Culinary Adventures with Camilla

April was a ridiculously unproductive month for me in regards to the  Foodie Reads 2016 Challenge . So, I'm trying to make up for it this month. Case in point: after the crazy, overscheduled day I had yesterday, I didn't get out of bed until I finished a book today. Well, that's not completely true. I did get out of bed to make a cup of tea and put a baath (coconut cake from Goa) in the oven. Then , I crawled back under the covers and made everyone leave me alone until I was finished. On the Page... A Fork in the Road: Tales of Food, Pleasure, & Discovery on the Road  edited by James Oseland* was my book of choice this morning. It's been on my nightstand for a few weeks. I rarely read short stories, but, for the life of me, I can't imagine why not. These pieces were outstanding. I was actually inspired to dig up a few short pieces that I wrote when I lived in Rome. I just might have to share those - along with some recipes - soon. Many of the co...

Last week I came across a jar of black tahini* at a local store and scooped it up immediately. Then I set about trying to decide what to make. After doing some reading I came across a coconut cake from Goa (India) that uses black tahini. I knew that I wanted to give it a go. This is mildly adapted because I wanted to skip the rosewater and add some citrus flavor instead. Also, I cut down on the amount of sugar used. I sent a slice to school with my husband to give to a friend and got a phone call within an hour: "What am I eating? It's delicious." This is a dense, moist cake that was the perfect grab-and-go breakfast along with some fresh fruit, yogurt, and tea. I'll definitely be making it again soon. Ingredients 1/2 C butter, softened + more for greasing the pan 1 C organic raw turbinado sugar 1 T black tahini* 4 large eggs 1 t pure vanilla extract 1 T  yuzu liqueur 1 T orange blossom water 3 C semolina 1 C shredded coconut  1 t baking pow...

I'm on Orphan-detail today for the  Secret Recipe Club  - for someone in my own group - and I am thrilled to be cooking from Searching for Spice . One of the reasons I always volunteer to help out an SRC orphan is to meet new foodie bloggers. But, in this case, I've been reading Corina's blog for a little while now. So, I was doubly happy to help out. Corina, like me, loves using spices and discovering new ones. Some of her favorite recipes are curries, stir fries and spicy salads. And as a mom of two, like me, she doesn't have time to spend hours in the kitchen and many of her recipes are quick and easy to make. A woman after my own heart. If you haven't have a chance to explore her blog, do! There are so many recipes I love on this blog. On my short-list: Cassoulet with Confit Duck , Tepsi Baytinijan , Lamb Rogan Josh , and Piadina . Today, pressed for time with this orphan rescue, I opted to do her Chicken Cafrael . It's a completely new-to-...