Culinary Adventures with Camilla

If you follow my blog regularly, or my social media, you'll know that we spent some time on the Hawaiian island of Oahu this summer - for our first family vacation since 2018. And you would also know that I like to read books that take place wherever I happen to be vacationing. I shared that I read all fifteen books of A Murder on Maui  series in my post Fifteen Books of Poe and a Shave Ice Addiction ; I had read the first four while we were on the island and on the plane ride home. On the plane ride there, I read the four books in J.E. Trent's Hawaii Adventure  series. Jessica Kealoha, a detective with the Los Angeles Police Department, hails from Hawaii where her father's side of the family is in law enforcement and her mother's side is in the Japanese Yakuza (organized crime). After her father dies under mysterious circumstances, Jessica returns to the Big Island to support one sister who has just been diagnosed with breast cancer and another sister who manages the f...

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Selefina spices. Complimentary product was provided for this post and this page may contain affiliate links. However, all opinions expressed here are my own. Years ago I attended two mole-making classes at a local shop. And, while I am grateful to know how to make mole, I don't do it that often. But when a contact from  Selefina * asked me if I would like to sample their new line, I looked through the website and decided to give it a whirl with their products. Selefina is new venture from the people behind Adagio Teas. They have used their experience in global sourcing and making connections to find high quality spices and seasonings. And by purchasing in bulk and using their own brand for labels, costs are kept lower for the consumer. It's a win-win and, from what I've tried, the products are amazing. Stay tuned for more posts, but this recipe uses several of their items, including three different dried chiles, hence ...

It's almost barbeque season, folks! And I am going to share a super simple process that you can use to make your own barbeque sauce. You can substitute any fruits...be creative and use what you have! I happened to have fresh raspberries on the day I was making this.  Ingredients 1-1/2 cup crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce (you can also use ketchup in a pinch) 1-1/2 cups fresh raspberries (you can use whatever other fruits you have on-hand) 3/4 cup vinegar (I used a Raspberry Basil vinegar) 3 Tablespoons maple syrup (you can also substitute honey) 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 2 teaspoons raspberry chipotle seasoning blend (you can use any mixture of spices such as paprika, cumin, etc.) freshly ground salt, to taste freshly ground pepper, to taste  Procedure Combine all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan and simmer until it has reached the consistency that you want. Mine took between 15 and 20 minutes. Adjust seasoning - sugar, salt, and pepper - ...

   This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Quail & Olive . Complimentary product was provided for this post and this page may contain affiliate links. However, all opinions expressed here are my own. When I was looking at the different oils and vinegars at The Quail & Olive*, I picked their Elderberry Balsamic Vinegar for two reasons. First, it incorporated elderberries from a local friend and favorite: Katie Reneker of Carmel Berry Company . And when Katie saw the recipe, she commented, " Hooray for reducing food waste! The vinegar is made with the mash after we juice our berries. Such a win to have two uses before they are composted!" Love that. Second, I pictured it in a cranberry sauce on my Thanksgiving table. Well, with the coronavirus pandemic still not under control, I won't be having any guests at my table this year. 2020 has been a huge let-down in so many ways. So. Many. But I still wanted this sauce on my plate.  This is quick; it'...

Kitchen Yarns: Notes on Life, Love, and Food by Ann Hood* showed up on my recommended reading list for my Kindle. And I fell for it, hook, line, and sinker, finishing it in just one sitting. But, really, Amazon's algorithms are always spot-on, so I'm not surprised that I loved this memoir. On the Page image from amazon.com Let me start with this: I've never read any of Hood's novels. I can't even name one. But I truly enjoyed this memoir and will be looking for more of her books. And, Kitchen Yarns  is one of the best titles. Ever. It's such an image-invoking name. Each of Hood's anecdotes are threads. Memories, conversations, and events that bind together family, friends, and food to create a poignant book. Each yarn explores how the happenings shape her as a person, as a wife, as a mother, and as a writer. The book also includes recipes throughout. I've bookmarked several of them and am on the hunt for other recipes that she men...

When we moved to the secondi section of our  Ab Ovo Usque Ad Mala  Thanksgiving menu, I was inspired by this passage in Crystal King's  The Chef's Secret* -  "She closed her eyes and savored the flavors. He himself has studded the birds wtih cloves and stuffed them with fennel.... He had spooned the pomegranate sauce over their wings, the little seeds falling onto the plate like tiny jewels" (pg. 47). I have always likened the color of the arils to a clear ruby or garnet. And we love quail at this house. So, this was an easy pick for a main dish as I haven't roasted a turkey in probably twenty years for Thanksgiving!   Ingredients  serves 4  (I tripled this for the dozen guests at our table) 4 whole quail 1 fennel, trimmed and thickly sliced 1 T smoked paprika 1 T sweet paprika 1 t ground cumin 1 t ground coriander 1/2 t ground cinnamon 1/4 t ground ginger freshly ground salt freshly ground pepper olive oil, as needed Al...

Let's get this out of the way:  No Reservations* is not the month's selection for Food'N'Flix . We were assigned What's Cooking?  And I already posted my Moroccan Rose Harissa for that. However, as I was perusing our 'previously watched' titles for inspiration on holiday movies, I came across No Reservations  from way before I ever joined the group...and before I was even blogging. I am still not sure how this movie evaded my attention for so long...it was released in 2007. But this week, as I prepared for our Thanksgiving feast and was waiting for squashes to roasts and crusts to chill, I started streaming it on Netflix. Then, Jake walked in halfway through and asked me to restart it. Done. I did discover that it's a remake of a German film called Mostly Martha . I will have to track that one down soon. On the Screen "...and they cooked happily ever after." Okay. It doesn't actually end like that, but as you see the two che...

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf Donati Family Vineyard, one of the  #MerlotMe   event sponsors. Complimentary wine was provided for this post and this page may contain affiliate links. However, all opinions expressed here are my own. October is always a fun wine pairing month as I take part in the month-long #MerlotMe event. And, because, we get many wine samples to taste, I plan many, many dinners to try them all in the weeks leading up to October.  In My Glass Donati Family Vineyard* is completely new to me and I was eager to share these wines with my mother and father-in-law during their weekend visit. I am also embarrassed to admit that I have never tried any wines from the Paicines AVA, despite their proximity to me here on the Monterey Peninsula. So happy to have made this acquaintance. Paicines is about an hour east of me, approximately 17 miles north of the Pinnacles National Monument, and consists of about 4,500 acres ...