More Autumn Pasta To Enjoy
Autumn Has Arrived I would say that ‘Sweater Weather’ is here but we live in Florida so that doesn’t happen until around January, if at all. But what we do experience in Florida is a cooling off. Temps in the high …
Autumn Has Arrived I would say that ‘Sweater Weather’ is here but we live in Florida so that doesn’t happen until around January, if at all. But what we do experience in Florida is a cooling off. Temps in the high …
Bowl a Comfort Dirty Rice/Spanish Rice With Fried Kielbasa Sausage A Meal In Itself —————————————————————————- Dirty Dawgs I keep my Granddaughter anywhere between 2 and 5 days a week. We tend to do a lot of coloring and drawing, and plenty …

Peacock Feathers For Luck

I was born in Georgia and lived throughout the south during my upbringing. The South is also known as The Bible Belt. The South has a very large religious community that comprises of many different Churches. Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Church of God, Church of Christ, Pentecostal Holiness, and a few others…. We were Disciples of Christ, which is what Ronald Reagan was, btw.
Although my family and the people we knew were more liberal than the average Southerner. We learned about other religions at church but in an educational way, and not in a ‘they will all burn in hell because they aren’t like us’ way. I was certainly exposed to the Evangelical’s and their beliefs. One thing that they would warn you about were the “Jezebels” of the world. It was just in the culture.
When I went off to college I was warned to ‘Stay away from the bitches and the whores.’ Although no one in my family ever said that to me… well, my Grandmother would always tell me to stay away from the Floozies and the Flossie Mae’s, it was just the culture of the South. (I’m not excusing it, just explaining it.) Although if anyone I knew was a Flossie Mae it was my Grandmother. That woman could sashay!
But, when I did go off to college and I did interact with the other girls there, I found that the people that I liked the most were the bitches and the whore’s. The bitches weren’t bitchy, they just stood up for themselves. They were intelligent and spoke out when it was important to do so. And the whores, well, they never judged you. They would even look out for you when you would go out with them while the Evangelical girls would just as soon dump you on the side of the road than deal with you. Also, the gay guys that I went to college with, it was a private fashion college in Charlotte, North Carolina, they were the best friends you could ever have. You could go out with them at night and they would look out for you. And the best giggles you will ever have in your life were with the gay guys!
The hypocrisy of the South is that they created a “Jezebel Sauce” that they serve at various religious functions. Whether it is a Church Suppah, a Church Picnic, a Church Wedding….. Oh, and it is the number #1 condiment in the state of conservative Mississippi.

Which brings me to all of my Jezebel’s…..

I adore each and every one of you!
Which Is Why I Created You!

The Jezebel’s Of This World Have The Biggest Hearts…

Which Is Why I Love You All!
Julie

p.s. Coming Christmas 2026,
A Naughty Christmas Jezebel For Underneath The Tree 🙂
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Click Here For: Julie’s Jezebel Sauce

Our Jezebels On This Page:

The Forbidden Jezebel

With Apples

The Classic Jezebel (My Twist)
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The Latin Jezebel
(With Guava Shells and Jalapeno Peppers)

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And My:

Georgia Peach Jeze-Bells
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I Also Created An:

Based On Our Love Of Hawaii

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AND,

Again, Based On Our Love Of Hawaii And The Asian Cultures

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AND,
An Old Florida Jezebel (Sauce)

Based On My Love Of Old Florida

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I ALSO CREATED,
One HOT Jezebel for Breakfast (Sauce, That is.)

AND,
Click Here For: More of Julie’s Jezebel Recipes to Enjoy

I Needed An Additional Page To Place Some Extra Jezebel Recipes
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I Even Created A Halloween Jezebel:
A Haunted Jezebel, Together With A Haunted Mansion Halloween Repast


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AND,

I LOVE Valentine’s Day!

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ALSO,

Based On My Home State Of Georgia
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AND,
A Nancy Drew Mystery ._ _ _ /./_ _.././_… ././. _.. Sauce
(Because I love Nancy Drew and Morse Code)

Click Here For: A Nancy Drew Mystery ._ _ _ /./_ _.././_… ././. _..Sauce
I would like to add that Nancy Drew was no ._ _ _ /./_ _.././_… ././. _.. .
I cannot even bring myself to say the word ._ _ _ /./_ _.././_… ././. _.. beside her name, which is why I got the idea to put the name in Morse Code.
The reason I created a ._ _ _ /./_ _.././_… ././. _.. sauce for Nancy Drew is because I wanted to create some sort of sauce in her honor. She was very worldly. She traveled the world with her father Caron Drew, and her friends Bess and George. Nancy knew people from all over the world and also knew and respected their cultures. She was mature beyond her young years. She had encountered many a villain, been knocked unconscious, and had to use her wits about her to escape.
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I Love Every Single One Of You!
Julie Jezebel
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Yet Another Sandwich Page! WELCOME We eat a lot of sandwiches. Although we have sandwiches all over our website, whether they be interspersed with other recipe pages, or having their own website pages, here is yet another one I created. WE LOVE …
A Nancy Drew Mystery ._ _ _ /./_ _.././_… ././. _.. Sauce (Because I love Nancy Drew and Morse Code) I would like to say that Nancy Drew was no ._ _ _ /./_ _.././_… ././. _.. . I cannot even bring myself …

On February 13th., 2026 I Turned 65

Gordon and I ‘Out and About’ on My Birthday

65 Feels Pretty Good
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When I Turned 60 I Started this Website Page:
Sixty’s, (Sensational or Surviving?), We’ll See, Right?

(If you would like to read, just click on the link above.)
I didn’t know what 60 would be like? Which is why I started the above website page.
I assumed that I would be blogging about any changes in my body or lifestyle. Perhaps the ‘ups and downs’ of ageing? My intention was that we would explore it together.
I am a very open person. Sometimes to my detriment. But, that is who I am, and I am not going to fight against that.
Now that I am 65, I have been in my 60’s for 5 years now. I have been getting to know the ageing me and I am fine with it.
Yes, I have put on some weight in the middle. That is where my pounds accumulate anyway. They always have.
However, there is just something empowering that comes with ageing that I didn’t know in my 50’s, or 40’s, or 30’s, etc.
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Turning 65

As I like to say, Uglier on the outside, Happier on the inside.
I would not go back if I were given the chance. I feel as if I have reached milestones that are important. As in evolving into the person I am destined to be. I have earned the right to be 65! Ageing is a privilege.
If I could give my younger self a heads up, I would not!
I needed to go through all that I did to get to here. I would not have made it if I did warn my younger self. I have learned that the damage that was done to me by certain people in my life never had anything to do with me. It was their damage they were inflicting on me. I used to regret being nice or kind to certain people. I have however learned that I should never be upset about doing the right thing. They are the ones that should be upset that they took advantage of my kindness, and loyalty.
I don’t know how much time I have left? Oh, as far as I know I am fine where my health is concerned. I am just referring to life in general.
None of us really know the answers to that? I always figured that I would die young. No idea why? I just always thought so. But, before I am gone, I still have many things left that I want to do. I’ll go when I’m ready. I’m stubborn that way. 🙂 But for now, my granddaughter needs me. My daughter and son-in-law need me, my husband needs me, and I need me too! 🙂
So, Here Is 65 and Beyond, Finger’s Crossed!
Julie
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BLOG ENTRIES START HERE
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Shopping At The Asian Supermarket

Shopping And Creating Recipes Does Make Me Happy
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September 7, 2026


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July 12, 2026
Constantly Chasing Sleep

Favorite Pajamas
I can remember reading decades ago how Betty White only got about 3 hours of sleep a night. I couldn’t believe that she could function on that minimal amount of sleep. Then I read around the same time frame that Martha Stewart would be up at 3:00 a.m. with a flashlight out in her garden pulling up weeds. I was so shocked that these two successful women could even function on such a minimal amount of sleep? Well, now that I am 65, I am getting not as much sleep as I need, and not being able to function without a good night’s sleep. I cannot relate. I need my sleep!
My lifestyle is that I keep my Granddaughter anywhere from 2 to 4 days a week. Either Veronica or Brian will bring her over in the early morning hours at either 5:30 a.m. or 5:45 – 6:00 a.m. I am always up by the time they bring her over. I set my alarm clock for 4:00 a.m. in the morning. I shower and I’m dressed and ready by the time Isabelle arrives.
Even though she just turned 3, we still give her a bottle in the mornings. Even though that is a bit young for her, you have to understand that her sleep has been interrupted. She needs to get back to sleep. That warm milk helps her. Whether we deliver it in a baby bottle, or a water bottle.
That also benefits me! I need to get back to sleep in the mornings myself. It is difficult for me to function without a good night’s sleep. I love a good extra hour or two in those early morning hours. That way I get to sleep in to around 8:00 or 8:30, or 9:00 a.m. in the mornings. Being her care giver, I need the extra hours of sleep in order to function for the day. After all, her parents don’t pick her up until around 4:30 – 5:00 p.m. on some days, and as early as 9:30 – 11:00 a.m., on other days. Some of those days are long!
I wanted to say that I think that we justify the early morning bottle with the understanding that there are women out there that continue to breast feed into the child’s 5th. birthday.
That is not our intention. We are just delivering the warm milk to Isabelle in a vessel that will not leak into the crib/bed, and will help her to go back to sleep, so that I can also get some more much needed sleep myself. That’s where my heating pad comes in. I do so love that warmth and it makes me drowsy, helping me to go back to sleep.
NOTE! It is easier to go to sleep once you have taken a nice warm shower, day or night. Which is usually why I tend to go back to sleep more easily after I have had my 4:00 a.m. shower on those mornings I have Isabelle. Nice shower, and a heating pad work for me!
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I Also Think That I Suffer From Anxiety
On those days that I have to leave the house, I tend to have a hard time sleeping the night before. That is something new to me. It’s really just been since I’ve been in my 60’s that I’ve had that problem. There is just this anxiousness and dread that I have where I am up in the middle of the night and I can’t shut my brain off in order to relax and go to sleep.
I think some of the problem it is that America is a dangerous country to live in. I don’t feel safe when I leave the house. Too many guns, and too many hot-heads that own the guns. Also, just not enough respect towards our fellow human beings. I think a lot of people would just rather shoot you than deal with you. Same with driving. Even though I do the speed limit, I am never going fast enough for some people. I think they would rather run me off the road than have to drive behind me. Which is why I tend to make appointments or run errands on those hours where there isn’t a lot of traffic. I also only shop in business’s where I feel safe in their parking lots. Now that I am 65 and ageing, I am becoming more of a target to those that take advantage of that. Always be aware of your surroundings. Quit looking at your phones and pay attention. It just might save your life.
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Afternoon Naps And Back Pain
Sometimes I do take an afternoon nap. Or, I might just lay down on the couch among my comfy blankety covers and pillows, turn the T.V. volume down low, close my eyes, and just rest and relax. If sleep follows, wonderful! If not, then that’s o.k. too because I am resting my body and getting off my back. Walking on these cement floors here in Florida can ruin your lower back. When we were living in Hawaii I developed back pains from every surface in Hawaii being cement. The reasoning behind all the cement is hurricane’s. Then when we moved to Maryland, where everything was this nice wooden surface, my back pain went away. Then we move back to Florida where everything has a cement flooring, and here come the back pains again.
I do wear indoor shoes, mainly smooshy, mooshy Flip Flops. (Or Slippers as they say in Hawaii.) The mooshy kind have a nice comfy give that allows your foot to be more comfortable. The downside is that sometimes they are easy to trip in while wearing. Something I will need to be aware of as I age.
The point I was trying to make here is that by just resting and getting off my back I feel this rejuvenation that allows me to get through the rest of the day on those sleepy tired days I sometimes have. By laying down, place a pillow underneath your pelvis just to elevate it up a bit. For me the pain goes away immediately just by doing that. Try it! See for yourself.
Also, take an Advil if your back starts to hurt, OR even before it starts to hurt! When I am about to take on a big job I just go ahead and take one. It will prevent the swelling in my lower back which brings on pain. It’s that inflammation you have to worry about.
I also don’t take any of those energy drinks. Coffee is the strongest thing that I use to pep up.
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About 2 Years Ago I Moved Into The Gust Bathroom
(For Bathing And Skincare)

It’s been a few years but there was a time, a very long time, when my next door neighbor started stalking and harassing me.
I do document it here:

Click Here For: My Log Blog Documenting Stalking And Harassment From My Neighbor
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Gordon was working overseas and for some reason my hot-headed neighbor next door to us starting throwing things at our house at 4:00 a.m. to upset me. It was always when I was in the bathroom or in our bedroom. Regardless, I no longer felt safe on that side of our house, so I started bathing in the guest bathroom. At first I just dragged a few things into the guest bathroom, not bothering to really fix it up and make it nice. But, I have since made it nice and I’m glad that I made that switch. I feel a lot safer. I also feel like I have my very own bathroom just for me to enjoy. Yes, it’s smaller. Yes, it’s not as nice. But, I like it!
I still do my hair and make-up in our master bathroom, but I am never naked in there. I haven’t felt comfortable changing clothes or using that bathroom any more. That’s what abuse does to you.
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Just Some Skincare


I Did Not Buy Anything New Here
(I organized with things that I already had. Seeing as how my Cindy Crawford Skincare is all purple, I found an old ‘free with purchase’ purple cosmetic bag to house some things in.)


I Bought Nothing New Here, This Is Plenty Of Room For Me
Sometimes I think it’s important for us to just carve out our own little niche somewhere. A place that is just ours. With me being the only one who uses this bathroom, I keep it quite nice and clean because I don’t share it with anyone. Well, except Isabelle. 🙂
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Somethings that I may write about, I have also written about on other website pages. Not everyone reads every page that I have on this website so sometimes I do repeat myself. This is one of those times. I am writing here similar things that I wrote on my Skincare Website Page.

Click Here For: My Nifty 50’s and 60’s Skincare
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I Did Add Some Hawaiian Things That Were New

The Rattan Shelf Was My Grandmother’s
The Birdhouse/Beach House, Veronica painted years ago and gifted to me.
Diamond Head and the Surfboards spelling out Aloha, I purchased at a favorite Hawaii store, CocoNene.

The Blue Star Fish Veronica also gifted to me one Christmas.
And the Palm Leaf painting I also purchased from Coconene.

The Fish Photo Frame was a gift to Veronica from her friend Kara when they were 3 years old and we knew them in Hawaii.
Looks great there.

Now You Know What My Bathroom/Guest Bathroom Toilet Looks Like 🙂
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One More Thing ….

The Little Window In The Shower
(I papered it over with Rice Paper when we first moved in.)
All My Shampoo’s and Conditioner’s

Our Diana Hanson-Young Posters From The 80’s
Autographed By Her
We Were Too Poor To Buy Prints Or Paintings Then
I Framed Them And Still Treasure Them

Dry Your Hands!
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65 And Beyond
Finger’s Crossed!
Julie
I Created A New Website:
Click Here For: VintageJulieBarefootArchives
I gave my Web Designers in India instructions on what I wanted, and they did the most remarkable job of bringing my vision to life.
I could not be happier with it!

My current website: (This one.)
..Was no longer working accurately.
Therefore, I decided to instruct my Web Designers in India, to create a “New” Website in order for me to house some of my “Old” content.
Initially, I didn’t figure in that it would be my Florida Website Pages, but it did evolve into just that.

My First Blog Posting On The New/Old Website

I Debuted This New Site On Brodie’s Birthday, November 29, 2025
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Welcome To VintageJulieBarefootArchives.com
(As Taken From Blog Posting from the new site.)

Brodie Keith Kanakaleo Whann
I decided to create this new website because our live site, www.BarefootInFloridaWithJulie.com, was getting a bit too big.
(Admittedly, I was hoping to get a place in The Guinness Book of World Records as the largest amateur website on the internet known to man. But alas, another dream squashed by reality, or human intervention.)
I thought that if I were to create a new website and move a lot of our old content over, that it would lighten the load to our current live site, and I could make this new website about our Florida Life. So, I specifically chose website pages that were of a Florida nature. We love Florida! My ties to Florida go back to when I was a baby in the 60’s, living in Rome, Georgia with my mother, grand-parents, and great-grandparents. Every summer was spent vacationing in Florida. Also, prior to me being born, it was where my mother and her friends, and their families vacationed as well. I have some really great old photos of my grand-parents, great-grandparents, and great-aunts and uncles wearing their old fashioned swimsuits with their old timey cars parked on the beach. Once upon a time you could do that. Drive onto the beach and park your car. Mostly on the East Coast of Florida, they had the longest stretches of beaches.

I’m the tall one with my cute petite friends. St. Pete left, Daytona right.
I can remember the Florida vacations very well. We would leave Rome in the evening, and drive all night down to Florida. I would be asleep in the backseat, wearing pajamas.. My grand-father would do the driving. If I had to use the bathroom on the way down my grandfather would pull over to the side of the highway, they would open both doors, the front door and the backdoor, and I would take my winky-tink between the two doors. Sometimes, cars would honk as they would drive by. I was always in a panic that someone could see me. My grandmother always assured me that no one can. (She was probably lying.)
St. Petersburg was usually our destination. My grand-father would look for Motels with a VACANCY sign flashing towards the street. He would just drive down what is now Gulf Blvd. looking for a Motel that he thought looked nice. He would then pull into those Motels and inquire within for something suitable for all of us. I can remember that we were always on the ocean side, most of the time there was a pool. I can even remember one place we stayed at where we walked out of our motel room door directly onto the beach. There was so much beach sand outside our door.
I have beautiful memories of many Florida vacations with my grand-parents. My grand-father was one to lay on his back in the ocean, floating, and falling asleep. He was a big man, very tall, with lots of cushion. He floated very easily. I can remember one time he fell asleep and was drifting out to sea, a lifeguard was blowing his whistle trying to wake him up to get him to swim back towards shore.
Most every night we would eat at a seafood restaurant. The restaurant was always located on an ocean front, or a canal front. I have so many great memories of finding little fishies trapped between the rocks by the ocean or canals. I would use a paper cup to capture them and take them back to the motel room with me. I loved having them with me in the motel room. I loved watching them. Sometimes I would set them loose the next day, if they even made it through the night. Upon reflection I wish I had known more about helping them. But I didn’t. I was just a child.
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Hello Rosy Cheeks
I remember this very well. It was at one restaurant that was busy that evening for dinner. There were many people waiting to get seated. My grand-parents and I were sitting at a table in the entryway when suddenly this cute boy sat down right beside my grandmother, he sat across from me, he then looked at me and said with all the confidence in the world, “Hello rosy cheeks.” I was in my early teens. My grandmother instantly adored him! I guess charmers must recognize each other because my grand-mother was a charmer. She then burst out laughing.
This cute, charming boy sat there flirting with me. I knew I could fall for him in a minute! But, I was just too shy to do anything about it. But, I have always remembered that cute boy that made this awkward girl feel special.
Oh, and the rosy cheeks were from my being sunburned that day from staying out too long in the sun, on the beach.
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Florida is not just a great state to vacation in, it holds so many happy memories for me and my family growing up. It makes sense that Gordon and I would settle here and live out our days until we are gone. Hopefully that won’t be for a very long time. But, until then we have a grand-daughter to help raise and make many happy Florida memories for her to take with her in life.
An old timey Motel, a Shuffleboard Court, Sun, Sand, Shells, Beach, Oranges, Orange Juice, Drawbridges, Souvenir Shops, Boat Rides, Seafood Restaurants, Summer Friendships with other Tourists, Salt Water Taffy, Vintage Beach Buckets, Sand Shovels, Flamingoes… and being Barefoot!
This is what I carry with me every day.
Happy Vintage Julie Barefoot Memories,
Julie Barefoot
(Julie Lancaster-Whann)
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Florida is Beautiful and Unique,

Located in the South, yet not Really Southern.

Although Florida is the East Coast, and Canada’s Destination

My Florida Favorites

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Some of Veronica’s Artwork
I asked her if she had some of her art that I could display on the new website. She sent over these. This was all she had in her possession. People do hire her to draw and paint for them. I would love to had seen those paintings, but she did contribute some nice things.

Busch Gardens

I told my guys in India that I wanted an Alligator on the bottom left, and Flamingoes on the bottom right.
I do think the landscaping you see in the graphic above looks like Africa, but then again we do have Busch Gardens here in Florida that is theme based on Africa.
So, I guess it all goes together nicely.
Web Design is a lot of fun but it isn’t really something tangible. I mean, the moment I quit paying the monthly fees, it can all just disappear. Or an experienced hacker can just come along and delete the whole thing forever. As much as I love my website’s they aren’t anything that I can hold in my hand, or place onto a shelf for display, or even own forever. My experience with having websites is that they are very vulnerable to those that know how to penetrate them, and abuse them without any conscious or authority whatsoever.
I guess what I am trying to say is that they are very temporary, so enjoy them while you can.
See You At The Beach!
Julie Barefoot
My Brunswick Stew Chicken Skillet Dinner I love Brunswick Stew! I grew up eating it in the South, in the Summer months, throughout the year, but especially for the 4th. of July. There is a history of the stew which I …

Buongiorno a Tutti
(Good Morning Everyone)

My Italiana Breakfast Skillet
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You Don’t Have To Be Italian To Enjoy This Delicious Breakfast Skillet

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A One Skillet Breakfast With Baguette and Caffe


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This Also Makes An Excellent Dinner, Or Even Luncheon

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Excellent Eaten In Bed…

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The Boot
Italy is Shaped Like a Boot
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I Hope To Add More Breakfasts As Time Goes By
Godere,
Julie and Gordon
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Recipes Start Here
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First Up:
My Italiana Breakfast Skillet

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Ingredients:
Orange, Yellow, and Red Bell Peppers, Washed

Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley, or any you Desire, Washed
(I Give The Rest Of The Ingredients As I Write The Recipe)

You will need a Cutting Board, and a Sautee Pan or Two…

Time To Chop My Bell Peppers

Also, White Onion, Chopped
(This was a large White Onion, I used about 3/4 of it.)

Chopping My Bell Peppers

6 Garlic Cloves, Minced
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In a Large Sautee Pan Drizzle Some Olive Oil..

Place the Onions into the Pan to Soften on a Medium-High Heat
This should take about 5 Minutes.

Next, add the Bell Peppers to Soften, about another 5 Minutes..


Mincing the Garlic Cloves into the Pan with the Onions and Bell Peppers
(Just Sautee a few minutes more, stirring often, until all of the ingredients are softened.
Then remove from the heat and set aside.)
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In my Cast Iron Skillet I am adding some Olive Oil, along with a bag of Hash Brown Potatoes from the freezer.

My Spices: (To Add Soon)
Italian Herb Seasoning
Ground Oregano
Ground Basil Leaves
Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
Hawaiian Sea Salt, To Taste
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I’m Browning my Thawed Hash Browns in my Cast Iron Skillet, on a Medium Heat – Medium-High Heat.
My Onions and Peppers and Garlic are Waiting..
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I had some Italian Sausage frozen in the freezer. I thawed it out placed it into a small Skillet on the back burner to just warm through.
Sometimes I will cook sausage to keep frozen in the freezer to place on Pizza’s or dishes like this.
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Time To Add The Spices To My Hash Brown Potatoes I’ve Been Sauteing
I probably added a 1/4 t. of each, maybe a little bit more.

Blending The Spices Into The Hash Browns

Now It’s Time to Add My Onion, Bell Peppers, and Garlic to My Hash Browns…

..And Placing Them Into A 350F Oven For About 10-15 Minutes.
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My Sausage Is Ready, And Set Aside

Time To Remove The Cast Iron Skillet From The Oven…
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Time To Add The Cheese

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
(I just added as much as I wanted to over top my Hash Brown Medley.)

Now Place Back Into The 350F Oven For About 5 Minutes To Melt The Cheese
(When done, remove and set aside.)
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Ready To Scramble Some Eggs

In A New Sautee Pan Add,
About 7 Eggs
Butter
Milk

Melt Some Pats Of Butter Into A Sautee Pan,
Crack Some Eggs Into The Pan On A Medium-High Heat
Scramble With A Wooden Spoon….

Add A Few Tablespoons Of Milk To The Eggs To Fluff
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Eggs Are Ready, Time To Add Them To The Cast Iron Skillet

Italian Sausage Is Ready, Time To Add It To Top The Eggs

Now It’s Time To Place Some Julienne Cut SunDried Tomatoes On Top As Well
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The Herbs

Ready To Add To The Top Of The Skillet Breakfast
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Preparing The Bread
(I love bread! I especially love it here with this Skillet Breakfast.)

I just sliced a Baguette into rounds, drizzled with some Olive Oil, placed onto a foil lined baking sheet, and placed into a 350F Oven for about 8 minutes.
After 8 minutes I turned it on Broil to brown the bread. It was perfect!
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With My Skillet Breakfast Ready It Is Time To EAT!

Don’t Forget The Caffe!
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Buona Giornata,
Julie
“I don’t promise to forget the mystery, but I know I’ll have a marvelous time“ Nancy Drew —————————————————————————— #45 The Spider Sapphire Mystery Thrilling, dangerous adventure confront Nancy Drew while on a safari in East Africa with a group of American …
Dear Dairy… Olive Films (I just liked the logo.) Today I rearranged the cans in the pantry and dusted them off while wearing my new full skirt I sewed last week for the church picnic, and the pearls that my husband …
Hey Y’all!
Every now and then I need to go back home. Oh, not literally.
But with my Tongue Feelers. You know, Taste Buds?
Growing up throughout the south you get a hankering for something Deep Fried, Black-eyed, Field Picked, and Green.
And all the other fun stuff in between.
That is what I want to put here. I do hope to fill this page with some of my Old Southern Favorites that I miss so much. So, come on in and sit a spell while I whip us up some good ol’ home cooking.
Holler if ya need me!

Julie
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Southern Wild Rice with Pecans and Dried Cherries

Don’t Forget The Hot Sauce

Chicken Gizzard Po’ Girls, Corn on the Cob, Catfish, and a Leftover Bowl of Brunswick Stew

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The Star Food on this Table is the Southern Wild Rice
Sometimes It’s The Sides That Shine
(Recipe Down Below)
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Julie’s Corn Pepper Muffins

With a Side of Lightening Bugs 🙂
(My recreation anyway.)

(Recipe Down Below)
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My Pepper Butter

Before Left, and Buttered, Right!

With Tabasco

(Recipe Down Below)

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If You Would Like To Check Out My Brunswick Stew:
Click Here For: Brunswick Stew and Barbeque

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Southern Fried Recipes Start Right Here
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Southern Wild Rice with Pecans and Dried Cherries
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Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cups Wild Rice
2 Cups Water
2 1/4 Cups Vegetable Broth
1 T. Margarine or Butter
3/4 – 1 Cup Toasted Pecans
4 Garlic Cloves, Crushed
1 1/4 Cup Dried Cherries
3 T. Spicy Chili Onion Crisp
Table Salt and Pepper to Taste (This is the South after all, nothing fancy here.)
And, as much Fresh Parsley as you want.
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Gathering All My Utensils and Ingredients

You First Want To Rinse The Wild Rice Thoroughly, Then Allow To Drain

Place The Rice Into A Wok, or Large Sauce Pan, Add the Water, Vegetable Broth, and Butter.
Bring to a Boil over a Medium-High Heat.

When It Comes To A Boil, Turn Heat Down To Simmer

Cover, and Allow To Simmer for about 20-25 Minutes.
When the rice has absorbed all the water, keep it on a very low heat.
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Time To Crush The Garlic Cloves

Now, Add Them To The Rice

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The Pecans

Place the Pecans into a Skillet, and Toast them on a Medium Heat until a bit Browned, but not Burned.

The Pecans and the Rice

Time To Add Some Table Salt and Pepper to the Rice

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I Toasted The Pecans in my Cast Iron Skillet, Now I am Adding the Rice Overtop
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Time To Add The Dried Cherries, As Many As You Like

Now For The Spicy Chili Onion Crisp

Add As Much As You Like Per Your Personal Tastes
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Now It’s Time To Add The Fresh Parsley
And the Pepper Sauce (Hot Sauce)
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Beautiful Corn

I didn’t want anything fancy here. Just some delicious Corn on the Cob as a nice addition to this meal.
Just boil some water and add the corn. Cook on a medium-high heat until the cob is a bit tender. You can follow package instructions.

When Done, Remove From the Water, Pat Dry, Add Corn Holders and some Butter!
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Chicken Gizzard Po’Girls
In the south we do so love the Chicken Gizzards. You will even find them around the Salad Bars at some local restaurants. I had been craving my old Chicken Gizzards, that’s when I decided to make this sandwich. I really didn’t want to do any pickin’ or fryin’, so I visited a local restaurant that did all of that for me. I knew it was a good place to eat given the amount of African-Americans in the restaurant. They know Southern food!
My additions, are what goes into the Po’Girls.
Here We Go!

Ingredients:
You Will Need Some Sort of Hoagie Buns
Slaw, Raw or with the Fixin’s (Meaning, you can add Coleslaw plain, or with the dressing.)
Honey Dijon Dressing (Or any that you like to add over the top of the Po’Girl.)
Sliced Jalapeno Peppers
Chopped Pepper Salad
Fresh Chives, Snipped
Fresh Parsley, Over top
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Creating The Po’Girls With the Catfish on the Side
(The Catfish I also purchased at a local Southern restaurant here.)

Use a Bread Knife to Cut Out the Top of the Hoagie Buns

Now, Fill the Hoagie Buns with the Pepper Salad, and Raw Coleslaw

Then Add Your Chicken Gizzards, Chives, Jalapeno’s, and Dressing.

Top With Fresh Parsley
Look How Beautiful! And Delicious!

Git Ta Eatin!

DIG IN!
Julie Barefoot
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My Corn Pepper Muffins
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Ingredients:
Peppers!
I Used Jalapeno, Poblano, and Chilaca, use as Many as you Like

Making Corn Bread
Half of the ingredients that you see above are listed on the container of Corn Meal.
I am using that recipe to make my Cornbread, I’m just adding the additions that will make it my Corn Pepper Muffins.
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My Additions:
(The Peppers, Cleaned, Seeds Removed, and Cut into Short Strips)
Shallots, Chopped
1 Can of Mexicorn, Drained
Spices:
Tabasco Spicy Salt Blend
Onion Powder
Cajun’s Choice Blackened Seasoning
Cayenne Pepper
Chili Powder
Jalapeno Sea Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
(The amounts really are up to you. I used about a 1/2 t. of each.)
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I Used Crisco To Grease My Large Muffin Tins
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Chopped All My Shallots Whether I Used All of Them or Not
(I will need them in the next recipe.)

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The Peppers

Slice each pepper, remove the seeds, rinse them out…

Like so…

Then you want to slice them into short strips.

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Making My Cornbread According to Package Directions.

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My Secret Ingredients:
Tabasco Spicy Salt, and Jalapeno Sea Salt
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Combining My Cornbread Ingredients:

The Dry Ingredients

The Wet Ingredients

Beating My Eggs

Adding Vegetable Oil…

Adding My Spices to the Cornbread Batter

Adding a Handful of my Shallots
Mix Together
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All My Beautiful Peppers
—————————————————————————————-

Time For The Assembly
Turn Your Oven on 400F

I placed a few of my Peppers into the bottom of the large muffin tin.
I then added some of the Cornbread batter over them.

I then added more peppers over the top and pushed them down with my fingers to make sure they were covered with the batter. Although I wanted many of the peppers to be on the top.
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Into The Oven They Go!
These Actually Took Around 20 Minutes To Bake
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Fresh Out of the Oven and Cooling on the Racks
(You can insert a toothpick to make sure they are done. If the toothpick comes out clean, they are ready.)

I Love How They Look! It Is Exactly How I Envisioned!
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Out of the Tins and Cooling Further

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Add a Few Squirts of Tabasco 🙂
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Leftover Peppers for my Pepper Butter
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The Potatoes Here Are Some of What My Butter Will Go On
(I just need to bake them.)
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My Pepper Butter

Ingredients:
3, 8 oz. Unsalted Butter
My Leftover Peppers From the Recipe Above:
Jalapeno, Poblano, and Chilaca
5-6 Fresh Garlic Cloves
Chopped Shallots, About a Handful
Spices:
Tabasco Spicy Salt Blend, (About 30 Shakes)
Onion Powder
Cajun’s Choice Blackened Seasoning
Cayenne Pepper
Chili Powder
Jalapeno Sea Salt
(I used a teaspoon of all of the above spices.)
Fresh Cilantro, a Bunch
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My Unsalted Butter Had Been Softening For About 2 Hours
I Then Cut It Into Cubes and Placed It Into My Blender Here
I Used a Medium Setting on the Blender To Mix The Butter

I Then Added All of My Spices, And Blended More

My Peppers, Shallots, Garlic Cloves, and Cilantro
I Used Most of the Peppers you see Above, but not All. I did use all of the above Shallots.

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Adding My Garlic Cloves and Shallots

Blending Away, While Wiping Down the Sides with a Spatula

Time To Add The Green Stuff
(My Peppers and Cilantro)
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Looking so Good!

Decant Into A Bowl
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I Even Added Some Butter Into Jars To Freeze For Another Time
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I have to say that this is some of the best butter I have ever eaten! I kept spreading it onto mini toasts and I had to stop myself from eating it because after all, it is butter! I didn’t want a heart attack. 🙂 However, eaten in nice portions it is safe.

Baked Sweet Potato, Baked Potatoes, Corn on the Cob, and my Pepper Muffins, Before the Butter
(With a small side of Green Beans)

The Pepper Butter
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With The Butter

The Butter is very Spicy and Addictive, Along with the Tabasco

See Y’all Later!
Julie
Autumn: The third season of the year, when crops and fruits are gathered and leaves fall in the northern hemisphere from September to November and in the southern hemisphere from March to May. The Countryside is Ablaze in Autumn —————————————————————— In Florida, the …
Feliz Accion De Gracias (Happy Thanksgiving) 2023 Thanksgiving Day, After the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, I have Miracle on 34th. Street on a Loop All Day Long This movie is the sounds of the day, blending with the smells of the …
Currently Baking in Grandmother Keith’s Oven

Deliciously Cooling…
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I LOVE Cornbread!
If you were raised in the south, before the internet brought us all together culturally, then you grew up eating Cornbread religiously. We loved it whether it was right out of the oven, or stale and hard as a rock, and placed into a bowl with some milk to soften it to eat with a spoon. Either way, it was perfect!
Most of the time we ate it plain, but perfect!
Some southern cooks ended up expanding on the original recipe.
Here is one of such recipes:
Cornbread with Cottage Cheese and Broccoli and Onions

This recipe is simple. Just make your cornbread as you always do, or buy a box or bag of Cornbread Mix. Make according to package directions, except you will be adding about a cup of Cottage Cheese, and as many Broccoli Florets and chopped Onions as you like. Mix together and add to a Cast Iron Skillet with a “blob” of Crisco in it. Place into the oven to melt the Crisco. Then remove and pour your Cornbread mixture into the hot skillet. Place into a 350F Oven for about 25 minutes. Follow your own package directions if you aren’t a southern pro with Cornbread. (You are forgiven.)
Oh, and you might want to place it under the Broil to brown the top if it isn’t already. 🙂
You don’t have to be from the south to make the best Cornbread imaginable.
Just bake some Cornbread!
Julie
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The Cornbread with our Stewed Tomatoes

This is another great way to eat Cornbread. Especially when stale.
Those Tomato Juices will absorb into that Cornbread and flavor it wonderfully!

Fried Ham is Always a Treat with Cornbread

Doesn’t Get Any Better Than THIS!
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Stewed Tomatoes, A Whann Family Tradition

Click on the Link for our Stewed Tomato Recipes
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Featured Are:
Julie’s Mex-Itali Cornbread
For some reason Mexican and Italian tend to go very well with me. I have created a few recipes starring both country’s foods. Here is yet another example.

Right Out of The Oven and Cooling with Some Queso Fresco
(Recipe Down Below)
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All In One New Year’s Day Cornbread

It is traditional in the south to eat Cornbread, Black Eyed Peas, and Collard Greens.

I decided to throw it all together and have it be One and Done!

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I used a cookie cutter to cut out these great hand held bites.

The Inbetween’s are Delicious as Well
(Recipe Down Below)
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Julie’s Mex-Itali Cornbread

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Some of My Ingredients:
I’m following the Cornbread recipe on my box of Corn Meal, except that I am adding my own garden Peppers, and a can of Shoe Peg Corn, also, some Spicy Italian Sausage and Queso Fresco Cheese.

Spicy Italian Sausage, Sizzling Away

Ready To Make The Cornbread

Peppers From Our Garden

The first thing that I did was to cook the Spicy Italian Sausage, removing most of the fat as it cooked.

I did reserve some to grease the Cast Iron Skillet for the Cornbread.
You can see some of the Italian Sausage that fell into the skillet.

Chopping Our Backyard Garden Peppers
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Making The Cornbread…


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The Layering Begins

This is the grease from the Italian Sausage,

then place a shallow layer of the Cornbread mixture,

Then add the Italian Sausage,

a layer of the Shoe Peg Corn, then more of the Cornbread mixture.

I sauteed my Garden Peppers in some Olive Oil,

then placed them on top of the Cornbread mixture, and then tried to cover them with more Cornbread mixture.

I Did Sprinkle Some Chili Powder Over Top

Now, place into the oven according to package directions.
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Cornbread Done, But Needs Browning

When Cornbread is Cooling, add Queso Fresco

Here we are eating it with some Queso stuffed Jalapeno Peppers
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All In One New Year’s Day Cornbread

It is traditional in the south to eat Cornbread, Black Eyed Peas, and Collard Greens on New Year’s Day.
Black Eyed Peas to bring you LUCK! Collard Greens to bring you MONEY! 🙂

I decided to throw it all together and have it be One and Done!
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The Ingredients:
(What you see above are the ingredients that I used to not only make the Cornbread, but to add to the Cornbread.)
You can see the Quaker Yellow Corn Meal Mix in the photo above? All of those ingredients, minus the cans of peas and greens, are listed on the Corn Meal container. In other words, all you have to do is to buy the Corn Meal mix and use that as your guide for making your Cornbread.
Or, you can use any Cornbread recipe that you like. What is going to be unique here are the ingredients I’m adding to the Cornbread.

I’m adding some Black Eyed Peas, Tiny Field Peas w/ Snaps, and a can of Collard Greens.
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Turn your Oven onto the proper setting. According to the package directions.
Here I am using my Great-Grandmother’s Cast Iron Skillet and some Crisco. I simply place a blob of Crisco Shortening in it, and I place it in the oven to get hot and melt.
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Drain and Rinse your Black Eyed Peas and Tiny Field Peas in a Colander in the sink, then add them to your Cornbread Batter.

Here I am draining the can of Collard Greens and squeezing them out, then adding them to the Cornbread Batter.
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Stir Together
(Once your Skillet is hot and the Crisco has melted, pour in your Cornbread Batter and place into the Oven for the desired time according to the Corn Meal Mix instructions.)

You can see the “done” results left, I did broil the Cornbread a little in order for it to brown on top, right.

I Then Added Some White Cheddar Cheese to melt,

and, a sprinkling of Paprika.

Completed!
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I used a Biscuit Cookie Cutter to give the Cornbread a different look.
Also, fits nicely on a dinner plate.
Happy New Year!
Julie
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To View Our Other Cornbread Website Pages:
Click Here For: Corn Bread, Cast Iron Skillet, Dressing, and Tradition

AND,
Click Here For: Cast Iron, Corn Bread, Corn Sticks, Southern Cooking and Frying

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Welcome to Middle Eastern Our Way (A.K.A. MEOW) It’ll Catch On. 🙂 We are Gordon and Julie, and we love food of all kinds from all nations. Arabic Coffee Beans Gordon has traveled to many Middle Eastern countries during his time …
Good Morning and Happy Thanksgiving! (2022) Just in Time to Watch The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Oh Look! It’s The Tarpon Springs High School Marching Band From Tarpon Springs, Florida They closed the parade! Actually, they performed right …
Autumn Once Labor Day is over with….. There is just something special about the end of Summer and the beginning of Autumn. To most of us it’s having the kids go back to school. Always a special time for me …
Premiering at a Theater Near You! Starring Julie’s Jezebel Sauce, and a Cast of Supporting Foods For those of you outside The Bible Belt of America, you probably have never heard of Jezebel Sauce. It’s exact Southern origins are a bit …

Spicy Hot Mexican Cranberries

Regalos Comestibles
(Edible Gifts)

We made a similar Cranberry Sauce last year for our Feliz Navidad.
Click Here For: Feliz Navidad a Casa Whann

You can find the recipe for our 2019 Cranberries on that post.

Our Spicy Hot Mexican Navidad Cranberries From 2019
You can also find many other Navidad recipes there as well.
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Deliciosa!

Tamale With our Spicy Hot Cranberries
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Our Spicy Hot Cranberries with our Grilled Turkey Legs

Feliz Navidad,
Julie and Gordon Whann
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Our Kitchen Is:
EN CONSTRUCCION

But that did not stop us from creating this excellent addition to any fiesta table.

We doubled the recipe as some pictures may show a larger quantity of ingredients.
The recipe below will make ~9 pints of Spicy Hot Mexican Cranberry Sauce.
Ingredients:
7 Bags of fresh cranberries – rinsed well
3 Poblano Peppers – diced
4 Cups water
Zest and Juice of 3 Limes
1/2 Cone of Piloncillo Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp. Sea Salt
1/2 cube of Guava Paste
3/4 Cup Turbinado Sugar
2 1/2 Cups White Sugar
1 Habanero Pepper
1/2 Tbsp. Ground Cinnamon
2 Whole Medium Sized Cinnamon Sticks
3 Tbsp. Hot Sauce (We used Iguana Habanero Pepper Sauce)
We also placed a whole Habanero in each pint jar of our Spicy Hot Mexican Cranberries.
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Pictured are the ingredients we used… just not the quantity seen.
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Wash your jars well!
Because we are going through home renovations at this writing, we are no dishwasher and we are having to use the laundry room sink as a kitchen sink. So, in order to sterilize the jars I, Julie am washing them in warm soapy water and then Gordon is placing them into hot water to boil so that we can sterilize them that way.

Using boiling hot water, sterilize the jars. I let the jars sit in the boiling water for a good 5 min.
(Otherwise you can just put them through a sterilize cycle in your dishwasher.)

Rinse Your Cranberries
I also looked them over and discarded any that were soft.

The things we do during a pandemic combined with home renovations!
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Here you can see we doubled the recipe using two large pots. As the cranberries cook, they will pop and reduce in size by around half. Do not turn on the heat just yet!

Slice your Poblano Peppers in half, then in dice sized pieces and remove the seeds if you want, but we used them in the recipe to obtain/extract their heat. It also makes the cranberry sauce look authentic.

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Add the diced Poblano Peppers and some seeds to the pot of cranberries.

Red and Green
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Add 4 cups of water to the pot and turn your pot onto medium heat.

Here is the Guava Paste we used.

Place half of the Guava Paste into the pot.

Pictured is the Brown Sugar we used. As you can see we used half in each pot.

Add 2 medium sized cinnamon sticks.

Sea Salt

Now, add your Sea Salt to the pot.

Then zest your limes…

Look How Beautiful!

now slice the limes in half,

and squeeze the juice into the pot.
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Mix the cranberries and other ingredients well. You will see them start to bubble away.

Then add your Turbinado Sugar to the pot.

Now, add your white sugar to the pot.
As you can see, we like using different sweeteners as they provide a more complex flavor.

Now, add your hot sauce to the mix.
Be sure to taste it so you can adjust the heat of the cranberry sauce. We liked this particular sauce as it gave a nice flavor in addition to the heat that we wanted. Some sauces that we tested were just heat not no flavor.

Be careful with the Habanero’s as they are very hot and their oils will stay on your fingers for ~24 hours, so DO NOT Touch your face or eyes. Just use gloves and you won’t have to worry about them.

Here we diced the Habanero and placed it into a garlic press to quickly mince the Habanero.

Add the Habanero in stages, tasting as you go, mixing the cranberries well before each taste. We also let some time pass as the Habanero’s hot oil will spread throughout the sauce. Once the cranberry sauce is at this stage where most all the cranberries have popped, turn down the heat to a simmer, so as not to burn your ingredients.

We ended up using 1 whole Habanero in this pot of cranberry sauce.
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We used our grill’s side burner to heat up the water to use to process the jars, since our oven’s burners were being used to make the cranberry sauce.
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Here you can see that we doubled the recipe. Once the cranberries were cooked down, we combined the pots ingredients in order to make room on our stove top.

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Here, I am set up to can the jars of cranberry sauce.

We place a whole Habanero in each pint jar to add to the sauce’s heat. We did remove the stem first by cutting it off with scissors. We did not want to pierce the pepper.
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Use a large funnel and ladle your sauce up to the fill level marked on the jar.

You can’t fill the jar all the way up as it needs air space to create the vacuum which seals the jar. The space in canning terms is called Head Space.

Now that your jars are filled to the proper height…

using a dampened clean paper towel wipe down the top of the jar until clean. This is easily done as the excess sauce will turn the towel red. The jars need to be clean so the lid will seal properly.

I have my lids soaking in just under boiling water to loosen up the rubber seal. If the water is too hot, you could ruin the seal under the lid.

Using a special magnetized tool, remove a lid and carefully place it on top of the clean jar. Screw a ring on top of the jar to just barely tight. Too tight will not allow the air to escape during the canning process creating a vacuum.

Place your sealed jars into the water and bring to a boil, being sure the jars are submerged. You should see air leaking out of the jars creating a vacuum seal. If not, you may want to carefully loosen the ring and place the jar back into the boiling water.

Boil/Process the jars for 15 minutes.

Remove the jars when done and place on a towel to absorb the excess water. Be careful as any cold water left on a surface will shatter these super heated jars. I once placed the jars on a cutting board after processing them and the water from a jar cooled slightly and ran over the board. I placed a jar on the wet surface and it immediately shattered on me.

As you remove the jars from the boiling water, you should begin to hear the jars lids pop and move down. This is the vacuum being created using the Head Space you made, sealing the jars. This may take some time with the jars as they are not the same. Give it at least 20 minutes. If after 20 minutes the jar hasn’t sealed, remove the ring and discard the lid. Check the Head Space of the jar to ensure you are right on the line and add or remove and sauce if needed. Next, wipe down the jars top surface to ensure there is no debris in the way of the jar’s lid which would prevent a seal. Now, place and new lid on the jar, add the ring to just snug and place the jar back into the pot of boiling water, being sure it is submerged. Process/Boil the jar for another 15 minutes. Hopefully this time the jar will seal. I usually count the pops as I make each batch.
We both hope you and yours will enjoy our Spicy Hot Mexican Cranberry Sauce!
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Pulled Pork Nachos for Dinner
(Nachos Con Puerco Desilachado)

We never miss an opportunity to eat Mexican foods as it is one of our favorites. Gordon purchased a lot of pulled pork from the Latin Supermarket and we used it on our nachos many nights before it was gone. 🙂

Tortilla Chips, Refried Beans, Pulled Pork, Queso Cheese, Tomatoes, Black Beans, Chili Powder, Taco Seasoning….
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We can’t seem to stop eating our Pulled Pork Nachos. 🙂
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If you would like to view our other Mexican blog posts:
Click Here For: Julie Whann Way Mexicana Si!

AND,
Click Here For: Julie Whann Way Mexicana Dos

And,
Click Here For: Julie Whann Way Mexicana Tres

And,
Julie and Gordon Whann Way Mexicana Cuatro

AND,
Uno, Dos, Tres, Cuatro, Mexicana Cinco!

AND,

AND,

Click Here for our: Dia De Los Muertos
And,
Our Mexican Inspired Thanksgiving Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

AND,
Our Mexicana Thanksgiving Dishes

AND,

AND,

Adios Amigo!
Gracias,
Julie and Gordon
THANKSGRILLIN’ 2020 Welcome to our Home Renovations Thanksgiving A.K.A. Our Thanksgiving During our Home Renovations With our kitchen under construction, it fell to the outside grill to deliver us our turkey from evil. (Or something to that affect.) Check …
Welcome to the Recipe for Julie’s Chicken Knot Pies

Ready to go into the Oven
I have always loved Turkey Pot pies and actually grew up eating quite a few of them. My mother wasn’t much of a cook, and she would say that with pride. Oh, she had a few dishes that were favorites of ours that she could cook quite well. But, overall cooking really wasn’t her thing. Cutting corners, saving time, saving money, were more her thing. As she would say to me, “My time is worth something.”
So, when you grow up not really being exposed to a lot of home cooking then frozen T.V. dinner’s were delicious. One of my favorite dinner’s was this Banquet Turkey Pie. I think they cost around .99 cents each back in the day and there were always a few in our freezer for me to heat up in the oven to have for dinner.
Retro Memory

Turkey Pot Pie
It really wasn’t until my late 20’s when we were living in Hawaii that some friend of mine gave me her recipe for a Chicken Pot Pie. I then made it, and it was nothing grand at all, but I realized how much better it tasted than my retro frozen Turkey Pot Pies that I used to love so much. Just because it had fresher ingredients.
Through the years I would come across a few Chicken Pot Pie recipes here and there, and I would make them every now and then. A lot of them were always similar in ingredients. Which was fine as they always tasted nice. However, when it came to creating my own Chicken Pot Pies I wanted to do some things differently.
For example, I came across these Garlic Knots online while we were doing our Covid 19 shopping and delivery and I wanted to try them. They are so good that I then wondered what we could do with them in our own cooking? And that is when the Chicken Knot Pie recipe was born inside my head.
I am always looking for short cuts where baking is concerned because I’m not very good at it. Also, it just seems to be so much trouble making dough from scratch and all the effort that goes into it. For me, doing that kind of baking is something that I have to really be in the mood to do. Usually around the holidays, or something like that.
But, I promise you that nothing is long and elaborate here. Nothing complicated. No taste was sacrificed in order to make it more convenient. I promise you! You’ll see.
Julie
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If I was going to recreate a Pot Pie Memory then I was going to get out the Vintage Pot Holders.
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Julie’s Chicken Knot Pies

Get out your Pie Plates and let’s start with the Top and the Bottom of these Pies.
The Top being my Hot Mama Bread Knots, and the Bottom being the frozen Pie Crusts.
Thawed!
First, let’s spray the Pie Plates with a Butter or Vegetable Cooking Spray

For this project I bought a few frozen pie crusts that came together.
I thawed them out from the freezer and when they were pliable, I placed them into my pie plates, like so. This way, I don’t have to make some pie crust from scratch. I just spread out the pie crust along the pie plates.

I turned the oven on 350F and then placed both pie plates with the thawed crusts in them, in order for them to cook up a little bit.
About 8 minutes. I don’t like a doughy crust so I wanted to bake the crust just a little bit first.
So, while that is baking……
…….time to start the pies!

Ingredients:
(This recipe made 2 1/2 Pies. 2 regular pie plates, and 1 small one.)
Frozen Pie Crusts- I bought a package of them.
3 Boxes Hot Mama Bread Knots
1 Stick of Butter (1/2 Cup)
2 Cups Chopped Onion
3 Cups Chopped Carrots
4 Cups Chopped Red Potatoes
1 Elephant Ear Garlic Clove, Minced (Or 3 Regular Garlic Cloves, Minced)
Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper (About 1 teaspoon each)
2 teaspoons dried Thyme
2 teaspoons dried Rosemary
2 Tablespoons Fresh Sage, Chiffonade, Chopped
(Also, save some fresh Sage to top your pies with.)
3/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
Chicken Stock/Broth 1 Container = 1 Quart
1 Cup Heavy Cream
The Meat of a small Rotisserie Chicken
1 1/2 Cups Frozen Peas
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Although I don’t have a photo of all the chopping, I used a crinkle cut tool to make these great cuts of the Potatoes and Carrots.

In the bowl are my chopped Onions, Carrots, and Red Potatoes.

Note the Rotisserie Chicken at photo left.
I sat that out so that it could come to room temperature before I started removing the meat.

This is the Crinkle Cut Tool that I used.

I talk about above how I placed the pie crusts in the oven for about 8 minutes. I however failed to tell you that you need to use a fork to poke holes in the crust so that it doesn’t bubble up. (I forgot to do it myself.)
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Now It’s Time To Melt My Stick of Butter in a Saucepan on Medium Heat
Then Add My Chopped Onions, Carrots and Red Potatoes
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Now It’s Time to Mince our Elephant Ear Garlic Clove, or 2-3 Regular Garlic Cloves

We sauteed these vegetables in this saucepan for a good 30 minutes stirring occasionally on a medium-high heat. It took a while for the potatoes and carrots to soften. But, while they were softening we did add the salt and freshly ground black pepper.

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Once the Vegetables Started to Soften I Added the Minced Elephant Ear Garlic
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Dried Rosemary and Dried Thyme

Before I Add The Herbs, I Added the All Purpose Flour to our Already Cooked Vegetables
(This will thicken the mixture.)

Now It’s Time to Add our Dried, and Fresh Herbs

This is our Freshly Chopped Sage
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Now We Have Our Stove Top on Medium Heat

Time To Add Our Chicken Stock

The Frozen Peas Have Been Thawing And The Rotisserie Chicken Has Been Chopped

With the Chicken Stock and Vegetables Coming to a Boil, Add the Heavy Whipping Cream

The Skillet Mixture is Thickening

Look How Beautiful!

Once it Thickens up a bit, Time to Add the Chopped Rotisserie Chicken and the Frozen Peas

Combine and Stir Until Thickened
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Once your beautiful and delicious mixture has thickened, it’s time to ladle it into each pie plate.

Once you have done that then place in your thawed bread knots on top.

Cram as many on top as you like.

Place each pie plate on a cookie sheet and then place into a 400F oven.

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I covered each pie with aluminum foil.
Here Gordon is placing them into the oven for me.

We Baked These For About 35 Minutes.
(Each oven is different. Use your own judgement.)

After about 35 minutes I removed the foil and placed them back into the oven for an additional 10 – 15 minutes to brown the tops.

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Fresh Out of the Oven
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Our 1/2 Pie Left

There was just enough left to make this final small pie.

Beautiful and Delicious
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Julie’s Chicken Knot Pies 🙂
Dot With Some Fresh Sage Leaves (From our Garden)
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Good Morning

Welcome to Breakfast with Brodie and Mackenzie
We have a few menu items you might enjoy.
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Bagel and Lox

Ingredients:
One Bagel (I use the Everything or Egg style bagels.)
Smoked Salmon
(I use Fresh Market’s Nova Bits which are like trimmings that’s half the price as the regular and still delicious)
Red Onion, sliced
Dill Sprigs
The Juice of 1 Lemon
1 Tbsp Capers
Plain Cream Cheese
Salt & Pepper
Tomato optional
First toast your bagel then allow it to cool down. This will help make spreading the cream cheese over the bagel easier. Spread the cream cheese in an even layer. Then take your capers and embed them into the cream cheese layer. (I use a fork to sprinkle the capers and press them into the cream cheese.) Then add a layer of red onion slices or rings. At this point I may add a slice of tomato. Now lay down a generous layer of smoked salmon. Add as much dill on top as you like (it’s hard to overdo the dill so I add a lot). Add salt and pepper and lemon juice. Indulge. This dish is one of our all time favorites.
Enjoy!
Brodie and Mackenzie
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Up Next!
Steak and Eggs with Mushroom Gravy and Hash Brown Patties

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Brodie and Mackenzie, Recreating One of Their Favorite Breakfast’s from IHOP

Gordon and I, Julie, are doing the write up for them. They love cooking, they love the photography, they love the eating, just not the write-up’s. 🙂 So, that is where we come in.

Brodie and Mackenzie, Cooking

Mackenzie Does the Note Taking
While in lockdown due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, Brodie and Mackenzie were missing some of their favorite restaurant foods so they decided to create this one.
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Here are the ingredients for the steak marinade.
Marinade the steaks overnight for best results.
4 Drops Vanilla Extract
2 Tbsp. Heinz 57 Sauce
4 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
4 Tbsp. A1 Sauce
1/2 Tbsp. Maple Syrup
1 Shake of Powdered Cinnamon
1 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 Tbsp. Molasses
1/4 Cup Sliced Onion
2 Garlic Cloves chopped
For the Gravy:
2 Portobello Mushroom Caps Chopped into chunks
1 Onion Chopped into chunks
3 – 4 Tbsp. Butter

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Pictured are the ingredients they used.


Gordon, Brodie and Mackenzie is Taking Notes

Mix all the ingredients in a large seal-able container large enough to hold your steaks.

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Here I am helping out and Brodie is taste testing the mix.
Add any of the above marinade ingredients to suit your taste.

Add your chopped onions and garlic cloves to the marinade.

Mix all the ingredients well with a whisk.


Add your steaks to the marinade and coat them well with it.
Place in the refrigerator overnight.

The next morning, remove your steaks and shake off any excess marinade back to the container as it will be used later. Blot the steaks dry using a paper towel.

See how the marinade penetrated the steak giving it a beautiful brown color? Brodie did a great job in making the steak dry. This is key as a dry steak will cook better than a wet one. Wet steaks cooked in a pan tend to boil and steam in its own juices where as a dry steak will sear and brown in the pan.

Here they used a strainer to separate the onion and garlic from the other liquid ingredients of the marinade.

Here are the large Portobello mushroom caps they used for the gravy. Clean the mushroom by either using a paper towel to remove the dirt or quickly run them under running water.

Hash Brown Ingredients:
3 Potatoes shredded
3-4 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Mackenzie Shredding Potatoes

Shred your potatoes into a container.

Here are the eggs, one of the mushroom caps, which when cleaned, took off the outer layer of the mushroom… it happens!

The glorious Onion!

Strain your shredded potatoes using a cheesecloth to get out most of the moisture. You will be surprised how much moisture is in a potato.

Sparky, Spooky and Barefoot Brodie

Slicing Onions

Add your oil to a large cast iron pan and heat to medium high heat.

When the pan is at temperature, form about 1/3 Cup of your shredded potatoes into patties. Carefully place the patty into the heated oil.

Here they were able to place four patties into the pan.

Using a spatula, flip the patties over when browned to your liking.

Mackenzie Flipping the Hash Browned Patties

Nice color on those hash browns! When they have finished cooking, place the hash browns onto a paper towel lined plate to catch the excess oil. Salt and pepper them to taste.
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Chop your onions and mushroom caps into chunks and saute them in 3 to 4 Tbsp. butter in a large pan.

Saute the onions until they become translucent.

Using a cast iron grill pan turned onto medium high heat, pan sear your steaks.

Cook the steaks to your liking. Medium cooked steak will take about 7 min. cooking on both sides. This also depends upon how thick your steaks are.
Cooking Tip: To test your steaks, using your finger and pushing down on the steak, if it has a little give, it is likely at Medium Well. The more give the steak has, the less it is cooked.

Using a strainer, strain out the onions and garlic used in the marinade and place the marinade liquid into a small sauce pan.

Heat the sauce to medium heat to slightly reduce the liquid.

Place the onions and garlic used in the marinade into the saute pan of mushrooms and onions and cook them until tender.

When all your onions, mushrooms, and garlic are tender, add your reduced marinade liquid to the pan and cook until all the ingredients are to a gravy consistency.

Sparky and Spooky are Hungry

Here, Brodie is turning the steaks as the gravy is cooking. See the sear marks the steaks have because they were dry when they went into the pan!

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Add some oil to a small saute pan and heat it to medium heat. When the pan’s oil has come up to temperature, add your egg to the pan and cook until the egg white is done, leaving the yolk slightly runny. This will take only a few minutes to cook.
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Serve your hash browns, steak and gravy, and eggs on a plate and enjoy!

Have a Nice Day!
Brodie and Mackenzie
(And Gordon and Julie) 🙂
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