Culinary Adventures with Camilla

I will write another post about the difference between Aperol and Campari soon. But, inspired by the novel The Italian Escape by Catherine Mangan, I wanted to shared a little bit of 'orange happiness'. If you have been following my blog recently, you'll know that, ever since our summer vacation to Hawaii, I have been reading tons of books set on the Hawaiian islands. Now, it seems I'm back to my usual: any and all books set in Italy. Ha! The Italian Escape  tells the story of Niamh (pronounced 'Nee-uv. Yes, really. Where's the 'm' in that? I have no idea!), an Irish gal wh ose boyfriend - and boss - broke up with her. She heads to Italy with her sister, Grace, fully embraces la dolce vita , and ends up buying a café...and finding love.  I'm not going to say anything else and spoil the fun. If you are looking for a fun diversion set in Italy, pick this one up! As with most books that are set in Italy, there is plenty of food inspiration on these page...

The month is the second month of the new #MoviesandMunchies group. For February, Sue of Palatable Pastime asked us to watch The French Dispatch ; you can read her invitation here . I will start with this: I think you either love Wes Anderson movies, or you hate them. Back in August 2021, we were assigned Moonrise Kingdom  for #FoodNFlix and I went far Down the Wes Anderson Rabbit Hole . Actually, re-reading that post, maybe the reality is you either appreciate his movie-making style, or you don't.  A good friend of mine said she hated this movie. I actually quite enjoyed it. This is just one of the many reasons I love participating in our online movie and book groups; I am pushed to watch and read things that I may not have done otherwise. Besides, it's interesting to discuss with people who many not share your opinions. On the Screen image from imdb.com Like all his other movies, this one is odd, over-populated with characters, and visually distinctive. And, also, like his o...

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of  the Oltrepò Pavese Wine Consortium. Complimentary wine was provided for this post and this page may contain affiliate links. However, all opinions expressed here are my own. For the February #ItalianFWT event, Susannah of Avvinare is hosting. You can read here invitation here , but she asked us to explore Oltrepò Pavese wines and even lined up a few samples for the group. If you are reading this early enough, feel free to join our Twitter chat on Saturday, February 5th at 8am Pacific time. Follow the hashtag #ItalianFWT and be sure to add that to anything you tweet so we can see it. Here's the line-up of the group's Oltrepò Pavese articles... Payal of Keep the Peas shares Just Now Discovering Oltrepò Pavese . Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla adds Second Pours of Oltrepò Pavese Wines with BraisedShort Ribs and Puff Pastry. Linda from My Full Wine Glass brings Flying Under the Radar with an Oltrepò Pavese ...

This month the French Winophiles are drawing inspiration from the recipes of Julia Child with Cindy of  Grape Experiences  leading the discussion. Read her invitation here .  If you are reading this early enough, feel free to join our Twitter chat on Saturday, October 16th at 8am Pacific. Follow the hashtag #Winophiles and be sure to add that to anything you tweet so we can see it. Here's the line-up of the French Winophiles' homage to Julia Child. Host Cindy Rynning of Grape Experiences is recreating Julia’s first meal in France with Dîner Ce Soir: Sole Meuniere à la Julia Child and La Perrière Blanc Fumé de Pouilly 2018 . Wendy Klik of A Day in the Life on the Farm tempts with Supremes de Volaille a l’Ecossaise and a Chardonnay from Burgundy . Terri Steffes of Our Good Life pairs A Julia Child Omelet and Meyer-Fonne Riesling . Jane Niemeyer of Always Ravenous presents Coq au Vin à la Julia Child and Savigny-Lès Beaune Pinot Noir . Nicole Hudson of Somm's Table ...