Culinary Adventures with Camilla

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...

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce...

Our CSF (that's community supported fishery) pick-up days is one of my favorite dinner days of the week. We love  Real Good Fish  for the quality, the freshness, and the philosophy! Today, Real Good Fish delivered to all of its members fresh market squid that was pulled up yesterday. Talk about fresh... I wanted to make something simple that really highlighted the squid. Since we couldn't agree, I made two recipes. This was the first. Ingredients 1/2 to 3/4 lb fresh market squid, cleaned 1 C organic heirloom cherry tomatoes 1/4 C thinly sliced organic red onion 3 T capers 3 to 4 T olive oil 1 to 2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 to 2 T balsamic vinegar freshly ground salt freshly ground pepper 1 to 2 T fresh parsley, minced Procedure Place squid tubes and tentacles in a large pot. Cover them with water. Make sure they are submerged by at least 1" of water. Bring the water to a boil. As soon as the water boils, drain the squid. Once they are cool e...

I really love pickles. I've pickled cherries , pickled green tomatoes , pickled mouse melons , pickled blueberries , and more. And that's not even delving into the lacto-fermented pickles. But one of my favorites is pickled red onions and, it appears, I've never blogged the process. How on Earth is that possible? You have to try these, especially if you're an onion fan. I've used them to add texture and flavor to grilled cheese sandwiches. I had some red onions and a splash or two of leftover Luc Belaire Rare Rosé (tasting notes here ). So thought I'd try to add pink sparkling wine to a quick pickle. Ingredients 1 organic red onion, peeled and thinly sliced (approximately 2 C) 3/4 C vinegar (I used a white vinegar) 1/4 C sparkling wine 1 T organic granulated sugar 1 t salt (I used a pink Himalaya salt) Procedure Place sliced red onions in a bowl and sprinkle with salt and sugar. Stir to coat and let stand for 10 minutes. In the meanti...

Elizabeth at  The Lawyer's Cookbook   is hosting this month's  Food'N'Flix  event. We watched, or rewatched as the case may be,  Hocus Pocus.  Click to see  Elizabeth's invitation . On the Screen... I have never actually seen this movie. But it was rated PG, so I put it in the Netflix queue and sat down with the boys when it arrived. This was a good one-timer for us. It was fun, but I don't think we'll become the family that watches this every Halloween. The basic plot: three witches are hanged in Salem, MA, 300 years ago. Their bodies are cursed. Flash forward. The witches are trying to exact their revenge on two little kids in present day, well, present day when the movie was made. There is a lot of witches fly around on brooms - and vacuum cleaners - and the cat can talk. It's mayhem and madness all stirred together in a confusing cauldron with a lot of hysterical shrieking. Lots. But the sisters' antics did make me smile every ...

We had a fabulous End-of-Fall-Break dinner in the backyard last night. We stayed out till we needed candles, sipped champagne, enjoyed the company, and just took deep breaths because today it's back to the scheduled grind of school, work, homework, projects, and early bedtimes. Here's the genesis of the dinner. I received a phone call from the Enthusiastic Kitchen Elf earlier in the day... D: Mom, I'm going to make mussels and fries for dinner. Okay? C: Okay. D: And garlic bread. This is something we ate on the cruise. C: So, I need to stop at the store on my way home from work? D: No, I already went with Daddy. Also, the garlic bread is going to be garlic bread like Daddy likes - a lot of butter and a little bit of garlic. Not like your garlic bread - a little bit of butter and a lot of garlic. Daddy says that your garlic bread can kill vampires. So, almost 18 years into this love affair and Jake still hasn't gotten on board with my lev...

Welcome to the  Foodie Extravaganza !  v. April 2015 = It's All About Grilled Cheese We are a group of bloggers who love to blog about food!  Each month we will decide on an all-famous National Monthly Food Holiday in which we will base our recipes around. This month the theme is Grilled Cheese .  Did you know that April is National Grilled Cheese Month? I didn't.  So, this month we celebrate  National Grilled Cheese Month  by serving up sandwiches. But, through the various cooking groups to which I belong, I am posting grilled cheese recipes for multiple events this month. In preparation, I hosted a Grilled Cheese Party in the Garden and had some helpers in creating and testing recipes. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page  Foodie Extravaganza .  We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our  Foodie Extravaganza...