Culinary Adventures with Camilla

While April was a ridiculously unproductive month for me in regards to the  Foodie Reads 2016 Challenge , I have carved out full afternoons to read this month. I had started The Restaurant Critic's Wife by Elizabeth LaBan* earlier this week. But, this afternoon, I curled up under a blanket - while Jake worked on the 8th grade graduation video and the boys did homework - and read the rest of it. I love losing myself in the pages of an entertaining read. On the Page... I had initially thought this novel would be a breezy read about a series of restaurant reviews. It was much more than that. Lila is the restaurant critic's wife and they have recently relocated from New Orleans to Philadelphia. Sam, her restaurant critic husband, is obsessed with anonymity and wants her to stay out of the public's eye. That means he doesn't want he to socialize with her friend from college who has recently opened a restaurant; he doesn't even want her to get to know their new n...

Welcome to the May event for The French Winophiles, a wine-swilling, food-loving group coordinated by Christy of  Confessions of a Culinary Diva . We've made it around France. And by c licking on the following regions you can read my recipe post that includes the #winophiles round-up as well. So far, we've traveled - by tabletop and goblet - to  the Loire Valley ,   Corsica ,  the Southwest ,  Languedoc-Roussillon ,   Côtes du Rhône ,   Bordeaux ,   Champagne ,   Burgundy , and  Alsace . To Vouvray Today we're headed to  Vouvray. Located in the heart of Touraine, Vouvray - having been granted A.O.C. status in 1936 - is one of France's oldest, but the grapes themselves have been grown there since the 4th century. Vouvray's single grape varietal, that thrives in the region's clay and limestone soils, is Chenin Blanc, known locally as Pineau de la Loire . The Conversation Join us for a live Twitter Chat Sat...

While I don't find using cuttlefish ink that bizarre, the boys decided we should cook with cuttlefish ink for my Bizarre Foods SEM because "other kids might not have ever tried it." Okay. That makes sense. Ingredients  makes 2 to 3 servings 1 C flour (I used a blend with semolina, bread flour, and all-purpose flour) 1 egg water, as needed 2 t cuttlefish ink Procedure Spoon the pasta flour blend into a large mixing bowl and make a hollow in the center, like a volcano. Spoon the cuttlefish ink into the crater of the flour volcano. Use a fork to begin incorporating the flour. Making a whisking motion with your fork, starting in the middle and blending in the flour from the bottom moving upwards. If your dough is too wet, add a small amount of flour; if your dough is too dry and crumbly, add water 1 t at a time. Turn the dough onto a lightly dusted board and knead for 5 minutes until the dough is elastic and smooth. Roll out as thinl...

I love the idea behind the Crazy Ingredient Challenge (CIC); we are assigned two ingredients to cook and create. This month, Kelly of  Passion Kneaded  and Lori of  Lori's Culinary Creations  are hosting. So, here goes... May's Crazy Ingredient Challenge = black tea and lime Since my husband has been brewing his own kombucha for several months now - and always uses black tea as his base - I asked if he'd add in some lime leaves for one batch. He agreed. Sweet! I had some Black Dragon Pearls where each tea pearl is comprised of 30 handpicked leaves and buds. They are rolled immediately before the leaves can dry. They are so pretty! And - for the lime part of the challenge - I opted to use thin shards of Makrut lime leaves. Click to read about Makrut limes (I used to call them Kaffir limes): here .  Now a bit about kombucha, if you're unfamiliar. Kombucha is the beverage the ancient Chinese called the “Immortal Health Elixir.” It’s been...

Remember that we kicked off Fish Friday Foodies this year. It's a group of seafood-loving bloggers, coordinated by Wendy of  A Day in the Life on the Farm . We share fish and seafood recipes on the third Friday of the month.  This month, Caroline of  Caroline's Cooking is  hosting. Here was her challenge to the group: " Lots of fish and seafood pair perfectly with a bit of spice, whether it's kicking hot or mildly aromatic. Bring your favorite dish with a bit of spice to this month's event!" I decided to marinate ahi in a spicy marinade, sear it, then reduce the marinade for a spicy topping. Delish. Remember: since you're eating it (mostly) raw, you need to purchase sashimi grade ahi and you should eat it the same day you buy it. Ingredients serves 2 as an entree and 4 as an appetizer 1 lb sashimi grade ahi tuna 1/4 C organic tamari 1 T sesame oil 1/4 C canola oil, divided in half 1 fresh jalapeno, thinly sliced on the bias 1 clove garl...

Our CSF (that's community supported fishery) pick-up days is one of my favorite dinner days of the week. We love Real Good Fish for the quality, the freshness, and the philosophy! Last night, we received a beautiful, fleshy piece of King Salmon from our bay. It was really gorgeous. When we were talking about what to do with it, the boys answered, "Do something simple...and make sure it's still fatty and juicy." Okay. I decided to do a one-pan roast with potatoes, shallots, and the salmon. Meyer lemons from our tree added just enough zing. Ingredients serves 4 1 filet of salmon, approximately 1-1/2" thick with the skin on (thanks  Real Good Fish ) 2 T butter, room temperature 1 organic Meyer lemon, halved with one half thinly sliced 2 organic Russett potatoes, washed, dried, and sliced into wedges 1 shallot, thinly sliced olive oil freshly ground salt freshly ground pepper Procedure Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a mixing bow...

Last week I posted a review of Viva Naturals' Goji Berries. Click for that post and a recipe for Spiced Ginger-Turmeric Tisane with Goji Berries:  here .  So, I've been inspired to create new ways to use my gojis. For this recipe, I decided to go for a savory dish. I whipped up a pot of this sweet, tart, and spicy soup for lunch one afternoon this weekend. It was well-received! Ingredients 2 C dried goji berries 1 to 2 C boiling water 2 C stock (I used my Mineral Rich Vegetable Broth ) 1 large onion, diced 1 T olive oil 1 t ground cumin 1 broccoli bunch, chopped into cubes 2 summer squash, chopped into cubes 1 C red and yellow bell peppers, chopped 2 C kale, chopped 1 T fresh herbs freshly ground salt freshly ground pepper sour cream for serving, optional Procedure Place dried goji berries in a small mixing bowl. Pour 1 to 2 C boiling water over them. Let them soak to rehydrate for, at least, 10 minutes. In a large soup pot or...