Culinary Adventures with Camilla

This month, Kate of Kate's Recipe Box invited the Festive Foodies to shared salad recipes in honor of National Salad Month. What a great event, especially as so many fresh fruits and vegetables are coming into season. I was in. Immediately. The Festive Foodies' Salad Bar Italian Chopped Salad by Kate’s Recipe Box Austrian Potato Salad by Karen's Kitchen Stories Jarred Salad Matrix by Culinary Adventures with Camilla Greek Village Salad by A Day in the Life on the Farm Spring Salad with Herb Garden Dressing by Our Good Life Tuscan Tuna and White Bean Salad by Palatable Pastime Fennel Barley Chickpea Salad by Cindy's Recipes and Writings Broccoli Salad by Creative Southern Home Fried Chicken Salad by The Beard and The Baker Fennel & Tomato Italian Vinaigrette Salad by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice Jarred Salad Matrix I decided to share, not exactly a recipe but, a matrix. This is an easy way to laye...

On a sun-kissed afternoon in Carmel Valley, some talented, passionate guys pulled together a collaborative pop-up lunch. But it was not for the faint of heart or palate. We're talking four hours, ten courses, a cocktail, and four different wines. It was a culinary marathon and it reminded me, very much, of my favorite restaurant from when I lived in Rome. There are no menus; there are no choices. You eat what they bring you. And, as Klaus stated, "If you don't like one dish, or can't eat it for dietary reasons, there's another course coming." Remember: ten courses! The trio behind this Can I Live luncheon: Klaus Georis who has spent the past few years cooking over seas; Jordan Snyder of M.H Bread and Butter  in San Anselmo; and David Baron of the soon-to-open  Salt Wood Kitchen and Oysterette  in Marina. When asked about the name of the event - Can I Live - chef David said that the idea came about when they all had bosses who determined or, ...

Each year I host a birthday feast for my friend Brian. The themes have ranged from buckets to Smurfs and Cuban fare to beer-cheese pairings. This year I was inspired to create a lunch menu based on his (current) favorite TV show: Game of Thrones. Okay, truth be told, I do not watch 'Game of Thrones', I'm completely unaware of the characters, the costumes, and the storyline; but I do know that the show has an official recipe book. That boded well for my idea. So, I decided to do some research.  Here's that I served. Recipe posts to come... In case you can't read it. Here's what it says... Party Like a Lannister A Game of Thrones Themed Birthday Feast Shots of Ice and Fire The Old Bear’s Hot Spiced Wine Pycelle’s Iced Milk with Honey Dates and Dragon Eggs Jon Snow’s Pork Pies Bran’s State Dinner Wheels of White Cheese Mutton with Garlic Honeyed Fowl Seaweed Salad Black Bread Baked Apples Pickled Golden Dragon Cla...

I needed some bread to make sandwiches for the boys' lunches and really didn't want to run out to the store. So, I decided to make focaccia. It's my easy go-to. And you can even make sweet focaccia if you like. Here's a Rhubarb Focaccia that I've made...delish! 2 C warm water 1 T active dry yeast 1 T granulated honey 5 C flour, plus additional for kneading 1 T freshly ground sea salt, plus more for sprinkling 1/2 C extra-virgin olive oil Combine the warm water, yeast and granulated honey in a small bowl. Let the yeast bloom for 10-15 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, and olive oil with the yeast mixture. Beat with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together. Continue to knead for 5 to 6 minutes until it becomes smooth and soft. Sprinkle with more flour if the dough is really sticky. Coat the inside of the bowl lightly with olive oil and return the dough to the bowl and turn to coat. Cover it with a dish towel and...

From my Lunchbox Wars linky , Erin from Making Memories with Your Kids shared a recipe for Hard Boiled Eggs Served with a Smile . I thought: what a great idea! And I, promptly, ordered some from amazon ; I got the star, heart, bunny, bear, fish, and car. So, for the first day of school, last week, I decided these would make a nice surprise. I gave them each one at breakfast to which Dylan asked, "WHY does my egg have a smile?" Then I figured the bear looked close enough to a wombat...so I included that in his lunch with a note that read: enjoy your wombat egg. In hindsight, I should have been accurate and written: enjoy your wombat- shaped egg. Because my lil' wombat-phile was mortified that I might have possibly cooked a wombat fetus and tried to serve it to him. Oye. When the egg came home untouched, I asked why. He told me, horrified. Riley laughed and said, "Silly goose, wombats don't lay eggs. They give birth to a live wombat baby!" Need...

The reality is setting in: summer is almost over. And I am steeling myself to the advent of the Lunchbox Wars , year seven. Seriously. My mini-foodies don't like to stand-out in the lunchroom. Their adventurous palates are reserved for our house for some reason. Here's a poem that a friend wrote about me - just in case you had any doubt that I am a kitchen witch... There once was a really mean mother Who was evil to two little brothers "Nothing deep-fried!" She yelled as they tried To eat food just like the others. So, I'm asking for your recipes and hope that this little exchange helps inspire you as well. We can all use new, kid-approved lunches, right?!?

In the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi , Jiro Ono asserts, "In order to make delicious food, you must eat delicious food." Amen to that. It's one of the reasons I love attending food-centric events - besides the obvious; they are wholly inspiring. The 4th of July INDYpendence Day Luncheon at the Henry Miller Library was just that: an inspiration. Will travel for good food. Jake and I happily day-tripped down the coast to Big Sur while the boys wrapped up their week at Kayak Kamp. Beneath the redwoods, on a portable propane burner, Chef Matt Millea and others worked some pretty outrageous culinary magic. I was there, writing for Edible Monterey Bay , so I won't tip my hand too much about the event. But I'll share some of the edible goodness... Fresh Herbs Fresh herbs are akin to culinary fairy dust. They add that delightful  je ne sais quois to dishes, adding dimension and freshness. I watched Chef Matt chop fresh thyme, dill, and more. I think if m...

We have wrapped the first week of school. Well, truth be told, it was more like the first two and a half days of school since Wednesday was only a half day. I love being able to ease back into the routine before a full five days of a stricter routine and earlier bedtime. And I especially like that I only had to pack three school lunches this week. For the first two and a half days, I am happy to report: we have had no drama, no major objections, and - my personal favorite - no tears due to classmate teasing! The winning recipe of the week: wraps. Though I have a question about that. What makes a wrap a wrap? My friends, and my husband, claim that a wrap is open on one, or both, sides. So, when I am carefully tucking in the ends of the flatbread or tortilla, it has now tranformed into a burrito. Really?!? I think that a burrito relies on the ingredients, not the shape. What do you think? Regardless, successful lunches have included the following...all wrapped into a tight tortill...