Culinary Adventures with Camilla

I can't even begin to explain how much it made my little foodie heart soar with pride when my best friend's son looked at the dinner I was serving and declared, "Bone hole! I love bone hole!" He was referring to my osso buco ...and I am grateful that he knows what that means. Funny story: when the boys went on their cruise with my parents in back in 2014, the Enthusiastic Kitchen Elf would call us daily and tell us what he had for dinner. "Today I had pheasant." "For dinner I had caviar." Everyday it was something fantastic sounding that made my mouth water. One night, he announced, incredulously, "Mom, I ordered  osso buco  and it didn't come with the bone. Can you believe it?!?" Nonna shared that D actually asked their waiter about the missing bone, explaining that  osso buco  literally means 'hole in the bone.' The waiter shrugged his shoulders and leaned down to whisper to D -  You're right...it should hav...

As one of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Day Ambassadors ( I'm the Monterey #FRD2014 rep! ) I will be sent a copy of his latest cookbook - to cook from and write about. I can't wait. I do have to laugh though, because its title is  Comfort Food . And, according to a good friend:  I only make uncomfortable food . Oh, well. I can learn! To celebrate launch day - today - I'm sharing one of the recipes. Here's Jamie Oliver's Ossobuco alla Milanese recipe from his new cookbook, Comfort Food. And here's my adaptation. I typically don't eat veal, so I went to our local butcher for some lamb shanks sliced into an osso buco-style cut; but they had just sold their last shanks. Darn. But then I noticed the "never tethered...free to roam" on the veal package and decided to go for it. I added in shelling beans to make a ragout and served it over wild rice instead of risotto. Also, I used lots of different herbs in my gremolata instead of just pa...

I'm hosting  Food'N'Flix  this month. Click to see my invitation . In case you're new to the fun and games, Food'N'Flix is a blogging event w here we watch movies and head into the kitchen to cook or bake something based on a recipe they actually make in it or just something we were driven to make after watching it. This month was my pick. And I selected  Babette's Feast .  Let me set the scene. In a remote village in 19th century Denmark, two elderly asetics -  sisters Martine and Philippa - are devoted to serving the poor and upholding the teachings of their deceased father. The sisters renounced suitors and all forms of finery, so they dress in drab clothing and subsist on dried, salted fish and thick ale-bread soup. One day, Babette, a French refugee, arrives on their doorstep, with a letter from Philippa’s former suitor, recommending her as a housekeeper . Though the sisters’ devout lifestyle would normally preclude them from having any ...