Culinary Adventures with Camilla

The Hundred Foot Journey - DreamWorks Studios You're invited! It's my turn to host  Food'N'Flix   where we watch movies and head  into the kitchen and cook or bake or make something based on a recipe they actually make in it or just something we were driven to make after watching it. For November's round, Food'N'Flix is partnering up with Cook the Books for a double-header of  The Hundred Foot Journey* .  While I am hosting the Food'N'Flix portion during the month of November. Deb of Kahakai Kitchen is hosting the book part for our October-November Cook the Books read. Click to see her invitation .  Of course, it's strictly optional to do both events and how you do it (a combined post or two separate posts) is completely up to you! If you want to join in the crossover fun: Read the book and watch the film, make a dish inspired by both, and post it by our joint event deadline of Monday, November 30th. If you have one post for

Halloween always makes us all a little batty. And it launches our entire household into the state of constant motion that is typically only in my domain. My husband and boys have been beyond busy with their costume construction. R is BB-8 and D is an AT-ST. Can you tell we're huge Star Wars fanatics? But, seriously, I ask my husband why Halloween costumes require schematics and months - literally months - of planning and execution. He just ignores the question and asks what's for dinner. We all have our areas of expertise. I needed a quick, mostly hands off dinner that would cook while I ran around the kitchen like a mad woman, getting things ready for all the Halloween festivities. Chicken wings it was. But - in the Halloween frame of mind - bat wings they were called. I laughed as my husband asked if everyone had already eaten - we had - and he took the entire bowl and a beer to his seat and polished it off. Ingredients  serves 4 2 pounds chicken wings, s

I've made marbled eggs before, but I thought they were the perfect, eerie appetizer for a Halloween potluck under the redwoods. Tonight. Ingredients  makes 12 12 eggs water, as needed 4 T soy sauce 3 T red wine 2 C water 3 T black tea leaves 1 t sesame oil 3 cloves garlic, crushed 1" knob fresh ginger, peeled and chopped 2 T honey 1 t red chili flakes salt for serving Procedure Place the eggs in a pot with the water, making sure that there is at least an inch of water over the eggs. Bring the water to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and let the eggs stand in the hot water for 15 - 20 minutes. Run the under cold water to cool. Reserve 1 C of the cooking water in the pan. Tap the boiled eggs to make a series of cracks all over the eggshells. Try to keep the shells intact. But if some pieces happen to flake off, don't worry. Add the remaining ingredients to the pan with the water. Bring back to a boil. Add the eggs. If there's not

I saw a photo of cheese cube jack o'lanterns somewhere and I thought they looked super cute and super simple. So, I asked the Enthusiastic Kitchen Elf if we could bring that for his school Halloween party. He agreed, asking for black grapes for the eyes and mouth. Done. He also requested sharp cheddar. "Mommy, I don't like dull cheddar." Dull cheddar?  "Yes, the cheddar that's not sharp...it's called dull, right?" Ummmm...no. But I like that! While I working on other dishes, he put these together all by himself. Okay, they don't look exactly the way I envisioned them, but he loves them. And they're done. That's all that matters. Ingredients cheese, cut into 1/2" cubes (we used a combination of medium and sharp cheddar) black grapes Procedure Place cubes on a platter. Arrange grapes in the place of eyes and a mouth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Just more proof that I really can't follow a recipe to save my life. I had written down a "recipe" for a green smoothie called 'The Stinger' from my 21-Day Detox group (read about my Detox and Team Level Zero Training plans). Then I made the smoothie. When I looked back at my scribbles, I wasn't even close. Whoops. But this left four empty glasses and requests for seconds. Winner! I have made a variation of this every morning this week. By 'variation' I mean: I might use different greens, different herb, or different fruit. But the proportions are the same. Oh, well...I don't even follow my own recipe very well! Ingredients 2 C unsweetened coconut water 1/2 to 3/4 C baby spinach 1 C green tipped banana, cut 1 C organic frozen rhubarb 1 C cucumber, cut and peeled if peel is bitter 1/2 jalapeno, seeds intact 1/4 C fresh mint juice from 1 organic lemon (we have a Meyer lemon tree, so I use those) 1 T hemp seeds Procedure Place

When my blogging friend Aly of Cooking in Stilettos   and Aloha Flavor  suggested a blogging event called the Harvest #BloggerLuau, I was in. Immediately. I love all the flavors of the islands.  The event didn't come together for a variety of reasons, but I decided to share the recipe I had prepared anyway. It's too good not to share it. Well, if you don't mind tentacles! I had always thought that pokē  was a raw salad served as an appetizer in Hawaiian cuisine. Turns out that pokē is the Hawaiian word that means "to section" or "to slice or cut". So, it's about how it's cut. I found lots of recipes for tako (octopus) pokē . but none with squid. I decided to give it a try. Ika means squid. Click for how to clean squid . Ingredients 2 pounds squid, cleaned 1 C onion, diced 1" knob of fresh ginger, minced 1 T olive oil 1/2 C sake 1 T sesame oil 1 t roasted sesame seeds 1/2 C soy sauce or tamari hot sauce to tas

In an effort to make all of my holiday gifts this year, I invited some of my favorite foodie bloggers to share recipes for hand-crafted edibles. Over the course of the twelve weeks, we'll be sharing recipes that you can make at home to give to friends and loved ones. We hope you'll follow along for inspiration. You can find out more information, including the schedule:  here . This week, we're continuing our homemade libations - here's the first installment that kicked off the series,  Libations, Part I  - and here we are at Part II. Thanks to these fabulous, cocktail-serving gals for these creations: Amy of  Amy's Cooking Adventures  made  Lemon Vodka Marinated Blackberries Terri of  Christmas Tree Lane  shared  Tipsy Cherries Wendy of  A Day in the Life on the Farm  posted her recipe for  Citrusy Cocktail Onions Camilla of  Culinary Adventures with Camilla  crafted Homemade Bitters, an Old-Fashioned, and a Naughty Gnome Camilla of  Culinary Adventu

In an effort to make all of my holiday gifts this year, I invited some of my favorite foodie bloggers to share recipes for hand-crafted edibles. Over the course of the twelve weeks, we'll be sharing recipes that you can make at home to give to friends and loved ones. We hope you'll follow along for inspiration. You can find out more information, including the schedule:  here . This week, we're continuing our homemade libations - here's the first installment that kicked off the series, Libations, Part I - and here we are at Part II. Thanks to these fabulous, cocktail-serving gals for these creations: Amy of  Amy's Cooking Adventures  made  Lemon Vodka Marinated Blackberries Terri of  Christmas Tree Lane  shared  Tipsy Cherries Wendy of  A Day in the Life on the Farm  posted her recipe for  Citrusy Cocktail Onions Camilla of  Culinary Adventures with Camilla  crafted  Homemade Bitters, an Old-Fashioned, and a Naughty Gnome Camilla of  Culinary Adventu

This summer, Jake and I experimented with our eating habits. He went gluten-free and dairy-free for a month. I did a   7-Day Summer Detox . Now I'm signed up for a 21-Day version. Do I feel I need to detox? No, not really. We eat pretty cleanly as it is. I just thought it would dovetail nicely with my kick-off to train for the 2016 PG Triathlon. So, over the course of the next three weeks, you will be seeing more recipes posted that are detox-friendly. Here's the scoop on the triathlon: my husband (rider), one of our best friends (swimmer) and I (runner) are determined to do a Take 3 on the Olympic distance relay in September 2016. We did it in 2007 as Team P, B, and J when P was supposed to be Pia running. But after they registered, she went and got pregnant. So, despite the fact that I was doing the complete sprint distance on my own the following day, I ran the 10K portion of the Olympic distance for them.  In 2009, we did it as Team The Good, The Bad, and the Ug

I really love pickles. I've pickled cherries , pickled green tomatoes , pickled mouse melons , pickled blueberries , and more. And that's not even delving into the lacto-fermented pickles. But one of my favorites is pickled red onions and, it appears, I've never blogged the process. How on Earth is that possible? You have to try these, especially if you're an onion fan. I've used them to add texture and flavor to grilled cheese sandwiches. I had some red onions and a splash or two of leftover Luc Belaire Rare Rosé (tasting notes here ). So thought I'd try to add pink sparkling wine to a quick pickle. Ingredients 1 organic red onion, peeled and thinly sliced (approximately 2 C) 3/4 C vinegar (I used a white vinegar) 1/4 C sparkling wine 1 T organic granulated sugar 1 t salt (I used a pink Himalaya salt) Procedure Place sliced red onions in a bowl and sprinkle with salt and sugar. Stir to coat and let stand for 10 minutes. In the meanti

I like bubbles. And, despite three decades of avoiding anything pink, I really embrace anything in the the girly hue. It probably has something to do with being a permanent resident of Testosterone Land. I am totally outnumbered. All. Of. The. Time. So, when I saw this sparkling rosé, I bought a bottle. I should have picked up two bottles! Hailing from the Cote d’Azur region of Provence, this can't bear the name Champagne, but it has all the drama and elegance of a great bottle of sparkling wine. I already mentioned that it's pink. But it's not a timid hue. It's rich, vibrant, and beautiful.  The visual appeal is easily matched on the nose. I got strawberries and roses. Then you taste it and you're in bubbly bliss. Made from France's three most famous rosé grapes - Syrah, Cinsault, and Grenache - it has a perfect balance on the palate. My favorite part: it's refreshing but not too sweet.

Funny story: I plated some roasted potatoes for breakfast this morning - along with some poached eggs. R: What's this, Mom? C: Potatoes and eggs. R: No, I mean, what's the theme? C: Breakfast. What are you asking? R: You know, did you make these for a bookclub? Or an online blogging event? What are these for? C: They're just breakfast. R: Wait! I know... [he goes to his room and comes back with a book] There are potatoes in "The Martian." C: Thanks. If you haven't read the book - or seen the movie - there are a lot of potatoes in The Martian . Then I realized that though these oven roasted potatoes are on our table at least once a week, I've never blogged them. Really? Okay, now I have to share this! Ingredients potatoes, washed, dried, and cut into bite-sized pieces olive oil freshly ground salt freshly ground pepper Procedure Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place bite-sized pieces of potato in a larg

Yesterday was  Food Day 2015 . Last year, my piece - Dining Table as a Nexus for Change - appeared on Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution website. And, since Food Day 2014 occurred during my Eat a Rainbow cooking class at school, my students and I made Blue and Purple Foods . When our #FoodDay2015 dinner party fell through yesterday - BOO for sick kiddos! Hope they're feeling better!! - I changed course to plan a dinner at home. This year's theme: towards a greener diet. To that end, I decided to highlight and cook from our High Ground Organics CSA box. First a little bit about why I am a CSA subscriber. Organic Schmorganic. Organic fruits and veggies are available in virtually every grocery store in town. So, what's the appeal of a CSA box? Right around the same time the Slow Food movement began to coalesce, the popularity of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) began to rise. CSAs are a popular way for us, as consumers, to buy locally-grown, organic,