Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Welcome to the April 2020  Improv Cooking Challenge . Somehow I missed March. Whoops. This group is headed up by Nichole of  Cookaholic Wife . And I haven't been very consistent, take last month as an example, but I love the idea of the group, so I will try to be better in the coming months. The idea behind Improv Cooking Challenge: we are assigned two ingredients and are challenged to create a recipe with those two things. This month's items: lettuce and lemons. Here's what the crew is sharing... Bitter Greens Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette by Culinary Adventures with Camilla Falafel Layered Salad & A Bhatura Sandwich - A Combo  by Sneha's Recipe Greek Meatball Salad   by Cookaholic Wife Grilled Lemon Herb Mediterranean Chicken Salad   by Making Miracles Mixed Greens with Roasted Golden Beets and Lemon Vinaigrette  by A Day in the Life on the Farm Strawberry Cucumber Salad   by Pandemonium Noshery Wilted Spinach Salad wit...

I have been trying to curtail my Amazon purchases for the sake of our family budget. Since books are my biggest indulgence, I applied for a library card and am usually at my local branch at least once a week, swapping out books. On a recent visit, I perused the shelves near the front with the books for sale and immediately honed in on Around the World in 80 Dinners: The Ultimate Culinary Adventure by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison.* You can't beat the price or the fact that the funds benefit the library. Win for both. Annoying Person Shifts From the title, this seemed like the kind of book I would adore. And it was...all except for an annoying habit the authors have of mixing first person and third person in the same paragraph and sometimes even in the same sentence. At first I stumbled over the phrases, trying to figure out what was jarring my eye. Then I realized it and couldn't unsee it. Oye. It annoyed me every single time they did it, which was often, un...

This month the  Pass the Cookbook  crew - under the leadership of Kita, the culinary force behind  Pass the Sushi  - is cooking from Julie of White Lights on Wednesday 's pick: Emeril Lagasse's Kicked Up Sandwiches .   This post contains an amazon affiliate link at the bottom - for the book. Our three choices this month were for Almond-Poppy Seed Pound Cake with Lemon Neufchâtel, Turkey Waldorf Sandwich, or Beef Shwarma with Tzatziki Sauce. And, yes, I did pick the latter because of Julie's note: "Who doesn’t want to know what Shwarma is after seeing The Avengers? "  I actually didn't remember the Shwarma reference...from the one time I saw the movie. But my boys - all three of them - were happy to oblige and watch it with me; it was the first time our little one has been allowed to see a PG-13 movie. Gasp! He was so excited...he's ten-and-a-half. I found this still of the Avengers eating shwarma...from the extras of the DVD; we had watch...

Our Indian summer has arrived. Yes, it's in the 70s on the central coast. And, for this wimpy, heat-averse fog-lover, it means that I do a lot of belly-aching come dinner time; I stare in my fridge, wondering what I can do with the least amount of heat. With the zucchini from my CSA box staring back, I decided on this... Place 3 small zucchini, julienned, in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle the zucchini with 1 T olive oil, 1 T sesame oil, 1 t soy sauce, and 1 t freshly squeezed lemon juice. Toss to coat. Spoon the dressed veggies over washed and torn lettuce leaves. Sprinkle with furikake , if desired.

I don't know what's more amusing - that my 9-year-old didn't know what a BLT was or that he thought I said 'Beetle Tea' was for dinner and he didn't even blink. For the record, I have never fed my kids beetles! Crickets, yes. Beetles, no. Baker's Bacon A couple of friends went to a bacon workshop last night and brought me two packets. I love Baker's Bacon ! The one I used for tonight's dinner: Baker's Double Applewood Smoked Bacon . Thanks, Brian and Pia! You definitely know the way to my heart. Sea Salt Focaccia 2 C warm water 1 T active dry yeast 1 T raw organic honey  5 C flour, plus additional for kneading 1 T freshly ground sea salt, plus more for sprinkling 1/2 C extra-virgin olive oil, divided Combine the warm water, yeast and honey in a small bowl. Let the yeast bloom for 10-15 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, and half of the olive oil with the yeast mixture. Beat with a wooden spoon...

May 10, 2013 - This hearty, exotic salad was inspired by the Thai Orchid Beef Salad recipe in  Cooking with Flowers: Sweet and Savory Recipes with Rose Petals, Lilacs, Lavender, and Other Edible Flowers  by Miche Bacher of  Mali B Sweets . I made several adaptations. I didn't have any beef in my fridge, but I had a few salmon filets. So, I went with those. I lined the plates with Little Gems lettuce leaves. It almost looks like the picture...the dendrobium orchids are ridiculously photogenic. salmon filets for as many people as you are serving 1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced splash of olive oil soy sauce Little Gems lettuce leaves 1/2 C fresh, chopped cilantro 3 chives, chopped 6-8 dendrobium orchids Dressing: 3 T fermented fish sauce 3 T Meyer lemon juice 1 T organic honey 1/2 t Thai chili paste Saute the onions in a large, flat bottom pan that will be able to accommodate all of your salmon. Once the onions are softened, but not browned, la...

This hearty, exotic salad was inspired by the Thai Orchid Beef Salad recipe in  Cooking with Flowers: Sweet and Savory Recipes with Rose Petals, Lilacs, Lavender, and Other Edible Flowers  by Miche Bacher of  Mali B Sweets . I made several adaptations. I didn't have any beef in my fridge, but I had a few salmon filets. So, I went with those. I lined the plates with Little Gems lettuce leaves. It almost looks like the picture...the dendrobium orchids are ridiculously photogenic. salmon filets for as many people as you are serving 1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced splash of olive oil soy sauce Little Gems lettuce leaves 1/2 C fresh, chopped cilantro 3 chives, chopped 6-8 dendrobium orchids Dressing: 3 T fermented fish sauce 3 T Meyer lemon juice 1 T organic honey 1/2 t Thai chili paste Saute the onions in a large, flat bottom pan that will be able to accommodate all of your salmon. Once the onions are softened, but not browned, lay your salmon filets ...

Lettuce is usually relegated to salads. Usually. Though, when I lived in Rome, I do remember Maria teaching me how to make Zuppa di Lattuga e Fagiolini (Lettuce and Bean Soup). Don't get me wrong. There's nothing wrong with salad; I love a crisp salad at the end of my dinner. But I wanted to flex my culinary muscles and do something a little bit more creative with the two Little Gems lettuce heads I had left in my Fogline Farm box this week. Lettuce Get Creative! But as I was short on time - mid-schoolweek and music lesson day for the boys - I decided to sear the lettuce. 2 Little Gems lettuces 1 T butter splash of olive oil 1 T dukkah* freshly ground sea salt freshly ground pepper In a large, flat-bottom pan, heat butter and a splash of olive oil. Tossed in 1 T of dukkah  and heat until the seeds began to toast and pop. Cut the Little Gems in half, lengthwise, and place them cut-side down in the hot pan. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook until the cut s...

It's time for the November  Secret Recipe Club  reveal: Delishhh is a food blog written by Ewa who was born in Sweden, raised in Asia and now lives in the Seattle. She has a passion for international flavor and all things related to food. She enjoys sharing her recipes and her evolving fascination with the global artistry of culinary delights. My kinda gal for sure! There were sooooo many of her recipes that I wanted to try. Her Spiced Pumpkin Cake ,  her Plum-Marscarpone Pie , and her B alsamic Glazed Flank Steak  immediately jumped out at me. Her Rosemary-Parmesan Crackers are on my short list. But it was her restaurant review for Tamarind Tree in Seattle and recipe for Vietnamese Spring Rolls that were screaming my name. I didn't have any rice vermicelli, but I had a clump of enoki mushrooms. They look similar to noodles, right!? I also adapted Ewa's recipe to match what I had on hand, swapping out the basil for mint, adding cucumbers and avo...

prepared by Kristina Scrivani at Stone Creek Kitchen  during their Spanish Tapas cooking class on February 24, 2012 2 heads of butter lettuce 2 avocado 1 cucumber, cleaned, striped, and deseeded 1 shallot 1 C ripe grape tomatoes 1 C parsley 2 cloves garlic 1/2 C sherry vinegar 1/2 C olive oil salt and pepper To make the dressing, place cucumber, tomato, garlic, shallot, and parsley into a food processor. Add vinegar. Process until mostly combine, but still chunky. Start processor again and add oil, slowly, until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Layer butter lettuce and avocado slices on a plate. Spoon dressing over the top. Grind fresh pepper over the top before serving.

Traditionally this salad is made with romaine leaves. I used what I had - red-leaf lettuce from our High Ground Organics CSA box. But the onions and lemon provide all of the flavor, so I figured we were staying true to the taste of the original salad. Jake and I were both surprised at how much we liked this combination; it was very fresh with the lemon juice. It's hard to even really call this a recipe, but it was tasty and we will definitely make it again. 1 head red leaf lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces (the original recipe calls for romaine lettuce) 1 bunch spring onions, chopped 2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered (the original recipe calls for the eggs to be sliced) pink Himalaya salt and flower pepper, freshly ground to taste 2 T extra virgin olive oil 1 T lemon juice

Just as Brian doesn't consider it a meal without meat of some kind, I need a vegetable or a salad to call it good. I elected to make a version of California Pizza Kitchen's Chopped Salad, skipping the salami and turkey, substituting red bell peppers and cucumbers instead. The original salad is made with iceberg and romaine lettuces. I feel about iceberg about the same way I feel about Velveeta. But I did buy some butter lettuce for the same look. Funny story, as I was unloading the shopping basket I hear an indignant little voice beside me: "Mommy, why are you buying iceberg lettuce? You said that it has no nutritional value." Heads turn to stare. Shhh...it's not iceberg lettuce, it's butter lettuce. And it's for Uncle Brian's birthday. "It looks like iceberg. Didn't you say that we should always eat lettuces that are dark green or even red?!" More stares. Yes, darling, but every once in a while it's OK. Just like you eat ice cre...

One of the Christmas presents I most appreciated: a bag full of different kinds of flour. Barley flour, coconut flour, corn flour, garbanzo flour and coconut flour. In other words, a culinary challenge. Since my husband graciously took the boys for a bit this evening, I cranked up Journey, cooked dinner in peace, and went to town with my bag of garbanzo flour, using the recipe on the back as a starting point for falafels. Mine didn't really resemble the crispy golden orbs I loved from a falafel stand in Berkeley; they were more like patties. But they were tasty and I will definitely make them again. 2 C garbanzo flour 1/4 t baking soda pink Himalaya sea salt freshly ground pepper 2 T meyer lemon juice 1/2 C hot water 1/2 t minced garlic 1/2 t dried oregano 1/2 t dried dill Mix all ingredients together and let rest for 10 minutes. Heat oil in a flat-bottom pan and place teaspoons of the batter in. Cook till browned. Flip and brown the other side. I had some lettuce from...