Culinary Adventures with Camilla

I have had a copy of this cookbook from  Quirk Books  -  The Jersey Shore Cookbook: Fresh Summer Flavors from the Boardwalk and Beyond  by Deborah Smith* - in my 'to-review' stack for a couple of weeks now as it was just released last month. Since 2007,  Jersey Bites has been a go-to resource for New Jersey foodies. In this cookbook, Jersey Bites founder/editor Deborah Smith pulls from her extensive knowledge of the New Jersey food scene to share a collection of fifty recipes from the most renowned restaurants along the shore. As much a travel guide as it is a cookbook, Smith includes profiles of popular Jersey shore locales. And while I'm a huge fan of fresh, locally-sourced seafood, I'm on the wrong coast to get tilefish, skate, and bluefish. However, I was inspired to try the preparations with my local left coast fishes! Inside the book you'll find recipes such as Grilled Jersey Peaches with Yogurt and Granola from Normandy Beach’s Lasola...

Here we are at day three of my  Hot Summer Eats event . Here's my version of a watermelon refresher...with a little inspiration from one of our event sponsors:  Quirk Books . The publisher provided a few copies of their cookbook Summer Cocktails: Margaritas, Mint Juleps, Punches, Party Snacks, and More  by Maria Del Mar Sacasa. One lucky winner will win a copy of the book. Click to enter: here . I didn't have any pisco, but I had some rum. I went with it! Ingredients  makes 1 4 T fresh herbs (I used mint, parsley, and basil) + more for garnish 1/2 jalapeno pepper, deseeded and chopped 1 T ginger syrup pinch of salt (I used a smoked salt) 2 C seedless watermelon, cubed 2 ounces rum Procedure Muddle herbs with jalapeno, ginger syrup, and pinch of salt. In a blender, pulse the watermelon, rum, and a few more herbs. To serve, fold together the blended watermelon and herb-syrup mixture. Pour into a glass. Garnish with few small herbs. ...

Here we are at day two of my  Hot Summer Eats event . As promised, I will be sharing a grilled recipe, a non-lettuce salad, and/or a cocktail. So, for the cocktail offering today, here's my version of a dark and stormy cocktail...with a little help from one of our event sponsors:  Quirk Books . And, yes, I did buy this bottle of rum for the name; The Kraken. I also found it the ideal match for the squid recipe I'm sharing today since the Kraken is a legendary sea monster with squid-like tentacles said to live off the coast of Norway. Ingredients makes one cocktail ice cubes or chilled ice stones 2 to 3 slices of fresh ginger (I used a mandolin slicer) 2 to 3 slices of organic lemon (I used a mandolin slicer) 2 ounces dark rum 4 to 6 ounces ginger beer Procedure Fill an old fashioned glass with ice cubes. Wedge the ginger slices between the cubes and the glass and pour in the rum. Top with ginger beer. Float lemon slices on top to garnish. Serve. Th...

I have had a copy of this cookbook from  Quirk Books  - Madeleines: Elegant French Tea Cakes to Bake and Share by Barbara Feldman Morse* - on my pile of 'to-review' for several weeks. I think I was avoiding it because I have never actually eaten a madeleine (did I just admit that aloud?!), I needed to get a madeleine pan, and madeleines looked so complicated. Well, I finally got my hands on a madeleine pan and I had run out of other cooking projects. So, it was time. Morse has divided her recipes into seven chapters with six different categories of madeleines from 'Not Just Plain Vanilla' and 'Indulgent' to 'Savory.' Yes, savory. I'll share one of those recipes another time. But, for this review, I am going to share an indulgent madeleine, her Hazelnut and Frangelico Madeleines. I was more than a little tickled to discover that these cakes are not just elegant, they are easier than they look. With Morse's helpful hints and detailed ...

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of  Quirk Book s .  I received a complimentary book for the purpose of review, but all opinions are honest and they are my own. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links. I picked up our mail from vacation hold yesterday and found this cookbook from  Quirk Books  -  Haute Dogs: Recipes for Delicious Hot Dogs, Buns, and Condiments  by Russell Van Kraayenburg.* The man loves his hot dogs...and knows a lot about them. A lot. A. Lot. For me a good cookbook doesn't just have great recipes. It has compelling stories. Van Kraayenburg delivers on both fronts. While he can't peg exactly when the hot dog came to be, he does know that smoked sausages were mentioned in texts as old as Homer's Odyssey . I found his account of the hot dog's transition from snack to meal during the Depression Era fascinating. And, then, the hot dog's journey to a global eat...

I've been remiss at reviewing this cookbook from Quirk Books - Breakfast for Dinner by Lindsay Landis and Taylor Hackbarth.* They are the culinary duo behind the blog Love & Olive Oil ; it's a blog I already read regularly. It's not that I was unenthused; on the contrary, I was overly excited about the choices. I wanted to make so many of the recipes! But today, I decided to finally select a few recipes and see how it went. Breakfast for dinner. That's not a foreign concept in my household. When I'm in a rush, I will often whip up omelettes or use all my leftover veggies for a frittata. My husband's family used to eat pancakes for Sunday dinner when he was a kid. So, again, breakfast for dinner is a real thing for us, albeit a bit boring one. However, Lindsay and Taylor take that concept, tweak it, turn it on its head, and offer some truly innovative ideas in this cookbook. It's, as they write, 'classic recipes with a twist' or using s...

I love making things that fulfill two project commitments at once. So, I decided to make the chocolate wine tasting cake from Booze Cakes for a cookbook review and for the dessert course for my friend Brian's Game of Thrones-themed birthday luncheon . Here are my Chocolate-Pinot Cupcakes in Marshmallow Fondant AKA Horse Heart Cupcakes... Before I get into the recipes, I have a f unny story. My Precise Kitchen Elf came down when I was making these and this was his response -  "Mom, you know that hearts have three valves, right? Not four valves. Or two. Oh, and they aren't just red and black. They have some blue and purple. Though for small animals, you won't see a lot of blue. What kind of animal heart is that supposed to be?"  Horse .  "Then you definitely need more colors." Please leave the kitchen.    adapted from the Wine Tasting Cakes recipe in  Booze Cakes *  by Krystina Castella and Terry Lee Stone Bef...

   adapted from  Winter Cocktails  by Maria del Mar Sacasa Whenever I am asked to review a cookbook, I can always find one recipe that jumps out at me as a must-try. Good cookbooks will grab me with a several possibilities. Great cookbooks have me debating between half a dozen choices. And, then, there are cookbooks that I read before bed, dream about, and want to make every single recipe in them. Winter Cocktails  by Maria del Mar Sacasa falls into that latter category.  Not only are the photographs stunning, the recipes themselves are unique and beg to be tried. This finally got me to try making my own Classic Eggnog . And I loved her twist on an Affogato . The recipe I'll share here was one that instantly intrigued me in that it has three of my favorite elements all rolled into one comforting, winter beverage. Earl Grey. Lavender. Hot chocolate. Then...it's spiked with a honey liqueur. Bliss! 1/2 dried organic lavender flower...

  adapted from  Winter Cocktails  by Maria del Mar Sacasa I've never actually made eggnog till now. Funny...especially since my boys are nog-hounds. Well, technically what makes 'eggnog' is the alcohol. So, no, my minis aren't actually nog fanatics. But from the beginning of December until we can no longer find it in the store, we always have eggnog, the virgin kind, in the fridge. Thanks to Maria del Mar Sacasa's inspiration, I know how to make it now...with booze. This could be dangerous. 8 large eggs, separated 1/4 C packed organic dark brown sugar pinch of fleur de sel 2 C organic heavy cream 2 C organic whole milk 1 C brandy 1 C dark rum 1 T pure vanilla extract 1/2 organic granulated sugar freshly grated nutmeg Note: eggs are more easily beaten when they are at room temperature. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, brown sugar, and salt until thickened and maple-syrup colored. It might take 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in the cream a...

  adapted from Winter Cocktails  by Maria del Mar Sacasa I have made affogato plenty of times. But I've never spiked it. Wow. Since I was using some homemade eggnog ice cream that we received as a Christmas present - thanks, Jenn! - I swapped out the recommended amaretto for some dark rum. 2 oz dark rum 2 oz dark espresso (my favorite is Illy) 6 oz organic chocolate stout 1 scoop eggnog ice cream Place ice cream in a glass. Pour rum, espresso, and beer over the top. Serve with a spoon. Cin cin! A note on the amounts, I think that Winter Cocktails might have intended that the proportion given serve one person. I split that into two smaller cocktails and it was perfect for us.

A couple of weeks ago I opened up a package from Quirk Books with a few cookbooks to test and review.* Perfect timing...the holidays seem to be party after party after party. So, I delved first into  Tiny Food Party! by Teri Lyn Fisher and Jenny Park who are the creative forces behind the blog Spoon Fork Bacon . The book is divided into four delicious sections: Tiny Snack Party - Adorable Appetizers; Tiny Dinner Party - Itty-Bitty Entrees; Tiny Dessert Party - A Little Something Sweet; and Tiny Cocktail Party - Darling Drinks. While many of the recipes might already be part of your party-food repertoire, Teri and Jenny add their own flair to make the dishes fantastically original. For instance, they kick up caprese skewers a notch by drizzling it with a balsamic glaze; and they give deviled eggs a special twist by adding kimchi. Who would have thought?!? For me, a winning cookbook is one that has multiple recipes that intrigue me, one whose recipes I actually try, and on...

Several months ago, Quirk Books mailed me a review copy of Melissa Barlow's Noodlemania! 50 Playful Pasta Recipes .* I had agreed to review it because my boys were on a huge homemade pasta kick. They had rallied together for a pasta machine and are quite adept with it; they are the Pasta-Making Manns . They even had a "roll-off" with friends for a birthday party. It was Team Linguine v. Team Fettucine . But I put it in the wrong stack of books and completely forgot about it. Yikes. Sorry! Melissa Barlow's  Noodlemania! 50 Playful Pasta Recipes   is heavy on the fun factor. Super duper fun. Like play with your food fun. Vivid colors and cutesy drawings grace the pages of the cookbook. And the interspersed Fun Facts are a kick. Did you know that the average American eats 20 pounds of pasta in a year while the average Italian eats 60 pounds of pasta in a year?!? Or that noodles are one of the world's most popular foods, and scientists have found noodles dating b...

When I tore open the envelope from Quirk Books and revealed On a Stick! 80 Party-Perfect Recipes by Matt Armendariz*, I had to fight all three of my boys to flip through it. Literally fight. By the time I got to thumb through the pages with post-it notes and a pen in hand, there were already some pages marked as favorites. 'Please!' was scrawled in someone's messy handwriting on a scrap of paper, holding the page. Probably Dylan. The only stumbling block: many of his recipes are deep-fried and I, as a general rule, don't eat fried food. So I knocked Breakfast Pancake Dogs with Maple Syrup , Chicken and Waffles , Corn Dogs , Deep-Fried Mac'n'Cheese , and Doughnut Holes off the list immediately. They just didn't appeal to me plus I don't have a way to deep fry anyway. I really wanted to figure out how to adapt his Fried Mushrooms with Roasted Onion Dip , Molotes with Fresh Tomato Salsa , and Savory Tofu Dango into non-fried versions. I'll g...