Julie's Jabberwock

All My Delicious Jezebels To Tempt You

All My Delicious Jezebels To Tempt You

        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 

More Great Sandwiches To Enjoy

More Great Sandwiches To Enjoy

      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

A Nancy Drew Mystery ._ _ _ /./_ _.././_… ././. _.. Sauce

 

 

A Nancy Drew Mystery ._ _ _ /./_ _.././_… ././. _.. Sauce

(Because I love Nancy Drew and Morse Code)

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

I would like to say 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 name.  It just made sense to me to place it with all my other ._ _ _ /./_ _.././_… ././. _..  . Sauces. 

Nancy 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 and customs.  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 whatever dangerous situation she found herself in, and then show up at a function a few hours later as if nothing had ever happened.  I admired her bravery.

Nancy was also very open-minded.  You have to be in order to solves cases and catch ‘the bad guys.’  Only an open-minded person can pursue every angle of a case, follow the clues where they may lead,  and also capture and incarcerate the criminals that are perpetrating the crimes.  Nancy worked with the Police Department’s Chief McGinnis.  She had cultivated a sleuthing relationship with him, he knew he could trust Nancy’s instincts.  

Nancy may not have been a ._ _ _ /./_ _.././_… ././. _.. , but she did have the worldly experience that many a ._ _ _ /./_ _.././_… ././. _.. does possess.

I will always love Nancy Drew and I do hope that the fictional Nancy Drew would love this sauce that I created in her honor.

Forever the Fan Girl, and Amateur Sleuth, 

Julie

(._ _ _ .._ ._.. .. .)

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Click Here For:  Here’s A CLUE For Nancy Drew

(For More Nancy Drew Fun)

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Sometimes a CLUE can be quite tasty!

._ _ _ .._ ._.. .. .

._.. ._ _. _._. ._ … _ . ._. _ …. _ . _ _ …. . _ _. _.

 

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Also Check Out My:

Click Here For:  Julie’s Jezebel Sauce

AND,

Aloha Wahine Jezebel Sauce

AND,

An Oriental Jezebel

AND,

An Old Florida Jezebel (Sauce)

AND,

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

AND,

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

AND,

I Even Created A Halloween Jezebel:

A Haunted Jezebel, Together With A Haunted Mansion Halloween Repast

AND,

A Valentine Jezebel Sauce

AND,

This Jezebel Is NUTS!

AND,

A Nancy Drew Mystery ._ _ _ /./_ _.././_… ././. _.. Sauce  

AND,

Click Here For:  All My Delicious Jezebels To Tempt You

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Italian Sangwitches

Italian Sangwitches

            Buongiorno (Good Morning) What a Great Day to Have a Cafe and a Breakfast Sangwitch (The breakfast sandwich that you see above is something I picked up in the frozen foods section of the grocery store.  It is a 

That’s Amore Italian

That’s Amore Italian

          Welcome To That’s Amore Italian… That’s Amore (Love) My Stuffed Meaty Cheesy Shells With Cheeses, Spices, And Lots Of Herbs Or A Few Shells On A Bed Of Salad Greens And Cheeses ———————————————————————————————– When I think of Italian Food I 

65 and Beyond, (Finger’s Crossed)

65 and Beyond, (Finger’s Crossed)

 

 

 

 

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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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

September 7, 2026

How Much Is Too Much?
And, The Death Of A Legend
Dolly Parton in Hawai’i
(I can remember that she had a home there when we lived there in the mid 80’s to late 90’s.  When we would drive around the island we would pass by her house.  Actually, the gate to her house.  Everyone knew it was hers.)
When I write, ‘How Much Is Too Much’ I am referring to plastic surgery.  I’ve been wanting to write about this for months now.  I’m finally getting around to it.
With Dolly’s death it does kind of muddle the waters now with what all I wanted to say.  She embodied everything fake on the outside, yet possessed the most genuine of souls on the inside.  I read where someone even described her as Jesus and as strange as that may sound, I can see it.  She didn’t just become a good person as she aged, she always was a good person.
I adored her!  So did most everyone.
I read somewhere online where someone said that ‘Dolly was the string that held us all together.’  I believe that.  That is how I saw her.  Her loss is all of ours, not just her family and friends.  We lost the nicest and kindest and most generous person in the world.  I’m grieving that.  
After Dolly passed I was reading so many ‘Dolly Stories’ online.  Everyone seemed to have one.  Including me!  I went to Dolly’s high school in Sevierville, TN. in the mid to late 70’s for 9th., 10th. and 11th. grade.  I was in the marching band.  One year Dolly came to our high school, her Alma Mater, and gave a concert donating the proceeds.  Our band had just made an album that year and presented it to her as a gift.  She wouldn’t accept it until everyone had signed it.  I can remember how star struck the audience was seeing her on stage.  I don’t think I’d ever seen my friend Judy so enamoured by anyone before.  Dolly was funny, charming, and she would sometimes forget the words to some of her songs and would substutitue them with other words like, la dee dah, la la dee dah.  It was charming.  She made fun of something large on her body that she said people wondered was fake, and of course we’re all thinking about her boobs, but she then said, I’m talking about my nails, what are you talking about?  Our band played Hello Dolly to introduce her at the concert.  I can rememer seeing her big tour bus parked in our school’s parking lot.  
Dolly In Front Of Her Tour Bus
I enjoyed reading all the Dolly Stories pouring in online.  Of course they have since died down, but I think we are all still sad by her death.  As I said, she wasn’t just a country music legend, she was the kindest and most generous person in the world.  Now who do we have?
I originally wanted to explore how our society as a whole is embracing so much of this, I don’t even really know what to call it?  Plastic surgery?  Enhancements?  Implants?  Injections?
I would like to say that I believe that people should do what they want to do.  It is your body after all.  But coming from a medical background, not mine, my step-father’s and my mother’s, you never go under the knife unless it is absolutely necessary.  Once they put you to sleep you do run the risk that you may never wake up.
I also can’t tell you how many times I have read where a mother of 3 died while on a trip to Mexico for some sort of liposuction.  Why?  Was that worth it?  The children now don’t have a mother.
There is a famous man in our country, a singer, whose mother died while getting liposuction.  Again, is that so important?
I really don’t want to mention anyone’s names here.  I don’t want to shame anyone.  I think that sometimes we do things because of past trauma’s.
Sometimes when I watch T.V. I will see a very attractive woman and you can tell that her hair is fake, and she has fake boobs, injections in her lips, fake nails, and all I see is a fake person.  Some people take it even further with their fake butts.  I just think that someday aliens will come to our planet, (although I think they are already here) and dig us up and ask, ‘what was wrong with these people?’
I have a confession to make about my daughter Veronica.  When she was 5 she did have plastic surgery on her ears.  They were deformed when she was born.  She was a breach baby and I had a C-Section at her delivery.  To me she was the most beautiful baby in the world, but when I presented my perfect child to my grandmother I will never forget what she said when she saw her.  “Let’s tape those ears down.”  And it was at that point that I finally saw them.  The debate to have Veronica at age 5 get plastic surgery on her ears was important for us.  I didn’t want her to start school being called Dumbo, I myself had had a hard time growing up in so many different school’s with so many cruel children that I didn’t want her to go through what I had gone through, so my grandmother paid for the surgery.  By age 5 your ears are at about 90% growth.  They mature before your head does.  So, having confessed that do I have any right to criticize someone else for having elective plastic surgery?  I think not!

 

 

 

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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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Julie Barefoot 2026, (‘Puke Punaewele, (Blog)

Julie Barefoot 2026, (‘Puke Punaewele, (Blog)

          2026 A Morning Aloha (Hawaiian Kona Coffee) —————————————————————————————— Brodie In Our Backyard Plumeria Tree in Ewa Beach, 1996 ————————————————————————————- E Komo Mai Welcome to My Aloha Julie Barefoot 2026 ‘Puke Punaewele (Blog) Ready for 2026 This year will be a 

Autumn

Autumn

            UNDER CONSTRUCTION        

www.VintageJulieBarefootArchives.com

www.VintageJulieBarefootArchives.com

 

 

 

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.)

BarefootInFloridaWithJulie

..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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Sunny Morning Breakfasts

A Sunny Morning Breakfasts

        What a Sunny Morning! Florida is the Sunshine State There is just something about the bight happy yellow of Sunflowers that just makes you smile. Florida may have it’s HOT Summer’s, but the bright Sunshine and Blue Skies makes it worth 

This Jezebel is NUTS!

This Jezebel is NUTS!

            Mr. Peanut In 1906 Omedeo Obici, originally from Italy, founded the Planters Peanut Company in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. In 1916 Mr. Obici held a contest asking the public to draw a logo that he thought would best suit the company.  

Quickie Italian – The First

Quickie Italian – The First

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quickie Italian

Sometimes, All You Need is a Ready Made Tomato Focaccia, and some Wine

I Call It Herb Bread  🙂

When I think of cooking Italian food, I imagine a long list of ingredients, carving out a significant portion of the day, and sipping a nice glass of red wine or two during the entire cooking experience.  After all, to me it is an experience.  (And nibbling on lots of bread sticks.)  Also, I don’t really view Italian food as being “Quick.”  However, I think in our busy world that it can be.  It can also be just as delicious as if we spent hours in the kitchen.

With the exception of Gordon’s Italian Mac N’ Cheese, I never really considered any of these other dishes on this page to be ‘actual’ recipes.

They were more ideas with things we just thought about and threw together, mainly me.  (Julie)

I suppose that to me a ‘Recipe’ is something that requires great thought and testing.  Kind of like an Experiment in a Lab, or in this case, a Kitchen.  But, we never do those things.  In many cases we just know that the ingredients we choose are going to taste good together, without us even trying them out.  We just throw it together and let our photos tell the story.  Some ingredients that we may feature never go into the recipe.  After all, we make this up as we go, grabbing things from the pantry.  Always have.

However, these ‘Ideas’ have sometimes morphed into excellent Recipes.  Ideas that we have become very proud of.  And, we’ve even passed some of these Ideas on to our children and others who now cook our Ideas on a regular basis. 

So, without hesitation, here are a few very simple Ideas from us for that ‘Quickie Italian’ Dinner.  🙂

GRAZIE MILLE,

Julie and Gordon

This Basil Pesto Cheese is the best I’ve ever had.  I haven’t been able to find it again. 

The quest continues….

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This “Idea” was just ready made frozen Ravioli, with some Pasta Sauce in a jar, and us throwing in a few spices to jazz it up.  Bread Sticks and Flat Leaf Parsley, not optional…essential!

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I LOVE BREAD!

I found this Bread on the sale rack at our Commissary for just a few dollars, and I snagged it instantly! 

It looked beautiful and tasty, and it WAS!  All you need is some great cheese and meats, and a good mustard, then you have a great meal.  Oh, and don’t forget the wine.  🙂

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Gordon’s Italian Mac N’ Cheese

All you really need is one great Italian Dish, and the rest can be just Nibble Foods.

As in Roasted Garlic, lots of Great Bread, Open Jars of Italy to spread on that Bread, and a nice bottle of Red Wine.

(Recipe Down Below)

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Red And Green Pasta Sauce w/ Plant Based Meatballs

(Recipe Down Below)

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Spaghetti, and Plant Based Meatball Sub Sand

(Recipe Down Below)

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Spaghetti Between Two Toasted Buttered Garlic Bread, Sandwich

(Recipe Down Below)

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Our ‘Throw Together’ Italian Dinner

With TONS of Bread!  🙂

(Recipe Down Below)

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Happiness is Being a Tutu  🙂

The “I Don’t Know What To Call It Pasta/Pasta Sandwich”

(Recipe Down Below)

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Peachy/Beigey Pasta

(Recipe Down Below)

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My “V” Pasta

(And I’m not going to tell you why I am calling it that.)  🙂

(Recipe Down Below)

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Julie’s Mystery Pasta

(Because I can’t remember what I did here.)  🙂

But, It Does Look Good, Doesn’t It?

(Recipe Down Below) 

Once I Remember It

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Easy Basil Pesto/Sun Dried Tomato Penne Pasta Dinner

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Turning Loaf Bread Into Great Bread

(Recipe Down Below)

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Recipes Start Here

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Gordon’s Italian Mac N’ Cheese

There was a Mac N’ Cheese Contest at his workplace on the base.  (2023)

Gordon tied for 2nd. Place!  🙂

The win is significant for him because he made it the night before and not that morning as some did, including the winner.  It does make a difference when it is nice and fresh from the oven, as the winner’s was.  Regardless, it is truly spectacular!

Truly Spectacular!

Ingredients:

32 oz. 33% Less Sodium Chicken Broth
~3 – ½ inch Thick Slices of Pancetta – reserve the fat

(NOTE: diced Pepperoni Mini’s can also be used)

~4 Cups Fusilli Pasta
Flour – as needed (equal to the amount Pancetta fat
~2 Cups Milk
~1 Cup Half & Half
~1 Cup White Cheddar Cheese sliced and ~½ Cup shredded
~1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese sliced and ~¼ Cup shredded
~1/2 Cup Asiago Cheese sliced and ~¼ Cup shredded

1 Tbsp. Dried Italian Herb Seasoning
1 Tbsp. Dried Oregano
2 Tbsp. Butter
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 Tbsp. Himalayan Salt

Pam Cooking Spray – as needed

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The milk and Half and Half used.

The pots we used…

the left pot was used for the sauce and the other was used to boil the pasta.

Start by pouring the Chicken Broth into the large pot… this will give your pasta some flavor instead of just
having plain water.

Then add enough water to cover the pasta when added.

Pictured are my thick slices of Pancetta.

You can get your local Deli to cut them this thick for you.

Slice the Pancetta into dice sized pieces as shown.

Place the Pancetta pieces into a medium sized pan and heat to medium heat.

While the Pancetta is cooking, add your Fusilli Pasta to the pot and cook as directed or until the pasta is
al dente or cooked so as to be still firm when bitten. Be sure to stir the pasta occasionally so it won’t
stick to the bottom of the pot.

When done and still partially firm (al dente) pour the pasta into a colander and immediately rinse with
cold water to stop the cooking process. Then set the pasta aside to drain.

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Still cooking the Pancetta until it is well browned.

It is almost done and looking great!

Use a non-splatter cover in this next step to stop the Pancetta pieces from falling out of the pan. Pour
the Pancetta fat into your medium sized pot and turn the heat to medium high.

Then place the Pancetta onto a plate lined with paper towels to catch the excess fat.

Very nice pictures
Julie!!!

 

 

Now, add your flour in equal amounts to your fat. When mixed, it should have the consistency of wet
sand. You have now made a roux! The second picture is a good example of what I mean.

Stir the roux consistently for about 2 min. Cooking it this long will remove the flour taste without
browning the flour. I am also slicing the cheeses while this is happening.

When cooked for two minutes, turn down your heat to low, and add some of your Milk and Half and
Half to the roux.

Stir this mixture until well combined adding more milk if needed to get to the thickness you desire. You
want your sauce thick, so don’t add too much of the Milk and Half and Half in the beginning. You can
always add more later. You have now made a Bechamel Sauce. Over time the sauce will continue to
thicken, so keep your Milk handy. Be sure to continue to stir your sauce now with a whisk from time to
time to remove any lumps. Still slicing cheese while the sauce heats.

This is Mac N’ CHEESE!

Add ~1 Cup of your White Cheddar Cheese to the Bechamel Sauce.

And add ~1/2 Cup of the Asiago cheese to the sauce. Now you have made a Mornay Sauce.

Slicing the Parmesan Cheese

And add ~1/2 Cup of the Parmesan cheese to the sauce. This is also great as a Fondue sauce to dip
bread and vegetables into. Stir your Mornay sauce with your whisk until the cheese is thoroughly
melted and well combined.

While still melting the cheese, add your dried Italian seasoning to the sauce…

Then add your dried Oregano to the sauce.

Another nice closeup picture Julie!

Here you can see the cheese is melted and the other ingredients are well combined. Taste the sauce to
see if you need to add more seasoning.

Here, I am adding the Mornay sauce to a large mixing bowl, then adding a few Tbsp. of butter to enrich
the sauce. This will also provide a little more flavor and silkiness.

Stir in the butter well.

Add your well drained pasta to the sauce as shown.

Use a rubber spatula to remove every drop of the sauce from the pan.

Then gently mix the sauce and
the pasta together.

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Add your freshly cracked Black Pepper to the bowl…

Then add your salt. Himalayan salt isn’t as salty as table salt, which is why you can add so much as the
milk products and pasta in this dish are very bland. Stir to combine. Taste the pasta to see if you need
to add more seasoning.

Now, preheat your oven to 400’F.

Add your Mac N’ Cheese to a casserole dish or dishes that have been sprayed with a non-stick cooking
spray.

Fill the dish almost to the top.

Here I am shredding more of the three cheeses to the top of each casserole dish.

Add as much or as
little as you like.

They are now ready to go into my preheated 400’F oven.

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You may want to place the casserole dishes onto a cookie sheet just in case your casserole spills over
during the baking process.  (Although we didn’t.)

Here I opted not to as the cookie sheet isn’t large enough to hold both casserole dishes.

Bake the Mac N’ Cheese for about 25 minutes or until the top is well browned.

If needed, you can always turn your oven’s broiler on to brown the top as shown in this pic.
This was a somewhat complex dish to make, which does make enough for two meals.

We hope you give
this “from scratch” Italian inspired Mac N’ Cheese a try… we are sure you will love it!

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Red And Green Pasta Sauce w/ Plant Based Meatballs

This Quickie Came From My Idea of Wanting Red and Green Pasta, with Red and Green Sauce

Simple Really

It’s just a Red Pasta Sauce, and a Green Pesto Sauce

Heating the Sauces, Boiling the Pasta

Proceed to Mix the Sauces with the Pasta…

Bake the Veggie Meatballs as Directed…

Then Combine!  🙂

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Spaghetti and Meatball Sub Sand

The four things that I love the most are Spaghetti, Plant Based Meatballs, Bread, and Cheese.

Something Easy and Delicious to do with Leftover Spaghetti Pasta

Bake the Plant Based Meatballs, (According to package directions), Butter the Hoagie Buns and then Bake them to brown up a bit in the oven.  You can always use the Broiler.

Buttering The Breads

A Sprinkling of Garlic Salt…

Plant Based Meatballs Into The Oven

Buttered Hoagie Breads Into The Oven

Leftover Spaghetti Pasta…

Adding the Red Sauce…

Heating Up The Sauce in the Microwave

Heating Up Some Sauce for the Hoagie Buns

Spreading The Sauce In The Buns

Now, Adding the Heated Up Spaghetti Pasta and Sauce…

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Now, Add The Plant Based Meatballs…..

…Some Shaved Parmesan Cheese…. Fresh Parsley…..

Top with a bit of the Red Sauce

DONE!

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My Favorite Spaghetti Sand

I didn’t grow up in a particularly sophisticated family where food was concerned.  Oh, my grandmother that took me under her wing knew the fine arts of southern hospitality, and did teach me those, but for some reason my mother rebelled against such things and didn’t pass any of that knowledge on to me.  I think it was because she married my step-father and he was the one that rebelled against such things.  She just did whatever he wanted her to do. 

I believe that sophistication was looked down upon in my family when I was growing up so we ate like poor people did.  After all, my step-father, the surgeon, grew up poor in Texas so we did tend to eat like poor people did, even though there was money to eat like upper middle class people ate.

Having said that, sometimes my tastes do gravitate toward the more humble eating classes.

We didn’t grow up having our Spaghetti or Pasta Dinners with some lovely Italian Bread, it was always our Sandwich Bread smeared with some Butter and Garlic.  I have since added some Paprika to it as well.

When you grow up eating something simple then you get used to it. 

It then is no longer simple, but delicious.

Baking Sandwich Bread. Garlic Bread in the Oven (Broil)

Perfect to ME!

Browning The Other Side

Now, just place some Spaghetti and some Fresh Basil and then you have an excellent Sand!

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Our Throw-Together Italian Dinner

For Some Reason I, Julie, Love Black and Green Food Together

Eaten With A Lovely Tomato Focaccia Bread

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Our Throw-Together Ingredients:

Leftover Feta Cheese and Sundried Tomatoes Packed In Olive Oil

Black Olives

Pesto in Olive Oil

Leftover Pastas

Bread Crumbs

Parmesan Cheese

Roasted Garlic Cloves

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Our Leftover Ingredients

This is a Favorite Pesto of Ours, Look at that Beautiful Olive Oil!

Boil the Pasta Following Package Directions Until Al Dente

Here we Have Also Sliced and Buttered the Bread

Overdosing on Bread  🙂

(This bread was getting stale so I thought we should cook it before it went bad.)

You Just Need a Bowl to Combine Your Ingredients

Once You Have Drained the Pasta, Place it Into a Mixing Bowl

Next, Add Some of the Pesto, Bread Crumbs, and Grate Some Parmesan Cheese Over Top

(This is all done to taste.)

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Adding a Few Black Olives

Mix Together, Now Add Some Roasted Garlic Cloves

(We ended up adding an additional leftover Pasta to this dish, not pictured above in the ingredients.)

Place into a Casserole Dish Sprayed with a Cooking Oil Spray

Top With Some Grated Parm and Bake for About 20-25 Minutes

Delicious!

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The “I Don’t Know What To Call It Pasta/Pasta Sandwich”

 

 

Ingredients:

Creamy Basil Alfredo Sauce

Jar of Marinated Artichoke Hearts, drained

Leftover Roasted Garlic Cloves, smooshed, and use as many as you like

Sun Dried Tomatoes, as many as you like

A Good Bread, Butter, and Cheese

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Just place the contents of the jar into a sauce pan on a medium heat, add the drained jar of marinated artichoke hearts, and as many of the roasted garlic cloves you desire, and then just let it come to a nice simmering boil.  Turn the heat down a few notches once it starts to boil.  I Julie, love a nice thick sauce so I will allow it to simmer away until it becomes as thick as I like.  Keep stirring the pot regularly so that it doesn’t burn on the bottom.  And just keep turning it down to lower settings.  When done to your liking, just keep it on low, or warm until you are ready to eat.

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In the Meantime…..

Bread and Butter

The Bread is a Tribeca Oven Asiago Cheese Loaf

The Butter is a Garlic Parmesan Basil, that I bought from Sprouts

All I did was to turn the oven on 350F.

On a foil lined sheet pan I placed the two halves of the bread, that I sliced into.  Then buttered both sides.

I then grated some Romano Cheese on each slice.  I also did a sprinkling of Paprika.

Into the oven they go.  8-10 minutes on 350F. 

Then turn off the oven and broil until a bit brown.

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When ready you can place this great sauce onto some pasta, with some of the great bread from above.  You can also add a salad to make it the perfect meal.

Don’t forget, you can also make a sandwich of it!

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Peachy, Beigey Pasta

I Julie, am known for mixing different pastas together to create a meal.  I just started pulling out ingredients from the pantry one day and that’s when I noticed that it’s all got this great peachy/red/beigey color to everything.  So….

..I decided to throw it all together, and here we are!

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Ingredients:

Red Lintel Penne Pasta

Chickpea Spaghetti Noodles

Rosa Alfredo Sauce

Various Italian Spices

A Good Bread, and Lots of Herbs

Garnish:  Crispy Harvest Snaps

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Just Heating Up The Sauce..

If you like you can grind some Black Pepper, or add a few dashes of your favorite Hot Sauce.  Perhaps even add some Chili Powder or Cayenne.  Make it as hot or as mild as you like!

To thicken the sauce simply allow it to simmer away on a medium-low heat, while stirring occasionally.  When it is as thick as you  like, then it is done.

Cooking The Pastas….

Draining the Pastas…

Plating The Pastas….

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My Herb Bread

This is a favorite bread of mine that we buy often.  I place it on a foil lined sheet pan, slice the bread without cutting through to the bottom, smear it with a butter or margarine all over it.  Place into a 350F oven for about 8 minutes.  Then turn off the heat and broil until a nice brown color.  That’s when I inserted fresh herbs all between the slices.  Then serve with your delicious pasta dinner.

Topped With Some Fresh Herbs and Some Harvest Snaps

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My “V” Pasta

(And I’m not going to tell you why I am calling it that.)  🙂

This was so delicious!  I loved it! 

However at 2:00 a.m. it decided to emerge from my body via my mouth.

O.K.!  I threw it up which is why I am calling this my V Pasta.  V is for Vomit!

I believe that the cheese that I used was bad and that is why I got sick.  BUT, it was sooooo good until that happened, which is why I am so happy to give you the recipe.  (I know how excited you are now.)  🙂

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I basically took a Vodka Sauce and added some Sundried Tomatoes packed in Olive Oil.

  I also made sure that I added some of the Olive Oil to the sauce.  I allowed it to simmer until it got a bit thick.

In the meantime I cooked some Shell Pasta until Ad Dente…

..then scooped it out of the boiling water and added it to the sauce.  

Grate some cheese, add some toasted bread…..  Superb!

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Julie’s Mystery Pasta

(Because I can’t remember what I did here.)  🙂

But, It Does Look Good, Doesn’t It?

Actually, I do believe I know what I did.  I used a Creamy Basil Sauce and added some of my favorite Marinated Artichoke Hearts.  Also, the marinade from the jar.  I’m sure that I added some Freshly Ground Black Pepper, and some Garlic Salt.  I allowed the sauce to simmer away until it got a bit thick.  In the meantime, I cooked some Spaghetti Pasta until Al Dente.  And then combine!  Add some fresh Basil and enjoy!

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Easy Basil Pesto/Sun Dried Tomato Penne Pasta Dinner

I admit it needs some color here, as in a salad or fresh herbs.  But, this recipe was about using what is already in your pantry, also most people always have loaf bread at the ready.

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Turning Loaf Bread Into Great Bread

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But First:

I was shopping at Sprouts when I saw this Simply Organic Sweet Basil Pesto packet.  Needless to say, I bought a few.  It looked like an easy way to make weeknight Italian on a busy schedule.  I also bought some of Sprouts Organic Penne Rigate Durum Wheat Pasta.

I simply followed the package instructions….

Boiled the Pasta….

Drained the Pasta….

Added the Sweet Basil Pesto Sauce to the Cooked Pasta….

I then decided to add this great Cucina and Amore Sun Dried Tomato Bruschetta as well…

Mixing Together..

Now Let’s Grate Plenty of Cheeses Over Top

I’m using Parmesan and Romano, as much as I like!

I Then Sprinkled Some Italian Bread Crumbs In

And, some more Cheese…

Leftovers going into the refrigerator for lunches.

If you need to freshen the pasta up because it is a bit dry, just add a little bit of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

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I do write above about how I grew up eating regular loaf bread as an accompaniment to our weekly spaghetti dinners.

I am featuring it here because it is something that most people have on hand in every kitchen.  Therefore, when in need of a nice bread for any Italian of your choice, here is a substitute.

Loaf Bread, Butter/Margarine/Garlic Salt/Paprika

Cook for about 6 minutes on 350F, then Broil until brown.

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Whenever you are in need of a Quickie!

Ciao!

Julie and Gordon

 

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To View More 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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La Sciatta Giulia Anna’s (Italian Sloppy Julie Ann’s)

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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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Italian Naan Pizza

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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

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Tavolino Da Caffe Italiana (Coffee Table Italian)

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Julie Italian

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An Italian Natale

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Summer Italian

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Isabelle and the Romas

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Lemon Tratta (Treats)

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Grazie,

Gordon and Julie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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My Brunswick Stew Chicken Skillet

My Brunswick Stew Chicken Skillet

        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 

Italian Colazione (Breakfasts)

Italian Colazione (Breakfasts)

            UNDER CONSTRUCTION                                                                           

Onions, And All Things Onion

Onions, And All Things Onion

 

 

 

 

 

 

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eat Your Vegetables More

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    CURRENTLY ROASTING VEGETABLES, CHECK BACK SOON!                                                              

Here’s a CLUE for Nancy Drew

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        “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 

My Log/Blog Documenting Stalking and Harassment From My Neighbor

My Log/Blog Documenting Stalking and Harassment From My Neighbor

 

 

(Note Update April 10, 2025:  If this harassment continues, or more damage is done to our property, then I will reveal their names here, and getting the police involved.)

 

“The pen is mightier than the sword.”

Edward Bulwer-Lytton

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Write it all down, it’s what they fear the most.

Julie Lancaster-Whann

 

Where Do I Even Begin?

2025

For those of you that know me and have read me, then you know of my account of my Cyber-Stalker of 30 years, P.  I did start a webpage of his stalking back in 2015 on this website.  Wow, 10 years ago I started writing about him.  I’ve also mentioned throughout my personal blogs the stalking that I have had to put up with and endure.  Well, he’s still in the picture.  Gordon and I were able to bring in (a 3-letter agency) to look into him.  I hadn’t really admitted much to any of that until now.  This has been about a year and a half ago that we did that.  I know these things take time, but with all that’s going on right now with that ( 3-letter agency), I’m not so sure if we are a priority anymore.

I also started a website about him that I have not worked on yet at all.  I simply sent a few photos to my guys in India and had them to create something for me.  They did, and I paid quite a bit of money for it.  I hadn’t started working on it yet for a few reasons.  First of all, I would much rather be doing other things than talking about P.  And number two, I didn’t want to hinder any investigation into him.

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This is the Original Webpage Where I Introduce you to P.:

What It’s Like To Be Cyber-Stalked

Julie Lancaster-Whann

If you do check out this webpage I started on him, you will most likely see some sabotage.  That is from P.  When I had web hosting companies in America to host and look after my site, P. had the run of it.  It wasn’t until I contacted a company in the U.K., and they recommended theses guys in India, did I finally have a more secure website.

Sad isn’t it?  I had to go outside my own country for help from my American Cyber-Stalker.

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One thing that I have learned throughout my life when I was being abused by anyone is to start a log.  Write down everything that that person does to you.  Keep a diary of it.  That’s why I started the Cyber-Stalker blog page that I write about above.  It is also why I am starting this webpage about the abuse that I am having to endure from my neighbors next door to me.

I will work on this as I feel like it.  Oh trust me, they aren’t going anywhere.  Their kind never does.

I know their type very well.   Arrogant, self-righteous, white, no respect for people or their property, or opinions that differ from their own.  They only value ‘Freedom of Speech’ when it is their own.  They easily fall in line with the herd.  A Shepherd  to herd them this way, and then herd then that way.  I’ll get into more of that later on.

You know, no where in the world do they have people like a certain segment of our population.  Nowhere!

The world does have it’s poor and ignorant.  But nowhere does any country have these kinds of people that think the way they do. They are definitely home grown.

There is something very toxic in our country’s environment that creates these people.  I know what it is, but I don’t dare say it.  I’ve touched on it though.  I even tried warning our former Canadian friends about it, who seemed to adore the republican friends they knew in Kentucky.  And I will speak of it in the future.  But talking about it now is only going to get me clubbed over the head by a caveman.  I also warned our Canadian friends that don’t be surprised if America comes after Canada someday.  If you have something they want, they will come and get it.  Funny, but she thought I was being ridiculous.  Wonder how she feels now?  I told her these things over a decade ago.

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My Camera on My Tripod Took These Photos

(The Thing Is, My Neighbors Are Probably Watching Me Right Now)

I wanted to take some photos for this blog, and seeing as how I am the only one here, I had my camera on my tripod to do it.  My husband Gordon is working overseas.  Oh, we talk most everyday.  He is in a hazard zone overseas.  He is quite valuable in his job, and we are benefiting from that.  We were thinking about him coming home permanently at the end of this year, but what with all that is going on in our country, it might be wise for him to stay over there for the next few years.  He does come home twice a year to see us all though.  He has even suggested that I come over there to live out in town near where he is stationed.  If I were to do that, I would only see him on the weekends from my very exotic location.  My answer:  I’m not leaving Isabelle.  Done!

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What has kept me going all these years is that I want to outlive P.  I want to know what life is like without him in it.  That is what has kept me going.  Will I ever know that?  I don’t know?  But now, I have a new stalker.  I never saw this coming at all.  I am an Empath, yet I never once sensed this neighbor’s hatred of me at all.  Which means that he is either a Psychopath or a Sociopath, or a Narcissist.

 I have probably only spoken 20 words to him from the time they moved in years ago.  He is probably in his early 40’s.  He is married and they have 2 children.  They have a very nice home.  Nice automobiles.  Basketball goal in their driveway, pool in their backyard.  On the surface all looks great.  I have noticed that all their cars are there all the time.  I’m wondering if he is still employed or if he is working from home, or he’s been fired?  Don’t know?

I knew they were Republican’s, but I didn’t have any ill will towards them, until now.

  I’ll get to that.

Where do I begin to document the Harassment and Abuse?

Once again, I’ll get to that in a little bit.

I want you to understand something.  Just to give you an example, why have I had a Cyber-Stalker for 30 years now?  Why?

P. was Gordon’s Best Friend From Childhood

P. started out in life with parents that had money and means.  They put him in Private School growing up.  Once he graduated, he was able to go on to college, and graduate.  I’m pretty sure his parents paid for that as well. 

I can even remember something about P. working as some DJ for a radio station while he was in college, or afterwards.  I mean, how cool is that?  He would send us these tapes of Chicago singing love songs.  I loved it!  I would play them and listen to them in my headphones when I would go for my walks when we lived in Ewa Beach, Hawaii.  It was the best of both worlds.  Great music while I would go on my walks, with views of Diamond Head in the background while I walked down the beach. 

It wasn’t until the early 90’s that P. started stalking me.  I really don’t want to go into that now.  I do have it documented in other areas.  But what I wanted you to understand is the amount of time and energy that goes into stalking anyone.

P. has stalked me for 30 years and counting.  30 years!

P. gave up having a life to stalk me.  He gave up dating, falling in love, getting married, having children….

To him I was more important than all of that.  He has spent his life glued to a computer screen stalking me.

P. started out with Microsoft.  He was on the cutting edge of technology.  In the midst of history being made.  He could have snagged a lovely intelligent woman to love and have children with.  He could have had a lovely home and even a vacation home, or two.  He could have had children and perhaps by now, grand-children.  But NO!  He gave up all of that, he sacrificed his youth to stalk ME!

Believe me when I tell you, I AM NOT WORTH THAT!

He gave up his youth to stare at a computer screen stalking me!

That is the mind of an obsessed person. 

Obsession is not love, it is obsession.  Love is healthy, love is beautiful.

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All My Flowers

Looks Like I’m In Mourning

Although I am not in mourning, I am angry.  Angry because I live in a neighborhood where there are pathetic people that feel the need to do harm to me.  Harm to someone that does nothing to them.  I don’t bother them.  I never see them.  Why is my neighbor so obsessed with me?  Well, I do have my theories.  But first you need to understand Obsession.

Obsession isn’t love.  But I dominate his thoughts each and every day.  Why would any woman want her husband or boyfriend to be obsessed with anyone?  Yet alone, another woman?

Does he love me?  Hate me?  The emotions are really the same.  Love and Hate are very strong emotions to have towards anyone.  but whether they be love or hate, he is still obsessed with me.  He gets up every morning at 4:00 a.m. and looks to see if my bathroom light is on.  If it is, he throws a ball at my house, around the bathroom windows where I am.  He does this to alarm me.  To scare me.  To upset me.

If I get up at 4:30 a.m., he’s still there.  Here comes the ball being hurled at my bathroom window to alarm me, scare me, etc. 

I want you to understand what this means:

He is going to the trouble of setting his alarm clock for 4:00 a.m., probably waking up his wife in the process, while he leaves his bed, to go outside and throw a ball against the side of my house, around my bathroom, where I am.  And, perhaps even peeking in.

Sometimes I get up at 4:30 a.m., which means that he is laying in wait for me at that time.  Which I will hear the loud thump against the wall of our house while I am in the toilet room. 

This is STALKING!

The fact that he does this to me means that his wife is o.k. with it. 

Otherwise, I would think she would intervene and try and stop him from harassing me.

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This is Vandalism, This is Property Damage

I Noticed This September 6, 2024:

The Damage Our Neighbor Has Done to Our Meters

I don’t come over to this side of our house that often.  But one day I did and I was really alarmed to see this.  This is obviously damage done through someone tampering with it.  So, prior to September 6, when I discovered it, how long has it been this way?

Can a Ball Do This Damage?  Or Did he use Something Else to do This?

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I Used Some String To Tie Them Back Together

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The Bathroom Window Facing Our Street

This is not the bathroom window he throws the ball at, but this window faces the street from our bathroom.  You can see the Plantation Shutters…

I placed a tablecloth over it because I always felt like there was someone peeking in at me early in the mornings through those slats.  Throughout the night and morning hours I have them closed but if you were to stand right outside you could probably see through the slats into the bathroom. 

Well, it turns out I was right, there WAS someone out there!

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Saturday Afternoon, Early February

I had gone shopping on this day.  I did hear the THUMP of the ball against the house early that morning.  I then climbed up on our bed and looked out the window between our houses and saw that orange and blue ball.

I’m taking the photo from our bedroom window of the space between our houses. 

That is where he lies in wait for me in the mornings.

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I wish that I had taken a photo of the ball when it was between our two houses.

When I got back from shopping I was telling Gordon about it while I was talking to him on the phone and I went over to that side of the house, picked up the ball, and threw it toward their front yard.  I’m not a great thrower, but here is where I threw it:

If you look closely you can see the orange and blue ball.

See the Ball Now?

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So, Why Does My Neighbor Hate Me So Much?

Well, I can only guess?

When I first realized what he was doing to me, I wondered if it was because I got up so early and perhaps my lights were shining into their bedroom disturbing them?  Or perhaps it was the fact that when Veronica or Brian would drop off Isabelle early in the morning that my dogs would bark, perhaps waking them up?  But then I quickly erased that because he is setting his alarm clock to get up early to harass me.  He isn’t harassing me in response to anything I am doing to him, he is harassing me for the sheer sake of it.  Not in response to anything.

So, If It’s Not My Lights, And it’s Not My Dogs, Then It Must Be…

MY POLITICS!

Although I have never talked politics with anyone in my neighborhood, I do wonder if perhaps my politics has been passed around the neighborhood as news?  It was back in 2008 when I placed my Obama yard sign on our lawn that the sabotage from my neighborhood began!  The day after I placed that sign in our yard, every neighbor around us suddenly set out their McCain/Palin signs.  Interesting.  The day I placed our sign in our front yard I was driving out of the neighborhood to do some shopping when I noticed Judy, who used to live across the street, walking on the sidewalk with her dog.  Instead of the nice happy smile and wave that I usually got, I just got this LOOK.  OH, I know that look very well!  It’s one that a hater gives you for not being like them.  I’m pretty sure Judy is the one that organized everyone placing McCain/Palin signs in their yards in their attempt to drown us out.

So Where Am I Going With This?

Judy and Michael sold their house, I believe in 2011 to a family that went to their church, our current neighbors across the street from us.  I like them.  I think they are nice neighborhood family.  But, I’m pretty sure the gossip got around that we were the “Evil Libruls” of the neighborhood.  Which the neighbors across the street might have mentioned to their fellow republican’s that live next door to us in the neighborhood.  Thus, making me a big target for the neighbor’s hate.  I’m not seen as a 64 year old woman that minds her own business, that keeps her granddaughter a few days a week, respects the neighbors privacy in the neighborhood, who doesn’t play loud music, who doesn’t have tons of people over thus blocking the street causing headaches, Oh NO!  I’m only seen as the “Evil Librul.”  (Even though they are the ones that wear the SIGN on their foreheads, if you know what I mean?)  Just sayin.’

The thing is that republican’s are very organized.  Oh, believe me when I say that my next door  neighbors truly lack the intellectual curiosity to look me up and read my website or my social media accounts on their own.  Oh no, they are on some list that is distributed by their leaders telling them who in their neighborhood is an “Evil Librul,” and who to hate and harass .  That makes more sense to me.

We do still have the Rule of Law in our country.  That hasn’t yet been eliminated.  And, I am a Paralegal by profession.  We’ll leave it there for now.  I’ll update as things happen.  It’s important to always document abuse.  You know, future lawsuits….  🙂

Julie

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New Entries Will Be Listed Here

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February, 2025

I would just like to add here that I am hearing the thump of the ball against the side of our house early in the morning many times this February 2025 month.

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March 11, 2025

I had a big day today.  Just lots of shopping in Tampa at the Air Force Base.  I had left the house around 11:00 a.m. this morning, exiting my street through the back way so that I didn’t have to drive in front of my neighbor’s house.  I am trying to do my best to not let him know when I come and go.  Anyway, at the end of the day when I was returning home at around 5:30 p.m., I debated driving in the back way where I wouldn’t have to drive in front of his house, but I then decided not to do that.  I had lots of food in the car and I needed to get home as quickly as possible, and not go out of my way to come in the back way just to try and avoid him.  As it was, it took me an hour and a half to get home due to all the traffic.

Well, he and his wife were outside in their front yard.  He was blowing leaves from the street with his blower.  She was sitting in a chair out front.  She did turn her head to look at me as I drove by.  She had no reaction.  He did use his left arm that was laying by his side to use his hand to ‘wave at me.’  It was a very sheepish wave.  He had his head down and was reluctantly acknowledging me.  I could see his embarrassment.  I had no reaction.  I just looked at them, and then pulled into my driveway and started to unload my car that was full of shopping.

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Bully’s

Joe Kee… from Sevierville, Tennessee taught me the psychology of Bully’s many years ago when I moved from Roanoke, Virginia to Sevierville, Tennessee in the 70’s.  I have even written about him in my past blog posts.  Joe Kee… sat next to me in homeroom for 3 years from 9th. – 11th. grade at Sevier County High School.  Joe was a bully.  But interestingly enough, whenever his entourage wasn’t around, he was quite nice to me.  I know that I would brace myself for the usual insults that I would receive most every morning from him.  But on those days where his friends weren’t around, nothing.  He taught me that bully’s are truly cowards.  Joe was nothing without his backup.  Just like my neighbor next door.  He is nothing without the cover of darkness.  I stared him down.  I’m not afraid of a chickenshit.  And that chickenshit, waved at me when I drove by.  Why?  Because he was exposed out in the sunlight where he couldn’t hide.  I’ve never seen such a sheepish wave in my life.  He’s scared of me.  Good!  🙂

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March 22, 2025

Buying Fence Material to Extend our Fence

Gordon came home from abroad and was here for a few weeks.  But months prior, we had decided that we wanted to extend our fence to the end of our house so as to protect me from our hot heated neighbor.  We were coming up with ways to protect me and our property from him.  By extending our fence, that would prevent him from throwing things against our house.  It would also prevent him from tampering with our property.

Gordon created a nice power point of how we wanted to extend our fence, and sent it along with the photographic evidence of the damage of our outside boxes, and a document of the abuse I was having to endure from our neighbors, to our HOA, (Home Owner’s Association.)  They then granted us the permission we needed to extend our fence.

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This is one of the presentations Gordon created for our HOA.

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Gordon Buying The Materials For Our Fence

Gordon had put up our existing fence on our property so this was no big deal for him to do the extension.

Gordon purchased our fence material from Home Depot and rented a truck from them as well in order to get the materials here to our home.

The Truck, and our Fence Material

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Bringing Everything Around To Our Backyard

(I wanted to add that Gordon can only come home for a certain amount of time each year from his working overseas.  It was quite sad that he had to spend a part of our time together extending our fence, because of our hot-headed neighbor’s abuse towards me.)

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Erecting Our Fence Extension

Gordon, along with our son-in-law Brian put up the fence extension.  We waited until Brian had a day off.  I kept Isabelle inside, while the guys erected the fence outside.  They did it all in one day!  And it is professional as hell!  As always!

This is the Space Between our House and our Neighbor’s

Most of the Property is Ours

Gordon and Brian Erecting the Fence

(With Isabelle visiting her Daddy.)  🙂

Above left, you can see that large bush that is our neighbor’s.  With our fence up, they only have about 1 foot of space between that bush and our fence.  🙂

Coming Together Nicely!

Me, Entering This Extra Privacy Space We Never Had Before

(I could sunbathe out here!)  🙂

The fence extension is up.  Gates locked.  Area contained.

I will be posting a photo of the finished results soon.

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April 3, 2025

What This Abuse From Our Neighbor Has Done To Me

Abuse always has a way of affecting us negatively.  There are many kinds of abuse.  I am only here to dictate what this abuse has done to me, and how it has affected me. 

I get up very early in the morning on those days that I keep my Granddaughter Isabelle.  On the days my daughter drops her off, I get up at 4:00 a.m..  On the days my son-in-law drops her off, I get up at 4:30 a.m.. 

Because of the abuse that I was having to endure from my neighbor I had moved most of my toiletries into our guest bathroom in the middle of the house so that I didn’t have to have that ball thrown at me when I was in mine and Gordon’s bathroom.  Also, I just didn’t feel safe and secure using our bathroom.  I didn’t feel safe in my own home.  The guest bathroom offered me more of a private sanctuary than I had using our own bathroom.  But, the thing is, I would shower at 4:00 or 4:30 a.m., with the lights off in the bathroom.  I didn’t feel comfortable turning the lights on and letting him know that I was in there.  So, I would get up, turn on the bathroom lights in our bathroom, and then shower in the guest bathroom with the lights off, hoping that he would then turn his attention towards the main bathroom, so that I could shower in peace in the guest bathroom.

Seems like a lot of trouble to go through in your own home just to have some peace.  Yet, that is my story.

Showering in another bathroom, in the dark…  Wow.  You would think you should be safe from abuse in your own home, wouldn’t you?

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I have more to tell you but it will have to wait.

Julie

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April 4, 2025

Our New Fence

For Every Action, There Is A Reaction

Here is a photo of our extended fence.  I took the photo today.  The fence is there to protect me and our house from anything our neighbor may decide to do.  The gates are locked.  If he does decide to throw something at the house, it just might get trapped inside the fence.  He would then have to hop over it to retrieve the item. 

That is when……

he Would Be Recorded on Camera… and the police would be called in.   🙂

That’s Right!  We have updated our security on our property.

(I should do something with that area.  Perhaps turn it into some sort of private garden, or a Julie Sanctuary.)

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His Action, Our Reaction

It was a few years ago when I was outside in our backyard, and our neighbors were outside in theirs, when I heard her say to her husband, ‘You know what C_____, sometimes you can be a real bastard.’

See, she knows who she is married to.

You know, we never would have even thought to extend our fence, or even go to the trouble of installing some high tech security system.  This is our Reaction, to his Actions. 

When you look at the space between our homes most of it is ours.  Our property.  Now all they have to look at is our fence on that side of their house.  It’s not our fault.  It’s his.  He is actually his own worst enemy.  Do they know that we extended our fence because of what he was doing to me?  I don’t know if they are capable of realizing that?  And if they are, does he regret what all he did to me?  Probably not.  His kind only regrets getting caught.  They never regret what they do.

Feeling Better,

Julie

p.s.  Is this now over?  That depends on our neighbors.  But, things are more secure here than they were.  🙂

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(Update:  October, 2025)

The Money We Have Spent To Protect Us and Our Property

(Always save your receipts.  You not only document the abuse, but you also document the cost you are spending to protect yourself from the abuser/s.)

I decided not to publicly post all of the costs we have spent so far.  You have to have some surprises in store.  🙂

I will say that you not only document the costs of things spent, you also document the milage on your car used in buying the materials you need.  Also include ‘Wear and Tear’ of the vehicle.  And don’t forget to include gas money.  Also, your time is worth something.  An example, back in March, 2025 Gordon had to take time out from his vacation here to erect that fence, etc.  

And lastly, always include your ‘Pain and Suffering.’

(I’ve recently come to find out that there were other neighbors that knew what was happening to me.  They even supported it.  I’ll write more about them below.)

KEEP THIS INFORMATION FOR YEARS TO COME!

Keep it in a very safe place.

The abuse may end for awhile, but when you are dealing with a Hot-Headed Narcissist, they don’t change.  They always come back at some point.  Remember that.

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April 5, 2025

Update on P. G. My Cyber-Stalker

Recently, Gordon and I came across a person who used to work for Microsoft.  We then mentioned our cyber-stalker who started out with Microsoft and all that he has done to us since.  This person then asked us what his name was?  We then told this person.  This person then looked downward in surprise, but then looked up at us and said, ‘I know him.’ 

This person left Microsoft in 2015, but said P. still worked there.  We figured as much.  When we would try and look P. up online we were always given bogus info on him.  Places of employment that he never worked at.  P. has been erasing himself from the web for years now.  But, he can’t erase former co-workers.  This former co-worker now knows all that P. has done to us.  This person also added that if P. is doing all that to us, he is most likely doing it to other people as well, and even stealing money.

I’ll leave it all right there.

Julie

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April 6, 2025

Adding A Little More Privacy

Gordon Putting Up More Bamboo Blinds on our Lanai

This side of our lanai is next to our neighbors and I wanted just a bit more security and privacy so Gordon hung these up along with one section.  I had him do both sides of this section to make it a bit more private.  We already had the blinds in our garage so the only cost here were on the hardware and some line to secure them in place.

In these photos everything is still covered up from winter.  Now it’s all been cleaned and spruced up for Spring.  I also like that I have a bit more privacy.

One More Privacy Project Coming….

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April 11, 2025

Still Not Comfortable Using My Own Bathroom

Even though we have done things to try and protect me from my neighbors I still don’t feel comfortable using my own master bathroom.  This is what abuse does to you.  It changes you.  It limits you.  It prohibits you from being the person you should be.  And sometimes it is very hard to overcome. I’m sure that I will eventually get back into my own master bathroom.  But, until then, I am using the guest bathroom because it offers me more safety and security and peace of mind.

Julie

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May 29, 2025

An Update Of My Nasty Neighbors

Through my cameras I can see my neighborhood, and my neighbors.  I’m really not one to spy.  Honestly!  I never really cared about those kinds of  things.  Those were the kinds of things my friends cared about.  ‘Hey Julie, come look at this!’  My friends always thought I was weird because I wasn’t as nosy as they were.

At first it was kind of fun and interesting to see my neighbors on the camera to come and go, walking their dogs in front of our house, etc.  I love seeing when a package arrives!  I have this big T.V. monitor that Gordon bought me so that I could keep track of everything.  It is to the left of me.  He is worried about me and wanted me to have some protection while he is away.  Our own home security system.  Sometimes it can be distracting with lots of activity that will catch my attention while I am online and cause me to look at the monitor.  Most of the time it’s pretty boring.  People setting out their trash cans, driving in and out of their driveways, etc.  .  I’ve even caught my neighbors across the street from me placing their trash bags into my can most every week under the cover of darkness because their can is full.  I find that funny.  If I were a man I doubt they would.  But, seeing as how I am a woman living alone they take advantage of that.  

However, it’s whenever I see my next door neighbors on the monitor, you know, the ones that have harassed me for so long, to have the audacity to walk by my house with their Labrador, that it just makes me sick to my stomach.  How dare they walk by my house as if they haven’t a care in the world after all that they have done to me?  That is the kind of people that they are.   The self-righteousness, the white privilege, the republicanism.  (It’s quite glaring actually.)

I still don’t use my bedroom and bathroom because of their harassment.  While Gordon is gone I sleep on the couch and use the guest bathroom.  They have literally chased me from an entire wing of our house.  I need my sleep.  I need my peace.  I am my Grand-Daughter’s main caregiver.  She needs a rested Tutu.  She needs a Tutu that is at peace in order to care for her.  I do my best.  But, I do long for the day my next door neighbors move away.

Julie

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October, 2025

Gordon Home For A Few Weeks

Installing More Blinds

We ordered these custom blinds earlier in the year when Gordon was here, but they didn’t arrive in time before he left to go back overseas. 

So he is just now able to install them.  

I wanted more privacy and security here because I do want to spend more time outside, especially now that our granddaughter is getting older, and the weather is becoming more cool, but I really don’t want to see their house, they make me very uncomfortable.  But now, I feel better.

I’d Like To Fix This Area Up Nicely, Make It A Bit Cozy

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Installing More Outside Cameras

Gordon, Ready to Crawl Through The Attic To Install The Cameras

We thought it would be a good idea to install more cameras.  Gordon and our son-in-law Brian recently installed them.  Our system has the capacity to house even more than we have so far.  Not just because of our neighbors, but because of what is to come in our country.  With our current political climate more people are loosing their jobs and being made to be poor.  Programs that used to assist them are being terminated.  They will be hungry.  Their children will be hungry.  No parent wants to see their children starve.  Crime will go up.  Why do you think so many of our current administrations cabinet have all moved onto military bases?  They know what’s coming.  And, they will be protected, but it will be up to us to protect ourselves.  I’ll leave it there for now.

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As For Our Hot-Headed Narcissist Neighbor, and His Codependent Supply Spouse….

..at Casa Del Labrador

There is no cure for a hot-headed narcissist, so therefore he will always be a hot-headed narcissist.  Men like him tend to go through life with run-in’s with the law.  And, it is usually ‘Life or the Law’ that brings them down in the end.  He will always need his ‘supply’ to support him and enable him.  Yet, Narcissists don’t seek validation from them.  (He sought it from other neighbors, I’ll get to them soon.)

Let Me Tell You What We Could Have Done, And Still Can, If Necessary

We could have called in the Police, Pressed Charges, taken out a Restraining Order against him, and he would have had to move out of his own house while we fight this out in court.

It is still an option.  We have what we need to do so.  However, I don’t believe in separating families.  Although if this continues I think I can get used to the idea pretty quickly.

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As for the Other Neighbors in our Hood that knew what the Narcissist was doing… 

(Be Our Guest)

Supporting him, enabling him, encouraging him, and even having a good laugh at my expense, well,

I’m really not surprised that this particular family was involved, both families are from the same kind of ilk, but it is disappointing.  I mean, at some point you either grow up, or you don’t.

Who thinks it’s funny to harass and abuse an old woman who most of the time throughout the year is alone, and who has never done anything to either family?  Only warped minds do.

No one I would ever want to know.

The narcissist next door has showed me exactly what kind of person he is.  But, he didn’t just show me, he showed the other neighbors that knew what he was doing, and they are o.k. with it.  One particular trait they both have in common is that they are sneaky people.  You can’t trust sneaky people.  They are sneaky for a reason.  

When you align yourself with someone that can do terrible things to people you don’t like, they can also do terrible things to you.  And that is exactly where we are right now in our own country.  Again, I’ll just leave it there.

I guess the BALL is in the Narcissist’s Court right now.  We’ll see what he does with it?

Julie

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January 30, 2026

Intimidation Tactics

You know, I wasn’t going to write anymore on any of this, unless it turned out to be really relevant, (I do have things documented elsewhere in more detail just in case), but I do believe that I should be writing about this and getting this all down on “paper,” so to speak for my readers.

Intimidation Tactics are a Form of Abuse

I not only do this for me and my records, I also do this for you so that you will understand and I hope that this will help my reader’s that are having to undergo forms of abuse from their neighbors on exactly why they do the things they do?  And know this, it is never about you.  It is always about them.  After all, we do what we do because it is in us to do it.  Period!

Even When You Don’t Bother People, It Bothers People

I do write about neighbors above that knew of the abuse from my nasty next door neighbors.  They were in on it actually.  I really hadn’t planned on talking about them anymore, but I believe that I should, you see he is a psychologist.  Funny, huh?  A “professional” who should know better.  I do wonder what kind of advice he must give his patients?  (If he even has any.) 

I can only imagine….  ‘Oh, if that person annoys you, then you should use your automobile to shine your bright lights into their house to annoy them.  Or better yet, throw things against their house at 4:00 in the morning just to scare the old woman, maybe you’ll get lucky and she’ll have a heart attack.  Yes!  Intimidation tactics work well on women who live alone.  Or better yet, park your vehicles so that they face her house, using a ‘show of force’ to let that bitch know who’s boss!’  Yeah.

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It was Tuesday morning when I was placing my mail into my mailbox that the neighbor I write about above, was taking his children to school.  I avoided looking at him.  I have nothing to say, or any reason to acknowledge that family.  When he returned home he backed his big red truck into his driveway, literally taking up the entire space.  No other car could have parked on either side of him.  I thought that was funny seeing as how he had nothing to unload in the back.  Instead of seeing a big bad red truck with a big man driving it, I saw a Puffer Fish.

(Oh, and know this, people that drive red vehicles are more likely to get traffic tickets.  He should know.  I looked him up, and he had to pay big traffic court costs in his past.  Yeah.  Actually, I discovered in my research that white men in his income bracket and political affiliation tend to rack up big court costs from traffic violations.  It makes sense really, they don’t like to follow rules and laws, but they expect everyone else to.  In other words Freud was right, it really does all boil down to THAT.)

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Inflating One’s Self

The Puffer Fish are small, and they puff themselves up to appear larger than they really are in order to scare others.  This is generally something that men tend to do more so than women.

My response:  ‘Look at the cute little puffer fish!  Aren’t you so cute!  Yes, you are a big, bad, boy!  Oh, I’m so scared!’  🙂

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Yeah…

He may be a psychologist, but I know psychology.

I’m sure there had to be a class on ‘The Smartest Person In The Room?’  The Axel Foley Affect?  No?

Well… that explains a lot.

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To Continue…

On Thursday I drove into the Air Force Base to do some much needed shopping.  I hadn’t been there in awhile.  I was getting low on all my supplies.  When I do go into Tampa I tend to stock up on everything.  Especially bulky items.  Shopping on the base is much cheaper than the local grocery stores.  

Thursday’s Shopping

I left the house around 10:00 a.m. and I got home around 3:30 p.m.  As I was unloading my full car, (as you can see), my neighbor was leaving to go and pick up his children from school.  When he got back, I was still unloading my full car.  As he was pulling into his driveway I was placing a few bags inside my garage.  When I walked out of the garage to unload some more, all I saw was a FLASH!  A blur!!  I saw what looked like a flowered blouse dash into his garage.  It wasn’t a cool Aloha Hawaiian Shirt, it looked more like he had raided his mother’s closet and chose an old Laura Ashely blouse to go with his baggy shorts and flip flops.  He was in his garage before his children even exited the truck.  What I saw was a chickenshit running inside his house to get away, to hide.  I did learn something that day.  They haven’t told their children about any of this because otherwise his children would have been a bit awkward.  They weren’t.  They were just being normal teens.  

I do know that when we were being harassed by Leisa, John and Ed, the Gray Haired Bullies in our neighborhood, because we were Obama supporters, that I did tell our children about it so that they would be aware and alert, as in looking out for nails in the driveway, etc.  (I wrote about The Gray Haired Bullies years ago.  They are all dead now.  But my blog exposed their harassment of us, just like this blog is exposing this harassment from these people.)  

The more they give me something to write about, the more I will!

Julie

P.S.  I would wait for them to grow up but I don’t have that kind of time!

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One thing I have learned from all of this is that I need to be more aware of what goes on in my neighborhood.  Prior to this abuse and harassment, and before we put up cameras, I never really cared about what went on outside my front door.  Oh, there were times when I saw a car parked out front that I would look out the window to see who it was?  Especially if it was at night.  After all, I have had a cyber-stalker for over 30 years.  He has hired people in the past to photograph me, our cars, and our house.   Also, seeing as how I do live alone I feel more of a need to be aware of my surroundings.  Gordon is still working overseas, he will be home soon and we have a lot planned while he will be here.  He is looking into coming back permanently.  He is living and working in a danger zone after all.  And I do fill him in on the neighbors, and the neighborhood so that he is aware of it all.

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Just Some More Observations….

I have noticed throughout my community that I live in that there are ‘For Sale’ signs that have been up for quite a while.  I can remember when houses like that were snatched up quickly.

My nasty neighbors next door to me have had what looks like a giant panty shield wrapped around their chimney for about 5-6 months now.  I got a letter in the mail from their “roofers” dated October 24, 2025, informing me that their roof would be going up in a few weeks.  That was months ago.  Looks to me like they don’t have the money to get it fixed.  You know, I could complain to the HOA who could then force them into getting it fixed, or fine them until they do?  After all, I asked for a backyard studio and they nixed that because they said the neighbors may not like looking at it from their homes.  Well, do you think I enjoy looking at a giant panty shield wrapped around their chimney?  See, I can actually do more to these people then just write about them…  🙂

I have also noticed that a particular woman in the neighborhood has gone back to work full time.  Guess they must need the money?  That is why you go back to work, isn’t it?  What?  Is the current Administration’s economy not working for them anymore?  Well, you deserve and get what you vote for.  But sadly, so do the rest of us that knew better, voted better, etc.  we also will be getting exactly what they deserve.

When you vote for the political party that does for the lowest in our society, then everyone above that line will be o.k.  However, when you vote for the party that does only for the wealthy?  Then no one below that line will be o.k.   Hence, where we are today.

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You know, I really do hope that this will be my last blog entry on this page. 

But it really isn’t up to me, now is it?

Julie

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February 10, 2026

Just An Update:

Looks like the nasty neighbors next door are finally getting a new roof.

Good, because I’m tired of staring at that Panty Shield from our bedroom window.

 

Guess they finally came up with the money.

Julie

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February 14, 2026

P.S.  It’s a Cheap Roof

The nasty neighbors new roof is up.  Cheap materials were used, (paper, not laminate.)  Which is originally why they have had a bad roof all along.

It was back in 2011 when this couple who used to live across the street from us, but now reside in Texas, got several neighbors in our neighborhood to all go into getting new roofs together.  It was going to make it much cheaper for all, with Michael and Judy’s roof being either free or at a huge discount.  (Right wingers are very good at networking.  This is yet another example of that.)

We were asked if we wanted to go into it, but we said no.  It just didn’t feel right.  Good thing that we didn’t because every single family in our neighborhood that did that, got really shoddy, cheap roofs.  Of course Judy and Michael quickly sold their house and moved away before the true damage was revealed.   Every single neighbor that went in on that con have always had problems with their roofs, even shortly after they were installed, either to have them redone, or patched here and there.

The nasty neighbors new, ugly roof will probably last a good 7 years if they are lucky?  Perhaps they went the cheap root because they will be selling their house and moving soon?  🙂

One can hope!

However, realistically, worse can always move in.  But there is just something about that house that attracts the worst kind of human beings.  We have been here for 3 families that have lived in it.  None of them were ever worth knowing.

Julie

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May 14, 2026

Hoping This Will Be My Last Post Here

I think I will be taking down this website page from the Homepage.

Oh, it will still be on my website, just perhaps not on the front page.  You can still access it by saving the link into your Favorites, or using the Search button on my website.  I would much rather be blogging about recipes and gardening than a neighborhood asshole.

Some Advice As I Move On

First of all, moving on isn’t as easy as it seems like it would be.  I do sleep in the master bedroom now, only because my husband is back home from working overseas and I feel a little bit safer.  But, I still will not use our master bathroom.  I shower and do my skincare in the guest bathroom where I feel more comfortable.  I do blow dry my hair in the mornings in our main bathroom, but I am dressed and I don’t feel as vulnerable.  And I do my hair and make up in our master bathroom, but only when it is light outside.  I will not use the toilet in the master bathroom because I just don’t feel safe and comfortable whether it be day or night.  If I have to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, I walk all the way to the guest bathroom.  A long way to walk, but that is what abuse does to you.  It changes you.  This is why people are awarded money for pain and suffering.

Turn Your Log Over To The Police

Everything that you have been recording whether it be your typed or written log documenting the harassment and abuse, or the video/audio evidence that you have collected, or the photographic evidence you have collected, can be turned over to the police.  Make 3 copies of everything!  Keep one for yourself in a very safe place, give one to someone you trust for them to keep in a very safe place for you, and give the police the 3rd. copy of everything. 

You don’t have to file charges against the person that is harassing you, you are turning over your documentation that will be kept in your record for any future problems that may emerge with that person.  In which case, all you have to do is alert the police that you are filing charges, and then you go from there.  They already have your documentation on file.

If you are someone who retains an attorney on a regular basis, then make sure the attorney has everything, along with all of your receipts.  Also, document how this abuse has affected your life and relationships.  Have family members to add to the documentation as well.  Everything you can contribute will help your case.

Most likely my hot-headed neighbor will be getting into more trouble in the future.  Perhaps not with us, but with other people.  That is who he is.  If he can do this to me, a woman in her 60’s that he thought was all alone, then imagine what else he can do to other people or animals? 

Cowards prey on the most vulnerable.  Which reminds me of that hot-head from Washington State that threw that big rock at Lani, the endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal in Maui.  There are only about 1600 of them left.  The Hawaiian people were rightly upset about it.  As we would be here in Florida if that hot-head had thrown some big rock at one of our Manatees.  It’s white privilege that motivates these kinds of people into doing such terrible things to other human beings and/or animals.

Karma Catches Up To Us ALL!

If you are in a situation where it looks like your abuser is getting away with it, I assure that you he isn’t.

My definition of Karma is something we do to ourselves.  I don’t believe it is some punishment from above, I believe it is life catching up to us.  If we keep doing ‘that thing’ that we are not supposed to do eventually ‘that thing’ will be our undoing.  The thing is that most people don’t stop doing ‘that thing’ unless they are made to.  And, they eventually get caught in ‘that thing’ because they never stop doing ‘that thing.’  Why don’t they stop?  Because they keep getting away with it so they figure they always will get away with it.  Let’s ask Bill Cosby about Karma.  Or O.J. Simpson, just to name a few.

I’ll give you an example. 

If someone shoplifts every day for 5 years and gets away with it, if they don’t stop then eventually they will get caught.  Either technology will catch up to them, security cameras will see them, or they will be witnessed by someone, or someone taking selfie’s might capture their stealing in the photograph on their phones.

But, if that person stops right now, they will most likely get away with everything they have stolen thus far.  However, that’s not how most humans react.  That’s not how most humans think.  They keep stealing because they’ve gotten away with it so far.  They also get sloppy.  Their arrogance gives them this sense of superiority, that is when they get caught.

You don’t have to take any revenge, they end up destroying themselves in the end.

 

The End,

Julie

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One More Thing:

It has been updated that the Hawaiian Monk Seal that was hit by that horrible Washington State man when he threw that huge rock, was not Lani.  NOAA has determined that it was a male Monk Seal that he hit.  I just wanted to clarify that.  I also wanted to state that the man is being charged with Harassment.  That is one of the charges.

I don’t think that most men understand what harassment is?  How is my nasty neighbor throwing things at my house doesn’t understand that is harassment?  Just like the man from Washington State.  Perhaps men should attend classes on being respectful?  It would also benefit them.  Otherwise they will just end up in prison eventually for their actions and behaviors.

 

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July 27, 2026

I Brought Back My:

What It’s Like To Be Cyber-Stalked

I also did an update on the website page.  I took it down for personal reasons but I decided to bring it back.  I will also be slowly bringing back my many other personal blog pages.  I took them down because of the climate in our country that we are living through right now.   Intelligence is the enemy in our country right now, where ignorance is thriving.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Typing with Julie in 1965, (I mean Blogging with Julie in 2025)  Dear Diary…

Typing with Julie in 1965, (I mean Blogging with Julie in 2025) Dear Diary…

        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 

Southern Fried Shortcut

Southern Fried Shortcut

        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 

Julie Italian

Julie Italian

 

 

Ciao e Benvenuto

(Starting this in 2024)

Although Gordon and I have many Italian website pages full of recipes and ideas, I wanted to start this page just for me.  With Gordon working overseas, he is not here to co-contribute along beside me, so it’s really just me now.  Oh, he does come home for visits, and we do talk and collaborate most everyday on the phone, but sometimes it’s just me and my ideas.  Most of the website have been my ideas, Gordon is just the excellent partner that I need to bring these ideas to fruition.  He can figure out how to make my ideas work.  He will think of things that I don’t.  And, I will think of things that he doesn’t.  We really are great partners whether it be working on the website, or in our married lives.

Italian Ingredients Are Beautiful and Colorful

I would like to state that I am not Italian.  Nor do I wish to be.  But, I do love the foods and the ideas that come with the foods the Italian people create.  The Italian people are also very inspiring in their technique and food ingredients.  There is so much history there.  We here in America do not have the long history that other countries and cultures have.  Our country is relatively new.  But, we do have the uniqueness of a blending of so many cultures of people that have migrated over here from other countries.  Some, looking for a better life.  But, always bringing with them their foods, recipes and spices from their homelands.

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With this blending of foods from other countries, many of us are inspired to create our own recipes using the ideas and ingredients that are brought over here.  Whether they are brought through Ellis Island, crossing the border on foot, arriving via airport, or discovering creative people through the Internet, it’s all very inspiring!

My Rome Handbook from my college days.  I save everything!

I was born in Rome.

(O.K., it was Rome, Georgia, but still.  Just think, I could have just left it at that and even passed a polygraph.)  🙂

I hope to add more to this page as I go.  I hope you will enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed creating.

Grazie,

Julie (Barefoot)

I Call This Area My Little Outdoor Italy

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Italian Herb Project

I Adore my Italian Herbs!

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Here is a Project Where I Planted Flat Leaf Parsley, Basil, and Oregano in the same pot.

Purple Basil

To Me This Is Italy In A Pot

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Our Creative Kitchen

Although I’m sure that “experts” will trash our kitchen as being too cluttered, or non-functional.  I will actually agree with them.  However, this cluttered, non-functional, tacky kitchen reflects our personalities perfectly!

So, Moving On…..

Rolling Up My Sleeves Ready To Get Started

These Small Jars ARE My Inspiration!

Cucina & Amore

Bruschetta’s and Pesto’s

I Love Creating a Great Pizza

It popped into my head one night to use these great Bruschetta’s and Pesto’s on a pizza.  I could even picture dolloping them in round circles all over a pizza crust, and then adding more great ingredients on top of them.

Here is the completed pizza.  The recipe is below.  It was truly delicious! 

Which is why I wanted to share it with you.

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This is a Keeper!

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So, who is ready to join me in my cluttered and tacky kitchen?

Hey, some great meals have been created in this kitchen. 

It’s all about the heart, and there is plenty of heart here.  (And a few mermaid tails.)  🙂

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Pasta Bowls

It was one night that I wanted something Pasta for dinner.  I had all these great ingredients, and some beautiful Basil, except I didn’t want a lot to eat.  I thought that I would just put everything into a bowl and not all over a plate.  (I view eating off plates as being a lot of food.  But, I view eating in bowls as being smaller in portions.)  It was then that my Pasta Bowls idea was born.  It just sort of evolved as I put it together.

I Wanted My Pasta Bowl to Look a Bit Asian

My Basil Pasta Spaghetti Noodles, Marinated Artichoke Hearts, Red Pepper and Artichoke Bruschetta, and lots of grated Parmesan Cheese. 

And my beautiful Basil!

See that open packet to the right of the photo above?  That is an excellent pasta base. 

I found it at Sprouts.  It’s called Simply Organic Sweet Basil Pesto Sauce Mix.

I simply followed the packet instructions and added my Spaghetti Pasta.  You can see it in the photos below.

In this photo I am just simply warming my Marinated Artichoke Hearts on a low heat.

Now It’s Time To Create Your Pasta Bowl

I do think this would be a very fun meal for a large group of people.  They can create their very own Pasta Bowls. 

Just set out a spread of ideas and let the party begin!

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My Spaghetti Omelet

(Recipe Down Below)

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Roasted Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms and Broccolini

(Recipe Down Below)

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My Italian Baked Potato

Also Topped with my Roasted Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms and Broccolini

(Recipe Down Below)

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Italian Roasted Potatoes with Red Onion and Garlic

I love a colorful medley of potatoes.  It’s a nice, easy side dish to add to any meal.

All you need are the potatoes, some onion and garlic, along with some very enticing Italian spices from your pantry.

Along with a good dose of Olive Oil.

(Recipe Down Below)

The Italian Potatoes Served with an easy Salad and a grocery store bought Rotisserie Chicken.

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My Spaghetti Pie Creation

This was a lot of fun to make, and delicious to eat!

This was pretty much inspired by my Spaghetti Omelet. 

After I made that, I then wanted to make a Spaghetti Pie.

I wanted to use my leftover Pastas that I had in the pantry.

  And figured that they would work well here. 

I figured that I could ‘disappear’ the different shapes into a pie with the other ingredients. 

Turned out that it did work well together.

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Loving The Leftovers

Great With A Salad

Or Heated Up and Placed Into A Sloppy Joe

Below I Added Some Some Italian Mustard and Some Italian Cheeses

(Recipes Down Below)

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My Italian Goulash

I don’t know if there is such a thing as an Italian Goulash, but that is what I made here.  

I have made several Goulash’s in my time, the origin is from Hungary. 

This is my take on a Hungarian Goulash except with Italian Ingredients, and a few traditional Hungarian ingredients as well.

(Recipe Down Below)

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1930’s Irish-Italian Spaghetti

(Recipe Down Below)

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Goat Cheese, Roasted Garlic, and Olive Dip

(Recipe Down Below)

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Roasting Some Tomatoes…

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To Pack In Extra Virgin Olive Oil

(Recipe Down Below)

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Quick and Easy Naan Pizza w/ my Roasted Tomatoes in EVOO

This is pretty much just a suggestion as something to have with the Roasted Tomatoes above.

(Recipe Down Below)

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Recipes Start Here

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Funny, But I Don’t Even Know What To Call It?

Well, How About, Julie’s Inspirational Pizza?  🙂

Tastes Good To ME!

Just an FYI:  I Happen to be Wearing Shorts  🙂

I can just hear my children now, ‘OMG!  Mom’s on the internet with no pants on!’

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The Ingredients:

Mama Mary’s Original Pizza Crusts (Pack of 2)

The Exceptional Cucina &Amore Bruschetta’s and Pesto’s:

Pesto Alla Genovese (Basil)

Pesto Alla Firenze (Artichoke Lemon)

Bruschetta (Sun-Dried Tomatoes)

Bruschetta (Red Pepper and Artichoke)

Grape Tomatoes, Sliced in Half (As many as you like.)

1-2 Jars, Marinated Artichoke Hearts, Drained

Fresh Mozzarella, Sliced

(Pictured in the ingredients are some marinated mozzarella balls.  They would have been great here, but I omitted them from this recipe as I thought there was just too much olive oil from the Pesto’s and Bruschetta’s.)

Shallots, Chopped into Rings

Fresh Basil Leaves

Proscuitto, Italian Ham

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Before I Assemble the Pizza….

I Need To Start Chopping Everything

The Grape Tomatoes, and the Shallots…

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Before I wanted to assemble the pizza’s with all the delicious ingredients, I wanted to bake them for a few minutes first on a 350F oven.  You first want to use the Olive Oil Pam Spray on the Pizza Pan so the Pizza Crust doesn’t stick.

Just for a few minutes.  Perhaps 3-4.  Then remove from the oven and set aside.

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With My Pizza Crust Out Of The Oven…

It’s Time To Start Dolloping These Tastes All Over!

I specifically wanted the pizza to have these circle dollops all over it.

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Now It’s Time For The Mozzarella Slices…

Then the Sliced Grape Tomatoes…

And Finally, the Sliced Shallots

Also, I brushed some of the Basil Pesto all over the PIZZA BONE.  🙂

  (That’s the outside of the Pizza.)

Beautiful and Perfect!

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Time For The Oven

I Placed The Pizza Into a 350F Oven For About 12 Minutes

While It’s Cooking…..

What a Delicious Messy Kitchen!

Waiting On My Pizza…

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Prosciutto, Italian Ham

With My Pizza Out Of The Oven…

I Wanted To Place Some Prosciutto On Top

Also, Some Fresh Basil Leaves

You Can Always Add A Grinding Of Fresh Black Pepper As Well

I ended up making 2 pizza’s.  One for me, and one for Veronica and Brian.  They loved their pizza as well.  🙂

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My Spaghetti Omelet

Topped With Fried Chorizo and Fresh Parsley in a Basil Pesto Sauce w/ Shredded Parmesan

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Frying Some Chorizo on the Stove Top

I just want it to be a bit crispy.

Ingredients For My Omelet:

Chorizo Slices for Topping

1 Package Brown Rice Pasta (16 oz.)

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13 Eggs, Beaten

5-6 T. Butter

Bunch of Fresh Parsley (Also for Garnish and separate sauce.)

1 t. Chopped Calabrian Peppers (This is HOT!)

8 oz. block (or less) Parmesan Cheese (Grated)

Jar of Prego Basil Pesto Sauce

Hawaiian Sea Salt (or any salt you desire) To taste.

White Pepper (To taste)

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Make Sure Your Parsley Has Been Washed

Ingredients at the Ready

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In a small sauce pan I am heating up some of the Prego Basil Pesto Sauce on the stove top. 

I just want it to warm up and thicken up on a low setting.

With my Chorizo finished frying, I set it aside.

Also, reserve the skillet as this is what we will be cooking the Omelet in.

Now I am Cooking the Spaghetti Pasta

You Want To Cook The Spaghetti Pasta Until Al Dente

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With My Prego Basil Pesto Sauce Thickening, I’m Adding Some Fresh Parsley

I will just keep this on low until I’m ready for it.

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When the Spaghetti Pasta is Al Dente I drained it into a Colander, and then transferred it to a large mixing bowl.

Now I am adding about 3-4 T. butter and a handful of Fresh Parsley.

I then grated just about all of that block of Parmesan Cheese you see in the photo above left.

Now, mix it all together so that your butter is melted, and the other ingredients combined well.

 

Salt and Pepper

In another large bowl add all of your Eggs.  I initially started out with 8 but decided that I needed more.  Hence, 13!

I also added some salt and pepper to taste.

Now whisk the Eggs together thoroughly.

Now Pour the Eggs into Your Spaghetti Mixture

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Now you can grate some more Parmesan into the mixture.

Add a small teaspoon of the Calabrian Peppers….

(You might want to taste this as it is very HOT!)

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It’s time to melt about 2 Tablespoons of Butter into your skillet on a medium heat.

Pour the Omelet mixture into the skillet and place into a350F Oven for about 25 minutes.  I covered the skillet in Aluminum Foil to prevent any burning.

When I thought it was mostly done I then removed the Aluminum Foil so that it could brown a bit.  Cooking it an additional 5 minutes or so.  Insert a toothpick or wooden skewer into the Omelet to make sure it is done.  When it comes out clean then you know it is ready.

Also, ovens vary in temperature and what may take my oven 25 minutes, may take your oven 35 minutes.  So, be sure to monitor it.

When it came out of the oven I topped it with the Fried Chorizo.

It Looks Beautiful Plated and with some Fresh Parsley and Basil

Although for Aesthetic reasons that  Basil Pesto and Parsley Topping with the Shredded Parmesan Cheese may seem unnecessary, it did add to the taste nicely.

Slice and Serve

Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Dinner…  it goes with all!

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Irish-Italian Spaghetti

Because this recipe originated from the 1930’s, I imagine that it was created by an Irish-Italian family, probably living in New York City at the time.  I imagine the family living in an immigrant neighborhood, surrounded by laughter, hard work, lots of wonderful smells wafting throughout the building, and inventive creativity by the residents.  After all, this is a collaboration of two wonderful cultures.

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I Did Embellish The Original Recipe

The Ingredients:

1 lb. Ground Turkey

1 lb. Ground Sausage

1 Large Sweet Onion, Chopped

(Olive Oil for Sauteing Onions)

2, 10.75 oz. Cans of Tomato Soup

2, 10.75 oz. Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 t. Chili Powder

1/4 t. Cayenne Pepper

1/4 t. Turmeric

Freshly Ground Black Pepper to Taste

Tabasco Sauce (As many dashes as you desire)

2 lb. Spaghetti Pasta

Cheeses:

I have 3 here.  A Shaved Parmesan

An Aged Irish Cheddar

And An Aged Italian Cheddar

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Ready To Get Started

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The first thing that I did was to chop the onion into a small dice.

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Campbell’s Soups

It makes perfect sense to me that these two soups would be included in this vintage recipe.  This soup was a staple in every kitchen here in America. 

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I added some Olive Oil to a saucepan to saute the onions.

I combined the Ground Turkey and the Ground Sausage into my wok to brown.

I prefer to cook my Onions separately from the meats.

The Screen is for Draining the Fat into the Sink

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When Both Are Done….

 

..Combine

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Now It’s Time To Add The Soups

Combine, And Simmer on a Low Heat

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Time To Add The Spices

(You can add as much or as little as you like with any of them.  I know that my daughter doesn’t like spicy foods.)

I Eyeballed The Turmeric

It doesn’t change the taste of your food, and it is a cancer cell killer.  So, eat up!

Simmering Away on Low

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Time To Grate My Cheeses…

Now, to Boil The Pasta

(Just cook according to package directions.)

When Ready, Drain Into A Colander

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Time To Plate

Add Some Fresh Basil

I Keep The Cheese Separate

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For Something Extra…

Gordon and I happen to love these Plant Based Meatballs.  A nice addition.

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Don’t Forget Some Nice Bread To Go Along…

Store in the refrigerator for some great meals for the coming week.

Godere,

Julie

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Goat Cheese, Roasted Garlic, and Olive Dip

The First Ingredient:

Roasted Garlic

The first thing you want to do is to roast your garlic cloves. 

I know that I have this particular recipe listed all over this website many times, as it is a favorite, but I will once again give the directions as they apply here.

Before Roasting left, After Roasting right

I’m using two small baking dishes here in order to roast all the Garlic Cloves that I need.

I’m simply placing the cloves into the baking dishes and then placing pats of butter on top.  You can see how many I am using in each baking dish in the phots above left.

You then want to cover the baking dish with Aluminum Foil.

Turn your oven on to 400F.

When the oven comes up to temperature, place your baking dishes into the oven.  I set the timer for 20 minutes to start.

I want to check and make sure that I have enough butter in each dish.  I also want to use a utensil to help me stir the garlic and butter around in the dish to make sure everything is covered.  Sometimes I have had to add more butter.  Do so if needed.

I then place the dishes back into the oven for an additional 20 minutes.  I then take them out just to stir them around a bit, and then place the baking dishes back into the oven for the last and remaining 10 minutes of cooking time.

When done I remove the garlic from the oven and set aside to cool.

  (Usually snacking on the caramelized garlic with a spare baguette.)

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You can see the Roasted Garlic Cloves cooling in the photo, top.  🙂

Gathering My Other Ingredients:

~40 Roasted Garlic cloves
1 Stick of butter or about 8 Tbsp.

(You’ve already done this from above.)

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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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I drizzled a little bit of Extra Virgin Olive Oil into each of my baking dishes the dip will be in.

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I placed my Goat Cheese into a mixing bowl, and then grated some Asiago and Parmesan Cheese into the bowl as well.

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Now to add my Milk and as many Roasted Garlic Cloves as I so desire. 

Trust me, they will be DIVINE!

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Next Add The Remaining Ingredients and Mix Together

It’s time to top the mixture with Olives, any you desire.  Just make sure they are pitted.

Bake in a 400F Oven for 35-40 minutes.

You can check the casserole dishes half way through and cover with foil if you so desire. 

You do want the dip to brown a bit though.

Serve Warm with a Toasted Baguette

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Roasting Tomatoes in the Oven

Although Some Are Charred, They Are Still Delicious

Plainly Packed In Extra Virgin Olive Oil

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Click Here For:  Edible Gifts Italian, Greek, Irish

We have roasted Tomatoes before.  Just click on the link above for more information on how to.

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For This Recipe All You Need Are Lots Of Tomatoes, And Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Wash Your Tomatoes

Roma Tomatoes Work Best Here,

Although I used a combination of both.

Slice The Tomatoes As Thick, Or As Thin As You Like

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Baking Sheet Pans and Parchment Paper

Depending on how thin you slice your tomatoes, it will determine whether your oven should be on 250F, or 300F.

If you slice them thin, I would place them in a 250F oven.  If you slice them thicker, I would place them in a 300F oven.

Once the Tomatoes are Sliced, Place them on Parchment Paper on the Temperature that you Desire, for About 2 Hours.

I sliced mine mostly thin, but some a bit thicker.  Hence, the dark red as opposed to the bright red in color.

I then flipped them over and placed back into the oven for 30 minutes.

I only needed 1 jar for this food project.

I am allowing them to cool, and then packing them into the jar.

Pour the Extra Virgin Olive Oil in the jar to cover the Tomatoes.

Place the jar into the refrigerator.

Here is an excellent recipe you can eat them on…..

Quick and Easy Naan Pizza w/ my Roasted Tomatoes in EVOO….

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Cont…..

We have made several NAAN Pizza’s through the years, and they will always be a favorite weeknight dinner.  I am adding this recipe here to use as an example for you of how you can eat your Roasted Tomatoes in Olive Oil that you just made above.  🙂

Topped with our Fresh Purple Basil

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Toasting Pine Nuts

I LOVE Toasted Pine Nuts!  I love them on NAAN Pizza’s, and I love them on Salad’s.

You just want to place the Pine Nuts in a sauce pan on a medium heat. 

As they cook they will turn a nice brown color. 

Keep stirring them so they don’t burn. 

 The toasting will bring out their flavor.

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Ingredients:

NAAN

Hummus, (Any you desire.  I’m using a plain Hummus here.)

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

A Few Balls of Mozzarella, Marinated

A Few Shakes of Dried Italian Herbs and Spices

A Shake or Two of Garlic Salt

My Roasted Tomatoes in Olive Oil

Toasted Pine Nuts

Fresh Purple Basil

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Turn Your Oven On 350F

You want to place your NAAN onto the oven rack for about 4-5 minutes on one side to toast.

Then remove from the oven and place onto an Aluminum Foil lined baking sheet, flipped the opposite side you toasted.

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Now it’s time to spread some Hummus over each NAAN.

Sprinkle some Italian Herbs and Garlic Salt over top.

Then Add Your Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Now You Want to Add Your Roasted Tomatoes Packed in Olive Oil

Like So….

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Now For The Marinated Mozzarella Balls….. add them around.

Sprinkle with the Toasted Pine Nuts…. then….

Bake in a 350F Oven for about 10-14 Minutes 

Comes out looking delicious, just like this!

Top with Fresh Purple Basil

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Roasted Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms and Broccolini

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This recipe idea came to be simply because I had not used the Portabella Mushrooms or the Broccolini and I knew they would be going bad soon.

  I didn’t know what to do with them so I roasted them.  

I placed the cleaned Mushrooms and Broccolini onto a Baking Sheet and drizzled some Extra Virgin Olive Oil over top. 

I also sprinkled some Italian Herb Seasonings, and some Bread Crumbs.  Also, a pinch of Salt

I then massaged the Olive Oil into the vegetables and….

placed them into a 400F oven for about 20 minutes.

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This is after 20 minutes in the oven.

I then removed the Broccolini, and flipped the Mushrooms over….

so that they looked like this.

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I then simply added the same spices that I had used in the roasting process, to add to the cavity of each Mushroom.

I added the Bread Crumbs, the Italian Spices, and a big dose of the Shredded Parmesan Cheese.

I then placed them back into the 400F oven for about 8 – 10 minutes.

They Came Out Looking Wonderful, and Tasting Delicious!

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My Italian Baked Potato

With Butter, Salt, Pepper, and Italian Herbs

Then Topped With Shredded Parmesan Cheese, and then Topped With Leftover Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms and Roasted Broccolini

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The How To

I think we have all cooked a Baked Potato before. 

The only difference here is that I will be adding ingredients to the outside of the potato before baking it.

Put a slice all the way down the potato, about 1/4 way deep.

Now sprinkle some Water all around the Potato that is sitting on the foil.

I did that in the photo, right.  It is difficult to see though.

Now Add Your Salt, (a pinch or two), and some Pepper, (I used a White Pepper),  and a generous amount of Italian Dried Herbs…

Next Add About 2 Pats of Butter to the Potato…

Now Seal the Potato up with Aluminum Foil

(You might want to place it in some kind of tin just in case the water or butter leak out while cooking.)

The Potato was Baked in a 400F Oven for an Hour

Once the Potato is done, place it into a bowl, mash it a bit, add some butter, salt and pepper….

Top With Some Parmesan Cheese and Fresh Herbs

EAT THE SKIN!  (It’s good for you!)

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My Spaghetti Pie Creation

This recipe was born out of my need for a Sausage, Pasta, and Tomato Sauce with Olives for dinner. 

I just wanted to rework Italian into something creative that I knew I would love. 

 I also had some leftover Pasta I wanted to use up.

I have to say that this was so good! 

The only regret that I had was that I didn’t brush the Lasagna Noodles with an Olive Oil before I baked it. 

I think that would be made it even more perfect.  🙂

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This is a “To Taste” Recipe

Meaning, you will make this to YOUR Tastes where amounts are concerned.

(Ignore the Mozzarella Cheese you see pictured here.  I didn’t use any of it.)

Ingredients:

Spaghetti and Lasagna Noodles (About 16 oz. Spaghetti Noodles, and about 6 Lasagna Noodles)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil, to taste

1 lb. HOT Italian Sausage

2, 14.5 Ounce Cans Petite Diced Tomatoes

Cottage Cheese (As much as you like)

1 Medium Onion, Chopped

2 Eggs

2 T. Butter

Roasted Garlic Cloves, to taste, I used about 10

Most of a Block of Parmesan Cheese, Grated

5 oz. Container of Shaved Parmesan Cheese

1 t. Dried Oregano

1/2 t. Fennel Seeds

(My Roasted Olives) Recipe down below

Bunch of Fresh Parsley

Pam Olive Oil Cooking Spray

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We eat a lot of this Sausage whether it be HOT or MILD. 

Sometimes we even combine the two.

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Chopping Our Onion

Cooking Our Sausage in a WOK on a Medium-High Heat

(I love using a WOK to cook in.

  I find that I do much better when I use a WOK as opposed to a Sause Pan. 

I think the heat is better distributed in a Wok.

Break up the Sausage with your spoon and cook thoroughly, then add your Chopped Onions.

I added about a drizzle of Olive Oil to my Sausage and Onion Mixture. 

I then added several Roasted Garlic Cloves, about 10 or so. and 1/2 t. Fennel Seeds.

Stir to Combine, you can Crush the Roasted Garlic Cloves with your Spoon

Now It’s Time To Add Our Cans Of Tomatoes and 1 t. Dried Oregano

Stir to Combine

At this point you have turned your Stove Top down to a Low to allow it to simmer and thicken up.

You want to stir occasionally.

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My Roasted Olives

I had these leftover in the refrigerator and wanted to use them here.

  I just picked out about 20 of them to use in the recipe.

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Here is My Roasted Olive Recipe:

The Spaghetti Pie recipe will resume after this one.  Just keep reading.

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RECIPE

My Curry Leaf Roasted Olives, Garlic and Sundried Tomatoes

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Our Front Yard Curry Plant

Draining My Olives and Washing My Curry Leaf Branches

(I can’t believe that I have no photos of my Olives that I used here in the jars they came in. 

However, I will do my best to name them in the ingredient write-up.)

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Ingredients:  Amounts Are Up To You

Assortment of Olives, preferably Pitted

I used Kalamata Olives, Moroccan Olives, Italian Castelvetrano Olives, and large Stuffed Olives

Sundried Tomatoes

3 Branches of our Curry Leaves

Fresh Garlic Cloves

Roasted Garlic Cloves

Key Limes

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Spices:

Oregano

Dill Weed

Dill Seed

Basil

Olive Oil

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My Roasted Garlic, Left, and Fresh Garlic Cloves, Right

(Each one adds a different flavor.)

Turn Your Oven on 400F

Line a Baking Sheet with Aluminum Foil and create a sort of “bowl” to be able to hold all the Olive mixture so they don’t expand all over the baking sheet.

In a Medium to Large Bowl I Added All My Drained Olives and some Fresh Garlic Cloves, as well as some Roasted Garlic Cloves.

I Chopped My Sundried Tomatoes into Smaller Pieces

(I love this brand of Sundried Tomatoes, I snack on them all the time.)

Add Everything To Your Bowl

Time To Add Your Spices,

And Key Lime (or Lime) Juice

(You don’t want your bowl full of olives, etc. all wet.  You want everything to mix together nicely and not have some puddle in the bottom of the bowl.  This should give you an idea of how much Lime Juice to add.)

Mix Everything Together and then Drizzle Your Olive Oil Over Top

This is a really good Olive Oil.  By all means, stock up on it.  You will use it quite often.  It is one of the best.

(I tend to always add more, so just drizzle enough to combine everything together.  You can always add more later on.)

——————————————————————————-

Now It’s Time To Place Them on the Baking Sheet

I Placed One Curry Branch Down First,

Then I Poured The Bowl of Olives Over Top

I Also Drizzled More Olive Oil Over Them to Make Sure They Were All Coated Well

Into The Oven They Go For 20 Minutes

Here I removed them and stirred them around a bit. 

Just to make sure they weren’t sticking to the Aluminum Foil, and to make sure they were coated well in the Olive Oil.

I Also Added More Spices… just a few Shakes of This and That

Then Placed Them Back into the Oven for Additional 20 Minutes

Curry Leaves Should Have Been Blacker

(I would have loved for my leaves to have been more Charred, as they eat them overseas, but I didn’t want my Olives, etc. to be more done than they were.)

After a Total of 40 – 50 Minutes in the Oven….

Allow To Cool…

Then Place Into a Bowl and Add Some Fresh Curry Leaves Around

Keep in the Refrigerator

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Back to Our Spaghetti Pie Recipe….

As you can see, my sausage mixture is thickening up nicely. 

I’m keeping it on a very low heat.

Time to Add My Olives

(I picked out several different varieties here.  Not to mention all the good stuff that is “stuck” to them from the jar.  It just adds more flavor.)

I’m keeping this on Low for now.

——————————————————————————————————————

Now It’s Time To Cook The Pastas

I’m cooking the leftovers of about 3 different Spaghetti Pastas here.

Cook to Al Dente.  Just follow the package directions.

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Grating the Block of Parmesan Cheese

(I don’t think I grated the entire block, but I did grate most of it.)

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Boiling the Pastas

Spaghetti Pasta left, Lasagna Pasta back right

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When my Spaghetti Pasta was Al Dente, I placed it into a different Wok, and while still hot I added 2 T. of Butter.

Saving the Pasta Water left, just in case.  Lasagna Noodles cooking, photo right.

With Butter melted, time to add the Eggs and Grated Parmesan Cheese.  Combine.

This is an area where you can add as much cheese as you like.

My Lasagna Noodles are Al Dente.  I placed them into a Colander to drain, photo left.

Photo right is my two Woks

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Pie Plate and Cooking Oil Spray

I’m spraying my Pie Plate with an Olive Oil Cooking Spray

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I lined the bottom of the Pie Plate with the Lasagna Noodles, and then wrapped them around the outside of the Pie Plate.

  Like So….

I then placed the Spaghetti Noodle mixture in the very center of the Pie Plate.  Followed by dollops of Cottage Cheese until I covered the Pasta and added as much as I personally like.

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I then spooned the Sausage Mixture over top of the Cottage Cheese.

And to top it off, I added a handful of the Shaved Parmesan in the middle of my Spaghetti Pie.

Time To Go Into A 350F Oven For About 20 – 25 Minutes.

I wish that I had brushed the Lasagna Noodles with Olive Oil before baking. 

I think the noodles would have come out much nicer had I done that.

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Out of the Oven and Cooling

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My Pie!

Of course when I cut into it, it sort of just ran together.

But, it is soooo delicious!

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My Spaghetti Pie Leftovers

Great With A Salad…

Or, my extra filling heated up on the stove top and served between two slices of bread, with some slices of Italian Cheeses and some Italian Mustard.

This Recipe is a Keeper!

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My Italian Goulash

Perfect All In One Meal

(Just Add A Salad And Some Great Bread)

——————————————————————————————————

The Ingredients:

1 lb. Ground Chicken

(We don’t eat red meat, so our go to when we want any sort of meat in a dish is either ground chicken, or ground turkey, and many times ground sausage.)

My Tomatoes

I used the 3 medium you see above, and most of the grape tomatoes you see in the small colander.

I used about a Tablespoon and a half of Garlic Olive Oil (In two separate pans)

1 Onion, I used about 2/3 rd. of it.

1 Green Bell Pepper

About 6 Garlic Cloves, Crushed

1/2 t. of Dried Italian Seasonings

1 t. Pizza Palooza Seasonings

Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste

Black Garlic Salt (Pictured Down Below) to taste

1 24 oz. Jar Italian Strained Tomatoes

1 t. Calabrian Peppers (This is HOT!  Use Caution)

Handfuls of Fresh Spinach Leaves

(Use as much as you like.  They wilt down tremendously.)

Shellbows Pasta (1 Pound)

4-5 oz. Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Shaved Parmesan Cheese, as a Garnish/Topping

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I’ve Chopped the Onion and Green Bell Pepper into small Chunks.

I placed about a Tablespoon of Garlic Olive Oil into my sauce pan and turned the burner onto a medium-high heat.

My Garlic Cloves are ready to crush when needed.

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When my Garlic Olive Oil and my sauce pan heated up, I then added my Chopped Onions.

I also crushed in my Garlic Cloves so that they can soften.

I just want to saute it around for about 5 minutes, I then added the Green Bell Pepper to also saute and soften.  

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In a separate sauce pan I cooked the Ground Chicken on a medium-high heat, breaking it up into small chunks.

I added about a teaspoon of Garlic Olive Oil to the Ground Chicken while cooking. 

Drain any fat if you need to.

You just want the chicken cooked, and the vegetables softened.

Now I am going to add my Onion/Bell Pepper/Garlic mixture to the cooked Ground Chicken.

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Now I am adding my Tomatoes to the meat mixture.

  I did remove the sauce pan from the heat and sliced the Grape Tomatoes in half, and then chopped my larger Tomatoes into chunks. 

Then added them to the meat mixture.

—————————————————————————————————

Time To Add My Spices

Dried Italian Herbs and Spices, Pizza Palooza Spice Mixture, and my Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Blend Together….Place Saute Pan Back On Stove Top Burner

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Add Italian Strained Tomatoes…

 

Stir Together and bump the heat up to a Medium Heat for everything to meld together.

Time to add about a Teaspoon or Tablespoon of the Chopped Calabrian Peppers.

(These things are HOT!  Use Caution!)

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I just wanted my mixture to thicken up by simmering it until it does.  Be sure to watch it and stir occasionally.

—————————————————————————————-

Time To Add The Fresh Spinach Leaves

I used a LOT! 

The Spinach cooks down tremendously so be generous in your heaping hand full’s.

Just Stir Together

Keep the Heat on a Low Setting for Now

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The Shellbows

Cooking The Pasta Until Al Dente

Just bring a pot of water up to a high temperature. 

I added some salt to the water to speed up the cooking. 

I also added a few drops of the Garlic Olive Oil for flavor to and help prevent the sticking.

Once the Shellbows are Al Dente I used a strainer to just move the Pasta from the pot to my main dish.

Stir To Combine

My Parmesan Cheeses

I Added The Shredded Parmesan to the Meat Mixture…

Then Sprinkled a few “Pinches” of the Black Garlic Salt overtop, to taste.

I then used the Shaved Parmesan to top my Italian Goulash

(Although you can see the Spinach Leaves peeking through, you could also add some Fresh Chopped Parsley if you so desire.)

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Spero Chi Ti Piaccia Il Mio Cibo

(I Hope You Enjoy My Food)

Grazie,

Julie

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If you would like to view our other Italian food posts……

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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La Sciatta Giulia Anna’s (Italian Sloppy Julie Ann’s)

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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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Italian Naan Pizza

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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

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Tavolino Da Caffe Italiana (Coffee Table Italian)

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Julie Italian

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An Italian Natale

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Summer Italian

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Isabelle and the Romas

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Lemon Tratta (Treats)

 

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Grazie,

Julie and Gordon

Yummy Sammy’s

Yummy Sammy’s

        Julie’s Perfect Sammy (with Purslane Weeds) AND, Our All American Ham and Turkey on a Sesame Seed Bun AND, Our Eggy in a Basket BLT The Egg is Baked into the Bread ——————————————————————————– (Recipes Down Below) —————————————————————————————- It was time to 

Grammaw Nell’s I’talian Sausage Suppah

Grammaw Nell’s I’talian Sausage Suppah

      Italian Sausage Supper My Grandmother, Nellie Mae Keith Haskin, didn’t learn how to cook until she was in her 50’s, when her mother-in-law died, and Nell was forced to learn how.  In her time you had your in-laws living with you.  It 

Tavolino Da Caffe Italiana (Coffee Table Italian)

Tavolino Da Caffe Italiana (Coffee Table Italian)

 

 

 

February, 2024

Super Bowl Sunday

Airport Pick-Up, w/ Great Coffee Table Italian Foods to Follow  🙂

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With Gordon working overseas, he doesn’t get to come home very often.  This was a very nice visit filled with lots of Coffee Table Italian.  (I never knew we loved sandwiches so much until after he left to fly back overseas and I looked at all of our food photos.)

All of these creations were of so much fun!

We hope you enjoy them as much as we did.  I mean, who doesn’t love a good sandwich?

Grazie Mille,

Julie and Gordon

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The Menu:

Pasta Topped Polenta w/ Sun Dried Tomatoes and Basil Leaves

Casserole

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An Italian Staple of Ours:

Focaccia, and Roasted Garlic

The Ultimate Italian Sandwich

This is one of the BEST Sandwiches that we have ever MADE!

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The Sandwich is Excellent with our Polenta Casserole from Above

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Olive Egg Salad, and Cider Vinegar Potato Salad

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Corona with Lime

Our Super Bowl Italian Sandwich

Buon Appetito!

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Chicken Parm Sandwiches (TWO WAYS)

Number 1

One day I Julie, was shopping in Sprouts and saw this delicious Chicken Parmesan, ready made.  They just looked so good and I didn’t feel like cooking anything that night, so I bought them.  I really hadn’t thought how I would be eating them?  I just assumed that I would be baking them in the oven (to finish the baking process), and having them with a few vegetables.  It was when I was going through the refrigerator that I spotted the Italian Mustard that I love so much.  I wondered how I could have the mustard with the Chicken Parm I had just bought?  That is when I realized how great a sandwich this would make!  I even had the Baguettes and some great greens to eat it all together with.

The Chicken Parm was too big for one of my Baguettes, so I baked two!

This was an Excellent Sandwich..

..With Great Leftovers!

(Recipe Down Below)

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Chicken Parm Sandwich

Number 2

This is a great picture of the sandwich before it is cut, so you can see how it was laid out.

With Gordon working overseas, when he came back home for his Homecoming, October 2024, I told him about the great sandwich that I made and I would like for us to have one while he’s home.  I gave him my ideas for making the sandwich even more elaborate than I had made it prior.

We did.  And it was even more delicious than the one I had originally made. 

We will tell you how we did it down below.

(Recipe Down Below)

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Coffee Table Lasagna

Perfect find from the freezer for a very nice long weekend of Italian Feasting.

(Recipe Down Below)

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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

The Gigantic Julie

(Sandwich, that is.)

 

(Recipe Down Below)

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Recipes Start Here

———————————————————————

 

Pasta Topped Polenta w/ Sun Dried Tomatoes and Fresh Basil

——————————————————————————-

Ingredients:

Pam “Olive Oil” Spray – as needed

Hawaiian Sea Salt

1 Cup Yellow Corn Polenta

4 Cups Water

1/3 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream

½ Cup Parmesan Cheese – Grated

1 Pkg. Thin Spaghetti

~6 Cups of Water to boil the Spaghetti

8 oz. Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

~14 Basil Leaves

~1/2 Cup Smoked Sun-Dried Tomatoes

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This was an excellent recipe. 

It was just something we threw together.  It was Julie’s idea.

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Hawaiian Sea Salt

——————————————————————————

This is a really good Polenta as we like all of this brand’s ingredients. Pour 1 Cup of dried Polenta into a medium sized pot, then add your water as directed.  Heat to a boil and stir with a whisk to prevent lumps.

Cook the Polenta as directed switching to a rubber spatula, then turn off the heat.

Now add your Heavy Whipping Cream to the cooked Polenta.

Use your spatula to mix in the Whipping Cream.

Grate in your Parmesan Cheese

Mix the ingredients well …

Then add them into a large casserole dish that has been sprayed with the Pam cooking oil spray.  You can use an Olive Oil spray.

Use your spatula to smooth and even out the Polenta in the dish.

Set this aside for later.

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Pictured are your next set of ingredients.

This Spaghetti worked great in this recipe as it was shorter than usual, making it easier to eat with the Polenta.  You will better see what I mean later.

Cook the Spaghetti as directed.

Drain the Spaghetti in a colander without rinsing it.  Rinsing pasta removes the starch on the noodles preventing the sauce, in this case our Pesto, from sticking to it.

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Fresh Basil is amazing and easy to grow!

Place your cooked Spaghetti into a large bowl, then add your Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto.

Toss the ingredients together as shown.

Add your Spaghetti to the top of your Polenta.

Top this with a good helping of your Smoked Sun-Dried Tomatoes.  (We used regular Sun Dried Tomatoes as well as the Smoked.)

Looks great as it is!

Now, top this with your Fresh Basil Leaves. 

This smells wonderful!

The sides are some leftover pasta salad, and Kalamata Olives.

Slice out some of this wonderful combination of ingredients and dig in!

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The Ultimate Italian Sandwich

—————————————-

Pictured are some of the ingredients we used.

Ingredients:

Focaccia Olive Oil & Sea Salt bread – some insides removed to create a cavity

Pickled Banana Peppers – Drained

Roasted Red Peppers – Drained

1 heaping Tbsp. Parmesan Garlic Aioli

10 Coppa “Capicola” Italian Dry-cured Ham Slices

6 Provolone Cheese Slices

4 Prosciutto Ham Slices

2 Tbsp. Basil Pesto

2 Roma Tomatoes – Sliced to a medium thickness

1 Cup Micro Greens

4 Basil Leaves

~2 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar

————————————————————————-

Now this is a Great Sandwich… one of our favorites!

The pictures Julie took fully illustrate what we mean!

This bread was perfect as it was crunchy on the outside, while being soft on the inside.

Begin by slicing the bread loaf in half horizontally using your bread knife, then remove some of the bread from the top slice as shown.

Here are the jars of Pickled Banana Peppers and Roasted Red Peppers we used.

Place them in a colander, being sure to drain them well.

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A nice picture of the meats and cheese we used.

You should be able to find them in most any grocery store.

This Parmesan Garlic Aioli was a great addition to the sandwich. This may be a little harder to find, but well worth the effort. Spread a good amount of it over the lower half of the sandwich. If you can’t find it use your favorite mustard.

Now, place your sliced Capicola, Provolone Cheese, and Prosciutto onto the Aioli.

For good measure, I placed two more slices of Provolone and Capicola on top.

For the top side of the sandwich, I spread a layer of the Basil Pesto. This really gave the sandwich a great Italian flavor.

Turn your oven to 400’F and place your sandwich slices on a sheet pan lined with non-stick aluminum foil.

When the oven has come to temperature, place your sandwich in and let it bake for about 10 min. or until the cheese is melted.

—————————————————————————–

Meanwhile, slice your Roma Tomato into medium thick slices.

Now that your sandwich is browned and the cheese has been slightly melted, place on your Roma Tomato slices, and both types of peppers on top of the meat.

—————————————————————————————–

Add your Micro Greens to the cavity side of the sandwich. Now you see why we removed some of the bread.

Top the Peppers with some Fresh Basil and pour your Balsamic Vinegar over the Micro Greens.

—————————————————————————-

Slide the two halves of the sandwich close together, and bring both slices together, then place the bottom side down. Slice the sandwich in half using your bread knife.

If your mouth isn’t watering right now, I think something might be wrong with you, because this looks delicious!

This is a great meal, a side of Focaccia Bread with Roasted Garlic as an appetizer, the sandwich is paired with some Blue Corn chips for a great contrast in color and texture.

You have got to try this sandwich as we know you will enjoy it!

Buon Appetito!

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Olive Egg Salad and Cider Vinegar Potato Salad

I Julie, saw this Olive Bread and knew immediately what I wanted to do with it.

I could just see my Olive Egg Salad would be perfect with it.  Along with this excellent Moroccan Olive Spread that I had discovered months prior.  It turned out great!  It’s a keeper!

This bread requires that you finish cooking it before you eat it.  Here, that is what Gordon is doing.

When done, just slice into it lengthwise.

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Here is that delicious Olive Spread I was telling you about.  Gordon is spreading it onto the bread halves above.

Now he is adding some Arugula and my Olive Egg Salad.

(I wasn’t going to write my Egg Salad recipe here as it is in many places throughout the website.  But, I will say that I made my Egg Salad in the usual way except instead of adding Dill Pickles, or Dill Pickle Relish, I simply chopped as many Olives as I liked and added them instead.)

—————————————————————————

A Nice Sprinkling of Paprika..

..A Nice Mustard

————————————————————————

I Did Consider Placing Some Whole Olives Onto My Egg Salad, But They Already Have Plenty of Olives In It

Close The Sandwiches Together

Then Slice Into

Plate, and Enjoy!

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The Potato Salad Cider Vinegar Dressing

Recipe From Gordon’s Mother, Sarajane Whann

She passed along many recipes to us in a hodgepodge of an Herb Notebook in disarray, and a simple box with handwritten recipes and booklets in a small box.  I found this and decided to try it.  It is as she says, excellent!

The Recipe

(I used this recipe as a guide.  I did add more than was instructed.  I also added a few things that weren’t listed in the recipe.  You can do the same!)

Excellent with our Olive Egg Salad Sandwiches

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Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Slivered Almonds

5 Medium Potatoes

3 Celery Sticks, Chopped

4 Spring Onions, Chopped

4 Green Shallots, Chopped

1 Medium Apple, Chopped

1 T. Lemon Juice

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Cider Vinegar Dressing

2 T. Cider Vinegar

1/3 Cup Olive Oil

2 t. Lemon Juice

2 t. Lime Juice

2 t. Brown Sugar

1/4 t. Dry Mustard

1 Clove Garlic, Crushed

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Make sure all of your ingredients have been washed.

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Washed Potatoes, Left—Placed Into a Pot of Water to Boil, Right

Boil on a High Heat until they are fork tender.

You Will Need A Large Mixing Bowl

When The Potatoes Are Done, Cut Them Into Bite Sized Chunks,

As You Can See, I Used A Nice Variety Of Colors

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Now, Slice Your Cleaned Celery Into Diced Sized Pieces

I Also Added Some Chopped Spring Onions

Chopping The Shallots

Adding Everything To The Mixing Bowl

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Chopping My Apples

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Adding Them and The Lemon Juice To The Ingredients

Cover With Saran Wrap and Place Into The Refrigerator to Chill

———————————————————————————

The Cider Vinegar Dressing

LIMES

Toast Slivered Almonds in a 350F Oven for about 5-7 minutes.

Our Dressing Ingredients

I Used Two Different Vineger’s Here.  Each Provides a Different Taste.

You Simply Want To Place All Of Your Ingredients Into A Jar As You go

Crushing Garlic Cloves

And There It Is!  The Dressing

Keep Everything Refrigerated

Hope You Like!

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Our Super Bowl Italian Sandwich

Ingredients:

2 Garlic Batard Bread Loafs – Top half insides removed

Honey Dijon Mustard

Woebers Reserve Brand Mustard

Sriracha Aioli

Grey Poupon

Roasted Garlic Mustard

4 Honey Ham slices

4 Swiss Cheese slices

Deli Turkey Slices

Roasted Red Pepper Strips

Mild Banana Pepper Rings

Vidalia Onion – sliced thinly

Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste

1 Large Tomato sliced

Salsalito Turkey

Red Onion slices

Muenster Cheese

Baby Arugula

Rainbow Micro Greens

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Our Super Bowl Italian Sandwich

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More ingredients we used.

And here are even more ingredients we used.

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Sliced the bread in half, and remove some of the insides of the top halves.

Here I am slicing the other bread loaf in half using a bread knife. Good thing I have my thumb out of the way.  🙂

Pictured are the mustard’s we used.

For one on the sandwiches, I squeezed a liberal amount of the Honey Mustard on the bottom half of the bread loaf.

Since we only had a little bit of the Woebers Reserve, I spread it on top of the Honey Mustard.

On the top half, I spread a liberal amount of the Sriracha Aioli. It is a little hot, so taste it before you do this.

On top of the Honey Mustard, I placed four Sweet Honey Ham slices.

Swiss Cheese goes perfect with the Ham, so I added a few slices on top of the Ham, then I added some nice Roasted Turkey slices, and topped it with more Swiss Cheese.

—————————————————————————-

These are good peppers to use on a sandwich. They are very flavorful, and the mild Banana Peppers have just the right amount of heat.

Place a good amount of them on each sandwich. Don’t be shy with them!

The Roasted Red Bell Peppers taste as good as homemade.

So far so good!

——————————————————————-

Slice your Sweet Vidalia Onion thinly. Julie and I both love the taste of raw onions on our sandwiches. They are also great on Veggie Burgers. They just give it an amazing taste and crunch.

Add your freshly cracked Black Pepper.

Slice your tomato to use later.

For the other sandwich, I started with some Grey Poupon on the bottom sections, I used the Sriracha Aioli just around the outside of the sandwich and spread the Garlic Mustard on the inside section. I then placed some slices of the Salsalito Turkey. This Turkey has some great heat to it, and Julie loves it.  🙂

Top the Turkey with some Muenster Cheese and a single slice of Swiss for good measure.

We had some Red Onion in the refrigerator, so I added them to both sandwiches.

Red Onions have a unique flavor to them.

If you haven’t done so already, place your sandwiches on a sheet pan lined with Non-stick aluminum foil. Turn your oven on to 400’F. When your oven is at temperature, place your sandwiches in for about 10 min. or until the cheese is good and melted.

You can see the cheese has melted nicely and the onion are slightly cooked as well.

Add your Micro Greens, Tomato slices, and Pepper Rings to the sandwiches.

I love Arugula as it has a Black Pepper taste.

Have fun with the ingredients!

Place the sandwich halves close then bring the halves quickly together with the bottom half down. Now that looks delicious!

Move the sandwich to your cutting board and slice them into thirds as they are pretty big. Leftovers are great!

We love the different combinations of ingredients.

You can see this was a big sandwich.

The bread really browned nicely.

Julie found a nice platter for the sandwiches. We hope you will try these great sandwich creations!

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The Leftover Potato Salad with Cider Vinegar

Perfect with our Super Bowl Sandwiches

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Chicken Parm Sandwiches (TWO WAYS)

First Sandwich Version:

I write about my thought process on this in the description at the top of this page.

My Version Was Delicious All On It’s Own  🙂

———————————————————————————————————–

Bread, Chicken Parm, and Italian Mustard

I placed the Chicken Parm onto a Baking Sheet and finished the cooking process in the oven according to the package instructions.

I also placed the bread onto a Baking Sheet and placed it into the oven according to package instructions.

Once Done….

—————————————————————————————————–

Now It’s Time To Build This Delicious Sandwich

Italian Mustard on Both Sides, Fresh Salad Mix, Chicken Parm, More Microgreens, Topped with the Tops

Just Slice and Eat

I Do Love Lots of Greens!

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Second Sandwich Version:

I Julie, write about this version as well in the upper portion of this page, and how this recipe came to be.

I tend to save the more elaborate recipes for when Gordon is home from working abroad.  I love creating the ideas, and I love the photography that comes with it.  It’s hard when I have to do it all at once by myself.  This is why I will wait until Gordon is home so that we can work on the more elaborate food projects together, and not just me alone.

Our Chicken Parm I Bought From Sprouts, Ready for the Oven

(Bake according to the package instructions.)

(Gordon’s Write Up)

Pictured are the ingredients to make the sandwich:

Ciabatta Bread Loaf – sliced in half down the middle, as shown

3- Provolone Cheese Slices

Shredded Italian Cheese

Pesto

Spring Salad Mix

Sweet Italian Mustard

Black Garlic Finishing Salt

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Turn on your oven’s broiler and place your sliced bread on a baking sheet. 

Then place your bread and Chicken Parmesan into your oven.

Watch it cook the bread and when the bread is to your liking, remove it from the oven… and turn your oven off.

You can see our Ciabatta Bread halves are nicely toasted. 

Set your Chicken Parmesan aside and place your bread on a large cutting board.

On the bottom half of the bread with the sliced side up, spoon on a good amount of your favorite pesto, then top your pesto with the Spring Salad Mix as shown.

Top your Spring Salad Mix with your Chicken Parmesan.

On the Top half of the bread sliced side up, spread the Sweet Italian Mustard. 

This sweet tangy mustard really works well with the flavor combination of the other ingredients.

Now, add your 3 slices of Provolone Cheese

Then top this with a good amount of the shredded Italian cheese. 

Add your Black Garlic Salt to taste to the top of the shredded Italian cheese.

Using a spoon, dollop more of the Pesto on top of the shredded Italian cheese as shown. 

Or not, but we really love Pesto.

Place this side of the sandwich back onto the sheet pan and broil it in your oven until the cheese melts… takes only a few minutes to complete.

Pictured is what it will look like when done… you can see the cheese was just starting to brown… This would be delicious to eat by itself!

Time to put the sandwich together. 

I always like to make the sandwich having one side with less ingredients than the other, making it easier to combine.

Take the Ciabatta cheese side and place it on top of the sandwich. 

Slice the sandwich in half or on the bias. 

Again, the picture speaks volumes of how good this sandwich really is.

We hope you enjoy this great Italian themed sandwich as much as we did!

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Coffee Table Lasagna

 

(The Ingredients you see Below Were Made for TWO Large Lasagna’s.  One to Eat, One to Freeze.)

——————————————————————————————————–

This is the one we ATE.

The above photos are the one we FROZE.

——————————————————————————————-

Ingredients:  (Where Do I Even Start?)

(You can always half the ingredients in order to make just one large Lasagna.)

—————————————————————————

3, 16 oz. Lasagna Pasta Noodles (You may not use all of them, but you will use most of them.)

5 Jars Various Spaghetti Pasta Sauces (Around 24 oz. Each)

2, 1b. Italian Sausage, Sweet and Hot

3, 2 lb. Container’s of Ricotta Cheese

1, 16 oz. Container Cottage Cheese

Crinkle Cut Carrots (About 2 Cups)

2, 14 oz. Bags of Frozen Broccoli, Thawed and Drained

4-6 Large Whole Garlic Cloves, Minced

1/4 Cup or as Much as you Like, Italian Style Bread Crumbs

Sliced Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, as much as you like

8 oz. Blocks of Parmesan and Parmesan-Reggiano Cheese, Grated

Freshly Ground Black Pepper to Taste

Fresh Herbs of Basil, Oregano, and Parsley, as much as you want

Topping:  7.9 oz. Basil Pesto

High End Extra Virgin Olive Oil for Drizzling Overtop

————————————————————————————————————-

So Excited and Ready To Get Started  🙂

————————————————————————————————

The first thing that I want to do is to brown my Sausage in a large sauce pan on a medium-high heat.

  The pan is a non-stick and I don’t need to add any Olive Oil.  The Sausage will provide the fat needed.

Some of my Sausage is in casings.  You just want to slit the casing open to remove the Sausage so that it can be browned evenly with the rest of the Sausage.

I’m using a combination of Sweet and Hot Sausage.

In the meantime, I have placed my Frozen Broccoli into a microwave safe casserole dish, with a lid, in order to thaw and cook my Broccoli.  You can always use fresh Broccoli if you like.  I’ve used both in the past and I don’t find that it matters much if you use Fresh or Frozen.  I find that keeping Frozen Broccoli in the freezer to use for recipes like this comes in handy.

Cook the Broccoli according to your Microwave’s directions for Thawing and Cooking Frozen Vegetables.

—————————————————————————————

While my Sausage is browning in the sauce pan I am mincing some Garlic Cloves.  Gordon and I used to chop so much Garlic that it would take forever to mince all that up into such small bits.  Now, we just grab this wonderful tool and squeeze to have it turn out exactly how we want it and in just a few seconds.  I’m mincing about 4-5 large Garlic Cloves in the photo above.  You can use as much or as little as you like.  We just LOVE Garlic!

Broccoli Ready…

Here I am draining the water out of the casserole dish and into the sink.

  Then filling the casserole dish with cold water for the Broccoli to sit in so that it will stop the cooking process.

——————————————————————————————–

My Sausage and Garlic have finished cooking.  I used the spatter screen you see in the photo above to drain the excess fat into the sink. 

Just make sure your Sausage doesn’t fall into the sink as well.  

————————————————————————————-

In a very large pot on the stove top on a high heat, start boiling your water to cook the Lasagna Noodles in. 

Add a bit of Salt to the water.

While that comes to a boil….

Make Sure the Fresh Herbs are Clean and Dry

Fresh Herbs, Carrots, and the Broccoli

The Carrots have been washed and the water is being drained from them.

—————————————————————————————–

Now that my water has come up to boiling…

It’s time to add the Lasagna Noodles

(Cook according to the package instructions.)

—————————————————————————————

My Ricotta Cheeses

In two separate bowls I will be mixing the Ricotta Cheese with other things. 

I am evenly dividing up all 3 containers to place into the two bowls.

In this bowl I am placing in some Fresh Parsley Leaves. 

I don’t chop them I just pluck the flowering end off and add it to the bowl.

———————————————————————————————–

My Lasagna Noodles are Done!

Time to Drain into a Colander

Allow to Cool a Bit

Keep them in the sink because you may need to add water to the noodles if they start to harden up while you are still working with them building your Lasagna.

————————————————————————————————-

Into the Second Bowl of Ricotta…

Place a Nice Basil Pesto, as much as you Like

(Reserve some of the Pesto as a Lasagna topping.)

—————————————————————————————–

Here Gordon is Chopping Some Basil…

..To be Equally Distributed into Each Bowl

——————————————————————————————–

Our Two Casserole Dishes

Coat Both Well With a Cooking Oil Spray, Bottom and Sides

(One we are giving to Veronica and Brian as a gift, along with this great Lasagna that it will house, and the other is ours to place into the freezer for a later date.)

——————————————————————————————————-

My Various Jars of Spaghetti Sauces

In the bottom of each casserole dish place enough of the Sauce to cover the bottom.

  You just need a nice thin layer.

Now, place down a layer of the Lasagna Noodles over the Sauce.

Like So…

Now place some of your Herby Ricotta Cheese.

Spread out a nice layer.  Use a spatula to spread around.

Then add more of the Lasagna Noodles over the Ricotta Cheese, and then add a layer of yet another Spaghetti Sauce.

Like So..

Time for a nice layer of the Sausage.

Then top with more Lasagna Noodles.

More Ricotta Cheese….

More Sauce….

————————————————————————————————–

Remember our Broccoli?  Time to add it here.

Cooking and Softening the Carrots in the Microwave

Adding Slices of Fresh Mozzarella Over the Broccoli

———————————————————————————

Cottage Cheese

Dolloping spoons of Cottage Cheese between the slices of Mozzarella Cheese Slices, photo top left.

My Carrots are cooked the ready, time to add them over top.

———————————————————————————-

Italian Bread Crumbs

————————————————————————————————

Here I did sprinkle some of the Italian Bread Crumbs from above, over the top. 

Maybe about 1/4 Cup?

Now it’s time for more Lasagna Noodles

You can see them beginning to get hard in the photos above. 

When this happens you can just add more water over top underneath the sink faucet and that will get them pliable again.

——————————————————————————–

Time For More Ricotta Cheese….

Dollop as much as you like and smooth over with a spatula.

Here I Added Fresh Herbs of Oregano

Then Top With More Lasagna Noodles

————————————————————————————————

Time to Top Them Off With the Remaining Spaghetti Sauce

——————————————————————————————

We Have Built Our Lasagna Up To The Very TOP!

Now It’s Time To Grate Our Two Parmesan Blocks Of Cheese

Grate As Much As You Like

—————————————————————————————-

We Then Topped This Lasagna With The Leftover Basil Pesto, and a Drizzle of Really Nice Extra Virgin Olive Oil Overtop

———————————————————————————————–

Place Into a 350F Oven for About 45 Minutes.

Be sure to check it at about 30 minutes to make sure it isn’t burning on top. 

You can always cover it with Aluminum Foil to prevent it from burning.

——————————————————————————————-

Allow To Cool A Bit

It’s Looking So Beautiful!

Delicious too!

——————————————————————————————————-

THIS is the Lasagna we Chose to Freeze…

..And we are Enjoying Right NOW!

Leftovers for Us, and Leftovers for Our Loved Ones

————————————————————————————————-

My Oven Semi-Dried Tomatoes Are Perfect With My Gigantic Julie Sandwich

Click Here For:  Isabelle And The Roma’s

You Can Find The Recipe By Clicking On The Link

——————————————————————–

The Gigantic Julie

This Sandwich Was Sooooo Good!

It Can Easily And Generously Feed A Good 4 People

I Just Threw Things Together That I Already Had, It Was Actually Quite Easy

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Frying Bacon First,

Drain Onto Paper Towels, Set Aside

—————————————————————————————-

Ingredients:

Bacon, As Much As You Like

Large Bread Loaf, Preferable Italian

1, Medium Red Onion, Cut Into Slices

Jars of Pesto’s, To Taste

(I used a Sundried Tomato Pesto and a Basil Pesto)

Marinated Mozzarella Cheese In Balls, To Taste

My Oven Semi-Dried Tomatoes, To Taste

Grated Parmesan Cheese, To Taste

Drizzle Of Italian Sweet Mustard, To Taste

Salad Greens

Spring Onions, To Taste

Fresh Basil and Parsley, To Taste

——————————————————————————-

Pre-Heat Your Oven To 350F

Slice Your Bread Loaf Down The Side To Open Up To 2 Halves,

Place Onto An Aluminum Lined Baking Sheet

Spread Your 2 Different Jars Of Pesto’s On Either Half Of The Bread

Now Place Your Marinated Balls Of Mozzarella On Each Side, As Many As You Like

—————————————————————————————-

Slice Your Red Onion Into Rings,

Add Them To The Sandwich

———————————————————————————–

Now Place Your Oven Semi-Dried Tomatoes Onto The Sandwich

You Can Use Any Sundried Tomato That You Like, And Use As Many As You Like

—————————————————————————————-

Now Place The Sandwich Into The Oven For About 10-15 Minutes

You Just Want To Cook It A Bit, And Melt The Cheese Balls

————————————————————————

In The Meantime I Am Preparing My Salad, Spring Onions, And Fresh Parsley And Basil

————————————————————————————

After About 15 Minutes I Remove The Sandwich From The Oven,

I’m Adding The Grated Parmesan Cheese Over Top,

And A Drizzle Of Sweet Italian Mustard

————————————————————————————-

Back Into The Oven It Goes For Another 10 Minutes

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When The Sandwich Is Done Remove From The Oven,

Add The Salad Greens, Bacon, Spring Onions, And Fresh Herbs

Put The 2 Halves Together….

..Slice..

..And Enjoy!

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If you would like to view our other Italian food posts……

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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La Sciatta Giulia Anna’s (Italian Sloppy Julie Ann’s)

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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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Italian Naan Pizza

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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)

————————————————

Quickie Italian

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Tavolino Da Caffe Italiana (Coffee Table Italian)

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Julie Italian

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An Italian Natale

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Summer Italian

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Isabelle and the Romas

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Lemon Tratta (Treats)

 

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Grazie,

Julie and Gordon

 

 

 

 

 

 

More of Julie’s Jezebel Recipes to Enjoy

More of Julie’s Jezebel Recipes to Enjoy

          I Heart Jezebel (Sauce) —————————————————— Julie’s Southern Jeze-Bells Pizza Made With My: Julie’s Georgia Peach Jeze-Bells Sauce Click Here For:  Julie’s Jezebel Sauce I have 4 Jezebel’s on the webpage link above.  We also have many recipes that you can 

Cornbread, Nuff Said

Cornbread, Nuff Said

          Currently Baking in Grandmother Keith’s Oven Deliciously Cooling… ————————————————————————– 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 

Oktoberfest Lebensmittel

Oktoberfest Lebensmittel

 

 

 

WILLKOMMEN!

(Welcome)

(Hardly fancy, but Cheese, Turkey Sausage, on Crackers with a good German Mustard is a nice little snack.)

———————————————————–

Oktoberfest:  German Festival

Held over a two week period ending the first Sunday in October.

The festival originated on October 12, 1810, in celebration of the marriage of The Crown Prince of Bavaria, who later became King Louis I, to Princess Therese Von Sachsen-Hildburghausen.

The original Oktoberfest takes place in Munich, Germany.  The locals refer to Oktoberfest as THERESIENWEISE, also known as FESTWIESE.

Most people wonder why Oktoberfest starts in September instead of October?  It’s because the days are warmer and longer in September, and people can stay outside enjoying the festivities longer in the day.

Although I have no German ancestry that I am aware of, Gordon’s mother’s parents came over to America from Germany and settled in Pennsylvania.  There is a large German population in Germantown, PA.  Hence the name.

—————————————————————–

Although Oktoberfest isn’t a yearly tradition for us, it is sometimes fun to get into that Germanfest mood with some delicious foods.

We will bring a few to you here and hopefully add a few more as the years continue.

BLEIB EINE WEILE

Gordon and Julie

Some Cookbooks Gordon Picked up in Germany

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Our Mini-Oktoberfest for 2024

(Introduction by Gordon)

While I was in Germany for a two-week business trip earlier this year, I was able to visit two castles and
enjoy some of their great beer and food. We love to cook so some authentic cookbooks
were a must find. Julie was excited when I brought those home to her. 

While eating at one of the restaurants, on the menu was a
hefeweizen beer with banana, cola, or cherry syrup. A friend suggested I try the cherry,
and it was delicious. The Erdinger beer seen with the white label below, is the one to get and
simply add to your taste some grenadine syrup. It literally tastes like cherry soda. The
beer taste is barely present. I also like to buy barifanalia, “things for my bar” like
mugs/glasses, bar towels, etc… as they tell a story of where you were when you had a
drink using that glass. The German restaurant owners rarely made me purchase the
glasses as they were proud of their beer. I wasn’t able to get an Erdinger one though,
but maybe for Christmas. Another great beer from there is Dinkellacker as the brewery
wasn’t far from my hotel. Of note, The Dinkelacker brewery was founded by Carl
Dinkelacker in Stuttgart's in 1888. Dinkelacker was the largest brewery in Stuttgart by
the end of the 19 th century, and still brews at that location today. A common food item in
Germany is Currywurst. They have a bratwurst that is sitting in a pool of curry
ketchup that is then doused with more curry powder. I am here to tell you it is delicious.
I had to buy some and let my family experience it. You also can’t go to Germany
without purchasing a beer stein or a smoker man which is seen as a Chef in the photo below. I grew up
with them as my parents had a vast collection which was added to yearly. I too am part
German on my mother’s side. Please try some of this great German food and beer as
you won’t be disappointed.

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The Erdinger Beer with the Smoker Man as a Chef

(Gordon’s father Milton had a vast collection of these men, only much larger in size than this one.  This one is a small ornament.  I think that Gordon just wanted his own.  Perhaps he will inherit a few of them from his family someday.)

Our Dinner of Brats, Sauteed Onions, Curry Ketchup, German Mustards, and Sausage Balls

Our Meat and Cheese Wrapped Pretzels, with German Mustards

Gordon’s Plate Looks a Bit Delicious, but Extreme  🙂

———————————————————————————

Leftover SausageFest

Perfect with Eggs the Following Day

(Recipes Down Below)

———————————————

First Up:

 Frankfurter’s on Buns with Sauerkraut

Landsberg Mustard Pickles

(These are some of the best pickles we have ever eaten.  Highly recommend!)

If you are looking for ideas and inspiration for your German table then look no further than the ethnic isle at your local supermarket.  You may even be lucky enough to have a German market near you.  You just have to do a little research online to find out.

This particular meal isn’t anything fancy or difficult at all, but the flavor is heaven!

Sometimes the most simple foods are the best.

—————————————————————–

We’re almost embarrassed that the recipe isn’t more complicated than this. 

Most of our items are ready made, but delicious on their own!  The hardest part was grilling the Frankfurter’s.

————————————————————————-

To cook these Frankfurters, simply turn your grill to medium high heat for about 5 min.  Clean your grill with a grill brush to remove and remnants from the previous grilling.  Place your Frankfurters on the grill for about 5 min. then turn as needed until the Frankfurters are browned on all sides.  I am also grilling some sweet Italian brats, which take a few minutes longer to grill as they are thicker.  When they are done, I like to grill the buns as well to get them nice and toasted.

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When Gordon Was In Germany, 2024

Postcards, Brochures, and a Souvenir T-Shirt

Stuttgart, Germany

Gordon has been working overseas now for a year and a half.  He comes home about twice a year for a few weeks at a time.  But, it was earlier this year that he and some of his co-workers flew into Germany for two weeks to attend a school and some training there.  Gordon loved it!  He would call me everyday to report on what he saw, and what he ate!  Bragging about the food, and even purchasing some mustards and ketchups to bring back with him.  He also picked up a few cookbooks.  The Germans eat a lot of pork and potatoes.  

He talked about all of the bakeries all over the place, and the wonderful smells that came from them.

He also talked about how cold it was.  We aren’t used to the cold weather, especially with where he is working overseas.  (Sorry, I’m mum on that one.)  🙂

When he came back home this October for almost 3 weeks, we decided to have a Mini-Oktoberfest for ourselves. 

Here is what we came up with:

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Our Mini-Oktoberfest

Sausage Balls From The Freezer

Every year for Christmas I always make Sausage Balls for our daughter Veronica.  They are her favorite Christmas treat.  Gordon had requested that I save him some for when he came back home next, so I did.  I thawed them out, baked them, and added them to our meal.

(We gobbled them up quickly!)

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Gordon Sauteeing Some Onions for our Grilled Brats

I realize that we do have Brats often on our website, but this was something we both wanted, and a nice addition to this Oktoberfest page.  

You first want to chop up a few onions into nice half-moons.

Then, place the onions into a saute pan, with a drizzle or two of Olive Oil.

Next, add some salt!  We used some Hawaiian Salt, and some German Beer Salt.

Here, Gordon is Sauteeing the Onions on the side burner of the grill, while grilling our Brats.

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The Onions and Brats are DONE!

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Our Pretzels

Obviously, we didn’t make these Pretzels ourselves.  We have made pretzels before many years ago when we were living in Hawaii.  Perhaps we may make them again, but not today.  Today, I purchased them frozen from our Commissary.  We thawed them out and baked them according to the package directions.

Pretzel Salt, and Beer Salt

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Baking The Pretzels

It was while Gordon was in Germany that I suggested that the next time he’s home why don’t we have some little Mini-Oktoberfest?  Nothing big and fancy, just something simple.  I knew that we would be pressed for time, what with all I had planned for us while he was home. 

However, this is what I came up with:

Gordon Brushing the Pretzels with Water and Adding the German Beer Salt

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Curry Ketchups

(He had bragged about these.  This isn’t something that is known here in America.  Perhaps in some German neighborhoods.)

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The Brats and Onions

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The German Mustards

Our Dinner of Brats, Sauteed Onions, Curry Ketchup, German Mustards, and Sausage Balls

Here Gordon is Having his Erlinger Beer….

..and Adding Some Grenadine Syrup, Making it a Cherry Cola

Our Meat and Cheese Wrapped Pretzels, with German Mustards

The Meats and Cheese Wrapped Pretzels were my Idea.

It actually stems from this past St. Patrick’s Day when I got the idea to wrap meats and cheese around bread sticks and dip them into Thousand Island Dressing.  I wanted to do the same thing to the Pretzels.

You can see our meats and cheeses in the photo above.  Now just add some mustard and it’s delicious!

I do believe that Gordon went a little overboard with his plate, but you do get the idea.

We had Bologna’s and Turkey Pastrami, and Swiss Cheese

It was a nice and fun meal!

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Thank you for joining us!

AUF WIEDERSEHEN!

Gordon and Julie

 

 

 

 

 

 

Autumn Lunches

Autumn Lunches

          Autumn Me, Rome, Georgia, mid 1960’s playing in the leaves.  (Love the cars.)  🙂 When I think of Autumn I always first think of leaves.  The Fall colors of the trees as the leaves fall off of them, and crunch 

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 

The Pot Thickens…  Musings of an Amateur Cook

The Pot Thickens… Musings of an Amateur Cook

 

 

 

 

 

Hi!  Welcome! 

So happy to have you here!

My name is Julie Lancaster-Whann and welcome to my:

The Pot Thickens…  Musings of an Amateur Cook

So, what makes me an ‘Amateur?’  Easy!  I don’t get paid!

And, because I don’t get paid you have every right to believe my words as being sincere because no one is paying me to sell you something.

I do not have a degree in the Culinary Arts like my husband, Gordon, but I do have a PHD in Life Experiences.  I’ve pretty much been eating for the past 60 years.  Well, there was that bout of anorexia that I had in high school where I was drop dead skinny gorgeous!  (From lack of food.)  But, that only lasted for a year or two.  And there was that eating disorder I had that lasted a few decades.

I hope to make this blog post fun and informative and I hope you will tune in occasionally to see what I have to say.

So, kick your shoes off and pull up a chair.  Wine is mandatory here btw, so fill that wine glass.  If you don’t have a wine glass and are using some regular kitchen glass?  OMG!  Then go out and buy one!  We have standards here, ya know!

Very sincerely,

Julie

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Me, with my Easy Bake Oven, age 5

What more proof do you need that I am qualified to blog about food?

I was also a Candy Cane aficionado for obvious reasons.

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I have been wanting to start some sort of blog post about food and kitchen related/food related interests that I have.  I never knew where to place in my website these things.  Which is why I created this post.  I am very excited to write about it here.  I hope you are too.  🙂

One of my favorite pizza’s I buy from Sprout’s. 

It’s an Italian Sausage.

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I Do Have A Thing For Italian

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Everyone Needs An Aloe Plant

If you cook, or do crafts with hot glue, or you are exposed to the sun or any kind of activity that will cause you to burn, then you need an Aloe Plant.  If you burn yourself while cooking just cut off a piece of the Aloe Plant and rub the salve over the burned area and it will immediately relieve the pain and start the healing process.

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A Pretty Jar of Bay Leaves

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Musings, and with Tea

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This is MY Irish Pot of Gold!

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The WOK Thickens,

Musing of a… Oh, never mind!

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Blog Post Musings Start Here

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CURRENTLY MARINATING IN MERLOT

(Myself, not some recipe.)

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A Favorite!

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September 24, 2023

Spice Lab

Whenever Gordon works overseas he always gathers up, and sends home, the nicest spices, which we then incorporate into our family meals from recipes he learned over there.  These spices pictured here, he sent a few years ago.  I don’t think that I ever got around to really talking about them.  But, I would then place them into jars to distribute to family and friends that were interested.

Homemade Authentic Hungarian Paprika

Gordon has the talent of making friends very easily.  The homemade Paprika you see above was given to Gordon by a Hungarian man that he befriended overseas.  His wife makes it, and happily sent Gordon some to then send to me.  It was the best Paprika we have ever tasted!

Gordon is back overseas and I am expecting the same delicious spices as before.  🙂

Looking Forward To It!

Julie

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Ribs and Sausage Food Porn

What are Ribs without a good Sausage?  🙂

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September 23, 2023

First Day of Autumn

and…

Forgot to tell you that ‘Julie’s got a brand new appliance!’

For those of you that know me, I tend to shun modern day appliances.  However, when I ruined my vintage mixer that my Grandmother bought for me, I was forced to buy a new one.  Hence, what you see above.  🙂

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August 20, 2022

Cordon Bleu From the Frozen Section of the Grocery Store

Some of them are pretty good actually.  Just bake according to the package instructions and then pair with some lovely sides and you have a very nice dinner.  This one was memorable.

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CHILI

August 19, 2022

In going through my photo files, I discovered some lovely delicious foods thickening in pots and bowls that I just had to share. 

Mostly involving CHILI!  🙂

We adore CHILI!  We eat it often.  It is always the same, but the toppings do vary. 

Here we topped our bowls with Sour Cream, Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Spring Onions, and Potato Sticks.

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Chili over Baked Potatoes, and of course, Chili Dogs!

(Topped with Sour Cream left, and Slaw and Onions, right.)

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Cornbread Topped Chili

(I’m sure I have these same photos somewhere on the website, but I wanted to group them all together here. 

Just different ways to eat Chili.)

Cornbread and Chili is a Favorite!

To make this all you have to do is to cook a big pot of chili, whatever your recipe may be.  Then, make a batch of cornbread, whatever your recipe may be.  Now, place a bit of oil in the bottom of a cast-iron skillet, spoon in heaping fulls of chili half way up the skillet, and then pour over the cornbread batter.

Place into a 350F oven for about 35-40 minutes or so. 

You want the cornbread cooked and a little brown on top.

The cornbread will rise a bit.  But, how delicious!

You could even add a few Corn Chips if you like. 

Perhaps even top with some Sour Cream of Cheddar Cheese.

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Chili Yet Another Way

Here I made a nice pot of Chili, placed it into a casserole dish, topped it with a browned Baguette and some Cheddar Cheese, and then baked it in the oven for cheese to melt.

It was actually quite easy, and tasty!

I only broiled the bread on one side.

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I placed the browned side of the baguette face down over the chili and then topped it with some cheese.

Then, I placed it onto a 350F oven for about 15 – 20 minutes until it was a bit brown and the cheese was melted.

Just Look How Delicious!

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CHEETOS, Mac N’ Cheese

I just wanted to say that we tried it, and we liked it!

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July 12, 2022

Sometimes, it takes the pot FOREVER to thicken. 

In which case, pull up a stool, pour a glass of wine, and just go with it.

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Found My Vintage Coupons

During the 1980/90’s I was the most organized person in the world.  Look at my little scissors that I kept in my little coupon file which I always had access to, and would carry around whenever I would go shopping.  (The color of the scissors and file even match.)  🙂

It was fun looking at the old coupons.

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December 25, 2021

Vesele Vanoce!

(Merry Christmas in Czech)

This is my brother’s Christmas tree in Ireland.  Isn’t it beautiful?  He lives here with his partner Sabina and their daughter Vivien.  This is their home.

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I Love Sabina’s Decorating, Especially All The Hearts Everywhere

(People that see hearts everywhere are the nicest people to know.)  🙂

Sabina is originally from The Czech Republic and it is the Slavic tradition to eat fish on the 24th.  Normally Carp or Fresh Water Fish. But, for my brother and his Irish/American children, Kate and Lola, Sabina will make an exception and cook Salmon.  The Slavic big day of celebrating is the 24th., not the 25th., like it is here in America.

The Wine Glasses are for Everyone, but the Wine Is Not

Vivien, Kate, Lola and Johnny Christmas Eve

Salmon, Potato Salad, etc.

According to my brother the Slavic’s have more in common ‘food wise’ with American’s, than we do with the British.  I’m thinking about having a Slavic Christmas next December 24, 2022.  Sounds nice, doesn’t it?

Nollaig Shona Dhuit!,

Merry Christmas in Ireland

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November 12, 2021

Frozen Baked Ziti

Happiness is cleaning out your garage freezer in order to make room for a Thanksgiving turkey, only to find a treasure of Baked Ziti at the very bottom.  Eating this gave us the room we needed.  🙂  We baked it and gave half to our son and his girlfriend.  Happiness is also sharing.

Add Fresh Herbs, and Really Good Bread

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August 4, 2021

Inherited some Goodies

A Vintage Capital Building, Washington, D.C. Commemorative Plate

(PINK and GREEN)

Gordon flew up to see his parents in Chesapeake, Virginia early in July.  His parents were moving into an Independent Living Facility Apartment and moving out of their home.  They were also downsizing and getting rid of quite a few of their possessions.  The plate above is a gift to me from my mother-in-law.  It is old, and it features the Capital Building.  I do have to say that had 1/6 not happened then I would gladly except the plate and then stash it into my China cabinet with no after thoughts whatsoever.  But, since 1/6 I’m now appreciating the plate more than I would have and I have it sitting out to look at and enjoy.  I guess I’m much more appreciative of it than I would have been normally.

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Antique Kitchen Torture Gadgets

We were just told these once belonged to Gordon’s Maternal Grandparents

We can only assume that these were for perhaps smooshing potatoes, or perhaps the contraption in the back is a giant garlic press?  🙂  Either way, we are very happy to own them.

Cutlery in All Shapes and Sizes

My mother-in-law also sent our way all of these antique, vintage, and modern cutlery.  Interestingly enough, there was only ONE knife among all these spoons and forks.

This will be great for our website projects that we do so I am very excited to have all of this.  Props!  I also love that they belonged to my In-Laws.  I love the passing down of family treasures.

Gordon Came Back With Many Boxes of Treasures

Here I am unpacking some of the goodies.

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Our Favorite Box So Far…

GR. Mutter, is Gordon’s Mother, (GR. Mutter = Grandmother),

and Frederick Alderfer is Gordon’s Grandfather, Norman Frederick Alderfer.  These cook booklets are from his side of the family.

Antique Cookbook Booklets and Pamplets

Some of these are over a century. 

Most are around 1924, and 1933, 1935.  So very exciting!

1919

I LOVE this!  You know it was hand typed by a secretary and not printed in mass.

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Food and Recipe Diary

I asked my Mother-In-Law who’s ‘Food and Recipe Diary’ this was and she didn’t know?  But it does belong to someone on her side of the family.

I absolutely love deciphering these recipes from 90 years ago.  🙂

This Contraption Belonged to Gordon’s Parents, a Clam and Oyster Shucker.

I ADORE All These Handwritten Recipes!

With Magnifying Glass in Hand, and my Cup of Tea, I am Ready to Decipher These Recipes.

One thing that I wanted from my Mother-In-Law was a cup and saucer that she would pick out for me.  I didn’t care what it looked like.  I didn’t care how expensive or special that it was.  I just wanted one that she wanted me to have.  We haven’t always gotten along, although I do have to say that I appreciate her more in my 60’s than I ever did in my 20, 30, 40, or 50.  She is sharp as a tack!  And a very interesting person.  I suppose that I am just not as judgemental as I once was.  I’m also more tolerant.  My Mother-In-Law is a very special person.  I’m finally starting to appreciate her.  Oh, she can offend people left and right, she isn’t perfect by any means.  However, I am starting to understand her and that softens all the edges.

The Pot Thickens,

Julie

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March 24, 2021

I like my Chili so thick that I can eat it with a fork.  🙂

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March 23, 2021

Cute Story

After my grandmother’s funeral in 2000 and we were all back at the First Christian Church in Rome, Georgia for the pot luck lunch in her honor, one of the ladies that I’ve known most of my life, Jane Slickman, asked me if she could take a plate home for her husband George?

I told her “Yes, of course”, and I turned to walk away.  That’s when I turned back around and I said to her, “What if I had said no?”  Then Jane looked at me with a straight face and said, “Then I would have waited for you to turn your head and fixed him a plate anyway.” 

I miss those ladies,  🙂

Julie

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March 22, 2021

Nothing puts a smile on my lips as much as money does. 

Oh, and a big pot of chili.

Especially on a cool Florida day.

So, the pot thickens….  yummm…..

Especially served over our Grilled Cabbage Slaw

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February 9, 2021

Death By Pantry

(A Real Fear)

Our kitchen pantry is a scary place.  It’s so packed full that we can’t find anything unless we just start to take it all out of the closet, which most of the time we don’t want to do.  If given the choice between finding chopped green peppers, or a can of tomato paste, I would rather just go out and buy what I need before searching through the pantry.

Whenever I make a shopping list for some staple ingredients Gordon will always ask, “Did you check the pantry?”

I will then usually look at him with horror on my face and lie and say, “Yes.  But I couldn’t find any in the pantry.”

That’s when Gordon will look at me and say, “No you didn’t.  You didn’t look in the pantry.  You just made that up.”

I will then pretend to hold my head in shame and admit to the lie and that is when Gordon will dive into the pantry looking for said items in order to save some money at the grocery store.

You see, this is how I get him to look through the pantry so that I don’t have to.  🙂

He will usually emerge with an AHA!  I found it!

Only to hear me say when I look at the cans, “EXPIRED.  EXPIRED.  EXPIRED.”

(Keep scrolling for one of our favorite commercials.)  🙂

We Also Have Death By Ladder Fears

(There are always ladders, everywhere!)

The shelves are collapsing onto each other.  I just know that one day I will open the pantry door only to have all the cans rain down on me, knocking me unconscious.  Gordon then comes home from work later in the day to find my lifeless body lying on the floor surrounded by expired foods.  That will probably be what upsets him the most.  🙁

 

 

One of our favorite commercials.  🙂

Expired!  Expired!  Expired!

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February 9, 2021

Julie’s Democratically Elected Pasta Bowl

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I also have this I Voted Pasta Salad recipe below:

Not to confuse you but I have 2 different pasta recipes here.

I added some of our Tabasco Peppers from our garden to this one.

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To Be Eaten Cold From the Fridge

I VOTED

A Nice Light Lunch

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Julie’s Democratically Elected Pasta Bowl

We VOTED!  It was Delicious!

It Even Tastes Good Cold

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The White House

Summer 2001, I Took These Photos

The Capital

We lived on Ft. Meade, in Maryland for about 4 years in the early 2000’s.  We were located between Baltimore and Washington, D.C.  I really did enjoy living there because of all the history and museums, different cultures, foods, restaurants…..

We sent our kids to Chess Camp and not sports camp’s like small town America does.  I am also happy that we had the privilege of living there before 9/11 when we were able to roam around without all the constraints that we have now.  Of course, we were also living there after 9/11.

We lived there during the end of the Bill Clinton Presidency, and the first few years of George W. Bush.

Therefore, in honor of the new Joseph R. Biden Jr. Presidency, I present to you….

Julie’s Democratically Elected Pasta Bowl

This was all my creation and creativity by simply raiding the pantry and the fridge.

Top with Grated Parmesano-Reggiano

And it all started with this bag of Democratic Pasta,

and the Inauguration of this Democratically Elected President and Vice-President,

Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Kamala Harris

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My Ingredients:

(I cannot give you precise ingredients as I just eyeballed everything and used as much of this or that that appeals to my personal tastes.)

14 oz. Democratic Pasta Shapes

1/2 lb. Linguine Pasta

6-8 Sweet Peppers (Deseeded and Sliced into Rings and Baked in the Oven.)

8 oz. Turkey Sausage (Sliced into rings and fried in Olive Oil, or not.)  🙂

Jars of Goodness Nearing Their Expiration Dates:

Sun Dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil

De-pitted Kalamata Olives

Grilled Artichoke Hearts in Olive Oil

Roasted Red Bell Peppers in Olive Oil

Artichoke Bruschetta

Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

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And Olive Oil for Cooking

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The first thing I did was to turn the oven on to 350F.

I then started slicing my Sweet Peppers into rings and careful not to have too many seeds in them.

I placed them into a bowl and poured a little bit of Olive Oil over top of them just to coat.

When the oven came up to Temperature….

I placed all the sliced Sweet Peppers onto a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.

I ended up baking these for near to 30 minutes, removing them every 8-10 minutes to stir them around a bit.

When Done Set Aside

(I did not season these peppers other than with Olive Oil because I am going to be adding so many flavors to this Pasta Bowl that I didn’t think I needed to.)

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Slicing up Our Turkey Sausage into Rounds

This Turkey Sausage is so sweet and delicious on it’s own and I could have left it as it was, but I wanted to fry it all up because I was afraid it would be a bit too mushy if I didn’t.

I just added some Olive Oil to the frying pan and let the slices brown up on a medium high heat.

When Done I Let Them Cool and Then Sliced Then into Quarters

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Time To Boil The Pasta

Use 2 different pots because you are boiling 2 different pastas that will require 2 different cooking times.

Boil to Al Dente and then Drain into Colander’s

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Now It’s Time To Add Our Pasta’s To a Large Bowl

Now I Added The Oven Roasted Sweet Peppers

(The Olive Oil coated peppers are helping me to coat my pasta as I stir it so it doesn’t stick together.)

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Time To Add a Little From Each Jar

Most every ingredient you see above in the jars is marinating in olive oil.  I didn’t want my salad bowl to be so oily so I drained the ingredients of the olive oil first before I placed them on top of my pastas.

Pick and Choose What You Want and How Much You Want of It.

Adding My Fried Turkey Sausage and Mixing All Together

Top With Some Grated Cheese

When Gordon came home from work I told him that I had made dinner and to tell me what he thinks about it? 

What he liked the most about this pasta bowl was that he tasted 3 different bites of it and each one tasted different from the other.  In one bite he is getting sun dried tomatoes and artichoke with the pasta.  And in another bite he is getting the roasted peppers and a Kalamata olive with the pasta.  And in another bite he is getting the pesto covered pasta with a bite of fried turkey sausage.

This will be on repeat.  We voted and it is decided!  🙂

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Julie’s I VOTED Pasta Salad

Great Eaten Cold and Perhaps with a Side of Bread

I VOTED!

This was pretty easy.  I just used items from the fridge and pantry.

Just cook your pasta until al dente, then drain and place into a bowl.

Now add whatever ingredients you like.  Here I added some sliced Baby Cucumber, Feta Cheese, crumbled, some Cream Cheese Stuffed Red Peppers, and an Olive Oil Salad Dressing.

My I Voted Pasta Salad along with some nice butter bread with some Roasted Garlic, Sun Dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil, chunks of Feta Cheese, and some Red Peppers…..

A Nice Tasty Afternoon Pasta Salad

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October 29, 2020

The Pot Thickens…. Again!

Julie’s Chicken Knot Pies

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November 22, 2020

Nigella Lawson, ‘Cook, Eat, Repeat’

The many ‘Post It’s’ are just because those areas just feel so familiar. 

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Cook, eat, repeat, cook, eat, repeat, cook, eat, repeat……

NIGELLA.COM

The British cook, Nigella Lawson, has just released her 12th. book, Cook, Eat, Repeat.  She lives in London, England and her new book did just debut on October 29, 2020 in the United Kingdom.  Her book will not be released here in the states until April 2021.  She is someone that I have followed since the early 2000’s from when I first discovered her on The Style Network from when we were living in Maryland.  That is also when I discovered Rachel Ashwell and her Shabby Chic T.V. shows as well.  I’ve been a fan of both women since then.

My Nigella Collection

(My Rachel Ashwell Collection is just to the left on this shelf.)

As you can see I have every one of her books and most of her video’s.  When my friend Trish was living she would send me the New Zealand magazines and sometimes Nigella was in them.  I also have those above as well.  I do happen to love Nigella’s Christmas episode’s the best.  The photography/cinematography is excellent!  Her Christmas episode’s are very high quality.  (All the episode’s are.)  I also love the music.  Music really does make a show.  (One of my favorite movies is Twilight.  Only because of the music.  You take the music away and I could care less.)  Editing is also everything and whoever edits deserves great credit as well.  Nigella herself also deserves tremendous credit as these are her show’s that she stars in.

My favorite cookbook of hers is her Nigella Christmas.  It’s just so beautiful and festive.  Some of the recipe’s just get you very excited to make them and to share with others.  I know that we have in the past.  She has a recipe for excellent Bourbon Ribs and we adore her Drunken Devil’s on Horseback each year. 

But, I do have to say that this particular cookbook, Cook, Eat, Repeat, just has a different feel to it than her last ones.  First of all, the title, Cook, Eat, Repeat summons up to me something very easy, fun, and childlike.  Something Dr. Seuss would come up with.  But yet it isn’t anything he would come up with.  And then there is the ‘A for Anchovy’ chapter which comes first.  That also summons up a child like book, yet when you read the chapter, there is nothing childlike about it.  I have never heard anyone describe their love of anchovy’s the way that she does and all that I can think is that if I ever come back as a fish, PLEASE do not have me be an anchovy!  Nigella would eat me!  I want to be an unappetizing fish just so that I can have some sort of a life in the sea without fear of being eaten.

I also came to realize that she loves food way more than me.  And also, way more than I will ever.

But, I suppose that is what makes her the expert.

You know, I am not qualified to judge her cookbook as some expert, other than to give my personal opinion on it.  I am not a trained chef, or book writer critic.  My husband is the one with the culinary degree.  I cannot dare to tell you what ingredients go best with this food, or that.  I can only offer up my opinion of the foods themselves that are being presented to me.  Would I choose to cook them?  Do they taste how I would like?  Are they easy/hard enough that I am capable of making them?  That is about all that I am qualified to write about here.

I will start with this:

Cook, Eat, Repeat

Blue, White, Black and with Touches of Pink

And what is this?

When you open the book, this is what you see:  this has no rhyme or reason for being in this book.  The color scheme of the book is Blue, White, Black and with touches of Pink.  Where does this bold red and green pattern come into play right when you open the cover of the book?  In the front and in the back?

Grab a Magnifying Glass!  This is Cryptology!  If you look very closely you will see lots of lower case “n” and upper case “J”.  I can only assume that the lower case “n” is for Nigella.  But who is the upper case “J” that she see’s herself second fiddle to?  That is the question?  The flipping and flopping of the letters is key to this being cryptology.  Take a look for yourselves.

Perhaps I should enlist one of the last remaining Native American Code Talkers to decipher it?  🙂

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I would like to say that everyone has the right to name their book, or their website whatever they want.  I believe there is an audience for everyone whether that audience be 2 million or 2 hundred.  But when I first heard that Nigella’s new cookbook would be named ‘Cook, Eat, Repeat’ I didn’t like it.  It kind of sounded beneath her.  But I suppose that is her life and her mantra, Cook, Eat, Repeat as she insists.  It does conjure up that rhyme I first heard a few years ago of these two people in this boat, Pete and Repeat.  Pete and Repeat were in a boat.  Pete fell out, who’s left?  Repeat.  O.K., Pete and Repeat were in a boat, Pete fell out, who’s left?  Repeat……  I guess you get the picture.  🙂

She also has a Defense of Brown Food Chapter and I can only ask, ‘Why should anyone have to defend brown food?  Don’t most people love steak?  Hamburger?  Roast Beef?  Stews?  Or are they in some “Red” category that no one told me about?  We may not eat Red Meat ourselves anymore but we do recognize that many people do love all the brown food/red meat dishes that are out there.

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Cook, Eat, Repeat, does have a mood to it.  You can tell is was mostly written during lockdown in London.  It just has that feel to it.  But, I don’t mean a bad feel to it.  But there is a mood and a feeling that went along with it.  Similarly to all of us having a mood that has affected us during this Covid 19 era.  (Although truth be told we had a blast in lockdown!)  🙂

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Although I haven’t finished reading the book yet it does offer up more recipes than you realize.  Not all of them come with photos and are not necessarily written in the format of most recipe’s.  A lot of the recipes she just writes out in sentences.  (I too have been known to do that occasionally in my own website.)

Her T.V. series that goes with the release of her book is airing on one of the BBC channels in the UK, and from what I’ve read some of her audience has been critical of a few of her dishes.

Nigella’s Banana Skin Curry

I like the idea of no food waste in making this recipe.  Although this isn’t new to do, she was criticized for adding old banana peels to a curry and making it sound good.  This is the future of food.  There won’t be enough for everyone to eat so there will be no food waste.  It’s actually something our future generations will be struggling with.  So, recipes like this are a good idea. 

A few years ago on the BBC Food Twitter they had posted how they had deep fried the skins that were peeled from potatoes and found a useful way to eat them without throwing them away.  Those kinds of ideas are needed.

Nigella Buttering Toast

Ms. Lawson was also criticized for showing her audience how she butters her toast.  One layer of butter when the toast is nice and hot so the butter melts, then topped with another layer of butter.  People just didn’t know what to think about that and started saying things like ‘next she’ll be teaching us how to boil water.’

I believe that Nigella is misunderstood at times like these.  I think that she just wants to teach her audience how to get the maximum taste out of food, even something as simple as buttering bread.

I myself can give you instructions on how to open a jar lid because sometimes that is a difficult thing to do.  For example, if trying to open a jar lid seems impossible then just shake the jar around so that the air isn’t at the top anymore, creating a vacuum.  Then try opening it.  These are just hints and tips.  That’s all.  Oh, and do not try that with any sort of carbonated drink btw.

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Although Nigella isn’t very popular over here in the states, she is popular in Europe and Australasia.  Although I do believe that pockets of America are familiar with her and enjoy whatever she has to present.  My wish would be for her to do something different.  Her show is always the same format in the same sort of kitchen.  I would love to see her doing something different yet still maintaining the quality that does come from her and her shows.  I just don’t know what that different format would be?  That is something for her to figure out.  She is 60.  Not that there is anything in the world wrong with that but you don’t usually tend to grow an audience at 60. 

What you do hope to do is to maintain the audience that you have had for years to bring them along on the journey with you.  Someone like me.  Someone that has been there from the beginning.

I will say that this cookbook is more for a sophisticated audience and not your average American.  Not that she should dumb herself down to appeal to the average, but maintain that intelligence and bring your audience up to your level.  I believe we need more of that in all areas, not just cook books and cooking shows.  Having said that, her vocabulary will leave most people behind and confused.

So, am I enjoying the book?  Well, I find parts of it very interesting.  Is there anything that I would be interested in cooking?  Perhaps the Black Treacle (Molasses) Sausages, the Vegan Gingerbread, (I have a ton of Ginger that I need use up and was thinking about making lots of Gingerbread/Gingerbread cookies/etc. for this year), the Brown Butter Colcannon looks good too.  Just to name a few.

Would I recommend the book to an American audience?  No, it would be over their heads and most of the food they would not be interested in eating.  But, as I said above, there is an audience for everyone whether that audience be 2 million people or 2 hundred people. 

I know that I don’t cater my website to the average person.  It’s funny but my Indian guys that protect and work on the technical side of my website were trying to give me hints and tips on appealing to more people and one way they wanted me to do that is to not post as many photos when we do recipes.  I told them that that is just my way and I don’t want to do it differently.  You see, they are under the impression that I am trying to appeal to a large audience and that I want to grow some business, etc.  I don’t!  Although it would be nice to have reader’s to donate money here and there to help us keep the sight going, that just never happened.  (We had to remove the Paypal button on the website because it kept getting hacked but that didn’t matter because no one ever donated money anyway.) 

But, if I were to pick up some sponsor of our website the first thing they would probably tell me is to delete all my blogs in order to make my sight less personal and more professional.  Deleting all that would be like deleting myself.  Because here in America once you take money you lose your voice.  You are then beholden to whoever has the money.  That is just how it was in my family growing up.  My step-father always threw in my face that because he was paying that I had to do what he said.  The person who pays is always in charge.  I’ve heard that my whole life.  Which is why I like my website just as it is.  Because I am beholden to no one.  And that is how it should be for all of us.

Julie

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September 20, 2020

The Pot Thickens…. LITERALLY!

I couldn’t not post a recipe of ours cooked in a pot that was literally thickening without posting it here……

Thus, The Pot Thickens

This is a delicious Drunken Clam Chowder that Gordon and I created starring some Clam and Corn Fritters with an accent of Fried Clams topped with Bacon.

Clam and Corn Fritters

We created this Drunken Clam Chowder for our Family Guy Halloween post, in honor of The Drunken Clam.

The recipe will be on our Family Guy Halloween post. 

But until then, The Pot Thickens…..

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August 2, 2020

SALADS

I love salads! 

They are healthy, delicious, beautiful, crunchy, everything that I love about good food.

I love the alien looking Romanesco.

Salads are also very filling to me. 

I’m not one of these ‘salad with dinner’ kind of person. 

I am a’ Salad FOR Dinner’ kind of person.

I also love eating a variety of lettuce leaves.

The more the merrier. 

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Toasting some Pine Nuts….

Adding Hard Boiled Eggs and my favorite Manchego Cheese….

And lots of croutons.  My weakness.  These are Pumpernickel croutons.

But my biggest weakness is in the creamy salad dressings.  Oil and Vinegar just doesn’t cut it for me.  Sometimes it does when I am in an herby Italian kind of mood.  But most of the time I prefer the richer salad dressings.  I discovered this one and now it is a favorite.

My new favorite salad dressing. 

I had to get this image online because we ate ours so quickly I never got to photograph the jar.

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Whether in a bowl or a plate, I am so there!

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🙂

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Spaghetti and Meatballs

Our Beautiful Basil from our Herb Garden

Fresh Herbs for Dinner

Gordon’s Spaghetti Dinner on the Left, Mine on the Right

Eaten with our new favorite vegetarian meatballs.

I like to share products that we come across and enjoy.  We don’t eat red meat but we decided to try these and we love them!  Looks like now we can have meatballs with our spaghetti.

My Happy Dinner Plate

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July 21, 2020

Cheese Stuffed Pepperoncini

I love sharing delicious food products that I come across.

It was before July 4th. and I was looking for pickle/relish foods that we had not tried before when these cheese stuffed pepperoncini popped up on the screen when I was ordering online.  That red jar looked delicious so I ordered one.  I was so hooked!   So was Gordon!  So was Brodie!  That’s when the next time I did our grocery shopping online I ordered several more.  They are excellent to eat with our favorite roasted garlic/Feta Cheese/Italian rustic bread/sundried tomatoes/ etc.  A great addition to any time you would eat a pickle.  The oil is very hot and but so nice that I would love to fry and egg in that oil, or marinate some Feta Cheese in the oil to be eaten with some great chewy bread.

Our new favorite super-duper delicious food!

They taste great with a sandwich too:

p.s.  We love sending food items that we come across to people that we love for Christmas.  And sort of introduce them to it.  Most people that we know are only interested in food for Christmas.  This will make a nice addition.  Time to stock up!

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June 26, 2020

The Baconator, A Love Affair

My Baconator, not it’s real name, was purchased by me last year from an old favorite restaurant of mine in Tennessee through the mail.  It is a lovely piece of pottery, handmade by artisan’s from the area of Pigeon Forge.  I love it and we use it quite often.

The Old Mill Restaurant

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

The Baconator, and many other pottery and food items can be purchased here.  This is one of my most favorite restaurants in the south for good southern cooking.  Whenever I go I always order the Corn Chowder with Corn Fritters.

Dollywood

as in Dolly Parton’s, Dollywood

(This is from the mid 90’s when Dollywood wasn’t as grand as it is now and every employee in the park was related to Dolly Parton.  I even went to high school in Sevierville with a few Parton’s.  It’s a big family.)

Me on the water ride. 

We were visiting friends in Sevierville and we went to Dollywood one day.

That is little Veronica and I’m holding little Brodie.

I thought that since I was talking about the pottery and The Old Mill that I would post a few old photos.

I love making bacon in this thing.  I just drape the bacon all around it and place it into the microwave.  The cooking time depends on your microwave and the thickness of the bacon you are cooking.  My pottery also came with no instructions.  Typical on the south, we’re just supposed to know these things.  Well, I managed and all of us love it!

Potato Skins with Butter, Cheeses, and BACON!

🙂

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June 5, 2020

Bowls and Platters

These Remind me of St. Augustine, Florida

Gordon Brought ALL of These From Overseas

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June 2, 2020

“Is There Something Wrong With Your Food?”

Me:  “No.  It’s Just How I Eat.”

I suppose that I should have named this post ‘The Pot Thickens….  Musing of an Amateur Cook and Eater, but I didn’t so…..  I guess I just won’t worry about it then.  However, I would like to share with you something that I have heard quite often throughout my life where my eating is concerned.  “Is there something wrong with your food?”  And my answer is always, “No.  It’s just how I eat.”

I am a picky eater.  Not so much in what I eat, but how I eat it.

  1.  I usually don’t like the middle of a sandwich so I tend to eat around it.  To me the middle is just too thick with food.  I like a nice ratio of bread and filling and not a lot of filling and a little bit of bread.
  2.  I never bite against the grain of a Trisket cracker.  (Nothing to do with superstition.  I walk under ladders.  I open umbrellas in the house, etc. etc.  but I will NEVER bite against the grain of that cracker.

3.  Although Mackenzie seemed horrified when she saw me spreading peanut butter on potato chips, it is something I do quite often.  Peanut butter is my most favorite food in the entire world and I pretty much put it on many things.  Not just potato chips.  Although my favorite chip flavor that goes with peanut butter, is barbeque.  My mother would buy the largest tub of peanut butter when we were growing up.  It had to have been a good 5 pound bucket.  We would go through that 5 pound bucket in one week.  It was the cheapest brand of peanut butter too.  JFG was it’s name.  But, it was so cheap because it was real peanut butter and not loaded with sugar like all the other brands were.

4.  I only like to eat green bananas.  I will choke down a yellow one when I have to because I do get foot and leg cramps if I don’t eat one everyday.  But I am a happy camper when I sit down to eat my green banana.  (I started this habit in Hawaii.  I think because we had a banana tree in our backyard and all the bananas would go ripe at once.  All 60 of them!  So, I would try and eat as many as I could so that none went to waste so I started feasting on the green ones.)

5.  If given the choice of having something perfectly prepared for me to eat, or having it be a little charred, I’ll choose the charred one any day of the week.  You know, just like Mom used to make.

6.  I will NOT eat a runny egg!  Because they are gross.  When Gordon cooks me eggs if there is the least bit of “creamy” to them then I won’t eat them.  I also boil my eggs when making deviled eggs until they are powder.  Perfectly delicious powder.  🙂

7.  I don’t eat red meat.

8.  I mainly eat with a fork because I prefer to slide food into my mouth.  I hate using a spoon unless it is for soup.  I just don’t like the thought of inserting that spoon into my mouth and grasping it.  When I do use a spoon it’s mainly just to pour soup in my mouth and not embrace it the way so many people do.

9.  I tend to eat Top Ramen noodle soup uncooked.  We picked up that habit in Hawaii.  When the local children need a snack their mother’s will just give them one of the noodle packets and they eat it while they play outside.  So do I.  🙂

10.  Whenever we make mashed potatoes I always make sure we have green peas with them because I love it when they touch and I get peas stuck in my potatoes.  But not too many peas.  I prefer a ratio of 3/4 potatoes and 1/4 peas.  That’s important.

11.  I use two coffee mugs every morning.  I will not drink my two cups of coffee out of the same mug in the mornings.  I prefer a fresh mug.

12.  Soda just tastes better when you drink it out of plastic as opposed to glass.  Therefore, I won’t drink a soda if I don’t have a plastic glass to drink it out of.

13.  I wash my hands about 100 times a day which is why I rarely get sick.  (However during a highly contagious pandemic I don’t have as much control over my health right now as I would like.)

14.  I only like melted chocolate or creamy chocolate.  I don’t like hard chocolate and will pass a hard chocolate bar up in a second.

15.  Gordon “alleges” that I am like a roach when eating fried chicken.  I just pick all around the outside of it and leave the inside alone.

16.  I only drink red wine and I only drink it with a straw.  Me, Brodie and Mackenzie do that.  That way our teeth stay white and not stained.  And I only drink wine from a wine glass.  Brodie and Mackenzie aren’t as picky as me.  Gordon doesn’t drink much wine.  He tends to stick to beer.

17.  I LOVE Captain Crunch’s Peanut Butter Cereal and have since I first tasted it when I was about 9.

18.  I LOVE SPAM!!!!!!  (FRIED, OF COURSE)!

19.  I have a love/hate relationship with mayonnaise.  I rarely put it on a sandwich because to me it’s gross.  But, I do put it in my Deviled Eggs, Potato Salads, Macaroni Salads, etc.  (It’s because when we were young my step-brother knew mayonnaise grossed me out so he would put it on a knife and lick it off as if he were some mercenary out in the jungle and had just killed an enemy, then licking their blood off the knife.)  So you see, I have no choice but to hate it!  He also used to mix Mayonnaise with Peanut Butter.  Thank God he didn’t ruin peanut butter for me!

20.  I hate cracklin’.  My step-father grew up poor in Texas and they would put cracklin’ in cornbread so he would have my mother do it occasionally.  And when they did I would not eat it.  I don’t like gnawing on food, much less a piece of fat.

21.  I LOVE SALTINE CRACKERS!!!

22.  If I get hungry during the day but I don’t want to really eat something big then I will eat a fork full of peanut butter and that will satisfy my appetite until dinner.

23.  I also chew funny.  I found out last year from my dentist that my mouth is deformed.  That actually explains a lot.  I’ve always had dentists to get frustrated with me when they wanted me to bite down so they could try and fit a crown, or take x-rays, only to get upset with me because things didn’t line up like they should.  Therefore they blamed me for not doing it right.  Finally, I found a dentist that realized the problem and now works with me instead of against me when these things come up.

Well, I guess this is all for now.  If I think of something else I will list it here.  If you are just as weird as I am then obviously you are not alone.  🙂

Julie

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June 1, 2020

Make Ahead To Freeze

When the Coronavirus Pandemic was heading our way and we were entering into a lockdown as a society I worried about what would happen to our food supply.  Will there be enough eggs?  Milk?  Butter?  Meats?

It was at that time that I started baking for breakfast!

I just felt that I needed to make ahead breakfast foods to freeze for a later date.  Little quiche’s.  Perhaps with some sausage, spinach and cheeses.  So, I did!  I’m still keeping them frozen, for now.

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MAY 31, 2020

Brodie’s Foods

Our Son Brodie, The Amateur Cook

 Brodie Recreating and Even Exceeding Gordon’s Teriyaki Chicken Recipe

Brodie Making Gordon’s Hawaiian Potatoes

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Brodie and his Girlfriend Mackenzie Recreated This Ultimate Tots Recipe From one of their Favorite Restaurants.

Brodie and Mackenzie’s Fried Steak

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Brodie Making Carbonara

This is probably his most favorite food he likes to eat and cook.

This was so delicious!

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Mackenzie and Brodie Recreating a Favorite Pasta Salad Recipe

Brodie in the Kitchen and Me in the Background on my Computer

Brodie Did an Excellent Job on This Pasta Salad

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OMG!  THE Best Banana Pancakes!

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And Lastly, Brodie and Mackenzie’s Italian Chicken

These are but a few of their many delicious recipes!

The reason that I am posting these delicious foods that my son and his girlfriend are making, is because they are so very talented and creative where food is concerned.  Their foods are delicious!  But, It really is up to them to write down all these recipes.  I have enough to do with all that Gordon and I have going on. 

But what I wanted to point out to you is that Brodie can watch a video on Youtube on how to cook something and then he can cook it in the exact same way as the chef in the video, Brodie can also expand on that recipe making it into something better, and Brodie can make it look good all at the same time. 

Mackenzie has also really grown creatively and the two of them make such a great team.  Just like Gordon and I complement each other in our creativity.

These two really do have a food future.  I hope they expand on it and do something with it.  Perhaps some day I will write down their recipes.  But in the meantime, I’ve got plenty to do as it is.

I do love that Brodie seems to understand the importance of carrying on our recipes.

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Chopsticks Mandatory

Fried Noodles

Cascade of Noodles

Click Here For:  Whann Way Aloha

Just scroll down this post until you come to our noodle recipe.  It really is good and you can add whatever you like to it.  It is up to your own personal tastes.  That’s how all recipe’s should be.

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May 30, 2020

My Expired Casserole

Last May, 2019, I was going through our food pantry to try and clean it out and get rid of some expired foods.  BTW:  They didn’t used to put expiration dates on food.  Maybe they did for dairy and butcher products, but not for anything else.  It was more of a judgement call by the cooks preparing the foods.

So, as I was tossing all these food products into the trash and looking at all that money we spent on food being thrown away and wasted, I decided to try and cook with some of them just to see.  After all, how does anyone know the exact date that the food product is no good?  Do they consult a crystal ball?

I had some leftover rotisserie chicken and some steamed broccoli so I decided to throw together a casserole using some of my expired foods.  Not anything that had been expired for longer than a few days and even a few months.

Although you cannot see in the photo above, I cooked a box of Stove Top Stuffing and then when it was done I placed it in the bottom of the greased casserole dish above.  I then tore my leftover Rotisserie Chicken into pieces and placed on top of the stuffing mixture.  I then placed the broccoli flowerettes on top of the chicken.  In the meantime, I cooked up two expired Pasta Dinner’s in cheese sauce and when done I poured them over the top of my casserole.

It Looks Good, Huh?

I baked the casserole for about 25 minutes in a 350F oven.

Then I sprinkled some expired Durkee Onions over top and placed the casserole back into the oven for an additional 5 minutes just to brown the topping.

It was actually quite delicious!

Perhaps we should just use our own judgement when it comes to the foods in our pantry and when it’s time to throw them out and not just rely on some dated stamp.

(P.S.  In this era of Covid 19 I’m not so sure we should be throwing food out willy nilly.  No one knows when they may lose their job and thus their income.  Perhaps eating something expired is better than eating nothing at all.)

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Because I believe my computer spy’s on me……

I heard my son tossing items into the trash can from the pantry and I immediately asked, “Whadyah doing?”  He replied, “It’s expired.”  I then asked, “What’s expired?”  Brodie:  “These cans of soup.”  Me:  “Put them back.”  Brodie:  “But they are expired!”  Me:  “Put them back anyway.”

The very next day this article pops up on my computer for me to read.

THE FOOD EXPIRATION DATES YOU SHOULD ACTUALLY FOLLOW

https://www.nytimes.com/article/expiration-dates-coronavirus.html?utm_source=pocket-newtab

Don’t tell me someone’s not listening!

Just think twice before you start throwing food away.  Especially in this climate.  I don’t want anyone to be hungry.

Julie

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pork, Sausage and Mustard

Pork, Sausage and Mustard

        Welcome to Pork, Sausage and Mustard From the Kitchen of……. Gordon and Julie Today, we will be making MUSTARD, and lots of it! At this writing we are in the middle of a pandemic, the Coronavirus/Covid 19. Gordon and I decided 

Breakfast With Brodie and Mackenzie

Breakfast With Brodie and Mackenzie

          Good Morning Welcome to Breakfast with Brodie and Mackenzie  We have a few menu items you might enjoy. ———————————————————- Bagel and Lox Ingredients: One Bagel (I use the Everything or Egg style bagels.) Smoked Salmon (I use Fresh Market’s Nova 

Cooking With Brodie and Mackenzie, Onion Soup

Cooking With Brodie and Mackenzie, Onion Soup

 

 

 

 

 

Onion Soup Topped with Toasted Bread and Melted Crusty Cheese

(Pork Tenderloins and Grilled Asparagus compliments of Gordon. 

Recipe write up at the bottom of this post.)

We would like to introduce to you our son Brodie and his girlfriend Mackenzie.

They are the new cooking dynamic duo in our family that have discovered the joys of cooking and trying new foods while discovering the talents and creativity that they never knew existed inside of them.  They have certainly been a ‘shot in the arm’ for Gordon and myself as their foods differ from ours and they are becoming something of an inspiration to us as they like to try and recreate some of their favorite foods they eat in restaurants, as well as to create new dishes on their own.

Of course Brodie having grown up with a culinary father has been something of an inspiration to him.  And as his mother I do have to brag that Brodie’s Teriyaki Chicken has surpassed Gordon’s in taste and texture.  But isn’t that the mark of a great teacher when the student goes on to surpass you?  But shh… let’s not tell Gordon quite yet.  🙂

And Mackenzie is quite creative on her own.  She has just discovered by taste, the ingredients needed in a recent recipe she and Brodie were working on from a restaurant they would frequent.

This post represents their debut as a cooking couple. 

We are very happy to have them join our website and we hope that you will give their recipes a try.

See you in the Kitchen,

Julie and Gordon

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Here they recreated an Onion Soup. 

They have also started a new blog post on breakfasts, something they are quite good at.  If you would like to take a look….

Click Here For:  Breakfast with Brodie and Mackenzie

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ONION SOUP

The Smell is Magnificent!

These Ramekin’s are Perfect for the Soup

(Gordon and Brodie had actually gone out shopping at a thrift store that morning and found them for this food project.)

The Broiled Sourdough

Right Out of the Oven

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Ingredients:

1 Red Onion, sliced

1 Vidalia Onion, sliced

1 White Onion, sliced

6 Shallots, sliced

Purple Pearl Onions, about 12 in a package, sliced

Cipollini Onions, package count was 9, sliced

Butter/Margarine, 1 stick

Beef Stock, 8 Cups

Olive Oil (about 4 T.)

Fresh Thyme, a few sprigs

Bay Leaves, 2-3

Salt

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1 Cup Port Wine

1 Cup Madeira Wine

1 Cup Sherry Wine

BREAD, any of your choice.

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Slicing the Onions and Adding them to a Large Bowl.

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Mackenzie and Brodie Chopping, and Cooking Down the Onions

After slicing the Red, Vidalia and White Onions, they added them to this cast iron pot.  But first they placed about 4 T. of Butter and 2 glugs of Olive Oil on a Medium Heat.

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Shallots to be Chopped

Sliced Shallots Added to a Pot with some Butter (1-2 T.) and Olive Oil to Soften on Medium Heat in a separate pot.

Pour the original pot of cooked down onions into a colander in order to drain the liquid from the pot.

The extra liquid that is removed will be reserved for later use.  Now the onions need to caramelize in the pot to create the brown color.  You will be adding the onion juice later to the soup.  Try a spoonful or two as the juice is quite tasty.  Continue to cook down/caramelize the onions to the doneness your prefer, which will give them even more great flavor.

When browned to your liking, add One Cup Port, and One Cup Madeira and One Cup Sherry to the original pot of onions.

Reduce by half for around 2 hours and add the Cippolini and Pearls Onions about an hour into reducing.

Cipollini and Purple Pearl Onions

Test your knife skills by slicing all the onions evenly.  The varied onion within this recipe, give the soup a well balanced and rounded flavor.

Adding your sliced Cipollini and Purple Pearl Onions to the main pot of onions and then add the Beef Broth, about 8 cups which is 2, 32 ounce containers.

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Stir the soup well and continue to cook over high heat to slightly tenderize the Cipollini and Purple Pearl Onions.  The varying textures of the onions will give the soup a little bite.

Add a little Thyme, Bay Leaves, and Salt, and bring it all to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 10 min.

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To make the crostini, coat the crostini slices lightly in butter and toast in a cast iron skillet over low to medium heat.  Make them nice and crispy.

Ladle the soup into a bowl or a crock as shown, which is ideal for French Onion Soup.

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Place the Crostini slices directly on top of the Soup.

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Mackenzie, Hand grated Gruyere,

and some Manchego.

Pile It ON!

Melt the cheese using the broiler until the cheese browns and forms a crust.

Be careful it’s piping hot!

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On the left are three previously three inch thick marinated pork tenderloins which were grilled using the following simple steps.  Light your grill and place three burners on high for ~five minutes.  Remove the tenderloins from their packages, turn the grill down to medium and place on the grill, one on top of each burner.  After five minutes of grilling, turn the tenderloin onto it’s opposite side and grill for another five minutes.  Once that five minutes has passed, turn the tenderloin over to a third side previously not grilled.  When completed, move all three tenderloins to a part of the grill which has no heat underneath it, place it down on a side not yet grilled.  If needed, turn off one of the burners to provide room for all three tenderloins.  Let them sit without flame underneath them for yes, another five min.  Now, when done, remove the tenderloins and let them rest for at least 10-15 min. to allow the juices to return to the center of the meat, creating a juicy cut of meat.

On the right are our grilled asparagus.  This is easily done by first placing a cooling rack on the grill so as not to allow the asparagus from falling through.  It is difficult to see in the photo above but it is a black rack placed on the grill and then the asparagus is placed on top of it. 

To prepare the asparagus for the grill, place them on a sheet pan, then douse with a good helping of olive oil and a good sprinkling of lemon pepper.  Mix all the ingredients around well then place and your pre-heated medium high grill.  Grill the asparagus for ~ eight minutes, then turn over and grill for another eight minutes.

NOTE:  Due to the size and thickness of the asparagus some may need to be removed sooner, or cooked longer than others.

  Remove and eat!

A Perfect Accompaniment to Brodie and Mackenzie’s Onion Soup

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Spooky and Sparky

(Waiting for scraps to fall off the table and making our lives a little better.)  🙂

 

 

 

 

 

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