Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Elizabeth at  The Lawyer's Cookbook   is hosting this month's  Food'N'Flix  event. We watched, or rewatched as the case may be,  Hocus Pocus.  Click to see  Elizabeth's invitation . On the Screen... I have never actually seen this movie. But it was rated PG, so I put it in the Netflix queue and sat down with the boys when it arrived. This was a good one-timer for us. It was fun, but I don't think we'll become the family that watches this every Halloween. The basic plot: three witches are hanged in Salem, MA, 300 years ago. Their bodies are cursed. Flash forward. The witches are trying to exact their revenge on two little kids in present day, well, present day when the movie was made. There is a lot of witches fly around on brooms - and vacuum cleaners - and the cat can talk. It's mayhem and madness all stirred together in a confusing cauldron with a lot of hysterical shrieking. Lots. But the sisters' antics did make me smile every ...

When the Enthusiastic Kitchen Elf and I went to the fish market yesterday, they had fresh, plump rock cod. I saw an easy dinner! This is barely a recipe, but it was a hit! As a process, feel free to substitute any fish you have, adjusting cooking time based on the fish thickness, and/or substitute with any herbs and spices you desire. Ingredients 2 rock cod fillets, weighing approximately 3/4 pound each 1 C passata di pomodoro 2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced 2 T za'atar (recipe to come) olive oil Procedure Heat oven to 400°F.  In a small mixing bowl, stir together your tomato sauce, crushed garlic, and 1 T za'atar. Spoon that into a rimmed baking dish. Arrange the cod on top of the sauce and sprinkle with the remaining za'atar. Drizzle with olive oil. Roast the cod for 10 to 15 minutes until the flesh flakes easily. Serve immediately with some of the sauce spooned over the top of the fish.

Ingredients 6 baby Portobello mushrooms, wiped clean, stems removed and reserved 1/2 C cooked millet 1/4 C shredded parmesan + more for sprinkling 1 T fresh parsley, chopped 1 t fresh thyme, chopped 2 T olive oil 1 egg 2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced freshly ground salt freshly ground pepper Procedure Preheat the oven to 400°F. Chop the mushroom stems and place them in a small mixing bowl. Add in the millet, olive oil, egg, garlic, cheese, herbs, salt and pepper. Mix to create a thick paste. Press the mixture into the hollows of the mushroom and place in a baking dish. Sprinkle more parmesan cheese over the top and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes, until the tops are browned and the mushrooms softened. Serve immediately.

Ingredients 1  C onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced 1 C fennel, stalks trimmed and cut into 2" pieces, fronds reserved 2 C diced apples 1 C diced zucchini 2 C chicken stock 1 C milk 1/4 C fresh herbs (I used a mixture of parsley and thyme) freshly ground salt freshly ground pepper shredded parmesan for garnish Procedure Place onion, garlic, fennel, apples, zucchini, and chicken stock in a large pot. Simmer until the apple and fennel are cooked and the liquid has reduced slightly. Let the soup mixture slightly cool and blend till smooth. Add in milk, to your preference on thickness. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Heat to warm again, then fold in fresh herbs just before serving. Garnish with fennel fronds and a sprinkle of shredded parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

"Mom," said the Wom, "my mouse melons are ready to be picked. Can we cook them?" What is a mouse melon? "I'll pick some and bring them in. Okay?" Okay. Mouse melons are Lilliputian-sized melons that taste like a cucumber with a little bit of a tang. They do look like they might appear at a mouse's summer picnic! After he brought them in, I asked if we could pickle them. He agreed. We didn't have enough to fill a jar, so I cubed some regular-sized cucumbers from our CSA box to add in. This is a small recipe because we barely had enough for one jar...and I had leftover brine at these measurements. Thank goodness I had some other things to pickle as well. Ingredients mouse melons to fill pint jar (we used regular cubed cucumbers to fill the space) 1 C water 1 C white vinegar 1 t raw honey 1/2 C salt 2 garlic cloves, peeled and halved 1/4 t peppercorns 2 bay leaves Procedure Bring water,...

I've been enamored with Not Ketchup since Erika first sponsored a blogging event that I was coordinating a few years ago; I'd never heard of her product before that. Now I actively watch for any new flavors she develops via her Twitter feed   or via her Facebook page . Just recently I saw her post that she had a Tangerine-Hatch Chile fruit ketchup coming out...and it had 'No Sugar Added.' I had to order it immediately.* Before it arrived, I thought about making a version of  Duck L'Orange. But, today, I was inspired to make some oven-roasted boneless pork ribs for lunch instead. Ingredients 3 to 4 lbs boneless pork ribs 2 T granulated garlic 1 bottle Tangerine Hatch Chile Not Ketchup 1/2 C pickled red onions (recipe to come) freshly ground salt freshly ground pepper Procedure Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place ribs in 9" x 13" baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 T granulated garlic. Turn over and sprinkle with the other 1 T gar...

If you follow my blog, or know me in real life, you'll know that my littlest one, my Enthusiastic Kitchen Elf, loves wombats. I don't really remember when his fascination with wombats started, but it's been several years. He has a stuffed wombat - you know how other kids have stuffed teddy bears? - and his nickname is 'The Wom'. When we go on outings, just the two of us, it's 'Mom and Wom Time.' So, when my Wom announced that yesterday was National Wombat Day, I knew we had to do something to celebrate. D: Mom, tomorrow is national wombat day C: What does that mean? D: We have to have a party to celebrate wombats- R: And EAT wombats!??! D: Noooooooooo... I talked him into celebrating one day late, because yesterday I was running in three different directions and wouldn't be able to do the meal justice. He agreed, then finagled a cake out of the deal. So look out for a chocolate wombat-SHAPED cake. Slightly Non-Traditional...