Full Gastronomic Tilt

**stole a friend’s computer long enough to type this**
There are nine ten different kinds of vinegar in my pantry.
Ten.
White distilled vinegar (For egg poaching, general cleaning, etc.)
Apple cider (A go-to acid for most dishes.)
Red wine (Another go-to - but different from apple cider. Truth.)
Balsamic (Unique and earthy - good in tomato sauces.)
White Balsamic (I was [...]

I wish I knew who to credit this to…
My laptop has the white screen of death. It’s either static electricity, an excess of cat fur, or my graphics card.
Either way, it is far beyond my ability to fix. So until I get this sorted out, no new posts.
Stay with me! I’ll be back as soon [...]

Using the highly unscientific yet strangely reliable method of pulling names out of a hat, the winner of the $10 French Broad Chocolate Lounge gift certificate is….
Diedra!
Diedra inspired me with a lovely story about her grandma, and a pie crust recipe that I have to try. Diedra, shoot me an e-mail at fullgtilt AT gmail [...]

photo credit to Jack-i and Flickr
One year ago today, I dipped my toe into the blogging waters. Part lark, part creative outlet, I originally titled this blog Saffron and Lavender. That name did not begin to hint at any aspect of my personality - mostly joyful, slightly unpredictable, and filled with energy to spare. [...]

Dinner plans, via text message:
“Have leeks & potatoes. Thinking something rustic/French. Ideas?”
“Gratin! With thyme and carm. onions.”
“Perfect. Gruyère?”
“I’ll get it. Bringing wine, too.”‘
Gratin: n. French origin, from grater (to scratch), typically refers to any dish with a lightly browned top crust of crumbs, butter and/or cheese. A base of potatoes is traditional. (see also: delicious)
Many [...]

I admit it - until 5 minutes ago, I had not donated to Haitian relief efforts. No texting, no concerts, no PayPal. But then the fast and sincere efforts of a small group of food bloggers caught my eye. They came together in under three weeks to produce a print on demand cookbook to support [...]

One night, it came up that I had never attempted homemade sushi.
“Really?” asked my friend. “It’s so easy. I’ll teach you. The trickiest part is making the rolls, but that comes with practice.”
I was skeptical about the easy part. Many Japanese dishes have a short ingredient list but a long list of steps, as the [...]