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. Let me start with this: I don't have shots of my finished dish on serving plates because I made these to send up with the guys on their mountain biking trip. But of the food I sent up, this was the smash hit - even more than my lasagna! - so I am writing it up now. When a contact from  Selefina * asked me if I would like to sample their new line, I looked through the website and agreed immediately. 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 f...

  This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of  Melissa's Produce . I received complimentary product for the purpose of review and recipe development, but all opinions are honest and they are my own.  This page may contain affiliate links. A little while ago, I decided to host an enchilada event for Cinco de Mayo and asked some of the other Festive Foodies to join me. Then I reached out to my contacts at Melissa's Produce to see if they would want to sponsor the event. They did!  A group of us received an amazing array of dried chile peppers to develop some recipes ahead of May 5th. Crazy for chiles? Yep, we are. But I'll admit: I was more than a little daunted by this box of dried chiles as I was unfamiliar with several of them.  Thankfully there is a chile temperature scale on the upper right hand corner of each package. So, I decided to start testing them in different versions of my homemade enchilada sauce. First up: the guajill...

Wine Pairing Weekend - #winePW - happens on the second Saturday of the month. And this month - May 2016 - Lori of   Dracaena Wines   is hosting. She invited us to a slightly belated Cinco de Mayo Enchilada Night. Since, she wrote, "Our group is all about celebrations, so for this month’s twitter chat, we are going to make enchiladas and instead of margaritas, we are pairing them with some of our favorite wines." Click to read her invitation:  here . Wine Pairing Weekend Bloggers Be sure to check out what all the #winePW bloggers have come up with for this Wine Pairing Weekend! Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla made  Prickly Pear-Pulled Pork Enchiladas with Prosecco Cindy of  Grape Experiences  posted  Wine and Dine: Condes de Albarei 2014 and Goat Cheese Enchiladas   David of Cooking Chat answered  Wine for Enchiladas -- Red or White? Jeff of  FoodWineClick  ran a Taste Test: Wines for Spicy Fo...

2 T minced garlic 6 chicken thighs, deskinned and cubed olive oil dash of smoked paprika dash of ground cumin freshly ground sea salt freshly ground pepper 1 C chopped bok choy 1/2 C pitted kalamata olives 2 C shredded cheese (I had a medium cheddar) In a large flat-bottom pan, saute the garlic in olive oil until it browns slightly. Add chicken and cook through. Fold in the bok choy and olives. Season with spices, salt, and pepper to taste. Set aside. Homemade Enchilada Sauce 2 t cornstarch dash of smoked paprika 1 C tomato sauce 1 C organic beef broth 1 t ground cumin 1 T minced garlic Mix all of the wet ingredients in a small saucepan. Whisk in the cornstarch until there are no more lumps. Bring to a simmer and cook until desired consistency. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. To assemble, lay two corn tortillas in a cutting board, or plate, overlapping at one edge - to make a "longer" wrapper. Lay shredded cheese and chic...

For our Dia de los Muertos dinner, I opened up the fridge and decided to make some enchiladas with the vegetables I had in there. So, here we go: pumpkin-potato-pepper enchiladas. Easy and filling! 2 C cubed pumpkin 1 C cubed potatoes 2 red bell peppers, deseeded and thinly sliced 1 onion, diced 4 stalks of celery, sliced olive oil dash of smoked paprika dash of ground cumin freshly ground sea salt freshly ground pepper 1/2 C chopped cilantro 2 C shredded cheese (I had colby) 1 C mozzarella pearls In a large flat-bottom pan, saute the onions and celery in olive oil until they begin to turn translucent. Add the pumpkins and potatoes and cook until fork tender. Fold in the peppers and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. Homemade Pumpkin-Enchilada Sauce 2 t cornstarch dash of smoked paprika 1 C tomato sauce 1 C organic chicken broth 1 t ground cumin 1 T minced garlic 2 T pumpkin puree Mix all of the wet ingredients in a...