Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays or cook and bake together with the same ingredient or theme each month. Posting day for #FoodieExtravaganza is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page  Foodie Extravaganza . We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our  Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board ! Looking for our previous parties? Check them out  HERE . Today we're celebrating National Fig Week; and I am hosting. Although dried figs are available all year long, there is nothing quite like the taste and texture of fresh figs. They are luscious and sweet with a texture that marries the toothiness of their flesh, the smoothness of their skin, and the crunchiness of their seeds. Here in California fresh figs are usually available from June through September. This was a lone fig on one of my be

Inspired by a blogging friend's post - Sincere Pumpkin Patch Spicy Cheese Ball - and on the hook for a cheese plate for D's MYP Halloween party, I decided to give it a try. But I didn't have a broccoli stem and I didn't read her instructions very carefully. Mine ended up being a little soft. But it tastes great. So, I'll share my version of the recipe when I get it nailed down a little better.  And, as Stacy said, "Taste matters more than looks when it comes to cheese." I agree!

Today the Sunday Supper crew is celebrating Halloween and sharing some Halloween Finger Foods recipes. I've made marbled eggs before, but I thought they were the perfect, eerie appetizer for a Halloween potluck because they look like spiderwebs, right? Halloween Finger Foods #SundaySupper Spooky Snacks and Starters Cheesy Ghost Chains by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings Cobweb Eggs by Culinary Adventures with Camilla Ghouly Pumpkin Butter Biscuits by Our Good Life Pumpkin Energy Bites by Caroline’s Cooking Spooky Pizza Bites by A Day in the Life on the Farm Sincere Pumpkin Patch Spicy Cheese Ball by Food Lust People Love Spooky Snack Mix by Pies and Plots Vampire Blood Soup with Monster Grilled Cheese Sandwiches by My Imperfect Kitchen Zombie Fingers (Bacon Wrapped Dates) by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures Tasty Trick-or-Treats Bloody Eyeball Brownies by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks Candy Corn Cookies by The Freshman Cook Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Bites by Hard

Coleen of The Redhead Baker   asked us to come up with a new recipe in honor of National Pizza Month. I was in! We love, love, love pizza. But we have been having a crazy heat wave. October is usually our warmest month here on California's central coast, but this is ridiculous. It's been eecking towards 100 degrees F everyday this week. Buffalo Chicken Naan Bread Pizza by The Freshman Cook  Italian Beef Pizza by Cooking With Carlee  Margherita Pizza by Making Miracles  Mediterranean Flatbread Pizza by Everyday Eileen  Pizza with Shaved Brussels Sprouts and Bacon by Simple and Savory  Shrimp Prosciutto and Mushroom Pizza by A Day in the Life on the Farm  Spinach, Pancetta and Fontina Pizza by The Redhead Baker  Stovetop Skillet Pizzas by Culinary Adventures with Camilla  White Pizza Mini Tarts by Take Two Tapas World Series Tortilla Pizza by Amy's Cooking Adventures Needless to say. I wasn't keen on turning on my oven in that heat. So, I decid

For National Pear Day, hosted by Wendy of  A Day in the Life on the Farm , I decided to poach some adorable Seckel pears in red wine and serve them in a pool of chocolate-wine sauce. Oh, delicious, chocolatey decadence was achieved! But, before I get to that, please take a look at the pear-y delicious goodness my fellow bloggers have shared. Individual Pear Galette by Caroline's Cooking    Pear Pecan Cardamom Crumble by Cookaholic Wife   Pork and Pears with Hard Cider Sauce by A Day in the Life on the Farm  Red Wine-Poached Pears in a Boozy Chocolate Sauce by Culinary Adventures with Camilla  Roasted Pear Quiche by Palatable Pastime    Upside Down Pear Gingerbread by The Gingered Whisk Red Wine-Poached Pears  in a Boozy Chocolate Sauce There seem to be two distinct camps: one who thinks red wine and chocolate are a darling pair; one who thinks that those should never be served together. I fall firmly in the first camp, with the proviso that I mean goo

I made a batch of horchata last week for SEM. You can read about that here . This week, since we were making a traditional Mexican rice, I decided to make another batch of horchata . Funny story: my co-teacher is from Spain. And when she saw that I was making horchata for class, she was perplexed. In Spain, horchata is not made with rice; it's made with a kind of nut. So, she didn't know how that was applicable to our class. For this version, I decided to skip the granulated sugar and use some maple syrup instead. I also used less water for a thicker version. The kids - and my husband - thought this was a better horchata . Ingredients 1 C uncooked rice (I used Thai jasmine rice) 1 C boiling water 2 C warm water 1 C milk (you can use any kind of milk - rice, almond, etc. - I used whole cow's milk) 1 cinnamon stick 1/4 C maple syrup 2 t pure vanilla extract 1 t ground cinnamon Also needed: food processor or blender, mesh strainer or cheesecloth

Carlee of Cooking with Carlee invited us all for some Halloween Food Fun. While the fun factor is in the eyeball garnish, I have to admit that the cocktail is pretty darn tasty, too. All the Fun Creations... Caramel Apple Cereal Bars by Palatable Pastime Creepy Eyeball Martini by Culinary Adventures with Camilla Halloween Party Mix by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks Haunted Halloween Mini Cake by Making the Most of Naptime Mummy Cupcakes by Family Around The Table Mummy Dogs by A Day in the Life on the Farm Spider Web Cupcakes by Making Miracles Spooky Chocolate Bark Brownies by Amy’s Cooking Adventures Creepy Eyeball Martini Ingredients makes 1 cocktail 2 ounce gin 1-1/2 ounces syrup fro the canned lychees 1 ounce Chartreuse liqueur Also needed: cocktail shaker, ice cubes Eyeball Garnish canned lychees blueberries skewers Procedure Drain the lychees, reserving the canning syrup for the cocktail. Place a blueberry in the

This weekend the French Winophiles are heading to Languedoc, formerly Coteaux du Languedoc. It's an appellation in France's Languedoc-Roussillon wine region and produces mostly red wines. I read that 75% of all Languedoc wines are red; and the remaining 25% of the wines are split evenly between whites and rosés. The typical Languedoc red is medium-bodied and fruit-forward wine. And most of the time, the grape varietals used are Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre, sometimes with hints of Carignan or Cinsaut. Here's What the French Winophiles Shared Martin from  Enofylz Wine Blog  shares 2014 Domaine L’Ostal Cazes “GrandVin” Minervois La Livinière Michelle from  Rockin Red Blog  says  Say Yes to Languedoc Wine Nicole from  Somm’s Table  pours Domaine de Majas CôtesCatalanes Blanc with Butter Poached Salmon and White Asparagus Wendy from  A Day in the Life on the Farm  is Celebrating Languedoc with Cassoulet Gwen from  Wine Predator  makes Grilled Cheese with 4