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Blogging With Julie MORE in 2024

Blogging With Julie MORE in 2024

        Shirley Temple, Anyone?  Julie Barefoot Blogging with a Baby Bed in the Living Room (I am my Grand-Daughter Isabelle’s (Peanuku) Main Care-Giver.) ‘Yeah, I see it.  Thanks for letting me know.’ (Usually someone warning me about a threat from my cyber-stalker.) 

Blogging With Julie All Along (Past and Present Blogging)

Blogging With Julie All Along (Past and Present Blogging)

            Hello and Welcome to My Personal Blogs I started this website in July, 2011, along with my very first blog post.  I tend to write about whatever I may be going through.  When I started the website I was 

The Baby Shower

The Baby Shower

 

 

 

 

 

www.BarefootInFloridaWithJulie.com

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Welcome To The Baby Shower

(May 2023)

A Haku Lei I Ordered From Hawaii For Veronica, Our Mother To Be

Our Buffet Table

Our Veronica, The Mother To Be

Veronica and Brian

The Proud Parents To Be

Gordon and Julie

Host, and Hostess, and Future Tu-Tu’s  🙂

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Our daughter Veronica, asked us to host a baby shower for her and Brian.  We happily excepted! 

After all, we have the perfect outside for entertaining.  However, our backyard was a wreck!  We had let it go because of the Pandemic, leaves were everywhere because in our section of Florida, our leaves fall off the trees from February to April.  Our backyard grass was dead!  Our landscaping was overgrown, and everything was in need of a good pressure washing and bleaching to our cement and statuary.  We had thick black mold around our lanai extension and some landscaping.  Our trees were also desperately needing to be cut back with quite a few limbs removed.  We also needed some nice new plantings to really accentuate our backyard entertaining and lanai areas.

We had 7 weeks…..

I’ll spare you the long version and go straight to the CliffsNotes, we hired tree trimmers to really beautify our front and backyard, cutting down huge limbs that would block the sun, opening up our yard.  Happily, just one week later our neighbors in back of us did the same and even cut down 3 trees on their property really opening up our yard even more.  All of our trees were beautifully sculpted. 

Next came all the cleaning up in the backyard.  Raking leaves, pulling weeds, revamping landscaping with new plantings, etc.  I started with my Herb Garden and went from there.  Working my way all around our lanai extension, while Gordon tore up most of the overgrown ferns all along the back around the fence. 

We purchased some new plants, pots, and mulch.  Cleaned up what we liked, and tore up what we didn’t.

I refurbished my herb garden, planted new peppers all along the side of the of our backyard, chose beautiful plantings that attract butterflies and bees.  The bees pollinate the flowering plantings.  We even rearranged our backyard furniture and some potted trees that we have.  I even ordered some new outside furniture to make sure we had enough seating for everyone.  I even borrowed about 4 outside chairs from Mackenzie, our son’s girlfriend.

Once we had done all the dirty work outside, it was then time to do all the pressure washing.  Our pressure washer ended up breaking, so we borrowed our son’s but, his just didn’t have the power that ours did.  It was better than nothing though.  We then had to locate someone to fix ours.  That took over a week to get fixed.  In the meantime, we are still planting…

It was from the beginning that I was ordering gifts for the baby, gifts for the guests, prizes for the games, and a few decorations.  I wanted to make sure that everything arrived before the baby shower.  Gordon and I also did a lot of shopping for party plates, cutlery, cups, bowls, serving utensils, fake flowers for accents, and so on, and so on.

I also thought of things like what Gordon and I can wear for this party?  What foods are we going to make, or serve, what are we going to do with all of our dogs?  We don’t want them slipping out the front door as guests arrive and then we lose them.

I will happily show you what all we came up with in preparing and hosting this party. 

Gordon and I did it ALL ourselves!  I do have to say that it was a lot on us!  It took us 7 weeks.  But, we did it!  Next time though, I think we will ask for some help. 

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Brian and Veronica

Apollo Beach

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Anxiously Awaiting Our Peanuku’s Birth

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The Baby Shower Foods

I like our table set ups.  We already owned the portable tables, but I did buy the table clothes for them.  I told Veronica that I wanted to do pastels for our spring party, but that I didn’t want it to look Easter.  She agreed.

We already had the indoor/outdoor rug, but we did buy the large oversized umbrella and the pretty round fan like accents hanging down.  I believe they are a Martha Stewart product.

I purchased the pretty plastic plates, and cutlery from Michael’s.  I also purchased the pretty flowering swags set up along the front of both tables from Michael’s, as well.

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Tribute to Eileen Kelleher

On January 11th. of this same year Brian’s mother died.  Her name was Eileen.  It was a tremendous loss for this family as she was a very hands on mother and grandmother.  I wanted to pay tribute to her.  I decided to buy a bunch of wooden blocks to not only use as decorations around the food tables, but to also spell out names of all us, but especially her, I also wanted them to be our little Peanuku’s to play with and learn from.  (Peanuku means Peanut in Hawaiian.)

Because they are Catholic, I wanted to incorporate an angel as well.  I tried to find a wooden angel but I really couldn’t.  I did find this particular angel with the stable and star.  Bookends, actually.  So, I ordered them.  Brian’s mother Eileen  would have made an excellent co-grandmother for our little grand-daughter.  I would have happily shared that privilege and responsibility with her.  Her death is everyone’s loss.  Especially, our little grand-daughter.

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Our Baby Shower Foods

Gordon and I made most of them ourselves.  The only thing that we catered were the Chicken Nugget’s from Chick-Fil-A.  That was a request from Veronica.  We were going to have children here and she wanted them to be able to eat something that they enjoyed.  Therefore, Chick-Fil-A is it!

Because I, Julie, was also the official photographer for the party, I wish that I had taken more close-ups of the foods.  But, when you are the decorator, the cook, the caterer, the hostess, the dishwasher, and the photographer, then you tend to be so overwhelmed that you miss a few important steps along the way.

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Our Baby Shower Food

The buns to the left are filled with our Cucumber/Carrot Cream Cheese Mixture.

Our Oriental Jezebel Cocktail Sausages, to the right.

L to R:  Cucumber Onion Salad, Olive and Pecan Tea Sandwiches, Chick-Fil-A Nuggets with Dipping Sauces, Julie’s Chicken Salad with Herbs and Croissant’s, along with a Fruit Salad

The Dipping Sauces Consist of the Chick-Fil-A Calssic, and their Polynesian, and our Sweet Baby Ray’s

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It Was A Lovely Buffet

The Chick-Fil-A Nugget’s and the Dipping Sauces were a big hit with everyone!

The Fruit Salad

I Placed Cups with Spoons Here so that the Fruit Salad Could be Separate

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Time To Eat

The ‘Parents To Be’ Go First

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While The Parents To Be Fix Their Plates….

The Jewelry and Flower Tree

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Fixing Their Plates

Julie’s Oriental Jezebel Cocktail Sausages, Our Manchego Slaw, Pink Deviled Eggs, Pimiento Cheese Sandwiches, and Dill Pickle and Cream Cheese Sandwiches

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Now For The Rest of the Guests

You Can See Our Sails Here

We placed a few sails overhead to help to shield from the sun and rain if that were the case.  The sails helped to keep the area a bit cool.  Although, considering that this was an early May party, it wasn’t as hot as it usually is.  Which we were very grateful for.

Cousin Kelcy From Orlando!  🙂

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Pretty Mackenzie

(Brodie’s Girlfriend)

Our Lanai Extension’s French Doors

We Set Up a Canopy For Veronica to Open her Gifts

Our Guests Milling About

Veronica Eating With Her Niece and Nephew, Shay and Johnathon

The View From Our Lanai Extension

The Trash Can (Basket)

Always have a trash can/cans available for your guests so they don’t keep trampling into the house.  I wish that I had bought a nice large pot to use as a trash can.  It would have been so nice and appropriate.  Also, I would have used it to plant some lovely backyard tree.

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The Non-Alcoholic Drink Station

Veronica’s only request was that she wanted Virgin Pina Colada’s.  We complied.  🙂

We also created some other Virgin drinks.  We created a Peach Tea, and a Strawberry lemonade.

We did tell the adults that if they wanted a “splash” of something alcoholic, to see Gordon at his Bar.  🙂

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Veronica’s Very Talented Artist Co-Workers

Cooler Housing Bottled Water and Underneath the Gifts of Baby Shower Barefoot Wines

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The Sanitary Station

I wanted to have some Paper Towels, Tissues, Sanitary Wipes, and some Sunscreen for our Guests to use.

I placed a bubble wreath around the items just to make them look a bit festive and organized.

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Mackenzie and Brodie

Hank Got All Decked Out With His Bow Tie

Hank, Brodie, Veronica, and Mackenzie

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The Bar (Gordon’s Bar)

Brodie and Gordon Chowing Down on some Pulled Pork Nachos

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The Gift of Shot Glasses for the Guys

Brian Enjoying Himself

The Pulled Pork Nachos Were Made By Raul, Brian’s Friend

You Know the Guys are Going to Congregate Around the Bar

Pulled Pork Nachos, Beer, Yeah, That’s the Guys!  🙂

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The Petting Zoo

There have been occasions in the past where we wish that we had had these gates set up where we could contain our dogs.  We’ve got great dogs, we weren’t worried about them hurting anyone.  But, we were worried about our guests coming in and out of our front door and perhaps our dogs might slip out un-noticed, and then gone.  🙁

Therefore, we wanted to create a nice area for our dogs, keeping them safe and together, and doing our best to keep them cool.

Needless to say, they didn’t like it! 

They wanted to be with all of us.  I don’t blame them.  We just wanted them to be safe because Gordon and I were the hosts of this party and we can’t just watch them the entire time.

Ultimately, we decided to just let them roam around and be happy.  Luckily, they never strayed beyond our borders.  🙂

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THE CHAIR

(Before The Guests Arrive)

Notice the Cute Pillows of Top Ramen and Spam Musubi

I wanted to create an area in our backyard where we could designate as a gift area.  We placed this canopy in a section of our backyard, placed an indoor/outdoor rug underneath it, hung some battery operated pink Chinese Lanterns above it, and placed a grand chair for our mother- to- be to sit.

We also brought out a glass covered bamboo table and the small table you see above and below, was Veronica’s when she was a small child. 

Veronica is an artist.  It quite frankly, started with me!

On the small table you see in the photo below, I introduced my daughter to Finger Painting, Charcoal, Pastels, Oils, Watercolors, Pastel Pencils, and Crayons.

I wanted her to have her childhood table for her daughter. 

Now, Veronica can teach her art, just like I taught Veronica.

All of the Gifts you see Above, are From Us

Gordon, Veronica, Brian, Brodie and Julie

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Veronica With Her Great Friend Sarah

Veronica did not want to have this Baby Shower without her old friend Sarah here.

Seeing as how Sarah was Veronica’s Maid of Honor at her Wedding, I asked Sarah if she would assist in Veronica opening up her Baby Gifts.  She agreed.  🙂

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Here, Veronica is wearing the Haku Lei I had made for her from Hawaii.

The is opening the gifts from her friend Sarah.

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Gordon Always Manages to get his Mug in There!  🙂

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Look At All The Gifts

I was truly amazed at how many wonderful gifts that Veronica and Brian received for their baby.  It showed me just how loved and adored that they are by so many people.  I am so happy that they have all these wonderful people in their lives.  People that think so fondly of them.

Veronica is a very sweet girl that appreciates all that comes to her. 

Brian too.  🙂

Opening Some of Our Things Now  🙂

Sarah Was Wonderful at Assisting With All The Gifts

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Spooky Wanted To Help!

Storm Pooper/The Dark Side  🙂

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This Beautiful Baby Diaper Cake

This was actually my favorite.  Veronica’s sister-in-law Marisa made it.

  I love gifts that house a lot of thought and consideration behind them.

Ariel by Don “Ducky” Williams

This beautiful signed poster was from Kelcy, Veronica’s first cousin who has worked at Disney for year’s.

The first movie Veronica ever saw was The Little Mermaid when she was 2.  🙂

Veronica with Kelcy

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All The Kelleher Women and Family

(Veronica is very lucky that she has such a great support system of strong wonderful women.)

The Highlight For Me Was Meeting Veronica’s Artist Co-Workers

Artists are Cool, Creative, and Inventing

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Memory Box for Peanuku

I was showing it to Mackenzie. 

That is her hand above, looking at it.

I am big on memories and keepsakes so I sought out a nice pretty decorative box to put things in to give to Veronica, so that she could add to it.  My thinking is that we can give this to our little baby girl when she gets older and perhaps she just might like to see the plates, napkins, and cutlery used at her baby shower.  The decorative napkins, and even some of the jewelry.  I hope she likes it.  I put it together with lots of love and thought.  🙂

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Time For Games

Some of Our Prizes

I think with any sort of party there are games.  I am more of a board game person not a party “game” person, but I did consult Mackenzie for help, and our past experience with parties, and we came up with this….

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We Even Had a Drinking Contest

(A Baby Bottle Drinking Contest)

We had about 9 Baby Bottles, and I decided to have a baby bottle drinking contest.

My idea was for it to be about 1 minute long, and the person that drank the most in 1 minute won.  However, Gordon told them to complete the drinking until it was done.  First person won!

The Prize is a $20.00 Gift Certificate to Chick-Fil-A.

The Winner!

Beautiful Shay won a $20.00 gift certificate to Chick-Fil-A!

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The Next Game…

Guess How Many M&M’s Are In The Vase?

Cousins Kelcy and Veronica

Kelcy WON!

(She said she just wrote down the last 4 numbers of her Social Security and that’s how she won!)

Kelcy won a $20.00 gift certificate to Chick-Fil-A!

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Last Game…..

Just How Big Around is Veronica???  🙂

The Winner is Sean!

He was off by only 1/4 of an inch!  She was 43 inches.

(I would like to state that this was not about fat shaming.  This was about the baby.  I know that I gained 52 pounds with my Veronica.  We’ve all been there.  We’ve all gained that weight.  That was what it was about.)

Congratulations to all of our winners!  They all received a $20.00 gift certificate to Chick-Fil-A!

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To Veronica and Brian

 The Gifts for Baby

I tend to put a lot of thought into what I do, but this was exceptionally fun!

Shopping for gifts for our little Peanuku, things that I know most of their family and friends wouldn’t buy them.

I focused on our time in Hawaii and how much it meant to all of us.  Both Veronica and Brodie were born there.  Veronica being the first born, she lived in Hawaii the first 12 years of her life.

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Wrapping The Gifts

I found some great online stores that sold Hawaiian merchandise, even for the keiki’s.  (Kids)

This Was So Much Fun!

The Honu featured prominently.  (Sea Turtle)

“It’s a Girl” Ribbon

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All The Party Prep

I wanted to use our festive food covers on our pretty tables to help keep the bugs away.

Here I am washing them all.  It had been a while since we used them and they were a bit dusty.  So, I hand washed all of them.  I’m letting them dry here.

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Parting Gifts By the Front Door for our Guests as They Would Leave

Mauna Loa, or Hawaiian Host?

(These were also a big hit!)

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Party Picks

I always love making and creating some sort of craft whenever I can, and when the occasion calls for it. 

Here is a very good example.

I wanted to make some Party Picks for some of the foods we were having.  I wanted pastel colors.  I already had the toothpicks and the 6 inch skewers, I just needed the beads and the glue.  So, I went shopping to Michael’s craft store and found everything that I needed.

I’m wearing food gloves because these picks will be used in our food and I didn’t want to contaminate them.  I’ve got all my supplies in front of me.  The dish towels are covering up my supplies so that dust or dog hairs don’t settle on them.

ToothPicks and Skewers

Luckily, toothpicks and skewers are inexpensive.  You can find them at your local grocery stores.  They are even cheaper at your local ethic grocery stores, especially the Asian supermarkets.

I found so many great beads at Michael’s.  I went with Pink, White, and Gray.  I didn’t just want “beads,” I wanted an opalescence look to them.  I found the perfect ones!

It was really just a matter of placing some glue onto the tip of each pick, and then quickly adding one of the beads before it dries.

The glues that I used are a Gel Bead Fix.  I also bought them from Michael’s.

I ended up making a ton of them, but I figured that I will always find a use for them in the future whatever may be leftover.

Baby Bracelet Beads for Picks

Initially, the baby’s name was supposed to be:

Isabelle Eileen Leilani Kelleher

However,

they since dropped the Leilani, much to my sadness.  🙁

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All of The Party Picks Completed

Now It’s Time to Create the Cups to House Everything

I wanted to dress up some cheap plastic cups with some nice “stickers.” 

I did find some lovely paper stickers that I mainly used.

Pretty Pastel Straw Were Also Important

Veronica’s Cup

Here You Can See the Completed Guest Drinking Cups for the Party

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Dressing Up Plain Plastic Cups

I must have purchased about 36 pink plastic cups from Michael’s.  I also bought several paper and silk flower stickers to glue onto them.  My thinking was that each person can identify which cup is theirs by the sticker on it.  The cup also acts as a take home gift for each guest.

I’m using a Hot Glue Gun to glue the stickers onto each cup.  If you are familiar with stickers, they don’t usually “stick” very well on their own.  I just wanted to insure that they did.

All Finished!  They Look Beautiful!

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Planning For The Party

If you have ever planned for a big party and hosted it yourself, you will know that you need room in your home to prepare for it.

Building Blocks

I was trying to think of accents to have all around the food tables when I realized that blocks would be perfect!  They could also be passed to the baby to use and learn from.  So, I set out buying blocks!  Lots of them!

I wanted them to spell out names of loved ones, the name of my son-in-law’s mother who had recently passed away, and the names of both our families.

I also purchased some little wooden toys for our little one to play with.

  I thought they looked great all around the food tables.

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Before The Food

Before the food comes there is always the decorative tables.

We purchased the giant umbrella first to use as a cover for our foods.

We already owned the two tables you see above.  We also owned the indoor/outdoor rug underneath them.

I did purchase both of the table clothes, the pink fan shaped decorations, and the floral swags that you see on the tables.

The Baby Blocks, and the Vase with Pink Flowers and Serving Utensils and Tongs

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Our Enclosed Lanai Extension

I knew that this area would be a hub for traffic, what with the food tables and all.

Therefore, Gordon and Brodie added some sails overhead to help keep the sun down a bit.

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French Doors to the Backyard

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Above, you see the blocks that we used to spell out Grandma Eileen’s name.  You also see the name of Papa Brian, that is our son-in-law’s father’s name.  Papa Brian died 4 days after our party.  Very sadly for all involved. 

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Guess How Many M&M’s?

This was a game that I cam up with. 

It has been done many times, but I was at a loss of game ideas so this one stuck with me.

I also figured that whoever won might want to share the M&M’s with whoever was interested.  I knew they couldn’t eat all of them on their own.  Turns out that Cousin Kelcy won!  And she did as I predicted.  She shared them with whoever was interested.

I used food gloves for this as I am handing the M&M’s and I didn’t want to contaminate them.

We used Peanut, Brownie and Classic M&M’s.

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The Party Planning

The Small Table Above Was Veronica’s When She Was a Toddler

(I got it out of the attic and gave it to her for her little daughter to use.)

I talked earlier about how you really do need to have some room to do some party planning.  Our house is too small for the size party that we had.  Which is why everything has to take place outside in our backyard.  But, all the planning and shopping spilled over all over our house.  Most every room.

This is our Dining Room where I started to get the gifts together for the baby, and for our guests.

I Must Have Ordered A Ton Of Building Blocks

The Green Basket I had in our garage, same with the Pink Ribbon.

I wove the ribbon through the round holes in the green basket and tied a nice bow.

I then placed all the blocks that we weren’t using for the party into the basket for our Peanuku.

When the party was over I placed the rest of the blocks in it for Veronica and Brian to take home with them.

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Party Gifts, Prizes, Decorations, etc….

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Creating Veronica’s Throne

(The pillows you see above were Veronica’s favorite foods in Hawaii.  Spam Musubi and Top Ramen.)

Being pregnant anywhere can be very uncomfortable, but being pregnant in Florida in May can be very uncomfortable.

I knew that we needed to create an area for Veronica that was cool and comfortable, also very pretty.  We erected a canopy tarp overhead, and placed an indoor/outdoor area rug underneath.  We also set up a table to hold her gifts from the guests that would be attending.

The Gifts You See Above Are All From Us

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Party Favors

The Gift of Barefoot Wines

If you are familiar with the Barefoot Wines, (they are a favorite of mine), then you know they have the pink or blue foot on them.  They are truly perfect as a take home gift for the baby shower. 

I have many rubber stamps in my collection.  I was looking for a barefoot, but didn’t fine one!  (I know I used to have one.)  Anyway, I did find a child’s flip flop so I chose that one.  I had purchased some “tags” from Michael’s and some pretty pink ribbon.  I then set about creating the party label to add to each mini wine bottle.

My Rubber Stamp Collection

The little Pink and Green case used to belong to Veronica.

I snagged it and it holds my stamps, and has for decades.

Gordon and I purchased many Rose and Chardonnay Mini Wines

All The Labels For The Wines

Notice the pretty pink plumeria with the jewel in it, in the photo above?  That was a cute and adorable free gift that Leilani’s Attic gave me because of all the orders I placed at their business.  I wanted it so badly.  But, I gave it to my Peanuku because I love her more.  🙂

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Our Bleeding Heart Vine

Creating a Drink Station

I wanted a separate drink station from our main food tables.

I looked online for something ready made that I could just order.  They were so expensive and just weren’t what would work for us so I realized that we could just create our own!  All we needed were some large urns and perhaps a wooden board over it to create a table.

We already had these 2 granite slabs that we had purchased years ago from a granite company’s scrap pile.  Here Gordon is placing them over top the tall urns.  They are adding extra height to this table.

Gordon purchased the board above at Home Depot and had them cut it to the length we wanted.

Here Gordon is spray painting the board white.

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Drink Station with Barefoot Wine Party Favors

The Cooler Houses Bottled Water for our Guests

To the left we have a trashcan underneath our Drink Station, and we have our Drinks all along the wooden board on top.

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Our Jewelry and Flower Tree

The Jewelry you see above I purchased from a business that cleans up beaches.  So, every bracelet/anklet that I purchased, the proceeds go toward keeping our beaches clean.  I liked that!  I made spending the money worth it.  Not only are they attractive, they are helping our environment.

We Already Had The White Pot, and The Twig Form From a Prior Mandevilla Vine

I spray painted the twig form white, and then planted it into the white pot with potting soil.

I then placed green moss over top the soil.

Our large Area Umbrella

Under This Umbrella Was Where I Wanted Our Jewelry/Flower Tree To Be

Between The Two Food Tables

I Think The Ladies Loves Choosing Their Gifts

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Flowering Plants in Pots

Our Row of Color

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Setting Up The Bar

Diamond Head 1945

Gordon’s Bar that he inherited from his parents.

Gordon and Brodie Setting Up The Bar For The Party

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The Recipes

I wanted to explain that because Gordon and I did everything ourselves, including all the food, I wasn’t able to take our usual photographs of the making of the foods because that takes up a lot of time that we just didn’t have.  Gordon was at one end of the kitchen while I was at the other.  There was no time to photograph every step in the process.  Also, most of these foods were repeats from past occasions.  After all, this was a baby shower with family requesting their favorites and not really wanting much of anything new.  So, I will give you the recipes of the foods we did make.  I’ll just be copying and pasting from other website pages.  But to start, here are my Pink Marbled Deviled Eggs.

Julie’s PINK MARBLED DEVILED EGGS

Brian Getting a Deviled Egg

(Notice the vase with the pink flowers in the photo above?  In that vase are serving spoons and tongs for anyone that may need to use them.  I just placed the silk pink flowers in it as an accent.)

I wish that I had had the forethought to take close ups of the foods on the table.  That is what happens when you do it all yourself.  You just can’t remember to do everything.  🙁

This is actually very simple to make. 

You just need to start making them a good 3-4 days before you will need them.

You want to boil as many eggs as you want to use.  I also add an additional 2-3 just in case some don’t turn out nice.  As in, if you use new eggs the shells are harder to peel and can mess up the cooked egg whites so that they just don’t look attractive.  I start by buying eggs ahead of time and keeping them in the fridge a good week or even longer before I use them.  I then hard boil them.  When they are done, I keep them in cold water in a bowl in the sink until they have cooled down.  Once cooled, I place them in the refrigerator in a bowl for a few hours so that they become a bit cold.

My PINK Hard Boiled Eggs In The Refrigerator

In the photo you see above, I have since taken my eggs out of the refrigerator and placed some water and pink food coloring into a resealable baggie.  In order to achieve the marbled effect, I crack the hard boiled eggs all around each egg, but I don’t peel the shell off.  I then place cracked eggs into the pink water and place into the refrigerator for about 3 days.

The Marbled Effect

After about 3 days of soaking in the pink water, I remove the shells from the eggs and pat them dry.

Now it’s just time to slice them open and remove the yellow yolks and place into a bowl. 

You then make the deviled egg mixture to place back into each egg.  In addition to the ingredients that I use in making my deviled egg mixture, I always like to add some Turmeric.  Turmeric is the ingredient in Curry that turns it yellow.  So, by adding some Turmeric you are making the deviled egg mixture a beautiful golden color.  Which looks great next to the pink outer egg white.

I don’t know if you have a favorite deviled egg recipe or not, but if you don’t then I’ll give you one of mine.

I eyeball everything.  I can’t give you precise measurements even if my life depended on it.

Mayonnaise, (if you are from the South use Duke’s or Hellman’s), a little bit of Mustard, (if you are from the South, use Yellow Mustard), Some Southerner’s use Vinegar, but that’s up to you.

Then add some Freshly Ground Black Pepper, and some Pickle Relish or chopped Olives.  Also, a teaspoon or so from that jar of pickles in your Ice Box.  Just to sweeten it all.

If you are from the South, it’s time to add several dashes of Tabasco Sauce.  (Gotta have some heat.  After all it’s hot in the South.)

And there you have it!

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An Oriental Jezebel Cocktail Sausages

This was an easy one.  I used my Oriental Jezebel Sauce for this recipe.

Before I give you the recipe for these cocktail sausages, I am posing the recipe for my Oriental Jezebel.

Click Here For:

An Oriental Jezebel

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You want to marinate these about 2 days before you want to cook them.

I used 4 little Smokies sausage packages.  First I drained them of their liquid.  I then placed them into resealable baggies, and added between the 2 bags, 3 of my jars of An Oriental Jezebel sauce.  I then placed them in the refrigerator to marinate for a few days.

The Ratio Here is 4 Sausage Packets to 3 Jars of Jezebel

Into The Refrigerator They Go

A few hours before the party I dumped them into a colander to drain, I then added a fresh jar of my Oriental Jezebel and stirred them around, and then baked them in a casserole dish for about an hour until done. 

You can judge the time for yourself but you want the sausages to plump up.  When ready, place into a serving bowl and serve with some decorative Cocktail Picks.  (Like the ones I made above.)

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The Food Prep

Whenever possible wash your fresh veggies, greens, grapes and fruits a few days before, and store them in the refrigerator to keep fresh.

Tons of Greens Washed and Drying

Grapes and Apples

Cucumbers, Carrots, Jalapeno’s and Chinese Cabbage

Here Gordon is Ready to Make our Cucumber/Carrot Mixture for Sandwiches

Here I am Drying Lots of Herbs for our Foods

The Chopped Pecans Above are for our Olive Pecan Tea Sandwiches

Here This was Taken the Day of the Party

Gordon is Making the Fruit Salad

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Sadly these are the only photos that I have of us making any of the foods for our party.  But, I do have the duplicate recipes on some other website pages which I will list here.

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Manchego Cheese Cabbage Slaw

(You can see it in the photo above left.)

This recipe was requested by a few people that loved it!

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Manchego Cheese Cabbage Slaw

Ingredients:

1 Savoy Cabbage – sliced finely

3 Granny Smith Apples – cored and sliced thinly

2 Red Delicious Apples – cored and sliced thinly

2 Pears – cored and sliced thinly

1/2 Jalapeno Pepper – de-seeded and sliced thinly

1/2 Cup Greek Yogurt

1/2 Cup Sour Cream

1/2 Cup Mayonnaise

1/2 Tbsp. Roasted Garlic Powder

2 Tbsp. Aji-Mirin Sweet Cooking Rice Seasoning

1/2 Cup Sugar

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/4 Cup sliced Chives

1/2 Cup Lemon Juice

6 oz. Manchego Cheese – grated

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(I, Julie, LOVE Manchego Cheese!)  🙂

This is a very Crunchy and Crispy Slaw

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Place your Greek yogurt, sour cream and mayonnaise into a medium sized bowl.

Then add your roasted garlic and Mirin to the bowl…

then your sugar.

Now add your salt and pepper to the bowl and mix all your ingredients well.  Taste the dressing and add any previous ingredients as needed.

Finely chop your Jalapeno Pepper and Chives

and then add them to the dressing.

 

In a large bowl, add your lemon juice.  Slice your apples in half and remove the seeds, then slice the halves again in half.  Mix the apples with the lemon juice so the apples don’t brown.

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Remove the apple quarters and slice them thinly, then place them back into the bowl with the lemon juice.

Do this for all the apple quarters, then mix all the apple slices and the lemon juice together.

Slice the pears the same way and add them to the bowl and mix them well.

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Now, slice your Savoy cabbage in half and remove the core at its base using a triangle like cut.  Slice the cabbage halves thinly as shown.

Place the sliced cabbage in a very large bowl and add most of the dressing to the sliced cabbage.

Mix all the ingredients well, adding any more dressing as needed.

Apple and Pear Slices Ready to Add to the Bowl

Add your apple and pear slices to the cabbage bowl and grate your Manchego cheese into the mixture.  Add as much or as little cheese as you like.

Here I felt the slaw needed just a little more of the dressing so I added it.  As you can see, I still had some dressing remaining.

Let the slaw sit in the bowl allowing it to wilt slightly.

Place the slaw into a large Tupperware bowl and top with a lid and place it in the refrigerator in order to chill it, until ready to eat.

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Cucumber/Carrot Sandwiches Underneath the Palm Tree Food Dome

Cucumber and Carrot Sandwiches Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 Cucumber – grated

1/2 Medium Sweet Onion – grated

3 each Orange, Yellow and Purple small carrots – grated

1 1/2 Package (8 oz.) Cream Cheese – softened

1/2 Cup Mayonnaise

Salt and Pepper to taste

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Shred the vegetables into a medium sized bowl lined with a cloth kitchen towel.

Like so…

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Gather the towel together forming a ball and squeeze the vegetable tightly to release their juices.

Here is the end result.

Mix together the softened cream cheese and mayonnaise.

Add the vegetables to the bowl…

and mix them all together well.  Add your salt and pepper to taste.  Spread this mixture in a thin layer over a slice of bread and top with another slice of bread.  Cut off the crust and edges of the bread to create your Tea Sandwich.

Or you can eat this delicious mixture over any breads you like.

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Pimiento Cheese Sandwiches

(Although you cannot see the plate of Pimiento Cheese Sandwiches on the table.  Here is the recipe from the past.)

Nellie Mae’s Pimiento Cheese Sandwiches

Whenever I would come and visit with my grandmother in Rome, Georgia she always made her pimiento cheese for me.  It was my lunch many a visit with her.  She always kept them in a Tupperware container with a damp paper towel draped over the already made sandwiches.  That kept them nice and fresh and moist for whenever we would take them with us, but the moist paper towel never touched the sandwiches.  She managed to position both ends of the paper towel between the edges of the Tupperware so that it just hovered above it. 

The women of her generation were genius!  🙂

Pimiento Cheese Sandwich Ingredients

I once asked my grandmother what is the secret to a good pimiento cheese sandwich and she told me, “Rat cheese.”

“Rat Cheese” Makes the Best Pimiento Cheese

By “rat cheese” she means that good old cheese that the rats would get into.  And it is even written on some old recipes as “rat cheese” as an ingredient.  Only that WWII generation would know what that meant.

But here we are using Sharp Cheddar Cheese, or for my preference, Extra-Sharp Cheddar Cheese.

You just want to grate whatever amount of Cheddar Cheese that you want.  Then add a drained jar or two of Pimientos.

Next comes the dashes of Worcestershire Sauce, and Ground Cayenne Pepper to taste.

Now for the Mayonnaise, or Miracle Whip.

I do have to say that the best Pimiento Cheese Sandwiches seem to be made with Hellman’s Mayonnaise.

Combine all the ingredients and spread onto any bread that you like.

There are many Pimiento Cheese Sandwich recipes in the south.  This one is my favorite as I did grow up eating it.

Pimiento Cheese Sandwiches are served at The Master’s Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, every year.  My brother Johnny who lives in Ireland always requests that either me or my mother send him jars of pimiento’s just so that he can make the pimiento cheese sandwiches to eat while he watched The Master’s Golf Tournament.

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Dill Pickle and Cream Cheese Tea Sandwiches

Ingredients:

Dill Pickles – medium sized, patted dry

1 x 8 oz. package Cream Cheese – softened

8 Slices of Bread, crusts removed

Spread your Cream Cheese over a single slice of bread and place a dry dill pickle into the center of the bread.  Wrap the bread around the pickle and then slice the bread and pickle in 3/4 inch slices.

We placed ours on a bed of parsley to serve.

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Gordon’s Cucumber and Onion Salad

(This was another recipe where we were asked to give it out.  It is delicious!)

The Ingredients:

Gordon did some taste testing and discovered that when he combined these two salad dressings, Newman’s Own Zesty Italian and Ken’s Steak House Sweet Vidalia Onion, he had created a new taste that was very tasty. 🙂

This salad is simple. 

Just chopped Onions, and sliced Cucumber.

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Cucumbers and Onions

Some Freshly Ground Black Pepper…

And Some Salt

Now to Add the Salad Dressings to Taste

——————————————————————

Toss

Then set into the refrigerator for the salad to chill a bit and the flavors to blend.

Add a Sprig of Tarragon and Serve

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Olive and Pecan Tea Sandwiches

Ingredients:

2 x 8 oz. packages Cream Cheese – softened

3 Tbsp. Heavy Whipping Cream

1/2 Cup Pitted Kalamata Olives – sliced

1 Cup Pecan Halves – toasted, then chopped

1 Tbsp. Greek Seasoning

Whole Wheat Slices of Bread

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Toast your Pecan halves on a sheet pan in a 350’F oven for about 5 min. or until you can start to smell them.  Roasting the pecans will enhance their flavoring.

Add your cream cheese to a large bowl to soften, and add your Greek Seasoning.

Let the pecan halves cool.

Mix the seasoning and cream cheese together.

Slice the pitted Kalamata Olives into thin slices and add them to the bowl.

Chop your pecan halves and add them to the bowl.

Pour your heavy whipping cream into the bowl and mix all the ingredients well.

Spread the mixture thinly over bread slices making your tea sandwiches and using a pecan half to top the sandwich as a garnish.

The Olive and Pecan Tea Sandwiches are pictured top left.

We placed some honey underneath each Pecan Half so affix to each sandwich.

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Chick-Fil-A Nuggets, and Dipping Sauces

This was the only thing we catered.  I knew that we would need something for the kids to eat that they liked.  We also had teens at the party.  Apparently Veronica and I were thinking alike when she suggested some sort of chicken nuggets.  I then told her that were going to cater from Chick-Fil-A.  🙂

We even bought a few of their dipping sauces as well as providing one ourselves.

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Julie’s Herby Weedy Chicken Salad

If you look at the food to the left of the pink bowl above, you will see some Croissant’s.

Next to those are my Herby Weedy Chicken Salad and lots of herbs.  Because we cannot see it clearly, here it is from another website page of ours:

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BOIL THE CHICKEN..

UNTIL THE MEAT IS FALLING OFF THE BONES

Because I have made my Chicken Salad on other pages on this website I didn’t want to start at the beginning, but I will tell you the ingredients.  To me, these kinds of salads are taste and preference oriented. 

For example, I don’t like a lot of mayonnaise in mine.  So therefore, I use just enough to combine all of the ingredients, and I don’t have my salad swimming in mayo like other people do.

  So, the basics that I have here are: 

An entire Chicken boiled until the meat falls off the bone.  Then all of the meat, white and dark, is removed and placed into a mixing bowl.  It’s at this point where I do add some mayonnaise.  I may add more as the making of the salad goes on.  I also add some Mustard.  Just a few squirts or even a spoon full or two from our homemade mustard’s.  Lots of Freshly Ground Black Pepper, because I do love Black Pepper.  A few dashes of a good hot sauce.  The Hot Sauce of the South is Tabasco.  Again, this is to taste.

I did add 3 Hard Boiled Eggs to this.  Depending on the size of the chicken.  Sometimes I only add 2 but this was a pretty big chicken.

I did chop some Onions and some Celery and adding the amounts that I wanted.

I also added some Pickle Relish, just a few spoonfuls and some Sweet Pickle Juice from another jar in our refrigerator.  Just a few drizzles to add some great flavor.

Now I Combine All of These Ingredients

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Next Comes All Those Great New Extras

HERBS!!!!

Chives, Curly and Flat Parsley, Thyme, and Tarragon

Washed All the Herbs and Added Them to my Chicken Salad

I scissored the Chives, and plucked the Parsley Leaves whole

I wanted to be able to recognize the Herbs that I was eating and not just see a bunch of green bits in my salad.

I also added some Slivered Almonds for great crunch.

Now for Something Sweet, Red Grapes

Isn’t it Beautiful?

I then added some of my Purslane Weedy Flowers to my Chicken Salad.

They look pretty, don’t they?

Beautiful, Healthy, and Delicious

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This is the only NEW recipe that we added to this buffet of foods.

The Fruit Salad

I Placed Cups with Spoons Here so that the Fruit Salad Could be Eaten Separate

(I didn’t want the fruit juice running all over their plates.)

A Fruit Salad is always a good idea at any gathering because most people like fruit.

Our Ingredients:

Strawberry’s

Grapes (Green and Red)

Kiwi

Blueberry’s

Cantaloupe

Pineapple

and Honey

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You just want to cut the fruits into bite sized pieces.  Gordon then added some Honey to sweeten it all.

There really was no need for anything more elaborate.  Trust nature to do the sweetening.  🙂

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Thank you for joining us in our continuing life story….

Julie and Gordon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii

May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii

            CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION                                          

Julie’s Backyard Wildlife and Gardening Blogging Continues…

Julie’s Backyard Wildlife and Gardening Blogging Continues…

      It is Always a Thrill to see a Racoon in our Backyard (One time I saw one peeking in our Kitchen Nook window.  He was watching me while I was lollygagging around the kitchen.  He was adorable.  But, when he realized I 

Even More Italian (Just For You)

Even More Italian (Just For You)

 

 

 

 

Ciao e Benvenuto

Il Mio Piccolo Pezzo D’Italia

(My Little Tiny Piece of Italy)

Actually, very tiny!  Just a barrel, a barrel lid turned into a Lazy Susan, and some clay pots.

This is more about the food presentation, and is it ever good!

We made all of this in 2023 for Super Bowl Sunday LVII (57 years)

Kansas City Chiefs 38-35 Philadelphia Eagles

Our Italian Wings Topped with Pesto

Our Roasted Garlic and Goat Cheese Italian Spread Topped with Olives and Thyme

Not to Mention, the Best Tasting Bread to go With

This is soooooo DELIZIOSA!

ARRIVEDERCI!

Julie and Gordon

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Like I said, My Little Piece of Italy  🙂

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Recipes Start Here

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Our Italian Wings

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Pictured are the wings we used for this recipe.

28 Wings – Do not separate, wash well.

Here are the seasonings we used.

Ingredients:

2 Large Ziplock Bags
~1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbsp. Hawaiian Sea Salt
2 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
1 1/2 Tbsp. Dried Oregano
1 Tbsp. Paprika
3 Tbsp. Dried Basil Leaves
1 Tbsp. Italian Bread Dip Seasoning (Tuscan)
2 Tbsp. Italian Herb Seasoning
1 Tbsp. Onion Powder
2 Tbsp. Raw Cane Sugar

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Pictured is the Olive Oil we used for this recipe. Add your Extra Virgin Olive Oil to the
bags.

All the above seasonings should be doubled as each amount goes into each Zip lock
bag.

Now add your Sea Salt and Garlic Powder to the bags. Then your Oregano.

Now the Paprika and Dried Basil. Then your Tuscan Bread Dip Seasoning.

Add your Dried Italian Seasoning to the bag along with your Onion Powder.

Now for a touch of sweetness, add your Raw Cane Sugar.

Mix all the seasoning in the bag and taste the seasonings. Adjust the mixture until it is
the way you like it.

Here I have the wings ready to be washed. You want to wash your chicken as it could
have some dried blood, loose feathers, or bone fragments which need to be removed.

Rinse the wings well with cold water as shown.

Let the wings drain on a plate or you can pat them dry with paper towels.

Place the uncut wings in the bag with the seasonings.

Then mix the chicken with the seasonings. Do this for both bags of chicken. Let the
chicken marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Mixing Well The Chicken and Marinade

Into The Refrigerator They Go!

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The next day, I started the grill with the burners on high. This will heat the grill and
clean it from the residue left behind. Use a grill brush to clean the grates.

After about 5 minutes turn the grill down to Medium and place your chicken on the
grates.

Grill the chicken for about 12 min. on both sides or until the internal temperature
reaches 160’F.

I like to grill the chicken and then place it on the top shelf, the chicken will bake the rest of
the way to 160’F. Doing this keeps it away from the direct heat.

Here you can see the wings after they have been grilled.
We hope you enjoy these wings as much as we did!

Now, Just Add a Little Pesto!

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Roasted Garlic and Goat Cheese Spread

Deliziosa With Some Great Bread

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Start by roasting your 35-40 Garlic Cloves in butter in a 400F oven for about 55 min. or until
golden brown. Julie likes to check them and move the garlic cloves around every 20
min. or so of cooking.

Ingredients:

~40 Garlic cloves
1 Stick of butter or about 8 Tbsp.
½ Cup Asiago Cheese
½ Cup Parmesan Cheese
4 – 10.5 oz. Goat Cheese – 2 Garlic and 2 Plain
1 Tbsp. Dried Thyme
1 Cup Ricotta Cheese
½ Cup Milk
Garnish with Stuffed Olives and Fresh Thyme Sprigs

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Serve with sliced bread that has been buttered and baked/broiled until golden brown.

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The Ricotta Cheese we Used

Use some of the butter from the roasted garlic to butter the baking dish. Use a paper
towel to spread out the butter all over.

Place your Goat Cheese into a large Bowl

Add your Dried Thyme to the bowl.

Now add your Roasted Garlic to the bowl.

Then add your shredded Asiago and Parmesan Cheese, and mix the ingredients with a
potato masher or Fork.

Add your milk to the cheese mixture and mix the ingredients again.

Place the baking dish on a sheet pan just in case it overflows. Place the baking dish in
a 400’F oven for about 35 to 40 min. or until the top browns.

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Garnish the top of the cheese with your olives, then bake.

Here we have sliced a baguette into semi-thin pieces and buttered them.  After which….

Broil them in your oven until golden brown.

Garnish the cheese with some fresh Thyme sprigs.

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An Aperitizo

A Nice Little Merenda Before Dinner

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All you will need for this is some lovely Mozzarella Pearls, and some Prosciutto Ham.

You just want to cut the ham into strips to wrap around the Mozzarella Pearls, then secure with some sort of toothpick or cocktail pick.

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Place onto a Platter and top with a Pesto or other Italian Sauce

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Buon Appitito!

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Check Out Our Other Italian Website Pages:

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Julie’s Italian Appetizers and Edible Gifts

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Gordon and Julie Italian Seconda Parte 2

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Cool Refreshing Summer

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Father’s Day Pizza Party

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00Whann Way Father’s Day

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You Say Tomato

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Edible Gifts:  Italian, Greek, and Irish

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Pasta, Pasta, Pasta

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Autumn Pasta

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Mother’s Day in the Garden

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Gordon and Julie Italian

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Amiamo I’italiano

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Pizza, Pizza

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Grillin’ Italian

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Italianate Tre

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A Labor Day Vacay Away

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Modern Day Mona (Lisa) Halloween

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Even More Italian (Just For You)

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Quickie Italian

Grazie,

Gordon and Julie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2023 and Me!  Julie Barefoot Blogging

2023 and Me! Julie Barefoot Blogging

        When I was young and growing up in the south I loved to wear a flower in my hair.  I was made fun of by most everyone.  An ignorant Texas relative even asked if I had a plant growing out of 

An Old Florida Jezebel (Sauce)

An Old Florida Jezebel (Sauce)

                UNDER CONSTRUCTION                         ——————————————————————————— Also, Check Out My: Julie’s Jezebel Sauces For All of My Different Jezebel’s —————————————————— AND, Aloha Wahine Jezebel Sauce Aloha and Mahalo! 

An Herb Garden Redo

An Herb Garden Redo

 

 

 

 

 

(I love to garden in swim dresses and flip flops.)

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So Excited For This Redo

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I LOVE MY Herb Garden

Previous Version of My Herb Garden

(Notice the Air Plants on the Trellis?  When I decided to redo my Herb Garden I moved them over to our Elk Horn.)

The Trellis you see above is Rotting and we Needed to Remove It

Gordon made it years ago, sorry to have to get rid of it.

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Our Elk Horn 2017

This is a photo of our Elk Horn in 2017. 

You can see how the fern’s have overtaken it in 2021 in the photo below.

I’m so tired of all these ferns taking over our garden so we removed quite a few of them and placed the Air Plants in our Elk Horn.

We Also Have Air Plants in the Nooks of our Trees,

And Going up the Chain

It Looks Much Better

An Elk Horn Redesign

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Sparky and Spooky … helping.  🙂

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Just Thinking…

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Hanging Succulents

It’s Finished! 

Cannot Wait to Bring it to You Below!

I have to have something uniquely Florida.  🙂

I love some color in my herb garden, as well as height and depth. 

I Also Love PINK!

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Doing a Bit of Harvesting

Shiso, Our New Favorite Herb

Shiso is an excellent replacement herb if you are out of Mint, Basil, Cilantro, Parsley, etc.

It is also that little green leafy paper that you find in sushi?  The Japanese use the actual Shiso Herb Leaf, while we use the green paper here in America.  Shiso Herb also aids in digestion.

The Imitation Shiso Leaf

The Japanese also use the Shiso Leaf to wrap rice and sushi in, roll it up, and eat it. 

Sounds good!  We hope to try doing that soon.

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Just Cutting Some Shiso

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Gift of Shiso For Our Kids

And a few other things.

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Green Tea in the Herb Garden

I drink a lot of Green Tea

My Incense, and my little fake Lizard

Reflecting in My Herb Garden

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Enjoying Our Shiso/Pineapple/Pineapple Herb Cocktail

Check Out Our:

Herb Cocktails

For the Recipe

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Our Herbal, Lemon and Nut Cheeseball

Served on Sunflower Bread on top of Shiso Leaves, and a sprinkling of Sunflower Seeds

A Beautiful Herb Garden Appetizer

(Recipe Down Below)

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Our Shiso Garden Pho

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Enhancing Store-Bought Pho

This is a great way to use just a few vegetables and seasonings to make store-bought Pho absolutely amazing!

The ingredients below are for ONE store-bought Pho soup

Ingredients:

1 Pho Soup

2 Green Onions – sliced thinly

1 1/2 Baby Bella Mushrooms – sliced thinly

1/4 Red Bell Pepper – sliced into small diced size pieces

1/2 tsp. Turmeric Powder

1 Tbsp. Sesame Oil

1 tsp. Roasted or Black Sesame Seeds

Garnish:

Shiso Leaves and or Small Sheets of Seaweed or Nori

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Boil enough water for the Pho soup as per the soup’s directions.  While your water is boiling, add the seasoning and vegetable packets to the soup’s bowl as shown.

Slice your Green Onions, Mushrooms, and Red Bell Peppers while waiting for your boiling water.

We will use the original bowl and lid to help steam the Pho ingredients.  When done, we will use the more decorative bowls in the picture to serve the Pho.

Add your chopped vegetables, Turmeric, and Sesame Oil to the bowl.  Sesame Oil has a strong taste, so use it sparingly if you are not used to the taste.  We love it, so we actually use more than what I annotated in this recipe’s ingredients.  When your water is boiling, add just a little more above the line in the bowl to ensure all the ingredients are submerged.  Place the lid tightly to seal the bowl to allow the ingredients to cook.  This will take a little longer than directed as we have added more than the original ingredients.  I let it sit for about 8-10 min.

When cooked, pour your Pho into the decorative bowl and garnish with the seaweed and Shiso leaves as shown.  I also added more Sesame Seeds.  Shiso leaves are what Japanese sushi chef’s added to their sushi to help with any stomach disagreements their patrons might have due to eating their sometimes not so fresh fish due to its healing properties.  Here in the U.S., the leaf was replaced with a small piece of plastic with the same zig-zag cuts as seen on the top edge of the Shiso leaf.  The leaf has more to offer health wise than its curing stomach ailments.  Shiso leaves have anti-inflammatory properties and are loaded with anti-oxidants, the leaves are a great source of calcium, potassium, iron, vitamins A, B2 and C, which provide benefits for cardiovascular health, bones and eyes..  Tea can be made from the leaves and stems, which Asian countries use as a natural allergy, cough or flu medicines.

Enjoying Pho in the Herb Garden

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Me, Always Gathering Herbs

(All Recipes Down Below)

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A Side Project Redo ‘The Before’

 

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A Side Project Redo ‘After’

It’s Coming Together Beautifully

(This section of our backyard is connected to my herb garden.  This is the extension.)

Basil and Sweet Peppers

(With my little Lady Bug my old friend Trish gave me.)

Peppers, Purple Basil…

Cilantro Confetti, and Colorful Bell Peppers Coming Up

I love this beautiful area of the side of our yard. 

And, It’s all MINE!

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Although we did not grow these particular Bell Peppers I have pictured, I am surrounded by a growing garden that will yield them in the near future.

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Our Bell Pepper Garden Breads

Eaten With Our Julie’s Jezebel Glazed Ham and our Green Egg Omelets

(A.K.A. Green Eggs and Ham)  🙂

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Al Fresco in the Garden

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I created this little garden table by placing a granite slab over a big sturdy pot.  You can buy these granite pieces from businesses that sell granite.  There is usually a scrap pile of various sizes you can choose from.  The one above cost us about $30.00.  Nice table top, huh?

Our Delicious Green Eggs and Ham and Garden Bread Breakfast

Our Beautiful Bell Pepper Garden Bread Ring

We Also Made a Garden Grilled Cheese Here…

W/ Heirloom Tomatoes…

(See How We Did It Down Below)

(All Recipes Down Below)

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We Also Have Herb Garden Recipes for Dinner

We made an Herb Sauce with Peas for our Red Lintel and Quinoa Pasta…

…we also made an Herb Dip for our Veggies

Our Delicious Herb Dip

Our Herb Sauce with Peas Eaten with our Organic Pastas on a bed of Arugula

(We tried to make everything as green as possible.)

Here I added some leftover Sundried Tomatoes to Mine

Next Day Leftovers:

Pastas Blended with our Herb and Pea Sauce,

Topped with our Herb Dip

Herbal Healthy!

(Recipes Down Below)

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(The Beautiful Plate and Cup my Mother-In-Law Gave us. Looks very Spring.)

———————————————————

Sarajane’s Herb Book

(This book is the base and inspiration of all we are doing here.)

When my In-Laws downsized and moved from their home into an Independent Living Apartment last summer (2021), they did get rid of quite a few things.  One of the casualties that she parted with was her Herb Book.  I think we were the only ones what wanted it.  To give you a bit of background, my Mother-In-Law is a very interesting person.  She comes from class and money.  Her Grandfather was a politician in Pennsylvania when she was a girl growing up.  They had servants.  She had her “Coming Out” ball at age 16.  She grew up in privilege and class.  However, she married Gordon’s father who was from a middle class background.  At Milton and Sarajane’s wedding, Sarajane’s family didn’t invite the Whann family.  They didn’t even tell them where the reception was to take place.  The Whann’s found out, and crashed the party!  🙂

My Mother-In-Law learned to be a thrifty person, but to still be able to enjoy the riches of her youth teachings and upbringing.

This is her Herb Book

The Tabs Make No Sense

They are just Tabs to separate information. 

They are not informative as to the content of what is between them.

She just used them to separate this and that.

The Herbal Society

Herbal Shampoo’s

Chamomile Tea Baths and Coolers

Herbal Butter’s

Marinated Herbal Cheese

Herbs and Spices

Recipes and Many Handwritten Notes

Books, Articles, and Bottled Herbs

Recipes and so very many Hand Written Notes

And More Recipes….

I guarantee you that my Mother-In-Law attended classes, checked out many books from the library, and even Xeroxed copies of those books she checked out in order to create this huge Herb Book of Knowledge.  It is quite interesting.  I was very excited when Gordon brought it home to us last summer, but I didn’t get around to looking at it until a few months ago.  It is a wealth of information, just like she is.

We will be consulting this book from now on.  Never overlook that very unattractive notebook that nobody wants.  It just might be a source of treasure for you and yours.  🙂

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The Herb Garden Redo

SNAKE BITE

As I was hacking through my overgrown herb garden when I decided to start this redo, I was gathering up branches that I had cut down and placing them into our yard debris containers, that I suddenly felt this pain on my left arm.  It was like a stabbing.  I pretty much ignored it and kept on going.  I’m used to being scratched and scraped, and pierced, and stabbed, and bruised, and bitten, so I just ignored it.  When I got around to looking at it, I saw some blood.  I contemplated just carrying on but I didn’t want the blood to ruin my new leather gloves so I grabbed my rag that I have with me and wiped the blood off.  That is when I noticed that my wound was raised, swollen, hard, and GREEN!

My Kayak Bag and Snake Bite Kit

Although I didn’t know exactly what had bitten me, I just somehow knew it was a snake.  That was when I ran inside and grabbed my kayak bag that housed my snake bite kit.  I pretty much dumped the contents onto my bed in my mad dash to find it.

The instructions for the snake bite kit were minuscule!

I had to grab the magnifying glass in order to read them.  Sorry the photos aren’t clear but I was doing the best that I could with a small hand held camera.  I was also very nervous and worried.  I realized when no venom came out of my wound that the snake wasn’t poisonous.  Whew!

Teeth marks emerged later on.

I called Gordon at work and told him what happened.  He came home and I felt much better.  He monitored me to make sure I was o.k.  I was never nauseous, or anything like that.  My wound was just sore and swollen and green.  It’s now a yellow/green color over a week after I was bitten.

(Casualty of working outside here in Florida.)  🙂

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But, continuing on….

THE PROJECT!

Gordon Always Helps Me Do The Heavy Lifting

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Spray Painting The Trellis’s

(I Painted Two)

My New Favorite Toy

It took about 6 cans of spray paint to do two trellis’s.  And even then, I was very sparse with the paint on the sides that would be hidden against the fence and wall.  My fingers were soooo sore from holding down that spray button, so….  Gordon bought me a contraption that wraps around the spray can and all I have to do is to pull the trigger.  No more sore fingers.  🙂

All Done!

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The Corner

This was a bigger project than it looks.  That small corner over there housed all the white rocks you see in the buckets below.  They all had to be removed, and then Gordon washed them off for me as best as he could, and then we put them back.

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Before he moved the white rocks back, he placed a heavy duty trash bag to cover the area.

This will help to prevent the dirt from getting all over the rocks, and prevent any weeds to grow up through them.

Both trellis’s are firmly planted into the corner, and all the Bougainvillea’s planted.

One is a bit hard to see but as it grows up the trellis it will be beautiful.

Always Curious….

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Herb and Plant Shopping

Starting a project like this for the first time can be quite an investment.

Creating an area for your garden, purchasing landscaping blocks and capstones, buying up good sturdy pots, soil, and then plants, herbs and flowers.

Your Herb Garden doesn’t have to be as elaborate as mine is.  You can get by with just a few pots, soil, and herbs.  You don’t need a lot of room.  I’ve seen beautiful window herb gardens.

Just Remember:  Buy Potting Soil for Pots

Because I have had this herb garden for over a decade now, it’s really just about replenishing for me. 

My initial investment was made years ago.

I do love coming across new herbs that I have never heard of and giving them a try.

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Once I have decided the placement of all the pots, then I start the process of planting them. 

And I do all that myself.  Some herbs are very sturdy and are always thriving.  Others, come and go and have to be replenished.  In some cases we eat more than we can grow.  🙂

I Love Having Pops of Color With Flowers

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Rosemary And Sage

Cinnamon Basil, Garlic Chives

My Herb Garden Lizard Friend

Curly Parsley is Beautiful

Culantro, Pineapple Mint, Parsley, and Chives

Purslane, a Flowering Edible Weed

My Chinese Fire Cracker

Rocks From Rome

(From my parents backyard in Georgia.)

Georgia Has Some of the Most Beautiful Rocks

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Although the garden is complete here,

I still need Gordon to distribute and freshen up the Wood Chips in the bed.

Something pretty by the gate.

Gordon Freshening up the Bed with Wood Chips

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Now My Herb Garden is Complete

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Gift For Mackenzie

(Our son’s girlfriend.)

My Top Tote

This is actually an old top of our daughter Veronica’s from The Gap.  I always thought these tops looked like tote bags, so, when she wanted to get rid of it, I kept it!  All these years!  Probably over a decade.  Well, I finally got around to turning it into a tote bag in order to house Mackenzie’s gift of a pot of mint.

All I did was to sew the bottom of the top together creating a tote bag.  It’s sturdy, durable and washable.  I even added a few adornments to it, as in the green flower below.  It’s just a clip on.

Mackenzie’s Gift of Mint and a New Pot From Me

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A Path Upgrade

I love the stones that we recycled to this part of our backyard.  We can no longer find them, I believe they’ve been discontinued, so these are all that are left.  I just felt as if we needed something more to really make our path look a bit nicer.  That was when I suggested to Gordon that we find some sort of small stones to place between each larger stone in our pathway.

Here Gordon is Spreading the Small Stones

It’s just a matter of pouring the stones out along the path and then grabbing a broom and sweeping them along.

When you get it all filled in, it looks so much nicer!

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Gordon also placed the stones around our pots along the pathway.

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I Love It!…

…especially when my Chinese Fire Cracker plant looses a few of it’s flowers.

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Shades of Lavender

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NEXT UP!

THIS SIDE!

I sort of stepped behind here where the stones are concerned, but this was to showcase the “before” where the plantings are concerned.

New Orange Purslane

Here, the path is done and I am turning my attention to the plantings.

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Another Corner Project

This is a pretty ugly part of our yard.  It always seems to be muddy, especially during rainy season.  I liked that our raised planter was standing on those long cement blocks that I had Brodie to put in to place for me a few years ago.  Therefore, I asked Gordon if he would extend the cement blocks around the Key Lime tree, and all the way towards the retaining wall.  I wanted the area to be nice and clean and not so dirty as it always was.

(I’ll let Gordon take it from here.)

We wanted a more decorative way to showcase the corner area of our yard, which also houses our ever producing Key Lime tree.  I bought some large concrete pavers and laid them out in the pattern seen above, so I could measure how much concrete I needed to cut off to make the front edge even.

After measuring the concrete slab, I removed the pavers so I could measure and cut the weed preventative cloth.

Using my circular saw with a concrete blade, I sliced off the excess concrete. 

This blade cuts through concrete like butter.

I cut to fit the cloth around the Key Lime tree.

I then placed the pavers back around the tree as seen above.

Now, I poured about 4 bags of pebble stones around the tree and between the pavers for a more decorative look.

Once that was done, I measured and cut concrete pieces from the section of concrete I previously cut off.  These small sections were used to block any pebbles from running out the front of my project.

Here is a closer look at what I was talking about.

I hope you found this project of interest and helpful.

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It’s Now Time to Plant

These are actually Sweet Peppers with a little bit of heat to them.  The grower must have planted them too close to some hot peppers and cross pollination occurred.  Oh, we are not complaining whatsoever!  It is a nice amount of heat to them.  Normally, I don’t really like a hot, hot, pepper.  But these are perfect!

Before I start planting, I set everything out like I believe will work the best.

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Replanting This Pot

This particular pot is housing my Rainbow Peppers.  By looking at the plant in the photo left, it doesn’t look too good.  However, it was still producing.  Regardless, I wanted to buy a few more plants for it so that I could get even more peppers.

I’ve got my trusty black stool, garden gloves, two pots (one filled with potting soil and the other is for plant debris), my little shovel, and of course the large pot and trellis.

(I’ll have to post some photos since I don’t have a completed one here.)  🙂

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I love simple flowering plants and nothing really fancy.

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As Far As The Blocks And Stones Go

These are all the stones that we have here so therefore we don’t have enough to place all the way to the back of this area, so we stopped here.  Gordon is filling the gaps in with some small stones.

He then bought us about 30 pieces of SOD and placed them on top of the soil that we had here.

Anytime that you plant new grass as this, you have to water it everyday for 2 weeks so that it will take hold and won’t die.

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Here is our finished area!  It looks great!

I love My Green Bell Peppers

With everything planted it’s just a matter of time to let it all grow and flourish. 

I will be bringing those photos to you.  As with everything there are always casualties to contend with.  However, I view them as learning experiences.  The more I garden the better I get at it.

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From Garden to Kitchen

As It Should Be  🙂

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The Herb Garden Recipes

Start Here

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I see color, I see health, I see taste, I see prospects!

These Vegetables and Herbs will play a major roll in our foods here.

Our Delicious Herb Sauce with Peas for our Red Lintel and Quinoa Pasta…

and Our Herb Dip with lots of Vegetables

Herb Sauce and Pastas, Carrots, Veggies, and Arugula

Asparagus

A Fresh Veggie Platter and Herb Dip

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Veggies Dipped in our Herb Dip

Pastas and Herb Sauce

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Everything Just Tastes So Fresh

Healthy and Tasty!

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Our Herb Dip Recipe

Ingredients:

1 Small bunch Basil Leaves

3 Spring Onions

4 Whole Garlic Cloves

1 Bunch Parsley

3 Tbsp. Fresh Tarragon Leaves

3 Handfuls of Arugula

1 tsp. Dill Weed

1 tsp. Sweet Paprika

2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

Freshly Ground Black Pepper and Hawaiian Sea Salt to taste

1 Cup Greek Yogurt

1/2 Cup Sour Cream

1 Sleeve of Ritz Crackers

1 tsp. Lemon Peel

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Here we chopped up some nice dipping veggies…. Celery, Cucumber, Cherry Heirloom Tomatoes, Sweet Peppers, Zucchini Squash, Broccoli, Cauliflower…

Here are many of the ingredients we used.

We started by placing the Basil in the blender…

then the Spring Onions, Garlic Cloves, and Parsley.

Now remove the fresh Tarragon leaves by pulling them down towards the base of the stem.  Then add a few handfuls of your Arugula.

Now add your Dill Weed and Sweet Paprika to the blender.

Then the Lemon Juice.

Add your Salt and Pepper to taste.  We really like using the Hawaiian Sea Salt.

Here you can see all the beautiful herbs and other ingredients.

Add your Greek Yogurt to the blender…

then your Sour Cream.

Turn the blender on high for about 45 sec. or so to mix all the ingredients well.

Taste the mixture and add more of Everything if needed!

We noticed the dip was a little runnier than we liked and needed a bit more lemon flavor.

Instead of adding more lemon juice we added Lemon Peel.  We also felt the Ritz Crackers would soak up some of the excess liquid and give the dip some body as well as a bit of buttery flavor.

Run the blender more until it is at the consistency and taste you like.

When done, pour the dip into a nice bowl and chill in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

Here you can see, chilling the dip and adding the crackers made the dip nice and thick! 

Delicious.

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Herb Sauce with Peas for our Red Lintel and Quinoa Pasta…

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Red Lentil and Quinoa Pastas

Ingredients:

1 Box Red Lentil Spaghetti

1 Box Chick Pea Spaghetti

3 Shallots – chopped finely

3-4 Garlic Cloves – chopped finely

5 Tbsp. Butter

Freshly Ground Black Pepper and Salt to taste

5-6 Whole White Pepper Corns

5 Tbsp. Flour

Garlic Flavored Olive Oil as needed

~3 Cups Chicken Stock

Juice of 1 Lemon

2 Tbsp. Fresh Tarragon Leaves

3 Tbsp. Fresh Oregano Leaves

1 Cup Frozen Peas

~2 Cups Vegetable Dip (made previously, see recipe above.)

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Start by heating a large pot of water to boil the pasta in.

Peel and slice your Shallots

In a medium sized pot, begin to melt your butter.

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Continue to slice your shallots finely.

You can see, there we a lot of shallots to slice.

When your butter has melted, add all the chopped Shallots.  Saute your shallots in the butter until softened… about 7 min.

Slice your Garlic…

Remember to stir your shallots!

Then chop the Garlic finely as shown.  Add the Garlic to the Shallots and continue to saute the mixture.

Add your Freshly Ground Black Pepper, your Whole White Pepper Corns and Hawaiian Sea Salt to the Shallots.

When your Shallots and Garlic are cooked to your liking…

add your Flour to the pot and stir everything well.  Here you can see the mixture doesn’t look like wet sand so….

I add a touch of Garlic infused Olive Oil …

and more butter until the Rue looks like wet sand.  Cook this mixture for about 5 min. on low heat to get rid of the flour taste and to slightly give the Rue a bit of color.  I have seen people cook the onion and garlic in a separate pan and cook the Rue by itself.  Then they add the mixtures together after the Chicken Stock is add.  I don’t like messing up the extra pan and I see no reason for not making it the way I did.

Now, add your Chicken Stock to the Rue starting with about 2 Cups worth…mixing it in well.  Now you have a Veloute Onion Sauce.

Add more Chicken Stock, when the stock is absorbed until it is at a nice consistency.

To enrich the sauce… add your fresh Lemon Juice…

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Then add your Tarragon, Oregano, and Frozen Peas to the pot.

Stir the mixture well.

Here we thought the taste of the previously made vegetable dip (from above) would go nicely with the pasta…

so we added some of it to the sauce.

Mix all the ingredients well as shown.

When your water is at the boil, add your pasta and cook as directed.

The sauce tasted amazing!

After about 8 min. the pasta was ready… cooked to al dente with just a little bite to the pasta.

Turn off the heat and add your Fresh Herbs that you have left.

Stir the ingredients well and serve immediately!

This was such a wonderful meal and will be on a repeat through time.

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Excellent Leftovers!

Just heat up in the microwave.

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Our Herbal, Lemon, and Nut Cheeseball

I wanted to make something special to eat in my herb garden.  I wanted to incorporate many herbs along with some nuts and seeds.  I wanted it to be healthy and tasty.  I believe this is it!

To be eaten on a slice of Sunflower Seed Bread with a Shiso Herbal Leaf and some Sunflower Seeds.

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The Ingredients:

16 ounces Mascarpone Cheese

8 ounces Gruyere Cheese, Grated

3-4 ounces of Kerrygold Reserve Cheddar, Grated

(You can use any cheeses that you prefer.)

1/2 Cup Pistachio’s, Chopped

1/4 Cup Sunflower Seeds

2-3 t. Lemon Peel

Freshly Ground Black Pepper to Taste

Fresh Herbs, Chopped, Shredded, Torn or Plucked

I used Basil, Sage, and German Thyme

(Everyone should just add as much or as little as they like.  Tailor this to your own tastes.)

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To Garnish:  Place the Cheeseball on a bed of Herb Leaves (I used Shiso) and Lemon Slices.

Sprinkle with some Sunflower Seeds.

Try eating the Cheeseball on a slice of Sunflower Seed Bread, or even an Herb Leaf.

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I decided to throw in my leftover Kerrygold Reserve Cheddar because I figured the aged cheese would add a nice kick to the cheeseball.

I placed my Mascarpone Cheese into a bowl and then added my grated Gruyere and Kerrygold Cheeses.

I love Pistachio’s and I really wanted that crunch in every bite.

  I did roughly chop them to make them a bit smaller.

Into The Bowl They Go!

Now It’s Time to Add the Sunflower Seeds and Lemon Peel

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My Herbs

I gave the larger ones a rough chop but I only plucked the German Thyme leaves and placed them into the bowl.  I thought they were a nice size as it was.

Sage

German Thyme

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Place some Saran Wrap into a bowl. 

This will wrap around your cheeseball.

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Now it’s time to dig your hands into this!!!  🙂

Mix it all together and form it into a ball.

Now, place the Cheeseball into the bowl lined with Saran Wrap and cover.  Place into the refrigerator for at least a few hours, or overnight for the best results.

Sunflower Seed Bread

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Place the Cheeseball onto a dish lined with some of your garden herbs and some sliced Lemon.  I cut the bread into smaller pieces and even spread the cheese onto a Shiso Herb leaf and a sprinkling of Sunflower Seeds.

Beautiful and Delicious!

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Our Colorful Bell Pepper and Herb Garden Breads

Just Washing Some Bell Peppers and Herbs

This bread is everything that I Julie, imagine a garden bread should be. 

It was a fun creation.

Ingredients:

4 Cups Bread Flour

2/3 Cup of Water

1/2 Cup Tomato Juice

1/4 Cup Diced Green Bell Pepper

1/4 Cup Red Bell Pepper

1/4 Cup Orange Bell Pepper

1/4 Cup Yellow Bell Pepper

3/4 – 1 Cup Diced Sweet Onion

Various Herbs of Parsley, Sage, and Basil, Chopped

4 T. Butter or Margarine

1 1/2 t. Sugar

1 t. Salt

1 t. Active Dry Yeast

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You first want to chop all of the vegetables you plan on using. 

I wanted this packed with Bell Peppers.

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Everything Chopped and Diced

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Ready to Get Started

Herbs at the Ready

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Now It’s Time to Prepare the Yeast

Gordon used the amount of water as per the directions on the yeast package.  He added a tsp. of sugar as the yeast feeds on it.  Heat your water in the microwave to just under 110’F but above 100’F.  When the water is at temperature which only takes about 20-25 seconds, add your yeast.

Stir the yeast into the heated sugar water and let it sit.  As it sits, you should see the mixture begin to grow and froth as seen above.

The yeast loves to feed on the sugar and only takes a few minutes until it is ready, like the above picture.

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Meanwhile, it’s time to get started on making the bread.

 

Start by adding the Tomato Juice to a large mixing bowl.

 

Next, we are going to start adding all of our chopped and diced colorful Bell Peppers and onion.

In my opinion you can pack this full with as many of the chopped ingredients as you like.

Everything in the bowl so far.

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Time to melt the butter in the microwave and then add it to our mixing bowl, below.

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Time to add our Bread Flour, Sugar, and Salt.

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Time to Add our Yeast

Stir The Ingredients Together, or You can use Your Hands

Time to Chop the Herbs and Add Them to the Bowl

Knead Everything Together

Here Gordon is Placing Some Olive Oil in the Bowl and Mixing the Dough Around in it.

Now it is time to place Saran Wrap around the bowl and place the bowl in a warm place. 

So, we set it outside for about an hour, or until it doubles in size.

Now the Dough is Ready

What starts out as my project always seems to turn into Gordon’s project.  🙂

I, Julie, wanted to place the dough into this Italian Ring Cake Pan.  I thought that would make it look grand, and it did!  So, Gordon sprayed the pan with a non-stick cooking oil spray, and then kneaded the dough by letting it stretch into a long length, and then placed it into the round pan.

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The Dough we had Leftover

Gordon placed our leftover dough into a regular loaf pan.

Now It’s Time to Place Them Back Outside, Wrapped in Saran Wrap

Waiting For Them to Rise

(About an hour.)

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Now it’s time to go into a pre-heated oven on 350F for about 30 -35 minutes, or until brown, and the middle of the dough is cooked.  To determine doneness, use a toothpick inserted into the breads.  If it comes out clean then it is done.

Into The Oven They Go

I chopped up one of our backyard peppers into slices and inserted them all over the top of the bread to add some beauty, texture, and taste!

When done place on a cooling rack.  When cooled, remove from the pans.

Beautiful!

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Baked Ham With Julie’s Southern Georgia Peach Jeze-Bell’s Sauce

I have created several Jezebel Sauce’s that I have listed on my website.  This particular one is a base of colorful Bell Peppers.  Hence, my Southern Georgia Peach Jeze-Bell’s Sauce.  Here I am adding it to this delicious ham. 

If you would like the recipe for my Jeze-Bell’s, then just click here:

Julie’s Jezebel Sauce

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The ham that I am using here is already cooked through.  What I want to do here is to glaze it with my Jeze-Bell Sauce.  So, I placed the oven on 300F and when it came to temperature, I placed it in the oven.  But first, I slathered it with my Jezebel Sauce.

I cooked this ham 30 minutes while continuing to glaze it with my sauce.

It looks delicious, doesn’t it?

Here Gordon is Slicing it Once it is Cooled

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This is going to be for our Green Eggs and Ham Garden Breakfast.

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Our Herb Eggs Packed With Peppers

We Need The Blender For This

Herbs and a Few Peppers From Our Garden

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Basil

1/2 Cup Parsley

1/4 Cup Chives

5 Large Eggs

1 Cup  Colorful Bell Peppers – Chopped

2 Tbsp. Butter

3/4 Cup Milk

1/4 Cup Onion – Chopped

Hawaiian Sea Salt – to taste

Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste

1 tsp. Turmeric

1 tsp. Sweet Paprika

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Use your blender to chop the herbs.

I will hand chop the Parsley as their long stems sometimes don’t chop well in the blender. 

Add all your herbs to the blender.

Crack your eggs into the blender making sure you didn’t add any shell pieces.

(You can always crack them into a small bowl first, before adding them if you like.)

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In a large saute pan, add your butter and melt it over medium high heat. 

When melted add your Bell Peppers and Onions.

Add some pepper to taste. 

Saute the mixture until tender which takes about 8-10 minutes.

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Back to the blender, add some freshly ground black pepper to the herbs and eggs.

Add some Hawaiian Sea Salt to the vegetables as needed.

I felt the vegetables needed a bit more butter. 

Continue to stir the vegetables as they cook to your desired tenderness.

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Add your Turmeric, Sweet Paprika, and Milk to the blender.

Blend the egg and herb mixture until almost smooth.

When your vegetables are cooked and tender, add your blended eggs, 

Turn the heat down and cook for about 5-8 minutes.

Since this is a little thick, I decided to use our broiler to cook the top of the eggs. 

After just a few minutes they are cooked solid.

Use a cutting board to help you turn the eggs over.

The eggs are a little over cooked on the bottom, but then again some people like them browned as well.

We sliced the eggs into quarters and plated them.

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Here is our ham we cooked with Julie’s Georgia Peach Jeze-Bells Sauce.

We add some ham slices topped with more of the Jeze-Bells Sauce, then also plated a slice of our colorful Bell Pepper and Herb Garden Bread from above.

These Salad Toppings Made a Nice Garnish

Eating Outside In The Garden

What a great garden inspired breakfast!

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Making a Grilled Cheese with our Bell Pepper and Herb Bread

Heirloom Tomatoes

Grilled Cheese with our Leftover Ham, Heirloom Tomatoes, Mustard, Cheeses, Leftover Julie’s Georgia Peach Jeze-Bell’s Sauce, and our Fresh Herbs

A Great Way to Eat our Leftovers

Here Comes The Assembly…

First, slice the loaf directly down the middle.

On one side place mustard, on the other side Julie’s Georgia Peach Jeze-Bell’s Sauce

Now place some leftover ham slices onto one side.

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Slice some cheese and place on the other side of the sandwich.

Some Heirloom Tomatoes…..

Fresh Herbs, we are using Basil here.

Place some butter/margarine into a saucepan on medium-high heat.

Here Gordon is browning both sides of the sandwich.

You also want the cheese to melt as well.

Just slice and plate it up!

Here we added more of our herbs and served with some dried tomato chips.

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Breakfast The Next Morning…

Here Gordon fried our leftover, leftover, Ham  🙂

Also, fried us up some Eggs, and added a bit of Cheese.

A Delicious Morning

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Thank you for joining us. 

This little patch of our yard is so very rewarding. 

Happy Planting!

Julie and Gordon

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One of my first herb gardens, left.  My herb garden redo, right.

Same dress, about 10 years apart.

Which brings us to this most crucial of all questions…

Which Julie Wore it Best?  🙂

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View My Other Herb Garden and Project Pages:

Julie’s Herb Garden

AND,

Julie’s New Herb Garden

AND,

Herb Cocktails

AND,

An Herb Garden Redo

AND,

Julie Garden Blogging

AND,

Julie’s Backyard Wildlife and Gardening Blogging

AND,

Julie’s Side Project

AND,

A Picnic In The Herb Garden

AND,

Julie’s Backyard Wildlife and Gardening Blogging Continues

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Simply Easter

Simply Easter

        EASTER 2022 The green cup in the photo above is a handmade ceramic cup, probably made by a child.  It was found in a box in the attic of my son’s girlfriends house.  I spotted it and saw a treasure!  She 

New Front Yard Landscaping Project

New Front Yard Landscaping Project

          UNDER CONSTRUCTION                            

An Artsy Easter

An Artsy Easter

 

 

 

 

Happy Easter Everyone!

Welcome to our Artsy Easter

(We shot this in 2021)

This Easter is actually based on cleaning out the attic and going through many storage containers in our attic, in an attempt to get rid of some of this and pass it on to our daughter and son.

My Purse, and a few Pretty Pots and Sweets

This is Veronica’s Old Easter Basket

I filled it with some Chocolate Eggs and a few of her past Easter Collectibles.

An Old Dragonfly Pot of Mine

(I’ve discovered that it is easier to get rid of things when you disguise them as a gift.)  🙂

Veronica’s Beatrix Potter Book and some of her Collectibles

Veronica’s Bunny She Painted in Hawaii

As a Girl Scout outing we went to a pottery painting class and each girl picked out something to paint, the items were then fired.  Veronica chose this bunny.  When I initially told her that I had some Easter things to pass on to her from her childhood, she wasn’t interested.  That is when I took a photo of this bunny and sent it to her explaining that since she wasn’t interested in any of this then perhaps some little girl at Goodwill, will. 

It was then that she wrote back, “BUNNY!  I REMEMBER BUNNY!  I WANT BUNNY!” 

(Yeah, we mom’s know just what buttons to push.)  🙂

Needless to say, she ended up taking everything that I wanted her to. 

Veronica’s collection started with me buying her a few things each year for Easter.  My mother also started giving her keepsakes so that she could have a nice collection to display every year, even bringing them into her adult life.  Perhaps even passing them down to her children.

I believe it was my mother who bought her this book.

We Also Have a Thing for Marshmallow Eggs

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This Beautiful Book was also Veronica’s

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Sugar Free Peeps

This is MY Easter Treat!

Some people can’t stand Peeps.  I however, grew up on them every Easter because my mother loved them.  Although they didn’t have the ‘Sugar Free’ variety back in the day, they do now! 

Hence, my special Peeps Sweets!

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Enjoying Everything Easter and PINK!

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Easter Morning

Good Morning and Happy Easter

How About an Easter Bunny Eggy in a Basket?

(For those of you that don’t know what ‘Eggy in a Basket’ is, it is a fried piece of toast with a cooked egg in the center of it.  Sometimes, a cookie cutter is used to create a shape for the center of the bread. Here we used a rabbit shape.  It is actually quite good and enjoyed by both children and adults alike.)

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Wild Garlic Chives Growing for Easter

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SPRING IS HERE

We love our backyard and spend as much time as possible out here.  Especially around the holidays where we can really make an effort to spruce up the place with plants and pots.

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Here is yet another one of Veronica’s Easter Baskets

When our children were young we didn’t have a lot of money.  I bought these very cheap baskets and spray painted them white.  I then used a sponge and dabbed some pink paint all around it to give it that look.  I did the same thing for an Easter basket for Brodie, except I used a blue paint to dot around the basket for him.

She remembered the basket, and happily excepted it.

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Cranberry Beans

These beans were far too beautiful to just eat.  I loved how long they were.  I envisioned placing them into a clear glass vase with pretty pink roses in the center with the beans surrounding them.  Kind of like a craft project.  So, I put a glass in the center of the vase and filled it with water for the roses.  But before I added the roses, I placed the beans all around the glass, then inserted the roses.  I loved it!

You Can See The Results Here

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It’s About Time to Set up For Easter Dinner

We pulled out what prints and paintings that we had stored in the attic and brought them down to display.  When Veronica moved out years ago she took her really nice paintings with her.  These are some that she left behind.  They are from her earlier days.  She has come quite a long way since then.  Fine Arts Major that she is.  🙂

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Veronica was thrilled that we also found her old artist tiles that she made from years ago in the attic.  She created them, painted them, and then had them fired.

More Self Portraits of our Family Artist

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The Painting on the Left is of my Monk  🙂

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Veronica’s Creepy Painting

(Veronica swears that she didn’t paint it.  She thinks a friend of hers from the past painted it.  It isn’t hers or Brodie’s handwriting, so perhaps so.)

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Oriental Lilies

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Gordon Grilling our Delicious Lamb

This was truly a very delicious meal.

We don’t eat lamb that often so this was very special.

The Aroma Was Amazing

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You Can See How Pretty The Lamb Is Here

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It just isn’t spring without some little flower pot in sight.

This one is being used as a napkin ring.  I painted it many years ago, and several more like them.

Our Beautiful Artsy Easter Table

It Was Just The Two of Us This Year

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Just a Few of My Favorite Easter Things

It Just Isn’t Easter Without Deviled eggs

This year I tried to make them look as if they were two halves of an Egg with a Chick Hatching.

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It’s Time to EAT!

Gordon Did an Amazing Job on Everything

Our Delicious Lamb, Plated

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Our Cranberry and Roman Beans with Pearl Onions

The one thing we forgot to place on the table was our delicious Carrot Slaw.

Oh well, we usually forget something.  🙂

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Our Easter Dinner Plates

After we took pictures we did remember the Carrot Slaw.

Happy Easter

Julie and Gordon

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Let’s Not Forget Dessert

This is actually just a Carrot Cake that I purchased from our local grocery store.

It was delicious!  In addition to some Carrot Juice.

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Another Tasty Easter Under Our Belts

See ya’ Next Year!

Julie and Gordon

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Recipes Start Here

Julie’s Deviled Eggs

To me, there is no Easter without them.

We will always have Deviled Eggs at every Easter no matter what other foods that we may create and serve. 

But, this year I did do them a bit different.  At least in appearance.

Notice the cut marks?  I wanted to make the eggs look as if a chick is hatching from them.  So, I used a paring knife to cut zig-zaggy cuts.  I then squeezed the yellow yolks out of them and placed them into a bowl, while leaving the egg whites to place into an egg plate.  I love this egg plate as it looks like a basket.  The indentations are also smaller and round, so that the eggs can stand on end, and not lay flat.

I have given my Deviled Egg recipe so many times on this website but, I will add it yet again for those that are just now finding our website Easter post. 

All that I do is to boil eggs in a pot of water for about 15 minutes on a high heat.  I then remove them and place them into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process.  Usually, I place them into the refrigerator overnight and make them the following day once they are nice and cold.

It is best to use eggs that are over a week old in your refrigerator as once they are boiled they are much easier to peel. 

I then peel the outer shell and discard it, keeping the hard boiled egg intact.  In this case, I used the paring knife to create a zig-zaggy pattern and then removed the yellow yolk and placed it into a bowl.  I then placed the egg whites into an egg plate.

Like So…..

In order to make the filling, I use the yellow yolks, mayonnaise, yellow mustard, freshly ground black pepper, Tabasco sauce ( a few dashes), spoonfuls of pickle relish, and even some sweet pickle juice to add some flavor.  Sometimes I add some Turmeric, it gives them a vibrant golden color.  Turmeric also kills cancer cells.

I then just stir it all together and then place into the empty egg whites.

I may not make the most beautiful of Deviled Eggs, but they are delicious!

Here I Added the Egg Tops

Dot With a Sprinkling of Paprika

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Baked Golden Beets

Above is the beautifully displayed baked Golden Beets.

They are garnished with Red Beet chips.

Here are the Golden Beets as we bought them with stems attached.

Shown are some dried Red Beet chips we used as a garnish.

To begin, slice off the stems and the upper part of the beet.

Displayed are what they should look like.

Now, peel off the outer skin of the beet.

Slice the beets into quarter sections trying to keep them all about the same size for even cooking.

Wrap the sectioned beets into aluminum foil adding a touch of water then seal the pouch tightly.

Bake the beets in your oven for about 45 min. at 400’F or until fork tender.

Remove the beets from their pouches when cool to the touch.

Slice the beets into more manageable pieces and top with some of the dried Red Beets that have been crushed into smaller pieces.

This is a great side dish for any occasion.

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 Our Easter Carrot Slaw

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Ingredients:

1 10 oz. Bag Carrot Sticks

2 Lg. Purple Carrots – peeled and sliced

2 Lg. Yellow Carrots – peeled and shredded

1/2 Yellow Bell Pepper – diced

1/2 Red Bell Pepper – diced

3 Green Onions – sliced thinly

~1/4 Cup Malt Vinegar

~1/4 Cup Cider Vinegar

~1/4 Cup Rice Vinegar

~1/4 Cup White Vinegar

2 Tbsp. Aji-Mirin Sweet Cooking Rice Seasoning

2 Tbsp. Honey

1 Tbsp. Celery Salt

1 Tbsp. Mustard Seeds

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

Freshly Ground Pepper to taste

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The Crinkle Cut slicer makes great crinkle cut carrots.

Empty the bag of carrot sticks into a large bowl.

Peel the carrots to be used being sure to slice off the ends as shown.

Use the Crinkle Cut Tool to Slice the Purple Carrots

We placed them in their own bowl to set them aside.

Now it’s time to shred the Yellow Carrots into the bowl.

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Now add the Crinkle Cut Carrots to the bowl.

Slice your bell peppers in half and remove the stems and seeds.

Mix the carrots in the bowl together.

Slice, then dice the Yellow Bell Pepper as shown.

Add the Yellow Bell Pepper dices to the other ingredients.

Do the same with the Red Bell Pepper.

Slice off the root ends of the green onions then slice it thinly as shown.

Add the onions to the bowl.

Mix all the ingredients.

Here are our mustard seeds and celery salt we used.

Love Ya Gordon!  🙂

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Time to Make the Dressing

Place the Malt Vinegar, and Cider Vinegar’s to a medium sized bowl.

Then add your Rice, and White Vinegars to the bowl.

Now, add the Aji-Mirin and honey to the bowl.

Beautiful Golden

Time to add your celery salt and mustard seeds to the bowl.

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Then add your Olive Oil ….

…freshly ground pepper to the bowl and stir together all the ingredients. 

Taste the mixture to see if it is partially sweet and tart and to you liking. If not add more honey or one of the vinegar’s to get it just right.

Once the honey has dissolved into the vinegar’s add it to the carrot mixture.

Stir all the ingredients together a few times as you let it sit for a few hours to 24 hours to let the carrots begin to pickle.  The longer it sits the better it will taste.

Perfect Easter Side Dish

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Cranberry and Roman Beans with Pearl Onions

and Snap Peas

Ingredients:

~30 Red Pearl Onions
1 ½ Cups Cranberry Beans – Shelled
1 Can “Roman Beans”
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
3 Garlic Cloves
½ Shallot – Minced
½ Tbsp Dried Basil
½ Tbsp. Dried Thyme
¼ Tbsp. Red Pepper Flakes
4 Bay Leaves

12-13 Snap Peas as a garnish

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More of our Ingredients, Pictured

Place your Red Pearl Onions in a pot of water and begin to boil them for about 5 min.

Here are the beautiful Cranberry bean pods

Rinse the bean pods then remove the beans as shown and place into a bowl.

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After the onions have boiled for 5 min. remove them into a colander and rinse them with cold water until lukewarm to stop the cooking process.

When cooled, slice off the root end and squeeze out the onion.

Here are all the onions after they were cooked.

Remove the onions from their exterior skins and place on a plate as shown.

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Remove the Roman Beans from the can and rinse them using a colander.

Remove three garlic cloves and use half of a large shallot.

Here are the garlic, and half a shallot ready for slicing.

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Place the Cranberry beans in a medium pot of slightly salted water. The water should be just an inch or
more over the beans.

Place about 2-3 Tbsp. olive oil into a medium pot.

Here are all the Red Pearl Onions from above, in the pot.

Here are the Roman and Cranberry Beans at the ready with the other seasonings. On the left of the
picture you can see the nice leg of lamb grilling.

Place your onions over medium heat and begin the cooking process.

Add your whole garlic cloves and minced shallots to the pot.

Add your dried basil and dried thyme to the pot.

Here you can see the dried herbs with the onions.

Now add your Red Pepper Flakes and your Bay Leaves to the pot. Cook these ingredients until the garlic
is slightly browned and the shallots become caramelized.

When the onions and garlic are cooked, add the Cranberry and Roman Beans in water to the pot

Cook the beans for about 20 – 25 min. or until tender.

Here is another look at the cooking beans in the pot.

Pictured are the cooked beans.

Place the beans in a bowl and add some Snap Peas vertically as a nice
garnish.

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Pictured above are the lamb chops, and leg of lamb we used. They were expensive, but don’t let that
scare you away from cooking them as they are grilled just like any other red meat.

 

Here are the spices we used as they needed to be bold. I like these steak seasonings because they
provide a good amount of flavor which lamb can handle.

I unpackaged the lamb, gave it a rinse to remove any old blood and bone fragments. Then I placed it on
a cookie tray to help transport it to the grill. You can see the pre-seasoning it came with.

Using your Chef knife, slice through the plastic holding the lamb chops keeping them in two’s.

Do this for all the lamb chops. I feel cutting them like this makes them easier to grill and lets you place
more seasoning on them.

Here is a great picture of the fat and meat of the lamb chop.

The fat provides the meat a great deal of
flavor.

Place the lamb chops on the tray with your leg of lamb.

Use a nice large cast iron skillet to cook the lamb chops.

Start by placing three tablespoons of peanut oil into the pan, as this oil has a high burning point.

Season the leg of lamb with the seasonings as shown.

Then season the lamb chops on all sides with the seasoning. Use a good amount as shown as it will
enhance the meat through the surrounding fat.

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Heat your grill to medium high and place your cast iron skillet over the flame.

After about 5 min. for the
peanut oil is hot, place the lamb chops fat side down onto the skillet.

You should hear the fat sizzling in the pan.

If not, remove it and heat the pan further. This fat side is also called the presentation side or
the side that will be facing up on the plate. Usually this side is cooked first.

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Here is a closer look at the lamb chops in the pan.

Heat the other side of your grill to medium high heat and when at temperature, place your leg of lamb on the grill.

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When you have seared the lamb chops to your desired doneness, remove them with your tongs.

You just want the lamb chops to cook in the pan for about 8 min. or until browned.

When you have seared the lamb chops to your desired doneness, place them on the grill.

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The leg of lamb is not very thick so It won’t take long to cook either.

After about 8 min. or so, you can lift it up and see if it is nicely browned.

After about 5 min. or more, flip the lamb chop onto another side. You should begin nice browning on the chop as shown.

Here you can see the nice sear the pan gave to the fat side of the lamb chops. Now, place them on their side directly on the grill where the pan was located.

Here you can see me at the final stages of grilling the lamb.

When done, let the lamb rest at least 8 to
10 minutes to allow the heated juices to return to the center of the meat.

 

The lamb was place on a bed of micro-greens.

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Lamb Balsamic Reduction Sauce

Ingredients:

1 Cup Balsamic Vinegar

3 Tbsp. Balsamic Glaze

2 Tbsp. White Balsamic Reduction

2 1/2 heaping Tbsp. savory Balsamic Sweet Onion Jam

1 heaping Tbsp. Lingonberries Jam

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Place the Balsamic Vinegar into a small pot.

Then add your Balsamic Glaze to the pot.

Now, add your White Balsamic Reduction to the pot.

Turn your heat onto medium high heat and begin to cook the ingredients. 

Then add your Balsamic Sweet Onion Jam…

and lastly your Lingonberries Jam to the pot.

Whisk all the ingredients together and bring them to a boil stirring constantly.  Then turn down the heat and let the ingredients cook over medium heat for about another 5 min.  The ingredients should become thick like gravy when done.  Place the sauce into a gravy boat making a great display.  Use this as a dipping sauce for the Lamb as it will help cut through the gaminess of the meat.

Here are the lamb chops displayed on a bed of micro-greens.

Here is our beautiful table of food we prepared for Easter.

Happy Easter to All

 

 

 

 

 

Sixty’s, (Sensational or Surviving?)  We’ll see, right?

Sixty’s, (Sensational or Surviving?) We’ll see, right?

        Welcome to My Sixty’s Currently Aging to Perfection (Or Rotting and Disintegrating?  But I swear this to you, as long as there are moisturizers and Loreal Superior Performance Medium Blonde, I will always be here for you.)  🙂 When I look 

Kayaking in Florida with Julie and Gordon, Adventure, Food and Fun Blogging

Kayaking in Florida with Julie and Gordon, Adventure, Food and Fun Blogging

        Julie Barefoot Gifts of Julie Barefoot Cookies ——————————————————– The Gift of Bellissima to All ——————————————————— On Our Way….. Gordon and Julie Our March 2021 Still Covid Shy Kayaking Adventure with our Children and their Partners Veronica, left.  Brodie and Mackenzie, right. 

From The Smith House to The Whann House, For Easter

From The Smith House to The Whann House, For Easter

 

 

 

 

The Smith House History Cookbook

(Only in the south do you find teaspoons.  Especially in silverware sets.)

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Easter, 1970

Me, my little brother Johnny and my mother, Mary Keith in our front yard in Dahlonega, Georgia.

(Although my mother does look like an airline stewardess here.)

Me, and Baby Johnny in our Front Yard in Dahlonega on our way to Church.

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We lived in Dahlonega, Georgia for about 3 years when I was a girl.  I was 7 when we moved there and 10 when we left to move to Roanoke, Virginia.  This was in the late 60’s- early 70’s.  My step-father was the only doctor in the small town, he even made house calls.  Something unheard of in our ‘for profit’ healthcare system we have now.  He liked being a big fish in a small pond.  My brother Johnny was born there when I was 8.  I was happy there.  I think we all were. 

One special memory I have of Dahlonega was this restaurant called, The Smith House.  It was unlike other restaurants at the time.  There was no menu for you to order off of.  You would enter the restaurant while being greeted with what was quite a nice tradition at the time called ‘Southern Hospitality.’  Things are a bit different in the south now but I did get to live through a time when the south was hospitable.  They would sit you down next to another family that you didn’t know.  If you had a large group then you got a table to yourselves, but if you were a family of 2, or 3, or 4, then you would get seated next to another small group of people.   We would introduce ourselves to our fellow diner’s and the polite conversation would ensue while we waited for our food to arrive.

Julie and Johnny, Dahlonega 1970

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Family Style Dining

(I do love that the bread basket in the photo at right is empty. 

Looks like I’m not the only one that loved those dinner rolls.)

The food is cooked fresh everyday in the kitchen and placed into bowls and platters and set on the table in front of you.  You had no say on what they placed in front of you.  At least that is how I remember it at the time.  You would then serve yourself and pass the bowls around to the other people at your table.  When you ran out of mashed potatoes you would motion to the waitress and she would disappear into the kitchen and return with a heaping bowl full to place in front of you for you to enjoy.  It was all southern cooking.  Probably very plain in taste by today’s restaurant standards but the food was delicious because you were tasting the food.  Not tons of spices or sauces. 

Salt and pepper, butter,

bacon grease, lard, and gravy

were all you really needed to season your food.

  At least that’s how we liked it in the south.

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There’s Gold in Them Thar Hills!

I can’t talk about Dahlonega without mentioning it’s gold mining past.  It was during The Great Gold Rush to California that gold was discovered in Dahlonega.  To prevent the residents of Lumpkin County from leaving, the mayor of Dahlonega said to his residents not to leave because, “There’s gold in them thar hills!”

Most people have heard that quote before but hardly anyone knows who said it.

My family and I used to go spelunking and panning for gold when we lived in Dahlonega.  I never found a nugget just lots of gold flakes that were put into a vial of water and worn as a necklace.  But we have certainly prowled our way through many caves in our spelunking adventures.  My mother has all those photos. 

I can also remember us driving up through the mountains and pulling over to the side of the road where I was handed a paper cup by my mother telling me to pick up those Garnet Nuggets because they were everywhere.  So, we climbed steep embankments and started looking through the dirt finding them.  I don’t remember how they knew they were all over that embankment but we got quite a haul that day.  And I believe for my following birthday I was given a rock cleaning and polishing kit.  It was a machine and was very loud so we set it out in the garage, but the rocks came out all smooth and shiny.  I even have a few of those stones that we had placed into jewelry.  They are somewhere in my house.

Spelunking, Panning for Gold, those were the days!

Mary Keith, my mother, and Me

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When you drive through Atlanta you will see the Georgia State Capital building and it’s gold dome with gold from Dahlonega.

Georgia State Capital Dome

Atlanta, Georgia

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My one food memory that I have from Dahlonega, and The Smith House were their Dinner Rolls.  Rolls were my food!  As my Grandfather used to say, ‘All Julie cares about eating are rolls, rolls, and rolls.

The Smith House made the best rolls I have ever eaten in my life and it occurred to me to look online and see if the recipe was out there for me to make them myself.  That is when I spotted their book online and of course, I purchased it.

The Smith House History Cookbook

Of course I am enjoying reading a bit about the history.  Some things I knew and other’s I didn’t.

But what I am enjoying the most are the recipes listed throughout the book.

The Recipes!

There are many and I am not going to post them all but the one that I was THE most excited to find…..

IS………..

THIS ONE!

Smith House Yeast Rolls!!

YES!  YES!  YES!!!

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This entire Easter Dinner is based on these.

Smith House Recipe Yeast Dough

(Waiting for the dough to rise.)

Made by Brodie and Mackenzie

The Smell is Amazing!

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2020

I made sure the basket was sitting right next to me on our Easter table.  🙂

The rolls were delicious!  They tasted a bit like I remember and Brodie and Mackenzie had never baked bread before so taking all that into consideration they did a wonderful job, but the rolls that I remember had probably been made hundreds of times by the same women in that Smith House kitchen.  They had perfected a technique that they probably had no idea that they had.  Just handing out a recipe doesn’t mean that we will be able to recreate it exactly as they did.  But I was given a delicious taste of a happy childhood food memory that I have carried with me from the age of 7 and I do appreciate that.

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Me, on a swing with Anne Catherine Folger in Dahlonega.

(She’s the pretty one.  I’m sticking my tongue out.)

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Sequoya’s Alphabet

(The photo above is a post card that my Grandmother sent to us from Las Vegas in 1992.  It depicts Indian symbols and their meanings.  There is a section in the Smith House History Cookbook that speaks of Sequoya (Sikwayi) and his Alphabet.)

The Indian Tribe that we most know of in the state of Georgia is the Cherokee Nation.  Sequoya’s mother was Cherokee and his father was white.  Sequoya was most impressed that the white man could “put talk on paper.”  The Cherokee Alphabet was invented in 1821.  Sequoya created an alphabet of 86 characters.  The English Alphabet only has 26 letters.  The Cherokee Nation embraced Sequoya’s Alphabet.

I grew up in a family that loved our Native American’s and we were taught quite a bit about them.  My parents admired them for the great people that they were and are, and they passed that down to me and all 3 of my brother’s.  We have spent many a family vacation visiting Indian Reservations throughout our country, in the south as well as out west.

This is me, July 1969.  I don’t know where we are here but I know that my Grandfather took the photo.  I also remember him buying me that necklace.  🙂  I am with a Native American Chief here.

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Sadly, the Trail of Tears started in my hometown of Rome, Georgia.  But, I was happy to see Sequoya included in this Smith House History Cookbook.

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I wanted to add that this Easter Dinner wasn’t just about remembering The Smith House, it was also about remembering all my childhood Easter’s with my Grandparents and Great-Grandparent’s.  Adding the table extensions to the dining room table in order to seat 8-10 instead of 4.  The dining table pad that would be placed on top of the table.  The white linen tablecloths ironed to perfection, same with cloth napkins.  The beautiful China bowls and platters set on the table filled with delicious southern, and northern cooking.  (I had Yankee relatives too.)  Shhh….  🙂

Remember the crystal goblets, and let’s not forget the silver that would be polished a week or so in advance so that everything gleamed and sparkled on our Easter table. 

That is why this year I wanted for us to eat all those delicious southern foods that I grew up with.  Some cooked their way, and some cooked our way.  I did use the Smith House cookbook as a template for the foods I wanted on our table although the only recipe we followed from the book was for the yeast rolls.  At least, so far.  Rediscovering traditional southern cooking has been something I have been doing for the last few years.  It is fun to try the newest cooking trend but that is all they ever seem to be.  Trends.  I guess where food is concerned lately I’ve been more interested in going home.

Me, playing on my tire swing in our backyard in Dahlonega.  And me with our dog Little Bit.  Sadly, the neighbor right in back of us, the Whitmyer’s didn’t like our dog so the man took him away one day and left him in the mountains to die.  That is what I was told by my mother.  So, on that happy note…..

Happy Easter,

Julie

Oh, and P.S.  Former President Jimmy Carter has eaten there.  He was born and grew up in Plains, Georgia.  His family were the only white people in that small town.  He didn’t see his first white person (other than his immediate family) until he was 14.

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Our Easter Table

Easter Baskets Adorn

(Along with the GOLDEN EGG.  Something I never found at childhood Easter Egg Hunts.)

Our Extended Lanai

Brodie and Mackenzie

Living in Florida does give us an advantage to enjoying outdoor life throughout the year.  I knew that I wanted us to eat outside and enjoy our spring weather before our hot summer arrived.  I also knew that I wanted to make the best of this Easter and just enjoy our lovely holiday while in lockdown due to the Coronavirus.  It was just the 4 of us, Gordon, myself, our son Brodie, and his girlfriend Mackenzie.

I knew that I wanted to use all the old linen tablecloths and napkins that belonged to my Grandmother and Great-Grandmother’s.  I knew that I wanted to use my Grandmother’s silverware.  I knew that I wanted our food put into some of the platters and bowls that once belonged to them as well.  I knew that I wanted to set a formal table but also bring it into my tastes.  I knew that I wanted to make it formal but also fun and casual all at the same time. 

I knew that I wanted for us to cook the foods that I remember from my youth, but I also knew that I wanted Gordon to create something new and tasty at add to our traditional southern menu.  And he did!

When in Lockdown Fake Flowers work Nicely

Brodie and Mackenzie with Sparky and Spooky

Julie and Gordon

Julie and Mackenzie

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I would like to introduce you to:

Our Easter Menu

Bone In Pork Roast

Mashed Potatoes with Carrots

Macaroni and Cheese

Green Beans with Blue Potatoes

Corn and Creamed Corn

Purple Beets

Lima Beans

Sea Island Red Peas and Ham

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Grandma Nell’s Squash Casserole

Yeast Rolls

Gravy

Julie’s Deviled Eggs

AND,

A little something for the Easter Bunny!

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The Iced (melted) Tea Table

(Served two ways:  Sweetened, or Unsweetened.)

I knew that I wanted to honor my past by having what every edible function I had ever been to in my life had, Sweetened, or Unsweetened Iced Tea.  Usually with a little card in front of the pitchers letting you know which one was which.  Something I didn’t have time to make prior to this dinner.  But the two pitchers do represent the only two selections in the south.  🙂

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Traditional Place Setting

I enjoyed getting out the China and Silver.

  No crystal goblets though.

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Gordon’s Bone In Pork Roast Cooked on the Grill

Gordon Carving our Bone In Pork Roast

Looks delicious, doesn’t it?

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Our Easter Table

Of course my Deviled Eggs took center stage.  Easter is all about the eggs.

  I placed them over a pretty spring wreath that I had.

Another thing I love about Easter is that even the foods are very colorful with all the colors of spring. 

As if the Easter Bunny had painted them himself.

Mackenzie and Brodie Digging In

Gordon and Julie Ready to Feast

My, Julie’s, Dinner Plate and Place Setting

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Another Southern Reminder…….

My Honeysuckle Vines

  I am just waiting for the blooms to emerge.  Having grown up in the south most every property had Honeysuckle growing, whether it was crawling all over fences, gates, trellis’s, it was everywhere most of the time growing wild.  It was also overlooked as being some weed and not really appreciated.  Same with grape vines that grew everywhere.  My friends and I would always pick the blossoms off the Honeysuckle Vines and place the sweet stem from the bottom of the blossoms in our mouth and suck out to taste the sweet nectar.  I still do whenever I see the vines growing.

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Easter Baskets Filled with Goodies

It wouldn’t be Easter without a Chocolate Bunny, or two. 

I did manage to get my hands on two Easter Lily plants for this Easter.

Oh, and see the picnic basket in front of the table? 

I made that when we were living in Hawaii.  It only took me a few hours.

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The Dessert Table

(We don’t have time to make everything from scratch.)

3 small pies that we bought from the grocery store and had delivered.  1 peach and 2 apple.  I thought they looked plain so I opened our stash of Easter candies and doctored them up a bit.

China plate, Silverware, Magnolia Tree wreath, old Chandelier, Lacey Basket Liner, and a hand drawn in pastels picture by our daughter Veronica that I wanted to include here.

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Into the Kitchen

RECIPES START HERE!

Getting the Lanai Ready for Easter

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Making Southern Iced Tea

(We just call it Ice Tea)

Lipton Tea Bags

(This to the south is GOLD, but to the rest of the world it’s just tea dust.)

It was always Lipton or Nestle.  Those were the brands of tea that everyone would buy.  There were always two pitchers, one for Sweet Tea and one for Unsweetened Tea.  My grandmother would boil water on the stove top and then pour it piping hot into a glass pitcher with tea bags.  To prevent the glass pitcher from breaking she would insert a knife into the pitcher to prevent that from happening.  Don’t ask me how it works, it just does.

Once the tea has cooled then into the refrigerator the pitchers go to get really cold.  Right before the tea is served ice cubes are usually added to the tea.  With sugar added to only one pitcher for those that like it sweet.

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Gordon and Brodie in the Kitchen Working Their Magic

Gordon did grow a beard for lockdown.

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Spooky and Sparky love being in the kitchen with us when we are cooking.

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Gordon’s Bone In Pork Roast

We Made TWO!

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Ingredients:

2x ~6lb. Bone in Pork Roasts

1 1/2 Cups (Weber’s) Roasted Garlic and Herb seasoning

Let the pork roasts come to room temperature.

Remove the plastic covering on the pork roasts and rinse the excess blood and bone debris with fresh water.  Not shown, remove the silver skin from behind the bones as your would with ribs.  It usually peals off fairly easily once started.

Remove the excess water using a paper towel until dry.  Using a sharp knife, score the fat about 1/8 inch deep to allow the spices to penetrate the meat and help the fat to drain off.

Here is a picture of the spices I used. 

These have a bold garlic taste and the herbs compliment the flavor of the meat.

Place a large amount of the spices into your hands and push and rub the spices into the meat.

  Do this on all sides of the meat.

Here you can see the meat is well seasoned.  I then wrapped the meat in plastic until I was ready to cook them.  This will also allow the seasoning to somewhat marinade the meat.

Heat your grill to medium heat and place the fat side down to get some initial cooking on the fatty side.  Here I have the burners on directly under the meat.

Here you can see I am cooking more food in the pot next to the grill.

Cook the meat on the fatty side until you begin to get some good char.

(Easter Bunny Carrots Grilling as well.)

Once you have the char you like, turn the meat over and begin to cook the meat on the other side. Now, turn off the burners directly under the meat and turn on the ones to the outside of the meat to medium high.  This will prevent the fat from catching on fire and burning your meat.  Having the burners on will roast the meat from the heat on both sides.

Cook your pork roasts until they have an internal temperature of ~140’F.

The heated juices will raise the meats internal temperature to 145’F as the meat rests.  The heated juices will return to the center of the meat if you let it rest for ~15 min.

If you don’t let it rest and immediately cut into the roast, those moving juices will just run all over your plate.  Here you can see a nice end cut of the meat.  Trust me, it is difficult to let the meat rest as it looks so good!

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Leftovers…….  🙂

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Easter Bunny Food

Here Gordon is preparing the multi-colored carrots for roasting in the grill.  Slice off both ends of the carrots and peel them if you like.

Her you can see the sliced carrots.

He roasted the carrots above the pork where they will cook absorbing the great pork flavors.  Roast them until just tender about 35 minutes.

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Sea Island Red Peas

Soak the Red Peas in water for at least 24 hours.  This will re-hydrate the peas.

Just place them in any sort of container with a lid.

After 24 hours when the peas are tender then drain them of the excess water through a colander and rinse them.

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Here you can see the peas after they have absorbed the water and are ready for cooking.

Mackenzie showing off her knife skills by slicing a medium yellow onion to a small dice.

Add the diced onion to a large saute pan with a few tablespoons of bacon fat/grease.  Let the onions cook for a few minutes then add some diced ham.  I buy the Deli end cuts all the time from the Commissary (Military Supermarket) This isn’t sold in most stores.  The end cuts are exactly that, the ends of the meat that are cut off to get to the nicer slices.  In the Commissary they are half the price per pound and are perfect for dishes like this.  Brodie is slightly browning the onions and ham together where each will absorb the other’s flavors, along with the great taste of the bacon fat!

Here you can see Brodie sauteing the ingredients with the bacon fat.

Cook the peas in a large amount of water to help them become tender.  This will take a few hours of cooking.  I didn’t add much salt to the water as the pork and bacon fat have enough salt in them.

Since I was cooking at the grill, I thought it would be a great idea to use my grill’s side burner as shown.  Cover the Red Peas and cook them until tender.

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Cooking the Red Peas on the Grill Burner

Once the peas are tender, remove most of the water and add the pork and onion mixture, cover with a lid and place on low heat stirring occasionally so they don’t burn.

Seeing as how we ate outside we didn’t plate the peas.  We just kept them on a simmer to stay warm and everyone just helped themselves.

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Smith House Yeast Rolls

 Below are the ingredients from above:

1 Package Yeast

1 1/2 Cups lukewarm water

2 Unbeaten Eggs

4 Tbsp. Sugar

1 tsp. Salt

3/4 Cups Wesson Oil

4 1/2 Cups Plain Flour

When ready to bake:

1 Stick of Melted Butter

Smith House Recipe Yeast Dough

(Waiting for the dough to rise.)

Made by Brodie and Mackenzie

Mackenzie ready to make some biscuits from scratch!

Here are all the ingredients they used to make the great biscuits.

Here they are dissolving the yeast in a bowl in the lukewarm water.

Brodie is then adding the Wesson Oil to the bowl.

Stir in a little bit of the sugar to help the yeast activate which will only take a few minutes.  You will see frothy bubbles forming when the yeast activates or blooms.

Once the yeast activates, add in the rest of the ingredients. 

Here they are adding the eggs.

Then add the salt, sugar, and lastly the flour.  Mix all the ingredients together as shown.

Adding more flour….

as you add the flour, you will see the dough start to form.

This is what you will get once all the flour is added.  Now, knead the flour folding it over and over again on itself for a few minutes.  This will help to combine all the ingredients and start the dough to form gluten, which makes the dough elastic.

Place the dough in a large bowl that has been lightly oiled.  Oil the dough as well which as is grows will help it to rise along the sides of the bowl.  Place the dough in a warm spot and cover with a dish cloth.  If it is cold out, I will use my oven for this.  Turn the oven on for about 30 seconds then turn it off and place the covered bowl inside.  Don’t open the oven for about 45 min.

Here you can see the dough has risen.

Now punch down the dough as Brodie is doing and place the dough back in the warm spot for another 45 min. to let it rise again.

Here you can see the dough has risen a second time and Brodie is now ready to roll it out on a floured surface.

Lightly sprinkle the flour over the counter top as shown.  Remove the dough from the bowl and begin to flatten it to 3/4 of an inch thick.

Brodie is placing a little flour on top as well to prevent the roller from sticking.

Melt one stick of butter in the microwave.

Using a biscuit cutter, cut the biscuits into perfect rounds.

Here you can see the nicely cut biscuits.

Remove the excess dough and form it again into 3/4 inch round and continue to cut out more biscuits.

Spray some oil onto a baking pan and place your biscuits on it with a little separation as shown.  They then brushed the butter on the top of the biscuits instead of dunking them as per the recipe directions.

Set the biscuits aside for about 30 min. to let the biscuits rise for a third time.

Here, the biscuits are ready to be baked at 400’F for about 10 – 12 min. or until lightly browned.  Halfway through the baking, turn the biscuit pan in the oven for even baking.

The Smell is Amazing!

Because these were made the day before Easter we allowed them to cool and then ate them at room temperature the following day.  That’s the thing about bread.  It tastes good hot, neutral, or cold.  🙂

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Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and Cheese is always a favorite at our house.  I especially love the colorful pasta that we use when we do make it.  This time I had some lovely Bow Tie Pasta’s from Italy that I wanted for us to use.  They are vegetable dyed.  Brodie and Mackenzie made this the day before Easter and we just kept it in the refrigerator overnight, and then baked it about an hour or so before we ate.

This is a recipe that we sometimes change up our cheeses by using whatever we have in our refrigerator.  But, most of the time they are white cheeses like Manchego, Parmesan and Gruyere.  White cheese also has less cholesterol than the yellow ones.

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Ingredients:

About 1 Pound of Pasta

4 T. Flour

4 T. Butter/Margarine

3 Cups of Milk (I used Skim)

1 Cup Half and Half

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Grated Nutmeg (About a good sized Pinch)

4 Cups White Grated Cheeses of Your Choice

(We used Gruyere, Manchego, White Cheddar, Fontina, Parmesan, and some leftover Cheeses.)

Gordon Supervising the Cooking… a great teaching moment!

To make the Cheese Sauce (in culinary terms called a Mornay Sauce) you first have to make a roux, then a gravy (Bechamel Sauce), then a Cheese Sauce (Mornay Sauce or Fondue).  This is done by first measuring out equal parts flour and oil/fat/butter/bacon grease.  As you can see you can make many different flavors of roux as it will be based upon the fat you use.  About 1 Tbsp. of flour will make just over 1 cup or so of Bechamel Sauce.

Using a large saute pan or cast iron skillet, melt your butter over medium heat then add your flour.  Mix the two together making a wet sand consistency.  Continue to cook the now roux for about 3 min. stirring constantly. You need to cook the flour slightly which will rid it of that flour taste.  You don’t want the roux to turn color as it will not be able to thicken as much the more it browns.

TIP: If you want to make a brown gravy, simply continue to cook the flour and butter mixture until you get a light brown.  The mixture will also turn a slight amber if you cook it longer, but this will not thicken as much as a light brown roux will which is a typical brown gravy.  Follow the rest of the below procedures to make the brown gravy.

Now that you have slightly cooked the flour and butter, add 3 cups of milk and continue to stir all the ingredients together.  In just a short time the magic will happen and the milk will thicken.

Here you can see Brodie adding the milk to the roux.  After making it many times, you won’t need to measure the milk you add.

Here you can see the ingredients getting thick.  Once it begins to thicken again, add your half and half and stir in to combine.  You can see it has thickened when you can make a line in the pan and it stays.  You can also use a whisk for this step if needed to make smooth.  Once combined, turn down the temperature to low.

Congratulations… you have now made a Bechamel Sauce!

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To make a Mornay Sauce, simply add your cheese!  Using your spatula, stir all the ingredients together.  As the cheese melts it will create a beautiful smooth sauce.

TIP: If the Mornay sauce is too thick, add a little more milk or half and half and stir to combine.  As the flour sits, it will continue to absorb the liquids, so you may have to add a touch more milk or Half and Half just before serving as a Fondue if it sits for a period of time.

Here you can see they added a touch more milk making the Mornay nice and creamy!

Perfect guys!  They are also done cooking the pasta in a large pot of boiling water… nice timing!

Drain the pasta in a large colander as shown, being sure not to rinse it.  Rinsing it would remove the starch making the cheese not stick to the pasta.

Here they are grating some fresh nutmeg to the Mornay Sauce.  It just doesn’t get any better than that!

Stir in to combine.

I really enjoy teaching my son all the culinary things I learned over the years and at school.  It’s also great that Mackenzie is interested in learning as well.

He and Mackenzie have really become great cooks.

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Now time to add the pasta to a large bowl and ladle in the Mornay sauce.

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Continue to add the Mornay Sauce to the pasta until it is to your liking.  Gently fold all the ingredients together so as not to breakup the pasta.

Add a ladle of Mornay Sauce to the bottom of the baking dish as well…

this will help prevent the pasta from sticking or burning.

Then pour your pasta into the baking dish.

Place the pan into a 350’F oven for about 45 min. or until the mixture begins to boil around the edges and middle.  If you want you can top with some grated cheese or breadcrumbs if you like.

Always a family favorite!

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Grammaw Nell’s Squash Casserole

This is a family recipe that my grandmother would make quite a bit.  Except, she never topped hers with cheese and breadcrumbs.  Hers was perfect just the way that it was.  BUT, I have experimental cooks and a chef in the family that likes to change things up every now and then.  Hence, the toppings.  It was good, but you don’t mess with perfection and you DON’T mess with a tried and true family recipe.  I just wanted to think of her on this day and taste her recipe, not something new.

Ready for the Oven

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Brodie and Mackenzie also made this, with Gordon’s supervision, of course.  They made it the day before Easter which helped out tremendously, and we baked it about an hour or so before we ate dinner.  It really does help to eliminate the stress and amount of cooking if you can make things ahead of time.

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Ingredients:  Squash Casserole

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Old Photo of my Grandmother’s Casserole and what it is supposed to look like.

grandma-nells-squash-casserole_small

Here are The Ingredients For HER Casserole

4 Zucchini Squash (sliced into rings)

7 Yellow Squash (sliced into rings)

3 Onions (sliced into half rings)

1 1/2 Cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese (1/4 Cup reserved)

3 Eggs Beaten

1/2 Cup Miracle Whip

3/4 Cup Seasoned Bread Crumbs

Salt and Pepper to taste

yum-yum-yum_small

And this is how clean it comes out when done.

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Here is the start of Gordon, Brodie and Mackenzie’s Squash Casserole

(I’ll let Gordon do this write up.)

Slice your Zucchini and Yellow Squash into ¼ inch thick round slices.

Then slice your onions the same way into rounds. Place all the Zucchini, Yellow Squash, and Onion into a large pot adding enough water to just cover them.

Bring the water to a boil and add about a tsp. of salt to the pot and vegetables. Boil the vegetables for about 5 min. or until just tender.

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Occasionally remove a round of squash to test its tenderness. You don’t want it fully cooked and mushy, to be technical. You want the squash to still have a little bite to it.

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When done, pour the squash and onion rounds into a colander and drain fully.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together your eggs, and Miracle Whip, then add your cheddar cheese.

Pour the drained squash and onions into the cheese mixture and add a touch more salt and freshly ground pepper.

Fold all the ingredients together until fully mixed.

Here is what it looks like when fully combined.

Spray a large casserole dish with cooking spray and add the squash and cheese mixture to the dish.

Add your seasoned breadcrumbs to the top of the casserole. Bake the casserole at 350 for ~45 min.

(Ignore that fried SPAM in the photo at left, top.)  🙂

About 5 minutes before the casserole is done you can top it with more cheese and then place back into the oven to finish cooking and to melt the cheese.

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Into the Oven Go our Squash Casserole and our Macaroni and Cheese Dishes

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Vegetables on the Stove Top Cooking

L to R:  Lima Beans, Corn and Creamed Corn, Pot of Mashed Potatoes and Carrots, Green Beans and Blue Potatoes, and Purple Beets.

Mackenzie Stirring the Corn, and Creamed Corn

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Time to Make the Blue Potatoes and Green Beans

Scrub and wash your potatoes.

Slice into quarters about 2 to 3 potatoes per person. Place the potatoes into a large pot of water and turn the water on to boil. Add about ½ tsp. salt to the water to add flavor to the potatoes.

Cook the potatoes until they are fork tender which takes about 15 min. of boiling.

At the same time, wash your green beans and cut off the ends.

Place the beans in a pot of water as shown and boil them for about 10 min. or until just tender.

Drain the beans in a colander and add the cooked potatoes to the green beans in the pan.

You can reserve a little bit of the water so they don’t burn and just keep the burner on low until ready to serve.  You could also add a little bit of olive oil and some garlic powder if you like.

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Purple Beets

(This pretty much came from a can heated up on the stove top so there is no write up.)

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Corn, Creamed Corn, and Blue Potatoes and Green Beans

(The Corn and Creamed Corn came from cans as well so there is no recipe for these.  I was just a bit disappointed that the creamed corn was so runny and I added a can of regular corn just to thicken it up.)

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Roasted Brussel Sprouts

This is also a big family favorite of ours as well.  Easy and delicious.  Can also be prepared a few days in advance but does need to roast the day of.

Brodie Placing the Brussel Sprouts onto a Sheet Pan with Foil

(Although we don’t have many photos in the preparation of these.  I can explain to you what we did.)

A Few Days Before Easter…..

Wash the Brussel Sprouts and slice them in half. Place the cut halves into a large Ziplock Bag and marinate the cut halves in about 2 packets of dry Zesty Italian Seasoning Mix. Add just enough Extra Virgin Olive Oil to the sprouts to just coat them. Marinate the sprouts in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.

Place a sheet of non-stick aluminum foil on a sheet pan and place the sprouts cut side down.  Roast the sprouts at 400”F for ~20-25 min. or until the cut side turns slightly brown and caramelized. 

Roasting in the Oven for Easter

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Mashed Potatoes with Carrots

(This recipe is based on Gordon’s sister Heather’s recipe.  I, Julie, first ate Heather’s Mashed Potatoes with Carrots when we stayed with them in Orlando in 1986 on our way to Hawaii to live.  She made these for us and they are the best mashed potatoes that I have ever eaten.  To tell you the truth, I don’t even remember what else we ate.  I only cared about these.  Which is why I wanted to recreate these for this Easter meal.)

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Wash and peel about 8 potatoes and cut them into medium chunks. Wash and peel your carrots as well and cut them into rounds or chunks. Place your potatoes into a large pot of water and turn on high to boil.

TIP: If you place the cold potatoes into boiling water, you will over cook the outside of the potatoes before the inside is cooked. This is why some peoples potato salad is mushy and the potatoes don’t have a nice shape to them.

After the potatoes have cooked for about 15 min. add your carrots to the pot. Yes, the boiling water will cook the outside of the carrot faster, but the carrot is a little more dense and hearty than a potato and won’t hurt it. Cook the carrot and potatoes for about another 10 min. or until the carrots are tender and the potatoes are fully cooked.

When cooked, pour the carrots and potatoes into a colander.

When fully drained, pour the carrots and potatoes back into the pot.

 

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Add a few tablespoons of butter the the pot.

Then add some course Sea Salt.

Then some fresh cracked pepper.

Lastly, add about 1/2 Cup of milk to the pot.

Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes and carrots until just combined.  Over mixing these ingredients will make them turn to paste.  Taste the mixture, and add salt, pepper, butter or more milk if needed. 

A nice twist on simple mashed potatoes.

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Lima Beans

Gordon HATES Lima Beans!  🙂

These came from a can so there is no recipe but at least I don’t have to worry about Gordon eating them all.  🙂

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“Homemade” Gravy

SouthEastern Mills, Inc.

Rome, Georgia

(Gravy from home.)  🙂

I am originally from Rome, Georgia so this gravy is HOME!  It is a white gravy, which is a country gravy.  We just followed the package directions.  You can always add a spice or two to anything.  Remember that.  Although we didn’t doctor this up, you always can.

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Cute Spooky and Sparky Doggie Break

w/ their Stuffed Critters

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I wanted to give a big THANK YOU to Brodie and Mackenzie for all that they did to make this holiday meal special. 

I knew that they had done a lot of the cooking but I never realized just how much they did until I put all of this together when I worked on this post.

They have a future of bringing delicious meals to their own table and satisfying their future guests with their cuisines.

We love you guys!!!!

Julie and Gordon

(Just invite us over occasionally.)  🙂

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Good Lighting, Camera, ACTION!

Happy Easter!

 

 

 

Fruit

Fruit

        Dessert, Anyone? I made a Fruit Salad yesterday and I was just fixing to spoon some over a nice Pound Cake I bought. Would you care to join me? ———————————————————–   There is nothing prettier to me in the Spring and 

Kayak Weeki Wachee Springs, Florida

Kayak Weeki Wachee Springs, Florida

        Me, Taking a Kayak Photo Making Plans for our Mermazing Kayaking Trip to Weeki Wachee Springs Me, Taking a Kayak Selfie ———————————————————- Rise and Shine Kayaker’s Breakfast Today we will be spending our day kayaking Weeki Wachee Springs in Central Florida.  

Current Website Updates

Current Website Updates

 

 

The Bulletin Board pictured above is hanging in our Hallway.  I put it there when we bought our house, and moved in.  Nothing ever seems to get taken off of it although for some reason we keep cramming things into it through these years.  I have no desire to remove any photo or tiny scrap of paper. 

As cluttered and as tacky as it all may be, that Bulletin Board in a nutshell, is ME!

Hello and Welcome to our Current Website Events

We actually have a few Bulletin Boards around our house. 

These 2 are in mine and Gordon’s Bedroom.

(Rachel Ashwell’s Books and DVD’s are Favorites of Mine.)

This Bulletin Board is to the right in the photo above. 

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Our Microwave/Our Bulletin Board

I get asked a lot about what post or page that I am working on currently.  We do have a very large website and in addition to creating new posts and pages, I also tend to update old ones.  So, I decided to create a page letting our reader’s know what is current, and has new content.  Not that any of the above mentioned “Bulletin Boards” helps to keep us organized.  But they are kinda fun!  🙂

We do appreciate your interest in us and our website and you are always welcomed here.

Kind Regards,

Julie and Gordon

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JULIE

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March, 2024

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March 18, 2024

I just added new content to:

Valentine’s Day

AND,

St. Patty’s Day Snacks

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March 17, 2024

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

I just added more content to:

St. Patty’s Day Snacks

AND,

Julie Spring

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March 11, 2024

Just finished the write-ups for:

Easy Easter

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March 10, 2024

I just added a few ghostly updates to:

The Ghost Writer

Ghosts aren’t just around for Halloween, ya know?

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March 9, 2024

I Did An Update To:

Blogging With Julie MORE in 2024

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March 7, 2024

I have created two new website pages:

Easy Easter

AND,

An Italian Natale

 

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February, 2024

Happy February!  My Second Favorite Month of the Year!

The Calendar is from Ireland and runs Monday to Sunday, So….

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February 29, 2024

We Just Finished:

How To Make Guinness Beer Reduction (W/Recipes)

Happy Leap Day/Year!

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February 27, 2024

I Did An Update To:

Blogging With Julie MORE in 2024

AND,

Sixty’s, (Sensational or Surviving?)  We’ll See, Right?

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February 14, 2024

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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February 13, 2024

Happy Birthday to Me!  63!

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February 10, 2024

Just Finished The Write Up To:

Even More Italian (Just For You)

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February 5, 2024

Happy 7 Month’s to our Isabelle!

AND,

Vintage Cakes

AND,

Shoo Fly Pies

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February 2nd.

It’s Groundhog Day!

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January, 2024

New Year!

Monday – Sunday

Will I get used to it? 

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January 27, 2024

I Did An Update To:

Blogging With Julie MORE in 2024

AND,

My Nifty 50’s, (and 60’s) Skincare

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January 23, 2024

I did updates to:

Sixty’s, (Sensational or Surviving?) We’ll See, Right?

AND,

My Love Affair With All Things Asian

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January 21, 2024

Not only did I create a new blog page for the website:

Quickie Italian

I also completed it, for now.  🙂

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January 14, 2024

Added a Shitty Update to:

Blogging With Julie MORE in 2024

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January 13, 2024

We just finished:

A Blue Springs Christmas (Orange City, Florida)

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January 12, 2024

I just finished:

One HOT Jezebel for Breakfast (Sauce, That Is.)

AND,

I Added an Update to:

Merry Christmas Blogging

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January 7, 2024

I just created a new blog page for 2024:

Blogging With Julie MORE in 2024

AND,

I also forgot to post my other new website pages:

Making Kahlua for Christmas

AND,

One HOT Jezebel for Breakfast (Sauce, That Is.)

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Every year I ask Brodie and Mackenzie for a wall calendar for Christmas so that I can put it on my refrigerator to keep myself organized through the year.  HOWEVER, they didn’t get me one this year.  When I was out shopping shortly after Christmas I was looking around for a calendar but never found any.  That is when I was going to order one from online, but when I went to the mailbox that day there was something from my honorary sister-in-law Sabina, who lives in Ireland, she sent me a wall calendar!!!  🙂 

It is a lovely calendar of where they live in Ireland.  It’s so nice and I wrote and thanked her.  Yet, it wasn’t until I started writing on it that I noticed that it goes from Monday – Sunday.  Not like ours.  We go from Sunday – Saturday. 

This is madness!!!  How am I ever going to get used to this?  Every time I look at it I keep wondering ‘why am I so busy on Sunday’s???’  That’s when I realize that on this calendar it is actually Monday’s!!!

Oh well, I’ll give it a go.  But, I am an American,  ya know?  We were incapable of learning the metric system, so…..

And now for the real reason I am here…

I have another update to:

2023 and Me!  Julie Barefoot Blogging

I will be starting a new blog for 2024 soon.

I’ll let you know,

Julie

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December, 2023

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December 25, 2023

I have another update to:

2023 and Me!  Julie Barefoot Blogging

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December 12, 2023

Just Finished:

Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park

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November, 2023

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November 26, 2023

I have another update to:

2023 and Me!  Julie Barefoot Blogging

AND,

I created a new website page:

Our Mexicana Thanksgiving Dishes

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November 23, 2023

Happy Thanksgiving!

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I also added updates to:

Dia De Los Muertos

AND,

Halloween X-Tras

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November 16, 2023

Added Some New Content To:

It’s Wednesday

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November 13, 2023

Added Content To:

Halloween X-Tras

Scroll down toward the bottom for the new content.

AND,

My Love Affair With All Things Asian

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November 7, 2023

I have another update to:

2023 and Me!  Julie Barefoot Blogging

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November 3, 2023

I have an update to:

2023 and Me!  Julie Barefoot Blogging

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October, 2023

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October 31, 2023

Happy Halloween

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October 29, 2023

I just finished:

A Charmed Halloween

I do have one project left to finish on this post:

I’ll let you know when I’ve finished it.

Julie

p.s.  Veronica stopped by yesterday and picked up our Charmed Scrap Book of Shadows to take home with her.  She took that and the other things that went with it.  I’m happy to give that to her.  I also gave her an old scrapbook that she made featuring Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  We were definitely scrapbook material people.  🙂

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October 16, 2023

I added some updates to:

Halloween X-Tras

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October 14, 2023

I just finished the write-up to:

Raglan Road, October, Disney Springs, Florida

———————————————————————————–

October 13, 2023

Friday The 13th.

 

———————————————————————

October 11, 2023

We have completed:

Click Here For:  Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window:  SCENE 14

I have also linked together all of my Alfred Hitchcock Website Pages.

——————————————————————

October 9, 2023

Columbus Day/Discoverer’s Day/Leif Erickson Day/Whatever?

How can you discover a place that already has people living there?

Regardless, it’s a day off!  🙂

—————————————————————————

September, 2023

(Kinda Crooked, Huh?)

—————————————————————————

September 29, 2023

Just Finished:

Modern Day Mona (Lisa) Halloween

AND,

I did an update to:

The Pot Thickens…Musings of an Amateur Cook

———————————————————————

September 16, 2023

I just completed:

Cornbread, Nuff Said

AND,

I added an update to:

Sixty’s, (Sensational or Surviving?) We’ll See, Right?

—————————————————————————

September 10, 2023

I just added an update to:

2023 and Me! Julie Barefoot Blogging

————————————————————————-

September 9, 2023

Just finished updates to:

Sixty’s (Sensational Or Surviving?)  We’ll See Right?

AND,

A Labor Day Vacay Away

———————————————————————

September 8, 2023

I added a few new Autumn Casserole recipes to:

Autumn Baking

Not Your Mother’s Green Bean Casserole

————————————————————————-

Our Italian Ornamental Squash Casserole

(These aren’t new recipes, I just decided to place them with the other Autumn Casserole recipes.)

AND,

I just created a new website page:

An Easy Labor Day Dinner

——————————————————————-

September 7, 2023

Created Two New Website Pages:

Ragland Road, October, Disney Springs

AND,

The Haunted Mansion Halloween

———————————————————————-

September 4, 2023

Labor Day

Hope Everyone Had a Great Day Off!

———————————————————————-

September 3, 2023

We just finished:

A Labor Day Vacay Away

Although there is a Part 2…..

——————————————————————-

September 1, 2023

Our Son-In-Law’s Birthday

Happy Birthday, Brian!

—————————————————————————

August, 2023

(Ah, Kimchi!)

—————————————————————

August 18, 2023

We added new content to:

Let Me Make You A Sandwich (Bond Style)

Two new sandwich recipes added.

————————————————————

August 17, 2023

We just finished the write-up’s for:

I’ve Got a License to Grill

AND,

You Only Live Twice

AND,

Beachy Fun

—————————————————————————-

August 16, 2023

I just created a new Website Page:

You Only Live Twice

AND,

We just finished the Write Up’s for:

Outside Movie Night with Bond

—————————————————————–

August 12, 2023

I just created two new website pages today:

Movie Night with Bond

AND,

John’s Pass, and Bubba Gump Shrimp

——————————————————————————-

July, 2023

———————————————————————

July 30, 2023

Finished two more Website Pages:

DIY Home Function Upgrades

AND,

Shark Week Fun

——————————————————————-

July 12, 2023

I just finished the write-up for:

The Baby Shower

————————————————————————–

July 6, 2023

Our Website Anniversary

Believe it or not, but we totally forgot about our website’s anniversary!

We were apparently busy with our daughter giving birth on the 5th., and then her birthday being on the 6th.

I created this website on July 6, 2011 and it is now our 12th. anniversary!

We will have to do something special.  I’ll get back to you!  🙂

Julie Barefoot

————————————————————————-

July 6, 2923

Veronica’s Birthday

Turning 36 in the hospital after giving birth.

Best b-day gift ever!

—————————————————————————

July 5, 2023

Our Peanuku is Born  🙂

Our Sweet Little Isabelle is Born

——————————————————————————-

July 4th.!

Finished:

Something For The 4th.

Happy Independence Day!

AND,

I added a new recipe to:

You Say Tomato

————————————————————————–

July 1, 2023

We just finished the write-up’s to:

Brunswick Stew and Barbeque

AND,

I just created a new website page:

Something For The 4th.

————————————————————————————–

June, 2023

————————————————————————

June 22, 2023

Our 38th. Wedding Anniversary  🙂

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!

————————————————————————

June 18, 2023

Happy Father’s Day to Gordon!

I also finished the write up to:

00Whann Way Father’s Day

——————————————————————————

June 13, 2023

Another update to:

Julie’s Backyard Wildlife and Gardening Blogging Continues

 

—————————————————————————–

June 11, 2023

Fun Day Sunday at John’s Pass, Madiera Beach, Florida

Beautiful Day!

Bubba Gump’s

——————————————————————————–

May, 2023

———————————————————————

May 29, 2023

We just completed:

Uno, Dos, Tres, Cuatro, Mexicana Cinco!

AND,

I just created a new website page:

I’ve Got a License to Grill

AND,

It’s Memorial Day!

——————————————————————————–

May 25, 2023

I just did an update to:

It’s a Mermaid Thing

———————————————————————————

May 20, 2023

I have done updates to:

2023 and ME!  Julie Barefoot Blogging

AND,

I have created a new website page with links to all of my personal blogs.

Blogging With Julie All Along (Past and Present Blogging)

AND,

I created a new website page from our Mother’s Day this year.

Mother’s Day in the Canoe:  Crystal River

——————————————————————————

May 14, 2023

Mother’s Day

—————————————————————————-

May 13, 2023

Finished the write up to:

A Light Mother’s Day Outside

——————————————————————

May 7, 2023

We hosted a wonderful baby shower for our daughter Veronica and her husband Brian.

We also created a nice website page depicting our great day!

The Baby Shower

———————————————————————————

May 5, 2023

Cinco de Mayo

Mexico’s Independence Day

ALSO,

Japanese Boy’s Day in Hawaii

AND,

I created a new website page:

Cornbread, Nuff Said

————————————————————————————

May The 4th. Be With You

Always…

—————————————————————-

May 1, 2023

May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii

Just created a new website page:

May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii

———————————————————————

April, 2023

————————————————-

April 27, 2023

Spooky’s Birthday

——————————————————————————-

April 26, 2023

Finally Finished:

Simply Easter

—————————————————————————–

April 22, 2023

Earth Day

———————————————————————–

April 19, 2023

Happy Birthday to Mackenzie!

Mackenzie and Hank

———————————————————————

April 16, 2023

I just created a new blog page:

Uno, Dos, Tres, Cuatro, Mexicana Cinco!

————————————————————————————

April 12, 2023

Grandma Nell’s Birthday

————————————————————————-

April 10, 2023

Updates to:

You Say Tomato

AND,

Julie’s Backyard Wildlife and Gardening Blogging Continues

————————————————————————-

April 9, 2023

Happy Easter

————————————————————————-

April 8, 2023

Buddha’s Birthday

————————————————————————

April 1, 2023

April Fool’s Day!

——————————————————————

March, 2023

(I hate March for some reason?)

 

 

——————————————————————————-

March 31, 2023

Happy 54th. Birthday to my Oldest Little Brother, Johnny

L-R:  Ben, Frank, and Johnny

(My Little Brothers)

————————————————————————-

March 26, 2023

I Added Updates to:

Julie’s Jabberwocky

AND,

My Love Affair With All Things Asian

————————————————————————

March 25, 2023

I have two updates to:

Eat Your Vegetables

AND,

I Have Started My New:

Julie’s Backyard Wildlife, and Gardening Blogging Continues…

———————————————————————-

March 19, 2023

Just added to:

Julie Spring

—————————————————————-

March 17, 2023

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

———————————————————————–

March 14, 2023

Happy Birthday to Einstein

I’m probably the only person that has his birthday written on my calendar every year.

AND,

I’ve updated this website page with a few recent recipes:

St. Patty’s Day Snacks

 

AND,

I just created a new St. Patrick’s Day website page:

How To Make Guinness Beer Reduction (w/ recipes)

——————————————————————————

March 9, 2023

I Added New Content To:

2023 and Me:  Julie Barefoot Blogging

AND,

I added new content to:

Julie’s Jabberwocky

——————————————————————————-

March 6, 2023

I Added New Content To:

2023 and Me:  Julie Barefoot Blogging

AND,

Sixty’s, (Sensational or Surviving), We’ll See Right?

———————————————————————————

March 5, 2023

We Just Finished:

Asian Inspiration

AND,

I added an update to:

St. Patrick’s Day

AND,

I created a new website page:

The Luck of the Irish (St. Patrick’s Day)

————————————————————————

March 4, 2023

We Just Finished:

Our Year of the Rabbit Party/Baby Gender Reveal

Click Here For:  The Year of the Rabbit (2023)

—————————————————————————————–

March 3, 2023

Happy Birthday Monk

You will forever be the canine love of my life.  RIP.  🙁

AND,

Japanese Girl’s Day (Hawaii)

Our Monk and My Lovely Dolls

——————————————————————————-

 February, 2023

(My Second Favorite Month)  🙂

————————————————————————-

February 27, 2023

Happy Birthday Trish!

I miss you every single day.

——————————————————————————

February 26, 2023

Happy Birthday Sabina!

AND,

We just added updates to:

Whann Way Sushi

AND,

Star Wars Christmas, and Novelty Gift Ideas

————————————————————————–

February 24, 2023

We just finished:

An Oriental Jezebel

AND,

We added an update to:

Chisana Atsukau (Small Treats in Japanese)

—————————————————————————

February 22, 2023

George Washington’s Birthday

——————————————————————————-

February 21, 2023

Fat Tuesday

AND,

I just finished:

Middle Eastern Our Way

——————————————————————————–

February 20, 2023

President’s Day

——————————————————————————–

February 19, 2023

I Added New Content To:

2023 and Me:  Julie Barefoot Blogging

—————————————————————————-

February 18, 2023

I Created Another Website Page:

It’s Wednesday

AND,

I Added An Update To:

On Being An Empath, Part II

—————————————————————————

February 15, 2023

Just Created This:

Even More Italian (Just for You)

————————————————————————–

February 14, 2023

Happy Valentine’s Day!

AND,

A Few Updates To:

Valentine’s Day

————————————————————————

February 13, 2023

Happy Birthday to ME!

62!

————————————————————————–

February 11, 2023

Happy Birthday to my brother Ben!

And,

Our Year of the Rabbit Party/Baby Gender Reveal

Click Here For:  The Year of the Rabbit (2023)

———————————————————————–

February 7, 2023

Happy Birthday Sugar

She was just as sweet as sugar.  🙂  RIP

——————————————————————————-

February 5, 2023

I just created a new website page:

Middle Eastern Our Way

AND,

I Just Finished Updating:

Edible Gifts of the Asian Variety

AND,

I Updated:

Asian Edible Gifts

It is a bit complicated but, what is listed on the “bar” of my website is different from what is in the “body” of my website.  The two posts above are the same, except that one is located on the “bar” and the other in the “body.”

————————————————————————————-

February 2, 2023

AND,

I Added New Content To:

2023 and Me:  Julie Barefoot Blogging

—————————————————————————–

February 1, 2023

I created my new 2023 blog page:

2023 and Me:  Julie Barefoot Blogging

——————————————————————————

January, 2023

Happy New Year!

Another great calendar from Brodie and Mackenzie. 

This beautiful Asian one matches our kitchen.  Love it!

—————————————————————–

January 30, 2023

I just added more content to:

My Love Affair With All Things Asian

————————————————————————-

January 28, 2023

I Just Finished:

Edible Gifts of the Asian Variety

AND,

I Updated:

Asian Edible Gifts

It is a bit complicated but, what is listed on the “bar” of my website is different from what is in the “body” of my website.  The two posts above are the same, except that one is located on the “bar” and the other in the “body.”

AND,

Happy Birthday to my beautiful niece in Ireland, Lola.  🙂

————————————————————————

January 26, 2023

I Just Finished:

Chisana Atsukau (Small Treats In Japanese)

There will be more updates in the future.

AND,

I Just Created:

Edible Gifts of the Asian Variety

AND,

Beachy Christmas Grub

 

——————————————————————————–

January 19, 2023

We Just Finished The Write-Ups For:

Asian Inspiration

AND,

I Just Created A New Website Page:

Chisana Atsukau (Small Treats In Japanese)

———————————————————————–

January 15, 2023

We just finished:

Gordon’s “Year of the Tiger” Sauce, Nam Jim Jaew, and Chinese New Year

———————————————————————-

January 13, 2023

Friday The 13th.!!!!!  🙂

————————————————————-

January 8, 2023

Happy Birthday Gordon!

Gordon and his girl Spooks

Happy 58 Gordon!

AND,

I Just Created a New Webpage:

Asian Inspiration

—————————————————————————

January 2, 2023

I forgot to mention that I started this new webpage back in November:

Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park

AND,

We just finished the write up for:

Thanksgiving Lite, and Leftovers

———————————————————————–

January 1, 2023

Happy New Year!

We finally finished:

A Happy Christmas CLUEDO For 007

AND,

Here are the new Website Pages that we have created:

A Blue Springs Christmas (Orange City, Florida)

AND,

The Grinch Got A CLUE For Christmas

AND,

A New Update to:

Blogging With Julie in 2022

—————————————————————-

December, 2022

I never got around to completing our November calendar, and doing a December calendar.  I was just too busy. 

However, I will add the updates to our new January, 2023 calendar, that we did in December.

November 29, 2022

Happy Birthday Brodie!!!!

30!!!

Brodie and Mackenzie, Hank and Buddy  🙂

———————————————-

November, 2022

————————————————————-

November 27, 2022

I Just Created 3 New Webpages

Thanksgiving Lite, and Leftovers

AND,

An Old Florida Jezebel (Sauce)

AND,

Stewed Tomatoes:  A Whann Family Tradition

———————————————————————

November 25, 2022

Just added a new recipe to:

Autumn Baking

————————————————————————-

November 24, 2022

Thanksgiving Day!

AND,

We finished the write ups for:

Gordon’s Poultry Gravy and Grilled Spatchcock Turkey

Happy Thanksgiving!

Julie and Gordon

—————————————————————-

November 15, 2022

I just added an update to:

On Being An Empath, Part 2

———————————————————————

November 8, 2022

Election Day!

AND,

I just finished the webpage:

It’s a Mermaid Thing…

I am shooting some more content tomorrow to add to this page. 

So, check back for that soon.

AND,

I added an update to:

Rise and Shine

—————————————————————

November 7, 2022

I’m really late in posting the calendar for this month. 

I’ve just been busy and I try and do what I can, when I can.

——————————————————–

I have created two new website pages lately, they are:

Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window:  Scene 14

AND,

Modern Day Mona (Lisa) Halloween

——————————————————————–

October, 2022

———————————————-

October 18, 2022

We have finished the write up for:

Chef Whann’s Creepy Crawly Dinners

AND,

I did add a few photos to:

An Herb Garden Redo

 

———————————————————————–

October 6, 2022

Just finished:

A Mermaid Halloween

—————————————————–

September, 2022

———————————————————–

September 27, 2022

New Update to:

Blogging With Julie in 2022

———————————————————————-

September 25, 2022

I just added more content to:

Sixty’s, (Sensational or Surviving?) We’ll See, Right?

———————————————————

September 20, 2022

We just finished the write up for this new page:

Autumn Lunches

———————————————————————–

September 19, 2022

We just finished the write up for this new page:

Oktoberfest Lebensmittel

——————————————————————

September 18, 2022

We just finished the write up for:

STAR TREKKIES, Into The Botanist’s Lair (The Lost Episode)

AND,

We created a new page for the website:

Chef Whann’s Creepy Crawly Dinners

For Halloween

———————————————————————-

September 16, 2022

I have added new updates to:

Happy Birthday to BFIFWJ

11 YEARS!!!

AND,

The Ghost Writer

————————————————————————

September 12, 2022

Two Updates to:

Blogging With Julie in 2022

——————————————————–

 September 11, 2022

Created New Blog Pages:

Autumn Lunches

AND,

Oktoberfest Lebensmittel

 

—————————————————————–

September 5, 2022

Had a wonderful Vacay Away in Indian Shores, Florida for Labor Day

A Labor Day Vacay Away

————————————————————————-

September 1, 2022

Happy Birthday Brian!

Our Giant Grand-Dog Chewie  🙂

——————————————————————–

August, 2022

—————————————————————–

August 28, 2022

3 New Recipes on:

Amiamo I’Italiano

————————————————————-

August 27, 2022

I just added content to:

Diana, Kate, Meghan, and Me

—————————————————————-

August 26, 2022

Updates to:

Blogging With Julie in 2022

AND,

On Being An Empath Part II

—————————————————————–

August 21, 2022

Just completed this new website page:

Grillin’ Italian

AND,

I did add some new photos and content to:

Italianate Tre

———————————————————-

August 20, 2022

Just finished a cocktail and recipe write ups for:

ONO Hawaiian

AND,

Our Asian Inspired 4th. of July

Actually, I was able to locate important photos for our Bok Choy write up so that we have a more complete recipe write up.

AND,

Updates to:

The Pot Thickens… Musings of an Amateur Cook

——————————————————————

August 19, 2022

I just added a recipe to:

Julie’s Italian Appetizers and Edible Gifts

I actually just moved a recipe over from another page.

———————————————————————-

August 18, 2022

Created 3 new Webpages in the past week:

An Oriental Jezebel

AND,

Grillin’ Italian

AND,

Shark Week Fun

————————————————————

August 2, 2022

We have completed updates to the following pages:

Italianate Tre

AND,

My Love Affair With All Things Asian

AND,

ONO Hawaiian

AND,

Fruit

—————————————————————

July, 2022

—————————————————-

July 31, 2022

Debuted a New Webpage Today:

Vintage Cakes

AND,

We finished a few write-ups and ideas for:

Pizza, Pizza

AND,

I added an update to:

Old Miami

——————————————————————–

July 30, 2022

I Just Did an Update to:

You Say Tomato

Two NEW Recipes!

————————————————————–

July 24, 2022

SHARK WEEK STARTS TODAY!

July 24 – 31, 2022

—————————————————————-

Just Added a Recipe To:

Gordon and Julie’s Everyday Seafood

AND,

I Also Created a New Page:

It’s a Mermaid Thing…

————————————————————–

July 19, 2022

I have made updates to:

Blogging With Julie in 2022

AND,

Julie’s Jezebel Sauce

————————————————————–

July 18, 2022

We just finished the complete write up’s for:

An Herb Garden Redo

——————————————————————–

July 17, 2022

I’ve Added Recipe Updates To:

Whann Way Sushi

AND,

Julie’s Jezebel Sauce

——————————————————————

July 15, 2022

Just finished the write up for:

Our Asian Inspired 4th. of July

———————————————————————–

July 12, 2022

Updates To:

My Love Affair With All Things Asian

AND,

The Pot Thickens, Musings of an Amateur Cook

————————————————————

July 4, 2022

Independence Day

AND,

I Created a New Page Today:

I’m Not a Writer, I Just Write.  I’m Not a Storyteller, I Just Tell a Story.

————————————————————

June, 2022

———————————————–

June 24, and June 30, 2022

I have made updates to:

Blogging With Julie in 2022

————————————————————–

June 22, 2022

Happy 37th. Wedding Anniversary to Us!

————————————————————-

June 21, 2022

I just added an update to:

Ono Hawaiian

AND,

I just created a new page for Gordon’s Father’s Day.

00WHANN WAY FATHER’S DAY

—————————————————————

June 17, 2022

Added a bit of content to:

Pizza, Pizza

With more to follow eventually.  🙂

————————————————————-

June 16, 2022

I did two small updates to:

Feliz Dia del Padre

AND,

Fruit

————————————————————–

June 14, 2022

We just finished the write up for:

Feliz Dia del Padre

AND,

I also added an update to:

Pizza, Pizza

————————————————————

June 8, 2022

I created two new blog posts today:

Brunswick Stew and Barbeque

AND,

A Light Mother’s Day Outside

———————————————————–

June 7, 2022

I have made updates to:

Blogging With Julie in 2022

AND,

On Being an Empath:  Part II

————————————————————

May, 2022

————————————————————

May 29, 2022

We just finished updating our:

Ono Hawaiian

Some great recipes for Memorial Day based on our life in Hawaii. 

Aloha!

————————————————————–

May 24, 2022

I just completed a year and a half of back logged garden blogging. 🙂

If you would like to catch up with me:

Julie’s Backyard Wildlife and Gardening Blogging

————————————————————

May 22, 2022

We just finished an update to:

Herb Cocktails

————————————————————-

May 18, 2022

I just finished:

An Herb Garden Redo

Actually, I do have another section to add to this post, as I complete it, and another recipe to add. 

But, until then, this post is updated.

————————————————————-

May 10, 2022

Happy Birthday Frank

——————————————————-

May 8, 2022

Happy Mother’s Day

———————————————————

May 5, 2022

Japanese Boy’s Day

AND,

Cinco De Mayo

————————————————————

May The 4th. Be With You

—————————————————————-

May 1, 2022

Lei Day

———————————————————-

April, 2022

The Pop Corn is from Gordon from Ocean City, Maryland.  He and his brother Jeff spent the day at the Boardwalk.  Fisher’s Popcorn is something of a family tradition where the Whann’s would buy their Old Bay and Caramel Popcorn.

Gordon and Jeff

Shot from the Fisher’s live camera feed.  I took the photo of them online waving to me.  🙂

————————————————-

April 29, 2022

I did a few updates to:

Blogging With Julie in 2022

—————————————————————-

April 28, 2022

I just finished the write up for:

A Proper English Breakfast for 00Whann from (Your) Valentine

———————————————————–

April 27, 2022

Spooky’s Birthday

7 Today!

————————————————————–

April 26, 2022

I just created a new page today:

An Herb Garden Redo

—————————————————————

April 19, 2022

Mackenzie’s Birthday

Happy Birthday Pretty Girl!

———————————————————

April 17, 2022

Happy Easter

I also created a new post for Easter:

Simply Easter

—————————————————–

April 12, 2022

Grandma Nell’s Birthday

Miss You Grammaw

———————————————————-

April 8, 2022

I have been very late this month in posting my April calendar and giving you the updates. 

But, better late than never.

I did a few updates to:

Blogging With Julie in 2022

AND,

We Finished the Write up For:

An Artsy Easter

AND,

I just posted a new entry to:

Sixty’s, Sensational or Surviving, We’ll see right?

This should be a fun month!

Julie

————————————————————–

March, 2022

————————————————————

March 31, 2022

Johnny’s Birthday

My little brother is 53 today!  🙂

———————————————————–

March 26, 2022

Milton Bernard Whann’s Funeral Service

————————————————————–

Spring Begins

 

——————————————————————

March 17, 2022

St. Patrick’s Day

—————————————————————

March 14, 2022

Einstein’s Birthday

——————————————————————-

March 13, 2022

Daylight Savings Time

——————————————————————

March 3, 2022

Monk’s Birthday

RIP Monkee, Miss You Forever

AND,

Hawaii’s Japanese Girl’s Day

A favorite holiday for Veronica from when we lived in Hawaii.

—————————————————————-

March 1, 2022

FAT TUESDAY

———————————————————————

February, 2022

My Second Favorite Month of the Year

————————————————————

February 27, 2022

Happy Birthday Trish! 

She Would Have Been 81.

I miss my friend Trish so very badly.  I talk to her most every day. 

I know she cannot hear me but it makes me feel better to at least try. 

I miss you so much Trish.  🙁

Julie

—————————————————————-

February 26, 2022

Happy Birthday Sabina!

My Beautiful Sister-In-Law, Sabina

and My Niece Vivien

————————————————————

 February 24, 2022

I did a few updates to:

Blogging With Julie in 2022

AND,

On Being an Empath:  Part II

AND,

Gordon and Julie’s Everyday Seafood

——————————————————————–

February 20, 2022

We just added a new recipe to:

Rise and Shine

——————————————————————

February 19, 2022

I just did an update to:

Blogging With Julie in 2022

AND,

Julie’s Italian Appetizers and Edible Gifts

We put together an excellent Green Gouda Grilled Cheese.

——————————————————————-

February 18, 2022

I’ve just competed updates to:

St. Patrick’s Day

AND,

Edible Gifts:  Italian, Greek Irish

AND,

Star Wars Christmas and Novelty Gift Ideas

——————————————————–

February 15, 2022

We just did an update to:

Click Here For:  Sandwiches on the Grill

AND,

I just created a new website page:

Click Here For:  A Proper English Breakfast for 00Whann from (Your) Valentine

—————————————————————-

February 14, 2022

Happy Valentine’s Day

——————————————————————-

February 13, 2022

My 61st. Birthday!

AND,

Super Bowl Sunday

————————————————————

February 12, 2022

Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday

He looks a bit distinguished, I think.

My favorite President, born 1809.

————————————————————–

February 11, 2022

Happy Birthday to my baby brother Ben!

Ben and Veronica at the Beach Condo, 2013

Happy 47!

——————————————————-

February 7, 2022

Happy Birthday Sugar

I long for the day we can see you again.

———————————————————–

February 6, 2022

We just finished updates to:

St. Patrick’s Day

AND,

Edible Gifts, Italian, Greek, Irish

——————————————————————-

February 2, 2022

It’s Ground Hog Day!

——————————————————–

February 1, 2022

Kung Hei Fat Choy!

Chinese New Year

The Year of the Tiger

—————————————————————

January, 2022

Happy New Year!

(My son’s girlfriend Mackenzie gave me the calendar.)  🙂

Last summer Gordon brought back some boxes of things from Gordon’s parents and this drawing was mixed in with some old photos.  It is a drawing that my mother-in-law, Sarajane Alderfer Whann drew and colored when she was a school girl.  I liked it and placed it on the refrigerator.  I think it goes very nicely with my bird calendar that Mackenzie gave me.  The little bird magnet holding it up was done by my nephew, Joseph.

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January 31, 2022

I just added an update to:

Julie and Gordon Whann Way Mexicana Cuatro

Our Throw Together Nachos

AND,

We Just Created a New Webpage:

Gordon’s ‘Year of the Tiger’ Sauce and Nam Jim Jaew

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January 28, 2022

Happy Birthday Lola!

Although this is an old photo, she is 18 today!

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January 26, 2022

I just finished my:

Aloha Wahine Jezebel Sauce

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January 22, 2022

I just finished:

New Year’s Day Greens and Other Foods

AND,

I posted a new recipe to:

Julie’s Jezebel Sauce

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January 21, 2022

I just posted a new entry to:

Sixty’s, Sensational or Surviving, We’ll see right?

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January 20, 2022

I just created two new blog pages:

DIY Home Function Upgrades

AND,

New Year’s Day Greens and Other Foods

AND,

I did an update to:

Blogging With Julie in 2022

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January 19, 2022

I did an update to:

X-Mas X-Tras

AND,

A Recipe Added to:

Feliz Navidad a Casa Whann

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I did a few minor updates to:

It’s a Big Bang Theory Saturnalia CLUE

AND,

Tropical Hawaiian Cranberries and our Mele Kalikimaka Me Ka Hauoli Makahiki Hou

I just added a few photos to each.

AND,

Happy 3rd. Wedding Anniversary to Veronica and Brian

Just an Irish Care Package for the Irish Couple  🙂

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January 17, 2022

We just did updates to:

Christmas Dishes With Christmas Wishes

AND,

Merry Christmas’s and New Years Days, All The Glamorous Extras

AND,

Going Bananas

AND,

Happy MLK Jr. Day!

RIP

(We will not allow the republican’s to undue all that you started.)

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January 11, 2022

I just posted a new entry to:

Sixty’s, Sensational or Surviving, We’ll see right?

AND,

I just did an update to:

Tropical Hawaiian Cranberries and our Mele Kalikimaka Me Ka Hauoli Makahiki Hou

Just scroll down to the bottom of this post and you will see a large Christmas present for Brodie with a detailed list of everything inside that large box.  I just did come across the list that I wrote out of everything we gave him.  That is all that is new on that page.

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January 9, 2022

I just did finish:

It’s a Big Bang Theory Saturnalia CLUE

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January 8, 2022

Gordon and Elvis’s Birthday

Happy 57!

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January 7, 2022

Happy Anniversary Milton Bernard and Sarajane Alderfer Whann 63 years!

AND,

I created a new blog:

Blogging With Julie in 2022

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January 4, 2022

I did an update to:

X-Mas X-Tras

AND,

Our Home Renovations

I am closing out the page.  I may update with some photos of the finished rooms soon, but for now it’s time to declare the construction complete.  🙂

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January 1, 2022

Happy New Year!

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December, 2021

Wow!  It is already December! 

This year has flown by fast.

But, here are our December updates for you:

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December 29, 2021

Happy Birthday to Gordon’s brother, Jeff!  🙂

AND,

I just finished an update to:

Sixty’s:  Sensational or Surviving, We’ll See Right?

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December 28, 2021

I just did updates to:

Kitchy Kristmas

AND,

X-Mas X-Tras

AND,

Tropical Hawaiian Cranberries and our Mele Kalikimaka me ka Hauoli Makahiki Hou

I just added this.  Our daughter Veronica painted it for us.  We love it!

AND,

Meet Sparky and Spooky

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December 27, 2021

I just did an update to:

Julie’s Jezebel Sauce

AND,

Feliz Navidad a Casa Whann

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December 26, 2021

I just created two new blog pages:

A Happy Christmas CLUEDO For 007

AND,

Gordon’s Guide to Repair and Customizing Used Kayaks

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December 25, 2021

I just did an update to:

A Christmas Card To You This 2021

AND,

The Pot Thickens, Musings of an Amateur Cook

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December 24, 2021

Christmas Eve

I just did finish our:

Tropical Hawaiian Cranberries and Our Mele kalikimaka Me Ka Houoli’ Makahiki Hou

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December 18, 2021

I did an update on:

2021 Julie Barefoot Blogging

 

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December 11, 2021

I just finished working on:

X-Mas X-Tras

I’m sure I’ll have a few more X-Tras to add before the end of the year though.

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December 9, 2021

I just did an update to:

Sixty’s, Sensational or Surviving (We’ll see right?)

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December 8, 2021

I just did finish:

Peanut Brittle’s

AND,

I did an update on:

2021 Julie Barefoot Blogging

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December 7, 2021

Pearl Harbor Day

December 7, 1941

80th. Anniversary

That is our flag flying above the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

That is Gordon, 3rd. from the Right

We lived in Hawaii for 13 years.  Here Gordon is re-enlisting in the Navy.  Veronica and I are here with him.  He was so proud to do it here.

All along the wall are the names of the people that were killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Here Gordon is getting our flag signed by a Pearl Harbor survivor. 

I do think it is sad that here is it the 80th. anniversary of the attack and not much was made of it.  Perhaps Hawaii did more than we did here on the Mainland but this is how life is.  Everything fades and then it’s forgotten.  That’s just how it is.  But, I didn’t expect it to fade in my lifetime.

Julie

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December 5, 2021

I created two new pages:

It’s a Big Bang Theory Saturnalia CLUE

AND,

A Christmas Card to You This 2021

AND,

I added an update to:

Sixty’s, Sensational or Surviving (We’ll see right?)

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November, 2021

(Usually, I will clear the area and place cute little things around the calendar so that you think it all looks so cute and nice….  WRONG!  It usually always looks like this.  So,…….)

Happy November!

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November 29, 2021

Happy Birthday Brodie!!!!

29!

He’s a great and talented guy that will always be my little boy.  🙂

We love you,

Mom and Dad

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November 25, 2021

I just created a new post for Thanksgiving:

Gordon’s Poultry Gravy and Grilled Spatchcock Turkey

AND,

I Just Did An Update To:

Julie’s Jezebel Sauce

AND,

I just added an update to:

Weekend Spamin’ and Spam Musubi

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November 21, 2021

We finally finished the write up for:

ThanksGrillin’

Just in time too!  🙂

AND,

I just did an update to:

Our Pirates of the Caribbean Christmas

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November 20, 2021

I just added an update to:

Autumn Treats

AND,

I just added another update to:

On Being An Empath Part II

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November 18, 2021

I just added content to:

On Being An Empath Part II

AND,

Spooky Treats

AND,

2021 Julie Barefoot Blogging

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November 13, 2021

I Just Did Finish:

Julie’s Jezebel Sauce

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November 12, 2021

Happy Birthday Joseph!

Although our nephew Joseph is a grown man he will always look like this to me.  🙂

He was the cutest kid ever!

AND,

I just added something to:

The Pot Thickens, Musings of an Amateur Cook

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November 10, 2021

I just did an update to:

Sixty’s, Sensational or Surviving.  We’ll See Right?

AND,

I just did an update to:

Gordon and Julie’s Everyday Seafood

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November 5, 2021

I Created a New Post:

It’s A Mermaid Halloween

AND,

I Did an Update to:

2021 Julie Barefoot Blogging

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October, 2021

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October 29, 2021

I just finished a new webpage:

Spooky Treats

Happy Halloween!

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October 24, 2021

I debuted a new webpage:

Spooky Treats

AND,

We just did an update to:

Monster Food for any Spooky Occasion

AND, How to paint a Frankenstein Head.

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October 13, 2021

I just finished:

Autumn Treats

AND,

I created a new webpage:

STAR TREKKIES, Into The Botanist’s Lair (The Lost Episode)

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October 4, 2021

Sorry that I am late to letting you know of the new pages that I have been debuting.  I’ve just been busy doing other things.  So, without further adieu, here they are:

Julie’s Jezebel Sauce

AND,

Autumn Treats

AND,

Aloha Wahine Jezebel Sauce

Aloha,

Kulii (Julie)

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September, 2021

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September 24, 2021

I have new content added to:

2021 Julie Barefoot Blogging

And,

Picnic’s

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September 15, 2021

I finished an extended recipe for:

Gordon and Julie Everyday Seafood

AND,

I added two new recipes to:

You Say Tomato

Enjoy our Delicious ‘You Say Tomato’ Recipes:

Tomatoes with Gorgonzola Cheese Dressing and Herbs

Tomatoes with Gorgonzola Cheese Dressing and Herbs Sandwiches

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September 13, 2021

Finished all the write up’s for:

The Chubby Mermaid

Our Vacation Post  🙂

AND,

Gordon and Julie Everyday Seafood

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September 12, 2021

I just added two new recipes to:

Going Bananas

AND,

Added content to our new post:

Pizza, Pizza

Also,

Today is Grandparents Day

Well, how about we celebrate Great-Grandmother’s Day?

Emmaline and Lillian  🙂

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September 11, 2021

I have new content added to:

2021 Julie Barefoot Blogging

And,

Diana, Kate, Meghan, and ME!

 

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September 6, 2021

Labor Day

Happy Labor Day!

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September 1, 2021

Happy 37th. Birthday Brian!

We are very proud of our son-in-law.  🙂

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August, 2021

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August 21, 2021

The Chubby Mermaid

Our Vacation Post  🙂

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August 17, 2021

Our 10 year Anniversary of our Website

Actually, I debuted this website on July 6, 2011.  However, we wanted to wait to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of our website until we could do it right.  So, here it is!

Happy 10 Years BFIFWJ!

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August 7, 2021

I just finished:

Let Us Eat Cake, (Julie’s Cakes Continues.)

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August 4, 2021

I just added an update to:

The Pot Thickens, Musings of an Amateur Cook

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August 3, 2021

2 Year Anniversary of Adoption Day  🙂

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August 2, 2021

I just finished:

Julie’s Drunken Honeysuckle Tea Cake

AND,

Today is Sparky’s Birthday!

We so love this sweet little boy!  🙂

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July, 2021

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July 31, 2021

The Switcheroo

I originally debuted this blog post as:  Let Us Eat Cake:  Julie’s Cakes Continues

I have now renamed it:

Julie’s Drunken Honeysuckle Tea Cake

It actually deserved a post all it’s own.

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I did start a new blog post:

Let Us Eat Cake, (Julie’s Cakes Continues)

Sorry for the Confusion

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July 28, 2021

I Just Updated:

Our Home Renovations

AND,

I did an update to:

2021 Julie Barefoot Blogging

 

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July 26, 2021

I just finished the write up’s for:

Amiamo I’italiano

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July 24, 2021

I just added an update to:

Weekend Spamin’ Spam Musubi

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July 23, 2021

I just finished our:

Going Bananas

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July 20, 2021

We just finished an addition to our:

Captain’s Galley

AND,

We have finished our first write up recipe for:

Gordon and Julie’s Everyday Seafood

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July 17, 2021

We just finished the write-up for:

Captain’s Galley

Ahoy!

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July 16, 2021

I just finished the write up for:

Sparky Doodle Dandies

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July 13, 2021

I just did an update to:

Julie Summer

AND,

I just did an update for:

Sixty’s, (Sensational or Surviving), We’ll see, right?

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July 12, 2021

I Just Updated:

Our Home Renovations

AND,

I Am Currently Working On:

Captain’s Galley

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July 7, 2021

I did an update to:

2021 Julie Barefoot Blogging

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July 6, 2021

Happy 34th. Birthday to Veronica

AND,

Happy 10th. Anniversary of Barefoot In Florida With Julie

July 6, 2011 – July 6, 2021

SPAM Musubi Cake

I don’t know how many more years I have in me to continue the website, but I will never run out of ideas for it.  This website is how I get those ideas out of my head.  🙂

Thank you for the interest and appreciation that you have given us.

Julie Barefoot

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July 4th. 2021

Happy Independence Day!

AND,

Created Two New Posts Today:

Sparky Doodle Dandies

AND,

Our Asian Infused (Inspired) 4th. of July

Happy 4th.!

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July 3, 2021

Our Asian Infused (Inspired) 4th. of July

We Shot our 4th. on the 3rd. in Torrential Downpours.  🙂

We wanted to do this early because we had a hurricane headed our way and there is a lot going on with us right now that we’ve been very busy.

So, why an Asian inspired 4th.?  Why not?

We love the Asian cultures.  They have been a big part of building this country and making it into what it is.  They contribute far more than the average person can ever know.  They just don’t go around bragging about it like the white communities do.

This was just our way of acknowledging the many Asian communities that live here.

  This is their country too.

Julie

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July 1, 2021

Happy 60th. Birthday to Diana

I Added a Few Updates to:

Diana, Kate, Meghan, and ME!

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June, 2021

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June 29, 2021

I just added a photo to:

Our July 4th. Homage to the Movie DICK

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June 28, 2021

Just added an update to:

Gordon’s Chicken Recipes

AND,

A Picnic in the Herb Garden

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June 27, 2021

I just finished the write up for:

Kayaking in Florida with Julie and Gordon, Adventure, Food and Fun Blogging

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June 23, 2021

I created a new post today:

Feliz Dia del Padre

AND,

I did a few updates to:

2021 Julie Barefoot Blogging

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June 22, 2021

Our 36th. Wedding Anniversary

Although it may be a bit corny, we wanted to recreate an old favorite date night food of ours.

We do agree that it tasted better 39 years ago.  🙂

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June 20, 2021

Father’s Day

Gordon, Veronica, Chewie left, Gordon Sparky and Brodie, right.

Gordon, Mackenzie, Hank, Brodie and Sparky left, Gordon and Julie, right.

Gordon with his Canine Children and his Grand-Dog

Hank, Spooky and Sparky

This year Father’s Day was about visiting those we love and bringing over some delicious foods for ALL.

I do believe that everyone enjoyed their Mexican Padre’s Day foods.

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June 14, 2021

I did an update to:

2021 Julie Barefoot Blogging

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June 11, 2021

I just completed:

My Sloppy Jules

 

Something to consider eating on July 4th.

Get ta Eatin’!

Jules

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June 9, 2021

We just did finish the write up for:

Picnics

AND,

Julie and Gordon Whann Way Mexicana Cuatro

AND,

I created a few new posts:

My Sloppy Jules

AND,

Amiamo Italiano

AND,

Let Us Eat Cake, (Julie’s Cakes Continues)

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May 2021

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May 31, 2021

Memorial Day

Sometimes people confuse Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day.  Memorial Day is about honoring those in the military that died while defending our country.  Veteran’s Day, November 11th., is about honoring our living veteran’s.

Navy Grog

Gordon is a retired Navy Chief.  We spent the majority of his career in Hawaii, 13 years there.  So, when it came to creating a Memorial Day feast we chose a Hawaiian one.  We pretty much just threw all of this together and made it up as we went along and had a blast doing so.  🙂  Besides, honoring those that died in Pearl Harbor was what our little feast was created from.

Our ONO Hawaiian Tray Bakes

Mahi-Mahi wrapped in our home grown herbs and banana leaves.

The write up for our recipes that you see above will be on our:

I just finished an update to:

ONO Hawaiian

Have a very nice Memorial Day!

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May 29, 2021

I just finished an update to:

ONO Hawaiian

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May 27, 2021

I just did an update for:

Sixty’s, (Sensational or Surviving), We’ll see, right?

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May 25, 2021

I did an update to:

2021 Julie Barefoot Blogging

AND,

We started a new blog page:

How To Repair and Rebuild a Retaining Wall

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May 22, 2021

I just did an update for:

Sixty’s, (Sensational or Surviving), We’ll see, right?

AND,

I just created a new post:

A Picnic In The Herb Garden

AND,

With the exception of doing a bit of writing in my blogs, my main page I am working on is:

Julie and Gordon Whann Way Mexicana Cuatro

Adios,

Julie

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May 12, 2021

I just did an update for:

Sixty’s, (Sensational or Surviving), We’ll see, right?

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May 11, 2021

I created a new post today:

A Mother’s Day Aloha

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May 10, 2021

Happy Birthday Frank

My Little Brothers

L to R:  Ben, Frank and Johnny

Happy 50 Frank!

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May 9, 2021

Happy Mother’s Day

To ME!  🙂

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May 6, 2021

Revenge of the Sixth

I did an update to:

2021 Julie Barefoot Blogging

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May 5, 2021

Cinco de Mayo

Hey, any excuse to eat Mexican food and we are there!!!  Si!

AND,

Happy Japanese Boy’s Day Brodie and Hawaii

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May The 4th. Be With You

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May 3, 2021

I created a new post today:

New Front Yard Landscaping Project

AND,

I did an update to:

The Meaning of Mother’s Day

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May 2, 2021

I did an update to:

2021 Julie Barefoot Blogging

AND,

I just did an update to my:

Diana, Kate, Meghan, and ME

Giving my daughter the last of my William and Kate collections on William and Kate’s 10th. Wedding Anniversary.  Along with more books, of course.  I even posted some photos of my old dorm room in Charlotte, North Carolina that I recently came across.

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May 1, 2021

May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii

These are lei’s that I made with my Girl Scout Troop in Hawaii.  Some are made of ribbon, and some are made with ribbon and soda pull tabs.  A great recycling project that is beautiful as well.

Aloha,

Julie

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I just finished a page today:

ONO Hawaiian

Although there will be future updates….

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April 2021

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April 30, 2021

I just created a new post:

Going Bananas

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April 29, 2021

I created a new post yesterday:

Gordon and Julie’s Everyday Seafood

AND,

I updated:

My Love Affair With All Things Asian

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April 28, 2021

I just did an update for:

Sixty’s, (Sensational or Surviving), We’ll see, right?

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April 27, 2021

I did an update to:

2021 Julie Barefoot Blogging

AND,

Happy Birthday to Spooky Lou Whann

We love you Spooks!

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April 21, 2021

Julie and Gordon Whann Way Mexicana Cuatro

This is the main page that I am working on now.

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April 20, 2021

I did an update to:

2021 Julie Barefoot Blogging

AND,

I am also doing updates on my:

The Meaning of Mother’s Day

You have to scroll all the way down to the bottom of this page to see the new content.

AND,

I just did an update for:

Sixty’s, (Sensational or Surviving), We’ll see, right?

AND,

Meet Sparky and Spooky

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April 19, 2021

Happy Birthday Mackenzie

Just something special to Mackenzie from Gordon and myself.

Something nice for her to remember us throughout her life.

She is a very nice person and we do wish her a very nice day.  🙂

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April 18, 2021

We just finished the write up for:

Our Purple Sweet Potato and Taro Stuffed Steamed Buns and Asian/Pacific Sliders

And,

I just added an update to:

On Being An Empath, Part II

And,

I just created a new post:

Ono Hawaiian

Mahalo,

Julie

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April 17, 2021

I Just Updated:

Our Home Renovations

 

I just did an update for:

Sixty’s, (Sensational or Surviving), We’ll see, right?

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April 16, 2021

Our 2nd. Fizer Shot

Yee Haw!

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April 12, 2021

Grandma Nell’s Birthday

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April 9, 2021

I did an update to:

2021 Julie Barefoot Blogging

And,

I added some content to:

Tasty Tea Sandwiches and Sweet Treats

And,

I also connected a few of my Mother’s Day posts.

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April 8, 2021

Today is Buddah’s Birthday

AND,

I did an update to:

2021 Julie Barefoot Blogging

AND,

I finished working on:

Mother’s Day on the Lanai

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April 5, 2021

I just created a new post:

An Artsy Easter

AND,

I just did an update for:

Sixty’s, (Sensational or Surviving), We’ll see, right?

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April 4, 2021

Easter

Happy Easter,

Julie and Gordon

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April 1, 2021

April Fool’s Day

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March 2021

To me March is a transitional month to spring.  Similarly to me how January is a transitional month.  Not that January transitions to anything but to me it is a month to just prepare for the coming year.  A time to pack away the Christmas and organize and get life on track for what is to come in the new year.

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March 31, 2021

Happy 52nd. Birthday to my brother Johnny in Ireland

My niece Lola painted this for my brother Johnny.  And as my brother says, ‘I’m not that skinny since Covid.’  🙂

AND,

I just did an update for:

Sixty’s, (Sensational or Surviving), We’ll see, right?

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March 24, 2021

I just finished working on:

From The Smith House to the Whann House for Easter

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March 23, 2021

I just did an update for:

Sixty’s, (Sensational or Surviving), We’ll see, right?

———————————————————————–

March 22, 2021

I just added some more content to:

The Pot Thickens, Musing of an Amateur Cook

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March 21, 2021

I did an update to:

2021 Julie Barefoot Blogging

———————————————————–

March 17, 2021

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

This is MY Pot of Gold!

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March 14, 2021

Einstein’s Birthday

I am probably the only person in the world that has Einstein’s birthday marked on my calendar.

Julie

p.s.  I don’t read any of my Instagram comments.  Does that make me intelligent?  🙂

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March 13, 2021

We just updated:

Our Home Renovations

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March 12, 2021

I did a final update to:

My Nifty Fifties

AND,

I updated a new post:

Sixty’s, (Sensational or Surviving)  We’ll see, right?

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March 11, 2021

I just added a bit of content to my:

Valentine’s Day

And,

I started a new post:

Sixty’s, (Sensational or Surviving)  We’ll see, right?

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March 8, 2021

I did an update to:

2021 Julie Barefoot Blogging

—————————————————————–

March 7, 2021

Created a new post today:

Kayaking in Florida with Julie and Gordon, Adventure, Food and Fun Blogging

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March 3, 2021

Happy Birthday Monk

I still miss you and tear up when I think about how much I miss you.

Thank you for being the best friend ever.  RIP.

AND,

Happy Girl’s Day

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March 2, 2021

I just finished working on my:

Canoeing Hillsborough River, Thonotosassa, Florida

It was one of the best birthday’s that I have ever had.

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 February 2021

I LOVE February!  It’s my Second Favorite Month!

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February 28, 2021

I just added a photo to:

The Pot Thickens, Musings of an Amateur Cook

A Jar of Bay Leaves

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February 27, 2021

Happy Birthday to my Dearest Friend Trish

I will miss you forever.

Your Dearest American friend,

Julie

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February 25, 2021

I did an update to:

2021 Julie Barefoot Blogging

————————————————————–

February 21, 2021

We just finished this post:

Asian Steamed Buns, Bao and Manapua

AND,

I finished my:

Salads, Seafood, and Turning 60

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February 20, 2021

We just updated:

Our Home Renovations

We added about 4 or 5 new entries.

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February 17, 2021

Just posted some selfies with the dogs on our:

Meet Sparky and Spooky

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February 16, 2021

Bay Leaf Tree

FOOD

I did an update on our FOOD page.  Gordon’s sister Heather sent us some Bay Leaves from her tree in her backyard in Raleigh, North Carolina.  How unique is that to have your very own Bay Leaf Tree?  Well, now we know where to always get more when we need them.

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February 15, 2021

President’s Day

Granddaughter Naomi Biden posted this on Twitter today.  🙂

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I also added content to:

Italianate Tre

AND,

I added an update to my:

Diana, Kate, Meghan, and ME!

It’s at the very bottom of the post. 

AND,

St. Patrick’s Day

I just added a small little photo to this post.

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February 14, 2021

Happy Valentine’s Day!

AND,

I created a new blog post today:

Canoeing Hillsborough River, Thonotosassa, Florida

AND,

I did an update to:

2021 Julie Barefoot Blogging

 

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February 13, 2021

Happy Birthday to ME!

60!

——————————————————————-

February 12, 2021

Chinese New Year

The Year of the Ox

Kung Hei Fat Choy

——————————————————————-

February 11, 2021

Happy Birthday Ben!

My Baby Brother Ben Turns 46

————————————————————————-

February 9, 2021

I have been adding a few fun updates to my:

The Pot Thickens, Musings of an Amateur Cook

————————————————————————

February 7, 2021

Sugar’s Birthday

Sugar on the Shelf

(Veronica took that picture and developed it for a photography class in college.)

RIP Suge.  We miss you everyday.

————————————————

I also created a new post:

Salads, Seafood, and Turning 60

 

——————————————————————————

February 2, 2021

Groundhog’s Day

I LOVE Groundhog’s Day!

When we were living in Maryland from 1999 – 2003 I so wanted to visit Punxsutawny, PA. for their Groundhog’s Day Festival.  It just looked like the perfect place for Gordon and myself to visit.  Well, we never got there but, we can fantasize about it while watching Groundhog’s Day.  Bill Murray is the master when it comes to comedy.  Thank god!  🙂

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February 1, 2021

I found more content for our:

A Star Wars CLUE For Christmas

I knew that when I put the page together initially that we had more content for it. 

Well, I finally found it all.  🙂

Julie

——————————————————————–

January 2021

Adios 2020, Hola 2021

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January 30, 2021

I did an update:

2021 Julie Barefoot Blogging

——————————————————————-

January 28, 2021

Happy Birthday Lola

Although Lola is 17 now.  This is the Lola that I know.  🙂

My niece who lives in Ireland.  A lovely lass.

Happy 17 to Such a Beauty

—————————————————————————-

January 23, 2021

I did an update:

2021 Julie Barefoot Blogging

—————————————————————–

January 20, 2021

Inauguration Day!

History Being Made

First of all, WHEW!  They made it!

I think I held my breath all day!

The Biden Family

The Harris Family

What a lovely day.  I was so proud of these two families. 

They have so much hard work ahead of them and I do wish them well.

——————————————————————-

Democratic Pasta

I was going to make an excellent pasta dinner out of the above pasta, however, Gordon and I decided to grab dinner at O’Tooles, an Irish Pub, in honor of my Irish roots (Julie) and to commemorate the Irish Biden’s.  We also decided to buy dinner for the 2nd. anniversary married Irish couple, Veronica and Brian.  They loved it!  🙂  It was our anniversary gift to them.

Here is their delicious O’Tooles Foods.

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Here is our O’Tooles Dinner

Perfection!  🙂

Cheers to a Biden/Harris successful administration!

—————————————————————

January 19, 2021

Happy 2nd. Anniversary to Veronica and Brian

I thought that it was very sweet that Veronica wanted to recreate some of the foods from their wedding day.

Mojo Pork, Steamed Veggies and Baked Potatoes

Veronica Also Made a Spice Cake

We are so proud of the 2 of them.

——————————————————
We did joke that we are happy that they planned their wedding on Dolly Parton’s birthday.  🙂

————————————————————————

So, in addition to all of that, Brodie get’s his jury duty notice!  🙂

I myself, happen to LOVE Jury Duty!!!

OMG!  I show up so bright and early with a big smile on my face and happy to contribute to my country’s democracy as I go through all the metal detectors and as they screen me!  I am always armed with a smile and a good book, and a back up book, and a back up laptop, and a back up cell phone, and a back up Ipad!.  Hey!  I am prepared!

So, with this, I bid you a farewell for now.  I envy my son for his jury duty assignment.  So does his girlfriend Mackenzie.  In her words, ” I love a good murder mystery.”  A girl after my own heart!

———————————————————————-

January 18, 2021

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

This quote means a lot to me.  This quote is why I stood up to my abusive parents.  I kept waiting for them to give me the same equality that they gave my brothers but it never came.  So, I demanded it.  I still didn’t get it.  Therefore I left them and I have never looked back.

I didn’t lose a good father.  I lost an abusive step-father.  I didn’t lose a good mother.  I lost a mother that has abused me for over half a century.  I didn’t lose anything good.  But they did.

——————————————————–

I am currently working on:

Asian Steamed Buns

—————————————————————-

January 17, 2021

Happy Birthday Benjamin Franklin

(My Most Favorite Founding Father)

He pretty much invented or discovered everything.  Brainy is sexy.  🙂

AND,

I added something new to my:

Pork, Sausage and Mustard

It’s pretty much just these photos of my VHS Oliver movie. 

This is one of my most favorite childhood movies.

AND,

I started a new post:

Our Purple Sweet Potato and Taro Stuffed Steamed Buns and Asian Pacific Sliders

AND,

Just Updated:

Our Home Renovations

—————————————————————

January 13, 2021

Happy Birthday Brodie Rondo Keith

This is my great-uncle Brodie who died at 11 months old from Diptheria.  I named my son after him.  I always like to remember him because he really didn’t live long enough for anyone to know him.

————————————————————

I finally finished:

4 And 20 Blackbirds (Berries) Baked In A Pie

—————————————————————–

January 12, 2021

Created a new post today:

Julie and Gordon Whann Mexicana Cuatro

———————————————————-

I just updated:

My Nifty 50’s

—————————————————————-

January 10, 2021

I did an update:

2021 Julie Barefoot Blogging

——————————————————————-

January 9, 2021

Just Updated:

Our Home Renovations

 

———————————————————————

January 8, 2021

Happy Birthday Gordon!

56 Today!

I love you!  Julie

——————————————————————

January 7, 2021

Happy Anniversary Milton and Sarajane Whann

(Gordon’s parents have been married for 62 year’s, I think?)

——————————————————-

I also added an update to a past blog posting on:

Julie 2020 Blogging

And,

I did create a new personal blog post for 2021:

2021 Julie Barefoot Blogging

I have also written a new blog posting.

Julie

————————————————————————–

January 3, 2021

I created a new post today:

X-Mas X-Tra’s

I created the post to have a place to put all the little X-Tra’s that have no home to go to. 

——————————————————————-

January 2, 2021

I added another blog entry:

Julie 2020 Blogging

—————————————————————-

January 1, 2021

New Year’s Day

We made it to 2021. 

That is very lucky considering everything that is going on right now in our country and the world. 

In the south we celebrate New Year’s Day with a Linner, my word for Lunch and Dinner combined, which consists of any version of Black Eyed Peas to bring us luck, and any version of Collard Greens to bring us money, Cornbread (Duh!), and any kind of meat such as Keilbasa in a Hoppin’ John, leftover Christmas Ham, or in our case, fried SPAM!  🙂

Cornbread with Onions, Cottage Cheese, and Broccoli

Oh, and everything is usually eaten in a few bowls.

My pathetic fire works display.  I actually think that it is very representative of the new year to come.  Some sparkler’s would never work, some fizzled out quickly, and some only blew smoke my way.  But there was one that did it’s best to shine brightly.  I guess that’s called hope.

2021, we have no where to go but up!

(Actually, that’s not quite true.  Things can always get worse.  I’m not a downer, I’m a realist.)

Julie

——————————————————————–

DECEMBER, 2020

Because of our home renovations I cannot photograph a December Calendar to start out this December month. 

  But I can write in the important dates of this month.  And I will.  Stay tuned for updates.

I Found the Calendar!

Sadly, there is really nothing going on for us this month other than our home renovations.

—————————————————

December 31, 2020

New Year’s Eve

Frozen Margarita’s and Pork Rhine’s

Because we still have boxes everywhere from our renovations and just us trying to get things back in order, we didn’t want to do a lot of cooking so we made things nice and light and easy. 

NACHOS!

And other things that I am just to tired to mention right now.  🙂 

Hey, we have been working hard trying to put things back in order.

My Favorite Bite!

———————————————————-

December 29, 2020

Gordon’s Brother Jeff turns 60!

Therefore, we sent him a $60.00 gift card to use at his favorite restaurant HOOTER’S.  (Of course.)

P.S.  On a past visit Jeff once bought me a Hooter’s t-shirt and told me to wear it one morning and bring him breakfast in bed.  Yea, right!  (What do YOU think I did?)

Gordon, Julie and Jeff 1985 Charlotte, North Carolina

Jeff’s Chevy Nova

You can’t talk about Jeff without acknowledging his car.  It’s a classic.  He just did sent Gordon this latest photo of it.  He’s had it forever.  But, if you think about it, he being a car mechanic he is able to fix it and work on it without being beholden to some dealership where cars are now computerized where we are beholden to the dealership to fix them for us.  Computer chips embedded in our automobiles that decide when we need oil changes, tire changes, and regular maintenance.  That’s one reason why I like my 2006 Hyundai Santa Fe.  🙂  I’ve got my boy Brodie to work on my car so that I am not beholden to some dealership.

———————————————————————

December 26, 2020

I added another blog entry:

Julie 2020 Blogging

AND,

I just finished the post:

A Star Wars CLUE For Christmas

Finally finished all the recipe write-up’s and even added the Star Wars gift basket of goodies that we gave to Veronica and Brian this year.

AND,

I created the post:

Peanut Brittle’s

———————————————————–

December 25, 2020

Merry Christmas

Best we could do with renovations going on.

—————————————————————-

December 16, 2020

We Just Finished our:

Spicy Hot Mexican Cranberries

——————————————————-

December 10, 2020

Just Updated:

Our Home Renovations

AND,

I Just Created a New Post:

Tropical Hawaiian Cranberries

Aloha,

Julie

———————————————————————-

November 2020

(This photo on my calendar is of the St. Augustine Lighthouse. 

The most haunted place in America.  And a place that I am just “dying” to visit.)  🙂

——————————————————————

November 30, 2020

Created a New Post Today:

Spicy Hot Mexican Cranberries

——————————————————————-

 November 29, 2020

Happy Birthday Brodie!

28 Today!

Brodie and Mackenzie Babysitting Loki

Brodie and Mackenzie are very often babysitters of this dog, Loki, and they will spend anywhere from a weekend to 2 weeks doing so.  And whenever they do they take advantage of the lake they live on and do some kayaking.  But they also do some grilling.  Here are some of the foods that we sent over to Mackenzie’s parents as a thank you for hosting Brodie for a few months while he and Mackenzie find a place to live starting next year.

When we were hosting Mackenzie during the lockdown, her parents were very generous to send us all a cooler full of foods.  Steaks, potatoes, lots of red meat stuff that I don’t eat so I can’t even name the kinds of red meat foods but, Gordon, Brodie and Mackenzie loved them all and that is all that matters.  🙂  And I did so love the fancy baked potatoes.

So, when Brodie and Mackenzie were dog sitting Loki they took over the hamburgers and hot dogs that we had sent over in the food cooler, to grill out. 

It makes me happy that they enjoyed them so much.

Although we have something nice for Brodie this year, we can never go wrong by giving him food.  🙂

I wrapped Brodie’s nice Rice Cooker and he gets a big bag of Basmati Rice and a bottle of Kraken Rum. 

I went shopping in our bathtub for the rum.  Only those that read my blogs will understand that statement.  🙂

So, happy birthday to my baby boy Brodie!

Love, Mom and Dad

———————————————————-

November 26, 2020

Happy Thanksgiving!

Gordon and Julie

——————————————————————-

November 25, 2020

I just updated:

My Love Affair With All Things Asian

AND,

I added something new to my:

Diana, Kate, Meghan, and Me

————————————————————

November 24, 2020

Created a New Post Today:

ThanksGrillin’

AND,

Just Updated:

Our Home Renovations

————————————————————-

November 22, 2020

I added another blog entry:

Julie 2020 Blogging

AND,

The Pot Thickens, Musings of an Amateur Cook

Nigella Lawson’s

Cook, eat, repeat, cook, eat, repeat, cook, eat, repeat……

NIGELLA.COM

 

—————————————————————–

November 20, 2020

Just Updated:

Our Home Renovations

 

——————————————————–

November 17/18 2020

Our Home Renovations

————————————————————————-

November 16, 2020

Our Home Renovations

 

————————————————————

November 14/15, 2020

Our Home Renovations

Still Working On This

———————————————————–

November 13, 2020

Happy Friday The 13th.

I just added a post to:

Gordon and Julie Renovations and Apps For dinner

AND,

 I’m updating:

Our Home Renovations

——————————————————-

November 12, 2020

Happy Birthday Joseph!

This was taken at the condo out in Indian Shores, Florida in 2013.  I like this photo of Joseph as that is him.  Online, connected, smiling, laughing….  and that is my former sister-in-law from Dromore West, Ireland also in the photo.

————————————————-

And I’m updating:

Our Home Renovations

 

——————————————————————–

November 11, 2020

Veteran’s Day

Happy Veteran’s Day to the two greatest men I have ever known. 

My husband and my grandfather.

Both having been in the Navy.

—————————————————–

And I’m updating:

Our Home Renovations

————————————————————

November 10, 2020

I just added a few new posts to:

Our Home Renovations

 

————————————————————–

November 9, 2020

I added another blog entry:

Julie 2020 Blogging

—————————————————————–

November 7, 2020

They Called The Election For Joe and Kamala!!!!!!

YEE-HAW!!!

——————————————————

AND,

I just added a new post to:

Our Home Renovations

 

———————————————————–

November 3, 2020

Election Day

I just added a new post to:

Our Home Renovations

—————————————————–

Our Election Night Democratic Pasta Salad

With a few of our Tabasco Peppers From our Bush

———————————————————-

And a Lovely Gift For Me From my Herb Garden

—————————————————-

This was a throw together Pasta Salad on my part.

It is Extremely Delicious!

As busy as we have been I didn’t want anything big or complicated tonight.

And as always, my roasted garlic, feta cheese, sundried tomatoes, and now our newly famous cheese stuffed peppers….and of course, BREAD!

Fingers Crossed for Biden/Harris!

Julie

———————————————————–

November 1, 2020

Dia De Los Muertos

————————————————————–

October 2020

——————————————————

October 31, 2020

Happy Halloween

I just added a new post to:

Our Home Renovations

————————————————————–

October 30, 2020

I just added a fun treat to:

Gordon and the Sledge Homer

——————————————————————-

October 29, 2020

I just finished the write up for:

Julie’s Chicken Knot Pies

AND,

The Pot Thickens, Musings of an Amateur Cook

——————————————————

October 28, 2020

I Updated:

My Love Affair With All Things Asian

AND,

Cinderella Party Foods and Ideas

Making Pumpkin Centerpieces

A beautiful accent to any Cinderella party would be to add a few pumpkins scattered about the tables.

————————————————————–

Cinderella Mice, Cookies, and Pumpkin Centerpieces

————————————————————-

October 27, 2020

I created a new post:

Our Home Renovations

 

———————————————————-

October 24, 2020

I debuted 2 new posts today: 

4 and 20 Blackbirds (Berries) Baked in a Pie

AND,

Julie’s Chicken Knot Pies

———————————————————

October 22, 2020

I added another blog entry:

Julie 2020 Blogging

———————————————————

October 20, 2020

I just finished:

Our Homage to John Carpenter’s Halloween

FINALLY!

It was fun though.  You know, for the first time in year’s I am not backlogged with Halloween posts to work on.  I do have my new Charmed Halloween that I am currently working on.  And a few Halloween foods and projects to add to a few posts.  But never have I been so caught up.  Same with Thanksgiving.  I am totally caught up.  I do have about 3 Christmas posts I need to get done before Christmas but for the first time in year’s I am not drowning in “Under Construction” on so many posts.  Cool!

——————————————————

October 18, 2020

Happy 9th. Birthday to our Niece Vivien

Her mother Sabina made the cake.  🙂

———————————————————

I added another blog entry:

Julie 2020 Blogging

———————————————————–

October 15, 2020

I added another write up to my:

Cinderella Party Foods and Ideas

I still have a few more photos to add to the project but it is all done.

  I also have another project that I want to do here soon for this post.

In the meantime, I’m currently working on my John Carpenter’s Halloween.

Julie

—————————————————————

October 12, 2020

I added another blog entry:

Julie 2020 Blogging

————————————————————

October 8, 2020

We just added more recipes to our:

Ah!  Ribs!

Another very similar rib recipe and some nice sides.

And,

I did add a small “recipe” to my:

Julie Whann Way Mexicana Tres

Except I didn’t actually do a recipe write up as to me, whomever reads my Mexican blog post already knows what we do and how we do it.  🙂

Gracias,

Julie

—————————————————————–

October 6, 2020

FINALLY!  Finished the write up for:

Hey Family Guy!  Get a CLUE For Halloween!

And,

My Nifty Fifties

————————————————————

October 3, 2020

I added another blog entry:

Julie 2020 Blogging

—————————————————–

October 1, 2020

My favorite time of year is here and I am very excited to start this new month.  I’ve sort of changed my mind about the Halloween that I originally had planned for this month.  I originally wanted a Vintage Halloween but I think I want more of a….. (see magnet on fridge above calendar.)  🙂

I think this Halloween will be A Charmed Halloween.

TTYL….

Ghoulie

————————————————————-

September 2020

————————————————————

September 26, 2020

I just finished our:

Thanksgiving Prep and Extras

———————————————————–

September 23, 2020

I just added an update to:

My Nifty Fifties

AND,

I also created a new post a few days ago:

Hey Family Guy!  Get a CLUE For Halloween!

Gigidy!  Gigidy!

———————————————————–

September 21, 2020

I just added a recipe to:

Our Mexican Inspired Thanksgiving Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

AND,

Julie Whann Way Mexicana Tres

It’s the same recipe…. so……

Easy Mexi-Corn Bread

————————————————————–

September 20, 2020

I just added to:

The Pot Thickens…  Musings of an Amateur Cook

————————————————————-

September 17, 2020

I added something to my:

Julie Vintage and Treasure Hunting Continues

I turned a vintage suitcase into a vintage jewelry box:

AND,

I added another blog entry:

Julie 2020 Blogging

AND,

I did add another entry to:

Remembering My Grandfather on Father’s Day

AND,

I also placed a few updates in my:

Julie’s Backyard, Wildlife and Gardening Blogging

———————————————————-

September 16, 2020

I just added an update to:

On Being an Empath part 2

——————————————————-

September 15, 2020

I added another blog entry:

Julie 2020 Blogging

AND,

Just finished:

Our Mexican Inspired Thanksgiving Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

 

—————————————————————–

September 13, 2020

Grandparents Day

Miss you Grammaw and Granddaddy

——————————————————

September 11, 2020

Patriot’s Day

I suppose that Patriot’s Day was created in honor of 9/11.  It’s interesting that we’ve been living a 9/11 over and over again since February but having an invisible threat that kills people just doesn’t seem to upset the population as much as airplane’s full of Arabs do.

Another misconception of a lot of American’s is that the person who flies the biggest flag is somehow more patriotic than another who doesn’t.  Some people just wear their patriotism on the inside.  They don’t feel the need to flaunt it.  I realize that on some of our July 4th. posts that we go all out with the Americana.  That is because some of our posts are parody, and parody is just an exaggeration.  The real Julie and Gordon are more reserved when it comes to pledging our allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.  But on that note we do acknowledge Patriot’s Day on this September 11, 2020.

AND,

I also added something to my:

Julie Vintage and Treasure Hunting Continues

I also have a very fun project that I will get to soon that I want to add to this post as well where I am going to turn one of my vintage suitcases into a jewelry box.

I miss working on projects.  We’ve been doing so much food lately that I want to get back to some of my crafts.  I miss working on them.

——————————————————–

September 10, 2020

I added another blog entry:

Julie 2020 Blogging

 

—————————————————————–

September 9, 2020

I just finished adding a recipe to:

Rise and Shine

AND,

I also added a new recipe to:

Autumn Pasta

Our Sloppy Italian-American Pumpkin Panettone French Toast w/ Mascarpone Cheese and Pumpkin Butter Topped w/ a Glazed Pasta

This same recipe is also on our:

Italianate Tre

—————————————————————

September 8, 2020

I just created a new post today:

Our Mexican Inspired Thanksgiving Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

I knew that I had neglected Thanksgiving content over the past few years and I wanted to catch up on it.  That is when I realized that we did a nice Mexican inspired Thanksgiving that I had forgotten about.  Hence, the new blog post. 

So, this is what I/We will be working on next.  This, and adding old content to some Thanksgiving posts.  It would be nice to catch up with all of these Thanksgiving food write-up’s.

AND,

I also placed an update in my:

Julie’s Backyard, Wildlife and Gardening Blogging

——————————————————————

September 7, 2020

Labor Day

A photo from the movie Picnic starring Kim Novak.  I love this photo.  It just reminds me of those old picnic’s  that I would go to with my grandparents and great-grandparents when I was little in Georgia.  The pretty food, the nice clothing, the pretty picnic spot with all the lovely ladies always attending to me.  Which Is why I created a new post today:

Picnic’s

Can’t wait to work on it.

———————————————————

AND,

Veronica and Brian sent us a photo of their steaks and accompaniments that we bought for them for Brian’s birthday.

We hope that everyone has a nice Labor Day today!

Julie and Gordon

———————————————————–

September 5, 2020

Just finished the write up for:

Italianate Tre

The last recipe write-up for this post is DONE!  🙂

——————————————————————

September 4, 2020

I added another blog entry:

Julie 2020 Blogging

——————————————————

September 2, 2020

Just finished the write up for:

Pickled Purple Pearls

AND,

I finally found this photo I have been searching for of some of the ingredients I used in our:

Barefoot Beach Teas

———————————————————

September 1, 2020

Happy Birthday Brian!

Our son-in-law’s birthday is today.  We really couldn’t think of anything that he would want so I wrote our daughter Veronica and asked what foods she and Brian would like, and she told me Rib Eye Steaks.  O.K.  We then took it from there and created an entire dinner with the works!  It was fun! 

4 Rib Eye Steaks, Idaho Potatoes, Texas Toast, Baguette, Dozen Eggs, Red Grape Tomatoes, Multi-Colored Heirloom Mini-Tomatoes, Purple Lettuce, Green Lettuce, Shredded Carrots, Bell Peppers, Lots of Corn-on-Cob, Blue Corn Chips, Blue Crab Salsa, Our Dill Pickles, Bag of Onions, Some Russian Tea, Bag of Gummy Sharks, Pecan Pie, Butter Pecan Ice Cream…..

We were thinking, Salad, Dinner, and Birthday Dessert. 

With Leftovers…

Happy 35 Brian!

—————————————————–

August, 2020

————————————————————–

August 30, 2020

I Just Finished Our:

Barefoot Beach Teas

AND,

I Added Some New Content to:

Happy Birthday To BFIFWJ

———————————————————–

August 29, 2020

I decided to place our:

Pickled Purple Pearls

…in it’s own post.

———————————————————–

August 28, 2020

Happy Birthday Kona!

Kona was our very first dog as a family.  I grew up with lots of dogs, usually entire packs, but as a family we have not had that many dogs.  Kona, our Black Lab was given to Brodie for his 8th. birthday from my parents when we were living in Maryland.  Kona grew to be about 142 pounds.  He was so tall and big and loyal and sweet.  He loved us very much and we have never forgotten him.  He died years ago.  Thank you Kona for being such a good dog and being such a great member of our family.  We will miss you forever.  Kona was born August 28, 2000, so was our niece Kate Jude. 

Kate Jude Lancaster Ryan

Happy Birthday Kate!  Look out for her to be something great.  I promise it!

Oh, Gordon and I finished:

Black and White Pearls

———————————————————

August 27, 2020

I just added a photo to:

Our July 4th. Tribute to the Movie JAWS, 1975

I just added this photo.  My Statue of Liberty souvenir bank that I bought at Ellis Island when I was about 19 years old in New York City.  I bought it the day Ronald Regan was shot because when we got off the ferry we were told that Regan had just been shot.

——————————————————–

August 26, 2020

I finished a write up for:

Gordon and Julie Renovations and Apps for Dinner

——————————————-

August 24, 2020

I just added a food write up for our:

Whann Way Aloha, Hapa Elua (Part 2)

Hawaiian Rice Bowls

Yum, Yum!

————————————————————

August 23, 2020

I just did an update on:

My Love Affair With All Things Asian

AND,

Julie’s Backyard Wildlife and Gardening Blogging

I pretty much just posted this photo so there really is no reason to visit that post. 

—————————————————–

August 22, 2020

I just finished adding new content to an old post:

Happy Birthday Hitch

I added old photos from our niece Kelcy’s play, The 39 Steps……

….from 2015.

—————————————————————–

I finally got around to finishing it.  🙂  I know it’s been 5 years.  It’s like I say, “I’ll get around to it soon enough.”  Lucky for me that no one knows the definition of “soon.”  🙂

—————————————————————-

August 21, 2020

I just added two new recipes to:

Julie Whann Way Mexicana Tres

—————————————————-

I believe you will like both of them.  They are located near the bottom of that post.

————————————————————-

August 19, 2020

I just added to my:

Julie Summer

Just a little recipe.  🙂

—————————————————————

August 18, 2020

I did add a few new photos to:

Our July 4th. Tribute to the Movie JAWS, 1975

AND,

I found an old grilled sandwich that we made a few years ago that we never did the write up for, so I did it. 

I added it to our:

Sandwiches On The Grill

—————————————————

Doesn’t that look good?

—————————————————————

FINALLY!  Got around to repairing and adding new content to:

Food and Drink

Located on the Home Page on the Bar at the top.  Although I don’t think we have any “Drink” on there at all.  Oh, well, I’m too tired to worry about it.

AND,

I added another blog entry:

Julie 2020 Blogging

——————————————————–

August 17, 2020

I just added a new recipe to:

Dips!

Hot Cheesy Bacon Dip w/ Toasts

I also redid the home page to reflect our upcoming Autumn Season, Halloween, and Dia De Los Muertos.

Happy Monday!

Julie

———————————————————–

August 16, 2020

Fried Acorn Squash and Pumpkin w/ Dipping Sauces

I just added a new recipe to:

Autumn Cooking

—————————————————-

August 15, 2020

I added another blog entry:

Julie 2020 Blogging

I am also working on an old Page:

https://www.barefootinfloridawithjulie.com/food/

It’s located on the main bar on the homepage:

Food and Drink

I tend to forget about those pages as I mainly focus on all my posts. 

But, I did repair it and I am adding new recipes.  A total of 5 new ones, to be exact.

Julie

———————————————————

August 14, 2020

I just updated my:

Julie 2020 Blogging

——————————————————–

August 13, 2020

Happy Birthday Alfred Hitchcock!

AND,

I just finished:

Our July 4th. Tribute to the Movie JAWS

I am also working on some old pages of mine to repair them, and update them, and to even add 4 new recipes to one of them.  I’ll keep you posted.

———————————————————–

August 9, 2020

Finished this new post:

Summer Seafood, Sides, and Salads

More content will be added to it in the future but for now it is ready.

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August 7, 2020

Happy Birthday to Sparky!

Meet Sparky and Spooky

So proud of our big boy!

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August 6, 2020

Created a new web post today:

Barefoot Beach Teas

I also updated a few posts on my homepage and slider.

Julie

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August 4, 2020

Created a new blog post today:

Captain’s Table

I also linked all of my Jaws/Shark Week/Seafood posts together. 

With the exception of this new one which I will have to now do.

————————————————————–

 August 3, 2020

I just gave my election predictions:

On Being an Empath part 2

AND,

I just updated:

My Nifty Fifties

————————————————-

Today is also the 1st. anniversary of my adopting Spooky and Sparky!

A year ago today!

They were so scared and worried.  They threw up, pooped, and urinated in every room in the house they were so upset and worried.  They also kept looking at me with those sweet little scared faces.  I put them in a chair next to me while I wrote to Gordon overseas and I was sending him their pictures.  He fell in love instantly!

Happy Adoption Day to Us!

Also, yesterday was Sparky’s birthday.  I’ll post some photos soon.

———————————————————–

August 2, 2020

I have a new write up on my:

Julie 2020 Blogging

AND,

I Updated:

My Love Affair With All Things Asian

(Just with this photo.  It wasn’t anything big.)  🙂

AND,

The Pot Thickens…  Musings of an Amateur Cook

—————————————————–

Oh, and I forgot to tell you that I created a new blog post a few weeks ago.

Check Out Our:  Summer Seafood, Sides, and Salads

This will go along with our other JAWS themed posts.

—————————————————————-

August 1, 2020

I just finished:

Our July 4th. Tribute to the Movie JAWS

We do have one more meal that we would like to recreate for this post.

  And it is this one:

We believe we have it figured out what they are eating.  🙂

——————————————————–

July 2020

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July 29, 2020

I just did an update on my:

The Meaning of Mother’s Day

And,

Julie’s Backyard Wildlife and Gardening Blogging

————————————————————

July 25, 2020

I have a new write up on my:

Julie 2020 Blogging

And,

I pretty much updated the same content on to my:

Diana, Kate, Meghan, and ME!

——————————————————-

July 24, 2020

I just updated my:

Julie Summer

with excellent ice cream sundaes.

AND,

I just updated:

My Nifty Fifties

————————————————

July 21, 2020

I just updated:

My Nifty Fifties

AND,

My Nifty 50’s Skincare

And,

The Pot Thickens, Musings of an Amateur Cook

——————————————————————-

July 20, 2020

I have a new write up on my:

Julie 2020 Blogging

—————————————————————–

July 17, 2020

I just updated my:

Julie Summer

With a cute lunch:

My style is to create something nice and then stick a toy in the photo and make it fun.  🙂

—————————————————–

I did try and revamp my:

Sand Globes

This is one of my first blog posts when I started my website and it has been hacked and disfigured so many times prior to my finally being able to have good security on my website.  I have tried to fix it.  But, it will take a total redoing to make it look as good as it needs to be.  That will come much later.  But for now, here it is.  Safe.  I assure you.

—————————————————-

July 16, 2020

I just updated:

My Nifty Fifties

—————————————————————

July 15, 2020

Finished the write up for:

Rise and Shine

Something Delicious for Breakfast (and beyond.)

————————————————————

July 13, 2020

FINALLY, everything on this post is complete:

Pork, Sausage and Mustard

AND,

I also expanded on my:

On Being an Empath part 2

————————————————————

July 12, 2020

I just did a write up for my:

On Being an Empath part 2

AND,

We finished the mustard write up on:

Pork, Sausage and Mustard

There is a pork roast recipe that Gordon still has to do the write up for.

Other than that it is finished.

——————————————————————-

July 10, 2020

I have a new write up on my:

Julie 2020 Blogging

AND,

I also posted a little bit of a write-up and some new photos on my:

The Meaning of Mother’s Day

—————————————————————

July 6, 2020

Happy 33rd. Birthday to our Daughter, Veronica!

In addition to her regular birthday gifts, I wanted to pass along some things to her from when she was a baby for her to keep forever.  For example the framed photograph of the 3 of us in our backyard in Honolulu, Hawaii.  Some delicious Hawaiian Host chocolates that we love so much.  And her silver baby cup and two baby spoons.  It took us forever to clean that silver cup.  🙂

Sadly, because we are still in lockdown we just drive things over to their house and leave them outside their front door.  We do long for the day when we can safely see each other again.

July 6, 2020 is also the anniversary of our website debut.  I do have something fun planned to commemorate it but it’s taking longer than I thought it would to get together.  But, I’m working on it.  🙂  Happy 9 years to us!

———————————————————-

July 5, 2020

I just updated:

My Nifty Fifties

Just a heads up:  I do plan on adding more content here in the weeks ahead.

I also updated the Home Page.

I also just created a new blog post:

Our July 4th. Tribute to the Movie JAWS, (1975)

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July 4th. 2020

Looks like we’ll be taking a BITE out of our 4th.!

——————————————————-

July 3, 2020

Gordon and I just did finish the write up for:

Breakfast With Brodie and Mackenzie

Because they are just too cute and busy to do it themselves.  🙂

————————————————————

June 2020

Although I do have a few doctor appointment’s written on this calendar, I will be cancelling both of them.  I just don’t feel comfortable getting back out there as yet.  Neither should you!

———————————————————–

June 30, 2020

What I am working on right now:

Pork, Sausage, and Mustard

———————————————————————–

June 28, 2020

I just finished updating my personal blog:

Julie 2020 Blogging

AND,

We just posted another sandwich recipe on:

Sandwiches, Between The Slices

AND,

I just updated:

My Love Affair With All Things Asian

——————————————————-

June 26, 2020

I did a write-up for:

My Love Affair With All Things Asian

AND,

I just made an update to my:

The Pot Thickens, Musings of an Amateur Cook

—————————————————————-

June 25, 2020

Julie’s Backyard Wildlife and Gardening Blogging

AND,

We just finished doing another recipe write-up on our:

Italianate Tre

Fried Eggplant Sandwiches w/ Basil Butter

 Julie’s Fanned Sandwich…

…..Gordon’s

I also added a few more photos of other recipes listed on the post.

And we do still have one more recipe that we plan to make for this post and then it will be complete.

————————————————————-

June 24, 2020

I’ve updated and finished, for now,:

Julie’s Cooking

I’ve also updated the Home Page, and I’ve been repairing some of my old blog posts that needed that attention.

————————————————-

June 22, 2020

Our 35th. Wedding Anniversary

I came across this needlepoint which I think was done by my old friend Judy from Sevierville.  I had forgotten all about it.  It is very beautiful.  She took the time to make it.  No one does that nowadays.  No one bothers.

35 years.  So hard to believe that we have been married for so long.  Just yesterday we were young but not anymore.  🙂  Gordon is preparing a nice meal for us, and for Brodie and Mackenzie.  I’ll bring it to you soon.

Oh, and I created a new post today:

Asian Steamed Buns

Brodie’s Bao Buns vs. Gordon’s Manapua  🙂

—————————————————————

June 21, 2020

Happy Father’s Day Gordon!

AND,

I finished our:

Kayak Weeki Wachee Springs, Florida

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June 20, 2020

I just finished adding a breakfast to our:

Rise and Shine

I call it our Rise and Shine Kayaker’s Breakfast. 

We made them one morning on our way to Weeki Wachee Springs for a 6 mile trip by kayak.

Easy, Healthy, Delicious!

AND,

I added something new to:

Meet Sparky and Spooky

More Delicious Yam Jerky!

———————————————————–

June 19, 2020

Today is Juneteenth

(If I am going to acknowledge some Mexican holidays throughout the year then I need to also acknowledge some African-American’s as well.  Because all of us need to do better.)

Click Here For:  What is Juneteenth

I also just finished updating my personal blog:

Julie 2020 Blogging

I am also currently working on:

Kayak Weeki Wachee Springs, Florida

I’ll let you know when I’ve finished.

Julie

————————————————————

June 13, 2020

More recipe write-up’s……

Italianate Tre

———————————————————————-

June 10, 2020

I just finished working on updating:

SOUP

AND,

Shoo Fly Pies

AND,

Julie and The Magnolia Tree

AND,

Julie’s Backyard Wildlife and Gardening Blogging

—————————————————–

June 8, 2020

I have updated my:

Meet Sparky and Spooky

AND,

Sandwiches on the Grill

 

—————————————————–

I am also currently working on:

SOUP

————————————————————-

June 5, 2020

I have finished my:

Italianate Tre

Although I will be adding two new recipes to it soon.

AND,

The Pot Thickens…  Musings of an Amateur Cook

I added another entry.

——————————————————-

June 2, 2020

I’ve been updating my:

The Pot Thickens…  Musings of an Amateur Cook

AND,

I just updated my:

Julie’s Backyard Wildlife and Gardening Blogging

———————————————————–

June 1, 2020

I Updated My:

Julie Vintage and Treasure Hunting Continues…

—————————————————————

May 2020

————————————————-

May 31. 2020

I’ve been updating my:

The Pot Thickens…  Musings of an Amateur Cook

And,

On Being An Empath Part 2

—————————————————

May 29, 2020

I just started a new post today:

The Pot Thickens…  Musings of an Amateur Cook

I also updated the Home Page.

——————————————————

May 27, 2020

We just updated our:

Santa’s Elves Kitchen Favorites

With 2 new edible gift recipes.

——————————————————–

May 25, 2020

Memorial Day

This year we didn’t want to create some elaborate meal for the holiday.  We just wanted to do something simple, healthy and tasty.  Our delicious grilled veggie sandwiches with potato salad, grilled cherry tomatoes, and our homemade pickles, was delicious!

—————————————————-

Memorial Day Grillin’

Superb!

———————————————————-

I just updated my:

Julie’s Backyard Wildlife and Gardening Blogging

AND,

Julie Vintage and Treasure Hunting Continues…

—————————————————–

May 23, 2020

I updated my personal blog:

Julie 2020 Blogging

————————————————

May 22, 2020

I have added another recipe to my:

Julie Whann Way Mexicana Tres

Our Breakfast Burritos

———————————————————

May 21, 2020

What a day.  Our sweet Mackenzie has left to go and visit her family in Tampa for the next 10 days.  She will then move to Gainsville, Florida for her internship.  We miss her!  Our ray of sunshine has left us.  But we will see her again.

I did better finish my:

Feliz Navidad a Casa Whann

I apparently missed a few things that I was able to fix and now I believe it is complete.

————————————————-

I’ve also been connecting all my Italian blog posts together.  I never knew I had 9 of them! 

And I am working on my:

Italianate Tre

I want it to be a hub of where to connect to all of our Italian blog posts.  I also want to bring a few new recipes to the post as well.  That will be in a few day’s.

——————————————————-

May 20, 2020

I just finished all the write-up’s for our:

Feliz Navidad a Casa Whann

I also linked all of my Mexican posts together.

—————————————————————–

May 18, 2020

Created a new post today:

A Star Wars CLUE for Christmas

This was a lot of fun to do.  Can’t wait to bring it to you finished.

AND,

I updated my personal blog:

Julie 2020 Blogging

——————————————————————-

May 16, 2020

Another story added to my:

The Meaning of Mother’s Day

————————————————–

May 15, 2020

I added to my:

The Meaning of Mother’s Day

I also fixed/repaired/added to/ my:

Julie Loves Vintage

The poor post had been so abused by my cyber-stalker for years so I finally repaired it as much as I could and even added something new.  I hope to add more new things to it as time goes by. 

—————————————————————-

May 13, 2020

Yesterday I updated my:

Julie 2020 Blogging

—————————————————–

May 12, 2020

I did add a few photos to our:

About Us/Welcome

————————————————————

May 11, 2020

I created a new post yesterday:

Mother’s Day on the Lanai

———————————————————–

May 10, 2020

Happy Mother’s Day

To all those good mother’s out there. 

I hope you have a wonderful day!

——————————————————

Frank Saved His Tent From Collapsing During a Horrible Storm in Boy Scout’s. 

His was the only one that didn’t collapse.

Happy Birthday to my little brother Frank.  Aged 49 today.

Frank and his wife Brenda at the Beach Condo

——————————————-

May 9, 2020

I am currently working on……

Feliz Navidad a Casa Whann

It may take another week before I am finished.  I’ll let you know.

———————————————————

May 8, 2020

I have updated my:

The Meaning of Mother’s Day

————————————————————-

May 5, 2020

Gordon and I just finished the write up for:

Grillin’ With Gordon and Brodie at Home, Mackenzie’s Birthday

————————————————————–

AND,

Happy Japanese Boy’s Day

Fly a Carp for your Son, or Son’s

————————————————-

AND,

Happy

Cinco de Mayo

——————————————————

May the 4th. Be With You, Always.  🙂

———————————————–

————————————————————

May 2, 2020

I just finished my:

Out On Our New Lanai

I will be updating it as I come across more photos and as we create more photos to add.

AND,

I created a new post:

Grillin’ With Gordon and Brodie at Home

———————————————————-

May 1, 2020

May Day/Lei Day

———————————————————

April 2020

—————————————————————-

April 30, 2020

I did some more writing on my:

The Meaning of Mother’s Day

—————————————————————

April 29, 2020

I just completed my:

Julie’s Backyard Wildlife and Gardening Blogging

I still have some photos to attach to it but for the most part it is complete for now.  Because it is a living garden and wildlife post I will be adding things to it as time goes by.

————————————————————

April 28, 2020

I just finished updating:

Meet Sparky and Spooky

AND,

Julie 2020 Blogging

———————————————–

April 27, 2020

Happy Birthday Dear Spoookeee….

Happy Birthday To YOU!

We love ya Spooks!!

—————————————————-

I did create a new post:

Pork, Sausage, and Mustard

———————————————————-

April 25, 2020

I just did finished my…….

Julie Whann Way Mexicana Tres

It may need some tweaking but for the most part it is done!

WHEW!

————————————————————

April 24, 2020

Fellow Patriots!  I just finished working on my……

July 4th. Extras

——————————————————-

April 22, 2020

Happy Earth Day!

 How I love the sticky ones!

——————————————————–

April 21, 2020

I did add a cake to my Cakes:

Click Here For:  CAKES

—————————————————————

April 20, 2020

I have been working on my:

From the Smith House to the Whann House, For Easter

I just felt like doing the introduction and the write-up’s but I will need to do the recipe’s in the future when I get around to it.

—————————————————-

April 19, 2020

Happy Birthday Mackenzie

Angel Food Cake with Sea Foam Frosting

28 Years Old Today!

Also, Happy Birthday to Susannah, her twin sister.

Although today is her actual birthday we did have a nice big dinner in her honor yesterday.

Mackenzie is a keeper!  🙂

——————————————————————

April 18, 2020

I just finished a blog post write up…..

FRUIT

——————————————————–

April 16, 2020

I just finished working on my:

Valentine’s Day

————————————————–

I’ve got a few “sweet” EASY recipes for you.

———————————————————

April 12, 2020

Happy Easter!

Nellie Mae Keith Haskin

Today is my deceased Grandmother’s birthday.  She always loved it when her birthday fell on Easter Sunday.  I wish she were still here with us but I never forget her and in fact I based our Easter this year on all those happy Easter’s that I had growing up with her and my Grandfather and Great-Grandparents in Rome, Georgia.  I also based our Easter on a favorite restaurant in Dahlonega, Georgia where we lived for a few years in my youth.  The restaurant was called The Smith House.  I created a new post based on our Easter and I cannot wait to do the write ups, but if you know me then you know I will get around to it eventually.

From The Smith House to the Whann House, Easter

——————————————————-

I also updated the home page with some new current posts.  Some need some work from when they were switched over from the old website to the new one.  I will get around to those this month as well as working on some new posts.

I hope that everyone has a nice day,

Julie

—————————————————–

April 11, 2020

I’m currently updating my:

What’s for Breakfast?

 Smoked Salmon and Dill Bagel Sandwiches

And……..

Nigella Lawson’s Cheese and Onion Strata

Good Morning

————————————————————–

April 10, 2020

I am updating my:

The Meaning of Mother’s Day

———————————————————

April 9, 2020

I also updated my:

Julie 2020 Blogging

——————————————————–

April 8, 2020

Happy Birthday Buddah

 

AND,

We just finished the write up for a new recipe on our:

Autumn Baking

Julie and The Giant Squash

One is Sweet, One is Savory

————————————————————-

April 7, 2020

Brodie and Mackenzie finished their new post today:

Breakfast With Brodie and Mackenzie

———————————————

There will be a new recipe write up coming soon……

AND,

I am finishing up their:

Cooking with Brodie and Mackenzie, Onion Soup

Whenever Brodie walks by I call him over to ask him what they did here in this photo, and how much olive oil was used in this other photo?  Brodie is more like a Gordon Ramsey, he just wants to make and create and not write anything down or pose for photos.  Just capture him while he’s in his element.  Yeah, right!  🙂

I’m doing my best here!

Julie

—————————————————

April 4, 2020

I created a new post today:

Breakfast With Brodie and Mackenzie

Our son Brodie and his girlfriend Mackenzie are always coming up with the best breakfast’s so I told them I was creating a new post just for that.  They agreed, so here it is.

————————————————-

April 3, 2020

I did finish up my:

Sandwiches Between The Slices

I’ve got a few new sandwiches…..

—————————————————————

March 2020

———————————————–

March 31, 2020

Happy 51 Johnny

Baby Johnny stealing all my thunder, My precious Grandmother, and a pouting Me!

————————————————————-

March 29, 2020

Updated our:

SOUP

AND,

I added another recipe to:

My Mermaid Lagoon Christmas in the Nook

It as a recipe that I had totally forgotten about. 

I am coming across a few of those that I need to attach to various posts.  I’ll get there though.  🙂

—————————————————

March 28, 2020

Totally Finished!!!!

Julie’s Southern Birthday Low Country Favorites

—————————————————

March 27, 2020

I finished a new update for:

St. Patrick’s Day

Our Re-Take on our Re-Take of our Reubens

AND,

I created a new post today:

Fruit

Also working on a few others and I will let you know when they are finished.

—————————————————————-

March 23, 2020

I just finished adding 2 new recipes to:

St. Patrick’s Day

—————————————————–

March 21, 2020

Gordon and I finished the write up for:

Rise and Shine

Our delicious Whole Wheat Heaven and Heat Breakfast Muffins

—————————————————–

March 20, 2020

I started a new post for Christmas.

Click Here For:  Santa’s Elves Kitchen Favorites

I’ve already done the write up for these baked olives.

I also updated my:

Julie 2020 Blogging

I am also finishing up my:

Click Here For:  Gordon and Julie Renovations and Apps for Dinner

AND,

Click Here For:  Herb Cocktails

—————————————————

March 17, 2020

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

Irish Sour Cream Bread with Golden Raisins

AND,

Reuben Club Sandwiches

Two new recipes to add to our:

Click Here For:  St. Patrick’s Day

I’ll let you know when I add those recipes.

——————————————————

March 15, 2020

I finished up my writing portion of:

Julie’s Southern Birthday Low Country Favorites

It is now time for Gordon to do the write up’s for the recipes.  Then I tweak what he writes because sometimes he gets it wrong.  (Most of the time he gets it wrong.)  And then I will let you know when it’s all done.  🙂

But I am proud of my portion of the post.

Julie

————————————————————-

March 14, 2020

Einstein’s Birthday

I am probably the only person in the world that writes in his birthday on my calendar.  I guess I miss and appreciate the greats!

——————————————————

March 13, 2020

I am currently working on a few posts at once.  I would like to finish up my:

Julie’s Southern Birthday Low Country Favorites

AND,

The Meaning of Mother’s Day

AND,

On Being An Empath Part 2

What with this Coronavirus coming I feel like I’m working on a DEADline.

  Hey!  I handle life’s up’s and down’s with humor.  So…..

———————————————————

March 9, 2020

Just Updated My:

Julie 2020 Blogging

AND,

The Meaning of Mother’s Day

Still working on it.

Julie

——————————————————

March 4, 2020

Just Updated My:

Julie 2020 Blogging

——————————————————————

March 3, 2020

Monk’s Birthday

I will miss you forever my little Monkee.

——————————————–

March 2, 2020

I created a new post today:

Kayak Weeki Wachee Springs, Florida

We had an excellent day at Weeki Wachee Springs and we would love to share it with you. 

Can’t wait to work on it!

Julie

————————————————————

February Calendar

——————————————————-

February 28, 2020

I have spent the past few hours updating my home page with some Spring and Easter posts.  Some of them I need to tweak and update.  When I transferred my website over to a new format last year some of the colors of the posts are just too light to read properly so I need to fix those.  There is always something!  🙁

But, I do the best that I can given that most of the time I am a one woman team. 

And in my case there is an “I” in Team.

Nice weekend ahead for us.  Looking forward to it!  🙂

T.G.I.F.!

Julie

——————————————————–

February 27, 2020

Happy Birthday to my sweet Trish who would have been 79 today. 

I miss you every day!

——————————————————–

I also updated my personal blog.

Julie 2020 Blogging

AND,

I’m starting work on my:

The Meaning of Mother’s Day

I’m also still working on some other blog posts but I do like to switch around and work on several at once.  Sometimes I’m strictly dedicated to working on just one blog post and other times I’m not.

Julie

——————————————————

February 25, 2020

It’s Fat Tuesday!

I did update:

Our Southern Soul Food

With a delicious Beignet recipe……

————————————————————-

I also created 2 new posts:

Valentine’s Day

AND,

Cooking With Brodie and Mackenzie, Onion Soup

Our son Brodie and his girlfriend Mackenzie finally decided to take me up on a offer I had been making them for about a year….. “Would you guys like to start a blog post on my website?  I’d love it if you would.  It’ll be fun!”

So, after countless heeing and hawing, they finally said YES!

Well, here it is!  They are also debuting an excellent Onion Soup.  🙂

————————————–

I’m also linking together my southern food posts and seeing as how I was doing that I decided to just go ahead and do the work on my….

Julie’s Southern Birthday Low Country Favorites

Seeing as how I was in the mood.  🙂

Oh, and I’ve also been attaching some photos here and there to past blog posts but nothing yet to bring to your attention. 

Have a nice day!

—————————————————–

February 20, 2020

(What a cool day, huh?  02-20-2020.)

I just did finish adding two new recipes to my……

Eat Your Vegetables

AND,

I am now working on adding one recipe to…..

My Mardi Gras Birthday and New Orleans Soul Food Recipes

AND,

Our Southern Soul Food

AND,

I will be finishing up my:

Julie Whann Way Mexicana Tres

Happily Typing Along…..

Julie

——————————————————-

February 18, 2020

I just did finish…….

Click Here For:  Weeki Wachee Weekend for Christmas

Granted, I probably need to look for spelling errors and Gordon does have a fritter recipe to write up but other than that it is finished.

I have also been noticing that so many of my blogs that originally had photo backgrounds need to be reworked.  When my guys in India redid my website and removed all those background photos I had a lot of light colored printing on each page which now is very hard to read on a white background.  It’s such a pain but I have been spending a bit of time trying to change the coloring so that it can be read more easily.  I have so many posts on my website that there are probably many that I need to fix but I do the best that I can. 

I now want to work on updating some already existing blog posts and then I will probably tackle a big one.  I’ll let you know what all I have done and what I am working on.  Just keep tuning in here.

Julie

p.s.  NOW it’s all finished! 

———————————————————

February 14th., 2020

I have updated my  blog post:

Julie 2020 Blogging

I will also be adding new content to it in the next few days.

—————————————————-

February 4, 2020

I just did finish this post.  As time goes by I’ll add more content to it but for now it’s done.

Merry Christmas’s and New Year’s Days, All the Glamorous Extras

———————————————————–

January 30, 2020

I just finished doing the write up for………

Pumpkin Carving Party

I will probably add some links to it to some of our other Halloween pumpkin carving posts.  But other than that it is finished.

Happy Halloween!

Julie

——————————————————-

January 29, 2020

I just finished combining and attaching all my Cinderella blog post together. I had never linked them all together until today.

I’ve also updated my……

Julie’s Cinderella Sequel

Cinderella Christmas

I had content to add, not to mention a wonderful recipe…..

My Little Mice are Coming Together

Like So…….

Cute Little Army of Mice

 I’ve also updated my………

Click Here For:  Cinderella Party Foods

———————————————————–

January 27, 2020

Hey!  I just finished……..

Casual Christmas Touches

AND,

Shoo Fly Pies

———————————————————

January 25, 2020

I just finished updating……

Click Here For St. Patrick’s Day

——————————————————-

January 24, 2020

I added something to……..

Click Here For:  Mother of the Bride

——————————————————

January 20, 2020

First of all I would like to say that my grandmother, Nellie Mae Keith Haskin died 20 years ago today.  I just wanted to make that date clear because I miss her so very much.

AND,

I finished working on our:

A. Hitchcock Clue for Halloween

Julie

P.S.  I do have this one more scene I wish to add but I will let you know when I do.  🙂

————————————————–

January 19, 2020

I added something to the very bottom of my:

Cornbread, Cast Iron Skillet, Dressing, and Tradition

AND,

I also created a new post:

Shoo Fly Pies

Gordon and I don’t make a lot of pies but when we do they will end up on this post.

AND,

I also created:

Black and White Pearls

My Pearl Onion Balsamic and Pickling.

Julie

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January 16, 2020

I finished up:

You Say Tomato

AND,

Star Wars Christmas and Novelty Gift Ideas

(Although, I do have a few Star Wars things to add to this post as I come across them. 

So, stay tuned!)

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January 9, 2020

I just updated my:

On Being An Empath Part 2

AND,

I’m also working on my:

You Say Tomato

TTYL…..

Julie

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January 5, 2020

I created two new posts:

In a Christmas Pickle

AND,

Julie 2020 Blogging

TTYL…

Julie

——————————————————

January 4, 2020

The next posts I will be working on are…….

Merry Christmas’s and New Year’s Days, all the Glamorous Extras

AND,

Casual Christmas Touches

AND,

Star Wars Christmas and Novelty Gift Ideas

I will be updating, revamping, adding content, etc., etc. etc. 

Julie

—————————————————-

January 3, 2020

I just updated…….

Click Here For:  On Being an Empath

——————————————————

January 2, 2020

I updated my personal blog:

Blogging With Julie in 2019

TTYL….

Julie

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January 1, 2020

Happy New Year

(Once again, wearing my pajamas.)  🙂

I will have my:

Click Here For:  My Mermaid Lagoon Christmas in the Nook

Finished by tonight, January 1, 2020.  🙂

I also just redid my Homepage of my Website with new content and even updated some blog post photo sliders:

I realize this blog post wording kind of reminds me of some fake psychic, but I had to fill a line with text and that is what came to mind…..  Oh, well?  I don’t mean for it to sound commercial, but it kind of does.  Yet, oddly enough it does fit.  So, why not?

We had a nice New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day.  Same old foods.  Nothing really new.  Gordon had been gone for 15 months and all he wanted was his old favorites, which I happily obliged. 

Fill you in soon,

Julie

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12-29-2019

I have just updated…….

Click Here For:  On Being an Empath

———————————————————

12-28-2019

I am still working on my……

Click Here For:  My Mermaid Lagoon Christmas in the Nook

I can do my write up’s, but waiting for Brodie to do his will take forever!

But I am also adding content to: 

Click Here For:  Merry Christmas’s and New Year’s Day All the Glamorous Extras

I also changed the name of it as I only want to add the “fancy” extras here and not the casual ones.

I also added a few photos to my very old post, Casual Christmas Touches.  I’ll have to revamp that one eventually.  I still want it nice and small and tidy but it does need a few new things that I will eventually get around to adding.

We did NOT do any pickling today because Gordon had a migraine.  But, we do want to pickle the Brussel Sprouts and the Pearl Onions that we roasted the other day, (my idea to roast them.)  🙂

At this writing we aren’t planning some special New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day anything.  We just want to finish up what we have going on right now and then clean up and pack away.  And besides, we are kind of sick of all this food!

But we are planning a Kayak Adventure with our kids and their partners.  And Gordon and I are planning our Honeycation to take place without your knowing it.  🙂

Have a nice evening,

Julie

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12-26-2019

Merry Be-lated Christmas

We hope that everyone had a nice Christmas and here’s to a very Happy New Year to YOU!

I finished…….

Click Here For:  Kitchy Kristmas

And I’m still working on:

Click Here For:  My Mermaid Lagoon Christmas in the Nook

We will be doing more pickling this weekend and I want to revamp a Star Wars post of mine and add more content to it.  I’ll bring that to you once it’s created.

———————————————————

And here it is……………….

Click Here For:  Star Wars Christmas and Novelty Gift Ideas

I changed the website post from Novelty Gift Ideas.  Here is where our Star Wars stuff will end up.  Including Leia’s Cinnamon Buns recipe.  🙂

Have a great day!

Julie

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12-23-2019

I am currently working on……..

Click Here For:  Kitchy Kristmas

I’ve got a few recipes I’m doing the write up for.

Julie’s Christmas Wreath Leftovers Dinner (Is one of them.)

AND….  I’m still working on my Mermaid Lagoon Christmas in the Nook featured below:

12-20-2019

As of this writing I am currently working on…….

Click Here For:  My Mermaid Lagoon Christmas in the Nook

————————————————————

 

Have a nice day,

Julie

 

 

Julie’s Backyard Wildlife and Gardening Blogging

Julie’s Backyard Wildlife and Gardening Blogging

          Welcome to our Home Isn’t that what Door Wreaths are for? Well, tell that to the mother bird that built her nest into it. Look at Her Beautiful Eggs And, There is the Sweet Little Mother Bird, Isn’t she Pretty? 

Julie’s Side Project

Julie’s Side Project

Continue reading Julie’s Side Project

Gordon and Julie Greek (Beta)

Gordon and Julie Greek (Beta)

Continue reading Gordon and Julie Greek (Beta)

Our Easter Brunches

Our Easter Brunches

Continue reading Our Easter Brunches

My Nifty 50’s (and 60’s) Skincare

My Nifty 50’s (and 60’s) Skincare

Continue reading My Nifty 50’s (and 60’s) Skincare

Julie’s Easter Muchness

Julie’s Easter Muchness

Continue reading Julie’s Easter Muchness

Julie Garden Blogging

Julie Garden Blogging

Continue reading Julie Garden Blogging

Potting Bench Gifts of Herbs, Flowers, and Food

Potting Bench Gifts of Herbs, Flowers, and Food

Continue reading Potting Bench Gifts of Herbs, Flowers, and Food

Side of the House Retaining Wall

Side of the House Retaining Wall

Continue reading Side of the House Retaining Wall

Our Outdoor Life Preview

Our Outdoor Life Preview

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Easter

Easter

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Julie’s Octopussy Cocktail

Julie’s Octopussy Cocktail

Continue reading Julie’s Octopussy Cocktail

Julie’s Herb Garden

Julie’s Herb Garden

Continue reading Julie’s Herb Garden

Gordon and Julie Greek

Gordon and Julie Greek

Continue reading Gordon and Julie Greek

Roasted Olives

Roasted Olives

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