Culinary Adventures with Camilla

The  Secret Recipe Club  has a fun, themed - fifth Monday - event that blurs the lines between the groups. You can be assigned to any other participating blogger in groups A through D. Our theme this month: Leprechaun & Bunnies. We've been tasked to focus on foods for St. Patrick's Day (corned beef hash, anything green, etc.) and Easter (carrot cake, spring dishes, etc.) since March has both holidays this year! I was assigned to  Making Miracles , a blog written by Rebekah. Now, even though we've never met in real life, I feel as if Rebekah and I are good friends. We've been in the same cooking circles for awhile and she has taken part in every multi-blogger event I've coordinated in the past two years. So, I was excited to be assigned to dig deeper into her creations. Initially I leaned towards the "bunnies" part of this assignment, considering our St. Patrick's Day dinner is remarkably the same every year. Corned Beef. Cabbage. And Iris...

It's time for Group B's first reveal of 2016 for the  Secret Recipe Club . Happy New Year! This month I was assigned to  Amy's Cooking Adventures   which is written by - yes, you guessed it! - Amy. Amy and I travel in similar cooking circles, so I'm surprised that I've never made anything from her blog. Till now. So, a little bit about the lady behind the food. She loves to cook and bake. In fact, she runs a second blog dedicated to her sweets. Check out Amy's Confectionery Adventures ! If you are a Star Wars fan, you must check out her Chewbacca Cupcakes  and her R2-D2 Cake . We share a love of that little astromech droid! Here's my purse. I definitely need that cake in my life. Amy has a Master’s degree in Elementary Education and Reading, but gave it all up to stay home with her children. She has three children - two sons on Earth (AKA Dude and Spud) and one angel baby in Heaven. She writes that in her spare time she loves to read, scr...

It's time for Group B's December 2015  Secret Recipe Club   reveal. I can't believe that another year has flown by. This month I was assigned to  Well Dined   which is written by Sarah. Sarah's blog started when she and her husband, Jasper, began to record their thoughts on places at which they ate. So, it all began with restaurant reviews. After working at Williams Sonoma (lucky gal!) as a demonstrator, she started posting recipes in addition to the review. And I am so glad she did! She has a ton of recipes. A ton. And I love that she organized them by seasonal produce. Well, she has things indexed and cross-indexed, so you can find recipes how ever you want to search. Me? I search by season. Given that we're in throes of late Fall, I gravitated towards things such as Sweet Potato Gratin that she served for Christmas a couple of years ago; Salt Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese ; and Apple Galette with Salted Bourbon Caramel . Her Miso Tahini Soup ...

The  Secret Recipe Club  has a relatively new - fifth Monday - event that blurs the lines between the groups. You can be assigned to any other participating blogger in groups A through D. Naturally, I jumped right in. Our theme this month: Holiday Treats. I was assigned to  Tara's Multicultural Table , a blog written by Tara. I was so excited to explore her blog more. We've crossed paths before. She's taken part in different recipe round-ups I've hosted. And, most recently, she organized a virtual baby shower for another blogging friend - Lauren of Sew You Think You Can Cook - and I was reminded about the warmth of the blogging community. So, into her blog I delved. Though I did get sidetracked by her recipes by location in the world, I stayed mostly in her desserts category . I considered her Vanillekipferl (Austrian Vanilla Crescent Cookies), Raivas (Portuguese Cinnamon Cookies), and  Ka’ak b’sukar (Syrian Sugar Cookies). I was more than a ...

It's time for Group B's October 2015  Secret Recipe Club   reveal. This month I was assigned to  A Spoonful of Thyme   which is written by Kathy. Back in May of 2014, I explored her blog and made Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs . Kathy became part of a gourmet group which really challenged her cooking and enhanced her understanding of food and skill in the kitchen.  It has been 33 years and they are still meeting! That's astounding. About the name of her blog, she writes: I truly believe that there is always "thyme" to cook and sit down as a family for the evening meal. Cooking is a wonderful way to bring family and friends together to enjoy food and each other. With a good recipe and "a spoonful of thyme" wonderful things can happen! I considered her Watermelon with Sweet Balsamic Syrup , her German Cucumber Salad , her Scallops Provençal , and her Lemon Drop Martini . But since it's pumpkin time, I opted to make her Jeweled Pumpkin Ric...

It's time for Group B's September 2015  Secret Recipe Club   reveal. This month I was assigned to  An Affair from the Heart   which is written by Michaela. She's a mom to four, married for more than two decades, a "food blogger, dog lover, party thrower, gift giver, wish [she] were craftier, liver & lover of life." No matter how busy they are, they sit down every evening at the kitchen table (no electronics allowed) and eat together as a family. She shares: "Whoever is there, or whomever may stop by, there is always plenty; but nothing makes me happier than when EVERYONE is home, and I look around my table and there is a 'seat in every seat.' Then my heart is full." I love this, Michaela! I considered her Moscow Mule because I really wanted an excuse to get those copper mugs! And I was really tempted by her {the best} Bloody Mary . Her Parmesan Salad Bowls are on my list of things to-do and I can't wait to try her Caulifl...

I'm on Orphan-detail today for the  Secret Recipe Club  - for someone in Group D - and I am thrilled to be cooking from  I am a Honey Bee . What a fun, new-to-me blog. Nicole writes: "I love details and construction. I cook. I bake. I design. I clean. I don’t sleep enough." I'm right there with her. I definitely don't sleep enough. One of the reasons I always volunteer to help out an SRC orphan is to meet new foodie bloggers. This week I was lucky enough to meet Nicole - or Nic as she is called more often than not. She warns, "But call me Nicki and you are going to be ignored." I so get that. I am Camilla or Cam. But Cami is reserved for a select group of people - and only because I can't get them to stop. There are so many recipes I love on this blog. I really love that she did an entire year of pies . Seriously. A new pie every Friday for the entire year of 2014. As soon as I see peaches at our farmers' market, I am baking her Streus...