Culinary Adventures with Camilla

I was shocked to discover that I have never blogged my berry pie recipe. Shocked! Because it's something that I make every summer...and multiple times throughout the summer. And I was even more surprised to discover that summer berries weren't yet at the markets in beautiful, overflowing containers. There were some, but they were ridiculously pricey. Frozen berries to the rescue; they work just as well.   I had some fun with natural food dyes and cranked out a JAWS-inspired design. My best friend's older son said, "Aunt Cam, that shark needs braces." True enough. Ingredients makes one 9-inch pie Crust 2 cups flour + more for rolling 1/2 cup organic powdered sugar 3/4 cup butter 2 Tablespoons vodka 2 Tablespoons cold water Also needed: parchment paper; rolling pin; pie pan; food dye, if making a colored design Filling 2 pounds frozen berries (I used a mixture of raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries) 3/4 cup organic granulated sugar freshly squeezed lemon juic...

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays or cook and bake together with the same ingredient or theme each month. Posting day for #FoodieExtravaganza is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page  Foodie Extravaganza . We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our  Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board ! This month Kelly of Simply Inspired Meals is hosting the group as we shine the spotlight on strawberries. She wrote: "May is National Strawberry Month. Join us in creating recipes featuring strawberries as the star!" It was a timely invitation as I had just made a berry shortcake, by request, for my husband's birthday. Well, it was one of his requested treats. In any case, here's the  strawberry line-up from the #FoodieExtravaganza bloggers... Barbecued Strawberry Chicken From   Making Mira...

Today the Baking Bloggers are baking with summer berries. Host Sue of Palatable Pastime wrote: "Join us for a bit of fun on June 10th as we post recipes using summer berries (of any type). Recipes can be sweet or savory- the only requirement is that baking be performed somewhere in the recipe." Okay. I, then, asked for clarification of the difference between roasting and baking. Sue replied that "Yes, roasted berries are inherently baked." So, I'm running with it. But is there a distinction? And, if so, what is it?!? The Berried Dishes Bora Berry Tart by Sneha's Recipe Brownie Berry Dessert Pie  by Simply Inspired Meals Lattice Top Blackberry Pie by Palatable Pastime Make-Ahead Mixed Berries Baked Oatmeal by Hardly A Goddess Mini Fruit-Topped Pavlovas by Food Lust People Love Mixed Berry Bubbly Pies by Sid's Sea Palm Cooking Mixed Berry Cheese Danish by Cookaholic Wife No Churn Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream by Caroline's Cookin...

I signed up to test this dish for  Food52  -   Blackberry French 75s   by Stephanie who blogs at the Verdigris   -  because I'm always game for a cocktail that tastes like the season...in this case sun-kissed blackberries. We had just been plucking wild blackberries at our last campsite on our 10-day summer camping trip. Too bad we ate all of those; thankfully I found some succulent ones at the farmers' market! I was completely unfamiliar with this cocktail. Named for a piece of French artillery, it's traditionally made with just four ingredients — gin, lemon, simple syrup, and champagne. Stephanie's version adds in blackberries and swaps the champagne for prosecco. Here's the headnote I'm submitting... This cocktail - Blackberry French 75 - is a flute full of contradictions. Sunkissed blackberries taste like summer while the juniper-laced gin adds a bitter hint of winter. But instead of opposites that compete, the ingredients mesh ...

"S'mores for breakfast, boysies!" I hollered from the picnic table about our last campsite of the trek. Silence descended and sticks stopped flying across the site. What did you say, Mommy?!?  both boys gaped. Actually, I think all three of my boys just stared at me. But after 10 days of cooking in the wild, and on the verge of heading home, I was done. Done, done, done, done, done. Done cooking on one burner. Done smelling like a campfire. Just plain done. And since we had skipped s'mores the night before, everything was ready to go. Jake did suggest that we hike up to pick fresh blackberries and stick them in there. That was slightly redeeming, nutritionally speaking. So, I strapped on running shoes and off we went. He whispered as we went, maybe even more excited than the boys about our breakfast prospect. "You got marshmallows, right?" Yes. "You have chocolate?" Yes.  "Dark?" Of course. "Annnnd you didn't ...

We were heading over to our friends' house yesterday for dinner and I offered to bring dessert. D and I had made homemade raspberry-blackberry-chocolate ice cream. And I had in my head that I wanted to make ice cream sandwiches. So, during my lunch hour, I ran out to see if I could pick up any cookies, but the small ones I found were rock hard and the big ones were waaaaay too big. I skipped it. When I got home from work, D had baked homemade snickerdoodles with Nonna. And they were the perfect size and texture. Talk about culinary telepathy! I don't have D and Nonna's cookie recipe. I'll get it. But I do know that instead of just rolling the dough in cinnamon and sugar like people normally do, D rolled it in a mixture of spices that included cardamom, sea salt, and black pepper. Love that kid! Here's the ice cream part of the dessert... Ingredients 2 C fresh raspberries 1 C fresh blackberries 1/2 C chipped semisweet chocolate 1-1/2 C heavy w...

As part of Dylan's May the Forks Be With You brunch , we made some kebabs, calling them Obi Wan Kebabis. I made one savory and one sweet. Actually, the boys did. And they have the skewer pricks on their fingers to prove it! SWEET = fresh blueberries and blackberries SAVORY = Sesame Gluten-Free Soy Meatballs  + Balsamic Glazed Butternut Squash (it's the same process with squash instead of pumpkin) + Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

MOffin = mochiko (sweet rice flour) + muffin. This makes for a quick and portable breakfast. I served these with some yogurt and fresh strawberries from my WE Cooperative CSA box from Fogline Farm . 4  eggs 1/2 C olive oil 1-3/4 C coconut cream 1/4 C water 1/2 C organic raw turbinado sugar 1 T baking powder 1 box of rice flour 1 C fresh blackberries Mix the eggs and oil. Then mix in everything else until just moistened. Spoon the batter into greased muffin hollow. Bake for about 30 minutes at 375˚F till the top of the MOffin is slightly browned.

After making a Watermelon-Honey Soup for #BrunchWeek, I made a variation for our sunset Mothers' Day picnic. I served this as part of our first course with (acrylic) goblets full of champagne. 5 C cubed watermelon 1 C blackberries 1/2 C water juice from one Meyer lemon 2 T honey mini watermelon wedges and more blackberries for garnish In batches, blend the watermelon, blackberries, water, lemon juice, and honey. Ladle into individual servings and garnish with watermelon wedges and blackberries.

When we received the invitation for Anna's 40th birthday party, the boys were dancing around the house: "We're going to La Balena, we're going to La Balena!" Then I told them that we needed to bring a potluck item and Dylan announced that he was going to make it. What are you going to make? I asked. "Whatever looks good that day." Oh, you are soooo my child. So, yesterday was the day and we were at the market. He spied some plump berries and decided on a fruit salad...with mint...and cardamom. Okay! He washed, he sliced, he tossed, and he garnished with bee pollen to make Anna's birthday fruit salad. This is so easy, I almost loathe to call it a recipe. But it is repeatable and it is delicious. Fill the bowl with whatever fruit you want to use. Dylan used strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and grapes. Dress it with 1 T honey, 2 t vanilla, a dash of ground cardamom, and 2 T of chopped fresh mint. Toss and sprinkle with bee pollen for...

Happy Hanukkah! This morning I decided to kick off Hanukkah with sweet potato latkes, sour cream, bacon - we're not really Jewish! - topped with fresh blackberry sauce. Riley pulled out his menorah; Dylan located his dreidel. So, I just need to remember to pick up some chocolate coins today. Okay, I already mentioned that we're not Jewish. But we  are  attempting to raise socially-aware citizens of the world who are not just tolerant of, but are knowledgeable about, religious and cultural differences. So, we celebrate Hanukkah...and a host of other religious holidays that have nothing to do with our personal beliefs or lack thereof. Mix together 1 shredded sweet potato, 1/4 C white whole wheat flour, dash of nutmeg, dash of ground ginger, splash of milk, and two beaten eggs. Heat oil in a large flat-bottomed pan. When the oil is hot, spoon 1/2 C of the sweet potato mixture into skillet, spreading into flattened rounds with a fork. Cook until undersides are browned, ...

I decided to try a berry tart, starting with my ridiculously easy tart crust . I had fresh blackberries and blueberries, hence the name: black and blue tart. Once the tart crust is baked, spoon in this filling. 4 C mixed berries 1 C organic granulated sugar 2 T butter, thinly sliced 2 T white whole wheat flour Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 and bake for another 45 minutes. Let cool.