Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Here we are the November 2021 edition of the Cake Slice Bakers. For 2021; we are baking from  Little Everyday Cakes: 50+ Perfectly Proportioned Confections to Enjoy Any Day of the Week  by Candace Floyd.  I can't believe that we're already almost through the year. In many ways 2020 dragged on as the shelter-in-place orders continued month after month; on the other hand, it was a completely blur because there weren't milestones to mark the passage of time. In this group, we are given a selection of three cake recipes. We each choose one cake to bake, and then on the 20th - never before - we all post about our cake on our blogs. There are a few rules that we follow, but the most important ones are to have fun and enjoy baking & eating cakes! Follow our  Facebook ,  Instagram , and  Pinterest   pages where you can find all of our cakes, as well as inspiration for many other cakes. You can also click on the links below to take you to each of our cakes....

This time around,  Simona of  Briciole   is the host for our bi-monthly book group  Cook the Books . For our October-November 2020 pick, s he selected  The Secret, Book & Scone Society  (A Secret, Book, and Scone Society Novel 1) by Ellery Adams* ;  you can read Simona's invitation :  here . On the Page photo from amazon.com I finished The Secret, Book & Scone Society earlier this month and I am still undecided about whether or not I would recommend it. Don't get me wrong: I like a good mystery and did enjoy the book. But I didn't love it though I really wanted to. I loved the concept of the book - that the right books can soothe our souls, improve our lives, and teach us things that we desperately need to know.  "Becoming a reader is a change for the better. Trust me. No one has ever lost by becoming addicted to stories—to the lessons learned by those who possess enough courage to put pen to paper."    ...

When Jake brought home a jar of pomegranate jelly from one of his co-workers, I thought two things: thumbprint cookies and glazed lamb.  Well, I decided to go a little bit more Valentines-y with the cookies and made some candied ginger-pomegranate stained glass hearts instead of thumbprints. And I haven't decided on the lamb. I do have lamb chops in the fridge for tonight's dinner. Stay tuned for that... Ingredients 3/4 C butter (1-1/2 sticks), slightly softened 1/4 C organic granulated sugar 1/4 C organic powdered sugar +  more for finishing 1 egg 2 C flour 1/2 t ground cardamom 1/2 t ground ginger 1/2 t ground allspice 1/2 t ground cinnamon 2 to 3 T candied ginger pieces jam or jelly for filling (I used pomegranate jelly) Also needed: heart cookie cutters in two different sizes to make the base and the window Procedure Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars together with an hand mixer ...

For several years, I've taken part in The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap. I created, baked, and shipped off Boozy Salted Fennel Pollen Shortbread (2012),  Matcha-Black Sesame Shortbread (2013),  Candied Buddha's Hand-Olive Oil Shortbread (2014), and  Kaffir Lime Macaroons (2015).  This year, the organizers decided not to host the event and another group of blogging friends decided yo create one. So, here we are the inaugural year of the Food Blogger Love Cookie Exchange coordinated by the gals at  The PinterTest Kitchen and Sarah of Fantastical Sharing of Recipes . To participate in the event, bloggers were asked to donate to one (or both) of the following charities. Join us, if you're so inclined. CLIMATES-Rescue and The Bunny Hutch Boutique is an animal rescue in Virginia that takes in and feeds animals traditional shelters can’t take in, like snakes, turtles, bunnies, ferrets, and lizards. They are home to the biggest bunny ...

 If you aren't quite sure what a calamansi is...it's a tiny citrus that's popular in Asia. It's also called 'a golden lime' or 'a Chinese orange.' And it packs a sour, sour punch. My cousin gave me a bag full from her aunt's tree on Christmas, so I decided to use it in one of my pies for the pie party we're attending this afternoon. Crust 2 C white whole wheat flour 1/2 C powdered sugar 1/2 t ground ginger 3/4 C butter 3 T cold water Preheat oven to 350. Place flour, powdered sugar, and ground ginger into a mixing bowl. Rub in butter till the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in water until the mixture forms a ball. Press the dough into a tart pan, with a removable base, and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. In the meantime, make the topping. Filling 4 eggs 1 3/4 C organic granulated sugar 1/4 C white whole wheat flour 1/2 t baking powder 1 T candied ginger, chopped 1/3 C fresh calamansi juice To make th...