Culinary Adventures with Camilla

J told his dad that this was his favorite thing on the menu. I did the cheese ball part ahead of time, but he made the topping all by himself. And that is what made the dish! Ingredients  8 oz cream cheese, softened 1 t  Cajun seasoning 1 t Worcestershire sauce 1/2 t garlic powder 1/2 C butter 1/2 C organic dark brown sugar 2 t Worcestershire sauce 1 t dijon mustard 1-1/2 C coarsely chopped pecans Procedure  In a small mixing bowl, blend cream cheese, garlic powder, 1 t Worcestershire, and Cajun seasoning. I used a fork to fully incorporate the flavors. Shape into a 4-inch circle, about 1" thick. Place on serving plate, cover, and refrigerate until firm - at least a couple of hours. In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar, Worcestershire, mustard and pecans. Cook over low heat until the sugar is dissolved and everything is bubbling. Remove cheese ball from the fridge. Spoon pecan mixture over cheese ball. Serve ...

Coming up with a menu that included THIRTEEN different Cajun dishes - to celebrate D's 13th birthday - was challenging enough. Then, add to that, all the dishes needed to be able to be cooked - by kids - and consumed within a two and a half hour window. That was a little more challenging. I found a recipe for Maque Choux and knew that would be an easy addition. Maque Choux is a traditional sidedish from southern Louisiana whose name is thought to derive from the French interpretation of the Native American name. Ingredients 4 T butter 2 C diced onions 1 C diced green bell pepper 4 C corn kernels (we used a mixture of white and yellow) 1 C organic heavy whipping cream 1 t fresh thyme 1 t salt 1 t organic dark brown sugar 1/2 t hot sauce, optional (I think that J opted not to include that) Procedure Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until translucent, approximately 5 minute...

To cap our Cajun-New Orleans menu, I decided to have them make Flambéed Bananas for dessert. Who can resist setting their food on fire?!? And, one of the kids, suggested we just stand around the stove and sing around the pan...since we weren't having a cake with candles. Great idea! Ingredients  makes 6 small servings 1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter 3/4 C firmly packed organic dark brown sugar 1 t freshly grated orange zest 4 ripe, but firm bananas, sliced on the bias into thick coins 1/4 C dark rum ice cream for serving (more on our ice cream flavors soon) Procedure In a large sauté pan over medium heat, combine the butter, brown sugar, and orange zest. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter melts and the sugar is dissolved, approximately 5 minutes. Add the banana slices and cook, until just tender, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the burner and pour in the rum. Using a stick lighter, ignite the alcohol by placing th...

Dreamfarm sent me their Clongs to try out and review*. What fun! Oh, what's a 'clong', you ask?? Clongs are click-lock tongs - kinda like a clicky pen - that open and lock shut with the push of a click mechanism. Read more about them on the Dreamfarm website: all about Clongs . What I loved... I have never had tongs with silicone tips. They add grip and things that would normally slip out of tongs' grasp easily can't! Additionally, the color is vibrant and super cute. Okay, I know that that doesn't have anything to do with its functionality. But it does make it less utilitarian-looking and more like something that I will happily use at the dining room table. The bend in the arms, touted to keep the tips off the bench and more hygienic, were actually perfect for balancing on the edge of the pot or bowl. What I wished were different... The only thing I would change - at 9" long, I wished they were slightly longer. Then, I realize...

Rhubarb tart is pretty much my family's favorite dessert of all time. I don't know if it's because rhubarb season is so fleeting that this tart is something they dream about for the rest of the rhubarb-less year - or if it just really is everyone's favorite. There's the puckering tartness of the rhubarb, the toothy bite of the crust, and the slightly caramelized crisp of the brown sugar on the top. It is pretty fantastic. So, when Jake decided to do a gluten-free, dairy-free experiment and the boys and I found rhubarb at the market, they whined: "You can't make rhubarb pie because Daddy's gluten-free and dairy-free!!" I assured them that I could certainly try to make one. Making the shift to gluten-free and dairy-free baking has been a lot of trial and error for me. But, with this, I think I got it! Ingredients Gluten-Free Crust 2 C gluten-free flour (blend your own or I used Glutino*) 1/2 C ground almonds 3/4 C dairy-free butter (I u...

I know, I know. You're thinking: Didn't you just make these? Well, yes...and no. Here are the Matcha-Chocolate Chip Blondies v.1 . This recipe is more streamlined and a little bit more chocolate-y. That's always a good thing in my book. Ingredients 1 C butter 2 C flour 2/3 C organic dark brown sugar, lightly packed 1 t baking powder 2 egg yolks 1 t organic chocolate extract 1/2 t unsweetened cocoa powder 1 T matcha green tea powder 4 to 5 T semi-sweet chocolate pieces Procedure Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place flour, sugar, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. With your hands, press the butter into the flour, flattening the cubes into flat leaves. Add in the egg yolks, chocolate extract, cocoa powder, and matcha; press together gently to form dough. Press two-thirds of the dough mixture into an 8" square pan. Spoon chocolate pieces over the top of the dough. Crumble the remaining flour mixture over the top. Bake for 35 minutes...

This past weekend, while Jake was out on his mountain bike with friends, I took the boys into town for an adventure of our own. We ended up at Trio Carmel where I needed to pick up some wine I had ordered. We spent quite awhile tasting the vinegars and olive oils they have. So many choices. In the end, we selected three of our favorites: Lemongrass Mint White Balsamic, Cinnamon Pear Dark Balsamic, and Espresso Dark Balsamic. I was inspired by the espresso vinegar to make a coffee-rubbed pork tenderloin. Ingredients 1 pork tenderloin, approximately 2 pounds 5 cloves garlic, peel and slightly crushed 3 T ground coffee (I used some Verve Coffee ) 1 T coarse salt (I used an alderwood smoked salt) 1 T organic dark brown sugar 1 t sweet paprika 1t smoked paprika 1 t freshly ground black pepper 1 t ground cumin 1 t unsweetened cocoa powder 2 T olive oil espresso balsamic vinegar Procedure Place pork tenderloin in a baking dish. Pierce the pork with the...

Every year we go Halloween camping with some good friends. And the kiddos trick-or-treat between the our group's campers and campsites. What fun! This year I decided to whip up some spiced hot chocolate mixes and hand those out from our tent. Ingredients makes 14 mason jars full 16 ounces unsweetened cocoa powder 16 ounces organic dark brown sugar 16 ounces organic granulated sugar 2 T ground sage 1 T ground cinnamon 1/2 t fleur de sel Procedure Mix all of the ingredients together in a mixing bowl until well-combined. Scoop into jars. Easy peasy!! Here are our happy campers... To make hot chocolate: Add 3 heaping T to 4 to 6 ounces of hot milk.