Culinary Adventures with Camilla

I have several more #Brunchweek bloggers to introduce before the end of the week. I'd better get on it! Today - just hours before we kick-off the event - meet two more. Meet Lauren of Healthy. Delicious.   She talks about her journey through Weight Watchers and beyond...and how, when she decided not to be a slave to counting points, she needed to focus on smaller portions of something delicious. She writes: "Before I eat anything, I try to ask myself “is this delicious?” because if it isn’t delicious, it isn’t worth eating." Makes perfect sense! Her Brie and Blackberry Grilled Cheese looks fantastic as does her Pumpkin Polenta and Chicken Chorizo . I can't wait to peruse more of her posts. On Twitter: @HealthyDelish Taylor blogs at Food Faith Fitness . I've been on a lettuce wrap kick recently, so her Larb Gai Lettuce Wraps might just be on my table this weekend. How about her Chocolate Coffee Rubbed Steak with Coconut ? Ah. May. Zing. On Twitter:...

And the 2014 #BrunchWeek blogger intros continue...we're getting closer to kick-off! Angie at Big Bear's Wife  shares recipes that are "Angie-tested, Big Bear-approved." Her Slow Cooker-Braised Short Ribs almost have me heading to the store for a slow cooker, but I've survived without one for this long; I can make it work on the stovetop. And I will definitely be trying her Best Apple Crisp recipe. How can you pass up a recipe with a name like that? On Twitter:  @bigbearswife Vonnie, as she's called by friends and family, runs the blog My Catholic Kitchen . While I am not a practicing Catholic, my parents are. Like really are. They still go to Latin mass. So, I appreciate her comments about "In Season", correlating the Catholic ordinary time and the seasonal produce. Vonnie hopes to publish her own cookbook one of these day. And, as a good start, she has had a couple of recipes published in cookbooks already. Check out her Arabian...

And the 2014 #BrunchWeek blogger intros continue... Courtney at Neighboorfood    has an entire gluten-free section of her blog. While I am not gluten-free, several of our close friends are. So, I'm excited about trying Courtney's GF Strawberry Lemonade Valentine Lintzer Cookies . And her Tomato-Bacon Jam had me longing for a jar. As soon as I see some fresh tomatoes, I'm making it! On Twitter: @NeighborFoodie Ashley runs the blog Quarter Life Crisis Cuisine . Her favorite foods are tacos and sushi. And I adore her To-Cook List. I, too, plan to attempt homemade bagels one of these days. Check out her Greek Lemon Chicken Soup , Campfire Quiche (I'm taking that recipe on our annual 10-day camping trip), and Gruyere Apple Tar t. I've always wanted to make a cheese + apple dessert; I just never got around to it. I will now. On Twitter: @AshleyBeeCooks Alice is one Hip Foodie Mom . And she freely admits "I am hopelessly addicted to coffe...

A few more 2014 #BrunchWeek blogger intros for today... Chelsea at Chelsea's Messy Apron   loves watermelon, peanut butter, fajitas, and mango...just not all together. Her Skinny Double Chocolate & Peanut Butter Muffins look amazing...and they are made without butter, oil, and flour. And they have very little sugar. Sounds like a winner to me. Another winner: her Tropical Quinoa Salad with Tangy Citrus Dressing . On Twitter: @ChelseaLords Lori of Foxes Loves Lemons   left the advertising world and went to culinary school. Her #1 rule in the kitchen: anything is better with a poached egg on top. I'll buy that...well, maybe not everything. But most things! I noticed many intriguing recipes on her blog, but this one is stuck in my mind - Bacon & Brussels Pizza . How cool is that? I love roasted Brussels with bacon bits, but would never have thought to turn it into a main dish by putting on top of pizza dough. I've also bookmarked her Perfect Pear Strud...

A few more 2014 #BrunchWeek blogger intros for today... Liz at That Skinny Chick Can Bake   is not joking. She can bake. I can't wait to try her French Silk Pie with Frangelico . So many words in that title that make me happy! On the savory side of things her Gorgonzola Mushroom Stuffed Beef Tenderloin could easily become a tradition in my household, too. On Twitter:  @ThatSkinnyChick Anita is the voice behind The Hungry Couple . She, and Brian, also run A Cocktail Life , a new-to-me blog where I spent an obscene amount of time browsing this afternoon. Over on her kitchen blog, I was enamored by her Grilled Cheese Croutons . I mean, really, why didn't I think of that?! She also has a recipe for which I have been looking - buckeyes. Only hers are boozy buckeyes . Yep, I'm a fan. On Twitter: @hungrycouplenyc Lanie runs The Vintage Cook  and has some truly delectable sounding recipes in her hopper for #BrunchWeek. I just adore the word 'Chantilly.' ...

#BrunchWeek take a lot of coordination and effort - from courting sponsors to wrangling the bloggers - and these two lovely ladies are doing it with panache. I just wanted to shine a spotlight on them and their drool-worthy blogs. Terri is the force behind Love and Confections   and jointly spearheaded #BrunchWeek 2013 with Christine of Cook the Story . While my family and I go olallieberry picking every summer, we've never had the opportunity to go blueberry picking. Terri has a great post about picking blueberries and shares a recipe for blueberry jam and one for crumb-top blueberry muffins. And, if that weren't enough to make you jealous, she toured and tasted at Lake Catherine Bluberries last Spring. Here are a few of her recipes that I have marked to try: Overnight Chia Seed Pudding , Blood Orange Sangria , and Individual Chicken Pot Pies . You can find Terri on facebook and on twitter @Lovenconfection . Terri's co-host for #BrunchWeek 2014 is Su...

As we go through the CSA season, I figured I'd spotlight something from the box each week...and I'll provide a recipe for what I did with it. Last week, I shined the spotlight on Celery Root . Today: Mizuna. Meet Mizuna  - Mizuna, also called Japanese mustard, is a leafy green that has spiky leaves and the bitterness of arugula but the heft of watercress. At least that's how I would describe it. It's actually a variety of brassica rapa (Napa cabbage). Like cabbage or arugula, you can easily use it both raw or cooked. I opted to use it raw, in a pesto. Pesto  is a sauce that originated in the Ligurian region of northern Italy.  Pesto genovese,  from Genoa, traditionally consists of crushed garlic, basil, and pine nuts blended with olive oil and  Parmigiano Reggiano  The name derives from the Italian verb  pestare  which means to pound or to crush, referring to the original way of preparing it - with a mortar and pestle. The ingredien...

As we go through the CSA season, I figured I'd spotlight something from the box...and I'll provide a recipe for what I did with it. When Pia picked up our CSA boxes from High Ground Organics   last Thursday, she dropped mine off in the office. "Don't show that to Brian," she warned, gesturing at the celery root. She didn't knowing that her veg-shy husband was tucked away in his office...within earshot. Don't show me what?  he demanded, peeking over the wall. She left and I spun the bag to show the innocuous strawberries and lettuce. "What?" I said. What are you not supposed to show me\? "Nothing," I lied. No! I saw that thing. The brain! What is that? "It's just celery root. Now go back to work, nosy! You won't even recognize it when she cooks it." He shook his head and sat back down. Meet Celery Root - also known as celeriac. It's one of the least photogenic root veggies. E...