Culinary Adventures with Camilla

I really wasn't cognizant of how much the boys motivated me to cook - multiple dishes, appetizers, and even desserts. Now that it's just me and Jake, a salad has sufficed for dinner and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich was all I made for lunch the day after we dropped off R. Yikes. I am in need of empty nest cooking motivation! Jake wanted to invite a departing co-worker over for dinner and it was a great reason for me to create multiple dishes in one evening. It turns out the friend never showed up - he had broken his foot! - so we had lots of leftovers and I delivered dinner to my parents the following day. The last time Andrés came over for dinner, I served a Kimbap Sushi Hybrid along with Hawaiian Saimin. When I asked Jake what I should make, he said... Butter Chicken Done. Here's  a previously posted Butter Chicken recipe .  Palak Paneer Whenever I make Indian food, my favorite is Palak Paneer . But for the centerpiece of the table, I decide to make a biriyani. Us...

  One thing I have always wanted to instill in my kids: lifelong learning. I strive to lead by example because there is always so much to learn! This month I learned that what I have always called 'Fresh Spring Rolls' is more often called 'Summer Rolls.' And what I have always called 'Kimbap' is...well, not. You'll see the summer roll recipe soon. But for today, let's talk about kimbap. I have always made my version with a vinegar-seasoned rice, akin to sushi rice, just swapping out the fishy fillings for vegetables, eggs, and sliced beef. That seemed to make sense to me. However, kimbap has an entirely different rice base. Whoops! Instead of a vinegar-seasoned rice, kimbap is made with rice simply seasoned with sesame oil and salt. But as we really like the tang of vinegar, I made a hybrid version of the seasoned rice with vinegar and sesame oil for this. Ingredients  serves 8 4 cups short grain rice (sushi rice) 4 cups water plus more for soaking 1/3 c...

The Taste of Ginger: A Novel by Mansi Shah was another of the books that I read in the last quarter of 2021, but never posted about. I finally got around to making a dish inspired by it. On the Page This is another novel about an immigrant experience. In this case Preeti emigrated from India as a child and is largely Americanized with a white boyfriend and a disapproving family. She is also a successful attorney in Los Angeles. After a tragic accident befalls her pregnant sister-in-law while on vacation, Preeti finds herself back in India. I enjoyed the immersion into the Indian culture, though the taboos around the interactions between castes really made my stomach churn. This is a quote that sums up her familial interatctions, "My family was no different from every other Indian family we knew, and putting on the pretense of being a happy family was more important than actually being one." She contrasts her family with 'normal' families: "Who exactly do you thi...

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays or cook and bake together with the same ingredient or theme each month. Posting day for #FoodieExtravaganza is always the first Wednesday of each month. 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 Pinterest Board ! Since September is National Rice Month, I decided to ask the bloggers to share their favorite recipes or cooking tips. Here's the Foodie Extravanganza's rice-filled line-up... Arroz Rojo (Mexican Red Rice) by Palatable Pastime Beetroot Pulao by Magical Ingredients Bulgogi Kimbap with Seasoned Rice by Culinary Adventures with Camilla Curry Doria (Japanese Curry Rice Gratin) by Tara's Multicultural Table Kimchi Fried Rice by Karen's Kitchen Stories Rice Pudding by A Day in the Life on the ...

This month the World Wine Travel group is traveling by plate and glass to Aragón, Spain with host Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm . If you are reading this early enough, jump on our live Twitter chat on Saturday, May 22nd at 8am Pacific time. Just follow the hastag #WorldWineTravel and be sure to add that to anything you tweet so we can see it. Here's the line-up of articles... 2015 Vinos del Viento Cariñena + Pulled Pork Sandwiches by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog A Tale of Garnacha, Exploring Aragon by Avvinare Aragón by Tabletop: Arroz Aragonés + 2015 Vinos del Viento Cariñena by Culinary Adventures with Camilla Aragon’s Carinena and Castles + Olive Anchovy Sammies by Wine Predator Calatayud, Aragon Wines: Evodia + Fully Loaded Pork Taquitos by Our Good Life Campo De Borja: The Empire of Garnacha by My Full Wine Glass Cooking to the Wine: Vinos del Viento Cariñena with Smoky Octopus, Bacon Smashed Potatoes, and Romesco Sauce by Somm's Table Exploring Aragon via Plate and Gl...

I have one of those hammered spice tins with everything you need to make delicious, beautiful curries. And I enjoy playing with different combinations of flavors. But for a mid-week dinner, sometimes I cheat and use a pre-blended curry powder. No need to measure tiny amounts of ground coriander, cumin, turmeric, ginger, mustard, black pepper, cinnamon, and cardamom. This is curry in a hurry. Also, because Jake is plant-based during the week, this is a curry made with tofu and vegetables instead of chicken or another meat. Ingredients 1 package extra firm tofu, cut into bite-sized cubes 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 2 Tablespoon-sized chunks 1 large onion, peeled and diced (approximately 1-1/2 cups) 1 T grated ginger (you can omit, if you don't have any, but we love the fresh ginger in this) 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 cup potatoes, scrubbed and cubed 1 cup sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed 2 cups carrots, chopped 1 cup celery, chopped 1 cup bell peppers, diced (I used a red ...

  This is a sponsored post written by me in conjunction with the March #WinePW Yakima Valley wines event. Wine samples were provided for this post and this page may contain affiliate links.   This month, for the March 2021 event for the Wine Pairing Weekend group, Robin of  Crushed Grape Chronicles  is hosting as we explore the wines of Washington state's Yakima Valley. You can read her invitation  here . Then Robin worked with  Wine Yakima Valley *  to pair the participating writers with sponsoring wineries.  I received such a generous selection of wines from two different wineries that I couldn't squeeze them all into my event posts. So, I am sharing bonus pairings and tastings throughout the month to give them all their due. And because March 27th is National  Paella Day, I decided to share my Paella Mixta as an extra post for this month's #WinePW event. When a local-to-me renegade winemaker and prolific food guru posted that he's making...