The first time I came across the term 'brown butter,' I was reading a menu at an Italian restaurant. I was 20 and functioned under the firm assumption that butter was bad. I couldn't imagine why any thinking person would create a sauce that was based solely on butter. However, one of my dining companions ordered that pasta dish and when the plates arrived, I was entranced by the sweet, nutty smell that was gently rising from her plate. She noticed my fascination and offered me a bite. The forkful of pasta instantly converted me from a butter avoider to a butter lover . Despite my affection for butter, I don't use brown butter in my own cooking frequently. However, since reading Nicole's post on Baking Bites that details how to make it, I'm thinking that I need to cook up a batch and find an excuse to gently toss some veggies or pasta in it.
A former Slashfoodie herself, Nicole is the extraordinary baker behind 
I typically have at least four or five different types of salt in my kitchen. There's a container of kosher salt next to the stove as well as some big grained sea salt. I also have lavender salt, smoked salt and some pink Hawaiian salt. I seem to be something of a salt lightweight when you compare my collection to this 
It's getting to be the time of year when our thoughts turn to baking apple crisps and pumpkin pies. Often times recipes for those desserts just contain a reference to a spice blend designed specifically for those dishes. But what if you don't want to buy a little plastic container marked "Pumpkin Pie Spice" and already have your own store of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and allspice? Nicole at 
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