Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Tonight we elfed (yes, that is a verb!) and finished the presents for the teachers. Last day of school tomorrow. All the gifts are ready, but we will still need to get up early and make a kale salad and bake some gingerbread for D's class party. Then, they'll be officially on Winter Break! Phew. For some I created earrings. For others I made flower arrangements in Christmas-themed mugs. And for still others we put together DIY Mulled Wine kits. The Enthusiastic Kitchen Elf blended the spices, so I don't know the proportions. But I do know what he put in there. It smelled fabulous. Ingredients cinnamon sticks star anise whole allspice berries dried ginger rainbow peppercorns green cardamom pods white cardamom pods whole cloves ground black lime Also needed: cheesecloth, cotton twine, whole oranges Procedure Blend all the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, breaking up the cinnamon sticks into small pieces. Place the spice blend i...

Inspired by  Louisa Shafia's  The New Persian Kitchen , I made a version of her Turmeric Chicken for dinner a couple of night ago...only I didn't have sumac or limes. I did have some omani (Black Lime) powder and lemons. That worked well. Ingredients 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs 1 t ground turmeric freshly ground salt freshly ground pepper 2 T olive oil 1/2 C water 1 T minced garlic 1 bunch scallions, diced 1 T honey (I used a local pine honey) 1 t omani powder 2 lemons for garnish Procedure In a large mixing bowl, blend together the turmeric, salt, pepper, minced garlic, scallions, honey, and  omani powder. Coat both sides of the chicken with the blend. In a large, flat-bottom pan, heat the olive oil. Add the chicken and brown on each side for 5-7 minutes - until well-browned on both sides. Pour in the water and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to low and cover. Braise the chicken for 25-30 minutes. Transfer the chicken t...