Culinary Adventures with Camilla

I love the idea behind the Crazy Ingredient Challenge (CIC). In the CIC, we are assigned two ingredients to cook and create. Lori of  Lori's Culinary Creations   and Kelly of  Passion Kneaded are our fearless leaders. So, here goes... August's Crazy In gredient Challenge = chili powder and honey Ingredients Lamb 1 rack of lamb splash of olive oil freshly ground sea salt freshly ground pepper 1 T crushed garlic Glaze ½ C olive oil 1 ½ C chopped yellow onion (approximately 1 large onion) ½ C tomato paste ½ C orange marmalade 1 C balsamic vinegar 1 C organic, raw honey ½ C Worcestershire sauce 1 C Dijon mustard ½ C  tamari 1 C  hoisin sauce 2 T chili powder 1 T ground cumin 2 crushed tepin chiles Procedure Lamb Heat olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add crushed garlic and sear rack of lamb for 1 to 2 minutes on all sides. Set aside for a few minutes. Arrange the rack bone s...

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 ...

When I was getting ready to leave my friends' house yesterday, I noticed all the prickly pears on their cacti. "Do you have plans for all those?" I queried, pointing at all the tunas on the paddles, as I am always looking to cook with things from my friends' yards! Plans for what? Mike asked. "All those prickly pears," I answered. Oh, no, I just let those fall on the ground. Why? Do you want some? "Yes!!!!!" He grabbed tongs, a long, knife, and a paper bag. I followed him out.  "I heard that I can burn the spines off with a torch. Is that what I should do?" [insert much laughter] Where did you hear that? "I read it somewhere," I answered sheepishly. It sounded like a good idea...all except for the fact that I have yet to locate my culinary torch since we moved. No, you don't need to do that. He cautioned me against touching the prickly pears at all and showed me how to get to ...

It's time for Group B's  Secret Recipe Club   August reveal. This month I was assigned to   Join Us, Pull Up a Chair ,  a blog written by Heather. Heather started her blog as a way to organize her recipes that were overtaking her office in the form of stacks and stacks of magazines, pages ripped from magazines and printed out recipes. Great intentions, but she admits: "I could never find that one recipe I was looking for." I totally understand that! I'm so glad she started this blog. I can't wait till I see fresh cranberries in the autumn; I am definitely going to make her Cranberry Chutney . Also on my short list: Beergaritas , Baked Potato Soup , Mini Scallop Casseroles , Balsamic-Roasted Pork Tenderloin , and Turkey Gyros . Yum, yum, yum. The recipe I selected to share reminds me of some meatballs that my mom used to make when I was a kid...actually, it probably was this recipe. I love the sweet and sour combination, but I adapted the r...

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 ...