Culinary Adventures with Camilla

  This month, I hosted the Food'N'Flix group and asked them to watch The Pickle Recipe . You can read my invitation here . Here's what the bloggers shared... Ogórki Kiszone   by A Day in the Life on the Farm Wendy wrote, "I had never heard of this 2016 film before. I was surprised to see that it was filmed here in my home state Michigan, set in Detroit. I love watching films that are filled with familiar images."  She describes the movie as "a fun, light hearted comedy that reminds us of what is truly important in this world.  Joey learns many lessons while struggling with his conscience and his relationships." And Wendy whipped up her fermented Polish dill pickles. I can't wait to try her recipe - Ogórki Kiszone . Beet Pickled Eggs by  Amy's Cooking Adventures Amy was unimpressed by the movie, writing, " The Pickle Recipe is a fairly underwhelming film in which our protagonist, being short on cash, tries to hoodwink his grandmother out of...

I must have read something or searched for something that put  Strange Weather in Tokyo: A Novel by Hiromi Kawakami*, translated by Allison Markin Powell,  in my suggestion list from Amazon. And since I'm always up for reading a book by a new-to-me author, I ordered it! Yes, I'm a sucker for books. I had no idea what to expect and read the book over the course of just two days. On the Page After reading - and thoroughly enjoying - this book, I am still unsure into which genre I would place it. It's a love story, certainly, but it's also a poignant tale about loneliness. I also don't really understand the title.  At the center of the story is Tsukiko, a woman in her late thirties, who works in an office and lives alone. One evening, she runs into a former teacher who she calls Sensei, "teacher." His age is never mentioned, but I pieced together that he's at least three decades older than she is. Through the course of the novel, their relationship grows...

Excerpted from A Couple Cooks |  Pretty Simple Cooking: 100 Delicious Vegetarian Recipes to Make You Fall in Love with Real Food  by Sonja Overhiser and Alex Overhiser. Copyright © 2018. Available from Da Capo Lifelong Books, an imprint of Perseus Books, LLC, a subsidiary of Hachette Book Group, Inc. Back in February, I hosted a  Pretty Simple Dinner Party  to celebrate the release of  the cookbook  A Couple Cooks - Pretty Simple Cooking: 100 Delicious Vegetarian Recipes to Make You Fall in Love with Real Food  by Sonja and Alex Overhiser.* Then I participated in Take Two in August . Now, as we head into Fall, Sonja and Alex have launched their monthly Pretty Simple Cooking Club. Well, jumping into that was a no-brainer. I already have the book and I have enjoyed all of the recipes I've tried so far. There don't seem to be any rules for this club. They send out the recipe picks; we cook, post, and share. Done! This month, they selected: Gre...

As my Fresh Tasty Valentines event enters its final stretch, I wanted to share a recipe from a new  BenBella Vegan  title: Dining at the Ravens by Jeff and Joan Stanford. I'm not going to say too much about it as I will be kicking off a blog tour for them on the 9th. Check back for that full review and another recipe then. For this event,  BenBella Vegan  is  providing a prize package that includes five different cookbooks from their 2015 publishing releases! One #FreshTastyValentines winner will receive a print copy of the following cookbooks:  The Plant-Based Journey ,  Dining at The Ravens ,  Plant-Powered Families ,  The China Study Quick & Easy Cookbook ,  and   The Plant Pure Nation Cookbook . Enter the giveaway below! Carrot Pâté Canapés   makes 1-1/2 C of pâté slightly adapted - recipe shared with permission I selected an easy - and versatile - recipe. It was quick to put together and delici...

Remember we kicked off our year-long journey to cook - and read - for #thebookclubcookbookCC. Here's my invitation for the inaugural event: Interpreter of Maladies .* I invited bloggers to make an egg curry or drink a lassi...or get creative with their favorite Indian recipes. The mango lassi seems to be the most popular choice with variations that included a parfait and a cocktail. Love the creativity! photos used with permission from participating bloggers But we did have a few wonderful entrees as well! Only Shannon braved the egg curry which Judy had cautioned was an acquired taste. photos used with permission from participating bloggers Here's what the hosting bloggers shared... Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm posted her recipe for Chingri Paturi, Steamed Mustard Shrimp . Wendy was inspired by A Real Durwan . “The woman tells the story of how she was once very wealthy and lived in the lap of luxury.  Nobody knows if these are truths or fa...

I have always made pickles with vinegar. Then I read that not all fermented foods are pickled and not all pickles are fermented. Huh? Naturally, I did more research. Here's what I found... Foods that are pickled have been preserved in an acidic medium. But those don't offer you the same probiotic and enzymatic nutritional value of homemade fermented vegetables. If you ferment vegetables, they will create their own self-preserving, acidic liquid that is a by-product of fermentation. Ubiquitous and beneficial lactobacilli proliferates to create lactic acid that pickles and preserves the vegetables. Okay, I was ready to try... Ingredients 6-7 cucumbers (I used organic seedless Persian cukes) 3 whole garlic cloves, peeled 2 to 3 fennel stems 1 T fresh fennel fronds 3 to 4 sprigs fresh dill 2 to 3 sprigs fresh thyme 1 to 2 sprigs fresh oregano 1/2 t fennel pollen filtered water 3 T Himalayan or unrefined salt  1 large, sterile glass jar with a lid ...

This is a great recipe for leftover rice. At least I liked it. Riley was a little weirded out by the tiny eyes looking at him. Oh, well... I did use whole shrimps versus shrimp paste; I also didn't have any eggs, so we went without. 4 C cold, cooked rice 2 T olive oil 2 T butter 1 T minced garlic 3 T dried mini shrimp 3 shishito peppers, sliced soy sauce sliced cucumbers for garnish sliced tomatoes for garnish In a large flat bottom pan heat the olive oil. Add the garlic, shrimp, and peppers and cook until aromatic. Add the rice and butter. Break up the clumps of rice with a fork. Cook until completely heated through and sizzling. Season with soy sauce. Garnish with slices of cucumbers and tomatoes.

This week's challenge for the  Food Matters Project was chosen by Sara of Simply Whole Kitchen : Quinoa Tabbouleh. Mark Bittman writes that tabbouleh is usually made from bulgur wheat and warns against turning this into a grain salad; tabbouleh should be an herb and vegetable heavy dish. Done. Here's our hostess's take on the recipe: Simply Whole Kitchen's tabbouleh ...and here's what the rest of the gang did. Click here and look in the comments section. What I used... cooked organic tricolor quinoa (1 C uncooked) 2 Persian cucumbers 3 kumato brown tomatoes 2 C fresh chopped Italian parsley 1/2 C fresh chopped mint 2 fresh chopped scallions olive oil freshly ground pink Himalaya salt freshly ground rainbow peppercorns juice from 1 yuzu 1/4 C chopped pecans What I did... I cooked the quinoa according to the package directions, then let it cool. Then I added the cucumbers, tomatoes, and fresh herbs. And tossed it w...

This week's challenge for the  Food Matters Project inspired a dinner teeming with Asian flavors with the assigned Vietnamese-style rolls with peanut sauce as the centerpiece. So delicious! Mark Bittman describes these as "nothing more than salad wrapped in moistened rice paper." Taking that to heart, I used whatever fresh veggies I had in my fridge. What I used... spring roll wrapper / rice paper green leaf lettuce, rinsed and dried carrots, julienned cucumbers, julienned enoki mushrooms, rinsed and rootball trimmed avocados, peeled and sliced extra firm tofu, cut into long strips fresh mint, chopped fresh cilantro, chopped What I did... Submerge the rice paper in cool water until softened and pliable. It took about a minute or two per piece. I made two rolls per person. Lay the salad on the softened rice paper. I did lettuce, carrots, cucumber, enoki mushrooms, tofu, avocado, mint, and cilantro.  Fold the ends...