Culinary Adventures with Camilla

  This is a sponsored post written by me in conjunction with the November #WinePW Paso Robles wines event. Wine samples were provided for this post and this page may contain affiliate links.     If ever I had to name a junk food that I love, it would be fries. Greasy, salty, delicious fries. But, I know they aren't good for me. So, I can usually stave off my fry-cravings with some oven roasted veggies. I decided to give it a go with a Black Futsu winter squash. Awesome. I love that this only needs two ingredients besides the squash and is done in about an hour.   Roasted Black Futsu Wedges  with a Ginger Dipping Sauce This is one of my favorite autumn snacks. I served it with a ginger dipping sauce and paired it with the 2020 Rabble Rosé that I received from the Paso Wine Alliance*. Ingredients Wedges 1 organic Black Futsu squash, seeded and sliced into wedges (use another hard winter squash that you like) 2 to 3 Tablespoons olive oil freshly ground sa...

Last week I had the opportunity to meet up with Lori of Dracaena Wines and Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm in Paso Robles. Nothing like six gears and a sundress to play hookey from work and meet up with some blogging friends in real life.  I have been lucky enough to meet up with Wendy in her previous visits to California. But it was a first to meet Lori. I've long been acquainted with her wines, especially as she's helmed #CabFrancDay for one of our wine groups in previous years. Back in 2016, I posted Apple-Braised Duck Legs + Dracaena's Cab Franc  for that event; and I shared  Steak au Poivre et Thé with their 2013 vintage. But it was a special treat to have Lori do a tasting for us at her vineyard and at the crush pad. At the vineyard we walked along the edge of her vines in the Plummer Vineyard. She showed us the two Cabernet Franc clones that comprised their regular Cabernet Franc. Then, pointing in the distance, we saw where the ...

Whimsy : whim·sy / wimzē (noun) playfully quaint or fanciful behavior or humor; a whim; a thing that is fanciful or odd You know it's going to be an interesting evening when there is a Buddha's Hand citron soaking in clear booze on the counter of the bar! Back in the 2015, my piece "Bringing the Farm to Table to King City" appeared in the Fall issue of Edible Monterey Bay . Read it  there . And I have seen Chef Travis at different events since, but I hadn't been back to The Cork & Plough  since that interview. So, when they extended an invitation to one of the  EMB  team to attend their wine dinner - featuring  Herman Story Wines  and  Desparada Wines  - last weekend, I happily accepted and immediately snagged a ticket for a friend to join me. The moment Susana and I entered the doors, we were each handed a glass of Desparada 'Fragment' Sauvignon Blanc and a server made sure we tried their two amuse bouche: grilled shrimp ...

Sorry, veg friends, you can skip this post. I'll have an entire vegan menu for you tomorrow. But this is today and I have a tale to tell about a burger. A dream-inspiring burger. This burger... A year ago - maybe not quite a year - friends took us to the Cass Winery & Vineyards in Paso Robles. Our friends raved about the burger as we drove over unending bucolic hills the color of straw. I thought: "It's a just a burger. I've had good burgers before. How good could it possibly be?" Then, we had them. There were no substitutions and no choices to make. Our friend ordered for all of us. "Seven burgers, please," he declared. "Four with the wine tasting. Three without." It was simple, but it was bursting with flavor and texture. A seeded brioche bun, baked crisp but with a pillowy inside. A medium burger with just the right amount of juiciness and bite. Pickled red onions. And, on the side, you get a green salad with a citrusy ...

I've been meaning to explore Halter Ranch Vineyard since I was introduced to their wines through David of Cooking Chat ; he's the brains behind the monthly Wine Pairing Weekend - #WinePW - event when a group of food loving winos (or are we wine loving foodies!) share pairings with a certain theme. In any case, Halter Ranch graciously sent a few of us wines to pair during our October 2014 event. I ended up making a Pumpkin Lasagna + Halter Ranch's Côtes de Paso . Then I ordered two of their dessert wines for my Thanksgiving sweets pairing; I poured Halter Ranch's Vin de Paille & El Pecado   with a spiced parsnip cake and bittersweet cremeux, respectively. These have all been great and well-received pairings. So, when friends mentioned they were heading down to Paso to do an errand, I booked a tour and tasting for us. We were fortunate enough to have Ray to ourselves and he deftly guided us around the property, the winery, and the cave. Then he led us t...

Fab feasts aren't just about what's on the plate, though that is important. It's also about what's in your goblet. We started with a white wine blend from Oblivion Cellars in Paso Robles. Floral and citrus ascend tantalize your nose while tropical fruit notes splash the palate. It finishes crisp and clean with a hint of caramel. This was the perfect match for our Matzo Ball Soup and salad course. With our main dishes I poured the 2011 Bottlerock Cabernet from Smith and Hook. Bold aromas - of summer  berries, cola, and exotic cloves - r ise out of the glass. But, to me, the most memorable thing about this wine is its vibrant, robust, yet silky feel. It's lush and decadent.