You have to check out this blog I found...

Being so close to the ocean my daughter Katie and I have talked about making our own salt, so the other day I finally did a search for instructions and as luck would have it, it just so happened to be the very same day that blogger Ashley Rodriguez posted "Making Salt" on her blog "Not Without Salt".

The first thing that hit me was how elegant "Not Without Salt" looks.

I love the color combination, the fonts, and the design... there is nothing I don't like about how her blog looks, it's extremely pleasing to the eye.

And as I dug into it was obvious that as good as the blog looks the content is even better.


Ashley's writing style made me feel like I was the only person in the room and she was talking to me. She shares just enough about herself and her family that it's like you've been invited in for coffee and a (very interesting) conversation.

But wait, there's more.... her photographs (which are sprinkled quite liberally throughout the blog) contribute beautifully to the warm inviting feeling of her writing.

I strongly recommend that you pay a visit to Not Without Salt, and while you're there you will find a bazzillion recipes you'll want to try, like her fall sandwich, the yogurt brulee, and making baguettes at home.



But back to the salt.

I headed down to the ocean, grabbed two gallons of sea water and headed home with the sloshing sound echoing in the car as I hit every bump in the road.

It was surprising how simple the process was, in just a couple hours of boiling and baking I had a cup of the most outstanding sea salt you can imagine, even my kids were impressed. But be warned you don't need to use as much as the "home made" version has a stronger flavor.


So not satisfied with my success making Neptune's salt I was wondering what I might make using my salt that would further impress my family, and headed back to Google to find the answer.

What I came up with was "Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt Brownies". Yup, yours truly made brownies from scratch!


They were a HUGE success, in just a matter of minutes the cutting board was empty, say for a few random crumbs, and I am sure if there wasn't so many people in the room someone would have licked them up too.

I didn't realize at the time but I may have set the bar just a bit too high.

Wish I had a dollar for every time I've heard "so, when are you making those brownies again?".