Recipes inspired by other people's kitchens

Borrowed Salt was sparked by my attempts to cook around the world.  The recipes are borrowed from diverse cultures, friends, restaurants, and the experience of cooking in a LOT of different kitchens. 

All kitchens are not created equal.  Some are big. Some are small.  Some have dishwashers and most don’t.  Some have lots of pots.  Some have just two or three.  Cooking in other people's kitchens has taught me a lot about cooking in my own.  Keep it simple and be resourceful.  Don’t use what’s not necessary.  Clean up your mess.  And apply those lessons to other elements of your life.

Cooking does not have to be about perfection.  For me it’s about using what you’ve got, seeking out what’s worth it, and laying low with great people around a well-stocked table.  

I'm Amy, a New York-born California transplant who loves to explore.   I'm a marketer by trade, a semi-professionally trained cook, and an amateur photographer with a love for anything with tentacles.  Every chance I get, I pack up and cook my way through foreign lands.  I've made coffee in a wok, a three-course meal with no knives, and will roast just about anything in a toaster oven.  I've learned big lessons about when you can improvise and what really matters.  

This blog started as a hobby when I had some downtime at work.   And then it took over, pushing me to embrace the new, the weird, and the unexpected.  I am now someone who believes we make our own luck, choose our own path, and can build real happiness out of a disparate heap of leftovers and a perfectly poached egg.