Culinary Adventures with Camilla

This month - and last - the  Cook the Books  group has been reading Midnight Chicken  by Ella Risbridger. Debra of  Eliot's Eats  is hosting. Read her invitation here . I am getting this in just under the wire. Phew. On the Page This is a poignant memoir that attests to the healing power of cooking and  was not at all what I expected. It’s a cookbook filled with life events, milestones, and highlights the importance of stability and comfort. This is Risbridger's life full of recipes to sooth a troubled soul.  When we meet Ella, she is depressed and suicidal. The recipes give her something to live for and were so inspiring. Before she even starts, she offers three things to remember: salt your pasta water; if in doubt, butter; and keep going! I tried several of her recipes including Tipsy Amaretto Squash Soup, Trashy Ginger Beer Chicken, and Needs Using Up Minestrone. But the recipe I am sharing for this post is something I've never attempted: chal...

This is a cookie that I made for my dessert platter for my Jolabokaflod  - that's an Icelandic book flood...more on that soon - and I think it was the surprise hit. It was, by far, the easiest cookie to make in that it doesn't require rolling or any kind of decoration. I have always loved the contrast of salty and sweet.  And this birch smoked salt from Iceland* was my inspiration. But feel free to use any flake salt that you have. This recipe is easily halved for fewer cookies. Ingredients makes approximately thirty 3-1/2" cookies 1 C butter, softened 1-1/4 C organic dark brown sugar, lightly packed 1 C organic granulated sugar 5 eggs 1 t pure vanilla paste or extract 2 t baking powder 1/2 t baking soda 3 C flour 2 C semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped flake salt for finishing Procedure Preheat to 375° F.  Beat together butter and sugars until lightened and fluffy, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Add in the eggs a...

This month, Sue of  Palatable Pastime  told the Baking Bloggers that for October: "Let's pop some batter into a pan and bake up one of Autumn's favorite breakfast treats. All forms of donuts- it just has to be baked rather than the fried type." Here's the #BakingBloggers virtual donut shop... A 'Hole' Lotta Fun with Mini Donuts by Culinary Adventures with Camilla Apple Cider Baked Doughnuts by Cookaholic Wife Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts by The Schizo Chef Baked Chocolate Spice Crumb Cake Donuts by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice Baked Cookies and Cream Doughnuts by Tara's Multicultural Table Baked Donut Recipe Without A Pan by Recipe Pocket Baked Donut Muffins by Sneha's Recipe Baked Glazed Lemon Donuts by Making Miracles Chocolate Donuts with Chocolate Chips by A Day in the Life on the Farm Double Chocolate Baked Donuts by Karen's Kitchen Stories Filled Donuts by Sid's S...

This sponsored post is written by me in conjunction with the  The Book Club Cookbook  for the virtual supper party  feature for The Lost Family . All opinions are my own. The Lost Family Supper Club A bunch of food bloggers are gathering - virtually, anyway - to share thoughts and inspired recipes ahead of Jenna Blum's June 3rd release of her new novel, The Lost Family . I was tickled to have been invited and love seeing familiar blogging friends -  Wendy , Amy , and Sarah just to name a few - joining in. Also very happy to meet some new bloggers as well, including  Beth , Emily , and Pam . And, I was so, so thrilled to be introduced to a new-to-me author that I already have a few more of her books on order. I can't wait to read more of her work! Click here for more information about the virtual supper club. From the Author One of the things I love about these virtual parties is, obviously, getting to read the book early and share my thought...

This recipe is intended for readers 21 years and older.  Please drink responsibly. Sometimes inspiration strikes in strange ways. I had recently ordered a bunch of micro marigolds from Gourmet Sweet Botanicals for a different recipe. I wanted to create a cake using marigolds for my Food'N'Flix invite post. You can read that here ...and see the cake!  from imdb.com There was so many visual images that stood out - the film was truly beautiful - but the recurrence of marigolds stuck with me.  from pixar.com The dead have to cross back to the land of the living over a marigold-covered bridge; and marigold petals play a key part in sending Miguel back to the land of the living. You just have to watch it. In any case, when I had leftover blooms, I decided to freeze some in ice cubes. Then I was cleaning out a spice drawer and found some habanero salt that friends had given me. Salt and flowers made me think of margaritas. I know, it's a leap...

December always means Christmas cookies. Lots and lots of Christmas cookies. I was excited to see that Ellen at  Family Around the Table  was organizing a week-long event surrounding cookies. She has also created a giveway from one of our event sponsors. More on that soon! For now, I hope you enjoy the recipes my fellow bloggers have shared to celebrate the cookie season. Get baking! Wednesday's Cookie Tray Cardamom Shortbreads by Culinary Adventures with Camilla Chocolate Coconut Almond Dipped Shortbread by Making the Most of Naptime Big and Chewy Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies by Cooking with Carlee Chocolate Oreo Peppermint Cake Mix Cookies by Soulfully Made Chocolate Sugar Cookie Recipe by Making Miracles Christmas Sprinkle Cookies by Books n Cooks Chunky Cranberry Double Chip Cookies by Family Around the Table Coconut Cherry Snowballs by Red Cottage Chronicles Coffee Shortbread Cookies by A Kitchen Hoor’s Advenutres Double Chocolate Nutella ...

Our #FarmersMarketWeek is half over. Boo. This week, Christie of  A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures  and Cynthia of  Feeding Big  have us celebrating the bounty of farmers' markets. "If you can buy it at a Farmer's Market and can use it in a recipe...share it!" they urged. #FarmersMarketWeek Wednesday Recipes Chicken and Summer Veggie Tostadas by The Redhead Baker Easy Creamed Corn by Feeding Big Easy Zucchini Refrigerator Pickles by Simple and Savory Fresh Applesauce by Palatable Pastime Fresh Raspberry Streusel Muffins by Family Around The Table Grilled Garden Pizza by Jolene's Recipe Journal Italian Sausage and Summer Vegetable Sheet Pan Dinner by Cooking with Carlee Lemon Curd by The Freshman Cook Mom's Zucchini Bread by Books n' Cooks Peaches & Cream Protein Smoothi e by Tip Garden Peach-Almond Mousse   by Red Cottage Chronicles Quick Pickles by Bear & Bug Eats Roasted Brussels Sprouts Carbonara  by A Kitchen...

I'm not sure why I don't make preserved lemons more often. They are so simple to make. They also add something incredible to a heavily spiced dish. Have you ever tried them? They take about 10 minutes to prep. And they are fairly flexible as well. But, then, you have to be patient for about a month. That's the hardest part. I can't wait to open these up in April. I was inspired by my bounty of lemons from Serendipity Farms . Farmer Jamie is now listing goods on her virtual farm stand page on Facebook. I love it because I can see what she has and order if I want the goods, or not if I don't. More often than not, I type "I'm in!" beneath her photo. While I did make 2 quarts, I am giving you the procedure for 1 quart jar. With only four ingredients, these might seem plain and simple. They are simple, but there's nothing plain about these preserved lemons. They pack quite a punch! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar 8 to 10 organic l...