Culinary Adventures with Camilla

How do  you  feel about Valentines' Day? At almost forty-seven years old, it's growing on me. Again. When I was a kid, Valentines' Day was exhilarating. One year, in elementary school, I remember making all of my Valentines' cards with my mom, taping bubblegum to the cards on which I had painstakingly written - in bubblegum scented pink ink no less - 'Stuck on You!' Then, in college, I worked as a florist for a couple of years. And my disdain for the holiday blossomed. I worked at a flower shop because I loved flowers - all those the scents, all those the textures - and I loved creating something beautiful that a fellow flower lover would enjoy.  But on February 14th, directly proportional to the proximity of dinner time, men would line up at our flower stand for a dozen long-stemmed red roses. It wasn't thoughtful. It wasn't creative. And it certainly wasn't authentic. It was obligatory.   "How about something a little...

When the family festivities continued, they wanted to do a dinner at my aunt and uncle's timeshare. And they asked if the enthusiastic kitchen elf would make something. He immediately declared, "I'm going to make Lion's Head Soup for them, Mommy." And he did. He brought his own utensils, my pots, and the ingredients. It was a hit! I think the family was impressed with his culinary prowess. 2 lbs ground meat (we used turkey) 1/2 onion, diced 2 cloves of garlic, diced 4 shallots, diced 2 T gluten-free flour 2 T minced ginger 2 T minced garlic 4 T minced cilantro 1 bunch collard greens 1 C roughly chopped oyster mushrooms 1 bunch baby onions with greens, sliced freshly ground pepper 6 T gluten-free soy sauce 4 T toasted sesame oil 8 C organic chicken broth 1. Wash and dry the greens. Cut crosswise into 1/2" strips. 2. In a medium bowl, combine the turkey with the onion, garlic, shallots, ginger, and 2 T cilantro. Mix ...