aloha.
I want to go to Hawaii and sell these tacos from a food truck.
Rain and cold can do that to me.
But I don’t really want to do that.
I have a little secret: what I really want to do is snuggle up with a blanket, sweatshirt, hot chocolate (extra whipped cream), and a mild mystery novel. Because I actually kind of like cold, rainy days.
Did you notice that these pretty tacos...
Honey Butter Spread & Lemon Cake
Honey. Butter. Spread.
It’s exactly what it sounds like. The “Honey Butter” part = honey + butter. The “Spread” part = more sugar and it becomes spreadable on anything and everything.
It’s honey butter goodness that’s a cross between frosting and… uhm… butter.
Sadly, I did not churn my own butter to make this Honey Butter...
Garlic Shrimp and Zucchini Wrap
Weird things happened yesterday.
It all started when Bjork jumped into oncoming traffic to save a dog.
Mmhm.
Which I guess isn’t all that weird, considering I’ve seen him stop his car on a busy road to save a frog before. So a dog is actually pretty normal.
I (bravely) stood on the sidewalk and, in slow motion, watched a car accident happen as a result of his sudden jump into...
Sweet Zucchini Pancakes
Good Morning.
I have a dilemma with pancakes: I love to eat them.
What’s better, or worse, is that I love to eat them in stacks of four, glazed with melted butter and swimming in maple syrup.
And 1,000 calories later, I’m feeling really good in a bad kind of way.
Because of my extreme love for pancakes, especially the extra sweet and high-calorie variety (think chocolate chip...
Creamy Garlic Scape Dip
Pass me an Altoid. Or five.
But save a few for yourself, because you are going to want to make this dip.
As much as I love this dip, my motto is that you can never be too prepared - who knows when Prince Charming will waltz into your life and… take a whiff of your breath? Not to mention my husband moving in for a garlicky goodnight kiss?
What’s a girl to do? I need the dip,...
Wild Rice Flatbread
Today is just another day.
Just another day when I will get myself out the door to teach subtraction with double zeros and how to read the word “stared”. I bet you even read that wrong.
You almost read “started”, didn’t you? Along with 95% of the fourth grade population.
Speaking of stories from the front lines, how about when I asked my class this week to...
Roasted Cherry Brownies
Subtitle: running out of things.
Roast cherries, eat cherries, roast cherries, eat cherries. Eat cherries. And I’ve run out of cherries.
Replenish cherry supply. This is how I run out of money.
And if I attempt to make the same batch of brownies 3 times (yes. three. times.), I can guarantee you that I will not run out of brownies. But I will run out of chocolate.
Unless you...
Greek Salad with Paprika Croutons
Fattoush? Yes, Fattoush. Sort of.
Could I call this Minnesotan Fattoush, since I did not make it with a pita and enjoyed it with bottled dressing?
I can’t bring myself to do it. It just seems offensive to take something that’s real, and make it something else, that’s not what it really is, and call it what it’s not, because you’re using its real name.
Oiy.
I...
Portobello, Red Pepper, & Pesto Pizza
Mushrooms.
I have a thing going with mushrooms.
It’s not really a good thing. It’s more like a grossed out thing.
But then I had a delicious portobello burger on our road trip, and things started heating up for me and the mushroom. So I bought some.
That might have been a little ambitious, being that I had no idea how to wash them, prepare them, or cook them.
Then, just...
Cupcakes with Avocado Buttercream
Welcome to the box.
The box is where I live. Where I’ve always lived. Where my hair has been the same forever, where my outfits are predictable, where I eat the same thing for breakfast for 364 days a year.
I do not stray outside of the box, ever. So someone please tell me what is going on.
Take, for example, the cinnamon sugar radish chips. And the fact that I put them on Greek...
June 2011
20 posts
Avocado Blue Cheese Dressing
Ahhhvocado.
The vegetable (fruit?) that makes everything better.
Even buttercream frosting, or so this lady says.
That frosting is at the top of my list of things to try, and after yesterday’s experiment with radishes, I’m feeling especially gutsy.
Also on my list of things to try:
Beets (remember yesterday’s rant about dirty vegetables)?
Saving money… for a...
Cinnamon Sugar Radish Chips
I know, right?
Totally crazy.
And totally delicious. I don’t know how it happened, but it did.
In my mind, radishes fall in the same category as beets: earthy, red, and dirty tasting. And never to be experimented with.
You thought I was a radish lover? You are wrong.
But what I found out today is that cinnamon sugar acts like magic with radishes.
I’m not even going to...
Spicy Hummus
Today is the day.
The day that I stop living out of a suitcase. And stop going out to eat 4 times a day. And start doing my hair again.
It’s time to go back to a little place called work. Because kids need to learn, and I need to be productive. Which includes doing my hair.
To the average person, summer school might seem like a curse. Teachers are supposed to have summers off,...
PB Banana Power Oats
I came home from vacation craving oatmeal.
I’ve already been told by my husband that this is weird. Just let me explain myself.
The only time I ordered oatmeal on the trip was during a breakfast-on-the-go stop at Au Bon Pain. But first of all, eating in the car takes some of the joy away from the overall oats experience.
And secondly, I quickly realized that, while I love Au Bon...
Where I've Been
After a week of country music, friends, and good eats on the road, we’re back home.
In a valiant effort to get back on the baking/cooking/blogging train, I made banana bread this morning. For better or for worse, the banana bread was a half-baked gooey mess.
So I ate it with a spoon and edited our vacation pictures instead.
That’s what eating out for a week will do to you.
...
Black and Blue Sorbet
Thanks Julie (aka Mommie Cooks) for today’s awesome sorbet recipe!
Hey there! It’s Julie from Mommie Cooks taking over Pinch of Yum for the day. I was thrilled when Lindsay asked me to stop by and share a recipe. I adore her blog and her creative dishes never fail to get my mouth watering. Seriously, this girl knows her way around a kitchen. I’m sure you can agree....
Nutella and Peanut Butter Clusters
Today’s cookies are from Sarah at The Chubbette. Enjoy!
When we were little, my sister and I made ornaments as Christmas presents. I made angels and she made Santas. We would wrap them in tissue paper and put them in one of our mother’s many wicker baskets, then hand them out to relatives on Christmas Eve and Day (Eve was with Dad’s family, Day was with Mom’s). Our mother still has...
The #3 Sandwich
Today Emily from A Nutritionist Eats is sharing her recipe for today’s delicious looking sandwich!
Thank you to Lindsay for the opportunity to guest post - her blog is a favorite of mine and her pictures are inspiration for me to practice my photography! I blog over at A Nutritionist Eats and am a Minnesota girl, just like Lindsay! This is the kind of sandwich that converts a person...
Grilled Barbeque Onion and Smoked Gouda...
Thanks to Alex and Sonja from A Couple Cooks for today’s guest post! Yum!
Ahh, summer. The season couldn’t come fast enough this year, at least in my book! Now that it’s finally here, we’ve been taking good advantage of two of the best things of the season: the garden, and the grill. There’s not much better than walking outside to grab a few handfuls of fresh basil or cilantro to add...
Parmesan Pesto Veggie Sandwich
Being out of school isn’t as easy as it seems.
On my first day of summer break, I ran into a former student. Former as of a few days ago. Too soon, people, too soon! Not only was it too soon, but I was sporting that previously mentioned bedhead look (yes - I go out in public like that - don’t judge) and an outfit that was definitely not from the “professional section”...
Chocolate Marshmallow Graham Bars
This?
This gooey golden marshmallow melted chocolate butter graham goodness?
This is where we’re headed today.
And this is one boat you don’t want to miss.
Although I don’t know if you could even call this a boat. This is more like P. Diddy’s yacht. Or a Carnival Cruise ship. Where there are “a million ways to have fun”.
Jump on, friends.
...