Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Normally, I turn these ingredients - eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, tomaotes - into ratatouille which, my version at least, is very fast and very loose. Here's one I did with the kids at school: click here . It's a veritable celebration of a garden's bounty...all tossed together in a pot. But for World Vegan Day with Valentina, of The Baking Fairy , at the helm, I wanted to try something a little bit different for her event. Here are the groups' offerings... Aloo Gobhi Masala (Indian Spiced Potatoes and Cauliflower) by Food Trails Black Bean & Pineapple Tacos by Kate’s Recipe Box Provençal Vegetable Tian by Culinary Adventures with Camilla Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Apples and Onions by A Day In The Life On The Farm Roasted Root Vegetables by The Spiffy Cookie Vegan Eggnog by The Urben Life Vegan Pineapple Tofu Fried Rice by The Baking Fairy Provençal Vegetable Tian Now this looks like the dish that was called ratatouille in the movie...

I have been trying to curtail my Amazon purchases for the sake of our family budget. Since books are my biggest indulgence, I applied for a library card and am usually at my local branch at least once a week, swapping out books. On a recent visit, I perused the shelves near the front with the books for sale and immediately honed in on Around the World in 80 Dinners: The Ultimate Culinary Adventure by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison.* You can't beat the price or the fact that the funds benefit the library. Win for both. Annoying Person Shifts From the title, this seemed like the kind of book I would adore. And it was...all except for an annoying habit the authors have of mixing first person and third person in the same paragraph and sometimes even in the same sentence. At first I stumbled over the phrases, trying to figure out what was jarring my eye. Then I realized it and couldn't unsee it. Oye. It annoyed me every single time they did it, which was often, un...

I still don't really remember how the conversation started. All I know is that D asked if I would help his friends cook a dish that used old world and new world ingredients...for their AP World History project. I never say 'no' to kids wanting to cook something. Initially D wasn't involved; he just asked me to help R and J. Sure thing! Then, because they have the same teacher (albeit at different periods), D managed to ally himself with their project and Mr. Bourgeois said he could present along with them. Because time was short and they had a full day of robotics on Saturday, our dinner had to be on Sunday. The only problem: we were supposed to be having my parents over for their birthday dinner that night. A phone call later, I had convinced my mom that she and my dad wanted moqueca for dinner...and D convinced his friends that they were going to cook my parents' celebration dinner and get their assignment done. Phew. So, I bought the ingredients. And,...

This month for our Lit Happens book club, Amy of Amy's Cooking Adventures picked The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill.* Though that is not a cook-from-the-book kinda group; I always find some kind of inspiration to create an edible of some kind! But first, the book... On the Page I put in the request at the library at the end of last month. But something happened and I didn't get the email that I could pick it up until the middle of this month...just before we were heading out of town for a robotics competition. I picked up the book while brownies were baking for the team. But I didn't have a moment to myself to read during the trip. Not. One. Single. Minute. As soon as I was off duty as a chaperone, I was sleeping. Really. It was an exhausting, but exhilarating trip. No matter. Once I returned home, this was a quick and delightful read. I'll admit that I am almost always wary of books that have won awards. And this one won a Newbery - honori...

Each month The Cake Slice Bakers are offered a selection of cakes from the current book we are baking through. This year it is  The European Cake Cookbook  by Tatyana Nesteruk*. We each choose one cake to bake, and then on the 20th - never before - we all post about our cake on our blogs. There are a few rules that we follow, but the most important ones are to have fun and enjoy baking & eating cakes!  Follow our  Facebook ,  Instagram , and  Pinterest  pages where you can find all of our cakes, as well as inspiration for many other cakes. You can also click on the links below to take you to each of our cakes. If you have a blog and are interested in joining The Cake Slice Bakers and baking along with us, please send an email to thecakeslicebakers at gmail dot com for more details.  The Cake Slice Bakers also have a new Facebook group called  The Cake Slice Bakers and Friends . This group is perfect for those who do not ha...

This is a sponsored post written by me in conjunction with the October #Winophiles event. Wine samples were provided for this post and this page may contain affiliate links. This month the French Winophiles are headed, virtually, to Cahors. Though hosted by Nicole of Somm's Table , Jill of L'occasion was able to line-up some wine samples for the group through the UIVC (Union Interprofessionnelle des Vins de Cahors). Merci beaucoup! I received three bottles: Château du Cèdre Extra Libre 2018 Malbec, Château de Gaudou Le Sang de Ma Terre 2018 Malbec, and Château Lamartine Cahors 2016. All of which were new to me. If you are reading this early enough, join us on Saturday, 19 October at 8am Pacific time for a live Twitter chat. Use #Winophiles so that we can see your comments. Otherwise, take a look at the French Winophiles' virtual trip to Cahors this month... Jane from Always Ravenous explores the Flavors of Fall Paired with Cahors Malbec . Cat...