Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Partly cloudy with a chance of Meatballs! We are, clearly, huge fans of meatballs. Just glance at the the long list of meatballs that we have made:  The Great Disappearing Chinese Meatballs ,  Soutzoukakia  (Greek Meatballs in Tomato Sauce),  Albóndigas de Pavo con Salsa de Guayaba  (Columbian Turkey Meatballs in Guava Sauce),  Bitokes  (Russian Meatballs),  Spicy Meatball Bánh Mì ,  Polpette al Forno , and so many more! But this week I was thinking about summery meatballs and that got me thinking about peaches and meatballs. I considered making some peach preserve-glazed meatballs, but then I was reminded of  Tajine-el-Khoukh,  Algerian Stuffed Peaches.  Contrary to what you would think, there are no peaches in this recipe; these are meatballs, covered in mashed potatoes, rolled in batter, and cooked till the outside is golden and "fuzzy," hence the name.  This recipe has multiple steps but the ...

Here we are at the October Soup Saturday Swappers event. Wendy of  A Day in the Life on the Farm  started this event and each and every month, I get a new array of soup recipes to put in my to-try pile. I love all the fun themes this group picks to explore. This month, Colleen of  Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice  is hosting as we explore stews. It's definitely turning colder and darker. So, I'm grateful to have new recipes to try. Colleen wrote: "Think true comfort food! What is the rich creamy stew which you turn to first when you are in need of a little pick me up?" An InLinkz Link-up Soganli Tavuk Yahnisi Turkish Chicken Stew Ingredients 4 boneless and skinless chicken thighs, cubed 2 organic white onions, peeled and thinly sliced 2 T butter 1 T olive oil 1½ C tomato sauce 2 T flour 1½ C chicken broth ½ t freshly ground black pepper 1 t ground cumin 1 t ground cinnamon ½ t gro...

Today is our fourth May post for our Kitchen Matrix Project, named after Mark Bittman's  Kitchen Matrix  cookbook. You can read about the year-long project:  here . This month, I chose the recipes and went with a Latin theme. So, we have worked with masa; we made salsa; we braised carnitas. And so on...you get the idea. This week I chose Mexican soups, but wasn't really inspired by any of the recipes listed. Darn it. But I will try his tortilla soup and pork soup soon. Just wasn't feeling it this week. Sorry. The #KitchenMatrixCookingProject Mexican Soups An InLinkz Link-up Albóndigas de Frailes  (Friars' Meatball Soup) Albóndigas soup is a traditional Mexican soup featuring spicy meatballs offset by the fresh flavors of vegetables and herbs. This wasn't one of Bittman's recipes under 'Mexican Soups', but it's one of my family's favorites, so I'm sharing it anyway! And, yes, this has my California twist include...

Today is our third  May post for our Kitchen Matrix Project, named after Mark Bittman's  Kitchen Matrix  cookbook. You can read about the year-long project:  here . This month, I chose the recipes and went with a Latin theme. So, last week, we worked with masa. The first week of the month, we made salsa. This week, we're making carnitas. And so on...you get the idea. The #KitchenMatrixCookingProject Carnitas Plates An InLinkz Link-up Carnitas Braised in White Wine slightly adapted from Mark Bittman This recipe in Bittman's book is an oddity in that there is only one recipe; if you don't have a copy of the cookbook, you can read it online: here . There are no variations, no matrix on other possibilities. So, I made my own adaptations based on what I had on hand and on a previous experience with making carnitas. Actually, I have made carnitas quite a bit. In fact, I even won a cooking contest at a local brewery making carnitas with one of...

I love the idea behind the Crazy Ingredient Challenge (CIC). In the CIC, we are assigned two ingredients to cook and create. Lori of  Lori's Culinary Creations   and Kelly of  Passion Kneaded are our fearless leaders. So, here goes... August's Crazy In gredient Challenge = chili powder and honey Ingredients Lamb 1 rack of lamb splash of olive oil freshly ground sea salt freshly ground pepper 1 T crushed garlic Glaze ½ C olive oil 1 ½ C chopped yellow onion (approximately 1 large onion) ½ C tomato paste ½ C orange marmalade 1 C balsamic vinegar 1 C organic, raw honey ½ C Worcestershire sauce 1 C Dijon mustard ½ C  tamari 1 C  hoisin sauce 2 T chili powder 1 T ground cumin 2 crushed tepin chiles Procedure Lamb Heat olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add crushed garlic and sear rack of lamb for 1 to 2 minutes on all sides. Set aside for a few minutes. Arrange the rack bone s...

I love the idea behind the Crazy Ingredient Challenge (CIC). In the CIC, we are assigned two ingredients to cook and create. Lori of Lori's Culinary Creations   and Kelly of  Passion Kneaded are our fearless leaders. So, here goes... July's Crazy In gredient Challenge = avocado and cumin With avocado and cumin, my first thought was something with guacamole. But that seemed too easy. So, I ended up making an entree salad with pesto, pinto beans, grilled summer squash, avocado, and a cumin-honey yogurt. I feel so fortunate to have just gotten a bounty of summer goodness from one of my favorite farmers, Jamie of Serendipity Farms . The squash, the herbs, the fresh pea shoots. And I had lemons from my parents' tree. I know it sounds like a crazy combination of flavors, but this is for Crazy Ingredient Challenge after all. It really was delicious. And my Enthusiastic Kitchen Elf ate the cumin-honey yogurt by the spoonful for dessert over fresh blackberries. ...

Here we are at the April Food'N'Flix event and I'm hosting! You can read my invitation: here . I invited the bloggers to watch A Touch of Spice .* And, truth be told, I had never watched the movie myself, but I knew that I would like it. I was correct. What a beautiful movie! On the Screen Okay, so you already know that I was quite taken with this movie. The scenes in the past were filmed in muted colors, not quite sepia-toned, but softer than usual. I loved that instead of spraying their correspondence with perfume, they rubbed the postcards in spices. How fun...and fragrant. The movie is structured like a dinner, divided into three parts: appetizers, main course, and dessert. We see Fanis as young child in his grandfather's spice shop; as a Greek citizen being deported out of Turkey; as young adult, still in Greece; and as an astronomy professor who has returned to Turkey when his grandfather is gravely ill. "Grandpa said the word 'gastron...

Welcome to Day Two of #CranberryWeek, hosted by Caroline's Cooking and A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures . We'll be sharing cranberry-inspired creations all week long in celebration of national cranberry day.  Search #CranberryWeek to keep up to date and follow the #CranberryWeek Pinterest board for more cranberry inspiration. But first, see all the other cranberry recipes being shared today: Baked Pork Chops with Cranberry Thyme Sauce from Hostess At Heart Cranberry Caipirinha from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures Cranberry Chicken Thokku from Culinary Adventures with Camilla Cranberry Cornbread Dressing from Sew You Think You Can Cook Cranberry Cornbread Stuffing from Cindy's Recipes and Writings Cranberry Oatmeal Sourdough Muffins from Cooking With Carlee Cranberry-Sage Breakfast Sausage from Palatable Pastime Jaegerschnitzel with Cranberry-Raspberry Sauce from Caroline’s Cooking Pumpkin Cranberry Bread from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks Determ...

While I have made dinners that make my friends squirm - think of entire menus centered around beets or eggplant - sometimes I make the carnivores happy. Really happy. We had a joint birthday dinner for our two November babies - Pia and Mike. And this was one of the main dishes. Ingredients The Roast 1 (2 rib) prime rib roast (mine weighed about 5 pounds) 3 T coffee grounds 4 T organic dark brown sugar 1 t sweet paprika 1 t smoked paprika 3/4 t dried ginger 1 t ground cumin 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped and pod reserved 1 T freshly ground black pepper 2 T freshly ground salt splash of olive oil 2 to 3 onions, peeled and sliced 1 C brewed coffee Procedure The Roast In a medium bowl, combine the coffee grounds, sugar, paprikas, ginger, cumin, vanilla bean seeds, salt and black pepper. Massage spice mixture into the beef, coating evenly. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. On the stovetop, heat olive oil in a Dutch oven. Sear the roast on each s...