Culinary Adventures with Camilla

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Selefina spices. Complimentary product was provided for this post and this page may contain affiliate links. However, all opinions expressed here are my own. Years ago I attended two mole-making classes at a local shop. And, while I am grateful to know how to make mole, I don't do it that often. But when a contact from  Selefina * asked me if I would like to sample their new line, I looked through the website and decided to give it a whirl with their products. Selefina is new venture from the people behind Adagio Teas. They have used their experience in global sourcing and making connections to find high quality spices and seasonings. And by purchasing in bulk and using their own brand for labels, costs are kept lower for the consumer. It's a win-win and, from what I've tried, the products are amazing. Stay tuned for more posts, but this recipe uses several of their items, including three different dried chiles, hence ...

Welcome to the March 2018 version of  Improv Cooking Challenge . This group is headed up by Nichole of  Cookaholic Wife . The idea behind Improv Cooking Challenge: we are assigned two ingredients and are challenged to create a recipe with those two things. This month's items: blueberries and lemongrass. An InLinkz Link-up It's not quite time for blueberries yet; we love when we get to go blueberry picking in Harkins Slough ! Thankfully, the markets have some pints albeit expensive ones. Blueberry and Lemongrass Chutney-Glazed Chicken Thighs Ingredients  serves 12 Chutney 1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced olive oil 1 pint organic blueberries 1 cinnamon stick 1" knob fresh ginger, peeled and grated 1/2 t fresh lemongrass, minced 1/4 C organic dark brown sugar, lightly packed 3 T vinegar (I used an aged balsamic) 1 t fresh herbs (I used a mixture of mint and thyme) 1/2 t salt juice from 1 organic lemon (I used a Meyer lem...

"Mom," said R. "Since it's the last day of my summer vacation, may I make some requests?" Sure. He proceeded to request saimin for dinner, waffles with macerated peaches for breakfast, and a ham and cheese sandwich in his lunchbox. Okay. So, this morning, I made waffles and he topped them with unsweetened whipped cream and macerated peaches. Peaches needs to macerate overnight, so plan to do it the night before. A friend admitted that she had to look up 'macerated.' It's so easy, but definitely elevates it from plain ol' chopped fruit! For adults I usually macerate in some kind of booze; for the kids, lemon juice works great. Ingredients 3 organic peaches, diced (approximately 3 to 4 C) 4 T freshly squeezed lemon juice 3 to 4 T organic granulated sugar 1 cinnamon stick 1 to 2 star anise 1/2 t freshly grated nutmeg 1/2 t ground ginger 1 t vanilla paste Procedure Place fruit in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with sug...

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...

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...

With it being #BrunchWeek and Cinco de Mayo , I decided to share my variation on horchata, a traditional Mexican beverage made with homemade rice milk, cinnamon, vanilla, and honey. I’ve taken liberties with it here by adding in oats, nuts, and a few more spices Ingredients makes about 4 cups 4 C water, divided in half 1 C oats (I used  Bob's Red Mill   rolled oats) 1/4 C sliced almonds 1/4 C rice (I used organic brown basmati rice) 2 whole cinnamon sticks 1 T local honey 1 t vanilla (I used vanilla bean paste from  Nielsen-Massey ) 1/2 t ground nutmeg Procedure Pour 2 cups water into a glass jar along with the oats, almonds, rice and cinnamon. Let soak overnight - or between 8 to 24 hours. Once you're done soaking, remove the cinnamon sticks and place the mixture into a blender. Blend until most of the particles have broken down, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Strain through a small mesh strainer into a bowl, then strain the mixture...

You can barely see the rice under that heap of beans, but since the rice was delicious, I'm sharing the recipe despite my lack of photos. Sorry! I don't know why I didn't take any in-progress shots. This process of preparing coconut rice comes from Colombia, and involves cooking the coconut milk until it separates and the coconut solids caramelize. The resulting toasted coconut flavor is then cooked into the rice, along with the delicious crispy bits of browned coconut. Raisins add a touch of sweetness, but this is definitely a savory rice. It was delicious with our red beans. Ingredients 1 can coconut milk (or approximately 1-1/2 C) 2 C rice (I used 1 C jasmine rice and 1C paella rice) 1/4 C raisins 1 cinnamon stick 3 C water 1 t salt 1 T organic granulated sugar Procedure Place coconut milk in a large pot and bring to a boil. Simmer until the coconut solids separate from the oil. Cook and stir constantly, until coconut solids are nic...

It's time for Group B's  Secret Recipe Club   December reveal. This month I was assigned to Famished Fish, Finicky Shark ,  penned by Saundra who writes: "Since I was a little girl, about 5 years old, I’ve been literally obsessed with cookbooks.  I could look at pictures of meals from magazines and books for hours.  My grandmother even cut out recipes for me, which I have to this very day!" That's so awesome. I recently found a binder of clipped recipes from college and my kids were excited to see what I was cooking way back then. Saundra admits that she is her most relaxed and creative self when in the kitchen. In honor of her middle child who was diagnosed with autism in kindergarten, Saundra has a section of her blog dedicated to Autism Feature Recipes . These are recipes that are specifically made either Gluten Free, Dairy Free, GFCF (gluten-free casein-free) to prevent any probably food allergies which may cause behavioral issues.  There ...

2 C grated zucchini 1 C grated sweet potato 4 T olive oil freshly ground sea salt 2 large eggs 1/3 C white whole wheat flour 1 t baking powder In a medium bowl, whisk eggs. Whisk in the flour and baking powder and stir together until well combined. Gently fold in the grated vegetables. In the medium skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. When oil is heated, drop in the batter by rounded tablespoonfuls. Flatten gently with a fork. Cook about two minutes, or until golden brown around the edges. Flip and cook for another two minutes or until golden. Place on a plate and keep warm in the oven until ready to serve. I served these with plain yogurt from Saint Benoit from Sonoma County and some cardamom-kissed applesauce. Cardamom-Kissed Applesauce 5 organic apples, peeled and cubed 1/2 C organic granulated sugar 1 C water 4 caviar limes (click to read about caviar limes from Good Land Organics ) 4 cardamom pods 2 cinnamon sticks Place all of the i...

1 pumpkin, about 3-5 pounds, peeled and thickly sliced 2 C brown sugar 1 cinnamon stick 2 star anise 2 whole green cardamom 10 cloves ½ gallon water For the caramel... In a pot add the water, cloves, star anise, cinnamon stick, cardamom, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cook until liquid is reduced by half. For the Pumpkin... Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a roasting pan bake pumpkin with caramel, for approximately an hour until pumpkin is tender, you will need to baste it every 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm with caramel.