Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Not all pizza is created equal. And, I'll be honest: I'm a pizza snob. Having lived in Italy for over a year after I graduated from college, I have had a lot of pizza. A lot. Pizza was my go-to snack with the kids for whom I was an  au pair.  And, after my work contract ended and I rented an apartment in Trastevere for my final two months in Italy, there was a rosticceria just around the corner that became a favorite spot to grab dinner when it was too hot to cook in my house which was remarkably often in the middle of the summer.  The (literal) hole-in-the-wall only did takeaway pizza al taglio sold by weight, roasted chicken and potatoes, and supplì . It was fabulous. Additionally, there was an enoteca just next door to it. So, I could grab pizza and wine, sit in the piazza, and read a book or watch people go by. Roman pizza is thin crust and shaped in a rectangle. You buy it by the weight and they fold it in half - like a sandwich - and wrap it in parchm...

My time with Dorothy (she's a bundt pan) and Toto (he's a journal) - for the Peoplehood of the Traveling Swirly Pan - is drawing to a close. I'm hoping to squeeze in one more adventure before I need to wrap them up and send them off to the next baker. You can read more about the Peoplehood of the Traveling Swirly Pan and see my first recipe with Dorothy ( here )  when   I made a Gluten-free Bourbon Gingerbread with Prickly Pear Lemon Curd...and my third recipe ( here ) when I made a Gluten-free Hot Milk-Matcha Bundt with Chocolate Silk Sauce. I can count. Really. My second adventure was a complete and total flop. So, I didn't share that recipe on the blog or with the #PeoplehoodoftheTravelingSwirlyPan. Flops are how you know you're stretching your culinary competence, right? While they aren't a success, they are necessary to becoming a better cook! I decided that I would make a chocolate cake for my fourth Dorothy attempt - but not just any choco...

I recently joined the Peoplehood of the Traveling Swirly Pan. You can check out the Facebook page:  here . Or search for the hashtag on social media. #PeoplehoodoftheTravelingSwirlyPan There are two pans circling the globe - Matilda in the southern hemisphere and Dorothy in the northern. And the group's tagline is "Building community, one cake at a time." We bake, we share photos and recipes...I already adore this project that Jenni of  Pastry Chef Online  coordinates. Jenni has recruited a community of bakers from all around the world. But, for me, residing in the U.S., I get to host Dorothy. We bake a bundt - or two or three - in Dorothy and share our stories in the Toto journal. After the visit, we send the pan and journal to the next baker on the list. NordicWare will be donating $5 to No Kid Hungry for each Peoplehood cake we post to their facebook page. So, I'll post a photo of my cake(s) to the Nordic Ware facebook page saying something along the...

The boys needed something hearty to start their day. They will be smashing tile, loading boxes, and making a run to the dump later this morning as they help Daddy with the house remodel.  "This is not a relaxing summer vacation!" wailed the Wom this morning.  I know. How about some pancakes? Pancakes always brighten his day. And, I have to admit that I can't make regular fluffy pancakes to save my life. But, oddly, I have made these gluten-free pancakes a few times and they are a hit. Every. Single. Time. Ingredients  makes eighteen 3" pancakes 4 medium overripe bananas 2 eggs 2 C milk 1 C gluten-free flour blend 1 C buckwheat flour 1 T baking powder 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 t pure vanilla extract butter for cooking Procedure Smash bananas in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the eggs, milk, and vanilla extract. Add in the flour, baking powder, and sugar. Stir until just moistened. Melt butter in a large, flat-...