Tropical Breakfasts
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Julie's Jabberwock
A Bluey Birthday Pavlova For Isabelle
3 Year’s Old! Pavlova For Isabelle Season 3, Episode 17 Pavlova Bonjour! Bandit becomes a French speaking chef who tries to get Bingo to eat Edamame instead of the Pavlova that she wants. Bluey becomes an advocate trying to have …
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
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 …
Julie and Gordon Whann Way Mexicana Seis!
Hola! Buen Dia!
Es Hora De Desayunar
(Time For Breakfast)
Out The Door Early, Just Something Fast
Cornbread Toppers with Mexican Chili Crisp
(The yellow you see above is a flower or two shredding it’s petals, and me not wanting to clean it up. I liked it.)
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Quickie Easy Breakfast
Onions, Some Chopped, Some Rings, Chopped Red Bell Pepper…
Turkey Sausages,
Eggs, with Salt and Pepper Added to the Onions and Bell Peppers,
Sauteed in Butter on a Medium Heat
Add a Jalapeno Cheddar Muffin from Sprouts, some Tropical Mexican Juices, and a Drizzle of Avocado Hot Sauce
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My Chorizo and Potato Hash Brown Breakfast
Spring Onions and Hot Sauces are Always a Must
Right Out Of The Cast Iron Skillet
Cornbread Toppers Made Into A Sandwich, With Scrambled Eggs, Mexican Cheese, Sliced Tomatoes, And My Hash Browns
Topped With A Nice Hot Sauce
(Recipe Down Below)
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Es Hora De La Merienda
(Time for a Snack)
Mexican Stars
I found these perfect looking crackers at Sprouts. I loved that they were shaped like Stars so I bought a few boxes of them. At the time I purchased them I was contemplating a great dip to dip them into. But, when I opened the box and tried them I was really take aback by how plain they were. Kind of like eating cardboard. That is when I got the idea to season up the crackers, and worry about a dip later on.
(I always saw these as Mexican, and not anything but. Which is why this was so easy to create.)
(Recipe Down Below)
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My Mexican Cornbread Butternut Squash, and My Mexican Cornbread Jalapeno Muffins
I got the idea to make these into Mexican because I had already done it with some other squash I was experimenting on. The cornbread worked great baked into the squash. I was really pleased with how easy it was, and how delicious they all turned out.
The Squash are a Meal in Itself
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Cornbread/Onions/Broccoli/Cottage Cheese Muffins
My Cornbread Muffins with Onions, Broccoli, and Cottage Cheese
Great With An Egg Or Two
(Bacon and Herbs a MUST!)
Making The Broccoli/Onion/Cottage Cheese Cornbread Muffins:
I just wanted to do a quick write up here as I didn’t take photos of this food project because I already have photos of this food project on other website pages. This is the first time I made them into muffins though. In the past I made an entire cast iron skillet of them!
I just follow a cornbread mix directions either on the box, tube, or bag, and then I add my Chopped Onions, Thawed Broccoli Florets, and a 4-5 heaping spoonful of Cottage Cheese. I add it to the already prepared batter before it goes into a skillet or muffin tins to bake. You can eyeball the amounts that you want. You can see for yourself the amounts that you like in the mixing bowl as you add it to the batter.
Then, all you do is to transport the Cornbread Mixture into whatever you will be cooking it in. Just continue to follow the package directions and bake according to the recipe. Use toothpicks to test to make sure the cornbread is ready when done. Allow to cool, and then enjoy!
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Es Hora De Comer
(Time for Lunch)
Making a Chicken Pattie Sandwich out of my Cornbread Jalapeno Muffin
(Just add some greenery, tomato, and some mustard.)
(Recipes Down Below)
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Mexi-Corn
(Write Up By Gordon)
I took two ears of peaches and cream corn which is white and yellow corn mixed on the same ear. I shucked it leaving most of the outer husks in tact removing all the fine silk strands. I wrapped the corn in a single layer of paper towel, and then wet the paper towel. I then placed both ears of corn in the microwave and cooked them for 5 min. Then I turned the oven onto 350’F and placed the corn in a pie pan topped with aluminum foil. I then topped the corn with some butter, Chili Powder, Queso Quesadilla Cheese and Spring Onions, salt and pepper to taste, and placed it in the oven for about 8 min. or until the cheese became brown as shown in the picture. Make sure the Chili Powder makes its way all around the corn. These turned out really good, so give them a try, now that corn is in season.
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Recipes Start Right Here
When In Doubt, Get Take-Out
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My Chorizo and Potato Hash Brown Breakfast
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Ingredients:
5 or so, Russet, Idaho, or Yukon Gold Potatoes Work Best
14 oz., Chorizo Sausage
Wash Your Potatoes And Remove The Skins
Remove The Chorizo From The Casings, Place Into A Cast Iron Skillet
Turn The Burner On To A Medium-High Heat To Brown Them
Use A Grater and Shred Your Potatoes Into A Medium Mixing Bowl
Continue To Brown Your Chorizo In The Skillet
Drain Off Any Excess Fat Into The Sink To Discard
(When Done Remove The Chorizo From The Heat And Set Aside)
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Place The Potatoes On Top Of The Chorizo In The Skillet
Time To Add The Spices:
Chili Powders (I like to use a few different ones as they have different tastes.)
Jalapeno Powder
Hawaiian Sea Salt
(I really just sprinkled them on top and didn’t mix them in.)
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Into a 350F they go for about 25 minutes.
I Then Removed Them From The Oven and Flipped Them Over With A Large Spatula
I Did Do A Taste Test And Decided To Cook Them Longer
I Put Them Back Into The Oven For Another 10 Minutes
When Done, Allow To Cool
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Time To Make The Eggs
Simply Add Butter To A Frying Pan And Place On A Medium Heat
Add The Eggs And Scramble
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Setting The Table
Eat Up and Enjoy!
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Mexican Stars
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Ingredients:
3, 4.5 Ounce Boxes Star Shaped Crackers
(Valley Lahvosh Baking Company Crackers)
1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
1/2 t. Cumin
1 1/4 t. Lime Pepper
1 T. + 1/4 t. Chives
1/2 t. Cilantro
1/2 t. Mexican Oregano
1/4 Ground Jalapeno
1/4 Jalapeno Sea Salt
1/4 t. Chili Powder
1/4 t. Chili Powder (Another brand. They have different tastes.)
1/4 t. Lime Powder
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Gathering All Of My Ingredients
I Wanted To Use Lots Of Herbs And Spices
(In the photo far right, above, you see two Chili Powders. Every Chili Powder is different in taste. Some stronger than others. I like to sometimes add a few of them to give more spicy flavor.)
In a Mixing Bowl add all of the Ingredients
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On a Baking Sheet Spray a Cooking Oil Spray..
Then Place all of the Star Shaped Crackers on it….
And Pour Over the Herb/Spice/Oil Mixture, Stir Together
Make Sure The Star Crackers Are Coated With The Mixture
Place Into A 300F Oven for 15 Minutes
Remove From Oven, Stir Around, Then Place Back Into The Oven For Another 15 Minutes
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When Done Remove From Oven And Sprinkle Some Jalapeno Sea Salt Over Top
Also Sprinkle A Pinch Of Lime Powder Over Top
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You Can Place Them Back Into The Oven For Another 10 or 15 Minutes
When Done, Place On Paper Towels To Cool
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My Mexican Cornbread Butternut Squash, and My Mexican Cornbread Jalapeno Muffins
Making Them Mexican Was The Best Thing I Did!
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Ingredients:
1 Butternut Squash
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Quaker Corn Meal (Yellow)
(And everything that the recipe on the tube requires to make the Cornbread. What you see above on the far left are the ingredients that are required in making the Cornbread itself.)
Now For The Other Ingredients…
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1 Medium Spanish Onion, Chopped
1 Can Black Beans, Drained
1 Medium Orange Bell Pepper, Chopped
Ground Oregano (amounts to be determined)
Ground Chili Powder (amounts to be determined)
Ground Jalapeno (amounts to be determined)
Spring Onions, Chopped (amounts to be determined)
Jalapeno Peppers, Deseeded and Sliced into rings (amounts to be determined)
Jalapeno Sea Salt, to Taste
Mexican Cheese (Queso Fresco)
Fresh Herbs: Cilantro or Parsley
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The first thing that I did was to slice my Butternut Squash right down the middle into 2 halves.
I then removed the seeds with the silver tool you see in the photos above. It is actually for fish, however I use it in many other ways than just fish.
I then placed the Butternut Squash halves down onto a foiled lined baking sheet.
(I did place them into a 350F Oven for about 8 minutes to soften the squash.)
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When I removed them from the oven I used a knife to cut into the squash, as you can see. I made the cuts vertical and horizontal.
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Time To Make My Glaze For The Squash
I want to glaze the squash with some Butter, Salt and Spices to brush over the squash.
1/4 Cup of Butter/Margarine
Dashes of Jalapeno Powder, Chili Powder and Ground Oregano. Use as much as you like.
A few pinches of Jalapeno Sea Salt
Melt the Butter in the Microwave and then add your Salt and Spices to the Melted Butter.
Mix together, and then brush onto the Butternut Squash generously.
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Place Back Into The 350F Oven For Another 8 – 10 Minutes
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Time To Make Our Cornbread
We Are Simply Following The Recipe On The Tube Of Yellow Corn Meal Mix
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Time To Remove The Butternut Squash From The Oven
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Working On Our Cornbread Mixture To Place Into The Butternut Squash
Chopping My Jalapeno Peppers (3) Into Rings
My Spanish Onion, Chopped
My Spring Onions, Chopped
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You Can Pretty Much See The Amounts I Am Adding:
The Sliced Jalapeno’s
About 1/4 t. Each Of My Spices
3/4 Of The Can Of Black Beans, Drained
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The Butternut Squash Is Ready To Take The Cornbread Mixture
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Time To Chop The Orange Bell Pepper And The Spring Onions
Add All That You Want To The Cornbread Mixture, Like So… Mix Together
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Now It Is Time To Dollop The Cornbread Mixture Into the Butternut Squash
I Also Added Some Jalapeno Peppers Down The Squash As Well
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Into A 350F Oven For About 10 -12 Minutes To Cook The Cornbread
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You Want To Make Sure Your Squash Is Fork Tender, And The Cornbread Is Done As Well.
Sprinkle Some Mexican Cheese On Top And Then Place Back Into The Oven To Melt The Cheese
When Done Remove From Oven Sprinkle Jalapeno Sea Salt and Allow To Cool
Garnish With Some Cilantro or Parsley
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My Jalapeno Muffins
I am placing the remainder of my Cornbread Mixture into Muffin Tins.
I used a Vegetable Oil Spray into each cup, and now I am dolloping the Cornbread Mixture into each cup.
I Topped Each Muffin With A Jalapeno Pepper Ring
My Delicious Butternut Squash Cooling
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Mexican Cheese and Jalapeno Salt left, My Muffins out of the oven Right
Time To Sprinkle Some Mexican Cheese Onto the Muffins, And Place Back Into The Oven For A Few Minutes To Melt The Cheese
Cool On A Rack
Beautiful and Delicious!
Again, Beautiful and Delicious!
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Adios!
Julie and Gordon Whann
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 —————————————————————————————— When I Turned 60 I Started this Website Page: Sixty’s, (Sensational or Surviving?), We’ll See, Right? (If you would like …
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 …
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.)
..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
This Jezebel is NUTS!
Currently Under Construction ———————————————————————————— 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 …
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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La Sciatta Giulia Anna’s (Italian Sloppy Julie Ann’s)
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Edible Gifts: Italian, Greek, and Irish
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Modern Day Mona (Lisa) Halloween
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Even More Italian (Just For You)
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Tavolino Da Caffe Italiana (Coffee Table Italian)
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Grazie,
Gordon and Julie
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Lemon Tratta (Treats)
Lemony Cheerios Tratta’s With Lemon Marshmallows And Creamy Lemon Almonds
There is just something about Lemons and Summer that go so well together.
Perhaps it has something to do with the color Yellow? We tend to think of Yellow Sunshine, Warm Weather, Lemonade, Sugary Lemon Sweets and Treats? Slices of Lemon in our cool refreshing Iced Teas, Sherbet’s, Lemon Twist Cocktails, and even the wonderful Lemon Zest.
I created these Lemon Tratta’s with all of that in mind. Everything here is simple, yet Lemony Refreshing.
I hope that you will think so too!
Julie
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A Lemony Cheerios Version Of Rice Krispie Treats
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This Healthy Oat Marshmallow Cheerios Tratta I Made For Isabelle
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Lemony S’Mores
I wanted to expand on my Lemon Marshmallows so I came up with this nice Tratta….
Lemony S’Mores
I have various cookies here.
Lemon Shortbread, Lemon Flavored Cookies, Lemon Iced Cookies, Chocolate Covered Wafer Cookies…
Lemon Marshmallows, Chocolate Squares, Creamy Lemon Almonds, And Lemons For Zest
Toasted Some Marshmallows…
Assembling The S’Mores
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Double Decker S’More Topped With My Lemon Dipped Chocolate Slice
Roasted Lemon Slices Dipped In Melted Chocolate And Topped With A Creamy Lemon Almond
A Nice Tratta Eaten Alone Or With A S’More
(Recipes Down Below)
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Recipes Start Here
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UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Lemony Cheerios Tratta’s With Lemon Marshmallows And Creamy Lemon Almonds
Sometimes inspiration hits you when you least expect it. I was at a grocery store that I only shop at occasionally, I tend to walk down every single aisle even if I am only in there to find one or two items, I do this because sometimes I see products that jump out at me as being special. That is what happened here! I walked down the cereal aisle even though I didn’t need any cereal. That is when I saw the ‘Limited Edition Frosted Lemon Cheerios.’ I bought 3 boxes!
I immediately knew what I wanted to do with this. A Cheerios ‘Rice Krispy Treats’ except I wanted to make everything Lemon. 🙂
I then bought a few Lemons for this food project, and I ordered a few bags of Lemon Marshmallows from online.
Here is what I came up with:
Ingredients:
Frosted Lemon Cheerios Cereal
Butter
Lemon Marshmallows
Regular Marshmallows
Lemon Zest
Sprinkles
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I advise you to use the recipe for Rice Krispy Treats in order to figure out how much you would like to make according to those directions. You can find that recipe online. I know that I used a little less of this, and a little more of that.
This Recipe Continues After Isabelle’s Oat Cheerios Tratta…
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Isabelle’s Oat Cheerios Tratta’s
I had some extra Oat Cheerios and I wanted to make them for Isabelle.
I figured that they would at least be a little bit healthier than what I was making.
Ingredients:
Oat Cheerios Cereal
Butter
Marshmallows
Cooking Oil Spray
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Again, you should consult the Rice Krispy Treats recipe online to determine how much you would like to make.
Here are my ingredients:
In a Medium Sized Pot you want to melt your Butter.
Place the Marshmallows into the pot as well. Allow them to melt.
When the Marshmallow’s have melted add them to your Cereal, mix together.
I sprayed a Non-Stick Butter Spray into a glass Pie Plate…
I Then Stirred It All Together And Placed Them Into The Glass Pie Plate To Set.
These Are For Isabelle…. 🙂
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My Lemony Cheerios Tratta’s With Lemon Marshmallows And Creamy Lemon Almonds, Continues…..
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UNDER CONSTRUCTION
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Isabelle and the Roma’s
Oven Semi-Dried Roma’s Packed In EVOO —————————————————————————— Roma’s (Plum) Tomatoes Benvenuto Isabelle(a) and the Roma’s (Photo Above Right, Isabelle Eating A Roma Like An Apple) Roma Tomatoes are the most perfect tomatoes in my opinion. They hold up very …
Summer Italian
Welcome to my Summer Italian Favorite Appertiffs ——————————————————————– I created this fun Italian dinner based on the Palms in my backyard. I also knew that I wanted to showcase this fun and delicious dinner on my Palm Leaf Platter. It …
A Tasty Asian Summer
Welcome To A Tasty Asian Summer
I want to make this page about fun, and tasty foods that have an Asian flair to them.
Nothing complicated, but the kinds of foods you would expect to eat in the summer.
I hope to add on to this as time goes by.
Koko Ni Kitekurete Arigato
(Thank you for being here.)
Julie
Our Backyard Shiso Leaves Plant
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Cindy and Panda
by Benson Shum
I was shopping at the base exchange in Tampa and I found this book, and many other great books, in the sale bin. I recognized it’s importance immediately and fished it out. (I’ve discovered that the best children’s books are always overlooked and in the sale bin.)
Cindy and Panda’s Blueberry Pie
This is just a cute book for any toddler about friendship, and cooking. The book even ends with a nice recipe for making a Blueberry Pie.
I placed this here because Isabelle and I just might have a go at making this recipe someday.
The author and illustrator, Benson Shum, has also written books of Little Seed, Anzu the Great Kaiju, Anzu the Great Listener, and Alex’s Good Fortune, and he is the illustrator of Sloth Went by Adam Lehrhaupt. He is also an animator at Walt Disney Animation Studios and has worked on such films as Frozen, Big Hero 6, Moana, Raya and the Last Dragon, and Encanto.
He is originally from Vancouver, British Columbia.
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Wasabi Salt
My Seaweed Dip/Spread, with Shiso Leaves
(Shiso Leaves are the original leaves that were placed in the containers of Sushi that you would buy in restaurants, and stores that would sell sushi products. They eventually replaced the real leaves with the plastic ones. Which is what you are familiar with now. These are those real leaves. We have them growing in our backyard. They are very healthy for you. They aid in digestion. They were also used to wrap around meats and other foods that had gone a bit bad, and they helped to prevent you from getting sick when eating such meats.)
Served with Seaweed and Onion Crackers
(I purchased the crackers at the Asian Supermarket.
They are some of the best crackers I’ve ever eaten!)
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Also, Served With Seaweed and Snap Peas
Over Every Cracker Sprinkle Some Tuxedo Sesame Seeds and Some Wasabi Salt
I made some extra for my daughter and her family. But, I never told her what it was because I figured that she would reject it if I told her it was made out of seaweed. So, when she came over the following day to pick up Isabelle, I asked her if she liked it? She said, “Yes, it was really good. But, what was it?” 🙂
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This also makes a nice little on-the-go snack as you run out the door!
The Seaweed and Onion Crackers are individually wrapped in the gold wrapping, above.
(Recipe Down Below)
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Soft Dried Mango with Chili Salt
(Formed into a Flower, purchased at the Asian Supermarket)
This is a favorite of ours. I buy this a lot. It is not only beautiful, but it is so delicious! It has this excellent Chili Salt on it. I would love to find that salt sold separately. I can think of so many things that it would taste so good on.
I just unravel it, and eat it that way.
As the flower gets smaller, and smaller.
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Taro Bun
This is another favorite of mine from the Asian Supermarket.
I love their ready made treats!
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Recipes Start Here
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My Seaweed Dip/Spread, with Shiso Leaves
I Snipped These From The Backyard, and Washed Them
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Ingredients:
Prepared Seaweed, 1-2 Containers, Drained, Squeezed of Liquid, and Chopped
(You can buy this at any grocery store or Asian Supermarket, already prepared for you.)
1 Medium Onion, Chopped
3/4 Cup Stick Carrots, Chopped
3, 8 oz. Blocks Cream Cheese, Softened
2 T. Hawaiian Teriyaki Sauce ( or less if you desire)
1 – 2 T. Toasted Sesame Oil
Tuxedo Sesame Seeds (Black and White) As a Garnish
Wasabi Salt To Taste
Garnish with Shiso Leaves, or any Edible Leaf, if possible.
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This is the tasty Seaweed that I purchased from our Sushi guys at the Commissary on base.
It is actually quite tasty! For those that are a bit put off by it, at least try it. You just might find that you will like it.
The first thing that I did was to soften all of my Cream Cheese, and then place it into a mixing bowl.
I chopped up a medium sized Onion….
…and then chopped some Carrot Sticks, even smaller.
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The Seaweed
I drained the Seaweed into a small colander….
then I squeezed it dry into some paper towels.
The then placed it onto a cutting board and chopped it finely.
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In the Meantime….
My Cream Cheese had softened, I had added the Onion, Carrots, and the Seaweed…
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With Everything Mixed Together, It’s Time To Add My Flavors
Hawaiian Teriyaki Sauce and Toasted Sesame Oil
I added as much as I wanted to. This is a ‘per-your-personal-tastes’, by the way.
I Then Molded Everything Into 2 Balls.
(One for me, and one to give away.)
It was at this point that I did refrigerate the Cheese Balls for at least a few hours.
Allowing the flavors to meld together. You can also do this the night before.
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Time To Plate the Cheese Ball
The container that you see above that is housing my cheeseball, is actually two small bowls that I hot glued together.
I loved the bowls when I saw them at the Asian Supermarket. I would have loved them to have a larger bowl in that set, they didn’t, so I improvised.
I did add my Shiso Leaves around the Cheeseball, and sprinkled some Tuxedo Sesame Seeds on top.
Adding a Few Spring Onions, and Some Snap Peas, Along with my Seaweed and Onion Crackers.
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Whenever I think of the Asian cultures, I always think of birds.
It was while I was making the dip/spread above, that this beauty paid a visit to the backyard.
It even ate a few lizards before flying off.
I love it when I get backyard visitors. Just leave the lizards alone.
They live here, you don’t!
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Julie
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If you would like to view our other Asian pages:
Click Here For: Whann Way Asian
AND,
Click Here For: Whann Way Asian, E Ho ‘Omau (Continues)
AND,
Click Here For: Julie Loves Asian
AND,
Click Here For: Asian Edible Gifts
AND,
Edible Gifts of the Asian Variety
(Note: Edible Gifts of the Asian Variety is the same post as Asian Edible Gifts. I have both listed here for accuracy, but one is a Page and the other is considered a Post. Confusing, I know.)
AND,
Click Here For: Our Asian Easter
AND,
Click Here For: Whann Way Sushi
AND,
Click Here For: My Love Affair With All Things Asian
AND,
Click Here For: Asian Steamed Buns: Bao and Manapua
AND,
Click Here For: Our Purple Sweet Potato and Taro Stuffed Steamed Buns and Asian-Pacific Sliders
AND,
Click Here For: Our Asian Inspired 4th. of July
AND,
Click Here For: Gordon’s ‘Year of the Tiger’ Sauce and Nam Jim Jaew
AND,
AND,
AND,
Chisana Atsukau (Small Treats in Japanese
AND,
AND,
Japanese Girl’s Day (Hawaii Tradition)
AND,
Asian Eats (More Great Recipes to Enjoy)
AND,
AND,
AND,
AND,
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Strawberry’s and All Things PINK!
Welcome to Strawberry’s and All Things PINK! Dried Hibiscus Flowers ———————————————————————————– Pink Fudge with Dried Hibiscus Flowers The Hibiscus Flowers are Sweet and Tangy, Almost like Gummy’s ———————————————————————————————— I have been eating lots of Strawberry’s this year, and loving all …
Julie Barefoot In The Backyard
(See Down Below For New Content) Hello Happy Barefoot Spring, and Summer in my Backyard And Fall and Winter, but not so much. 🙂 Our Backyard Peach Tree We spend a lot of time outside in our backyard. Gardening, Landscaping, Grilling, …
Here’s a CLUE for Nancy Drew
“I don’t promise to forget the mystery, but I know I’ll have a marvelous time“
Nancy Drew
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#45 The Spider Sapphire Mystery
Thrilling, dangerous adventure confront Nancy Drew while on a safari in East Africa with a group of American college students. Excitement runs high as the teen-age detective delves into the theft of a fabulous sapphire formed by nature millions of year ago.
The mystery starts in Nancy’s home town. Her lawyer father’s client, Floyd Ramsey, who fashions beautiful and unusual synthetic gems, is accused of stealing the magnficent spider sapphire and exhibiting it as his own creation. Mr. Ramsey’s enemies blackmail him and by their vicious acts try to deter Nancy from going on the safari.
How the daring young sleuth uncovers a nefarious scheme and also solves the strange disappearance of an injured jungle guide will keep the reader breathless with suspense from first page to last.
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Bushes make a clever screen while you eavesdrop on unsuspecting suspects.
#1 The Secret Of The Old Clock
(1930)
(I purchased this book, the first one, after I had already started my collection because my mother already had The Secret of the Old Clock, so I didn’t think I needed it. It wasn’t until I wanted the full ‘yellow set’ and realized that it was different from the original version my mother had. That is why the price sticker is on this book and not the others.)
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Hello. My name is Nancy Drew.
When getting a call from a guy makes you send your slippers flying to the nether regions of your bedroom, you might just be infatuated!
The Clue in the Diary
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Which brings me to Ned:
This is my special friend Ned Nickerson, he attends Emmerson College. He has been my ‘special friend’ since 1932 when he assisted me on our first detective adventure together, The Clue in the Diary.
Although my first mystery was The Secret of the Old Clock two years prior.
Ned has been a great buddy for the past 94 years. We both live in River Heights. I live with my father Carson Drew, who is a successful attorney, along with our housekeeper Hannah Gruen. I lost my mother when I was a small child. I have a dog Togo and a cat Snowball.
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Always Dress For Success
I solve mysteries together with my friends Bess Marvin and George Fayne. They are cousins.
Bess has a lovely face but sadly she is slightly plump, (compared to the rest of us stick thin girls), and George is a tomboy. Together we are helped by their boyfriends, Dave Evans and Burt Eddleton.
Always give your hair special attention and wear pretty dresses for the boys!
#55 Mystery of Crocodile Island
In a response to a friend’s call for help, Nancy’s father, a lawyer, asks her to travel to mysterious Crocodile Island with her friends Bess and George to study the reptiles and try to uncover a group of suspected poachers.
Upon their arrival in Florida, the girls are kidnapped but cleverly escape to pursue their detective work. Dangers mount as they cope with the reptiles, enemy boats, and exciting chases after the men who are responsible for a sinister racket that involves many unsuspecting victims. In the end, Nancy makes a bold move to untangle the mass of clues. She and Ned become imprisoned in the enemy’s submarine and are held for ransom!
How Nancy and Ned are saved and the tables turned on the owners of Crocodile Island are left for the reader to discover.
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Look! It’s a message from Bess and George coming in through the wireless.
Well Ned, we have a mystery to solve. Let’s go!
Here’s a CLUE for Nancy Drew
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Currently Sleuthing…
One thing is for sure, she thought. Work is the best antidote for worry.
I’ll get back to Twin Elms and do some more sleuthing there.
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The Case of the Safecracker’s Secret
I Am Also An Excellent Safecracker
This One Was No Problem
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Eavesdropping
While it does toe the line of privacy,
eavesdropping on the telephone extension is a necessary tactic for staying informed and catching criminals.
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Some Days a Stake Out is in Order
Ned’s Roadster Always Comes In Handy
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When Casing A Joint, Or Following A Bad Guy
Cocoa and Cookies make a great accompaniment to a Midnight Stakeout!
The Clue of the Tapping Heels
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If you’re taken prisoner, unobtrusively knock off a button so that your rescuers will be able to better trace your whereabouts.
#19 The Quest Of The Missing Map
Canada Or Greenland?
Pretty Sure Ned’s Roadster Can Get Us There and Back
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The Quest of the Missing Map
“No! No! I won’t go there!” seven-year-old Trixie Chatham cries out. “The Ship Cottage is haunted!”
Prompted by her concern for the frightened child, Nancy investigates the small studio on the Chatham estate. What the astute young detective discovers leads her to believe that there is a connection between the mysterious occurrences at Ship Cottage and her search for a treasure island.
With only a few slim clues to guide her—-a half map and Tomlin Smith’s vague memories—Nancy sets out to find Mr. Smith’s long-lost twin brother, who possesses the rest of the map that will pinpoint the location of buried treasure willed to them by their father.
Constantly beset by danger and intrigue, Nancy courageously outwit her enemies and solves one of the most challenging cases in her career as a teen-age investigator.
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Ned Nickerson is so keen to help in investigative work.
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Mrs. Nickerson’s Cookies and Hot Cocoa
Maps are a Must when on a Stakeout
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Julie
What Happened To Julie On Her Honeymoon?
Starring:
Doris Day, Louis Jourdan, Barry Sullivan and Frank Lovejoy
Has beautiful Julie Benton married a murderer, an insanely jealous man who killed her first husband in hopes of marrying her? When Julie learns the answer is yes, she escapes him in a desperate attempt to forge a new life, taking a job as a stewardess. But her husband has no intention of letting Julie go ever. Doris Day and Louis Jourdan star as pursued and pursuer in this nonstop, double Oscar nominated thriller built around the kind of woman in peril plot that always jangles audiences nerves and is a specialty of writer/director Andrew L. Stone (Cry Terror!. The Last Voyage). As if a mad stalker isn’t enough, Julie tosses in a great Hollywood ending: our heroine piloting a jetliner to a San Francisco landing, the fate of passengers and crew in her hands.
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Assembling My Display
When I was putting this display together, I found that the only spot I had available in the house was the T.V. stand. I placed a vintage yellow tablecloth over the T.V. in an attempt to hide it, while I started stacking my Nancy Drew books in front of it. It was while I was doing this that I wanted to watch T.V. and I didn’t think I would be able to because of all the stuff in front of it, but I pressed the buttons anyway. Viola! It worked! It was then that I got the idea to put in a movie to play in back of the books. I know that I used to own the Emma Roberts version of Nancy Drew on DVD so I tried to find it, but no luck. I then thought that it would be great just to find any old movie I had and have that playing in the background, that is when I spotted Julie.
I thought it would be great to have it playing so when it came time to doing the shoot I put the movie in and then this great backdrop came onto the screen,
Now Playing
Julie
Perfect! Funny thing is this wasn’t planned.
In fact, most of the things that I do I don’t plan, they just tend to evolve and I just go with the flow. I just like to think that my subconscious is guiding the way. 🙂
Julie
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The Original Nancy Drew Was A Blonde
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Everyone Wants To Know…
What Does Nancy Drew Keep In Her Handbag?
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Now Playing
Julie
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When I was young and reading all the books Nancy always seemed to have everything she needed in her handbag.
I even remember thinking at the time that her handbag would have to be huge in order to carry all that she does, yet the illustrations of her always seemed to have her carrying some small clutch or handbag. Which is why I decided to show you through the magic of Hermione Grainger just how it is possible to carry so much in such a small vessel.
So, what are the contents?
A Framed Photo Of Me And My Boyfriend Ned
Road Maps to get around River Heights and the Surrounding Towns
Note Pad and Pen/Pencil
(You never know when you need to jot down license plate numbers of suspicious vehicles. Or for leaving your phone number with cooperative witnesses so they can get in touch with me.)
Sewing Kit for mending my Skirt Hems when I hide behind bushes to Spy and they get Snagged on Thorns
A Compass for when I get Lost, Binoculars for Far Away Distances
Pay Days, Baby Ruth’s, and Packs of Crackers
Carrying an emergency package of crackers and a candy bar can be a ray of light to a just- rescued fellow!
The Spider Sapphire Mystery
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Oh, and handy games to play when the stake out’s last longer than they should.
Lipstick and a Mirror
The lipstick is for making my lips lovely and supple for Ned, and the mirror is for signaling passing airplanes when stranded in the middle of nowhere.
My Travel Flashlight
(For searching for CLUES at night.)
A Scarf and Sunglasses also make for a Quick Disguise when Necessary
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Keeping an emergency five dollars in your purse is a great idea—until your purse is stolen!
The Mystery at the Ski Jump
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Oh, and One More Thing!
My Magnifying Glass For Examining CLUES
So, There You Have It!
My Entire Collection, Paperbacks Included
Nancy Drew is the reason that most of the time I have the largest and heaviest purse of anyone I know. She is the reason I carry binoculars and a compass in my car. She is the reason why I have notepads and pens in my purse and car. She is the reason I carry food with me whenever I go anywhere. She is the reason I have old maps. She is the reason I have various flashlights everywhere within arms reach. She is the reason that if I am ever stranded on a desert island with my purse I will be able to signal overhead airplanes and get rescued. She is also the reason why I will never part with my Nancy Drew books and why I get them out occasionally and just flip through them visiting my old friend.
And she is the reason that my mother will always ask, “Julie, why in the world do you have to carry everything you own with you all the time?”
🙂
My 41st. Wedding Anniversary Gift From Gordon
#3 The Bungalow Mystery
(I didn’t have it.)
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My New/Old Copy Left, My Mother’s Copy Right
(I still have the paper thin jacket that went around her book.) 🙂
One reason that I never bought myself The Bungalow Mystery #3 in the yellow series is because I had my mother’s old copy and I assumed they were the same. Not so! They are different. The story is different. When I found out, I now want those that I didn’t buy to begin with because I relied on my mother’s books. I don’t have that many to buy. My mother didn’t own that many copies.
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In The Bungalow Mystery…
“I’ll go to one of the hotels on the lake and engage a room. Then after it gets dark I’ll do a little investigating.”
Nancy recalled that Laura had told here there were several nice hotels a few miles farther on, and at once she determined to stop at the first one she came to. Presently she approached The Beach Cliff Hotel, and as it appeared satisfactory, she registered and engaged a comfortable room overlooking the lake.
“I must telephone home,” Nancy decided. “If I don’t, Laura will be worried to death.”
Accordingly, she placed a long distance call to River Heights and after a short wait heard Hannah’s voice at the other end of the wire. In response to her request, Laura was called to the telephone. Nancy explained quickly where she was and that she intended to investigate Jacob Aborn’s cottage as soon as it grew dark. There was a pause, and then Laura’s anxious voice reached her.
“Oh, Nancy, I’m afraid to have you try that.”
“I’m sure I’ve struck a clue, Laura, and it would be foolish for me to come home without investigating.”
“Do be careful.”
“I will,” Nancy promised.
The Beach Cliff Hotel
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NANCY DREW “It’s Locked!”
Well Ned, it looks like no one is home. You stay here and keep guard.
Whistle if you see someone. The Bob White signal will do. I’ve got a lock to pick.
Almost there….
I’m IN!!
I’ll be careful. 🙂
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#21 The Secret In The Old Attic
(Incidentally we do have Halloween in the attic and had I thought more about it I could have dangled a skeleton’s hand my way.) 🙂
Synopsis:
Nancy Drew races against time to unravel the clues in a dead man’s letters. If she succeeds, Philip March and his little granddaughter can be saved from financial ruin. Following the obscure clues, Nancy undertakes a search for some unpublished musical manuscripts which she believes are hidden in the dark, cluttered attic of the run-down March mansion. But someone else want them enough to put many frightening obstacles in Nancy’s way.
It takes courage and ingenuity for the alert young detective to discover the significance of the skeleton with the upraised arm and to find the source of the spooky sounds of music in the old attic.
Startling developments await Nancy when she aids her lawyer father in doing some detective work on a case involving a stolen formula for a unique silk-making process. How she outwits a trio of ruthless thieves and solves the Marches’ problems as well as her father’s case makes exciting reading.
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Nancy In The Attic
Ned, you keep watch while I sleuth around the attic for clues.
(Nancy’s Tip: Pretty sure Ned was staring at 4th. base as I was walking up the attic stairs. We shouldn’t encourage amorous behavior from our ‘special friends.’)
By the way, what happened to my 1960’s flashlight?
What is this futuristic thing that I am holding? I just don’t like it!
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Now where would it be? Hmmmm…..
Where is that music coming from?
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MORE NANCY DREW TO COME!!!!
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(I wrote this in my Julie Vintage Archives around 2012.
I wanted to add it here as a continuation of my love of Nancy Drew.)
Remembering Nancy Drew
Nancy Drew and the Secret of the Old Clock
Me, having dug out my old Nancy Drew and Dana Girls Mystery books from my youth.
August 9th, is ‘Book Appreciation Day’ and I wanted to focus on my favorite all time books growing up, the Nancy Drew series of books, written under the name of Carolyn Keene. I do have to say that Nancy Drew saved my life. If you have read any of my blogs then you will know that I grew up moving around a lot. I was the new kid in school 9 times in 12 years from grades 1 – 12. I didn’t make many friends and the ones I did, I would leave behind to move onto the next place. I didn’t grow up with stability, something that I desperately needed as a child. Nancy Drew gave me that stability that I needed to function. Reading those books, I was able to escape from my life of loneliness to a life of adventure and excitement and friendship. Nancy Drew became my best friend and her adventures became mine. I was able to escape into her world and that helped me to survive mine.
Me about age 12 or 13 during my big Nancy Drew days. We were living in Roanoke, Virginia at the
Nancy Drew also taught me valuable skills. Back in 1978 when my family and I were on a cross-country trip out west our Winnebago broke down on the side of the highway. My step-father was too proud to use the CB radio that was right in front of him so I grabbed the flashlight and headed to the back of the camper. It was at night so I started sending my SOS signals out the back window. Soon a car stopped to help us. My step-father asked the man how he knew we were in trouble and he said that he saw the SOS signals and stopped. The man was able to help us get the camper started and get to the next town where we found a mechanic to fix it. Julie saves the day thanks to something that I learned in my Nancy Drew books. Did I ever get a ‘thank you’ for that? I don’t think so!
There were many Nancy Drew’s to come and go over the decades. The first was in 1938, her name was Bonita Granville. She starred in ‘Nancy Drew Reporter’ and ‘Nancy Drew Detective’. I came across an old Nancy Drew movie on T.V. a few years ago staring Bonita Granville and I just had to watch it. I couldn’t get over the ‘over acting’. Acting has apparently advanced since the 1930’s. I also noticed that her boyfriend was not named Ned, but was named Ted Nickerson played by Frankie Thomas.
Bonita Granville was the First Nancy Drew
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These are just a few of the actress’s that have played Nancy Drew over the decades. Nancy, Bess and George will always be special to me and a big part of my growing up. That is how I shall always remember her. So every now and then I like to dig out the books and have another look at them, read one or two before I pack them back up and send them to the attic. Hopefully someday my daughter will show some interest in them and decide to read them as well. But until then it’s just me, Remembering Nancy Drew.
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Nancy Drew Ghost Stories
Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys
The Secret of the Old Clock
The Hidden Staircase
The Bungalow Mystery
Nancy’s Mysterious Letter
The Mystery of the Ivory Charm
Written inside each book it says, ‘Made in The United States of America’.
My mother’s Nancy Drew books. I LOVE the old graphics!
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Gordon’s Hardy Boys Books were written by Franklin W. Dixon.
Gordon only had three of them. Franklin W. Dixon was also a pen name for several Hardy Boys authors.
The Mystery of the Chinese Junk
The Mystery of the Spiral Bridge
The Clue of the Hissing Serpent
I think they were all gifts to him that he never read. Two of them have written inscriptions.
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“1974 Easter To: Gordon Whann from Auntie Hester from Sharpton MD. Had nice visit with you and your family – See you again soon. Love, Hester”
The next one said, “To Gordon Whann from John Bunch, Charlotte, 1977”
Whenever you give the gift of a book to someone always be sure to sign it. It means so much more many years later to find something so nice and personal as that.
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Dana Girls
Photo below my Dana Girls books
I do have a few Dana Girls books, actually 15 of them, but I never really got into them. I think it was because they were two sisters solving mysteries. I just couldn’t relate to having a sister. I grew up with 3 brothers. Nancy Drew was more my speed. Nancy was an only child. So was I up until age 8 when my brother Johnny was born. So I know what’s it’s like to be an only child, and the oldest child of the family as well. But having a sister is very alien to me. Maybe that’s why I never learned to share. 🙂
The Dana Girls were also written under the name of Carolyn Keene.
When I was looking inside one of my mother’s Nancy Drew books there is a listing of the old Dana Girls books and none of the titles match the ones that I own. So either they rewrote those old books and updated them or else they changed the titles. I own 15 of the first 16 Dana Girls books with titles such as:
2.The Riddle of the Frozen Fountain
3.The Secret of the Silver Dolphin
4.Mystery of the Wax Queen
5.The Secret of the Minstrel’s Guitar
6.The Phantom Surfer
7.The Secret of the Swiss Chalet
8.The Haunted Lagoon
9.Mystery of the Bamboo Bird
10. The Sierra Gold Mystery
11.The Secret of Lost Lake
12.The Winking Ruby Mystery
13.The Ghost in the Gallery
14.The Curious Coronation
15.(Don’t have this one)
16.Mountain Peak Mystery
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1. By the Light of the Study lamp
2.The Secret at Lone Tree Cottage
3.In the Shadow of the Tower
4. A Three-Cornered Mystery
5. The Secret at the Hermitage
6.The Circle of Footprints
7.The Mystery of the Locked Room
8.The Clue in the Cobweb
9.The Secret at the Gatehouse
10.The Mysterious Fireplace
11. The Clue of the Rusty Key
12.The Portrait in the Sand
13.The Secret in the Old Well
14.The Clue in the Ivy
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Carolyn Keene
Carolyn Keene was a pen name used by several authors. I can remember as a child people telling me that Carolyn Keene was really a man and not a woman. Actually Carolyn Keene was several women and a few men. The name Carolyn Keene was a pseudonym. Various authors such as Harriet Stratemeyer, Mildred Wirt Benson, Walter Karig, Leslie McFarlane, James Duncan Lawrence, Nancy Axelrod, Margret Scherf, Charles Strong, Wilhelmina Rancan, Priscilla Doll, Alma Sasse, and George Waller Jr. They were ALL Carolyn Keene.
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Stake Out Recipes Start Here
Every Sleuth Relies On A High Powered Camera To Photograph Evidence and Suspicious Looking People
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Mrs. Nickerson’s Holiday Cookies and Cocoa
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My Nancy Drew Cookbooks
(2005)
Same Cookbook, Different Printing
The Nancy Drew Coookbook
Clues to Good Cooking (1974)
By Carolyn Keene
Mrs. Nickerson’s Holiday Cookies
Making Ned’s Mother’s Cookies
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Ingredients:
1 Stick Butter
2 Eggs
1 Cup Sugar
1 T. Milk
1/2 t. Vanilla Flavoring
1/2 t. Salt
1 t. Baking Powder
1 1/2 Cups Flour
2 Squares Bitter Chocolate, Melted or 2 T. Cocoa
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(Nancy’s Added Ingredient, Holiday Fruit)
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(I am writing the recipe as it is written in the cookbook.)
You need 3 mixing bowls!
Mix Butter, Sugar, Salt, Baking Powder, and Flour Together In One Of The Bowls
In Another Bowl, Beat The Eggs and Stir In the Milk And Vanilla
Add Slowly To The Dry Mixture And Stir
I Used Cocoa In Place Of The Melted Chocolate
Place 1/4 of the batter in a third bowl. Add the melted Chocolate or Cocoa.
(I didn’t do that. I went ahead and placed the Cocoa in the mixer’s batter.)
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The Batter
Heat The Oven To 350F
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Grease a Cookie Sheet. (I used Parchment Paper.)
Using a spoon drop the batter on the cookie sheet. I added some Holiday Fruits on top.
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Place Into The Oven
Bake For 12 Minutes Or So
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When Done Place Onto Cooling Racks
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Cookies Are Cooling On The Racks
A Drew CLUE:
To keep cookies fresh in a jar, put half an apple in with them.
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Stakeout Cocoa
Ingredients:
2 Cups Water
1/4 Cup Hershey’s Cocoa Powder
1/4 Cup Sugar or to taste
Pinch of Salt
1/4 Cup Milk
1 tsp. Vanilla
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Add your water, Cocoa Powder, Sugar and Salt to a medium sized pot. Turn the heat to medium high heat. Don’t bring the liquids to a boil, but low simmer.
Stir to mix until combined. Use a whisk if you can’t remove the lumps. When the mixture is almost to a boil, turn down the heat.
Add your milk then add your Vanilla and mix well. Taste the mixture and add more of the ingredients to suit your taste.
Add your mixture to a large thermos and enjoy! Great for those late night stake outs!
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Do act mysterious, it always keeps them coming back for more!
Nancy’s Mysterious Letter
Because there just aren’t enough photos of me draped over a sportscar.
There is always a mystery to be solved,
Julie Lancaster-Whann, A.K.A. Nan Drew
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Oh, and if Ned is lucky, second base is soon to follow just as soon as he puts a Promise Ring on my finger….. wink, wink 🙂
When you’re unusually good at what you do, the police will yearn for your women’s intuition!
The Clue of the Leaning Chimney
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 ————————————————————————– Write it all …
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 …
When Only A Salad Will Do
Many years ago Kiwi Chef Leilani Wolfenden and her then husband Aussie Tomas Stanislovski came to Florida to visit us. Leilani was the daughter of our good friends from New Zealand, Trish and Bob. They stayed with us,we took them to all the touristy spots, like Disney and Indian Shores, we fed them, Gordon even taught Tomas how to tie a necktie. But, the one thing Leilani wanted to know is “What is Ranch?”
Me: “You mean the dressing?”
Leilani: “Yes. So many Americans come into our restaurants wanting something called Ranch Dressing on their salads. And we don’t know what they are talking about?”
Gordon: “Here. We have some in the refrigerator. Would you like to taste it?”
Leilani and Tomas: “Sure.”
Gordon: “Here you go.”
He then gave them a taste by squeezing some on their fingers.
Leilani and Tomas: “This is actually good.”
Me: “I know. That’s why all those American’s request it.” 🙂
They then asked what other salad dressings that we have?
Gordon then produced a French, and a Russian, to which they burst out laughing because there is no such dressing in France or Russia.
Gordon and I also burst out laughing because we know how ridiculous it is. But we love the dressings anyway.
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Whenever I think of Salads, and Salad Dressings, I always think of them and the fun visit he had with them.
To me, Salads really are all about the Dressing. I’ve even heard Gordon say to me, “Would you like some Salad to go with that Dressing?”
I do tend to go overboard with the Dressing and the Toppings. Don’t even get me started on Salad Toppings! Not yet, anyway.
I decided to start this Webpage about Salads because the older I get, Only A Salad Will Do.”
Although we have Salad recipes listed all over this website, they fit quite nicely exactly where I have them. I wanted to start this one and I will add to it as time goes by and update it. Also perhaps even venturing into Salad Toppings, my favorite thing.
To quote a restaurant title name, Lettuce Entertain You, 🙂
Julie
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Julie Ann’s Gruyere Salad
…with a Mustard Vinaigrette
(Recipe Down Below)
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Many An Informal Evening Salad
Sometimes All I Do Is Add Some Quick Salad Dressing and Toppings to a Ready Made Store Bought Salad.
Some evenings that is all that I need. Or, it is an instant boost to add to any meal that I may have.
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Chicken Breasts With Salads
I don’t have a Chicken Breast recipe for you here. We bought these ready made. All that we needed to do was to cook them according to the package instructions. They were actually really good too!
We then added the other vegetables ourselves. Snap Peas, Cucumber, Fancy Lettuce, Onions, Tomatoes, etc.
It’s O.K. to make short cuts. That is the life of a busy cook.
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The Breadsticks
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Easy, Cheesy Breadsticks
Sometimes It’s Not Always About The Salad
The Ingredients:
1 Pillsbury Refrigerated Pizza Dough Container
Pam Cooking Oil Spray, Aluminum Foil, Baking Sheet
(Turn the oven on to the temperature on the pizza dough container.)
Shredded Parmesan Cheese
Ground Oregano
Garlic Salt
Salad and Fixin’s w Dressing/Toasted Pine Nuts
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Just Spread The Dough Out Onto An Aluminum Foil Lined Baking Sheet Sprayed With An Olive Oil Spray
Use A Pizza Cutter To Cut The Dough Into Long Strips
On A Plate Place Your Shredded Parmesan Cheese
Place a Dough Strip in the Cheese so that it Adhere’s
We discovered that if we had place a rack down on the Aluminum Foil first, it would have crisped the Bread Stick up better.
Gordon is twisting the Bread Sticks while adhering the Parmesan Cheese
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Time To Add Some Oregano and Some Garlic Salt
Just Sprinkle As Much As You Like
Into The Oven They Go, Salad Is Drying, Breadsticks Are Done
Two Different Breadstick Versions
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Toasting Some Pine Nuts For The Salad
I love Pine Nuts! They add a toasted nutty smooth taste to the salad.
Everything Else Is Up To YOU!
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Julie Ann’s Gruyere Salad
(I Wanted Everything To Look Like Sticks)
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I Love Cheese, And I Love Cheese On A Salad
Ingredients:
(The Amounts Are Up To You, But Here Are The Ingredients)
Gruyere Cheese
Red Onion
Romaine Lettuce
And,
Ready Made Salad Greens
Celery Stalks
Toasted Pecans and Walnuts
Spring Onions
Sun Dried Tomatoes, Not in Oil
Dried Cherries
Fresh Parsley
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
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Keep Reading For The Dressing Recipe
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These are all the Ingredients that I love!
Gruyere Cheese is a Favorite of Mine
I Wanted Everything to Be In Sticks
(The Cheese and the Red Onion)
The Celery
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Pecans and Walnuts
I Love A Nice Crunch On A Salad
I placed some Pecans and Walnuts onto a baking sheet and placed into a 350F Oven for about 10 minutes just to brown and bring out that nice flavor.
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Salad Ingredients, Setting Aside…
Spring Onions at the Ready
I Will Chop Them Into Diagonals
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My Pecans and Walnuts are Ready and Cooling
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Time To Plate It Up
I wanted the presentation to be pretty. I love the use of a few different salad greens.
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Placing My Celery Sticks All Around
A Scattering of My Pecans and Walnuts
Adding Some Sun Dried Tomatoes and Some Dried Cherries
And, Time To Add The Red Onion
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Mustard Dressing
Ingredients:
2 T. Dijon Mustard
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
Paprika a Pinch
Salt and Pepper to Taste
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Place All the Ingredients into a Jar or a Cup
Whisk Together
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My Pretty Salad Is Ready For The Dressing
I Have The Dressing In A Wine Glass
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Pour The Dressing Over The Salad
When Only A Salad Will Do….
Julie
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 …
My, My, Peanut Butter Pie!
My, my… Peanut Butter Pie I’m originally from North Georgia, Rome to be exact. Peanut Butter is probably my most favorite food in the world. I eat more Peanut Butter than I do anything else. I knew I would be making …
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.)
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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.
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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)
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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.
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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.
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Time To Add The Fresh Spinach Leaves
I used a LOT! The Spinach cooks down tremendously so be generous in your heaping handfulls.
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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La Sciatta Giulia Anna’s (Italian Sloppy Julie Ann’s)
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Edible Gifts: Italian, Greek, and Irish
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Modern Day Mona (Lisa) Halloween
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Even More Italian (Just For You)
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Tavolino Da Caffe Italiana (Coffee Table Italian)
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Grazie,
Julie and Gordon
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
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 …
The Inspiration of BLUEY and the Heeler’s
(For Peanuku) 🙂
Our Cookie Ice Cream
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Australian Cartoon, Bluey
This show is Brilliant!
I wish the Heeler’s had been my parents. 🙂
The parents, Bandit and Chili, are Blue and Red Heeler dogs. Their children are Bluey and Bingo, Bluey being a blue Heeler, and Bingo a Red Heeler. I guess you can say they are an interracial couple.
The parents are very hands on in raising their children. They play with them. They teach them. They are good dogs! 🙂
There are many different breeds of dogs on the show, and they all work towards getting along with each other. I love how tolerant they are.
Probably what I love the most about the show is that it teaches creativity and using your imagination. I myself grew up moving around a lot and most of the time I only had my imagination and creativity as companions, along with lots of books, and comic books.
Which is why Storytime with Isabelle is so important.
Isabelle with Talking Bingo, and Bluey
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The Heeler Family
(Chili, Bluey, Bingo, and Bandit)
I happen to love this show! All the characters are dogs. There is a lot of Blue and Brown, the only colors that dogs can see. I love that the parents play with their children. Because of that, the children, Bingo and Bluey, are very well adjusted and happy. They will get through life more easily than those that don’t have that support system.
I love that the parents will let their children tear apart their home to create whatever set they want. A restaurant? A Doctor’s Office? A Train Station, etc….. I also love how the parents aren’t afraid to ‘look silly’ out in public, and will sometimes do some very silly things that their children want them to do. The love they have for their children far outweighs any embarrassment they may experience.
When I was young I would take the cushions off the couch and line them up on the floor in the living room to create a gymnastics mat. I would then line my little brothers all along the cushions while I would dive over them, tumbling. I don’t think that I ever hurt any of them. But, if I did, I’m sorry. 🙂
It was because of that, that my mother signed me up for gymnastic lessons. She figured that I would love them. But, I hated them! It was no longer fun. I was made to compete. I was graded on my performance, my style, my technique, how graceful that I was, how limber that I was, etc. I was expected to “perform.” All I ever wanted to do was to have fun. They took the fun out of my gymnastics tumbling. What I love about Bluey’s family is that they keep the fun in the family. They aren’t sending their children out to compete in a world that will just make them feel bad about themselves if they aren’t perfect. They all use their imagination and it helps to promote their creativity, and their happiness.
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I believe it was Einstein that said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.”
My translation, he didn’t mean that knowledge wasn’t important, it is, but imagination can take you so much further.
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Being Isabelle’s main caregiver has taken up quite a bit of my time. Oh, I’m not complaining mind you, but it was an adjustment for both of us. She did have the first 3 months of her life totally with her mother and father, and now she comes to my house anywhere between 3 and 5 days a week, depending on their working schedules. Some days I may have her over 11 hours a day, and other days just a few hours.
In addition to my childcare services, I also provide diapers, wipes, formula (when she was on the bottle), baby water (yes, that is a thing), clothing, blankets, swaddle clothes (she loves those), along with toys and books and all the other little things that baby’s and toddlers need. We may watch some Disney in the mornings but we also have story time, and playtime throughout the day.
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I’m creating a library for her here. I also pass books along for Veronica and Brian to keep at their house.
I’m going to do my best to create a “Bluey” environment here in my home. I’m looking forward to all of our imaginary adventures we will have going on in the future.
I do mourn the day when she is out there on her own where she will be judged by her attractiveness, her weight, her parents bank account, the cars they drive, where they live, whether or not she is wearing the latest designer this or that, and as always what devices does she own? But, until that day her Tutu will do my best to make her feel as if she is the most important person in the world, because she is, to me. 🙂
Smoochie Kisses,
Julie (Tutu)
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If You Would Like To See Our Other Bluey Website Pages:
Click Here For: In A Bluey Kitchen
AND,
Click Here For: A Bluey Birthday Pavlova For Isabelle
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Isabelle With Her Bluey Magnets and Board
This helps to create a Storyboard, in order to tell a Story.
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Happy Heeler Valentine
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Turning 1
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Veronica and Brian with Isabelle
It was a Delicious Store Bought Cake!
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For Veronica: Whose birthday is the day after Isabelle’s.
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Preparing For Birthday # 2!
Due to a lot of things going on with all of us, I decided that I would once again, give Isabelle a Bluey Party here at my house for her 2nd. birthday.
I basically did the same thing as what you see above, but this time I used my creativity and imagination to put something very similar together, yet showcasing a bit of evolution. After all, she is evolving into a 2 year old.
She loves the T.V. Show, Bluey, so do all of us!
I mourn the day she outgrows Bluey, I’m pretty sure I will start crying when she does.
Speaking of crying, I do a lot of crying when I watch Bluey with her. Not that the shows are sad, they are warm, sweet, and heartwarming. I can’t say that about any other cartoons on The Disney Channel, or Nickelodeon, for that matter. Other cartoons seem to have the same format, Heroes and Villains. If you watch Super Kitties, they are the heroes, and a dog is the villain. If you watch Pup Struction, the dogs are the heroes, and a cat is the villain. (Sending mixed messages there.)
If you watch the Spiderman cartoon, Spidy and his Friends are the heroes, and they are constantly bothered by various villains that are always caught, but nothing ever happens to them, and they come back again, and again to do more mischief. Again, what message does that send? I guess you can do whatever damage you want but there will be no consequences other than getting a spider web wrapped around you in the end, which you are then obviously let go and put back into society with no punishment whatsoever. I would like to see some of these villains ending up having to do some sort of Community Service for their crimes. Perhaps even learning a lesson or two.
But that isn’t what America is about anymore. America is only about entertainment, not teaching, which is why we are turning to
Australia’s Bluey.
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Turning 2
Bluey Beachy Cake
For this birthday, I knew that I wanted to decorate a cake with some of Isabelle’s Bluey toys. I decided to do a beach or pool themed cake because her birthday is July 5th., and I had other beachy themed toys that I was giving her. (Actually, everything is always from Gordon and myself. He’s just not here because he works overseas.)
I had the grocery store to actually make this cake. I told them the size that I wanted, and that I wanted some white cake with a light blue frosting. They did a great job! It was so funny that they kept trying to get me to allow them to at least put a name on the cake. I told them “No Thank You. This is perfect! I will take it from here.” 🙂
LOVE That Little Foot!
You can see one of her baby blankets in these photos.
I thought it would be a perfect table covering here.
You can see the Bluey Cereal I have lined all around the Cake, in the photo above.
First Up: Lunch
Grocery Store Fried Chicken and Potato Wedges
Not exactly healthy, but it is her birthday so Tutu splurged.
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The Cake Was Delicious!
I just used some Chinet Paper Plates, and Wooden Forks, Knives, and Spoons
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Gifts to Isabelle from Me and Gordon
Happy Birthday, Isabelle
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These are the treats that Veronica made for Isabelle’s party.
They are pretzel coated with orange and blue chocolate, with sprinkles. Perfect as take home gifts.
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She Loved Her Cake, and is Starting to Eat with a Fork now
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The Heeler’s Going on Holiday
I love how the airplane opens up and it becomes their hotel room and the beach, not to mention the cockpit turns into a boat.
All of us will be going on our own Holiday next year where we will be taking an airplane to an exotic location. I thought the gift was fitting.
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She was so excited about her Bluey Beach Bucket.
She wanted me to turn it all around so that she could see everything that was on it.
All of her favorite characters.
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It Was A Happy Day!
(The How-To Food Project Down Below)
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The Heeler’s Beach House
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I’ve Always Wanted To Make One Of These
Our Cookie Ice Cream
Bluey Sprinkles and Bluey Edible Papers
Just Placing the Edible Paper how I Want when the Cookie is Finished
Sugar Cookie Dough (Ready Made)
I purchased the Flower looking pan above, a few years ago.
I knew that it would make a great shape for this giant cookie.
I did spray a Pam Baking Oil all around the pan. I then put as much of the Sugar Cookie Dough as possible all throughout the pan. You do have to allow the Cookie Dough to soften, so set it out about 20-25 minutes prior to this step.
I did place the giant cookie in it’s pan into another baking pan, and baked according to the package directions for Sugar Cookies. I did allow that it may take longer. Which is why I checked on it periodically.
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When I thought it was done, I removed it from the oven and placed it onto a cooling rack.
You do want it to cool thoroughly.
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Edible Papers, Sprinkles, and Karo Light Syrup w/ a Mermaid Brush
The first thing I want to do is to use the Karo Syrup to apply the Edible Papers all around the cookie.
The syrup will help it to stick.
When done….
Next, I brushed the Light Karo Syrup all over the Cookie and added the Bluey Sprinkles
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It Looks Great Just As It Is!
However, I Added Some Vanilla Ice Cream and more Bluey Sprinkles for it to be Perfect 🙂
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For My Little Peanuku
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The How-To Birthday Cake Project
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As I mention in this cake write-up above, I did order a cake from the grocery store. The lovely plain blue cake you see, is what I ordered.
It was perfect too! Beautiful and delicious!
Here are some of our Bluey toys, with the Bluey Breakfast Cereal, and some Bluey Sprinkles, as well as some of my other one’s.
I simply started placing the toys on the cake how I wanted them.
Even adding some of the Bluey Sprinkles.
When I was finished, I placed the Bluey Cereal all around the bottom of the cake.
Great Bluey and Bingo Beachy Cake
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Cute Chip Clip Project
While I was shopping I came across these cute blue chip clips and I immediately realized how cute they would be if I hot glued some of Isabelle’s extra Bluey characters that she has, on to them. I thought that they would dress up any bag of chips, or whatever. So, I bought a few packs of them.
I then went through some of Isabelle’s Bluey characters, choosing some that are small and light, and others that we have double of.
It was an easy project. All that is required are some Chip Clips, Characters, a Hot Glue Gun, and some Glue Sticks.
Dresses up Anything Nicely!
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October, 2024
Isabelle’s Got The Heeler Mobile
Gordon Trying To Teach Her To Drive
A Bit Tired From Her Big Day
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We Do Love All The Bluey Toys and Games
Settling Right In 🙂
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A Happy Heeler Halloween
For Halloween 2024, Isabelle dressed up as Bingo.
I think that Bingo is her favorite character on the show.
She loves Bluey, but the books she loves for me to read to her CONSTANTLY, are about Bingo.
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Veronica as Chili, Isabelle as Bingo, and Brian as Bandit
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Happy Trick-or-Treating!
Isabelle
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More Bluey…
Books, Books, and More Books
On Our Lazy Stay-In Days…..
We Enjoy Bluey Non-Stop!
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Bluey Pop-Up Book And Fortune Cookies
One of our favorite Bluey episodes is Season One, Episode 14, intitled Takeaway.
We adore Fortune Cookies and eat quite a lot of them. Isabelle loves Fortune Cookies because of this Bluey episode.
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Thick Loaf Bread, Butter, Sugar, and Sprinkles
Bingo’s Fairy Bread
Season One, Episode 30, Fairies
We love the episode about the Fairies, which is why I made Isabelle Fairy Bread.
If you have ever made Cinnamon Toast, that is how I made this Fairy Bread, but minus the Cinnamon.
I simply used the ingredients I list above and placed the Fairy Bread into the oven on broil for everything to brown a bit and to melt the sugary goodness. 🙂
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Playing Bluey Candyland, Sort of…
Great Brekky While Watching Bluey
A Bluey Christmas Will Be Coming Soon On Another Website Page.
Wackadoo!
Julie
My PINK Flamingo Summers
Let’s Flamingle! —————————————————————————- Busy Standing on one leg…. Currently —————————————————————————————– Ambrosia, Pink Grapefruit Sake, and Toasted Coconut 🙂 ——————————————————————- Julie’s Pink Flamingo Pasta Salad (A Rough Draft) Our Pink Backyard Bromeliad in Bloom I got the idea that I wanted to …
Tavolino Da Caffe Italiana (Coffee Table Italian)
February, 2024 Super Bowl Sunday Airport Pick-Up, w/ Great Coffee Table Italian Foods to Follow 🙂 ————————————————————————— 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. …
Oranges Sm’Oranges, And Other Citrus
(Because Nothing Rhymes With Oranges) 🙂
Orange is the New Muffin
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(I added a few Banana Chips as an accent, above.)
I Have Discovered Indian River Citrus, and There is NO Going Back!
My Florida Orange Muffins w/ Lemon Citrus Glaze
(Recipe Down Below)
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I LOVE an Orange Summer!
Be sure to look for the Florida Juice Oranges label if you will be juicing Oranges.
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Grandma Nell’s Ambrosia Recipe…
which I Embellished.
Julie’s Florida Ambrosia
(Recipe Down Below)
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Grapefruit Sake Ambrosia Cocktail
(Topped with Toasted Coconut)
I purchased the cute little bottle of Grapefruit Sake at the Asian Supermarket and decided to add it to a wine glass full of my Ambrosia. It was a Fruit Cocktail, and a Cocktail. Either drink it, or use a spoon or fork to eat it, or BOTH!
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Our Backyard Orange Tree…
…In The Morning Sun
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Recipes Start Here
My Summer Kitchen
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My Florida Orange Muffins w/ Lemon Citrus Glaze
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This recipe will make about 24 Mini Muffins, or about 16 Regular Muffins, or 10-12 Large Muffins.
I always double, and sometimes triple a recipe like this because I like to give them to family members to enjoy as well.
I will however, just give the recipe for ONE batch of Muffins.
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Greasing The Muffin Pans
I Decided to Make Large Muffins Here
For this you will need Crisco Shortening. You just want to grease all around the inside of the Muffin Pans with the Crisco. I tend to use a paper towel as I don’t like my hands getting all greasy.
Once the Muffin Pans are nicely Greased, now sprinkle some All Purpose Flour into the Muffin Pans.
Like So….
I then take each pan over to the sink and turn the Muffin pan sideways to move the All Purpose Flour around the sides, coating the Crisco with the Flour. You just want a nice dusting. When done, set aside for now.
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Ready To Make Our Muffins
Muffin Ingredients:
1 3/4 Cups All Purpose Flour
2 t. Baking Powder
1/2 t. Baking Soda
1 Cup Sugar
1/4 t. Salt
2 Eggs
2/3 Cup Orange Juice
1 t. Grated Orange Peel
1 t. Grated Valencia Orange Peel
1/3 Cup Canola Oil
1/2 t. Vanilla Extract
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The Lemon Citrus Glaze Ingredients
1/4 Cup of Confectioner’s Sugar, or Thereabouts
The Juice of 1-2 Lemons
(Also the Zest)
1/2 to 1 t. Grated lemon Peel (From a Jar)
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Let’s Get Started
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Pre-Heat The Oven To 350F
My Muffin Pans are Ready
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This is a Pretty Easy Recipe
First Let’s Mix Our Dry Ingredients
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In a Large Mixing Bowl:
Add,
1 3/4 Cups All Purpose Flour
2 t. Baking Powder
1/2 t. Baking Soda
1 Cup Sugar
1/4 t. Salt
1 t. Grated Orange Peel
1 t. Grated Valencia Orange Peel
Mixing The Dry Ingredients w/ a Whisk
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Time To Mix The Wet Ingredients
In a Medium Sized Bowl:
Add,
2 Eggs
2/3 Cup Orange Juice
1/3 Cup Canola Oil
1/2 t. Vanilla Extract
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Whisk the Wet Ingredients Together
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With the Dry Ingredients in One Bowl, and the Wet Ingredients in the Other…
..It’s Time to Combine Them
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Now, Time to Fill the Muffin Pans, up to 3/4 High
Into a 350F Oven for about 15 Minutes or So…
Depending on Your Oven
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In Order to Determine if They are Done, Insert a Toothpick,
if it Comes Out Clean, You Know They are Done.
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Allow The Muffins To Cool on a Cooling Rack,
For about 10 Minutes in the Pan.
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Time To Prepare The Glaze
The Lemon Citrus Glaze Ingredients
The Beauty of This Glaze is That You Can Add as Much or as Little, as You Like
In a Bowl:
Add,
1/4 Cup of Confectioner’s Sugar, or Thereabouts
The Juice of 1-2 Lemons
(Also the Zest)
1/2 to 1 t. Grated lemon Peel (For an Added Taste)
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You Can Make The Glaze as Think or as Thick as You Like
Simply Add All of Your Ingredients and Mix Together
I Placed A Tray Underneath to Catch the Excess Glaze
First Coat of Glaze on Muffins
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The Glaze That Fell Through, You Can Place Back on the Muffins
Delicious!
What a Great Morning Muffin to Have With Your Indian River Orange Juice
Store in the Refrigerator
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Making The Ambrosia
My Grandmother LOVED Ambrosia and would literally make it on a loop all summer long. Usually about 2 to 3 times a week. It was always in her refrigerator and she would help herself to it, usually in the afternoon’s, while asking me if I wanted some Ambrosia?
Her Ambrosia recipe was very simple, yet delicious.
When you are in the state of Georgia (or Florida) heat, you aren’t interested in how fancy and elaborate it is, you only want that refreshing hit that the citrus would give you to help cool you down.
I decided that I wanted to make Ambrosia Grammaw Nell’s way, so I did. I do have to say though that it was a MESS!
I have two Ambrosia recipes here to give you. I highly recommend the latter, as it was much easier and not as messy. But, here is my account of the two recipes.
For This Recipe I Used a Few Different Kinds of Oranges, Some Grapefruits and Some Mandarin Oranges Already to Eat.
I tried my best to segment each Orange and Grapefruit. I also wanted some of the Zest from both.
You Can See The Mess I’m Making
I Believe that I Threw More Away Than I Actually Used
I did buy a jar of Mandarin Oranges to add to the Ambrosia.
Just drain the juice, but be sure to save the juice for your breakfast the following day. If it’s too sweet, you can always add water to dilute it down.
Just Combine All Of Your Citrus…. and Some Zest….
I Bought Grated Coconut and Toasted Coconut
I want to top the Ambrosia with the Toasted Coconut. I made this Ambrosia with the intention of giving some away. I also gave my kids the Toasted Coconut in baggies to sprinkle on top when they ate the Ambrosia I gave them at their homes.
Adding Some Grated Coconut….
Mix Together and Add Some Granulated Sugar
(That was my Grandmother’s Recipe. Now for Mine!)
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Julie’s Ambrosia
Now that I am my Granddaughter’s main caregiver, I just don’t have as much time as I used to. So, I wanted to make my own Ambrosia, but didn’t want to do all that peeling and segmenting of the Citrus. I was happy when I found all these great ready made jars and containers of already peeled and segmented Oranges, Grapefruits, and Mandarin Oranges.
Now This is Easy!
You Will Need Some Colanders to Drain All That Juice
Once The Juice Is Drained… Be Sure To Save It!
Just Place All of Your Drained Citrus Into a Large Bowl
I Did Replace the Juice Back Into Their Original Containers.
Great For Breakfast The Following Week
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Here I Added Some Shredded Coconut to the Citrus
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Lemons, and Coconut Sugar
Next, Zest Some Lemons and Juice the Lemons, Into the Citrus
Give It A Good Stir
Now Add The Coconut Sugar
If you haven’t noticed, I eyeball all of these ingredients to my personal tastes.
You can do the same.
Stir Together
Pomegranate Seeds and Mint Leaves
You can either buy the Pomegranate’s and remove all the seeds yourself, which takes up so much time. Or, you can buy them already seeded and ready to eat. That’s what I did. The Pomegranate Seeds add such a lovely pop of color to my Ambrosia.
Then place the mint leaves however you like. You could chop them up and stir them in. Or, you could add them as a lovely flowering leaf. Either way, they add such a wonderful touch.
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Julie and Gordon
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 …
Let the SUMMER In!
I Love Simple Flowers, Nothing Stunningly Beautiful, Just Very Pretty and Charming, With Personality Welcome Summer, Come On In! I’ve Missed You, Just Try Not To Be So HOT This Year 🙂 But, If You Do Insist Upon It…. I Have …
Lilly Pulitzer (The Barefoot Queen of Pink and Green)
Lilly
Beautiful Lillian Lee McKim Pulitzer Rousseau
(1931 – 2013)
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Me, Mother’s Day 2023 with Sparky, Wearing a Lilly
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PINK, and Shades Thereof
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My Lilly Pulitzer Bread Box Doll House
Lilly Fabrics Create a Window Curtains, A Chair, Lamp and Footstool
There Are Widows That Look Out To The Ocean
I Love All The Furniture That Came With It
Flamingo’s Are Florida
The Phone on the Foot Stool
You Can See The Palm Trees Outside The Window
And, then there is the entrance through the front door…
I Love All The Cute Furniture and Accessories
What is painted all around the Bread Box Doll House is so lovely as well!
When I Bought All Of This I Didn’t Know Where I Would Put It
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My Lilly Collection
I was so excited to find the books and bags, and mugs, and plates, etc.
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I Was So Excited To Find The Lilly Barbie’s!
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Wearing Lilly, Reading Lilly…
Lilly
Palm Beach, Tropical Glamour, and the Birth of a Fashion Legend
by Kathryn Livingston
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Lilly Pulitzer, 2024
Celebrating 65 Years of Creating Sunshine
I Do Love That My Lilly Book Matches My Lilly Dress
I am thrilled to own it! I adore Lilly.
I believe that in life we recognize those people that are like us. We are then drawn to them. Even if we discover them after their deaths. The ones that I admire the most are all gone. There really isn’t anyone alive that I absolutely adore and can’t get enough of. But Lilly, through her I see me in the future. She wasn’t a greedy person, that has always been obvious. She is like me in the fact that I just want to get up every day and do whatever I want to do, and not what someone tells me to do. I’m not ambitious. Neither was she. I think that she and I just want to enjoy life and not slave away in it.
I do wish her children success, especially her daughter’s. I hope they continue Lilly’s legacy. She was too unique not to carry on her vision. I know there is more to know than what we have read. I hope they bring more to the surface for us to know.
Julie
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I LOVE This Book!
It was back in the summer of 2020 that we decided to rent a house for a week in Weeki Wachee along the spring. I wanted to buy some new clothing and looked online for a few new outfits for our vacation. My goal was to find something that looked as if ‘Florida Had Thrown Up All Over Me!” I found just what I was looking for in Lilly Pulitzer Clothing.
I did not know who she was, or anything about her, I just knew that I loved her clothes.
Then, when it came to doing more clothes shopping through the next few years, I found myself turning more and more to her. I have more Lilly’s now than I can count. A “Lilly” is a dress by Lilly Pulitzer. That’s what they were called back in the 50’s and 60’s.
The clothing just remind me of my childhood and coming to Florida. Bright bold colors, shift dresses. Also, when I was in Elementary School and Jr. High School I would wear dresses with shorts underneath my dresses. Many of her dresses come with shorts to wear underneath them. It’s all right up my alley!
I have stated a few times on my website that I’m not a fashion person. Even though I did go to a fashion college in Charlotte, North Carolina, The American Business and Fashion Institute. I also did go to New York with the school, but it was never me. I was trying to fit into something that I was interested in, but it just wasn’t the right fit for me. Had I known Lilly, I think that I would have fit right in nicely and even would have loved fashion because this kind of fashion is more something that I’m interested in.
So, I guess that I am a fashion person. I just needed to find the right designer.
However, I think this kind of fashion is more of a lifestyle than anything else. And, this is my lifestyle.
(I would like to add that although Lilly died in 2013, someone else has taken over the design part of the business and they are doing an excellent job for Lilly’s legacy.)
In reading this book about her life I cannot help but be impressed by her upbringing and the kind of people that were in her circle, and her family’s. They were rich and privileged, but they weren’t obnoxious. These wealthy families were trailblazers in America. They established so much. There are so many wealthy connections that I would be literally writing a book to describe them to you. Therefore, I just recommend that you read this book.
Lilly wasn’t greedy. She loved her family and friends and lifestyle. She just wanted to design her dresses, raise her children, and enjoy life in her home, Palm Beach, and be with her friends. She was such a creative person. Not just in her clothing, but in her life.
It was when I was browsing online looking for Lilly Pulitzer information that I came across the Biography of her life, but I also found that she authored a few Entertaining Books herself. She loved to entertain. She loved Holidays, although she hated the word, Holiday. She loved food and cocktails. She and her family were always around their pool. Her children and their cousins would put on dramatic performances in their backyard. They just seemed interested in being themselves and not interfering in the lives of other people, as our wealthy seem to do today.
And from what I am reading she was a generous person with a big heart. When her dresses were such a success that her business partners wanted her to design for Fall and Winter, she wasn’t interested. As she would say, ‘It’s summer somewhere.’ She seemed to just want to be herself and enjoy life.
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(I originally wrote this in March, 2024)
You Know You’re Getting Old When You Buy Your First Caftan Like Dress..
(And You Like It!)
I am not one for wearing “tents,” but I do love this dress.
My fashion sense has changed over the past few years once I discovered Lilly Pulitzer.
A Palm Beach designer.
Lilly Pulitzer
Born November 10, 1931
I LOVE Her Shoppe!
She did die on April 7, 2013, (I think that’s the day my step-father died), but someone is continuing her legacy and doing a nice job of it. She was 81 years old upon her death. I love all the clothing and accessories. I even read not too long ago that there are Floridians that hang her vintage dresses around their homes. I love all the colors and prints!
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If you happened to find yourself strolling along Palm Beach’s tony Worth Avenue on a warm day in the mid-1950s, it wouldn’t be unusual to encounter a small rhesus monkey. The monkey (Goony, as he was known) would likely be perched on the shoulder of a young, barefoot woman named Lillian McKim Pulitzer, who—despite what her dirty toes and unkempt hair might imply—was a local Palm Beach socialite with a privileged pedigree.
Lilly with her First Husband. Herbert Pulitzer
(I love this picnic! I would have done the same thing with the coconuts. The more I learn about this woman, the more I see her as a soul sister.)
As Taken From:
For many people, the name Lilly Pulitzer conjures up images of an affluent, prim-and-proper woman on her way to the beach; not a free-spirited bohemian who loved martinis, loathed underwear (she rarely wore it), and toted her pet monkey around town. But Lilly Pulitzer had a penchant for surprising people, and the story of how she launched her namesake brand is no different: it began in the confines of a psychiatric hospital.
Lilly, 1961
(This is the year I was born. I have a feeling I would have liked her.)
The year was 1958 and Pulitzer, a just-married heiress and new mom, felt she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. (“In hindsight, I think it was really and truly postpartum [depression],” Lilly’s daughter Liza said in a phone interview.)
Not knowing what was wrong with her, Lilly did what any wealthy twenty-something would do—she checked herself into a mental health facility. (“In the old days, we used to call it Bloomingdale’s,” she joked.) “I had never had a responsibility in my life,” she said in a 1994 W magazine interview. “I couldn’t button my shoes or do my own pigtails…All I had ever had to do was get to my tennis lesson or ride my pony.”
Pulitzer spent several months in treatment and eventually received a startling diagnosis from the doctor. “There’s nothing the matter with you,” she recalled the physician saying. “You just need something to do.” And so, she decided to open a juice stand.
As the story goes, Lilly thought up her now-iconic shift dress while squeezing oranges from her husband’s orchard. The design would be printed to hide the juice stains, thick enough to go commando, and unfitted, to keep comfortable and cool in the Florida heat.
Peter Pulitzer, Pilot and Owner
Lilly Pulitzer Exiting Her Husband’s Plane, Key West, Florida, 1963
(I LOVE this photo! That is my style!)
She asked a seamstress to create a sample, and before long, she was out of the juice business and into the dress business. “I asked my husband if we could put a few of my dresses in [his fruit shop], about 12 or 15,” Lilly told the Palm Beach Post in 1964. “He said ‘No—80!’ I said, ‘You’re out of your mind.'”
But they were an instant hit, even before Lilly developed a partnership with Key West Hand Prints, a screen-printing shop, which would become essential in establishing Lilly Pulitzer’s iconic vibrant aesthetic.
Jackie Kennedy Onassis Wearing a Lilly Pulitzer Dress in Italy
“The first Lillys were made from fabrics I’d buy in the dime stores in West Palm Beach,” she said in a 1971 interview in the Palm Beach Post. “We were a real shock to everyone. People thought the Lilly dress was a fad that would last about two years…We just picked up steam and kept going.”
The clothes sold because they were unlike anything else on the market.
“They were the antithesis of what most women were wearing at the time. In the late ‘50s, early ‘60s, women were corseting themselves to fit the clothes. They were wearing heavily constructed longline bras, panty girdles, full slips, stockings, stiletto heels—it was that Mad Men look, and Lilly would have none of that,” said Steven Stolman, who not only curated the brand’s 50th Anniversary Retrospective, and worked on the revival collection of Lilly Pulitzer in the ‘90s, but also had a personal friendship with the woman
herself. (Stolman is a regular contributor to TownandCountryMag.com).
“Remember, Lilly was not a little lady. She had a big personality, a huge heart, and an appetite for life. She loved good food and she loved a good cocktail,” he said.
Key to the success of the business was Lilly’s network of society women, both in Palm Beach and back in New York, but none of whom influenced the brand’s popularity quite like Jackie Kennedy.
After the first lady was photographed in Capri wearing a polka-dot Lilly Pulitzer shift in 1962, the business “took off like a zingo,” to quote the dressmaker herself. And by February of 1963, Lilly was the one being featured in magazines; the popularity of her clothes, which by that point were being sold in boutiques nationwide, had warranted her a Life spread of her own.
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Me, Wearing One of Many of My Lilly Pulitzer Dresses
I just wanted to say that I really do like her. Not just her clothing. She was a unique personality. I never knew she went around BAREFOOT, but hearing that just solidified my admiration of her.
I do shop her website and buy her clothing. What I love the most about it all are the loud colors. There was a time when I was so wearing so much black and all these dark colors. When I discovered her clothing I found myself wearing so many beautiful and loud colors. Bright and happy shades. It’s as if I wasn’t invisible anymore. I was suddenly seen, and admired.
I can’t tell you how many times I get compliments on her clothing that I wear. Just today I received a compliment. I have people that tell me they love the dress I’m wearing as I pass them by with my shopping cart, both men and women! I can be out at a restaurant and I will receive a compliment from the staff, or guests sitting at nearby tables. The clothing is truly magnificent!
All the colors also give a lift to my mood. Oh, the ‘Little Black Dress’ will always rule but, for all those other occasions, I like wearing color, many colors sometimes.
You know, I’ve been coming to Florida my entire life, probably having seen her clothing many times, I just didn’t connect it to her. Perhaps somewhere in the back of my mind I associate some of my happy Florida memories with some of her vintage clothing? Or the lovely ladies I saw wearing her dresses? Perhaps even my own Grandmother?
Either way, her clothing makes me happy. I will continue to wear her.
Thanks Lilly.
I would have loved to have known you.
I think we would have liked each other, seeing as how we have so much in common.
You are an inspiration. RIP.
Julie
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Mother’s Day Gift of Cookie Cutters
I Bought Several For My Daughter and My Son’s Girlfriend Mackenzie
The Pink and Green Gift Box I Painted Myself Back in the 90’s
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Tutu and Peanuku Barbie’s in the Kitchen
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Good Morning, Palm Beach Quiche
(Topped With Micro-Greens)
Served On My Lilly’s Plates with Coffee in My Lilly Mug
My Lilly Inspired Breakfast
Don’t Forget The Indian River, Florida Orange Juice
Lilly Wrote Two Entertaining Books
Pulitzer published a pair of lifestyle books—Essentially Lilly: A Guide to Colorful Entertaining and Essentially Lilly: A Guide to Colorful Holidays—with author Jay Mulvaney.
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Lilly Pulitzer, Also Known as The Barefoot Queen of the Jungle
Barefoot Queen of the Jungle
This Barefoot Palm Beach Royalty Queen went around Barefoot everywhere. She was also tan year round that people would mistake her for a Seminole Indian. My favorite story about Lilly was when she had her son Peter strapped to her back, and went to his pediatric appointment barefoot that the nurse at the front desk was so alarmed that she went into the back to tell the doctor that there was this Indian woman out there to see him! As if that was a bad thing. 🙂 Lilly wasn’t a prejudiced person. She probably enjoyed being mistaken for a Seminole Indian.
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At The Beach
Lilly and Peter
Lilly Eloped and Married Herbert “Peter” Pulitzer Jr. in 1950, and was Married to him Until 1969.
They Had 3 Children: Peter, Minnie and Liza
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Indian River
I LOVE THIS CITRUS!
Peter Pulitzer’s orchards, Indian River, were some of the nicest tasting citrus in the world. He would work with the Seminole Indians. They produced some of the finest Oranges and Grapefruits. Indian River Grapefruit has a distinctive sweetness and juiciness that cannot be found anywhere else on Earth.
(I do know that I love Grapefruit Juice now. It never used to be a favorite, but it is now.)
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My Lilly Kitchen
I am known for changing the look of my kitchen every few years. It has gone from looking Hawaiian, to Old Florida, to Asian, and now to Palm Beach, Florida and Lilly Pulitzer.
I am my Grand-Daughter’s main care-giver, hence the High Chair.
With my husband working overseas I have pretty much made the kitchen all mine, which I am enjoying immensely.
My Lilly Bread Box Doll House From Above
Lilly’s From Our Property
Straws In a Flamingo Cup
Getting Ready To Make My Palm Beach Fruit Salad
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Julie’s Palm Beach Fruit Salad
Based on my love of Lilly Pulitzer’s 1960’s Palm Beach, Florida Living
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Julie’s Fruit Roll-Ups
To Get These Recipes…..
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Just a Couple of Cool Girls Out For a Drive…
While Wearing our Lilly’s
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See You In Palm Beach!
Julie and Isabelle
An Easy Labor Day Dinner
Labor Day, 2023 Taking it Easy Until Next Labor Day…. 🙂 My Longaberger Pottery Pitcher with Flowers A Gift of Labor Day to our Daughter, and Son-In-Law It was back in the summer of 2014 that Veronica and I visited my old homestead …
Even More Italian (Just For You)
Ciao e Benvenuto Il Mio Piccolo Pezzo D’Italia (My Little Tiny Piece of Italy) Actually, very tiny! Just a barrel, a barrel lid turned into a Lazy Susan, and some clay pots. This is more about the food presentation, and is …
An Old Florida Jezebel (Sauce)
(The picture above not only showcases my Old Florida Jezebel Sauce, I also depict our daughter Veronica’s art from when she was a Fine Arts student in college. Any chance I get to do that, I do!)
Let The Sunshine In
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WELCOME TO FLORIDA
Picture This:
It’s 1966 and you are a young girl of 5. You are on your way to Florida with your Grand-Parents and Great-Grandparents for a nice stay at a motel on the beach in St. Petersburg. The car you are riding in is full. 2 adults in the front, and me and 2 adults in the back. My Grand-Parents vintage blue and silver water cooler is sitting on the floorboard in the backseat at my Grandmother’s feet, along with about 5 or 6 tin cups of different colors. If we were thirsty, my Grandmother would fill one of the cups with water and pass it to whomever made the request. It was always the coldest water. Each cup had a different color, which is how we kept up with who’s was who’s…..
Just a Few Florida Souvenir’s to Take Home
…As we cross the Florida State Line, and see the Florida Welcome Center, we stop to take a bathroom break, drink a lovely cup of complimentary Orange Juice, and browse the many brochures of things to do while in Florida. I was the one that collected the most. I loved looking at them while we were in the car still on our way to St. Petersburg. Granddaddy, who did all the driving, would stretch his legs walking around the Welcome Center. When it was time to leave we would all pile back into the car, with me sitting in the middle, in the backseat.
I would look at all of the brochures that I had collected and I would ask my Grand-Parents if we could go here…. or there….?
I can’t remember what they would say to me? But, we always did do a lot while we were in Florida. So, I don’t think that I lacked in anything at all.
Once we crossed the Florida State Line, there were always gas stations that Granddaddy would pull in to in order to get gas. There were always Souvenir Stands at these gas stations. There were always gross things like Alligator feet, or even the occasional Alligator head with teeth. There were also plenty of Alligator teeth for sale. There were these wooden birds that would dip their beaks into a small bird bath as if getting a drink of water. There were plenty of bags and cases of Oranges to buy! There were souvenir mugs, or tea cups, plates, serving trays, and foods like Peanut Brittle, (my favorite), and Salt Water Taffy, (my second favorite). Lots of nuts, Florida honey, and homemade jams and jelly’s. Even a nice homemade Orange Jam. This is what I am basing my Old Florida Jezebel on. These memories, and the old Florida Souvenir Stands that we would frequent and sometimes purchase something delicious to eat while we were in Florida, or to take back home to Georgia with us to enjoy.
My husband Gordon helped me to put these recipes together. I created the Florida Jezebel Sauce, but I could not have done some of the recipes without Gordon’s help. We hope that you will enjoy them, along with this Old Florida Jezebel. 🙂
We Hope You Enjoy,
Julie and Gordon
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Orange Queen Flowers, to put me in the Mood 🙂
(I saw these and knew that I had to have them for this project.)
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An Old Needlepoint Design Made by my Great-Aunt Margie
(I wanted to include it here as she was a big part of my childhood upbringing.)
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I would now love to introduce you to an Old Florida Jezebel. 🙂
Not ME! 🙁 My Sauce!
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My Florida Jezebel as a Dipping Sauce for my Egg Rolls
(I had just made it, and wanted to enjoy it immediately with my Egg Rolls and Veggie Tots.)
My Old Florida Jezebel is a Marinade, a Glaze, and a Dipping Sauce
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Orange Jezebel Chicken with Grilled Oranges and Pineapple, with Caribbean Rice
Grillin’ an Old Florida Jezebel Breasts (Chicken) 🙂
This meal looks amazing and it isn’t that difficult to prepare for your family.
Grilled With Orange and Pineapple Slices
Stepping ahead, here are some great pics of me grilling the Chicken, Pineapple and Orange slices.
Mouth Watering Deliciousness
I am letting the Grilled Chicken rest.
This will allow the super-heated juices to flow back into the center of the chicken, thus finishing the cooking process while also making the chicken very juicy.
Don’t slice into the chicken for at least 10 min.
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Here you can see the meal on one plate.
Eaten With Caribbean Coconut Rice
This is a great picture of the platter with all the components of the meal.
Again, the finished meal. Let’s get started!!!
(Recipe Down Below)
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An Old Florida Orange Jezebel Strata
I definitely wanted us to make this with my Florida Jezebel Sauce.
I wanted to create a nice Orange Jezebel Breakfast, and I knew this would make a great one!
What with Orange Zest, and Orange Slices as a Garnish
The Delicious Zest
(Recipe Down Below)
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Orange Jezebel Cocktail Sausages
(Recipe Down Below)
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How About a Screwdriver?
A Screwdriver is just Orange Juice and Vodka
Here we used a Key West Spyglass Vodka
A Perfect Weekend Breakfast
(And, Don’t Forget The Bacon.) 🙂
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If you are not into a Screwdriver, then you can always add some Miami Cuban Coffee Rum Liquor to your Cuban Coffee. 🙂
That’s What I Wanted!
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You Can Always add an Extra Dollop or Two of the Jezebel to the Strata if You Like
And, Now Enjoy!
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Making an Old Florida Jezebel Sandwich, or Two
Whether we fry the Bread in the Orange Jezebel, or use it as a Condiment,
it is still delicious!
Orange Wedges, with Orange Juice
Our Delicious Sandwiches
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(Our Sandwich Recipes are Down Below)
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Here are our Panini’s with My Orange Jezebel Sauce
(We made these with our leftover Thanksgiving Turkey.)
(Recipe Down Below)
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Gathering All of my Ingredients for this Orange Jezebel Sauce
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Just Wanted to Share the View Outside my Nook Window
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Canning Equipment and Ingredients
(Along with some tasty Orange Juice to put us in the mood.) 🙂
Before you begin any canning project you not only need to have all of your ingredients that you will need on hand and ready, but you also need to understand what equipment you will need for the project. In addition to the food ingredients, and all of the jars, lids, and rings, you also need to have many large pots on hand for the job.
Whenever we can anything we always make a lot of it. Therefore, we use two large pots to cook everything in, along with good spoons for all the stirring that will go on. You will also need a smaller tall pot to place the lids in so as to sterilize them. A magnetic ‘lid grabber’ is also essential for that so that your fingers don’t touch the lids and contaminate them.
You will need some kind of large sturdy pot to use once the jars have been filled and need to go through the process of canning. Some kind of funnel is also important for when you ladle the Jezebel into the jars. And, also a good ladle. 🙂
You will also need canning tongs in order to place, and remove the jars once they have finished the canning process.
Above, a few of the lids and rings, and the large Pressure Cooker Pot that we use when canning.
The Fresh Florida Oranges will add something nice to our Jezebel as well.
NOTE: Gordon will explain the Canning Process down in the body where we do the canning of the Orange Jezebel recipe.
Rings and Lids Washed and Drying
Although it really isn’t necessary to wash the rings, I do anyway. I’m just that way. But, the rings do get sterilized during the canning process.
You can place your jars into the dishwasher to sterilize them for canning.
The Plotters….
I wonder what they’re up to? 🙂
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Jumping Ahead…
How I Wanted to Decorate My Jars
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I specifically chose these jars because they were short and a bit rounded, kind of like an Orange.
I purchased some yellow paint and painted a smiley face on each jar. I wanted it simple yet perfect!
I wanted my Orange Jezebel jars to be easily recognized for when I needed to find one for a recipe. After all, I have many different Jezebel’s in the pantry that I have created.
I would love to say that I purposely made some of them a bit sloppy, but no, I’m just not very good at painting. 🙂
But, I do like the fact that they look like something a child would have done, making them look even more homemade and charming.
Here The Paint Is Drying
All Ready For Their Close Up!
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Ready to Make My Florida Jezebel Sauce (Orange)
Julie’s Jezebel Kitchen
The Ingredients:
(The amount of ingredients that you see in these photos, I never use all of them. I just like to be prepared. I did use most of them though. I detail the precise amounts that I used for this recipe for you though.)
THIS RECIPE IS TO BE GEARED TOWARD YOUR VERY OWN TASTES, SO EXPERIMENT!
(If you like you can halve this recipe if you don’t want to make as much as we did.)
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8, 12 oz. Jars of Pineapple Preserves
8-10 Jars, 17 oz. of Apple Jelly (Actually, I used different brands with different ounce amounts. But, 8-10 jars will work for you regardless. You can’t screw up this recipe. You just need to taste it as you go so that it is to your liking.)
(You can substitute a few jars of the Apple Jelly with some Orange Marmalade, I did!)
4, 11 oz. Plochman’s Cuban Style Mustard
3, 9.75 oz. bottles of BookBinders Prepared Horseradish
4 t. of Fine Hawaiian Sea Salt (Or, any that you prefer.)
Florida Sunshine Spice Blend (Several grindings into each pot.)
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I also threw in the rest of this Florida Crab and Shrimp Boil that I had, just for good measure. I had a few ounces of it left. It worked great too!
And, about 8-10 Oranges, Peeled and De-seeded
The Juice of 6 Key Limes
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Always a Microwave Selfie
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Turn the Stove Top Burners to a Medium Heat
My 2 Big Pots to Make My Orange Jezebel In
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This is going to take a while so let’s get started!
I start be dividing everything between 2 large pots.
Here are all of my Pineapple Preserves.
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I also keep double paper bags in the kitchen to house all of the bottles and things to be recycled.
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I like to add the ingredients and allow them to simmer together, allowing everything to meld together.
You Can See The Oranges Added Here
I like to keep everything on a nice simmer, not boiling, just heating up together.
Keep stirring though, to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot.
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Now, It’s Time to Add the Mustard and the Horseradish
You don’t have to add as much as we did if you don’t want to.
Taste, to make sure it is to your liking.
I’m showing you the stages of the Jezebel.
I like to take my time with it and enjoy the cooking ritual.
I’m not one of these that rushes in the kitchen when I make something special.
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Time to add the Crab and Shrimp Boil, and the Salts
I pretty much did about 7-8 shakes of the Florida Sunshine Salt Blend in each pot.
And, I added about 3 ounces to each pot of the Fine Hawaiian Sea Salt Blend.
I just distributed the Crab and Shrimp Boil evenly as well.
Simmering Away
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Time To Add Some Juice
(Key Limes From Our Backyard Tree)
I also added some Juice and Pulp from 2 leftover Oranges.
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Juicing the Key Limes into Each Pot
Now It’s Time to Bring it All to a Boil
Like So…
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While This is Boiling Away, Time to Bring out our Canning Equipment
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Here you see the Jezebel ingredients boiling away in the pot. This is done to get the sauce thick. I had added Oranges and Orange Juice that was very juicy and the extra water needed to be boiled out so as to thicken up.
Take a spoonful after some time to see if it is as thin or thick as you like.
When it is to your liking remove the pots from the heat.
Mats, Ladle, and Funnel
You will need to place the jars onto something such as this because the jars will be hot once the Jezebel goes into the jars. You could use towels if you like.
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The pots will take time to cool, you can remove them from the burners and place onto cooling racks if you like. Or, just allow them to cool down on the stove top with the burners off.
Pictured are all the jars we are going to use.
I never know how many exactly that we will need, so I always buy extra.
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It’s at this point that Gordon comes into my Jezebel process.
He is our expert house canner.
Take It Away Gordon….
Here I have a pot of Jezebel Sauce on one burner, and a large pot of almost boiling water next to it on another burner. This is actually a steam pot. Whatever you use must be deep enough to when you place your jars in, they need to be submerged by at least an inch of water.
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I am placing the lids with the rubber seal in water that is barely boiling.
This will loosen up the rubber seal.
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Time to Ladle
Using a wide mouth funnel and large ladle, ladle in your Jezebel Sauce into the jar leaving 1 inch of space at the top. This is called the ‘Head Space’ which is the area needed to make a vacuum, sealing your lid to your jar.
Repeat this process for a number of your jars.
Here you can see I filled them all evenly, leaving that 1 inch of head space.
Don’t they look beautiful?
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Using a slightly wet paper towel, wipe any excess or residue of the Jezebel Sauce that may have dripped on top of the glass. If not removed, it could cause your jar to not seal and could let contaminants into the sauce causing it to spoil. Only wiping the top and outside of the jar.
When one jar’s surface is clean, remove a lid from your almost boiling water using your magnet stick. Only touch the sides of the lid to prevent contamination, creating a sterile environment.
Repeat the step for all the jars.
Here you can see how to remove the jar lid with the magnetic stick, and then place onto the top of an already wiped and cleaned jar.
Now, place a ring onto the jar and tighten slightly. You don’t want to tighten it too tight because the air in the head space needs to be able to escape during the boiling or canning process.
I am using the Jar Tongs to place the sealed jars into the almost boiling water. You should start to see bubbles coming out of the jars which in the head space, are leaving … that means the rings aren’t on too tight!
Continue to load the jars into the pot until no more will fit.
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Boil the jars for 10-15 min. on a Medium-High heat. Most things that are canned need 15 min. such as pickles, stewed tomatoes, or corn relish. Jezebel sauce is mostly sugar and not easily contaminated so 10 min. is fine. With this much water in the pot, it will take it a while to eventually boil.
I am removing the jars after 10 min. of boiling time. You may hear the jar lids start to pop which is a great sound and means the jars have sealed. Some jar lids have a raised button on the top which when sealed will go down, another indication the jar has sealed.
After no more than 10 min. all the jars should be sealed. Check this by looking at the button seal or if you can press the lid down, they have not sealed. If this happens, simply remove the ring and lid. Throw the lid away. Remove some of the sauce in the jar as you may have not had enough head space to create a seal, then clean the top of the jar again. Place another lid on top of the jar and gently tighten on another ring. Now, place it back in the water using your jar tongs, boil for 10 min. then remove! Repeat if necessary.
Here you see all our hard work that will bring us, family and friends some great homemade joy!
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RECIPES START HERE
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Orange Jezebel Chicken with Grilled Oranges and Pineapple,
with Caribbean Rice
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Here I am rinsing the chicken to remove any of the bone fragments and blood residue.
I am using my knife to remove any excess fat, then place the Chicken Breasts into a zip lock bag. Now, add enough of your Orange Jezebel Sauce to coat all the chicken.
Mix the Chicken with the Jezebel Sauce well, then fold the bag over to remove the air, then seal the bag.
Place the Orange Jezebel marinating chicken into a large bowl and place into the refrigerator overnight, or for a few days if desired.
Here you see the Caribbean Rice and the other ingredients for our dinner.
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Our Marinated Chicken Still in the Bag, but Resting
I am going to use Coconut Milk instead of water to give the rice more of a Caribbean flavor.
You could also add some of the Pineapple juice if you wanted.
The rice takes an exact amount of liquid.
Place the Coconut Milk into a medium sized pot.
Then add your Rice to the pot and turn your heat to medium high using your gill’s side burner…
if you have one. (I started this rice on our stove top, but moved it to our grill once it got started.)
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I am adding some butter as per the Rice directions.
Give the rice a good stir…
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Place your Jezebel marinated chicken into a colander to remove any excess juices.
Like So….
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Now open your can of sliced Pineapple, and slice your Naval Orange into ½ inch thick slices.
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Prepare your grill by heating it on high for about 5 min. then clean off any residue with your grill brush. Make sure all your brush bristles are gone from the grill. I like to keep my grill looking good and ready to use.
Turn your gill down to Medium Heat and add your Chicken to the grill. Place it down and leave it still to get those great grill marks. Then, add more of the Jezebel sauce.
Since I am touching the chicken with the brush, I have to use all the Jezebel sauce from this jar… easy to do as it tastes so good!
After about 8 min. or so, flip the chicken over onto a new hot spot on the grill. Add your Orange slices as well. When they are done, you can place them on the grill shelf. See the nice grill marks… that is from not moving them around on your grill.
Now it is time to add the Pineapple Slices to the grill and move any chicken that is mostly done on the shelf if needed.
Here I am cooking the rice on my side burner while finishing up the grilling.
Place your chicken on a large platter as shown to let it rest for at least 10 min. before slicing into it, as you don’t want those flowing juices to run out.
Now, I have added my grilled fruit to the platter. This looks great this way as well.
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On another platter, I am adding the Caribbean Rice, then spreading it all around.
Layer your ingredients, being sure they are all seen as they all look great!
What an amazing meal and another great use of Julie’s Homemade Orange Jezebel Sauce!
EnJoY!
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An Old Florida Orange Jezebel Strata
We Have Two Florida Jezebel Strata’s
(We Will Explain As We Go)
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Ingredients:
~1/2 Cup Caramel Sauce
Or
~1/2 Cup Splenda Brown Sugar with 4 Tbsp. Butter
The Main Ingredients in both:
2 Packages Cream Cheese – softened
~1/2 Cup Florida Jezebel Sauce to be mixed with the Cream Cheese
And
~1/4 Cup Florida Jezebel Sauce to top the Strata – See Recipe Above
2 Loafs of Good Bread – Italian Ciabatta works great!
10 Eggs (This is for 2 Casseroles, one large, one small.)
1/2 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract
1 Tbsp. Ground Cinnamon
~4 Cups Milk
1 Tbsp. Orange Dried Peel
For the Garnish:
Naval Orange Zest – Fresh
1 Naval Orange – Peeled and Segmented
A few cooked Bacon Strips for each person as a breakfast side
Powdered Sugar – this would also go nice lightly sprinkled on after the Strata is baked.
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For this recipe we had two thoughts… one Strata would be made with a Caramel base (Ice Cream Topping) and the other would have a Brown Sugar and Butter base. Both were amazing!
Our Two Casserole Dishes, and our Mixing Bowl and Whisk
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For the Caramel based recipe, simply spread a good amount of Caramel Sauce onto the base of your casserole dish as shown. You just want to coat the bottom.
For the Brown Sugar version, simply add your butter then the Brown Sugar to the casserole dish and place it in a 350’F oven for about 5 min. just long enough to melt the butter.
Like So….
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While that is happening, add your Cream Cheese to a medium sized bowl.
Then add your Orange Jezebel Sauce… you can add a little or a lot!
It’s up to you!
Mix the ingredients well using a rubber spatula.
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Now that the Brown Sugar and Butter have melted nicely, remove it from the oven and set it aside.
Turn off your oven for now.
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Here are both casserole dishes ready to be filled.
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Slice your crusty bread into ¾ to 1-inch slices as shown.
Using your spatula, spread some of your Cream Cheese and Orange Jezebel mixture between the two slices of bread, basically making a sandwich as shown.
Continue to do this with all the bread slices.
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Gordon Goofing Off! 🙂
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Making the Jezebel Sandwiches…
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Then slice the sandwiches on the diagonal as shown.
Doing this will spread the sandwiches out so they reach the sides of the casserole dish.
Place your cut Cream Cheese sandwiches into the casserole dish as shown..
You want to place them cut size down.
Fill the casserole dish with as many slices as you can.
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For The Next One…
Here is a great picture of the bread we used!
Slice it the same way you did the first one.
Here you can see the Caramel based Strata.
Make your Cream Cheese sandwiches as you did previously…
Placing them cut sized down onto the Caramel, as shown.
Be sure to fill in all the spaces and gaps.
Both are Resting and Ready for the Oven
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The Egg Mixture
Here is a great picture of the next set of ingredients you will need.
Add your eggs to a medium sized bowl.
Tip: Crack your eggs on a flat surface, this will prevent eggshells from being forced into your egg if you use the pointed side of a bowl.
Whisk the eggs until combined.
Now, add your Vanilla Extract…
Then your Ground Cinnamon.
Whisk the ingredients again.
Now add your Milk and whisk once more.
Here you have basically made a common base for making French Toast!
I thought some Dried Orange Peel would be nice as it has a concentrated flavor.
Whisk the ingredients one last time.
Pour your wet mixture evenly into both casserole dishes.
Let them sit for about 10 minutes or until the bread absorbs all the milk and other ingredients.
Turn your oven to 350’F and bake your Strata’s for about 30 min. or until the milk and egg mixture are solid. Meaning, there is little to no liquid in the bottom of the casserole dish.
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When fully baked, brush on more of your amazing Orange Jezebel Sauce to the top of the Strata’s.
A Beautiful Close-Up!
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Here we will segment a Naval Orange.
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Begin by slicing off both ends of the Orange,
then slice away the orange peel using a curving motion to your slice.
Continue to remove the white pith of the orange.
Then slice between the segments to segment the orange slices.
Simply follow the thin white lines of the orange with your knife to the center.
Garnish with your orange segments as shown.
Almost time to plate the Strata!
Pictured is an old-fashioned way to remove the zest of your orange.
Add some of your Fresh Orange Zest to the top of the Strata’s.
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Looking great!
You could also add a sprinkling of Powdered Sugar here if you like!
Remove a good section of the Strata and place it on your plate, add some more of the amazing Orange Jezebel Sauce and some nicely cooked Bacon. The saltiness of the bacon goes well with this dish.
There you have it…. Time to dig in!
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Orange Jezebel Cocktail Sausages
This is an easy and delicious recipe.
It’s just 2 ingredients:
Cocktail Sausages
and,
My Orange Jezebel Sauce
My Orange Jezebel and 4 Packs of Cocktail Sausages
You may use any sausages that you like. These are perfect for this recipe. They are Hillshire Farm Lit’l Smokies. I first drain them into a colander to remove any excess liquid.
Because I’m making 4 packs of the sausages, I am placing 2 packs of sausages in each baggie, using about 1 jar per bag.
I start marinating these about 2-3 days before I will be cooking them. Just place them in some kind of plastic container in your fridge just in case the bag may leak. You just want to massage them around in the bag to make sure they are covered with the sauce.
When I am ready to cook them, I dump the entire bags of sausages into a colander to drain, then I place them into an un-greased casserole dish. I do not rinse them!
I then open up a new jar of my Orange Jezebel and add that to the sausages, making sure they are coated nicely with the sauce.
I then just stir them together…
…and then I place them into a 400F oven for about 35-40 minutes.
I do take them out after about 20 minutes or so just to stir them around.
You know they are done when they plump up.
I also love some of the charring as that is the sausages caramelizing.
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Orange Jezebel Sandwiches
Here are the completed sandwiches… and they were all really good!
Why not serve some other Orange things to go with the sandwich?
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Ingredients:
Bread Slices of your choice
Orange Jezebel – See Recipe Above
Provolone and Baby Swiss cheese slices
Cuban Style Mustard
Orange Bell Pepper – Sliced
Sweet Honey Ham – Cracker Barrel Brand
Deli Turkey Slices
Turkey Pastrami
Red Pepper Relish
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Start by heating a large sauté pan to medium heat, then spread some of the Orange Jezebel over one side of each slice of bread.
Place the bread, Jezebel side down into the sauté pan.
No butter is needed as this is a non-stick pan.
Cook the bread so that the Jezebel sauce is slightly browned and very sticky. This will take a few minutes. Then flip the bread over and brown the other side.
Here you can see the bread is nicely browned. Place the Jezebel side of the bread on the outside of the sandwich. This will make them “Finger Lickin’ Good”… I know that phrase was already taken, but it applies to this as well.
Spread a little more of the Jezebel Sauce over one side of the bread for good measure.
Then add your Mustard to the other side as shown.
Slice your Bell Pepper as shown producing nice wide slices.
One of our Bell Peppers was Pregnant with TWINS! 🙂
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Now add some Sweet Honey Ham slices.
Then add your Baby Swiss Cheese.
Here is the Red Pepper Relish we used… it provided some nice sweet heat.
Spread the Red Pepper Relish on top of the cheese.
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Close the sandwich and slice!
Nice!
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Now for another variation…Spread your Orange Jezebel over both slices of bread and place the Jezebel side down in the sauté pan as you did previously.
Cook until slightly browned.
As I was waiting, I placed some Cuban Mustard and Orange Jezebel on the other side of the bread.
Now add your Provolone and Bell Pepper slices.
Then I am adding some of our leftover Turkey.
The Turkey Pastrami and Red Pepper Relish goes on next.
Close up the sandwich and cook for another minute or two, just until the bread is nicely browned as shown.
Remove from the pan…
Slice diagonally as shown for a great presentation.
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You can also use your Toaster:
Toast the bread as shown.
Place the toasted bread on a plate…
Then add your Orange Jezebel and Cuban Mustard to the inside of the sandwich.
Now add your Bell Pepper, Baby Swiss, and Turkey Pastrami…
Then add your Red Pepper Relish, a slice or two of the Sweet Honey Ham, Provolone Cheese, and some Black Pepper.
Join the sandwich together and slice on the diagonal!
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Excellent Lunch, or Light Dinner
A Great Saturday Sandwich!
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Here you have three great sandwiches each with their own distinct flavors.
Julie and I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!
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Leftover Spatchcock Turkey
Using the leftover meat, we made pressed sandwiches using Julie’s Florida Jezebel Sauce… absolutely delicious!
To start, use some good crusty bread.
These were perfect in size and thickness.
I love Swiss Cheese so we shredded a good amount of it.
I love to use our cast iron skillets as they hold the heat well and are great for frying. I placed about 1 Tbsp. of olive oil into the pan and spread it around using a paper towel and turned up the temperature to medium.
Slice the bread in half then spread some grainy mustard and Julie’s Florida Jezebel Sauce on each slice.
Add your sliced turkey breast and grated Swiss piled high as shown.
Then we added some fresh Spinach leaves to the top of the cheese and used the top section of the bread to close the sandwich.
Place the sandwich off center in the pan as shown.
I quickly made another sandwich…
and placed it next to the one in the pan.
I then placed another cast iron skillet on top of the sandwiches…
then placed another as shown to increase the weight.
I also pressed down on the sandwiches some to help them press evenly.
I am making another sandwich as I am sure they will be great!
After a few minutes, remove the pans and using a spatula turn the sandwiches over and cook for another few minutes until well browned and crusty.
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Time to dig in!
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Also Check Out My:
Click Here For: Julie’s Jezebel Sauce
AND,
AND,
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,
AND,
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A Labor Day Vacay Away
Labor Day Weekend (Friday – Monday) The Parrish Condo Our Destination On Our Way (Julie, Sparky, Spooky and Gordon) It’s The Florida Hillbillies! Headed Toward Indian Shores, Florida (In the rain.) 🙁 —————————————————————– ABBA, Of Course 🙂 Not till …
Grillin’ Italian
Ciao and Buongiorno! Welcome to Grillin’ Italian We love to grill, we love Italian, therefore it makes sense that we would create a page dedicated to Grillin’ Italian. Italian food showcases a lot of food that we love. …
DIY Home Function Upgrades
Welcome to DIY Home Function Upgrades
This is our first project for this website page.
We do plan on bringing you more.
What you see here is the side of our house. There was grass here at one time but our yard guys ruined it all. This part of our yard was always dark, and muddy, and wet. What grass we had here was no longer coming back. Therefore, we decided to hire someone to pave this area. We wanted to turn it into a patio area.
You Can See Our Pavers In Progress
We have two gates to our front gate. That is how I wanted it. I wanted our A/C and Trash and Recycling/Yard Debris Pick Up containers, behind the first gate. The second gate would close off those containers from our view. And, the side of our house, we would keep our canoe and kayaks.
The Side of Our House
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The pavers on the side of the house look great!
I have my post hole digger, and buckets ready for the project.
You can see the AC drainage pipe. Mine came apart making it easy for me to remove and dig the
hole. It only needs to be as deep as the bucket you are using.
I am going to use some of this weed cloth inside the bucket to prevent and weeds from growing up
through the bottom.
I used a large drill bit to poke holes in the bottom of the bucket.
Place your weed preventing material in the bottom of the bucket.
You can see the pipe goes almost to the center of the bucket. The bucket’s rim is just above the
level of the dirt. This will prevent the surrounding dirt from entering.
Fill the bucket almost full with rocks. I like the white ones.
I then used some decorative stones to surround the bucket and you are done!
I think it looks great and was a simple way to drain your AC’s excess water. Try this DIY project as I believe most everyone can do it.
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Our New Air Conditioner, and Gordon’s A/C Project
This is an easy project that can be completed in about an hour or less. Completing this will let your AC unit drain in one defined spot and not just getting a vast area of your lawn soaked and muddy. This was my issue in that before we had the pavers in place, our lawn was constantly being soaked which turned into a muddy mess.
Whenever I walked by the AC unit, my feet would sink down a few inches in the grass. I got the idea from my sprinkler guy and since we were going to have the pavers installed, I thought it would be a good idea. Also, once the pavers were installed this project helped to keep the area clean and dry.
To complete the project, you will need a 5-gallon bucket, a bag of rocks, a drill with a half inch bit, a hack saw, and a post hole digger.
Start by measuring straight out from your drain line about 2 ft. or at least in an area not to obstruct your path around your A/C unit. Move your drain line out of the way then place the bucket in the area on top of the dirt which gives you an imprint to use as a guide. Dig a hole using the post hole digger about deeper than the depth of the bucket and just as wide. Check for a good seal around the bucket when done ensuring the drain line is not touching the bucket when moved back over top of it.
Now, drill some holes in the bottom of the bucket to let the water escape easily.
Fill your bucket with the rocks about ¾ the way up. Place your bucket in the hole. Cut your drain line with the hack saw so it ends in the center of your bucket. Move the drain line in place and you are done. I took it a step further and placed some ornate rocks around the bucket as shown.
Try this easy DIY project making what was something ugly to something beautiful.
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MAINTENANCE
77
Although a bit hard to see, the Temp in our House is 77.
We keep it on a steady 75 at all times. So, when it starts to get hotter, then there is something wrong with the A/C.
Usually, it is a simple fix.
This Vacuum can be purchased at any Home Depot or Lowe’s.
You simply place the nozzle over the pipe and turn the vacuum on. It will then suck out the gunk,
thus unstopping the A/C.
You Can See The Gunk Here
The A/C will start working normally once you do this.
Imagine all the money you are saving by doing this yourself and not having to call in a professional? Trust me, the vacuum is worth it!
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Gordon and Julie
Pizza, Pizza
Pizza: Latin for “to pound, or stamp.” The Lombardic word bizzo, or pizzo, meaning mouthful. Was brought to Italy by the Lombards in the middle of the 6th. century A.D. A Pizza consists of a base of dough with a selection of …
Amiamo I’italiano
Benvenuto Stiamo Iniziando Un’Altra Pagina Di Cibo Italiano (Welcome, We Are Starting Yet Another Italian Food Page.) Olio D’Oliva, Pomodori Secchi, Pasta, Salsa…. (Olive Oil’s, Sundried Tomatoes, Pasta’s, Sauces…) We Love It ALL!!! Amiamo I’italiano ————————————– Julie and Gordon’s Spagett (Recipe Down …
How To Repair and Rebuild a Retaining Wall
Introduction to the Repair and Rebuilding of a Retaining Wall
Before Left, After Right
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You Can Also See Here The After Photos Once Our Pavers Were Put In Place
Spooky and Sparky Once all the Work is Done
Even the Backyard Racoon Likes It 🙂
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Welcome to our Wonderland
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The retaining wall is in bad shape due to some overgrowth and tree roots, which are making the wall lopsided. This wall is quite a few years old and this is what happens sometimes. I built this wall back in 2008.
We also wanted to have pavers put in this side of the yard surrounding the wall, so it
was a great time for a repair. I will show you my step-by-step processes to get it to looking
brand new again.
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One of the first steps is to clean out the area of the unneeded items.
These stones will be used on the other side of the house for a walkway in front of our Herb Garden.
To View That Project, And Some Great Recipes:
Click Here For: A Picnic In The Herb Garden
You Can See The Stones In The Photos Above
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In the photo above, I am using a small shovel to pry the stones up being careful not to damage them.
I will then move them to a location out of the way.
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All the stones in front of the wall have now been removed.
The next few pictures show the reasons I am doing the repair to the wall.
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Here you can see where the tree roots are slightly lifting up the wall. I had cemented down the
capstones, but over the years and after some bad weather and rain, the cement tends to give way.
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These are really good pictures of what a tree root can do to your wall.
Now it is time to break the wall down by removing the capstones first, and then the rest of the stones.
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How To Break Down The Retaining Wall
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Here you can see I have begun to remove the stones in the wall. I kept them in the area from which they
came from, as they would likely go back in the same location. This makes everything a bit easier for you when it comes to rebuilding the wall.
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Removing The Retaining Wall Capstones
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Tearing Down The Retaining Wall
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Just understand that these blocks can be quite heavy.
It might be a good idea to look into purchasing a back brace.
Use a good pair of gloves as the blocks will tear up your hands.
I am getting to the end of the tear down phase of this project.
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Removing The Remaining Base Blocks
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You can see some of the capstones are still adhered to the stones. I will use a hammer and chisel
to separate them later.
Now here is a surprise, this is a Skink’s nest. You can see she is still guarding the nest and the
clutch of eggs.
I am trying to be very careful so as not to disturb them much. I placed them in a bucket and will
replace them back to the same location when I am done. I couldn’t catch the Skink, so I hope she
will find them later.
Here is something else interesting that I found.
Now that all the blocks have been removed, it is time to lay down the paver base in about a one
inch thick layer. Doing this will help prevent the stones from sinking into the dirt.
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Retaining Wall Is Removed
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Paver Base #1 Going Down
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I am trying to use the same location the pavers were in, but I also have to ensure I either remove
the root or go far enough above it that won’t damage the wall again. After spreading about one
inch of the paver base down, I then will simply stomp on it to help flatten it out, while it also
makes the ground firmer to hold the weight of the wall.
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Once this is done all the way around the
base of the wall, you will then place two inches of sand all the way around again.
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Smooth out the paver base some before adding the sand. You do want the sand to be nice and
flat when you are done. I just throw the sand in the area. As you add your blocks, you may need
more or less to make the block level.
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It is time to start to lay down the first block. This block is crucial as this will be the starting
height of the first layer of stones. I had to remove the tree root in the back of the wall, and this
process of adding the paver base then sand, placed the wall a good three inches higher than it
was previously.
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I am keeping the same pattern I had before using the “C” shape, so I left a gap in the front of the
wall. I then placed the first block down and now I am making it level from front to back and side
to side. Use a rubber mallet to help with this process. Once done, place another block next to it
and make it level with the first block side to side and back to back.
This step is very crucial as all the blocks in the wall are placed upon this first level and if they are
not level, your entire wall won’t be level, so take your time and do it right.
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More back breaking work, but once this is done, the rest of the wall goes up fast.
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Continuing to Level the Blocks into the “C” Shape
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Again, go slow and make each block perfectly level with the one next to it. You may have to add
more sand or even take some away from underneath the stone.
If you do it right, you should have these results. Here I took my long level and placed it on the
first block and the last block.
It is perfectly level between the two blocks! This is what doing it right looks like.
I am so proud!
After some rest, it is now time for the second layer of stones, but they need to be cleaned off
before being placed on the wall. You start by scrubbing them down in some water as shown
below, then place the block in the center of the lower two blocks forming a brick pattern.
Soaking the Blocks to Loosen the Dirt
I even started my third row, half way over the block below it.
As you go around, the circle will become smaller and smaller. This will tend to make your
blocks not be at the halfway point between the two blocks below them. When this happens and
it will, you simply have to cut one of your blocks on both sides to make it fit the half way pattern
again.
I am giving the edge of the wall a tapered look, this way it opens up so you can see the plants inside.
I just felt this is a better look than have it be straight up and down on either side of the opening.
Removing the Cleaned Blocks
Here is a great example of what I was taking about earlier with cutting a block. You can tell the
block in the center is smaller than the rest. Further down, I will show you how to accomplish
this.
This picture shows me starting the fourth row of blocks.
This block needs to fit between these other two blocks.
This is because the circle is getting smaller as the wall gets higher as less and less blocks are needed to fill the row.
Here I am measuring the length of the block and I will mark the block with a pencil underneath it
as to where I need to cut it in order so it will fit in the space between the other two blocks.
Take your hammer and chisel and slightly hammer the chisel on the line you made creating a
slight indentation on the stone. Do this all the way around the stone on both ends. Remember,
you are right now just creating a slight groove in the stone creating a nice line.
After you have done that, you can now hammer a litter harder on the chisel which is creating
little fishers or weak areas around the stone. Continue to do this all the way around.
With this last step, ensure the chisel’s flat edge is toward the area of the stone you want to keep
and the angled side is towards the area you want to remove. Give the chisel a few firm hits and
the stone should peel away.
This is a good picture of the stone breaking off right where I marked it.
Now I am using my other chisel to carve away the little extra surface that needs to be somewhat
flattened. Just tape the sone with the chisel and you will start to remove the excess. This could
take some time for it to be removed properly.
After about 20 minutes, I completed the stonework and it fits perfectly.
From this angle, you can barely tell it was ever cut.
Continue to place the stones on top of each other, cutting one as needed to make it fit to keep the
brick pattern.
Everything is looking great. I placed another layer on top of the stones to ensure it would be
high enough once the pavers were in place.
I am going to use the capstones I already had, and am now trying to match the curve of the
stones underneath them. I may have to cut the capstones to fit properly.
To cut the capstones, I keep the front straight edge and cut the back. This will give me a nice
pattern to the blocks. In this case, I placed the capstones on the front back of the C shape and
worked my way backwards which is why I will have to cut both ends of this capstone to fit in the
area.
Mark your stone with a pencil or other making pen, then use your circular saw with a concrete
cutting blade to cut the block. I am using a milkcrate as a base. Make sure your cut is nice and
straight and use your safety glasses.
The cuts are very fast.
I hope I have provided you good instructions on how to repair your retaining wall as this
was a great DIY project. Bring on the pavers!
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The Pavers Have Arrived
Here you can see the many pallets of pavers that will be used for our backyard project.
You will need to ensure the truck bringing the pavers has plenty of room to maneuver as they take up a lot of space.
Why Pavers in our backyard? For years, we had water coming into our yard from all
the surrounding yards during any large storms. This would drastically flood our backyard
with 5-6 inches of water. You could see the water move from the right to the left of our
backyard, which would then flood our screened in lanai closest to the house. Having
these pavers in place has stopped all that.
Pictured is the area where the pavers will be placed with my newly repaired retaining
wall in the background. The pavers are being laid by a somewhat famous company
called “Outdoor Impressions.” They were featured numerous times on DIY TV as they
were always the crew working in Florida. They are very good at what they do, and
stand behind their work, which is why I highly recommend them. Just see for yourself.
We plan on paving more of our yard in the future. Luckily, the pavers they used are
made in America by a company here in Florida.
These are the drains that will be used to move the water from the back of the yard to the front of the yard.
They will be tied into our existing Sump Pump.
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In these two pictures, you can see the workers spread this dense gravel like material,
which prevents weeds and such from growing in it. They had to bring many
wheelbarrows of this stuff to fill up the backyard.
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They then outlined the area with heavy cinderblock type stones shown on the left of the
picture. This kept that gravel like substance in place and provided a great surface for
them to lay down the pavers. Then they smoothed the gravel’s surface.
Here the worker is compacting and smoothing down the surface with a machine that
vibrates it into place, hence the name Vibrating Compactor.
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The next few pictures are of the side of our house with all the material still needing to be
compacted. This was a big job, which is why I didn’t do it as it was just to labor
intensive.
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This is a view behind my newly repaired retaining wall along the side of the fence. They
will install a drain system here so the water will run off the brick pavers and flow to the
front of the house and then onto the street.
More views of their work.
Adding more dense gravel to the main area to ensure it is level and that it slightly tilts
towards the fence.
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The dogs are checking out the new look. I had to cut off about 4 inches of the base of
the fence door, so it would clear the new pavers. This didn’t take much time at all using
a circular saw.
Another view of the backyard.
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Here the worker is using a large circular saw to cut the eye shape out. He was very
skilled at this, which created a large amount of dust in the process.
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We wanted our brick pavers to stand out, so we had them design an eye or football
shape design using larger pavers which had similar colors to the main pavers. The
brick pavers will be placed in a herringbone pattern.
This is a great picture of the brick pavers in the herringbone pattern going in behind the
retaining wall. We really love the colors of the bricks.
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The shape has been cut out and we think it looks great!
Me standing on the focal point of the design.
Me, looking at the side of the house and all the pavers in place. I am also having an
idea on what to do about the runoff water that our Air Conditioner will produce.
Pretty Julie taking a look as well. We are really impressed with our new yard.
So pretty!!! Also, if you look closely, you can see where the runoff pipe is being placed.
This was connected to our sump pump, which is positioned right when you come out our
main lanai door. This pulls any excess water from our lanai to the pipe shown and the
out to the front of our yard.
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The workers are starting to place the brick pavers around the cut-out shape.
I love how all our projects are coming together. This just shows, if you stick to what you
like, it will all work out in the end.
Does that look great or what!
More brick pavers being placed down.
Another great picture of the yard looking from back to front.
You can see here how high the pavers are to our original backyard.
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I helped them here with the transition from the walkway to the new pavers.
It really turned out nice.
Still thinking of my idea on what to do with the runoff water.
I talked about my idea with the Outdoor Impressions supervisor when he came to sign
off on the job. He provided me with some great instructions.
Another great view of the side of the house… and not much yard to mow.
I cut the door down and am now reinstalling it…easy day! We hope you too have fun
creating your backyard oasis. We love how our backyard has come together, and we
think it looks amazing. Thanks Outdoor Impressions for your part in this!
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Below is a picture of what I came up with to capture the drain water from our AC unit. Before, the water would just empty out onto our property creating a large muddy area. Now, the water drains in one spot, while providing easy access to the end of the pipe for my shop vac to suck out any clogs. The drain area also looks more decorative!
Click on the link below to see exactly how I created this decorative AC drain spot.
And Now We’re Good To Go!
Gordon
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To View All of Our Front Yard Landscaping Projects:
Click Here For: Front Yard Retaining Wall
AND,
Click Here For: Side of the House Retaining Wall
AND,
Click Here For: Front Yard Projects
AND,
Building A Backyard Landscaping Retaining Wall And Our Lanai Extension
AND,
How To Repair And Rebuild A Retaining Wall
AND,
Click Here For: New Front Yard Landscaping Project
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A Picnic in the Herb Garden
Meet You In The Herb Garden for a Picnic My Herb Garden means a lot to me. It was one of the first sections on our property that we sectioned off and cultivated into something very productive that nourishes …
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 …
Picnic’s
PICNIC
Labour Day, 1955
(A.K.A. Labor Day. I guess we dropped the “u.”
That is very American of us to drop those extra letters we don’t need.) 🙂
Found The Perfect Picnic Spot
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Backyard Picnic by the Magnolia Tree
For this particular Labor Day I wanted to do an homage to old Picnic’s of the past with my Grandparents and Great-Grandparent’s. In the slider photo above for this post, from the movie Picnic, the older ladies just remind me of the lovely ladies I grew up with. They were either reading their poetry books, knitting, or creating beautiful needlepoint designs.
My Great-Grandmother’s Poetry Books
My Great-Grandmother Honnie’s Picnic Basket
Me, with my Vintage Southern Caramel Cake
(Recipe Down Below)
Nellie Mae’s Needlepoint
My Grandmother’s that I have of hers that she never completed.
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PICNIC
Starring Kim Novak and William Holden
(And a cast of many more.)
(I love the Chinese lanterns)
A handsome drifter arrives at a small Kansas community just in time for a nice Labo(u)r Day picnic and apparently causes quite a stir with a few of the local’s.
My mother’s friend Judy Ballard Dempsey would always tell me that this is the movie she watches every Labor Day.
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Even though the movie was filmed in 1955 and I wasn’t born until 1961, it still hearkens back to me of those picnic’s past when I was a young girl growing up in the south. The linens, the clothing, women wearing pretty dresses, men wearing white suits, the ladies working on their needlepoint in between tending to everyone where the food and drink are concerned. The lake, the boats, the bank, the levy, the picnic baskets, the picnic thermos, the picnic foods, the cakes, and my grandmother scolding me because I had kicked my shoes off and I was running around barefoot in my pretty dress and according to her ‘ladies don’t act that way’.
I Had This Magnolia Planted in Honor of my Great-Grandmother Keith
I was also still required to ‘ sit up straight’ even when eating at a picnic table.
I miss those days. Not just the picnic’s but the beauty of the south. The ladies sitting in the shade underneath those beautiful trees fanning themselves on that hot Georgia day. Hearing them holler at the boys for getting their britches dirty with that red Georgia clay. They knew that stain wouldn’t come out. The boys either had their britches stained with grass or that beautiful red Georgia clay. As for me, you could always find me wading in the water skipping stones.
To me a picnic isn’t just about the food. It’s about finding the right picnic spot. Using the prettiest linen’s. Usually hand embroidered by my Great-Grandmother Honnie. Playing in the creek. It never mattered to me how cold the water was. I could stick my barefeet into freezing cold water and I was happy just to be splashing around and finding pretty rocks.
Iced Tea Always Played an Important Part in Every Outing
These Plates and Cups Also Belonged to My Great-Grandmother
A picnic to me is a trip back in time visiting those that have long gone, but are never forgotten. As long as I am alive they will be too. So, would you like to go on a picnic?
Load up the car. I’ll be along in just a minute……
Julie
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OUR LABOR DAY PICNIC’S
Julie’s Vintage Southern Caramel Cake
(Caramel Cake Recipe Down Below)
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Let’s Start First With This Dessert
Here is a Special Cake of Mine
Julie’s Red Velvet Stuffed Cherry Cake with Vanilla Frosting and Cherries, Flowers
Judging by my pride above you’d think I was the monkey presenting Simba to all the African animals from the hilltop in The Lion King.
Isn’t it pretty? Well, I obviously think so.
I am no cake maker or decorator. I use a ready made Betty Crocker cake mix. And up until my 40’s I honestly thought that was the definition of cooking from scratch…..
All of my cake pans are different sizes. I just use what I have and to dress it up I’ll add this or that. I always start out trying to make it perfect and then it just sort of unfolds into something a 7 year old would do. So, I decide to just please that 7 year old inside of me and I make it a bit tacky. Because to me tacky is beautiful!
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I remembered the White Chocolate Bark with Cherries
I had forgotten to add them.
Makes the Cake Look More Decadent
Delicious!
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Our Labor Day Watermelon Cocktail
Ingredients: (for 1 Drink)
~ 8 Ice Cubes
1 shot Tequila – Camarena Brand
1 1/2 Cups Watermelon Fruitscato – Barefoot Brand
Garnish:
Watermelon – Sliced and Cubed
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Slice the watermelon in cubes and place them in the glass.
Add about 8 ice cubes to your large shaker.
Now, add one shot of Tequila to your shaker.
Then add about 1 1/2 cups of your Watermelon Fruitscato to your shaker.
Shake all the ingredient in the shaker until your hands are ice cold and pour the mixture into your glass. Enjoy!
Garnished With Watermelon Wedges
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This is One of Our Labor Day Picnic’s
I Wanted Lots of RED
Red Tablecloth, Red Plates, Red Bowls, Red Spoons….
I Also Wanted Lots of Salads
Red Tomatoes
Red Grapes, Condiments, Salads and Bread
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Our Salads
Gordon’s German Potato Salad
Julie’s Ham Salad
Julie’s Chicken Salad with Grapes and Pecans
Julie’s Deviled Ham Deviled Eggs with Bacon
Our Homemade Condiments of Dill Pickles, Pickled Brussel Sprouts, and Corn Relish
(With some of my Souvenir Spoons)
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Different Breads to Choose From
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Recipes Start Right Here
Gordon’s German Potato Salad
Ingredients:
4 lbs. Red Potatoes
1/2 Red Onion – diced
1 Shallot – diced
1 Tbsp. Parsley – chopped finely
Chives – Chopped thinly
10 Slices of Thick Sliced Bacon – cooked and crumbled (save the bacon fat)
1/4 Cup White Wine Vinegar
1/2 Cup Chicken Stock
1 Tbsp. Tarragon Mustard – Homemade
Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper to Taste
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Place all your potatoes in a large pot of cool water then turn the pot’s burner onto high. When the water starts to boil, turn it down to medium-high heat and continue to boil.
Here are the chives and parsley we had growing in our garden, washed and ready.
We cook our bacon using this special large clay cup specially made to be used in the microwave. We cooked it for around 10 min. or until crispy.
Slice then dice your onion… more to follow.
Cook the potatoes until fork tender.
Slice your onion in half then into fine sections…
then make a few diagonal cuts and lastly slice the onion into a small dice.
Here you can see how this bacon cooker works keeping the bacon fat away from the bacon.
Once your potatoes are cooked, cool them down with cold water to stop the cooking process.
In a large saute pan, add about 3 Tbsp. of your bacon fat to the pan then add your diced onions and shallot. Bring the onions and shallots up to medium heat.
Stir the onion mixture while cooking. When the potatoes have cooled, drain them in a colander.
The Potatoes are Ready, the Onion and Shallots are softening.
When the onion have mostly cooked and turned translucent, add your white wine vinegar.
Stir in the vinegar and continue to cook the mixture. Then add your chicken stock and continue to cook the mixture over medium heat.
Add your Mustard to the pan and stir all the ingredients well. Then add some Freshly Ground Black Pepper.
Slice your potatoes into small rounds as shown and place them in a large bowl.
Cook the onion mixture until the liquid has reduced by ~1/4.
Nice close up of the cooked red potatoes Julie!
Slice your chives and parsley as shown.
Once reduced, add your onion mixture to the sliced potatoes.
Ready for the Bacon!
Then add your sliced herbs and bacon crumbles to the bowl.
There’s Always Room for Bacon 🙂
Fold all the ingredients together keeping the potatoes nice shape. Serve cool!
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Setting out some of our Homemade Pickles
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Julie’s Ham Salad
This was so good and easy to make. The ham that you see is fully cooked. I just needed to warm the ham through about 25 minutes in a 350F oven.
Here I am Chopping the Ham into Chunks
Placing the Ham into a Bowl
Next I am Adding our Homemade Mustard and Chopping our Dill Pickles
I just eyeball all of this. I added some Mayonnaise and some Hard Boiled Eggs, along with some Freshly Ground Black Pepper. And a few drizzles of our Pickle Juice from the jar.
I wish I had some of this right now! 🙂
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Julie’s Chicken Salad with Grapes and Pecans
Chicken Salad is one of my favorite’s. I love it because it is not only tasty and a great lunch or picnic lunch, but it goes a long way in our household. When I do make it I like to use an entire chicken, light and dark meat together. When you have a mix of the two it is just more delicious. So, I start with a whole chicken.
First, place a large pot onto the stove top and fill it with water. You can salt the water. It speeds up the cooking process but it will also add some flavor to the chicken that will be cooking.
The pot on the left are all of my eggs for my Deviled Ham, Deviled Eggs, and for my Chicken Salad.
I just place the chicken into the water and put the burner on high. As it starts to boil I do reduce the heat to about an 8, which is a medium-high heat and I just let it simmer-boil for a good 45 minutes. You want the chicken falling off the bone. I do use tongs to turn the chicken periodically to be sure it is being cooked fully.
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Oh, this is my lunch while I cook. Bread and Manchego Cheese. 🙂
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My eggs are ready. I’ve placed them in cold water and ice to stop the cooking process. I just need about 2 of these eggs for my Chicken Salad. The rest will go into other salads. The egg you see on the plate is me testing them to make sure they are ready. I also give this to Spooky and Sparky as their treat.
When the Chicken is ready I remove it from the pot and place it into a colander that is on top of a bowl to catch the liquid. I allow it to cool and then I start to pick all the chicken off the bones. This is a messy job. I discard the bones, cartilage and fat, and place the white and dark meat into another bowl.
With my Chicken in the bowl I now want to chop some Onion and Celery and place into the bowl with the chicken.
I wish I could give you exact measurements but it really is up to each of us to determine that.
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Chicken, Onion, Celery, Mayonnaise, Mustard, Freshly Ground Black Pepper, Dashes of Hot Sauce, and Pickle Juice. If you have an open jar of pickles in your refrigerator, then just add a few drizzles and it will enhance the flavor of your Chicken Salad. You can also add a few tablespoons of Pickle Relish if you like.
Ready to Chop the Red Grapes in Half
And now ready to add the Chopped Pecans.
Delicious and Beautiful!
Washing some beautiful and Crispy Lettuce for these Salads
Allowing Them To Dry
Fresh Flowers, Fresh Red Grapes, and Fresh Chicken Salad
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Deviled Ham
Deviled Eggs
Julie’s Deviled Ham, Deviled Eggs with Bacon
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I ADORE Deviled Eggs!
I wanted to make them a bit different from my traditional way and that is when I remembered that one recipe in the south where women used to make them with Deviled Ham and Worcestershire Sauce. This is a vintage recipe. Not complicated at all. Just another way to make, and eat them.
Ingredients:
Hard Boiled Eggs, as many as you like.
1 or 2 Cans of Deviled Ham
Mayonnaise to Taste
Mustard to Taste
Chopped Onion to Taste
Dashes of Worcestershire Sauce
Salt and Pepper
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When I make any of my southern salads I always make them geared to my own personal tastes. Therefore, it is sometimes hard to me to give you accurate ingredient information because I just eyeball it. Which is why I am giving you the ingredients but it is really up to you to determine the exact amounts that you prefer for your own tastes.
Boiling the Eggs
In order to make Deviled Eggs you need to hard boil your eggs in a pot of water. Just put as many eggs as you want into a pot and fill the pot with water. Add some salt to the water as this is supposed to speed up the boiling process and it is supposed to prevent an egg from leaking out if it is cracked. Supposedly. 🙂
Turn your water on a high heat and bring to a rolling boil with the eggs in it. Now, turn the heat down to a medium-high heat and continue to boil for about 10 minutes. When done, remove from the heat and place the eggs into a bowl of cold water with some ice in order to stop the cooking process.
You can see my hard boiled eggs in the photo top left. Usually, once I have cooked them I place them into the refrigerator overnight and make my Deviled Eggs the following day.
I now need to remove the eggs from the shells. I just tap them to crack them and then remove the shells.
Then I slice the eggs in half and remove the yolks, like so…..
Into a Mixing Bowl they Go
The Deviled Ham
I grew up on this stuff. We would make Deviled Ham Sandwiches and sometimes I would spread the ham on Saltine Crackers. I hadn’t eaten this stuff in years and it was a nice taste back in time.
Here I am using a fork to mash the yellow yolks and I’ve added some of the Deviled Ham.
Adding the Yellow Mustard
This is our homemade Yellow Mustard but use whatever you prefer.
Now it’s just a matter of adding some Chopped Onion, Dashes of Worcestershire Sauce, Salt and Pepper, then mix together and place into the cavity of each egg.
Then refrigerate until ready to eat!
Oh, and we had some extra BACON from Gordon’s German Potato Salad which we added to each Deviled Egg as a garnish.
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A Nice Little Tray of our Homemade Pickles, Brussell Sprouts, and Corn Relish
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Salad on Salad is Perfection 🙂
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Julie’s Red Velvet Stuffed Cherry Cake with Vanilla Frosting and Cherries, Flowers
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My Cake Pans
I realize they are nothing to get excited about. I don’t make very many cakes but when I do I drag out my cake pans only to remember that I need to buy new ones because the ones I have are old and never the same sizes. But, that never stops me! 🙂
My Ingredients:
2, Red Velvet Cake Mixes
(Just follow the package instructions on how many eggs and how much Vegetable Oil you will need.)
Maraschino Cherries Without the Stems
(As many as you like. And reserve the juice from the jar/s.)
Fresh Cherries, as many as you like.
Flowers and White Chocolate Bark w/ Cherries
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I just followed the cake package instructions making one cake mix at a time. In place of adding water I would add the juice from the Maraschino Cherries.
P.S. Everything tastes better in this Vintage Mixer that my Grandmother gave me many years ago that she bought at a yard sale for $20.00 in Rome, Georgia, my hometown. 🙂
Now It’s Time to Add the Maraschino Cherries
Mix together and then pour into your cake pans that you have greased and floured. To do this you just use some Crisco Shortening and place all around the cake pans you will be using and then add a dusting of Flour. Dump out the extra flour that didn’t stick to the shortening in the cake pans. Then just pour in your cake batter with the cherries.
Just pour the cake batter up 3/4 of the way in the pans.
Bake according to package directions.
It is sometimes best to place the cakes on a baking sheet and then bake. It’s up to you.
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Look How Beautiful!
Right Out of The Oven
Place on Racks to Cool
You can see my fresh Cherries in the bowl to the left.
Look at the Beautiful Cherries on the Bottom of the Cake 🙂
These 3 Cakes were made from 2 Cake Mixes.
Once Thoroughly Cooled…..
I need to make this cake flat on top so I just took a bread knife and sliced the top right off. You can reserve that cake that you cut off and save it for ice cream. 🙂
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Time for me to Assemble my Cake
I knew that I wanted to present my cake on this red and white metal plate so I placed it on top of one of my glass cake pedestal plates in order to do so. I then placed some Parchment Paper all around the outside of the metal plate. You can see that in the photo top right. I had placed the largest cake on first with the top side face down and the bottom side facing up.
The Parchment Paper that you see here in these photos are just strips of Parchment placed all along the sides of the cake. That way when you finish decorating the cake you can just slide them out. But you cannot slide them out if the cake is sitting on top of one large piece of Parchment.
I Iced the first layer of cake all around with just some ready made frosting. Vanilla, of course. 🙂
I then placed the next largest size of cake on top of it and I then iced it. I did do my best to remove a lot of the crumbs so that they didn’t get all tangled up with the frosting. That’s when it gets all gunky and not very attractive.
Now Comes the Smallest Size of Cake on Top
And More Frosting…
I liked that you can see some of the cake layers here.
I Added Some Fresh Cherries, Flowers, and White Chocolate Bark w/ Cherries
3 Layers of a Very Tall Cake
It Truly Was Delicious!
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Julie’s Old Fashioned Southern Caramel Cake
I’m very proud of this cake. It just reminds me of the south.
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Ingredients:
2 1/2 Cups Cake Flour
3 Cups Sugar
2 Cups Butter
8 Eggs
1 Cup Milk
4 t. Baking Powder
1 T. Vanilla Extract
1/2 t. Almond Extract
1 t. Salt
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You will need an electric mixer for this.
You will also need some Parchment Paper and Cooking Oil Spray.
You want to use a pen or pencil and draw the shape of the cake pan onto it.
Then cut out the shape.
I first sprayed some of the cooking oil spray into the pan bottom and sides. I then placed the cut out parchment paper onto the bottom and then sprayed some more of the cooking oil spray.
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Time To Make The Cake
I cracked all the eggs into a small bowl.
I then added the Milk, Vanilla Extract, and Almond Extract to the Eggs.
I mixed everything together and let it sit.
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Cake Flour, Sugar, and Baking Powder
Add to the Mixing Bowl
Blend the Dry Ingredients Together on Low
Slice Your Butter Into Tablespoon Chunks
You want to place your mixer on a low speed and add your butter one tablespoon at at time until it’s blended.
You Can See It Coming Along Here
You Want to Keep Blending the Dry Mixture and the Butter Together
I Then Add about Half of the Egg Mixture to the Butter and Dry Ingredients
When Blended I Add The Remaining Egg Mixture and Increase the Speed to Medium Until Blended
With the Batter Ready, It’s Time to Pour into the Cake Pans
Like So….
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Pre-Heat Oven to 350F
Bake for 20-25 Minutes
To determine when the cake is done, place a toothpick or wooden skewer into the cake and if it comes out clean then the cakes are done.
Place Onto a Cooling Rack and Cool Thoroughly
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Preparing My Cake For The Icing
You Need a Cake Pedestal, Some Parchment Paper, and Your Cake
I cut some of the parchment into strips and placed all around the cake pedestal.
I then placed one of my cakes face down onto the parchment and removed the bottom layer of parchment that we cooked the cake in.
Now It Is Time To Make The Caramel Icing
This is a Caramel Icing Recipe. You are about to make Caramel. 🙂
Ingredients:
2 Cups Butter
5 Cups Sugar
1 1/2 Cups Buttermilk
3 T. Corn Syrup
2 T. Vanilla Extract
2 1/2 t. Baking Soda
1 t. Salt
30 Marshmallows
You will need a Candy Thermometer
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In a heavy saucepan….. over low heat.
Add Your Butter, and Buttermilk
Sugar….
Corn Syrup, Salt, and Baking Soda….
Stirring Constantly Until the Butter and Sugar is Dissolved
You Then Add Your Marshmallows
Werther’s Original Caramels and Hard Candy Caramels
(Thinking about these as accents.)
Marshmallows Melting
The Mixture Kept Expanding So We Transferred Into a Larger Pot
You need to constantly stir so the mixture doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.
In order to make the caramel icing you need for the candy thermometer to reach 238F. We never reached it. We even placed the burner on a medium-high. The caramel was spitting hot lava at us and we were getting burned so we called it quits at 220F.
Gordon Had to Oven Mit Up in Order to Deal with the Hot Caramel
We then removed from the heat and added our Vanilla.
Place Your Caramel Into A Mixing Bowl
Now, Use a Mixer to Mix It!
You want the mixture to get cloudy.
Just do the best you can. We did!
Beat about 5 Minutes
Now It’s Time To Start Spreading The Icing
I would like to stress that we never allowed this caramel to reach the 238F temp that would have made it more firm. However, it was still quite delicious as it is.
We also had other intentions where this caramel was concerned.
We wanted it runny enough to use as a fondue dip.
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So, now we have our gorgeously delicious caramel icing/dip.
I do wish that I had placed my cake onto a cookie rack so that the icing could fall down into it, as a glaze. But, instead I had to remove it from the parchment paper and place it back into my mixing bowl for later use.
It may have been a mess to make but it was one of the best cakes that Gordon and I had ever eaten.
This Was The Best Cake
I Added A Few Hard Candy Caramels To Accent
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So Delicious
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Happy Labor Day!
Julie and Gordon
Barefoot Beach Teas
Welcome to Barefoot Beach Teas I got the idea about 3 years ago to create a nice tea and have it look like the beach. I even thought of putting some sort of seashell candy inside of the tea so that …
