Author: Julz

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When ingredients speak to you…listen!

A perfectly ripe avocado

We went to the store today to pick up a few things for dinners & lunches this week. I spent about 40 minutes this morning trying to menu plan for the week and came up with nothing. The hardest part of cooking is what to make right?? I decided I would figure it out when we got there. We shop at Aldi because its a smaller market with fewer choices. I don’t need 10 different types of everything to choose from. We basically only buy some produce, proteins and gluten free items there. When you shop at a farmers market things aren’t available and you just buy what’s in season. That’s another blog post another day. Yes we have to go to big supermarkets to pick up some things you can’t get anywhere else and I hate it. If I had a nice little market in our town like some of our wholesale customers markets own I would shop there daily. Would I spend more no. Would I waste more no. Would everything be fresher yes! Would I be a nicer person….YES!

Minding my own business in the produce area I heard a ripe avocado say “hey you!” I actually turned around and went back to the avocado section. I looked at them skeptical because they are usually hard as rocks and by the time it ripens I forget about it and its bad. Sound familiar?? I wasn’t looking for an avocado or ingredient for a Mexican meal, but I picked up one that looked perfect, looked around to see if anyone was looking and gave it a gentle squeeze. A tiny one. It was perfect. I still wasn’t sure what was going with it until we got to the meat section. I chose a package of country style boneless beef ribs that were $2.89 a pound. Everything else in the beef area was considerably more expensive.

Cuts of meat like these boneless beef ribs along with chuck roast, bottom round, rump roast etc are not pieces of meat you can come home and slap on the grill. If not cooked long, low, slow or under pressure they will be tough AF. I decided I would make Barbacoa Beef for tacos. I got out my pressure cooker and started my dinner. The meat was done in 23 minutes! I made my crunchy turmeric cumin rice, cut up some toppings for the tacos and called it dinner. As soon as I figure out how to share recipes I use I will add the link and eventually there will be a recipe section. That is in the near future. Today Marty figured out how to let people subscribe and comment!!!! This was a big deal after trying to figure this WordPress out.

When you go into a store shop like a chef does, let the ingredients speak to you and be ready to listen…the rest will fall into place.

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The right tools

A new laptop was delivered a few days ago. I signed for it from the Fedex guy. Marty came home from his farmers market and told me the laptop was for me. “I do not need a fancy laptop!!!!!” “Totally un necessary!” “Why did you do that?” Marty told me I needed the right tools to have a successful blog and that using my phone like I have been isn’t the right tool.

Did I need this or deserve this? Is my blog writing worthy of a new laptop? Is what I am writing worthy to have as a blog? Flashback to me being a stay at home mom. We felt it was very important for me to stay home with our boys Noah & Sam until they were both in school. Marty worked 3 additional side jobs to make this happen. He taught computer classes at night, worked at a friends hotdog wagon, was a DJ the list goes on. I was a really good stay at home mom and took it very seriously. If I was going to be staying home we were going to have a clean house, nice meals, activities for the boys, laundry done etc. I felt like everything had to be perfect all the time since this was job and I was always a hard worker. I made up a food budget and stuck to it the best I could at every food shopping trip. I was frugal, learned that cooking from scratch was more cost effective and our oldest boy had food allergies so it became necessary. I got the boys what they needed but I never got myself anything really. I felt bad or guilty spending money on myself and knew the money could go to more important things. Basically I didn’t feel worthy and not because anyone made me feel that way. Marty would get mad and tell me to buy myself whatever I needed or wanted and not second hand!!!!

After I went back to work I wasn’t the breadwinner. I was never the breadwinner. This made me feel the same way about buying myself things. It was all in my head. All my life I felt like I had to repay people for taking care of me and this included my husband. I am not sure he even knows I felt this way. He would buy me a new coat or slippers and I would get mad and say you shouldn’t have. Then it all changed!!!!

In March of 2017 I created the worlds only gluten free, no boil, package to pan to plate in 5 minutes German Spatzle. You can read about our story on our website www.vtspatzlecompany.com We sold our first package in June and there we were, brand new business owners!!!! I technically am the business owner. So guess what???? After we realized that this was a real business I was able to quit my real job in less than 2 months!!! I guess it was all in my head because I finally felt entitled to get myself some things. Not really frivolous things, just new things!!!!

So why when the new laptop came did I regress back to my old self???? I think because I don’t know if this blog is worth it. This is frivolous to me I guess. Whatever the case its water under the bridge and I fucking love my new laptop!!!! I felt so comfortable using it. Designing this damn blog is such an uncomfortable thing at least its nice getting pissed off at it using a beautiful brand new laptop!!!!!!

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The Asparagus Situation

Mini egg cups with Swiss, ham & Asparagus

Ugh I overcooked my gorgeous asparagus!!! I tell my cooking students if they want to enjoy cooking don’t overwhelm yourself. Pick recipes that are correct for the amount of time you have. I also tell them to Mise en Place which means to make your place or in other words prep your food ahead so the actually cooking is quick and easy. So I was blanching my asparagus for dinner the next night. I did this while I had a lot going on including feeding our dogs Otto & Klausie boy. Needless to say I overcooked the asparagus. Sigh, I wanted it to be crisp tender and ready to be sautéed with a little butter and lemon to serve with my scallops and gnocchi the next night. Damn no other green veggies in the house so my dinner will be not what I wanted. Now what do I do with this limp, boarding on mushy but still green asparagus????? I decided the next morning to make egg cups. So I cut a bunch of the least mushy pieces into little pieces, chopped up some off the bone ham, grated some Swiss cheese, grabbed a pinch of dried onion flakes and tarragon. Cracked some eggs, throw all the stuff in with a splash of half and half and prayed. LOL I’ve made egg cups before so I knew that my 2 cup liquid measuring cup filled to the top is the perfect amount for my 24 cup mini muffin tin. Threw in a 350 degree oven for about 13 minutes and boom we had Sunday breakfast. The rest of the mushy asparagus will get mixed into Otto and Klausie boy’s food for the next couple of days.

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Me and my blog…

What can you expect from my blog?? Expect the unexpected for the most part. I’ve basically been blogging for the last 10 years using my Facebook page. I post food, food, food so you can expect food for sure! I post things about our Spatzle business and my husband Marty. Bellydance was a huge portion of my posts when we had lots of gigs and took many selfies in costumes. That certainly isn’t happening now. Plus there’s our home, my kitchen, our dogs and the list goes on and on.

First and foremost I want my blog to be honest. I want you all to see the authentic me. My triumphs and failures. My excitement and disappointment. How crazy I am when I am totally passionate about something. This isn’t a blog for me and my ego to show how wonderful or talented I am because sometimes I am not…ok, I’m not a lot a good portion of the time. BUT when I am you better hold on because I love to inspire people. Cheer them on, its the cheerleader in me from 3-12 grades in school. I love to teach people. Teaching people well that’s something I never saw coming!

I was asked to go to psychic reading with my friend Everley. I never had one before and it sounded like fun. I was a stay at home mom so this was something to get dressed up for!!! The psychic was a woman named Loretta and she told me during my reading that she saw me teaching. I told her I’ve been teaching bellydance for a long time. “That isn’t it” she said. On our way home I kept thinking who am I going to teach? She also told me she saw me writing, not a book but, that many people will read what I write. Interesting right? It wasn’t a CD either she said. LOL

I went back to work a couple years later and became the school lunch director of our school district here in Arlington, VT. Then they told me that my employees at the high school would be students!!!! This made me excited and nervous. Not only did I have to figure out how to do a job I never did before, but I had to instruct students???? BEST DECISION EVER! They learned from me and I learned more from them. So I was teaching and Loretta was right! Now I am writing a blog….is she right again? I guess we will find out together.

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I’m Live!

Welcome to my blog! My name is Julz and I am so happy you are here! I’ve named this blog “Cooking Julzie Style” because I love to cook, but my own way. Everything I do in life I do “Julzie Style”. My blog won’t just be about cooking, it will be a little bit of everything I do Julzie Style. What exactly is Julzie Style?? I do things with passion, having fun and giving 100% whether it’s cooking, drinking, decorating, belly dancing, working out or fashion.

This blog will be a personal type blog rather than a niche one that would be just about food or cooking. I hope that I can inspire and teach you! One word of caution I will be myself on my blog so if you don’t like cursing this blog may not be for you. I tend to swear when I am passionate about things. I also like a good cocktail and I do not discuss politics. So welcome my friends let’s have some fun! Cheers!