Author: Julz

The weather here in Vermont for the last two days has been glorious! I’ve lived here for 31 years and know that it won’t last, but it seems that everyone is living in the moment and taking advantage of the warm sunny days while we have them. 45-degrees in Vermont after a long winter is t-shirt and sweatshirt weather. 

Instead of walking on the treadmill, I’ve been able to walk outdoors again. Yesterday my walk was tricky as I had to puddle jump my way down Main Street. If I had my muck boots on, that wouldn’t have been an issue, but I was wearing sneakers. 

I know I keep bringing up how different my life has been since I started living life as a journey and not a destination; my walk yesterday proved it once more. 

I used to leave my house, and all I thought about when I walked was getting my exercise in and getting home. Yesterday I really looked at what I was walking through…history.

Arlington, VT, was chartered in 1761 with some pretty historical people who have lived here. Thomas Chittenden the first governor of Vermont, and Arlington was the first capital of Vermont. His home is the oldest wood-framed home in our town.

Norman Rockwell did most of his iconic paintings living in Arlington. He used the townspeople as his models. He was criticized that he wasn’t a real artist using models correctly because he had the models photographed, then he painted. He reasoned that the hard-working people didn’t have time to waste sitting for hours. Many of the model’s families and child models still live here today. It’s very cool. 

Dorothy Canfield, another resident, was an author, educator and started the original Montessori way of teaching. Her home is diagonal from our home and is now a community house where I taught my cooking classes.

Revolutionary War soldiers included Sam Adams, Ethan & Ira Allen, who lived right here as well. The Green Mountain Boys held meetings next door to our house at the Deming House. 

Many homes here in Arlington were part of the Underground Railroad and still have hidden doors and hiding places in them. Cool or what? 

Our home was built in 1832 across the street from where it is today. The story goes that two brothers who owned homes across the street from each other had an argument, and the one brother decided in 1850 to move the peasant’s quarters across Main Street. Yes, we live in peasant’s quarters! 😂

Many homes have candles in their windows all year long. I learned from the previous owner that candles were put in windows of homes so that travelers would know what places they could find with different accommodations. 

One candle meant the home was open to travelers for drinks. Two candles meant food and drink. Three candles were lodging, food, and drink. The fourth candle meant they had all those things and some nice ladies who could keep you company, putting it nicely. Of course, I ran out and had to put four candles in our windows the next day!

As I walked around town yesterday, I thought about these very people and how they literally walked the same path I was on, and I imagined what it was like through their eyes.  I’ve never looked at it this way before. I love living in such an old historic place, maybe in 150 years people will point to our house and say that’s where those “spätzle people” lived. 

Four years ago today was the actual birth date of our business, The Vermont Spatzle Company. Marty and I decided that we were going to start our own business, and we were going to give it 110%. The first thing Marty did was to register the name of our business with the Vermont Secretary of State. That was the easy part.

During April & May, we had a lot to figure out. We both ran other people’s businesses before, but not our own. We both worked full-time jobs, so we had to work on the business in the evenings or any spare second either of us had. First, we designed our logo with a friend of mine.

Next, Marty worked on designing the label and what kind of container to put the spatzle in. There were so many options to chose from. He ordered samples, and we finally decided on the one we are still using today. He also found the right programs available online to help with our nutritional label and our UPC.

I had to figure out how to increase my batch sizes, drain, cool, package, and label our product. We sold our first package of spatzle at the beginning of June. We were in local businesses by the second week of June, and we were growing in popularity using social media. We had learned so much not only in that first three months but the first year.

We found some people who were so helpful and supportive that first year. One of our wholesale customers pointed out that the label we were using was boring and showed us that when it was merchandised in different freezers and coolers, you couldn’t tell what our product was. He also told us we needed something colorful and eye-catching.

He arranged a meeting with a graphic artist to help us, but we realized quickly that there was no way we could afford to work with anyone professional. The new label design would have cost us thousands of dollars.

Marty started making different prototypes, we would discuss them, and he would tweak them. I looked through different photos I took of the product, and bingo! A photo of the spatzle in a cast iron frying pan was perfect. Then we figured out the color scheme. Next, we had to figure out how big the label needed to be to wrap around our package not only for looks but for safety purposes.

Before we knew it, our spatzle was on the shelves of almost every co-op in Vermont and many specialty stores. It was bizarre in the beginning walking into a store and seeing our product in the cooler or freezer. We made, touched, weighed, packaged, labeled, and delivered that package ourselves. Now when I see our product in a store, I say hi to it.

I wrote the date 3/11/17 on our kitchen chalkboard that night so we wouldn’t forget when we said we would make this idea happen. No one erased it. I added the logo to the chalkboard a couple of weeks later. 3/11/17 was the day we both started living the “American Dream.”

All of a sudden, I feel like things are on the upswing. Here in Vermont, the birds are chirping in the morning again, which is such a welcome sound after a long winter. I heard a woodpecker banging away on a tree yesterday. I think skunks are coming out of their hibernation, one sprayed right outside our barn, and I could smell it in the gym, which I never thought I would be happy to smell.

The days are noticeably longer and will be even longer after we “spring ahead,” turning our clocks ahead one hour on Sunday morning. Since January, the snow that has been on the ground is finally melting with the sun higher in the sky and warmer temperatures. Yesterday, it smelled like spring now that areas of dirt are being uncovered. 

I was able to sign up for my first vaccine on Monday morning as a 55-year-old with health risks. I never thought I would be so happy to have just turned a year older! I go on March 17 and feel some sense of relief just having the appointment; I was experiencing vaccine envy like many people are. 

I can’t wait until anyone can sign up to be vaccinated here in Vermont and not have to wait for their age bracket. It’s like trying to reach a carrot that’s being dangled in front of you, so close but still out of reach. I think that time will come very soon since there is now a third vaccine available. 

People went from doing toilet paper math to calculating when they will be getting their second shot. Then they add two weeks and have the date they can hug and see other fully vaccinated loved ones and friends again, without masks. 

I am planning on returning to the Saturday Saratoga Farmers Market next Saturday, March 20. I haven’t been to the market since right before Christmas when the Covid numbers began spiking not only in Saratoga but here in VT as well. I’ve missed our customers, other market vendors, and staff so much. 

It’s been a year since I taught my last real belly dance class. Now I feel extremely hopeful that we will all be back to class without masks and not afraid of each other anymore soon. I can’t wait to dance with my dance sisters and to be able to open our Wednesday night classes to the public once more.

Every year I look forward to spring and do a happy dance when the flowers start popping up. After an entire year of hell that everyone has endured, all the little things on my journey this spring seem to be a little brighter, greener, more beautiful than before. 

Last year before the pandemic, our 1832 Vermont Cape Cod home was painted very dark on the inside. Our dining room was a deep red, the living room was done in a brown suede finish, Noah’s room was black and red, and our bedroom was called midnight.

I loved all of these colors when we were renovating and painting each room at a time. It took us about 12 years to finish all of our projects. We said we were finally done with projects, then Covid hit.

Being stuck in the house for so long with winter, then the lockdown, we started going stir crazy. This was before I was on the journey and still on the destination; I said, “Our next house is going to be light, bright, and airy, with clean lines. Duh, Julz, you have to wait until your next house?

It took us forever to pick out a shade of white paint. There were hundreds to pick from. We had to choose a warm white or a cool white and what finish we wanted. We recently saw our friend’s new living room, and it was a light gray in a velvet finish. Gorgeous!

So we picked sailcloth white with the velvet finish and started painting. We did the living room; then we used the same paint to paint Noah’s newly abandoned bedroom since he moved out at the beginning of March. It was our new office, and both the rooms looked so much better. I got some sheer curtains, and wow, what a difference.

Now our dining room was so dark and looked like it didn’t belong. We wanted a very light gray, and again, there were hundreds to choose from. I don’t remember the color we chose, but it came out great and really brightened up our whole downstairs.

At this point, we were getting a little sick and tired of painting and having our house be a wreck moving everything out of each room we were working on it. Then Marty said, “I hate how dark our bedroom is.” That started another project, and we ended up ripping up the carpet that was in there too. We picked edelweiss white, a big change from midnight black. I had to get new linens since the dark black and white sheets didn’t look good at all.

I wanted our room to look like a bedroom in Paris, and I wanted it to be white on different shades of white. I had a canvas photo of the Eiffel Tower hanging up in our black bedroom, but it looks better in our new white one. I love Paris so much; it’s my most favorite place on earth. After all of this covid business is over and we can travel again, we plan to go in the not so far off future. That is a whole other blog post.

Along with the new linens, we picked up a used chandelier since I always wanted one in our bedroom and an area rug. A pair of sheer curtains and a couple of tie-back hooks, and voila! Tres Magnifique!

We both were pleased with how the bedroom came out. It was like sleeping in a bed and breakfast or a hotel room in Paris. Every morning Marty kept saying how it didn’t feel like our bedroom.

The last thing that looked like garbage was the staircase walls and upstairs hallway. We were super busy with the business and getting ready for our biggest season Oktoberfest. We actually hired a painter from town, which we have never done before. Two guys came in, got it done in one afternoon…boom. It was such a huge help not having us set up scaffolding on the stairs to paint at the stairwell’s top.

As spring is approaching, I decided that I wanted to add just a small touch of color to our all-white bedroom. Purple is my favorite color. I picked out some beautiful purple and gray floral sheets. I was able to reuse my lavender and purple pillows we had in our black bedroom. I just got done putting them on the bed, and I love it! 💜

I woke up on the wrong side of the bed today for no particular reason. I slept well and woke up on my own, and didn’t need my alarm to yank me out of dreams. 

It was cold and gloomy when I got up. We needed to be in the production kitchen earlier than usual since we had some supplies to pick up and deliveries to make in the afternoon. 

I wasn’t in a bad or crabby mood about any one thing, in particular, just everything. I usually stick to eating protein-based foods for breakfast and lunch and whatever I want for dinner, but I stuffed myself with carbs for breakfast today. 

Marty got up before I did and had everything set in the production kitchen for me to walk in and start making batter right away. Production went smooth, and we got done quickly. We had a quick lunch; I ate all carbs again. We changed our clothes and had to head to Saratoga to make a few deliveries. 

I hated myself for eating all carbs and felt like garbage. Overstuffed and disgusting. Everything I put on didn’t feel right. Too casual, too dressy, too tight, too loose. Ugh. I threw on some leggings and a soft gray tunic, and that was that. What really went with muck boots anyway? We were going to a farm, and they are necessary.

We had 3 delivery stops to make, which went off without a hitch. I haven’t been out of Arlington for 8 days, so I was looking forward to going shopping; I needed socks desperately. By the way, I hate shopping, so I must have been more desperate than my sock situation. 

We went to Dicks, and I needed to find the restroom before I could shop. At least I was keeping up with my water consumption. After walking around the entire store, I finally asked someone; it turns out the bathroom was tucked away in the furthest corner with no signs. 

Then we walked around the entire store looking for ladies’ socks. We found baseball & golf socks. Men’s and kids’ socks. Ladies’ ankle socks, but we couldn’t find regular crew socks, in black, preferably Adidas. Going through each section of the store was putting me into such a tizzy I almost left. “These bastards set these stores up like this, so you have to look at every fucking thing before you find what you want!” I guess Dick didn’t get the email that I hated to be there in the first place, so his hide and seek bullshit game wasn’t going to work. I told you I was in a bad mood.

Finally, we asked a couple of employees where we could find womens’ socks; they weren’t sure if they had any. Oh, and what size did I need? Socks for giraffes…I thought women’s socks were women’s socks and men’s were bigger; come on, guys. Ugh…WTF? Really? 

I found a clearance sock bin on my own, and after some rummaging around, low and behold, I found a three-pack of socks. They were actually exactly what I was looking for. What are the odds of that? They were on sale; maybe things were looking up.

Next, we crossed Route 50 and went into the brand new Aldi because I wanted to see it. It was set up like the one in Bennington, just bigger and newer, nothing to make me want to go there specifically. Then I went into TJ Maxx. I am not into retail therapy but wanted to see what they had for spring. Growing up watching my adopted mother’s shopping addiction, then having to get rid of tens of thousands of dollars of clothes, shoes, and handbags all still with price tags on them after her stroke still makes me sick to my stomach. I was shocked at how much money she spent, I ended up selling a few items at a consignment shop, but then just donating everything. I didn’t want any of it by the time I was done cleaning out her apartment. She ruined shopping for me.

TJ Maxx and Home Goods are stores that people love to go to. When I see women in those stores they all look happy with their eyes glazed over and their shopping carts full. While my father was still alive my mother had to hide and lie about all of her purchases. After he passed away she went hog wild and pissed through all his insurance money and the money from the sale of their home. I realized I wasn’t in the mood to shop and definitely not in the mood to look at spring clothes on carb overload.

As we drove through the town of Greenwich on our way to Saratoga, we noticed a food truck called Miller’s Backyard BBQ. I found them on Facebook and sent them a message inquiring about their gluten-free options. They answered me immediately, which was pretty damn impressive. 

It turns out they are very GF friendly, and we could eat almost everything on the menu except for their macaroni and cheese for obvious reasons and a few other items. 

On our way home, we were going back through Greenwich, and as luck would have it, they were open. They are only open from 4-8, and it was 4:30.  When we walked up to the food truck, I complimented them for such a quick response to my questions and how knowledgeable they are. He told me they had a lot of gluten-free customers. 

We got a sampler of all their proteins; smoked chicken wings with chipotle sweet chili sauce, sliced brisket, pulled pork, and bbq ribs. We picked potato salad and beans as our sides. We wanted to try it all since we’ve been binging on bbq shows on TV almost every night and want to go to Austin, TX, just to eat bbq when all this Covid shit is over. They have a great music scene as well. 

Millers did a really nice job! Hats off! Better bbq from a food truck than the last few bbq restaurants we’ve tried in the past. Restaurant quality from a food truck is the norm all around the country. Chefs that get tired of restaurant hours and want flexibility and creativity in their menus. Marty and I dream of having a food truck when we retire and travel to different warm places in the winter. 

Millers smoked all of the proteins perfectly, the right amount of smoke and a gorgeous smoke ring. Their homemade bbq sauces were good. Marty really liked the potato salad which was like a baked potato salad. 

Our favorite thing was the smoked chicken wings. They beat the wings I had two weeks ago in Hudson, NY at American BBQ by a mile. Really delicious! The sauce was incredibly balanced and flavorful. 

I said that Marty liked the potato salad. I only had one bite and stuck with all proteins. So I ended up flip-flopping my way of eating today, big shit. Tomorrow is another day. 

Instead of a glass of Chardonnay or the beautiful Sparkling Rose I had last night, I cut to the chase and went straight to the bourbon with a splash of ginger ale. One of my go-to favorites in the summer when we have a fire going in the fire pit. 

I know when I get up tomorrow, I’ll be out of my crabby mood. Sometimes I just need a crabby day. It doesn’t bother Marty because he gets a kick out of it and tries to make me even more cranky. When he gets into his funk some days, I do the same thing to him. 

As part of my blog journey, I’ll bet you never thought you’d know so much about me and my bowel habits. TMI right? As a person who has gluten, lactose, and ulcerative colitis issues, I think it’s important for people who don’t know, have, or live with someone to understand what it’s like. 

If you look at me or know me you would never know when I am sick. I am still my Julzie self for the most part. When I speak with one of our celiac or customers with gluten sensitivities, we have an immediate connection. 

Over 75% of our customers do not have gluten issues which exceeds my original goal of providing a delicious and easy to prepare gluten-free pasta. I started out just making it for Marty and myself; then we decided we had to share it with people. 

People love our product because it is delicious and easy to prepare, but also a blank slate for any dish or cuisine. The gluten-free folks love it because it doesn’t fall apart, can be used as leftovers that don’t turn to mush, and it tastes great, not with a funky after taste that most gluten-free pasta leave. 

Our gluten-free customers are so happy when they find our spätzle. But they are even happier when they meet someone who knows and understands what kind of struggle they face: a struggle not only every day but with everything they put into their mouths. 

Like me 99% of our GF customers look normal, vibrant, many are young, strong, and healthy-looking. You would never guess all the things they have been through before they were diagnosed with their issues. Many of them have other intestinal issues as well as I do. 

I feel like since you are on my journey with me I can share what it is like knowing someone with intestinal issues. If I had diabetes, RA, heart disease, or much worse conditions I know I would be writing and advocating for them as well. 

As a cheerleader throughout my whole teen and childhood years, I supported my team yelling and shouting about it. That’s how I feel about gluten sensitivities and inflammatory bowel disease. I feel so strongly about it that I developed and we manufacture a gluten-free pasta that has changed not only our lives but thousands of others’ lives as well. 

I have met so many small children and their moms who tell me about their GF health nightmares, and they know I understand. I can only imagine how terrible it must be for a 2 or 3 year old child feeling so sick all of the time. When I give someone, especially a child, a sample of our spätzle that I just sautéed with a little butter and watched their reactions, it’s so rewarding and emotional.  Nothing beats making people happy, finding something they like or their lives easier.

Getting emotional about a pasta? It’s not just about the pasta, it’s about the connections I make with people, not just the GF ones for sure. Marty and I make wonderful connections with the other 75% of our customers. We love to see them smile when they taste their sample. The best is when even the biggest skeptics sample our product and are ready to hate it because it’s gluten-free, I almost do a victory dance when they admit they like it. 

Marty and I cannot wait for this awful Covid thing to be over for many obvious reasons and we can go back to sampling at our farmer’s markets as well as doing demos in stores. The connections we make with people are immediate and we thrive off of it. We love to see how much people love it! It’s been our goal since the beginning to spread the spätzle love.❤️

I am blessed to have a strong personality and a cheerleader for things I believe in. Sometimes I get up on a soapbox and tell people how I feel about things. I have this blog to not only teach people about food or how to cook but to share with my readers about the other exciting, good, bad, or shitty things that are happening in my life. Yes, that was a pun.

I hope that the stories that I share on my blog people can relate to, whether they are food memories, places in NJ, emotional or medical issues. Some may read my blog just because they want to become a better cook or to follow along with me on my up and down journey.