Culinary Adventures with Camilla

This month the #WorldWineTravel bloggers are looking at the red wines of New South Wales and I am hosting. Maybe it's because it's summer and people are traveling and busy. Or maybe it's new restrictions on wine shipping. But we have a tiny showing this month with the posts. I did hear that sourcing was an issue in some states. Boo! But you can read a bit more about our New South Wales' exploration...albeit a small serving of delicious inspiration. A Scruffy Shiraz with Urban Smoked Short Ribs by FoodWineClick! Aussie Meat Pies and a Bottle of Hope by Somm's Table Chili de Moira + Beelgara Winery Estate Shiraz 2017 by Culinary Adventures with Camilla Yellow Tail Wine is from NSW, Who Knew?? by A Day in the Life on the Farm New South Wales I did have to chuckle when I saw the titles of my fellow writers. I think I got my hands on those bottles as well. So, I can't wait to hear what they paired and thought. But, first, a little bit about the region... New S...

Here we are at the July Soup Saturday Swappers event. Wendy of  A Day in the Life on the Farm  started this event and, every month, I get a new array of soup recipes to put in my to-try pile. And this month, Karen of  Karen's Kitchen Stories  is hosting as we explore chilis. Karen writes, "July is Chili Cook-off time. Make your award winning chili! No rules, as long as it can be classified as chili. In many areas, we hold our annual summer community get togethers with a chili cook-off. In my town, many of the community groups, such as the high school boosters, the youth sports leagues, many of the real estate firms, and various chamber of commerce groups compete for the "People's Choice" award in the chili cook-off circuit. There's a 5K, a 10K, as well as a crafts fair. Never mind the weather, because there's lots of beer!" Here's the line-up of chili recipes from the #SoupSwappers... Chimichurri Pork Chili from Culinary Adventures with ...

Welcome to the  Foodie Extravaganza !  v. January 2015 = All About Oats We are a group of bloggers who love to blog about food!  Each month we will decide on an all-famous National Monthly Food Holiday in which we will base our recipes around. This month the ingredient is  oatmeal.  Get excited!! We hope you all enjoy our delicious oatmeal treats this month and come back to see what we bring for you next 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 ! Looking for our previous parties? Check them out  HERE . This month's #FoodieExtravaganza is twice as much fun. You get the usual collection of recipes from the group's bloggers. Plus you have a chance to win an oatmeal cookbook. When Kathy Hester found...

Sarah Wood, the editor of Edible Monterey Bay , asked if I could take her place as a judge  for the Chili Cook-off at The Park Lane today. Sure thing. So, I was there with Mike Hale, whose column Grub Hunter appears on Wednesdays in the Monterey County Herald ; you can read his blog: here . Someone asked, "So you're here to judge? You must be a food expert!" Well...I'm a food writer. Not sure if that makes me an expert, but I do love to eat. Mike and I were tasked with tasting - and evaluating - the eight entries. Interestingly enough we came to a consensus fairly easily. We both picked the same one as our first choice. And our second and third choices were the same - just flip-flopped. Done deal. And though we didn't talk about our criteria too much, I suspect that Mike and I were both weighing the offerings in a similiar fashion. I was basing my judgement on flavor, spiciness, texture, consistency, and overall enjoyment. But it got me thinking: what...

Elotes usually sold, on a stick, by street vendors. Elotes are roasted ears of corn, smeared with butter and topped with cheese, salt, lime juice and chili powder. Sometimes mayonnaise is used in lieu of butter, but being that we aren't a big mayo family, we stuck with salt, lime, and chili powder.  Jake grilled these, in their husks, and they kicked off our Guatemalan dinner. Yummy.

Two years ago we attended our friends' 4th of July Chili Cook-Off...and my Chili al Diavolo was dubbed 'Grand Champ.' Since we missed last year's event, I'm not the defending champion this year, but I still wanted to make a chili that dazzles. This chili - Peck O' Peppers Chili - features beer-braised chunks of beef, caramelized onions and shallots, four different kinds of chilis, and a chili beer! Sadly, my plan to use buffalo meat got nixed by my 10-year-old. This took hours of simmering and thousands of chops, but it was well worth the effort. 1 pound of beef 1 pound of ground beef onions shallots 1 T minced garlic 1 bottle of beer (I used a summer wheat, with honey and orange, for this part) 1 bottle of Rogue's Chipotle Ale (1 pt+) 2 shots of espresso 2 T unsweetened cocoa powder 5 C pureed tomatoes paprika cumin sea salt 2 fresh poblano chilis 1 fresh Anaheim chili 3 fresh goldspike chilis 1 crushed tepin chili 1 fresh red ...

While I was making my shopping list for the chili I'm going to cook for our friends' 4th of July Chili Cook-off (I won 'Grand Champion' two years ago with my Chili al Diavolo ), I was thinking of some flavors to make mine unique; I thought I'd go with a mix of beef and buffalo again. But, my 10-year-old came over, read my list, took the pen out of my hand, and crossed out one of the ingredients: buffalo. "Mom, I know they aren't endangered anymore, but they haven't fully recovered either. Please don't cook with buffalo." Fine. I like that they are aware of these things. My 8-year-old piped up, "Okay, so, we're not supposed to eat them. But what's the difference between a bison and a buffalo?" I had to look that one up. The only true buffalos are native to Africa and Asia. What we have here is an American Buffalo, which is not a true buffalo. It's actually a bison. I wonder if I write 'bison' on my grocery l...

Chili is something that my family loves, but we rarely ever make it the same way twice. We've made Chili Con Cacao , using raw cacao nibs; I doubled the meat (beef and buffalo), the beans, the peppers, and the cacao-derivatives with a Double-Double-Double Chili ; Pumpkin Chili and Pumpkin Cornbread made an appearance during one of my pumpkin-obsessed Octobers; and my Chili al Diavolo took the title of 'Grand Champion' at our friends' 4th of July chili cook-off. So, when we were planning Riley's 10th birthday camping trip to Half Moon Bay State Beach, I decided that a pot of steaming, gently-spiced chili was just the ticket to stave off the gloom that descends on California's central coast come June first. June gloom last year. June gloom this year. For his birthday camping trip last year, I made a pot of seafood chowder . One year I'd love for it to be warm enough to serve gazpacho! Here's the version of chili that I made for the crew of twenty, s...

I was going to make the chili that won me the title of 'Grand Champion' at the Erickson's 4th of July party a couple of years ago: my Chili al Diavolo , but I didn't have three hours to braise the meat or overnight to let the flavors develop. So, I adjusted the recipe to have more flavor upfront versus needing to steep...plus I added some pumpkin puree. 'Tis the season, after all. 1 pound 96/4 organic beef 1 large onion 1 large red pepper 1 large can of crushed tomatoes paprika cumin ancho chili powder sea salt 2 cans of black beans 1 C pumpkin puree red wine Dice the onions and red bell peppers. Sauté in olive oil till they start to soften. Brown the beef with the onion-pepper mixture. Season with cumin, sea salt, paprika, and ancho chili powder. Add the pumpkin, crushed tomatoes, pumpkin puree, and beans. Bring to a boil, then simmer for one hour. Serve hot, topped with plain greek yogurt, shredded cheese, and a dash of paprika. Serve with pumpkin c...

I've used cocoa powder in my chili recipes for a long time. Check out my Chili al Diavolo that won "Grand Champion" at a friend's 4th of July cook-off a couple of years ago. But today I added some raw organic cacao nibs for some added flavor, nutrition, and culinary intrigue. It was delicious! 1 pound of 96/4 ground beef 3 C cooked black beans 2 strips of bacon splash of olive oil 1 large can of crushed tomatoes paprika cumin ancho chili sea salt unsulphered molasses soy sauce red wine 1/4 C raw, organic cacao nibs Sauté bacon in a splash of olive oil till cooked, but not crispy. Add ground beef and cook through completely. Season with paprika, cumin, ancho chili, smoked sea salt and add in the black beans. Sitr in tomatoes, molasses, soy sauce, red wine, and cacao nibs. Simmer for 20 minutes. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and shredded cheese. Garnish with a few more nibs.

When I first made this, I was afraid to call it 'kimchi' despite assurances from my Korean friends that there is no such thing as a single kimchi recipe. But after creating two fermented cabbage converts, I'm feeling a little bit more sure of my kimchi-making self. My husband typically steers clear of kimchi , but when I served mine, he had a second helping and a third! And another self-professed cabbage-phobic actually enjoyed it as well. Since I had used purple cabbage in my last batch, the kimchi took on a bright amethyst hue that, according to previously mentioned cabbage-phobic friend, should only belong to an OtterPop. So, I'm making another batch of kimchi , this time with only green cabbage from my High Ground Organics CSA box. 1/2 C Hawaiian red alaea sea salt enough warm water to submerge all the cabbage 1 head of cabbage 1 T minced garlic 1/2 C Korean chili paste 1/2 C white balsamic vinegar 3 T honey In a very large mixing bowl dissolve the sa...

I was going to make the chili that won me the title of  'Grand Champion' at the Erickson's 4th of July party last year: my Chili al Diavolo , but I didn't have three hours to braise the meat or overnight to let the flavors develop.  So, I adjusted the recipe to have more flavor upfront versus needing to steep.  Still, this will be tasty tomorrow if I have any leftovers.  I'm calling it Double-Double-Double Chili because it has - two kinds of meat, two kinds of chilis, and two kinds of beans. INGREDIENTS 1 pound of beef 1 pound of ground buffalo onions garlic 1 bottle of beer 2 shots of espresso 2 T unsweetened cocoa powder 1 large can of diced tomatoes 1 large can of crushed tomatoes paprika cumin sea salt 2 fresh poblano chilis 2 fresh goldspike chilis 1 can of black beans 1 can of white cannellini beans molasses PROCEDURE Thinly slice the onions and crush the garlic. Sauté in olive oil till they start to soften. Brown the ground buffalo meat and gro...

My Chili al Diavolo was deemed ‘Grand Champion’ today at the Erickson’s 4th of July Chili Cook-Off. And it was a tough field with lots and lots of great pots of chili. What an honor! It takes hours of simmering and thousands of chops, but it is well worth the effort. INGREDIENTS 1 pound of beef 1 pound of ground buffalo onions garlic 1 bottle of beer (chose a pale one for this part) 1 bottle of Young’s Double Chocolate Stout (16.9 fl. oz) 2 shots of espresso 2 T unsweetened cocoa powder 1 large can of diced tomatoes 1 large can of crushed tomatoes paprika cumin sea salt 2 fresh poblano chilis 2 fresh Anaheim chilis 2 fresh goldspike chilis 2 cans of black beans agave syrup, to taste PROCEDURE Thinly slice the onions and crush the garlic. Sauté in olive oil till they start to soften. Add beef, thinly sliced, and braise in pale beer for three hours. Drain off any excess liquid and reserve the beef in a separate bowl. Brown the ground buffalo meat with more onions a...