Culinary Adventures with Camilla

I'm so excited to be wrapping up #BrunchWeek with this easy but unique pizza...and it's pretty! When I saw the bunch of dandelions in my  WE Cooperative  CSA box from  Fogline Farm , I decided to make dandelion pesto and smear it on a pizza crust. When I plan ahead - way ahead - my favorite pizza crust is Mark Bittman's "No Work Mostly Whole Wheat Pizza Dough." This is the easiest pizza dough I have ever made! But it does require lots of lead time. The recipe suggests letting the dough ferment for six to twelve hours and that the longer you let it ferment, the more complex the flavor. 2 C whole wheat flour 1 C white flour 1/2 t active dry yeast 1 t fennel pollen 1 t pink Himalaya salt freshly ground pepper 2 T olive oil 1-1/2 C warm water Mix everything together in a large bowl. The texture will be a wet, sticky dough. Cover and let ferment for as long as you can - between six and twelve hours. At the end of that, use the dough as you would use ...

May 10, 2013 - This hearty, exotic salad was inspired by the Thai Orchid Beef Salad recipe in  Cooking with Flowers: Sweet and Savory Recipes with Rose Petals, Lilacs, Lavender, and Other Edible Flowers  by Miche Bacher of  Mali B Sweets . I made several adaptations. I didn't have any beef in my fridge, but I had a few salmon filets. So, I went with those. I lined the plates with Little Gems lettuce leaves. It almost looks like the picture...the dendrobium orchids are ridiculously photogenic. salmon filets for as many people as you are serving 1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced splash of olive oil soy sauce Little Gems lettuce leaves 1/2 C fresh, chopped cilantro 3 chives, chopped 6-8 dendrobium orchids Dressing: 3 T fermented fish sauce 3 T Meyer lemon juice 1 T organic honey 1/2 t Thai chili paste Saute the onions in a large, flat bottom pan that will be able to accommodate all of your salmon. Once the onions are softened, but not browned, la...

May 9, 2013 - For the Food Blogger #BrunchWeek, I signed up to post beverage today. There are two things that say 'brunch libation' to me: bubbles and fruit. Last year, when I went to  Edible Monterey Bay 's pop-up brunch at Ventana Inn and Spa [click to read  my blogpost on the event ], I was dazzled by their selection of morning cocktails. I have to admit that I have never seen such a unique selection of brunch libations; I had a tough time deciding. There was, of course, the  de rigueur  bellini and ubiquitous mimosa. But it was the more innovative offerings that intrigued me. I vacillated between the St. Germain Royal—Roederer Brut with St. Germain elderflower liqueur, and a lime wheel—and the Hair of the Dog Punsch—lemon-infused Zaya rum with spiced black tea. In the end I opted for the Hair of the Dog Punsch; punsch—with its seemingly errant “s”—is not actually a typo. I was initially reluctant to order it because rum cocktails are notoriously syrup...

May 8, 2013 - For the Food Blogger #BrunchWeek, I signed up to post a meat/main dish today. A couple of weeks ago I whipped up these baked ham and egg cups for a quick, easy, and hearty breakfast. They were a hit! Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and lightly grease your muffin cups. Lay one or two pieces of ham into the hollows, making sure that there are no gaps or whole. Gently crack your eggs into the ham. Bake until the eggs are the consistency that you like. I did ours for 20-22 minutes. The yolks were still soft, but the whites were firm. Perfect! Garnish with freshly ground salt and pepper. Sprinkle with fresh chopped herbs. I used dill. And since they reminded me of flowers, I added some orange wedge "leaves" to the plate. Here's the collection of recipes for  Day Four of #BrunchWeek ... Brunch Recipes with Eggs Asparagus and Leek Frittata by Rachel Cooks Baked Ham and Egg Cups by Culinary Adventures with Camilla Deviled Egg Spread with Home...

May 6, 2013  - This is the easiest "soup" you will ever make. But it's pretty (read 'girly pink') and elegant. I whipped this up on a warm Friday evening for an easy first course but think that it would be an impressive brunch starter as well. 6 C cubed watermelon 1/2 C water juice from one Meyer lemon 1 T honey zest from one Meyer lemon (for garnish) crumbled feta cheese (for garnish) In batches, blend the watermelon, water, lemon juice, and honey. Ladle into individual servings and garnish with lemon and feta cheese. Here's the collection of recipes for  Day Two of #BrunchWeek ... Beverages Watermelon Rosemary Champagne Cocktail  by Vanilla Lemonade Pear Hibiscus Brunch Cocktail  by Rachel Cooks Strawberry Rose Sangria  by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen Mocha Frappuccino  by Around My Family Table Pineapple-Basil Tea  by The Kitchen Prep Eggs Tomato and Mozzarella Quiche  by Love and Confection Cherry Tomato a...

I'm so excited to be kicking off #BrunchWeek with this gorgeous, delicious dish - inspired by Mark Bittman's Stir-fried Fennel with Grapefruit and Shrimp. This dish comes together quickly, looks gorgeous, and tastes fantastic. It'd be a wonderful addition to any Mothers' Day brunch array or a summer picnic because it's just as good chilled as it is fresh out of the pan. It is pulling triple duty as a post for #BrunchWeek,   my Food Matters post , and a wrap-up of my adventures in cooking with flowers for the  book review I did for Quirk Books  of  Cooking with Flowers  by Miche Baker of  Mali B Sweets . Well, my review was done, but I still had flowers to use. So, the orchid-addition is more gratuitous than anything else, but they are pretty and they  do  actually taste good. Still, they won't make or break this stir-fry; feel free to skip them. I also added dandelion greens because I had them leftover from my CSA box from  F...

I'm finally to the last two bloggers to highlight as we are almost at the kick-off to Food Blogger #BrunchWeek next week.   If I missed anyone in my introductions, I apologize profusely; I tried to catch everyone from our contact list. Much love... These are the last two gals of the 31 BrunchWeekers that have promised to share over 116 recipes for the great brunch recipe swap cooked up by Terri from  Love and Confections  and Christine from  Cook the Story . Today, I'd like you to meet...Angela of Seasonal and Savory . I'll be paying attention to her grain-free apple and walnut pancakes. And Amanda of Amanda's Apron will be sharing a "frozen grasshopper." I'm intrigued, but am figuring that she's not talking about an insect. *Bear in mind that recipes selections are subject to change. I know I've already swapped out some of what I had planned based on what's in season!

I'm almost done with my introductions to the 31 BrunchWeekers that have promised to share over 116 recipes for Food Blogger #BrunchWeek next week, a great recipe swap cooked up by Terri from  Love and Confections  and Christine from  Cook the Story . Today, I'd like you to meet...Stefanie of Sarcastic Cooking . Not only does she have an amazingly cool name for her blog, but she mentioned sharing her recipe for a candied bacon bloody mary.* Oh, my! I have a new foodie-crush. The duo of Aubrey and Stacey at Real Housemoms  plan to post their cheesy-hashbrown quiche crust. Julie of White Lights on Wednesday  is teasing us with a croque monsieur strata. Wow. These all look so delicious! *Bear in mind that recipes selections are subject to change. I know I've already swapped out some of what I had planned based on what's in season!

Counting down to Food Blogger #BrunchWeek next week. I'm almost done with introductions to the 31 BrunchWeekers that have promised to share over 116 recipes for  This is a great recipe swap cooked up by Terri from  Love and Confections  and Christine from  Cook the Story . Today, I'd like you to meet...Kim of Savory and Sweet Eats  whose three meat quiche sound hearty and delicious.* I was a vegetarian for the greater part of a decade and could never go back. Sorry, veg-friends! Ellen of Confessions of an Overworked Mom  plans to ring in with a quiche recipe of her own. Wendy from Around My Family Table is teasing us with a surprise cocktail or coffee drink. Either one sounds amazing! *Bear in mind that recipes selections are subject to change. I know I've already swapped out some of what I had planned based on what's in season!

Here's another round of introductions to the BrunchWeekers that have promised to share over 116 recipes for Food Blogger #BrunchWeek next week. This is a great recipe swap cooked up by Terri from  Love and Confections  and Christine from  Cook the Story . Up until the kick-off, I plan to give a shout-out to all of the bloggers who are cooking and posting for the event. Peruse the blogs on a full stomach...or you might try to eat your computer screen. Today, I'd like you to meet...Kelly of Kelly Bakes  whose pear and vanilla mimosa sounds so up my alley.* Rachel of [I Love] My Disorganized Life  plans to post her mini shrimp quiche. That's a must on a brunch table as far as I'm concerned. Rachel of Rachel Cooks  is teasing us with a sugar cookie bar. Can't wait... *Bear in mind that recipes selections are subject to change. I know I've already swapped out some of what I had planned based on what's in season!

We're almost to BrunchWeek, a great swap of brunch recipes that was cooked up by Terri from  Love and Confections  and Christine from  Cook the Story . This event is shaping up to be fabulous. I have cooked and pre-posted six of my seven scheduled offerings. And I'll be joined by 30 others bloggers participating who have over 100 recipes pre-scheduled. That should give you plenty of inspirational fodder for your Mothers' Day feasts. And it's a great way for me to meet new foodies in the blogosphere; I hope to give a shout-out to all of the bloggers who are cooking and posting for the event. Check out their blogs, but make sure you have a napkin nearby. You might just drool on your keyboard. Today, I'd like you to meet...Carrie of  Poet in the Pantry  who mentioned making a margarita for the event.* Allison, the  Spontaneous Tomato , is tempting us with her rhubarb-blood orange jam! Katie of  Katie's Cucina  is teasing us with chocolate...

We're almost to BrunchWeek, a great swap of brunch recipes that was cooked up by Terri from  Love and Confections  and Christine from  Cook the Story . We have 31 bloggers participating and 116 posts pre-scheduled. That should give you plenty of inspirational fodder for your Mothers' Day feasts. And it's a great way for me to meet new foodies in the blogosphere; I hope to give a shout-out to all of the bloggers who are cooking and posting for the event. Check out their blogs, but make sure you have a napkin nearby. You might just drool on your keyboard. Today, I'd like you to meet...Aly of Cooking in Stilettos  who mentioned making beignets for the event.* Susan, the Girl in the Little Red Kitchen , is tempting us with her strawberry rose sangria - a perfect libation to cap off my cooking with flowers adventure ! Lanie of The Vintage Cook  is teasing us with Mrs. Lund's Fresh Plum Cake. That's a whole lot of yumminess going on. Can't wait to follow al...

Thirty-one bloggers have scheduled over 116 recipes for Food Blogger #BrunchWeek at the beginning of May. This is a great recipe swap cooked up by Terri from  Love and Confections  and Christine from  Cook the Story . Up until the kick-off, I plan to give a shout-out to all of the bloggers who are cooking and posting for the event. Peruse the blogs on a full stomach...or you might try to eat your computer screen. Today, I'd like you to meet...Carroll of Vanilla Lemonade who mentioned making Seared Tuna with Plum, Goat Cheese and Duck Fat Marcona Almond Brittle Greens Salad.* That is a whole lotta deliciousness in one dish. Suzanne of Kokocooks plans to post her hollandaise sauce. That's a must on a brunch table as far as I'm concerned. Kim of Cravings of a Lunatic  is teasing us with 'Turtles French Toast.' I can't even begin to image what that is. Can't wait... *Bear in mind that recipes selections are subject to change. I know I've already s...

Terri from  Love and Confections  and Christine from  Cook the Story  cooked up a great recipe-swapping event: Food Blogger #BrunchWeek. They lined up 31 bloggers who have 116 recipes pre-scheduled -  plenty of inspirational fodder for your Mothers' Day feasts. Up until the kick-off, I hope to give a shout-out to all of the bloggers who are cooking and posting for the event. Check out their blogs, but make sure you have already eaten. All of the posts I've seen are drool-worthy! Let me introduce you to...Shaina from  Take a Bite Out of Boca  who has promised to share her recipe Crumb Cake Parfait.* Did you read that? Crumb. Cake. Parfait. Angie from Big Bear's Wife listed an asparagus-tomato frittata as one of her offerings. And Katerina blogs out of Greece at Culinary Flavors . *Bear in mind that recipes selections are subject to change. I know I've already swapped out some of what I had planned based on what's in season!

Next month I will be taking part in a great swap of brunch recipes called the Food Blogger #BrunchWeek. All this goodness was cooked up by Terri from Love and Confections and Christine from Cook the Story . We have 31 bloggers participating and 116 posts pre-scheduled. That should give you plenty of inspirational fodder for your Mothers' Day feasts. And it's a great way for me to meet new foodies in the blogosphere; over the next few weeks, I hope to give a shout-out to all of the bloggers who are cooking and posting for the event. Check out their blogs, but make sure you aren't clicking on an empty stomach. You might just try to stick a fork into your monitor. Let me introduce you to...Samantha from Sweet Remedy  who has promised to share her recipe for strawberry-kiwi jam. Perfect for slathering on fresh out-of-the-oven scones. Jane from Jane's Adventures in Dinner will be posting about Dutch pancakes with bacon flowers. While Diana from The Kitchen Prep  list...