Culinary Adventures with Camilla

  The Villa in Sicily  by Elise Darcy recently came up on my Kindle as a suggestion and that dangerous one-click-to-purchase did me in. But I'm so glad I did though as I enjoyed this book. It wasn't particularly deep or thought-provoking, but it was set on Sicily and had a cast of interesting characters. And that pretty much means I will love it! Josie's mom has recently passed away and she discovers - in a locked drawer in her mom's office - a journal and a plane ticket to Sicily. Josie decides to take that trip and try to figure out more about the two sisters in the journal. The book has lots and twists and turns, unexpected - and some expected - romantic capers. there is even a Mafia sub-plot that isn't too frightening. It's a fun afternoon diversion. And, with any book set in Italy, food is abundant. When one of my favorite Italian street foods is mentioned, I couldn't help but make a batch. Josie "found a street vendor a little way along the seafro...

This month, Sue of  Palatable Pastime  told the Baking Bloggers that for October we were baking with potatoes.  "Let's whip up some potatoes in a recipe and slide them into an oven. Potatoes (of all types) can be incorporated into a baked dish or baked first and finished later. Just at some point potatoes are in the oven." I am grateful to have some new recipes to try. This is what the #BakingBloggers are sharing... Aloo Channa Paneer Pie by Magical Ingredients Baked Sweet Potato Fries by Sizzling Tastebuds Crispy Spicy Smashed Potatoes by Sneha’s Recipe Curry Kissed Tater Tots by Culinary Adventures with Camilla Ham and Broccoli Stuffed Potatoes by A Day in the Life on the Farm Stuffed Fingerling Potatoes by Sid’s Sea Palm Cooking Sweet Potato Oatmeal Cookies by Palatable Pastime I never really considered making tater tots before a few years ago. But, inspired by a few friends, I created Hand-formed Parmesan Tater Tots...

  This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Dineen Vineyards . Complimentary wine was provided for this post and this page may contain affiliate links. However, all opinions expressed here are my own.   I used to purchase  Supplì al Telefono  from my neighborhood  rosticceria  in Rome probably more often than I should admit. They're delicious and easy to eat while on the go. And I was always on the go in those days. Around other parts of Italy, they are called Arancini  or 'little oranges.' Supplì al Telefono , literally means  supplì  'to the phone.' Odd name, perhaps, until you think back to the days when phones had cords. Yes, younguns, phones used to have cords! Inside the supplì are molten bits of mozzarella cheese; when you bite into them and pull away, the melted cheese is long and stringy, resembling a telephone cord. Like this...  Supplì  is a great dish to use up leftover risotto. Use whatever risotto you ha...

  Today we're in our fourth week of a new blogging group; a fun group will be sharing recipes on Sundays. Low stress, just a great group of gals that I am happy to blog alongside. 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.  Today Stacy is hosting and she's given us the prompt of using holiday leftovers. Perfect timing really as we are still sheltered in place, and just had the four of us around the table, but I didn't really adjust the sizes of what I usually make. Whoops. In any case, here's the line-up of how the #SundayFunday bloggers are using their holiday leftovers... Chatpata Leftover Rice Paratha  from Sneha's Recipe Savory Bread Pudding from Culinary Adventures with Camilla Thai-style Turkey Glass Noodle Salad  from Food Lust People Love Turkey and Stuffing Quiche  from Palatable Pastime Turkey Cranberry Slid...

The Secret Recipe Club has started a new - fifth Monday - event that blurs the lines between the groups. You can be assigned to any other participating blogger in groups A through D. Naturally, I jumped right in. Our theme this month: Tailgate Eats. I was assigned to Burnt Apple , a blog written by Traci. This is a totally new-to-me blog. Woohoo. I chuckled aloud at her story about why 'burnt' is part of her blog name. She shares: "Twelve years ago, my husband threw one of my muffin creations at the wall of our apartment and made it go right through the wall. ...I couldn’t cook to save my life. I hated cooking and we ate out at least three days a week." I love that she is an admitted master recipe manipulator, making recipes healthier and still great-tasting. That is an art! I feel I should admit that I don't tailgate. I'm not a big sports fan. But I can always get behind any gathering that involves food. So, I imagined what I would want to eat h...

Do you always have leftovers from Easter (or Passover) supper? This week the #SundaySupper crew is sharing great ways to revamp those leftovers. Ham is a family tradition - not my nuclear family - but my mom and dad's tradition. And we, inevitably, come home with slabs of it. Inspired by an episode of Mind of a Chef , my Enthusiastic Kitchen Elf and I made some pan-fried ham with okra and red-eye gravy. This recipe used not only leftover ham but leftover coffee. I know, what's that, right? I love that this recipe doesn't require measurements...and it only uses one pan! Ingredients slabs of leftover ham okra cornmeal canola oil freshly ground salt freshly ground pepper leftover coffee Procedure Slice okra in half lengthwise. Toss them in a bowl with cornmeal and turn until well-coated. Heat canola oil in a skillet. Fry okra until crisped. Drain on a paper towel. In the same skillet, pan-fry the ham till warmed. Remove the ha...

I used to buy  Supplì al Telefono from my neighborhood rosticceria in Rome probably more often than I should admit. They're delicious and easy to eat while on the go. And I was always on the go. Not much has changed in that regard. Supplì al Telefono , literally means  supplì  'to the phone.' Odd name, perhaps, until you think back to the days when phones had cords. Yes, younguns, phones used to have cords! Inside the  supplì  are molten bits of mozzarella cheese; when you bite into them and pull away, the melted cheese is long and stringy, resembling a telephone cord. Like this... This is a great dish to use up leftover risotto. I decided to give a baked version a try and used panko breadcrumbs instead of a finer traditional crumb. Also, I had a Veronese risotto all'amarone ; that's why my risotto is red. Use whatever risotto you have on-hand. Ingredients  3 to 4 C leftover risotto, chilled 2 T tomato sauce + more for se...

The BEST way to use leftover cheese: Fromage Fort One of  October challenges  for the  Jamie Oliver Food Revolution  Ambassadors ( I'm the Monterey #FRD2014 rep! ) is to... Use leftovers. My family eats leftovers all the time. They just object to them looking exactly the same as the first time they ate them. Weird. I know. And I hate wasting food. So,  let's talk revamping, reshaping, repurposing, and rejoicing.  If you have leftover vegetables that are about to turn, or you are getting more - say from a weekly CSA delivery - and you need to make room in your crisper, a vegetable frittata is quick and easy to do. Click for my Everything-but-the-Kitchen-Sink Frittata . If you have leftover, cooked grains, form them into cakes. Savory, delicious cakes. Click for inspiration - Quinoa Crabcakes , Forbidden Rice Cakes , and Risotto Cakes with Mamey Sauce . But the recipe I am going to (re)share is what you can do with leftover che...

Stuffed grape leaves are a family favorite. I make them with whatever meat and whatever grain I have on hand. These were, seriously, everything but the kitchen sink! Lots and lots of leftovers...and the boys declared these the best stuffed grape leaves. Ever. Ingredients 2 C cooked grain (I used leftover forbidden rice) 1 pound 96/4 organic grassfed ground beef 3 shallots, minced 2 stalks of celery, chopped 1 carrot, chopped dash of ground coriander dash of ground cumin freshly ground salt and pepper handful of fresh parsley, roughly-chopped 1/2 C salsa (I used leftover  ix'ni pec ) water organic lemon, thinly sliced 2 T ouzo Procedure In a large, flat-bottom pan saute the shallots and celery in a splash of olive oil until softened. Add the beef and cook thoroughly. Season with spices and stir in the cooked grains, salsa, and parsley. Place a tablespoon of your filling in the center of a grape leaf. Keeping constant pressure, roll the grape leaf into a ...

I love revamping leftovers into something delicious. So, when I looked at my leftover Singapore Chili Crab - and needed a quick lunch this afternoon - I decided to make some Singapore Chili Crab Omelets. Easy and tasty! Ingredients eggs splash of water butter shredded cheese (I used a mixture of parmesan, mozzarella, and asiago) leftover Singapore Chili Crab and sauce Procedure Beat your eggs with a splash of water until the yolks and whites are well-blended. Heat a skillet and melt a pat of butter, swirling it around until the pan is completely coated. Pour in the beaten egg and let the edges set a bit. It shouldn't take too long. Using a spatula, lift the edges of the omelet and swirl the pan to let the liquid eggs flow beneath. When the eggs are mostly set, spread the toppings over the eggs - on one half. In this case, I used shredded cheese and leftover crab meat mixed with a bit of the sauce. Fold the omelet in half and slide it onto your plate. Some p...