Culinary Adventures with Camilla

   It's Foodie Extravaganza Day and this month's theme is Croissants, although some will be using the Crescent Roll. This month's host is Kathleen from Fearlessly Creative Mammas . What is Food Extravaganza? It's when a group of bloggers get together and make a recipe using one main ingredient. Where do we get the ingredient? We look at The Nibble and pick something off of their list. Croissants are actually celebrated on January 30th, but it's in January, so it's fair game. You can check out our group Pinterest board for past recipes. If you're a blogger, you can join along with us by requesting to join on our Facebook page. Now, on to the goodness.  Just look at all the wonderful croissant recipes being shared today! Beefy Green Chile Braid  by Fearlessly Creative Mammas   Pain Au Jambon by Culinary Adventures with Camilla  Pain Au Chocolat by Making Miracles  Sausage, Egg and Cheese Croissant with Maple Dijon Sauc...

Remarkably - maybe for the first year ever - I didn't bring anything made with pumpkin for our annual Halloween camping potluck dinner. This year, I went for the macabre. There's no real recipe. Just get a skull prop. Wrap with plastic wrap wherever food is going to touch the skull...just to be on the safe side. Cover with your favorite charcuterie. I used prosciutto, coppa, and various salami. It was as tasty as it was disturbing (to some)! Happy Halloween!

I read avidly, mostly about food, and I cook all the time. I mean, a girl has to eat, right? So, I decided that if a book inspires me to get into the kitchen, I'll feature it in a series I'm calling - From Page to Plate.  I already take part in a bi-monthly foodie book group called  Cook the Books , but this is more fast, loose, and completely subject to my own whims. Here we go... The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais was on a list of books that are being translated to the big screen this year. I mentioned it to a few girlfriends as soon as I saw the list, then I suggested it as a book club read for several moms at school. So, it's pulling multiple duties this year. And it happened to be at the top of the book heap on the side of my bed when I finished reading Twain's Feast . Page Notes: The novel follows the footsteps of its narrator, Hassan Haji - from the slums of Mumbai to the zenith of Parisian haute cuisine . Don't be fooled by the title; h...

Okay, I have no idea how this popped into my head. I woke up yesterday morning and declared, "I've never made Beef Wellington. Today's the day." No idea if I had been dreaming about it...or how those two words surfaced in my mind. But I decided to do some reading and take a stab at it. I read four different recipes. Two had pâté; two didn't. One used mustard. All mentioned mushroom duxelles - what is that?!!? And all included prosciutto and puff pastry wrapped around a beef tenderloin. This is my own version, an amalgamation of Tyler Florence's Ultimate Beef Wellington , Chow.com's Classic Beef Wellington , BBC's Beef Wellington , and the version from Simply Recipes . Not sure this is anything close to what a traditional Beef Wellington is...but it was the perfect end to my 2014 Mothers' Day celebration. Ingredients puff pastry (mine was not homemade) beef tenderloin (mine was 2 pounds) duxelles   (mushroom paste) prosciutto 1 t fre...

When Jake and I ducked over the Crema for yet another 40th birthday celebration for me, this weekend, we started off with 'Avocado and Ham.' Such a basic name for a dish that is beyond basic. It's multi-dimensional, elegant and so, so tasty! Here's Chef Jon Moser's creation that inspired me to give it a try on my own... avocado, peeled and pitted diced prosciutto prosciutto, crisped in a pan till it can stand up cilantro, chopped Meyer lemon juice olive oil freshly ground sea salt freshly ground pepper lettuce for garnish (I used red leaf Little Gems from my CSA box) Arrange the lettuce on your serving plate. Place the avocado on top of the lettuce. If you need to slice a bit off the bottom to make it sit flat, do that. Fill the hollow with diced prosciutto. Sprinkle with sea salt, pepper, and cilantro. Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil. Place the crisped prosciutto in the hollow, upright, if you can. Thanks, Chef Jon for the inspiration. T...

*Full Disclosure: I received a complimentary, advance copy of this book  - Pure Vanilla by Shauna Sever -   from the publishers for the purpose of reviewing it.* When I first received the package from Quirk Books, giddy excitement washed over me as I tore open the envelope. I eagerly flipped through the pages, enthralled by Shauna Sever's prose and entranced by Leigh Beisch's photographs. I longed to reach into the pictures and pluck out a treat.  Then I got to work, surrounded by vanilla beans and vanilla extracts, and my enthusiasm transformed into sheer panic: What was I thinking? How could I possibly agree to review a cookbook? I can't follow a recipe to save my life! I rarely read a recipe, make a grocery list, and head to the store. I am always adjusting, based on what I already have in my cupboards. I use cookbooks as a jumping off point. But I decided that I am not alone. I am certain there are other home cooks who do as I do. We own cookbo...

For an appetizer that is playful on the palate, I layered toasted bread with slices of prosciutto di parma , medallions of burrata , and a dollop of Bartlett-Vanilla Bean Jam . A few kitchen notes... Prosciutto di Parma is a dry-cured ham from the Parma region that is served uncooked and thinly sliced. This style of meat is a prosciutto crudo which differs from prosciutto cotto , cooked ham. Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream. The outer shell is solid mozzarella while the inside is a mixture of mozzarella and cream. In Italian burrata means "buttered."

Yesterday Jake and I hosted our annual dinner party for the HOGS (Happy Omnificent Gourmet Society). This fun group of eight couples takes turns creating a festive event, usually, with a theme. We decided to kick it ol' school by making everyone play kickball - in our Che Cazzo! kickball tournament. Che Cazzo! is an Italian cuss-phrase that translates - roughly to WTF! - although it's literal meaning is about balls. In any case, it launched me into serving up a feast with foods that were round. Truth be told, we didn't make it to nine innings...not even close. We called it quits after two, but did work up quite an appetite. And glasses of cherry-chardonnay sangria helped to ease the pain of pulled groin muscles, bloodied knees, and bruised egos. To kick off the dinner, I served a trio of skewers - with mostly round elements. Skewers galore! I. Mozzarella Ciliegie + Mini Heirloom Tomatoes + Fresh Basil Leaves II. Strawberries + Feta Cubes + Mint Leaves ...

To  kick off our Fig & Honey Mothers' Day feast, I stuffed some dried black mission figs with a pat of feta cheese and wrapped them with a slice of prosciutto di parma. Then I put the dads to work and had them quickly sear these on the grill. The cheese was slightly softened and the prosciutto slightly crisp. Perfect!

Fourteen years ago I took my new boyfriend on a camping trip for his birthday. Having known him for less than two months, when we woke up on the bank of the river on the morning of his birthday, he announced to me that we were going to be married one day. [Okay, those weren't his exact words, but that was the gist of it.] I laughed, nervously, at him and jumped in the river. On our wedding day, he asked if I remembered what he said at Deep Creek. And he said, "All I have to say is 'Ha, told you.'" Happy birthday, Jake! Life with the Manns is always an adventure. We like it like that. So, this morning, I decided to whip up a less-than-typical birthday feast. Recipes to come. Asparagus-Almond Pizza Honey-Cardamom Broiled Grapefruit Omelettes with Brie & Prosciutto 

The last of the "dream-brunch" requests from my husband: fig + feta + bacon. Okay, so I couldn't find fresh figs and substituted prosciutto for bacon. Typically I use prosciutto raw, but I broke my rule and cooked it for this recipe. Here's what I came up with... Proscuitto-Fig-Feta Rosettes I destemmed the dried fig and sliced it in half, lengthwise. Be careful to leave the bottom intact. Stuff the fig with some feta cheese. Wrap a slice of prosciutto around the fig to form a "rose." Bake in a 350 degree oven until the prosciutto crisps a little bit and the feta browns, approximately 10 minutes. Serve hot.