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.
The snow is melting!
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.
I never had cauliflower growing up. Not once, not even frozen. I really don’t remember when I started liking it; I think I had it at an Indian restaurant and liked it.
I looked in my 1950-s Betty Crocker cookbook and there it was…Cauliflower Au Gratin or curried cauliflower au gratin. I made it for lunch one day along with some white rice. It was so creamy, exotic from the curry spices, and delicious. It didn’t taste like the cauliflower I heard about people hating. It was satisfying as well.
Since I follow a gluten-free diet there are lots of gluten-free recipes and videos that pop up on my FB and Instagram newsfeeds. There are also a lot of Keto and low carb recipes that get lumped together with gluten-free. All showcasing cauliflower recipes.
Making Cauliflower Pizza Crusts
The debut of the cauliflower pizza crust took the country by storm. People were like, WTF? Everyone, including me, was skeptical. All of the celebrity chefs were on their TV shows making a version. I made my own cauliflower pizza crust, and it was good.
Sausage, Peppers & OnionsPepperoni
Commercial cauliflower pizza crusts have gotten better over the last few years. We always have a case of them in our freezer. We get ours from Restaurant Depot, and it is better than any commercial gluten-free crust out there. I make my own GF pizza dough, but it takes some planning ahead; it takes at least 24 hours to proof in the refrigerator. The cauliflower crust is the quickest dinner I can throw together for lunch or dinner on production and farmer’s market days.
First one Thai Chicken Pizza. Second one Grilled Peach, Prosciutto, Sage, and Burrata Cheese. Third one Grilled Caramelized Onions, Rosemary, Fresh Mozzarella and Ricotta Cheese. Fourth one Grilled New Haven White Pie with Clam Sauce.
Back in 2014, I started experimenting with some of the recipes I saw on my newsfeed only because I was intrigued. I made tater tots, mashed “potatoes” and hash browns from cauliflower. They were really good. So delicious you could fool people with the tater tots, they were that good.
Cauliflower Tater Tots
I also tried making cauliflower rice. This was before Trader Joe’s started selling frozen cauliflower rice. Then everyone did. I made fried rice and Indian spices rice with cauliflower and I have to say they were fantastic. They even held up for lunch the next day.
Indian Spiced and Chinese Fried Cauliflower Rice
One night I made General Tso’s “chicken” with cauliflower. Noah was away at school I’m not sure if he would have tried it, but Sam was a good eater and I didn’t give it a second thought. He took one bite and put his fork down. “Don’t ever try to fool me with this cauliflower business again.” Ooopppps! He’s my food texture kid and he was expecting to bite into a piece of chicken; this was softer than chicken. He ate only the rice for dinner. Thank goodness I didn’t make cauliflower rice too! 😂
The Infamous General Tso’s “Chicken”
A couple of weeks ago, I saw a recipe for buffalos chicken cauliflower. I’ve seen these recipes posted all the time, but this one looked better than the others. I read through the recipe and made it that night. I always have a cauliflower head in my refrigerator as one of my staple veggies to have on hand.
Cauliflower Buffalo Bites
The recipe called for making a batter which I used all-purpose gluten-free flour. I added hot sauce to the batter to layer a little more flavor. I baked them on a baking tray and turned them halfway through. Brushed them with homemade Buffalo sauce and put them back in the oven just like the recipe said.
I made a homemade bleu cheese dressing because I am that asshole who can’t eat the bottled stuff when I can make my own in 5 minutes. I always have some bleu cheese in my cheese drawer. When I put them on the platter, they looked like fucking buffalo wings! The way I cut them, leaving part of the stalk, looked like drum sticks!
When we tried them Marty and I were like, “Holy shit these are so good!” Marty said if he couldn’t have chicken again he would be happy with these; they were that good. We even reheated the rest the next day for lunch and they were just as good. Would Sam like them? Out of principle, he wouldn’t.
Cauliflower Hash Browns, Bacon & Eggs
One of my favorite memes last year was something like this. “If potatoes can be vodka and cauliflower can be pizza & buffalo wings, you can be whatever you want to be!” When you think about it, it’s true!
Here are some boring facts about cauliflower I thought I would share since it is categorized as a superfood. I think it’s a superhero, personally. These are some pretty good reasons to eat or try it, though.
From Inspiring Health Solutions:
▪ Cauliflower is rich in healthy vitamins and minerals, including beta-carotene, lutein, and vitamins C, E, and K; and folate.
▪ One serving of cauliflower contains 75 percent of the recommended daily value of vitamin C.
▪ Cauliflower is a good source of choline, a B vitamin that aids in brain development and may improve cognitive abilities and prevent against age-related memory loss.
▪ Importantly, cauliflower is a cancer-fighting food. It contains sulfur-containing chemicals called glucosinolates. During digestion, glucosinolates form the compounds indoles and isothiocyanates. According to the National Cancer Institute, indoles and isothiocyanates (in laboratory tests) have been found to inhibit the development of cancer, including breast, colon, lung, stomach, and bladder cancer.
▪ These compounds also have antiviral, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects.
▪ Cauliflower is a great source of good fiber – aiding digestion and helping you feel fuller, longer.
Now I know some people are still going to hate cauliflower. I hated jumping on the bandwagon with everyone else at first, but I have to give cauliflower the recognition it deserves.
If you decide to try some of the amazing recipes out there, look for a firm and white cauliflower. Avoid ones with yellow or brown spots. Don’t try to use frozen cauliflower florets instead of fresh; it just doesn’t work. I tried…
Whether you are gluten-free, following a Keto diet, or are trying to get more veggies either into yourself or your family, you should look up a few cauliflower recipes and make one. Everyone won’t like it because they hate cauliflower, or haters gonna hate no matter what.
Superplus Super Heroes UK
Cauliflower is a superhero and comes to the rescue for lunch or dinner. In 2017 Time Magazine actually declared cauliflower the new “It” vegetable. It is extraordinarily good; wonderful. By the way that is the definition of the real word su-per-ca-li-fra-gil-is-tic-ex-pi-a-li-do-cious means the same thing extraordinarily good; wonderful. The thing that I can’t believe is there isn’t a cauliflower emoji, dammit!
I usually make Marty and me breakfast and lunch, but today we decided we would fend for ourselves. Marty made his breakfast while I was busy and it smelled delicious.
I wasn’t paying attention to what he was doing and finally asked him what he made. With a smirk, he said bacon, egg, and cheese on waffles. Sounds like a delicious breakfast. I had some honey greek yogurt and a piece of my homemade peanut butter protein bars.
For lunch, he made leftover chicken tenders sautéed in from what I could smell, hoisin sauce, and he added a tiny bit of spätzle we had leftover as well. I made some seafood salad and had it on a rice cake.
Marty’s style of cooking I call mish-mosh. There is nothing wrong with mish-mosh cooking, and it actually impresses the hell out of me. It’s like taking a mystery basket on the TV show Chopped and turning it into a gourmet meal.
Marty cooks by the seat of his pants; the problem for me is that you can never duplicate what you made with that style of cooking. For him that doesn’t matter.
When you are cooking for the public or like I did for kids at school, people expect the dishes you make to taste the same way every time they order them. That is why there are standardized recipes.
I have to give Marty credit that when he has to replicate food, he can and does it well. For 17 years, he cooked a Harvest Buffet Dinner as a fundraiser for the Arlington Rescue Squad. He had the help of a couple of friends that were on the rescue squad with him. I was in the kitchen to do what they asked me to do, and I was the dishwasher or better known as the dish bitch.
Their dinner was Slow Roasted Prime Rib with Horseradish Sauce, Roasted Turkey with Mango Chutney, Rosemary Roasted Potatoes, Maple Glazed Baby Carrots, and the showstopper Marty’s Famous Autumn Bisque. Desserts and rolls were made and dropped off by local businesses and community members.
People came every year and raved about everything, but the Autumn Bisque was always a home run. It was a savory butternut squash soup with warming spices and a bit of heat from pepper. It was topped off on the buffet line with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Ice cream in soup? That was what made his butternut squash soup a bisque, it was the cream in the bisque. When it hit the hot soup it immediately started to melt. When people stirred it looked like a soup latte.
He made a gigantic vat of the soup and was able to duplicate the taste every year. At the end of the cook, he would ask me what it needed and he would readjust his seasonings. It tasted the same year after year which is what people loved and looked forward to all year.
Marty is a great cook when he needs to be but prefers being a mish-mosh cook at home, especially when cooking for himself. I can put together a meal with things that I find in the fridge too, but I give way too much thought about what flavors go together and what compliments what to be a mish-mosh cook.
Does this go back to the banana etiquette piece I wrote about back in January? Does it have anything to do with being right or left-hand thinkers? How about our personality types? This may be since I am a planner and like things organized, and he flies by the seat of his pants and doesn’t stress about stuff.
Whatever we are doing we must balance each other out. We have been together since 1985 and married for almost 32 years. We rarely fight, but squabble about stupid things when one of us is being stubborn.
In our spätzle production kitchen, there is no squabbling. We each have specific jobs, and we work together like a well-oiled machine. We can work in close quarters and not bump into each other. We have a rhythm that flows. When we used to do catering, we had the same kind of workflow. Each of us is good at different things and has separate jobs, getting everything done well and efficiently.
I love that is Marty mish-mosh cook. I love seeing the things he comes up with. He loves my cooking and knows exactly what to expect when I say I am making such and such. We balance each other out and are a good match.
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.
Living room before and after…dark to light.
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?
Noah’s red bedroom and our light and bright office space.
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.
Dining room before and after…red to gray.
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.
Black to white.
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.
Our bedroom…today!
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 always pull a meatball or two out the pot before it’s done cooking and I eat it standing up at the stove. When people ask what I am doing I tell them I am tasting them for seasoning. Who am I kidding? I just want to eat a couple topped with a little grated parmesan after smelling them cooking all day. Yum!
I have loved spaghetti and meatballs for as long as I can remember. I knew early off what kind of meatballs I liked. I didn’t like Mema’s because hers were too dry and she put way too much oregano in hers. I didn’t like my mother’s because they were flavorless and hard. Why were hers flavorless and hard?
I used to watch my mother when she made meatballs and sauce, when I was learning how to make my own meatballs I figured it out. She would take the time to add seasoning to her meat along with eggs and breadcrumbs, but she would drop them into a pot of rapidly boiling water and cook them to death. She pulled the now meat golfballs out of the water and put them in her spaghetti sauce. She boiled all of the flavors and fat out of her meatballs. The breadcrumbs with just eggs made them hard.
My meatballs are soft and fluffy. Sounds more like the perfect pillow right? A perfect pillow of meaty goodness in a bath of spaghetti sauce or gravy like some people say. I also bake my meatballs instead of frying them in a frying pan like most people. You still get a nice browned crust on them, but they don’t fall apart in the frying pan and end up with meat sauce.
At my cooking class, I told them that I would teach them how to make my soft and fluffy meatballs. My sauce takes a few hours to simmer, so I had a pot all ready to go since we only had a two-hour class. People don’t know what I mean when I describe them as soft and fluffy. People who have had my meatballs taste them and love them, but they don’t know why.
I feel very strongly about the type of tomatoes that are used in the sauce. I only use San Marzano tomatoes from Italy. The letters DOP on the can means they are legit and are the real deal and have been certified by the tomato people in Italy. Yes, it’s a real thing.
San Marzano tomatoes are sweeter, less acidy, and come canned as whole tomatoes sometimes with basil or not. They cost a little bit more than store-brand whole tomatoes, but the difference is huge. I have made pots of sauce using both just to see if there was a difference and wow is there ever. I buy a case of # 10 cans at Restaurant Depot but you can find them in 28 oz cans at your local supermarket.
It takes more time to either puree or crush them, but a it’s a step worth taking and should be taken if you want to become a better cook. I like my sauce smooth and velvety as opposed to having crushed tomato chunks in my sauce. The choice is totally up to you. I use a blender or a food processor to puree the tomatoes. People use their hands to crush the tomatoes between their fingers.
After we did the demo of the meatballs and sauce I served them the ones that I brought with me that simmered at home the day before. Sauce ALWAYS tastes better the next day anyway or a couple of days for that matter. This is why it’s perfect to make on a Sunday and eat it on Tuesday night.
When the class tried the meatballs and sauce they all said, “Wow, these really are soft and fluffy.” They got what I meant! Yay! They liked the sauce as well. I really tried to drive home the San Marzano tomato thing like a crazy person to them. They were used to it because I am crazy when I get started talking about food.
I am sharing my recipe with you guys so you can try them too. Love and time are important ingredients when making a pot of sauce. I usually add some sweet and or spicy browned Italian sausage to my sauce and if I am feeling really into it, I add either pork necks or country-style pork ribs. Again, it’s all up to you and what you and your family like.
Bon Appetito!
Soft and Fluffy Meatballs and Sauce
3 slices white sandwich bread with the crust cut off *Use gluten-free bread for GF meatballs 1/2 cup milk 1 lb ground beef or meatball mix 1 egg beaten 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley if available or 1 Tbsp dried parsley 2 cloves fresh garlic minced 1/4 parmesan cheese 3/4 tsp kosher salt or to taste 1/4 tsp black pepper Olive oil or pan spray
In a large bowl tear the bread into pieces, cover with milk and leave to soak. Mince the garlic and parsley together. If there is too much milk that wasn’t absorbed by the bread, pour out the excess milk. Add the garlic and parsley to the bread milk mixture. Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl. Mix well with your hands, using your fingers like a rake or tiller being careful to not over mix the meatball mixture.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Shape into golf ball size meatballs and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes and turn meatballs over being careful not to break the meatballs up. Bake for an additional 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Sauce with or without Meatballs
3 Tbsp olive oil or enough to just cover the bottom of the pan 2 cloves garlic minced 1 onion chopped 2 28 oz cans of tomato puree or crushed tomatoes preferably San Marzano tomatoes 1/2 can water 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp dried basil or 4 or 5 fresh basil leaves torn 1/2 tsp sugar 1 tsp kosher salt 1/4 tsp black pepper *** Meatballs if using
In a dutch oven or large pot on medium-low heat add the olive oil. After the oil is warm add the onions and saute until soft for about 5 minutes. The onions should be translucent and not brown. Add minced garlic and saute until the garlic is fragrant for about 30 seconds. Add the canned tomatoes, oregano, basil, sugar, water, salt, and pepper. Bring to a low simmer, add meatballs if using. Simmer on low for 30 – 40 minutes for just sauce or at least 60 minutes or 3-4 hours with meatballs and other meats. Stir gently often making sure the sauce doesn’t stick to the pot and scorch. Serve with your favorite pasta dish.
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.
A shot from Lewis Waite Farm.
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.
Bourbon and Ginger with one of my dad’s cocktail stirrers from his collection in a coconut cup from Trader Vics in NYC.
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.
Marty doing his spatzle thing at the Arlington Village Farmer’s Market right here in Arlington.
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.
Sampling at the Gluten Free Expo in CT.
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.❤️
We spread a lot of spatzle love at the Vermont Cheesemakers Festival.Everyone likes our spatzle!
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.
Otto resting with me after lunch today. What a good boy!
Every time I am gluten poisoned I forget how bad it is. This recent gluten reaction lasted 4 full days. My doctor over at the IBD Clinic or the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Dartmouth Hitchcock explained to me that after every gluten poisoning, it will leave my intestines with further damage.
My reaction started last Tuesday morning and didn’t finish running its course until Friday, or so I thought. Since the reaction stopped, I have still had lots of intestinal issues, to put it mildly. My insides actually feel sore and after I eat I have lots of stomach cramping. It’s hard to believe that the juices from that shitty ass meat made me so sick.
The running joke with my gastroenterologists is that since I had the upper half of my colon removed in 2006, I should only have to pay half price for the colonoscopies I need to have every other year. You would also think the reaction would go faster since it has only halfway to go. Of course, none of this is true, but joking about it is the best way to deal with it sometimes.
I am not sure how long it will be until my insides finally heal this time. At least I definitely know this is not my ulcerative colitis flaring up. Thank goodness, I know that special kind of hell all too well.
When people think about March, they think of the saying that it comes in like a lion and leaves like a lamb. Not always the case here in Vermont; sometimes, the lamb doesn’t arrive until mid-April.
I like to think of March as either the light at the end of the tunnel, or holy shit is that a train coming? This week’s weather is a perfect representation of what I am talking about.
This week’s forecast has temperatures going from the ’40s into the single digits like it did last night with the wind gusts to rub it in further. Today it will be in the ’20s and Wednesday close to 40. Thursday back in the 20s…you get where I am going, and this is only the first week in March. These temperature fluctuations are completely normal for March.
Yesterday I saw the light at the end of the tunnel with my snow and ice-free deck that I worked so hard on over the weekend. I started imagining how I will set up the dining table and smoker grill, what kind of herbs I am going to plant, and where to put them. I could already see the flowers that hang from a hook and a bar set up on a rolling cart.
Today I see that train coming towards me again. It’s windy and bitter cold. I needed to put a coat on this morning to run into the production kitchen. My feet were cold during production, and it never really got that toasty warm.
Today I also see the train tracks with a train derailment. My blog post from yesterday, “Looking inside,” went off the tracks, going off in too many directions. I knew when I was writing it that I was getting sidetracked when I started writing about American Cuisine, but I kept going and going.
This whole writing for people thing is new for me, so please don’t mind a couple of derailments here and there. I am going to try to keep the train on the tracks and head straight into the light.
Our front door…a painting project this past summer.
When I was a kid walking to school, I walked with all of my senses turned. Back in those days, everyone’s TVs had tubes and antennas. As I walked, I could hear the high pitch frequency sounds coming from houses. I could pretty much figure out what house had their TVs on. Then for a couple of blocks, I would try to figure out who and what they were watching. On my way to school, I figured they were watching the morning news and on my way home, soap operas or kids cartoons. We didn’t have 100+ channels; we had 7 so there weren’t many shows from me to choose from.
The other thing I did while walking to school was sniff the air and identify what people were cooking. I could smell coffee and bacon. Sometimes something baking. On my way home, I could smell meats roasting and sauces simmering away. In those days, most women still stayed at home, unlike today when women, men, moms, or dads are racing home from a long day at work and have to start dinner. That began to change when I was in upper grades.
I remember walking home from school one day with a friend, and she asked if I wanted to come over after school the next day. We were in the third or fourth grade, which was the first time anyone invited me over after school. I often saw friends after school; it was at the park or playground when we rode our bikes everywhere. I got permission from my mother to go; I was surprised and happy.
The next day after school, we got to her house, which was only around the corner from where I lived. Her mom wasn’t home. Her mom was a single mother and was at work. She left a note on the table and an after-school snack. We grabbed the snack and heading into the living room, and watched tv. It was great not being interrupted, badgered, yelled at to start my homework. I realized that to come home from school, which was our workday, and relax for an hour felt amazing. Why couldn’t homework wait an hour? Why did I have to do it the second I put my school bag down?
My friend also had to start dinner. I was so impressed with how grown up she was. She had to be, and her mother needed her to be. She also had chores to do and got an allowance. I had a shitload of things I had to do after dinner and Saturdays, like cleaning the house, washing my own clothes, keeping my room clean, and ironing my school uniform shirts.
When cable tv came to town, there were and still are shows that I really like to watch. I liked the Food Network, but my favorite shows were Doorknock Dinners and Take Home Chef. In Doorknock Dinners a host would take high-end, famous, sometimes an Iron Chef to a random person’s home and knock on their door. They would ask the surprised person who answered the door if the chef could come in, look in their refrigerator, freezer, and pantry and make them a gourmet dinner with only the things they found. Only a few people said no then the producers had to scramble around to find another house and pray they were willing to let them in.
I loved seeing what people had in their fridges and freezers. I loved seeing how messy or organized their pantry was. The best was when they had a Japanese Iron Chef be truly confused about what some of the American food was. He didn’t understand what things were. To be fair, if the tables were turned, many American chefs may not know all the things one would find in a Japanese kitchen.
In one episode, the people only had premade frozen foods and a couple of canned goods. You could see how ridiculously hard and foreign this was to him. He put together something with fish sticks and a couple of other ingredients. It didn’t look good at all; I am sure it didn’t taste good either.
The Take Home Chef was Chef Curtis Stone. First of all, he is handsome and has an Australian accent. He would hang out at the grocery store and ask women, shoppers what they were making, and cook dinner for anyone. He would pay for the groceries if she let him follow her home and cook dinner with the ingredients she had in her shopping cart.
I am sure the show wasn’t preplanned because the women were always apologizing for their homes’ condition and were truly flustered when 10 TV cameras and sound people, producers, and a director would cram into their place.
He had the women cook along with him, and he taught them some cooking techniques. The women were swooning over how gorgeous he was with that intoxicating accent; I am shocked no one ever cut off a finger. The meals looked fabulous, and the people they cooked it for were impressed. Mostly, but maybe not the women’s boyfriends or husbands. LOL.
My favorite show is House Hunters and has been on since the birth of HGTV. I love seeing the architecture and styles of homes in different parts of the country. Beautiful homes and dumps that are called fixer-uppers. I like seeing what you can get for your money and seeing people’s reactions to homes. Some of the things that are deal-breakers for people are amusing. What is a palace to one person is a shit hole to another.
I am sure that many things are fixed and staged in this show; they would have to be. Never the less I still like it along with House Hunters International, the Caribbean, and Mediterranean Life. Tiny House Hunters, Living off the Grid, and all the remodeling shows.
Marty and I do everything ourselves in our home, so watching other people tackle projects is interesting. Seeing other people run into boo-boos and obstacles makes me feel better. The Irion way is always the hard way. The Irion way is always being a 1/2 cup short of a gallon of paint, then having to buy another whole gallon to finish the job.
I loved how the curtains were blowing gently when I aired out our bedroom this afternoon.
I keep a mostly organized and clean home. When we are super busy with the business, and 4 of us were living here, it was hard to get a handle on, but it’s easier with just the two of us now. I will say, “This place is a total mess,” my family will laugh and say, “Mom, you have no idea what some people’s houses are like.” They aren’t talking about things being dated or messy; they are talking about homes that should be condemned. I am not sure if they tell me that to make me feel better or true.
So am I a peeping tom of sorts? Is it weird to want to look in people’s kitchens and refrigerators? I think I am just curious and like seeing how people live. Maybe that’s why I have always been interested in food anthropology. Last summer, during my Hamilton addiction, I found a recipe and made George Washington’s favorite cake. It was really delicious; it was a spice cake. I love looking at food and recipes from different time periods and cooking methods.
Damn delicious and spot on…
Regional dishes and drinks in our country came from the people who settled here. They used whatever land, sea, rivers, and lakes offered them. I never thought about exactly why cornbread is a staple in the south. Not just because they like it, they have corn! The first Thanksgiving had things like venison, root vegetables, cranberries, and fish dishes. Those were some of the things that were available in the Northeast. Hard cider comes from areas where apples are plentiful. Beer, whiskey, and other spirits came from areas with grains. It all makes perfect sense.
The settlers learned hunting, farming and agriculture, and cooking methods from the Native Americans. They also learned how to use animals for fats and clothing. Slaves and other immigrants brought with them their recipes, ingredients, and cooking methods. They created dishes with what they had available. They created dishes when they had nothing. These are some of the most iconic dishes in our country. Other dishes came from being practical, from food that miners took with them into the mines, people working in the fields, traveling on horseback, etc.
In America, the melting pot, we are truly a nation of melting pot cuisine. You can find any ethnic food in fancy restaurants, food trucks, or people’s homes that are as good as where the food originates. People brought with them special ingredients that are now found in supermarkets or specialty stores. The Food Network and PBS have introduced ethnic food to people in our country that is approachable and less scary for people, leaving them wanting to try new foods and cuisines.
So looking inside…it can be so many things. From figuring out smells and sounds, how people lived in the past, and how they live today. What types of homes they have or looking for. Looking inside one’s self is what I have been doing a lot of. Knowing that other people’s homes aren’t perfect; they suck at home improvement projects or have poorly stocked kitchens makes people feel human. It shows people that we all can’t be perfect like Martha Stewart, Ree Drummond, or Bobby Flay. Besides, they have other people doing all that shit for them anyway, which they don’t show on their shows.
