Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Today the Sunday Funday group is sharing recipes with okra. Thanks to Stacy of  Food Lust People Love , Sue of  Palatable Pastime , Rebekah of  Making Miracles , and Wendy of  A Day in the Life on the Farm  for coordinating this low-stress group.  And, this week, Sneha has asked us to share okra recipes. We love okra in this household. I have made  Okra Chips Two Ways . and Quick Pickled Okra . And it's an important ingredient in gumbo as that dish derived from the word 'gombo' which translates to 'okra' in many West African languages. In any any case, here's the okra line-up from the #SundayFunday bloggers... Baked Okra Fries from Culinary Adventures with Camilla Begova Corba from Bosnian Chicken Okra Soup from Pandemonium Noshery  Bhendi (Okra) Sabzi With Pickle Masala from Sneha’s Recipe  Crispy Oven Fried Okra from Food Lust People Love   Khoresh Bamia (Lamb with Okra) from Palatable Pastime  Okra Mexicana from A Day i...

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Quail & Olive . Complimentary product was provided for this post and this page may contain affiliate links. However, all opinions expressed here are my own. This weekend I stopped in at  The Quail & Olive * and Anni shared these two spices from Diaspora Co. with me. I always love learning about new companies, especially one that has such interesting roots. Diaspora Co. was founded just a couple of years ago with a mission to forge an equitable spice trade that decolonizes spices back into a seasonal crop and restructures a broken system into an fair and sustainable exchange. From the pantry section of The Quail & Olive, I picked up the Diaspora Co. Pragati Turmeric and Aranya Pepper . Both are single origin with the former coming from Vijayawada, a city in the southeast Indian state of Andhra Pradesh; the latter comes from Thirunelly, a village in the southern Indian state of Kerala. I have long been a fan o...

When I was getting ready to leave my friends' house yesterday, I noticed all the prickly pears on their cacti. "Do you have plans for all those?" I queried, pointing at all the tunas on the paddles, as I am always looking to cook with things from my friends' yards! Plans for what? Mike asked. "All those prickly pears," I answered. Oh, no, I just let those fall on the ground. Why? Do you want some? "Yes!!!!!" He grabbed tongs, a long, knife, and a paper bag. I followed him out.  "I heard that I can burn the spines off with a torch. Is that what I should do?" [insert much laughter] Where did you hear that? "I read it somewhere," I answered sheepishly. It sounded like a good idea...all except for the fact that I have yet to locate my culinary torch since we moved. No, you don't need to do that. He cautioned me against touching the prickly pears at all and showed me how to get to ...

Today the Tour de France - the 103rd iteration of this multi-leg, multi-national cycling race - kicks off at Mont Saint-Michel. Riders complete nearly two dozen stages, including the infamous ascent of Mont Ventoux. Here's the official route... My husband, Jake, has done a couple of century bike rides and completed the biking leg of an Olympic-distance triathlon a few times. While I do know how to ride a bike and we do lug our bikes on vacation and ride often, I am more of a beach cruiser kinda gal...you know, like with a basket on the front that's carrying a bottle of wine and a baguette! In honor of the Tour De France, a group of bloggers from around the world will be sharing recipes that capture the culinary spirit of the regions along the race route. We'll be cheering them on by celebrating with the foods of six different regions. Sarah of Curious Cuisiniere , the event originator and blogger wrangler, has given us the option of cooking from: Northwest Fr...

This week's #SundaySupper event is hosted by  Tapa Toro  restaurant in Orlando, Florida where many of the Sunday Supper tastemakers are attending the annual Food Wine Conference . I was bummed to miss the fun, but I have too many balls in the air this month with different events and competitions for both boys. But, still, all of us can join in and take our readers on a culinary journey to Spain even if we can't be in Orlando enjoying contemporary Spanish cuisine at Tapa Toro. I was really intrigued by their paella pit and extensive selection of wines. Find Tapa Toro on the web , on Facebook , on Twitter , and on Instagram . The word tapas is derived from the Spanish verb  tapar , meaning “to cover.” And they are not so much a kind of a food as a Spanish way of eating. The food is brought out on a small plate that can act as a lid on top of a glass or mug, presumably to keep out dirt, dust, and bugs. Tapas can be grouped into three broad categories, d...

As another entree for the blueberry baby shower last weekend, I made Blueberry Chutney-Glazed Chicken Thighs. So easy. Ingredients makes a dozen 12 organic, bone-in chicken thighs 6 cloves garlic, crushed 1-1/2 t ground cardamom 1-1/2 t ground paprika 1 t ground ginger 1 t ground coriander 1 T ground cumin 1 t ground turmeric 1 t freshly ground sea salt 1 t freshly ground black pepper olive oil red wine blueberry chutney (my recipe here ) Procedure Place chicken thighs in a lidded container where they can lay flat in a single layer. Add the remaining ingredients and rub the spices into the meat. Drizzle with olive oil and red wine. Cover the container. Refrigerate overnight. Remove chicken from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before you want to start cooking. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place chicken in a baking dish. Drizzle with more olive oil. Roast in the pre-heated oven for 40 minutes, or until chicken is browned and crisp and...

It's time for Group B's April 2015  Secret Recipe Club   reveal. This month I was assigned to  The Vanderbilt Wife , a blog written by Jessie. We used to be in Group A together, so I've been reading her blog for quite awhile. It was a treat for her to show up in my roster! Jessie, a mom to three cute kiddos, started Vanderbilt Wife in 2006 as a way to make herself write more regularly. She shares: "Professionally, I was a copy editor for three and a half years. I am a freelance writer, editor, proofreader, and social media manager. ...I write twice a week for ParentLife Online and am a recipe editor for HomeLife and ParentLife magazines." She actually helped get one of my recipes published in their Christmas cookie issue: Kruidnoten (in HomeLife Magazine) . There were quite a few recipes of Jessie's that intrigued me, including her Cucumber and Radish Salad , Lemony Vegetable Quinoa Salad , French Lemon Yogurt Cake , and Her Honey Parmesan Pork Roas...

Last week Jake was talking to his cousin who lives in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. I am always envious of Isaac's posts - about hunting elk and fishing - so I made some smarty pants comment about whether any of his loot was shippable. He asked for our address. And, lo and behold, look what came in the mail. Well, look what he had in his kitchen (I hijacked some of his FB posts, but did give photo credit!); we got a bag that I tried to hide till I could create something fabulous. Well, my plans were foiled when my boys got home before me, broke into the bag, and feasted. They did leave me half of the fish, thinking that they would get in trouble if I didn't get to try any. You got that right, boys!! I whipped up some parmesan crisps and topped them with the hickory-smoked Kokanee for an evening snack as I was editing a friend's manuscript.  Ingredients parmesan, shredded or shaved smoked fish freshly ground pepper fresh dill sprigs Procedure Prehea...

I had leftover mushroom parts from different recipes, including the stem of a monster porcini [look right!], a handful of shitakes from D's Barley-Stuffed Pumpkin , and some oyster mushrooms. I decided to marinate them for a surprise Thanksgiving bite. Ingredients 1 C water juice from 1 lemon 1 T fresh oregano freshly ground salt freshly ground pepper 1 t anise seeds 3 to 4 C mushroom (parts) 2 T vinegar (I used a white balsamic) Procedure Place the water, lemon juice, oregano, and anise seeds in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Let boil for 10 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms, making sure they are coated in liquid. Cook for another 10 minutes, then remove from the heat. Season with salt and pepper. Let stand for an hour. Stir in the vinegar. Place in a jar or container so that the mushrooms are completely submerged. Marinate for at least 24 hours before serving.

While you already know that we are pumpkin fiends, this - beautiful seasonal delicata from our High Ground Organics CSA - is probably my real favorite squash. And I really love that it's three ingredients beyond the squash and about thirty minutes in the oven. Ingredients delicata squash olive oil freshly ground sea salt freshly ground pepper Procedure Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Halve the delicata and scoop out the seeds. Destem, then slice into 1/4" to 1/2" wide pieces. Lay out the slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes or until the squash is softened and beginning to caramelize. Serve immediately.

Delicata squash is a Fall favorite. Whenever I see them at the market, I swoop in and buy them by the armload. They are that good. And - even better - they are so easy to to make. So, I can pop them in the oven, help the boys with homework or go for a run and dinner is done in about an hour. Serve them with a salad and you're golden. Tonight I served them with this Basic Coleslaw . This recipe made 4 stuffed squash, 8 halves. Ingredients 4 delicata squash, halved lengthwise and deseeded 1 lb organic grassfed ground beef (I used a 96/4) 1 leek, trimmed and chopped 3 T fresh tomato sauce 2 T Not Ketchup 's Smoky Date* 1 egg 1/2 C parmesan cheese 2 T chopped fresh herbs freshly ground pepper olive oil *I received a complimentary bottle of Not Ketchup for participating in a blogging event this month, #10DaysofTailgate. I love the smoky sweetness it adds to dishes. If you don't have any, feel free to sub in your favorite ketchup. Or use more tomato ...