Culinary Adventures with Camilla

When Thursday's dinner crew decided to cook and serve a meal with Mexican dishes, I asked them about special beverages from that country and they opted to make Agua de Jamaica and Horchata .  Agua de Jamaica translates to 'hibiscus water' and is an infusion of dried hibiscus flowers* and sweetener. It's easy to make and perfect as an ahead-of-time concoction. Some people call it 'hibiscus tea,' but as tea technically requires leaves from the camellia bush, I would go with 'hibiscus tisane,'  but 'cooler' works, too. Ingredients  makes 1-1/2 quarts of concentrate Concentrate 2 C organic hibiscus flowers 8 C cold water Cooler  makes 6 servings 1 C concentrate 1/2 C simple syrup (you can see a recipe here ) 4 C water Also needed: ice Procedure Concentrate Place hibiscus flowers in the bottom of a large pot. Pour in cold water. Bring water to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 10 mi...

Everyone is gifted in one way or another, right? Me? I can feed people! So, when the 8th grade teachers asked if I would head up the food portion of the graduation camping trip, I didn't hesitate. Then, in typical Camilla-style, I added crazy complicating details. I knew I would have four different teams, each cooking one meal: Thursday dinner, Thursday dessert, Friday breakfast, and Friday lunch. I offered to come in, meet with the kids, meal plan, shop, and guide them through four different international menus. It's an international school, after all. So, stay tuned for the recipes as we have Team Mexico serve up a taco and burrito bar with rice, beans, pico de gallo, plus horchata and agua de jamaica ! Team France made crêpes and meringues for around the campfire. Yes, meringues. Yes, I know we're camping. Team USA - also known as the Melting Pot - served açaí bowls, chicken and waffles, yogurt, granola, eggs, and bacon. And, finally, Team Vietnam ...

This post is sponsored in conjunction with #BBQWeek.  I received product samples from sponsors to use in creating #BBQWeek recipes. However, all opinions are mine alone.  This recipe is intended for readers 21 years and older. Please drink responsibly. Welcome to the fourth day of our fantastic #BBQWeek. Though the event goes for one more day, today is my final post. I had a major kitchen fail with the dessert that I had planned for tomorrow and I didn't have time to re-do it...I am currently in the boonies with the 8th grade class, wrangling them to prepare, cook, and serve four different international menus. Sometimes I really do wonder about my sanity. But I hope that (1) they have a memorable graduation camping trip and (2) are inspired to make some of these dishes in the future. In any case, #BBQWeek has been a fun and food-filled event coordinated by Ellen of  Family Around the Table  and Christie of  A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures . Not only d...

  This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of  Adams Extract and Spice, a sponsor of #BBQWeek . I received complimentary product for the purpose of review and recipe development, but all opinions are honest and they are my own.  This page may contain affiliate links. We're here at Day Three of a fun and food-filled event coordinated by Ellen of  Family Around the Table  and Christie of  A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures . Not only did they wrangle all of the food bloggers, but they lined up some fantastic sponsors who shipped us ingredients and items for use in creating recipes for the event. So nice!  And our generous sponsors are also offering prizes to our readers. So, don't forget to check out the prizes and enter the giveaway from our sponsors:  my intro to #BBQWeek post ! Here are the #BBQWeek Day Three Dishes... Cherry Chipotle Bourbon Baked Beans by Cookaholic Wife  Charred Corn Salsa by The Freshman Cook...

No books logged for my Foodie Reads Challenge   and it's already the third week of the month. What?!? it must be the end of the school year. It's not that I haven't been reading; I read every night. I just haven't finished any books this month.  Well, last night while the boys were working on a project with Jake, I picked up a book that I've had on my nightstand for months and settled under a blanket on a bean bag. The Language of Flowers  by Vanessa Diffenbaugh.* And I read it from start to finish before heading to bed. It turns out that it was written by someone I know...sort of. Well, I know her husband as he's the superintendent of our school district and we sit in meetings every month as the high school moves through its certification as an IB (International Baccalaureate) school. But I never put that together until I was staring at the cover and thought, "That's a fairly unusual last name. I wonder if they are related." They...

  This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of  Not Ketchup and Michigan Asparagus, sponsors of #BBQWeek . I received complimentary product for the purpose of review and recipe development, but all opinions are honest and they are my own.  This page may contain affiliate links. We're here at Day Two of a fun and food-filled event coordinated by Ellen of  Family Around the Table  and Christie of  A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures . Not only did they wrangle all of the food bloggers, but they lined up some fantastic sponsors who shipped us ingredients and items for use in creating recipes for the event. So nice!  And our generous sponsors are also offering prizes to our readers. So, don't forget to check out the prizes and enter the giveaway from our sponsors:  my intro to #BBQWeek post ! Here are the #BBQWeek Day Two Dishes... Crunchy Cool Coleslaw by Jolene's Recipe Journal  Grilled Chicken Asparagus Salad by Everyd...

Today is our fourth May post for our Kitchen Matrix Project, named after Mark Bittman's  Kitchen Matrix  cookbook. You can read about the year-long project:  here . This month, I chose the recipes and went with a Latin theme. So, we have worked with masa; we made salsa; we braised carnitas. And so on...you get the idea. This week I chose Mexican soups, but wasn't really inspired by any of the recipes listed. Darn it. But I will try his tortilla soup and pork soup soon. Just wasn't feeling it this week. Sorry. The #KitchenMatrixCookingProject Mexican Soups An InLinkz Link-up Albóndigas de Frailes  (Friars' Meatball Soup) Albóndigas soup is a traditional Mexican soup featuring spicy meatballs offset by the fresh flavors of vegetables and herbs. This wasn't one of Bittman's recipes under 'Mexican Soups', but it's one of my family's favorites, so I'm sharing it anyway! And, yes, this has my California twist include...