Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Hello and welcome to #PumpkinWeek v.2016 hosted by Terri of  Love and Confections . We are celebrating our love of the season with an entire week of pumpkin goodies, leading up to National Pumpkin Day. Twenty-one food bloggers have come together to share over eighty recipes with you. In addition to pumpkin biscotti, cupcakes, and madeleines, we are also sharing savory pumpkin dishes such as hummus, chili, and pumpkin empanadas. Come back every day for #PumpkinWeek recipes. You can also find these great recipes and more on  Love and Confections' #PumpkinWeek Pinterest Board ! I decided to keep my pumpkin offerings savory...and with an international eye. Lots of different countries have a tradition of cooking with pumpkin. So, I'm kicking off the week with a pumpkin laska. Laska is a spicy noodle dish that's popular in Malaysia and Singapore; it's basically a noodle dish with a curry soup base. I added cubes of roasted pumpkin and some fresh fish for a filling au...

When the Enthusiastic Kitchen Elf and I went to the fish market yesterday, they had fresh, plump rock cod. I saw an easy dinner! This is barely a recipe, but it was a hit! As a process, feel free to substitute any fish you have, adjusting cooking time based on the fish thickness, and/or substitute with any herbs and spices you desire. Ingredients 2 rock cod fillets, weighing approximately 3/4 pound each 1 C passata di pomodoro 2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced 2 T za'atar (recipe to come) olive oil Procedure Heat oven to 400°F.  In a small mixing bowl, stir together your tomato sauce, crushed garlic, and 1 T za'atar. Spoon that into a rimmed baking dish. Arrange the cod on top of the sauce and sprinkle with the remaining za'atar. Drizzle with olive oil. Roast the cod for 10 to 15 minutes until the flesh flakes easily. Serve immediately with some of the sauce spooned over the top of the fish.

I love paella. I've just never made it before. But for Christmas my cousin Tiffany gave me a cookbook for authentic Spanish fare; and for my 40th birthday, my friend Jenn gave me a paella pan. It was a sign. So, after a hike through an archery range yesterday, we stopped at a local fish market and I picked up a some seafood to make the 'Seafood' Paella' in the book. I'll try 'Esperanza's Paella' soon.  Bear in mind that I never actually follow recipes. I use them as jumping off points for a culinary adventure of my own. The verdict from my peanut gallery: "This is better than the paella we just had from Gerard's Paella in San Mateo." Sweet. The Seafood Feel free to substitute with what you have readily available. I went with what was local (mostly) and fresh (absolutely). 6-8 clams 6-8 mussels 1 rock cod filet, sliced into 1" pieces 6-8 scallops generous handful of squid tubes Everything Else pinch of saffron (between 20-30...