Culinary Adventures with Camilla

I originally wanted to make a traditional Crawfish* Étouffée for Mardi Gras , but crawfish are hard to find in the store and I wasn't about to trek to a muddy creek to hunt for some this week. Another time...maybe I'll make this on a summer camping trip when we normally catch crawfish anyway...and because the dish was a hit! Étouffée means 'smothered' in French. Smothering meat, seafood or vegetables is a technique utilized in both Cajun and Creole cuisines. The technique involves cooking in a covered pan over low heat with a small amount of liquid; it's really just a form of braising. The dishes cooked like this are usually served over steamed white rice; I used some brown jasmine rice tonight. *Crawfish, crawdads, crayfish and mudbugs are all names for the same tasty critter. Click to read the Cajun legend of how crawfish came to be . Ingredients 2 pounds mixed seafood (I used shrimp, squid, scallops, and some chunks of white fish) 1/4 C butter ...

Earlier this week I posed a question. And this was my social media-conversation with a friend from high school. What's on your dinner table? Jill Chicken taco casserole! Nothing you'd ever make (too easy and too many canned foods involved) but I'm pretty sure it'll be a crowd pleaser! Camilla @Jill, that sounds like something my boys would LOVE...well, not the canned part...but they love chicken tacos. What else goes in there? Jill Chicken, salsa, black beans, cream of chicken soup... then layer with cheese and tortilla chips Camilla Okay, Jill. I'll give it my own twist sometime. Maybe this weekend. I'll keep you posted. Jill Forgot to mention sour cream mixed in too. I'd love to see your version! The discussion took just a few minutes, but had me mulling over possibilities all week. And it resulted in the birth of this recipe - Camilla's Chicken Taco Casserole! I got it down to 1 can, 1 jar, and a bag of chips...not bad. ;) Ing...

Elizabeth from  The Law Student's Cookbook  is hosting  Food'N'Flix  this month. And her pick - Elf  - is one that completely escaped my radar. So, when I saw her invitation  here and heard it mentioned on NPR as a top holiday movie, I knew I had to see it. Finally. On the Screen If you haven't seen it, do. It's fun. Just imagine a human raised by elves - North Pole elves, not Lord of the Rings elves - who goes to New York to find his biological father who has no idea he exists. Oh, and add to that Will Ferrell, James Caan, and Zooey Deschanel and hilarity ensues. I was tempted to create something with the Elf Food Groups - candy, candy corn, candy canes, and syrup - but my teeth ached just thinking about that. I thought about spaghetti and meatballs, minus the maple syrup, but that's a already household staple. So, I went a different direction. The bowl of soup that Jovie (played by Zooey Deschanel) is eating when she sees Buddy (Will Ferrell) o...

When I saw this recipe, I knew that I wanted to make it. Then a friend gave me 2 cups of homemade duck stock and it was a done deal. This is, of course, my adaptation; the original uses fish stock instead of duck, lemon juice instead of lime, asparagus instead of peas, and parsley instead of carrot top greens. As always, I use what I have! boneless and skinless Pacific Cod (click for Seafood Watch designation: here ) 2 C homemade duck stock (thanks, Undine!) 2 T butter 2 T flour 1 egg yolk freshly ground sea salt freshly squeezed lime juice 1/2 C cooked and peeled shrimp 1/2 C blanched fresh peas 1 T carrot top greens Cut the fish into pieces. Poach in duck stock for 8-10 minutes - until fish is opaque and firm to the touch. Transfer the fish to a deep serving platter and keep warm. Melt the butter and stir in the flour. Gradually whisk in the stock. Simmer until thickened. Beat the egg yolk and whisk into the sauce. Season with salt and lime juice. Garnish...