Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Today the Sunday Funday group is celebrating National Salsa Month. Thanks to Stacy of  Food Lust People Love , Sue of  Palatable Pastime , Rebekah of  Making Miracles , and Wendy of  A Day in the Life on the Farm  for coordinating this low-stress group. I love getting new recipes every week from this talented group of foodie bloggers! Today I am hosting and I've given the following prompt: "May is National Salsa Month. Let's salsa! Post your favorite homemade salsa recipe or something that you make with a premade salsa. Be creative!" Here's the #SundayFunday salsa bar... 7 Layer Dip by Amy's Cooking Adventures Celery Rhubarb Pico de Gallo by Cook with Renu Homemade Smooth Taco Sauce by Palatable Pastime Mile High Salsa Pie by Making Miracles Olive Oil-Poached Salmon Bellies with Cantaloupe-Preserved Lemon Salsa by Culinary Adventures with Camilla Pico de Gallo: Classic Fresh Tomato Salsa by Our Good Life Pico de Gallo / Fresh Mexican Salsa by S...

There is no other fruit, to me, that screams "It's summer!" as much as a watermelon. So, when we get them, I use them in sweets and savories. They are the perfect addition to summery salad with their refreshing coolness and pop of sweet. And I still had half of a watermelon after our Watermelon #KitchenMatrixCookingProject post earlier. This isn't so much a recipe as an encouragement to use whatever fresh produce you have on hand to make a seasonal sweet and savory salad featuring watermelon. And I didn't even make a dressing. I just drizzle it with olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Ingredients serves 4 4 C cubed organic watermelon 2 C cubed organic cucumber 2 ears organic corn 1/2 C thinly sliced red onion olive oil freshly squeezed lemon juice freshly ground salt freshly ground pepper 2 avocados, peeled and sliced fresh herbs, optional Procedure Slice the kernels from the corn. I used them raw, but you can blan...

Here we are at the fourth #KitchenMatrixCookingProject post for July. This month I picked the dishes with easy recipes to inspire some  al fresco  dinners. This week, I decided to focus on a summer produce darling: the watermelon. I remember long summer afternoons when I was a kid, having watermelon seed spitting contests with my friends. I don't think I've seen a seed in a watermelon in decades. Why is that?! In any case, when they are in season, we always seem to have one on our counter or in the fridge. I have made  Watermelon Pico de Gallo ,  Roasted Watermelon Fennel Ice Cream ,  Watermelon Agua Fresca ,  Grilled Haloumi Watermelon Salad , and more. When it's in season, I love how it adds a refreshing texture to things and succulent sweetness that just scream, "Summertime!!" In case you don't have Bittman's cookbook, you can read his Watermelon Matrix online . He offers four categories - cocktail, salad, soup, dessert - and three variations of ...

This week, Christie of  A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures  and Cynthia of  Feeding Big  had us celebrating the bounty of farmers' markets. "If you can buy it at a Farmer's Market and can use it in a recipe...share it!" they urged. And here we are at day five. Boo. I had so much fun getting inspired from all my blogging pals. I, myself, shared Freshly Dug Potato Salad , Cabbage Slaw with Seasonal Herbs , and Spicy Summer Squash Refrigerator Pickles .  #FarmersMarketWeek Friday Recipes Avocot Salad with Raspberries by Palatable Pastime Cashew Vegetable Fried Rice by Red Cottage Chronicles Fresh Peach Milkshake by Family Around The Table Grilled Basil Chicken & Tomatoes by Jolene's Recipe Journal K.C.'s Zucchini Bread by Cooking with Carlee Raspberry Lemon Cupcakes by The Redhead Baker Rustic Tomato and Ricotta Tart by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures Veggie Noodle Salad by Simple and Savory Watermelon Cucumber Mojitos by Culinar...

Originating in the Spanish region of Andalusia, but popular all over the Iberian Peninsula, gazpacho is a soup made of raw vegetables and served chilled.  More of a drink than a soup, this version has no bread and is a creamy, orange-pink color rather than a dull lipstick red.  Last week, I had the pleasure of having gazpacho at our Spanish friends' house! And I asked her her secret because the color was beautiful. Two words: olive oil. She said to add more olive oil than I would think necessary. So, for my girls' brunch yesterday, I decided to give it a try. This is not Susanna's recipe because I forgot to use bread and added vinegar; I also added a splash of honey because there was something bitter about the soup. However, after letting it sit overnight, everything had mellowed and was more balanced. Ingredients 2 pounds ripe red tomatoes, cubed 1 bell pepper (I used an orange bell), seeded and cut into chunks 1 cucumber, about 8 inches long, peele...

Remember that we kicked off Fish Friday Foodies earlier this year. It's a group of seafood-loving bloggers, coordinated by Wendy of  A Day in the Life on the Farm . We share fish and seafood recipes on the third Friday of the month.  This month, Heather of All Roads Lead to the Kitchen   is  hosting. Here was her challenge to the group: " Let's create some tasty fish and seafood burger recipes to throw on the grill since summer is in full swing (Well, for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere)! They don't have to be cooked on the grill. Large burgers or sliders are fine. Please be sure to feature chopped/minced/ground fish or seafood here (by hand or in the food processor), NOT whole fillets." The only seafood burger I've ever made was this one (above) - salmon patties with homemade cuttlefish buns . But I'm always up for an adventure and a culinary challenge! I had considered a shrimp burger but noticed that several of the bloggers had pl...

Remember when the Enthusiastic Kitchen Elf criticized my menu for Nonna's Easter brunch? You can read that story: here . Apparently she needed drink pairings. D came up with three for her. He decreed that we were going to make a trio of sparklers for her; and they had to be pretty...like Easter eggs, too. From left to right: Cucumber-Beet, Lemon-Basil, Roasted Watermelon-Mint. He made the syrups and Nonna needed to mix them at the table. He told her 1 C of the syrup starter to 5 or 6 C sparkling water.  Here's a photo one of her guests sent me. For all of these, D prepared the sparkler starters, placing them in a mason jar. Then he poured the hot simple syrup over the other ingredients and let the flavors meld.  Simple Syrup makes one sparkler starter, double or triple as needed  Ingredients 1 C organic granulated sugar 1 C water Procedure Place sugar and water together in a medium saucepan. Over medium heat, cook until the sugar is comp...

Just more proof that I really can't follow a recipe to save my life. I had written down a "recipe" for a green smoothie called 'The Stinger' from my 21-Day Detox group (read about my Detox and Team Level Zero Training plans). Then I made the smoothie. When I looked back at my scribbles, I wasn't even close. Whoops. But this left four empty glasses and requests for seconds. Winner! I have made a variation of this every morning this week. By 'variation' I mean: I might use different greens, different herb, or different fruit. But the proportions are the same. Oh, well...I don't even follow my own recipe very well! Ingredients 2 C unsweetened coconut water 1/2 to 3/4 C baby spinach 1 C green tipped banana, cut 1 C organic frozen rhubarb 1 C cucumber, cut and peeled if peel is bitter 1/2 jalapeno, seeds intact 1/4 C fresh mint juice from 1 organic lemon (we have a Meyer lemon tree, so I use those) 1 T hemp seeds Procedure Place ...

Another request for recipes during Hot Summer Eats : chilled soups. I love making them because it takes little more than fresh produce and about five minutes, Confession: I did run out to get a new blender before I started making these. Hopefully third time's the charm; I have despised my last two blenders. But that's a story for another time. I was bringing two chilled soups to baby shower that one of my best friends was hosting. Refreshing with just a little bit sweet and spicy, this colorful soup is my summer twist on a classic. Ingredients 8 seedless Persian cucumbers 1 seedless English cucumber 1 block tofu (I prefer soft for a creamier texture), cubed 1/2 C water 1/2 C vegetable stock 1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 T vinegar (I used a lemongrass-mint white balsamic) 1 bunch fresh mint 1/4 C chopped fresh cilanto + more for garnish 1/2 C chopped fresh parsley + more for garnish 2 t salt 1 t fresh ginger, finely minced 1/2 t ground cayenne peppe...

It's not a party without some meatballs, right? I whipped up these #TripleSBite-worthy ones with a little help from event sponsors  Acala Farms   and  Gourmet Garden Herbs & Spices .   Just for fun, here are the (purported) aphrodisiac qualities to this dish... Chili peppers : The capsaicin in chili peppers heats up the body, increases blood flow, and causes the brain to release endorphins, which are feel-good chemicals. Many cultures throughout history have claimed peppers as an aphrodisiac.  Cucumber : Besides the obvious assumption about the cucumber, it's been reported that the scent of cucumber arouses women. Hmmm...I've never thought about that. Also, its high water content, when consumed, can also hydrate and refresh you. Ingredients Meatballs 1 pound grass-fed organic ground beef 1/2 C small cubes of bread or breadcrumb 1 t chunky garlic (I used some from  Gourmet Garden Herbs & Spices ) 1/2 t lemongrass  ...

With some leftover nori sheets from my Food'N'Flix Onigiri Adventure , I decided to make some rolls for dinner. And, in line with my sheer Saturday laziness, I didn't even cut them. I just served what the boys jokingly called 'nori sausages.' nori sheets, I used 2 per person forbidden rice , cooked and still hot* carrots, julienned yellow squash, julienned Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced *It's crucial that the rice is still hot. That will render the nori more pliable and less likely to crack when you roll it. Lay your nori sheets on a cutting board. You can use a bamboo sushi mat; I just rolled by hand tonight. Spoon 3 T of forbidden rice onto one end of the sheet, pressing down slightly so that it covers about a third of your sheet. Lay your veggies in the center of the rice. Then, starting at the rice side, gradually form a roll with the rice and the nori. Pile them, seam-side down. As they sit, the warm rice will seal the rolls. I served...

During my Rhubarb Romance Round-Up , one of the bloggers - Farmersgirl Kitchen - posted a recipe for Raw Rhubarb and Rosemary Tabbouleh . It was one of the only savory recipes submitted. And since I had some leftover red quinoa, I was inspired to make a version of my own... Tabbouleh is traditionally made of bulgur, tomatoes, cucumbers, finely chopped parsley, mint, onion and garlic, and seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice and salt. So, I supposed it'd be more accurate to call this a Tabbouleh-inspired salad...only 50% of the usual ingredients remain. But this was a refreshing, delicious side dish for us that incorporated my beloved ruby red, stalks. 1/2 C chopped leeks 1/2 C cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered 1/2 C chopped cucumbers 1/2 C chopped raw rhubarb 2 C red quinoa (feel free to use whatever leftover grains you have) 2 T fresh oregano leaves 2 T fresh parsley, roughly chopped 1 T fresh mint, roughly chopped 1/4 C olive oil freshly squeeze...

When I saw that Leslie, from La Cocina de Leslie , had chosen Julie & Julia for this month's Food'N'Flix , I ran right out to the store and bought the DVD. I've seen the movie before, thoroughly enjoyed it, and was happy to watch it again...and own it. And I was just reading about Julia Child in The United States of Arugula . Perfect timing. Click here  to see Leslie's invitation to her movie selection. Julie & Julia is phenomenal on so many levels. It's the story of how two women from completely different generations claim their identities through food: Julia Child and Julie Powell. Meryl Streep is astonishing as Julia Child; not surprising as she's amazing in every movie she does. But it's almost eerie to watch her inhabit the roll. She becomes Julia. She is Julia. Amy Adams is charming as Julie Powell, the blogger who sets out to cook through Julia's Mastering the Art of French Cooking in a single year. 524 recipes in 365 days...