Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner. And Heather of Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks invited some of her blogging friends to share Mexican recipes for the occasion. Check out all the other amazing Cinco de Mayo recipes... Beefy Black Bean Tostadas from Cindy's Recipes and Writings Guajillo-Braised Shortrib Tacos from Karen's Kitchen Stories Guava Margaritas from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks Homemade Corn Tortillas from Food Above Gold Humitas from Culinary Adventures with Camilla Mexican Casserole from A Day in the Life on a Farm Mexican Chicken Master Mix from The Tip Garden Shrimp Taco Bowls from Books n' Cooks Sonoran Sunrise from Palatable Pastime Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars from The Spiffy Cookie Taco Joe Dip from Jolene's Recipe Journal Humitas The boys wanted to make tamales or enchiladas . But I wanted to find a completely new-to-us recipe. And I came across a reference to humitas, or cakes made with corn, onions, eggs, cheese, an...

When I finally realized it was Cinco de Mayo , I was already home and the boys were fully-entrenched in doing homework. I really didn't want to disrupt that and go back out to the store. So, I made due with what I had for a pan of enchiladas - I had veggies. So, for the first time ever, I made onion-carrot-cabbage-zucchini enchiladas. The verdict: one said that the veggies were disconcerting; another said that these were the best enchiladas I have ever made; and one sat mute, but finished his plate. I'd say that it was a success. Ingredients Enchiladas 1 onion, peeled and diced olive oil 1/2 head cabbage, thinly sliced 3 carrots, diced 2 zucchini, diced dash of smoked paprika dash of ground cumin freshly ground sea salt freshly ground pepper 2 C cotija cheese, crumbled 2 C shredded cheese (I had a medium cheddar) corn tortillas enchilada sauce 1/2 C fresh cilantro, chopped Homemade Enchilada Sauce 2 t cornstarch dash of smoked paprika 1 C or...

Inspired by an amazingly simple, but amazing - did you read ah-mazing?! - dish that we had at Crema  last night...avocados with ham... I decided to stuff an avocado with a fresh mushroom salsa for our Cinco de Mayo dinner and serve it as our salad course. avocados, sliced and peel handful of sliced lettuce mushroom salsa Lay your lettuce on a plate and place the avocado, hollow-side up, on top of it. Spoon in the salsa. Garnish with freshly ground salt and freshly ground pepper.

This morning, I realized that it was Cinco de Mayo . I wanted to use the fresh salmon I got from Jenn and Mike as a birthday present - courtesy of Mike's most recent fishing trip! So, I took my littlest kitchen elf on the field trip to our local Mexican market to get everything we needed to make salmon enchiladas: blue corn tortillas, Cotijo cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and black beans. Olive Oil Poached Salmon Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Lay your fish in an oven-proof baking dish. Fill pan with enough olive oil to mostly cover the filets. Cover with foil. Place in the oven for 25 minutes. Check for doneness. If the fish needs more time, return the dish to the oven. The fish is cooked when it is firm to the touch. Homemade Enchilada Sauce 2 t cornstarch dash of chili powder 1 (8 ounce) can organic tomato sauce 1 C organic chicken broth 1 t ground cumin 1 T minced garlic Mix all of the wet ingredients in a small saucepan. Whisk in the corns...

Cinco de Mayo. On this day, across the country, 185,000 margaritas are consumed each hour. Seriously?!? Fun fact for the day. As it was a school night and during the middle of an already overbooked week, we skipped the margaritas, touched on the Battle of Puebla history a bit, but did manage an easy somewhat Cinco de Mayo appropriate dinner: grilled salmon and corn soft tacos. The best part: I didn't have to do much. Jake grilled the salmon filets that I had marinated in lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Jake grilled the corn. I just melted cheese onto organic tortillas, scooped plain yogurt, and topped it all with salsa in a jar that I had gotten as a birthday present. Yes, my friends know what makes me happy. Olé!