Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Did you know that today is National Hot Dog Day? I didn't. But we couldn't resist. Bánh Mì Dogs My favorite podcast is FoodStuff. And Anney and Lauren got frank about hot dogs; you can hear that  here , but I'll give you a few snippets. Let's start with a definition: "A hot dog is a tube of fine-ground meat, usually beef or beef and pork, seasoned with stuff like coriander, mustard seed, pepper, nutmeg, cloves, paprika, garlic, sugar, and salt. Usually cured. Sometimes smoked. ...Savory, salty, spiced...it's simply a type of pre-cooked sausage." Frankfurter or wiener or wienie are other names for them, too. As far as the meat goes, all-beef, beef and pork, turkey, and caribou have all been turned into hot dogs. Anything goes. The average American consumes 60 hot dogs. I find that stunning. I have maybe two a year. Many Americans believe there is a "proper hot dog" and everyone else is wrong. "Ketchup is 'unacceptable...

We have been getting garlic scapes in our CSA (community-supported agriculture) box from Robina's Organics recently. I will be sharing some of the things I've done with them soon - they add a delicious, subtle garlic flavor to dishes - but I decided to pickle them. No surprise there, right?!  Garlic scapes grow from the tops of hardneck garlic. I had seen a jar of pickled scapes and decided to give that a shot. These ended up being a little bit more woody and hardy than I had anticipated; I had expected them to resemble pickled green beans in texture. So, next time I might blanch them before I pickle them. However, upon further reading, these will work well in pesto and grilled. So, I'll try that with my next bundle of scapes that I picked up yesterday. Ingredients 1 stem organic, fresh dill flowers 1/2 teaspoon red pepper chile flakes 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns enough scapes to roll into a jar (I only had one bunch) 3/4 cup vinegar 1/4 cup water 2 teaspoon salt Also n...

It's time for Fish Friday Foodies' April 2020  event. W e are a group of seafood-loving bloggers, rallied by Wendy of  A Day in the Life on the Farm , to   share fish and seafood recipes on the third Friday of the month.  And this month, I am hosting. I asked the bloggers to share recipes that were inspired by their travels. I wrote : " Pick a seafood recipe that you ate while away from home that you were inspired to re-create when you got home! Ceviche in a Latin American country? Paella in Spain? Bring it all!"  When I selected this topic earlier in the year, I had no idea that most of us would be sheltered-in-place for nearly a month by posting date as we all attempted to flatten the curve of the coronavirus pandemic. So, traveling virtually, by tabletop, is even more important; at least it gives me a glimpse of trips I want to take. Here's the line-up from the #FishFridayFoodies... Recipes Inspired by Travels Baked Salmon and Veggie Parcel...

Yesterday kicked off a week-long celebration of all things blueberry. Many thanks to Ellen of  Family Around the Table   and Christie of  A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures  for wrangling all of us. Here we are at day two... Blueberry Week Recipes Breakfast Bakery Style Blueberry Muffins by Cookaholic Wife Cornmeal Waffles with Blueberry Sauce by Karen's Kitchen Stories Blueberry Breakfast Banana Split by Our Good Life Drinks & Appetizers Blueberry Brie Duck Flatbread by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures Blueberry Margarita by Cheese Curd In Paradise Blueberry Thyme Smash by A Day in the Life on the Farm Mini Blueberry Galettes by Cooking For My Soul Warmed Brie with Pickled Blueberries by Culinary Adventures with Camilla Dinner Tortellini Pasta Salad with Corn and Blueberries by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice Whole Roasted Chicken with Blueberries and Pinot Noir by Food Above Gold Dessert Blueberr...

July is National Pickle Month! And, as we all know, I'm a little pickle obsessed. I have pickled everything from blueberries and pumpkin to radishes and ramps . So, I invited some blogging friends to join me in kicking off the month. Here's the pickle line-up... The Beard and The Baker: Quick Spicy Pickles Karen's Kitchen Stories: Jalapeño Pickled Eggs A Day in the Life on the Farm: Gardiniera Savory Moments: Quick Pickled Radishes Lemon Blossoms: Pickled Jalapenos (Taqueria Style) Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Quick Pickled Radishes with Black Peppercorns Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Pickled Quail Eggs Pickled Quail Eggs  I had received some quail eggs from friends and was excited to pickle them. Another friend said that she had tasted pickled quail eggs recently. I piped up, "I have some quail eggs!" Of course you do , she said. Ingredients 12 quail eggs 1 shallot, peeled and slice...

Today the Festive Foodies are bringing you Halloween treats! Thanks to Ellen of Family Around the Table who asked us to share "any appropriate Halloween foods - sweet, savory, spooky cocktails or beverages." What fun! I love pickles and the boys have always thought that cauliflower resembled brains. So, pickled brains it was. This is easy and quick; it's ready to eat within a day! All Hallow's Eve Orange Cake by Family Around the Table All Eyes on You Cake Balls by Our Good Life Bloody Brainy Pudding by The Freshman Cook Candy Calzones by Palatable Pastime Creamy Caramels by Jolene’s Recipe Journal Eyeball Buckeyes by Big Bear’s Wife Ghosts in the Graveyard Trifle by Cooking with Carlee Ghoul Fudge by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings Graveyard Chocolate Pumpkin Rum Cupcakes by Daily Dish Recipes Halloween Layer Cake by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks Mini Mummy Dogs by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures Mini Mummy Meatloaves by A Day in the Life on th...

For R's fundraising dinner, I wanted to kick off the evening with plates of marinated olives and homemade giardiniera . As I was cooking and plating like a madwoman, I relied on the boys to serve and, when they felt like it, take photos. I'm not sure which on of them took this shot [below], but I like it! These need to marinate for at least three days. So, we headed to the farmers' market on Tuesday, jarred them, and they were perfect for our Sunday dinner! I had the boys pick vegetables based on color. I wanted to make a rainbow! We ended up with red onions, red and orange peppers, baby carrots, yellow cauliflower, and green summer squash. Then I added in fresh fennel, fresh dill, and some spices. Easy peasy. Ingredients  makes six quart jars assorted vegetables, approximately 3 C each of six different kinds (read above, I picked by color) 6 C distilled white vinegar  2 C water  3 T salt  5 t organic granulated sugar 2 T yellow musta...