Culinary Adventures with Camilla

  Today the Sunday Funday group is looking at recipes made with beer. Thanks to Stacy of  Food Lust People Love , Sue of  Palatable Pastime , Rebekah of  Making Miracles , and Wendy of  A Day in the Life on the Farm  for coordinating this low-stress group.  This week, Rebekah is hosting. She wrote: "August 8th is International Beer Day! Share your favorite recipes cooking or baking with beer - or if you don't like beer, cook or bake with your preferred alcohol! Beer Brats and Beer Bread anyone?" Here's the line-up... Autumnal Spinach Salad with Beer Vinaigrette by Amy's Cooking Adventures Braised Pork with Dunkel Bier Gravy by Palatable Pastime Dum Chicken Rum Biryani by Sneha's Recipe Irish Beef Guinness Stew by Culinary Adventures with Camilla Slow Cooker Beer-Braised Pot Roast by Making Miracles Spicy Beer Shrimp Potatoes by Food Lust People Love Whole Wheat Beer Pretzel Nuggets by A Day in the Life on the Farm Irish Beef Guinness Ste...

Last week I blazed through Sex, Murder & Killer Cupcakes  by Allison Janda* in an evening. I liked the title, loved the cover, and it was a welcome distraction from my almost nightly Zoom meetings for various organizations with which I volunteer. Zoom fatigue is real! On the Page image from amazon.com This book was okay. Just okay. Nothing earth-shattering or wow-inspiring. Even though it entertained me for a couple of hours, there really wasn't much going on in this story. The main character, Marian, owns and operates a food porn publication - Think naked guys holding food in front of their private bits. Yes, really. - and moonlights as a crime scene photographer with the local police department. Though that seems like an interesting combination of career choices rife with possibilities for character development and conflict, this book is mainly about her obsession with two guys, attempts on her life, and her wild and unsubstantiated conclusions about who murder...

Today, the From Our Dinner Table group is sharing all manner of St. Patrick's Day recipes. The prompt read: "We are all Irish on St. Patrick's Day! Traditional Irish food includes lots of potato recipes, meat pies and stews, as well as fish and shellfish! Try expanding beyond corned beef a cabbage and try something more traditional this year. Or just make AMAZING corned beef and cabbage." Here's the line-up... Bangers and Mash by Everyday Eileen Easy Boxty by Our Good Life Brownie Batter Fudge for St. Patrick's Day by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks Cod Cakes by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures Green Velvet Cookies by Kelly Lynn's Sweets and Treats Irish Buck Cocktail by Family Around the Table Irish Cheddar Ale Mac and Cheese by Cheese Curd In Paradise Irish Cream Poke Cake by Strawberry Blondie Kitchen Irish Soda Bread Scones by Kate's Recipe Box Nutty Irish Car Bomb Cake by Culinary Adventures with Camilla Potted Crab by Kare...

It's not a St. Patrick's Day dinner without a Guinness dessert, right? Usually I make a  Guinness Chocolate  Cake  of some kind. Guinness + Chocolate = Bliss But this year, I wanted to do something a little bit different. And I was inspired by a chocolate dessert drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt that R had ordered somewhere. I can't remember where now... D was not impressed with the way the dessert looked. He wrinkled his little nose in disgust. "You made a cow patty for dessert, Mom?!?" No! "That really doesn't look appetizing. Not at all." You're right. But it will taste amazing! I'll admit, it's not the most attractive dessert I've ever made. But it was delicious...chocolate-y goodness incarnate! Ingredients 8 egg yolks 3/4 C organic dark brown sugar, lightly packed + 2 T One bottle of Guinness, divided into 1 C + the rest 2 C organic heavy cream 7 oz. high-quality bittersweet chocolate, ...

While I actually made this on St. Patrick's Day, I was offline all last week. So, I'm playing catch up now. This Guinness Chocolate Cake wrapped up our corned beef, cabbage, and potato dinner. 1 C Guinness, 1 C butter, ¾ C unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 C white whole wheat flour, 2 C organic cane sugar, 1½ t baking soda, ¾ t sea salt, 2 large eggs, 2/3 C sour cream Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter your baking dish. Combine the Guinness and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk till smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In another mixing bowl, beat together the eggs and sour cream to blend. Add the stout-butter mixture and beat just to combine. Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed just until incorporated. Spoon batter into buttered baking dish.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25-35 minutes. A...

This afternoon I received a short text message from my husband: "Irish. Carbomb. Cupcakes." Sadly, I am just that predictable.  All he had to write were those three little words and I picked up the ingredients for these treats on my way home from work.  I have to admit that I have never tasted them; the two times I've made them, they disappeared before I could really indulge.  I didn't make that mistake tonight.  And, yes, now I get it.  It was very tough to stick to my one-bite taste.  Wow. In spite of their gruesome name, these are a St. Patty's Day tradition for us.  I mean, how can you go wrong with a Guinness chocolate cake filled with a Bailey's-marscarpone filling, topped with a whiskey buttercream?!?  You can't. Guinness Chocolate Cake 1 cup stout (Guinness), 2 sticks butter, ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 cups all-purpose white whole wheat flour, 2 cups organic cane sugar, 1½ tsp. baking soda, ¾ tsp. sea salt, 2 large eggs, 2/3 c...

So when I checked my voicemail coming out of the movie theatre yesterday, Jenn - who was responsible for launching me down the path toward a dinner made entirely with eggplant - had left me a message about Nigella Lawson's Guinness gingerbread recipe . Guinness plus gingerbread. Oh, yea, baby! When I finally looked up her recipe on the Food Network website, I was disappointed to discover that she didn't use molasses...or crystallized ginger. But I did like her use of sour cream. So, I combined parts of her recipe with parts of my own gingerbread recipes to come up with this delectable treat. This makes two 10"x13" rectangular cakes. Cut it in half, if needed. 2-1/2 sticks butter, plus some for greasing 2 C unsulphered molasses 2 cup dark brown sugar, packed 1 bottle of Guinness 4 t ground ginger 4 t ground cinnamon 2 t ground nutmeg 2 t ground allspice 1/2 t ground cloves 1 C chestnut flour 3 C white whole wheat flour 2 T baking powder 2 C sour cream 4 eggs 2 T crysta...