Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Christie of  A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures  has our blogging group sharing rice recipes this week. She wrote: "Rice is such a versatile and buget friendly ingredient. From tossed into salads, added to stuffing, or just plan buttered with salt and pepper, it's the best side dish!" I am looking forward to getting all sorts of new rice recipes as it's still on my okay-to-eat list. But that's a story for another day.  I made this dish for a friend's birthday celebration last year. Last year! But I haven't had a chance to post about it. Geez... First, here are other rice offerings... A Slightly Unconventional Arroz de Pato by Culinary Adventures with Camilla Chicken Enchilada Rice Bake by A Day in the Life on the Farm Cold Rice Salad by That Recipe Peruvian Arroz con Pollo by Pandemonium Noshery Shaking Beef with Vietnamese Red Rice by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks Skillet Rice and Beans with Kielbasa by Cheese Curd In Paradise Wil...

Today Erin of The Spiffy Cookie invited us to "Get creative and make a sweet or savory recipe using peanut butter and chocolate. I run #PBchocSat throughout the college football season (GO BUCKS) so I thought it would be fun for others to join me - whether you are a fan or not." So. Many. Possibilites. Here's the line-up of peanut butter-y, chocolate-y goodness... Buckeye Trail Mix by The Spiffy Cookie  A #PBChocSat Twofer: Dangerous Cupcakes and Homemade Snickers by Culinary Adventures with Camilla  Buckeye Crunch Popcorn by Palatable Pastime  Vegan Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Cupcakes by The Baking Fairy  Muddy Buddy Rice Krispie Treats by Kate's Recipe Box  Peanut Butter and Chocolate Strudel by A Day in the Life on the Farm  Peanut Butter and Chocolate Shortbread Bars by Karen's Kitchen Stories  Chocolate Peanut Butter Bundt Cake by The Redhead Baker  Peanut Butter and Chocolate Nice Cream by Cooking With Carlee...

I have long been a fan of Lidia Bastianich since I stumbled across her cooking show on PBS when we lived in Oklahoma in the early 2000s. So, when a friend lent me a copy of  My American Dream: A Life of Love, Family, and Food by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich* , I was thrilled to dig in. On the Page I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, reading it late into the evenings after the boys went to sleep and early in the morning before I had to get up and make breakfasts and lunches for the family. I had not idea that she was one of the ethnic Italians who was stuck behind the iron curtain in Yugoslavia. Or that she and her family escaped and lived in a refugee camp for two years before the United States began accepting refugee applications. Eventually, they immigrated to New York before settling in New Jersey. Hers is truly the American dream; from coming to America not speaking the language to helming a veritable restaurant empire, Lidia illustrates the values of family, hard ...

I just finished a different book set in Iran. You'll hear more about that soon, I promise! But that inspired me to pick up some other books on my bookshelf from the same region of the world and I revisited this one first -  Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America  by Firoozeh Dumas.* On the Page Funny in Farsi  is a memoir written by an Iranian-born author who immigrated to California when she was 7 years old. It's - as you would expect from the title - funny. Really funny. But it's also heart-wrenching and mortifying. Imagine having your name's pronunciation slaughtered at every turn. I didn't have to imagine; I get it all the time. Most of the time I just introduce myself this way: "It's Camilla. Like Pamela, but with a C." Still, when people see if, even after I have just said it, it's still Ca-MI-la or Camellia, like those horrible flowers that rot while they are still on the bush. She writes  My name, Firoozeh, cho...

This post is sponsored  by Masters Teas and Adagio Teas .  I received complimentary product for the purpose of review . All opinions are mine alone. You can read about how I ended up with some samples from  Adagio Teas  of their new line:  Masters Teas * . Head over to my first tasting -  Tai Ping Hou Kui + Dried White Mulberries . This time we brewed their Ma Liu Mi tea. The boys were curious about the description of "monkey-picked," asking if it was really picked by monkeys. I didn't know, so I did some research. The origin of 'Monkey Picked' oolong tea dates to the early 18th century, when this varietal of tea plant was discovered in the Anxi county of Fujian province. Legend has it that monkeys were trained by monks to pick the choicest leaves from wild tea trees growing in the Wuyi Mountains of Fujian Province. So, no, it isn't really picked by monkeys; but 'monkey-picked' refers to oolong tea of the highest quality. Unlike the T...

I jump for joy whenever I see quince in the markets; I love quince. Quince are golden-hued till you cook them. Then they take on unique shades of pink, orange, and rose. They are lovely. Many people have commented that they don't know what a quince is or they haven't ever had a quince. If you're unfamiliar, here's a piece I wrote for  Edible Monterey Bay  several years ago:  Queen of Quince Takes Her Show on the Road . Truth be told, this is not a traditional sharlotka. The few Russian recipes I found didn't actually use ricotta or even quince. But I went with it anyway. I love adding ricotta and sour cream to baked goods for added moisture...and quince is always a delight. Also, this is normally done in a large Springform pan; I wanted to make individual cakes. Ingredients  makes 12 individual cakes Poached Quince 4 C water 1 organic lemon peel 2 cinnamon sticks 3-1/2 to 4 C quince, peeled and sliced Sharlotka 8 ounces whole milk ricotta 1/...

Though I still haven't felt the chill of autumn in the air here on California's central coast, we are sharing recipes with Fall's darling - the apple. Christie of A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures wrote: "Fall is just around the corner, but apples are coming into season. From sauces and breads to salads and side dishes, apples are completely versatile." I am looking forward to getting all sorts of new apple recipes with an entire week devoted to apples next month. But, for now, let's kick off apple season!  Apple Cider Old Fashion by Cheese Curd In Paradise Apple Coffee Cake by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks Apple-Stuffed Delicata Squash by Culinary Adventures with Camilla Baked Pork Chops and Apples by That Recipe Easy Apple Buns by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures Glazed Apple Pie Bars by Art of Natural Living Pork and Apple Kebabs by A Day in the Life on the Farm Sourdough Apple Bread by Karen's Kitchen Stories We share Recip...

Next month several bloggers are tackling the challenge of creating nutritious meals that stay within the budgetary constraints of what a family of four receives on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) which is $5.53 or $16.60 for the day. Yes, really. Challenge accepted. For my first attempt at the challenge, I made Frugal Tuna Pasta with Roasted Brussels Sprouts that rang in at total of $5.13. With some of those leftover ingredients - the pasta and the sauce - I created a second recipe with canned sardines as my protein and a tossed green salad as the side dish. can of sardines, cost $1.29 pasta, package serves 8, so I used half (will use for another meal), cost $0.89 = $0.45 marinara sauce, used half (will use for another meal), cost $1.99 = $1.00 parmesan cheese, used one-third, cost $2.35 = $0.78 olive oil for pasta, cost negligible = $0.25 salt and pepper, cost negligible = $0.05 mixed salad greens, used one-third, cost $2.99 = $1.00 olive oil f...