Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Kitchen Yarns: Notes on Life, Love, and Food by Ann Hood* showed up on my recommended reading list for my Kindle. And I fell for it, hook, line, and sinker, finishing it in just one sitting. But, really, Amazon's algorithms are always spot-on, so I'm not surprised that I loved this memoir. On the Page image from amazon.com Let me start with this: I've never read any of Hood's novels. I can't even name one. But I truly enjoyed this memoir and will be looking for more of her books. And, Kitchen Yarns  is one of the best titles. Ever. It's such an image-invoking name. Each of Hood's anecdotes are threads. Memories, conversations, and events that bind together family, friends, and food to create a poignant book. Each yarn explores how the happenings shape her as a person, as a wife, as a mother, and as a writer. The book also includes recipes throughout. I've bookmarked several of them and am on the hunt for other recipes that she men...

This post written by me on behalf of the sponsors of #AppleWeek.   Prizes were donated for the giveaway.  All opinions are my own. #AppleWeek continues to celebrate the produce darling of the season: the apple!  Carlee of  Cooking with Carlee  arranged this incredible event for you and wrangled a group of bloggers to celebrate all things apple. Apples, apples, and more apples. I've been wildly inspired by the sweets and savories... and we're going apple picking later this week. So, I will definitely be trying out a few new-to-me recipes. Check out the prizes and enter the giveaway on my  kick-off post . Wednesday Recipes Apple & Red Cabbage Slow-Cooker Sauerkraut by Faith, Hope, Love & Luck Apple Butter-Glazed Chicken Wings by Culinary Adventures With Camilla Apple Cherry Jam Cookies by The Monday Box Apple Cinnamon Cake by Girl Abroad Cheddar Chicken Tacos with Apple Salsa by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures Apple Cider Do...

I have a healthy obsession with shrubs. Not something you find in the garden! Shrubs are also called drinking vinegars and can be the basis of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic libations. I've made lots of different summer shrubs with berries and stone fruit, so I decided to play with a pumpkin version. And, it turns out, it's like autumn in a glass! The best part about shrubs is that it is a very simple process. It's just a matter of mixing the ingredients together and waiting for the flavors to infuse. I started this week's recipe thinking that I would roast a whole pumpkin to make my puree. But there's nothing more simple than using pre-made pumpkin puree! Ingredients one 15-ounce can of pumpkin puree 3 cups organic granulated sugar 3 cups apple cider vinegar 1" to 1-1/2" knob fresh ginger 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons ground cardamom 1 teaspoon ground all-spice Procedure Grate fresh ginger and set aside....

I am of the mindset that chimichurri makes everything taste better! Seriously. Who doesn't love that herby, tangy condiment from Argentina that is equally complimentary to meat as it is to veggies? These chimichurri meatballs used ground pork and with pork sausage and were the perfect addition to my Wine & Fine Swine birthday dinner party. They are easy to make, yet impressive. I braised them in beef broth, but you can also bake them in the oven. And - even better for me this month - they are Whole30 compliant. Ingredients Meatballs 1 lb ground pork 1 lb ground pork sausage (I used an Italian-spiced sausage) 1/2 C ground almonds 3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced 2 T fresh parsley, minced 1 t fresh oregano, minced pinch of red pepper flakes zest from 1 organic lemon freshly ground salt freshly ground pepper 1 egg 1 T olive oil 1 C beef broth Chimichurri 1 C fresh parsley 1/2 to 3/4 C olive oil 1/4 C vinegar (I used appl...

I was recently at an event where a gingerbread cake was served with cubes of fresh persimmon scattered over the top. One of the guests asked, "What's a persimmon?"  Before I could answer, another guest answered, "It's a tree pumpkin." I almost spit my wine out I was laughing so hard. But it made sense! And, now, my family and I jokingly call these 'tree pumpkins.' A friend gave me an entire box full of tree pumpkins. I decided to turn them into a condiment to serve along side some pan-seared pork chops. Chutney is one of our favorite condiments to serve with meat and it's so, so easy. Ingredients  makes approximately 3 pints 3 to 4 pounds Fuyu persimmons, peeled and sliced (approximately 8 C) 1 to 2 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced (approximately 1 C) 1" knob fresh ginger, peeled and grated 1/3 C organic dark brown sugar 1/2 C water 1/2 C white wine 3/4 C organic apple cider vinegar 1 T whole brown...

If you search "cranberry detox drink", you'll find a million and a half reasons to mix it up and just as many variations of the recipe. I'm doing this for 10-days along with some friends. While I've seen several variations of this detox drink, this is the ratio that I prefer.  Ingredients juice from 1/2 organic lemon (I use Meyer lemon because that's the tree we have in our backyard), approximately 1 to 2 T 1 T apple cider vinegar 1 to 2 T 100% cranberry juice (based on your preference) 6 to 8 ounces water Procedure Mix everything together in a glass. Drink immediately *This blog currently has a partnership with Amazon.com in their affiliate program, which gives me a small percentage of sales if you buy a product through a link on my blog. It doesn't cost you anything more. If you are uncomfortable with this, feel free to go directly to Amazon.com and search for the item of your choice.

Here we are at day four of one of my favorite blogging weeks of the year: Brunch Week. Each year, Terri of  Love and Confections  coordinates this multi-blogger, multi-day celebration of all things brunch. This year Christie from  A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures  is co-hosting.  Since I lean towards the savory in my brunch preferences, I wanted to share one of my favorite meaty finger foods! Lamb lollipops make any meal feel instantly fancy.  I love making different variations based on what I have on-hand. I've  made them with black garlic and shiitakes ,  grilled them with garlic salt , and  glazed them with morello cherries . Ingredients 8 French cut rack of lamb, trimmed into chops and trimmed of excess fat 1/2 C dry white wine 1/2 C apple cider vinegar 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced 2 t ground cumin 1 t ground coriander ¾ t grated turmeric 1 t grated ginger ¼ t ground ...

This sponsored post is written by me on behalf of  VinegarTips . All opinions are my own.  You’re heard of the five French Mother Sauces, right? Béchamel, Velouté, Espagnole, Sauce Tomat, and Hollandaise are the five sauces. It's said that every cook should have these in their culinary wheelhouse. Once you know how to make them, you can customize them for your dishes. Years ago I took a sauce class and I can honestly say that I use variations of all of them. All the time. Well, I feel the same way about vinegars. You need to have a variety of them at the ready for creating delicious dishes in your kitchen. Also, by "a variety of vinegars" I do not mean balsamic vinegar with all the fancy infusions you can find these days. Don't get me wrong: I have bottles of fig balsamic, lemongrass white balsamic, and many, many more in my cabinets, too. But, in this post, I am going to share with you what I believe are the five essential  vinegars for ...

Because I was testing a recipe for Edible Monterey Bay this weekend that required pickled radishes, I decided to make some quick pickled radishes with coriander seeds. The coriander mirrored the flavor profile of the dish I was testing. And I will happily munch on these till the jar is gone. These radishes are "quick pickled" because they are ready to eat within twenty-four hours. Really quick! You can, of course, let them pickle for longer; their flavor will just get better. Ingredients radishes, trimmed, quartered, and enough to fit in your jar 3/4 C apple cider vinegar 3/4 C water 3 T organic sugar 1 T salt (I used some large-grained flake salt) 1 t black peppercorns 1 t coriander seeds 3 to 4 bay leaves Procedure Place your radishes in a sterilized mason jar, packing them in tightly. Place all of the other ingredients together in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. Pour the liquid over the top of the radishe...

I very rarely eat meat twice in a day. But even though we had  Bò Nướng Hành Hương (Vietnamese Beef-Onion Roll) for lunch, Sundays are a great day for me to do a slow-cooked stew for dinner. So we had beef twice yesterday. There were no complaints from the boys and the littlest one even asked for a second helping. Beef  rendang  is of Indonesian origin, from the Minangkabau ethnic group of Indonesia and is often served at ceremonial occasions and to special guests. But beware, beef  rendang  is not your everyday beef dish that you can whip up in a jiffy; it takes a good four hours of cooking, not including all the chopping and prep. Plus, I think that letting it sit overnight actually helped develop the flavors. No beef  rendang  is made exactly the same, so I didn't feel too badly about taking some culinary liberties with the dish. I added in potatoes and cauliflower with this version Ingredients 1 pound boneless beef, cubed 2 T...

Ingredients For the Cheese 1 C raw cashews, soaked overnight and drained juice of 1 lemon, approximately 1/3 C 1/3 C water 1 T organic coconut oil 1 t raw apple cider vinegar dash of salt For the Pesto 1  C fresh basil leaves, torn 2 garlic cloves 1/3 C raw pistachio nuts olive oil, as needed 1 t salt To assemble 1 to 2 T sliced tomatoes confit or sun-dried tomatoes To serve 1 T chopped hazelnuts vegan crackers Procedure In a blender, or food processor, blend all of the pesto ingredient together until you have a thick paste. Line a ramekin with plastic wrap. In a blender, or food processor, blend all of the cheese ingredients together until smooth. Spoon part of the mixture into the prepared ramekin. Spoon in a layer of pesto. Lay sliced tomatoes on top of the pesto. Top with remaining cheese. Refrigerate, or freeze, until set. Mine took several hours. To serve, invert the cheese onto a serving platter. T...

I love pickles, so for R's yellow feast I definitely wanted to pickle some of the golden cauliflower I had gotten from my friend at Salad Savoy . This is easy and quick; it's ready to eat within a day! So, just be sure to do it, at least, the day before you plan to eat it. Also, this recipe is flexible. Use what you have. Your peppercorns do not have to be pink, your salt does not have to be red. Substitute whatever fresh herbs you have. Get creative. Ingredients makes 2 large jars 4 bay leaves 1/2 t pink peppercorns 1 large head of cauliflower, preferably golden 3 C cold water 1-1/2 C vinegar (I used an unfiltered apple cider vinegar) 1 C organic granulated sugar 1 T ground curry powder 1/2 t ground cumin 1/2 t ground turmeric 1 T salt (I used large flake red Hawaiian salt) 6 garlic cloves fresh dill Procedure Chop the cauliflower into pieces. I prefer mine to be about two-bite sized. Blanch the cauliflower and let drain. Divide the bay ...

You will see these Chai Sweet Chili Pickled Cherries as part of an upcoming dish. But they would be a wonderful addition to any cheese and charcuterie platter. When I received the Chai Sweet Chili sauce from Intensity Academy * - for participating in the upcoming online blogging event #TripleSBites - I knew that I wanted to make some kind of pickles. Then I saw cherries at Whole Foods and a lightbulb went on. Pickled Cherries. I mirrored the spices you would use in chai instead of the typical pickling spices. Ingredients 1/3 C organic granulated sugar 1 1/4 t salt (I used a red Hawaiian salt) 1 t coriander seeds 2 cinnamon sticks 8 whole cloves 3 star anise 1/2 C organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar 1/2 C water 2 T Chai Sweet Chili sauce (thanks,  Intensity Academy * ) 1 pound fresh cherries Procedure In a small saucepan, combine water and vinegar and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and stir in Chai Sweet Chili sauce. Cook ...