Culinary Adventures with Camilla

This month I am hosting the #MoviesandMunchies group as we watch  Letters to Juliet . You can read my invitation  here   which includes a brief plot summary. It's really not that much more complicated than that, but it is enjoyable. At least I found it enjoyable! You can read the Risotto all'Amarone that I have already shared this month. Stay tuned for more. I always find movies set in Italy a culinary inspiration. from imdb.com There is a scene in the kitchen of Victor's soon-to-open restaurant when he gushes that he has reinvented the noodle. He keep breaking off pieces and making Sophie taste his "inventions." Ha. The ridiculousness of a person reinventing the noodle stuck with me. I mean, I have a hard time believing that Italian nonne haven't made every possible iteration of a noodle. So, I am just going to share my favorite standard: hand-rolled noodles. I do switch it up by the kind of salt that I use, but why change something that is already fabulous...

  This month I am hosting the #MoviesandMunchies group as we watch Letters to Juliet . You can read my invitation here   which includes a brief plot summary. It's really not that much more complicated than that, but it is enjoyable. At least I found it enjoyable! I mentioned that Sophie and Victor are in Verona as a pre-wedding honeymoon because Victor is about to open an Italian restaurant in New York and, once that happens, he won't be able to get away for a honeymoon or any kind of vacation for years! Sophie has this idea that the trip is going to be a romantic get-away for them to connect and explore the city of Romeo and Juliet. But Victor views this as an opportunity for him to visit all of his producers, including winemakers, cheesemakers, and more. You can see how this will rapidly descend into discord, right? In the meantime, Sophie has met the Secretaries of Juliet who work for the city of Verona and answer letters that are left in the courtyard of Casa di Giulietta....

from amazon.com Welcome to our September 2022 edition of Movies & Munchies, a relatively new group of film-loving foodies.  We all watch the same movie during the month, create a recipe inspired by the movie and post about it on our blogs and/or Instagram.  It is a lot of fun and anyone is welcome to join.  You can find out more on our  Facebook page .  I am excited to be hosting this month and would love for you to join us in watching the rom-com set in Italy called Letters to Juliet . From New York to Verona and throughout Tuscany, there is plenty of food and wine inspiration to be had. What begins as a pre-honeymoon trip for Sophie (played by Amanda Seyfried), a fact-checker from New York, and her fiancé, Victor (played by Gael García Bernal), a chef who is about to open an Italian restaurant turns into a multi-generational roadtrip across Tuscany that doesn't include Victor at all. Sophie has stumbled upon the Secretaries of Juliet, a group of women empl...

  This month, the Movies & Munchies group is watching Big Night . Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm is hosting. This is one of my all-time favorite movies. Hands down. We own the DVD and have probably watched it a dozen times. Big Night tells the tragically realistic truth that you can sell amazing food and still go under. This is the story of two recent Italian immigrants - brothers - who own a restaurant called Paradise. Primo, played by Tony Shalhoub, is the talented chef while Secondo, played by Stanley Tucci, tries to keep their restaurant afloat. But Primo is unapologetic in the way he cooks and serves food. Early in the movie, a customer orders risotto and, then, is disappointed that it doesn't come with a side of spaghetti. She tries to order the pasta. When Secondo tells Primo who is ordering the spaghetti, he refuses to serve two starches together. He cries, "She's a philistine!" And suggests that maybe she wants mashed potatoes on the other side...

This month the Movies and Munchies group is watching  Uncorked , hosted by Debra of  Eliot's Eats . Read  her invitation . I had seen the movie before, but wasn't watching it with foodie goggles on. So, I settled down on the bean bag and started to stream it. Jake looked at the screen and commented, "I think we've watched this before." I know, but now it's assigned, so I am going to watch it again! On the Screen At the base of it, this is a movie about a man who dreams of earning his master sommelier certification while his dad expects him to take over the family business, a barbeque joint. Elijah works in a wine shop as well as his family's restaurant. And the movie takes us from Memphis to Paris and back again. While I definitely admire those who have studied and earned those accolades, I have never had any desire to be able to identify grapes, vintages, and location just from a mere whiff and a small sip from the wine. For me, it's enough that the w...

This month, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm is hosting our new Movies and Munchies blogging group; she invited us to watch  Off the Menu . Read her invitation here . I had watched it during one of my rom-com waves throughout the pandemic. Thank goodness for Netflix...it kept me sane many, many days. But I happily watched it again, this time with foodie glasses on. D groaned when it started, "Mom, haven't you watched this already?"  Yes.  "Then, why are you watching it again? Don't tell me...it's for one of your groups!"  Yes, again. On the Screen This movie is a formulaic rom-com with lots of gorgeous food mixed in. Formula or not, it's a fun way to spend a couple of hours. I'm just going to say  clichéd, but enjoyable. We meet Joel Flanagan whose family dynasty is a chain of fast-food Mexican restaurants. Though he is much more interested in training for a triathlon, he grudgingly participates in board meetings for Tortilla Hut. At one o...

The month is the second month of the new #MoviesandMunchies group. For February, Sue of Palatable Pastime asked us to watch The French Dispatch ; you can read her invitation here . I will start with this: I think you either love Wes Anderson movies, or you hate them. Back in August 2021, we were assigned Moonrise Kingdom  for #FoodNFlix and I went far Down the Wes Anderson Rabbit Hole . Actually, re-reading that post, maybe the reality is you either appreciate his movie-making style, or you don't.  A good friend of mine said she hated this movie. I actually quite enjoyed it. This is just one of the many reasons I love participating in our online movie and book groups; I am pushed to watch and read things that I may not have done otherwise. Besides, it's interesting to discuss with people who many not share your opinions. On the Screen image from imdb.com Like all his other movies, this one is odd, over-populated with characters, and visually distinctive. And, also, like his o...