Culinary Adventures with Camilla

When I saw #peterbsbrewsandbitescontest - a cooking contest to create an appetizer using one of their brews - announced on  Peter B's Facebook page , I   was instantly inspired. I created a dish showcasing my favorite  Peter B's  brew: Legend of Laguna IPA. Then I submitted my IPA-Braised Carnitas Over Polenta Cakes to the contest...and waited. The three finalists were announced... Beer Fondue by Rachel N. IPA-Braised Carnitas over Polenta Cakes by Camilla M. Vegan Beer Caramelized Leek & Onion Dip served with Beer Pretzel Bites by Briana S.  ...followed by more waiting. Yesterday, the chef at Peter B's recreated our three dishes and we were judged by the Beer Geeks, the Grub Hunter, and KRML's Program Director AKA Chris, Merideth, Mike, and Jeff. I was oddly nervous that a professional chef was making one of my recipes. Here's the crew, judging the dishes during Pub Talk  last night. photo by Portola Hotel & Spa As is a...

I'm on Orphan-detail again today for the  Secret Recipe Club  - for a Group C orphan last week! - and I am  so  excited about cooking from Eat Laugh Love  - a cooking and baking blog written by Denise. One of the reasons I always volunteer to help out an SRC orphan is to meet new foodie bloggers. I had never come across Denise's blog and I, happily, lost several hours of my life perusing and drooling over her recipes and posts. I love that she has a culinary to-do list . Me, too. I just haven't published it. Maybe that's a good 2014 project! There was no doubt in my mind what I was going to make from Denise's blog. Soup. The weather was turning colder, the skies were gloomier, and she has an amazing variety of soups from which to choose. The Best Lentil Soup Ever . Cream of Celery . Healthy and Heavenly Sausage and Shrimp Gumbo . SuperFoods Soup . And more. Seriously. If you need some soup-pot inspiration, check out this blog. In the end, I decided t...