Culinary Adventures with Camilla

I love the idea behind the Crazy Ingredient Challenge (CIC). In the CIC, we are assigned two ingredients to cook and create. This month, Kelly of  Passion Kneaded   is hosting. So, here goes... December's Crazy In gredient Challenge = nutmeg and rice The nutmeg tree is native to the Moluccas which are also known as the Spice Islands of Indonesia.  For centuries the Dutch East India Company kept the location and cultivation of the trees a fiercely guarded secret. The Dutch still use more nutmeg than most in their regional cuisine. The nutmeg tree - scientific name Myristica fragrans - is unique among spices in that the fruit produces two distinct spices: nutmeg and mace. The outside of the seed is a lace-like sheath; that is the mace. The seed itself is nutmeg. Connecticut is known as 'The Nutmeg State' because Yankee peddlers used to sell carved "nutmegs" to naive homecooks. I decided to make pork koftas in a spiced tomato sauce a...

I love the idea behind the Crazy Ingredient Challenge (CIC); it's akin to the Improv Cooking Challenge that I joined several months ago but have been woefully absent from during the last two months or so. I'll get back to it soon. In the CIC, we are assigned two ingredients to cook and create. This month, Kelly of Passion Kneaded  and Lori of Lori's Culinary Creations are hosting. So, here goes... June's Crazy Ingredient Challenge = pineapple and rosemary I was just going to make a pineapple-rosemary marmalade, but we have a Meyer lemon tree that's producing like crazy, so I added them in and I loved the dimension it added. Ingredients Grilled Pineapple-Lemon-Rosemary Marmalade 3 Meyer lemons 3 thick pineapple slices 1 T  fresh rosemary, chopped 1/2 C organic granulated sugar 2 C water To Serve Manchego crackers Procedure Peel and slice the pineapple into thick slices. Grill until nicely caramelized. Set aside, t...

Can this really be the first time I'm posting with this group?? It might be. I love the idea behind the Crazy Ingredient Challenge, hosted by Dawn of Spatulas on Parade ; it's akin to the Improv Cooking Challenge that I joined a couple of months ago. We are assigned two ingredients to cook and create. So, here goes... April's Crazy Ingredient Challenge = cardamom and parsnips I wanted to experiment with some almond flour I need to review and opted to make a Spiced Parsnip Cake with Cardamom-Cashew Butter instead of frosting. And this cake uses no sugar and no butter; it's sweetened with honey and moistened with coconut oil. This was a hit! Ingredients Spiced Parsnip Cake 2 C almond flour (I used Morning Pep * ) 1 t baking soda 1 t ground cardamom 1 C grated parsnip 2 eggs 1/2 C coconut oil, softened 1/2 C local honey 1 t pure vanilla extract Cardamon-Cashew Butter 1 C raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 4 hours 1/4 C local ...