I have a lot more patience today than when I was in my 20s or even my 30s. I still wouldn’t call myself a patient person in some situations; I am not sure anyone is patient all the time, except maybe for Mother Theresa and a couple of others.
One of my biggest pet peeves is why swimwear and athletic bra manufacturers don’t sew the padding into the garment? Instead, they design a small opening where the padding can be removed and replaced.
Why? Ladies, you know what I am talking about. After you wash an athletic bra or swimsuit, the padding either gets folded over, twisted, or comes out completely.
Trying to get one of those pads back in makes me feel like my small, thin fingers are gigantic. Impossible on a day when arthritis hurts my fingers. It’s a huge pain in the ass!
The hole where you are supposed to put the pad back in. Are they kidding me?
In a fit of fury and swear words, when one of those pads flips, turns, or bails from the garment, I hank them out and throw them into the garbage. Simple solution. Period.
If the point of the pads in a swimsuit top is to make your breasts look larger, then ok you have to deal with putting the pads in and out. However, the pads are like sponges making the top never dry, which feels yucky and unsexy.
If the point of the pads is to hide a person’s nipples, you are practically naked to begin with. I can understand modest people may care, but chances are they aren’t showing their areolas by wearing a see-through color, like a white bathing suit leaving nothing to the imagination. Dark-colored bathing suits tend to hide bumps, ripples, and nipples.
Last week, I ripped the pads out of all my sports bras and swimsuit tops and am pleased with how fast my bathing suit dries! I also don’t have any more shit fits when I take the laundry out of the washing machine and find one of the annoying pads.
Sports bras are meant for support, and we know “support can be beautiful,” maybe I wouldn’t be writing this blog post if the pads were simply sewn in.
I try not to be a complainer on my blog, I really do, but I am sure I am not the only one who gets annoyed by this nuisance.
Itās Jersey tomato season bitches! Oops, sorry, I get a little carried away when it’s that time of yearākind of like when people are excited for pumpkin-flavored everything in the fall.
This is my blog’s second summer; I wrote about Jersey tomatoes last year. I wonāt rewrite what I wrote last year, but hereās the blog link to my Jersey Tomatoes post.
My friend Ann, from my hometown of Iselin, NJ, comes to Vermont camping the third week of July every year. She is kind never to forget to bring up a few Jersey tomatoes for us. š
Real deal Jersey tomatoes are vine-ripened, not picked green, and then gassed to ripen like supermarket varieties.
I read this article this morning claiming that you will be disappointed with their taste unless you buy Jersey tomatoes from a farmer, produce stand, or gardener. I believe it šÆ.
When my parents still lived in NJ, I used to bring Jersey tomato starter plants back to Vermont with the hopes of growing some myself but was sadly disappointed with the taste when I tried.
The air, temperature, and acidic, sandy soil make these Rutgers-developed tomatoes so sweet, tender, and remarkable.
I know the farmers that grow Jersey tomatoes must know how much people love and cherish their tomatoes.
The look on someoneās face when they take a deep whiff of a Jersey tomato and then take a bite says it all. There isnāt another tomato like it.
As a cook, I can say that when chefs and cooks see the look of pleasure on someoneās face when they taste your food is the reason why we do what we do.
This morning I made Sam peanut butter stuffed french toast slathered in local chocolate honey and finished with a dusting of powdered sugar.
Watching him eat it, I had a happy heart because I knew he savored every bite. He told me when he was done, it was āreally, really good.ā Yay!
If the farmer who grew the tomatoes we had for breakfast would have seen that same look on my face as Samās.
A juicy, ripe Jersey tomato sandwich with Hellmanās mayo on both sides of the bread, sprinkled with kosher salt and pepper. True perfection on a plate.
Funny that when I went back to copy the link to last year’s blog post about Jersey tomatoes, I did it on July 24, just like today! I didn’t plan it; maybe 7/24 should be Jersey tomato day along with my brother-in-law Peter’s birthday. Happy Birthday Peter! š„³
I learned a new cooking trick this week that I wanted to share with you. In my cooking classes, I’ve taught my students that if they don’t like spicy food, then don’t add the spice or just a smidgen.
I like food with a little heat, but I wouldn’t call myself a true spicy food lover. Sometimes I want to add hot peppers to a recipe that benefits from it or a dish that is supposed to be spicy, but I don’t want the dish to be an ass-burner the next morning. Sorry, but it’s true. Lol!
We have been watching the show Iron Chef, which is now on Netflix and not the Food Network. I used to love the food network but now prefer cooking programs on other channels like the BBC, Bravo, or Netflix.
One of the Iron Chefs competing in a battle was Mexican Chef Gabriela CƔmara. CƔmara has a restaurant in Mexico City called Contramar, specializing in seafood. She also has a cookbook, My Mexican City Kitchen, published in 2019. You learn to cook Mexican food from Chef CƔmara on Masterclass.
The Iron Chef battle used chilis right up her Mexican cuisine’s alley. Some of the dishes she made were spicy, using as many as five different chilis and other dishes weren’t spicy at all. In one of the dishes, she used citrus juice to control the heat of some habanero peppers.
Ah! This was something I had never heard of before. I like adding fresh jalapeƱos to food, but you can never tell or be sure what jalapeƱo is very hot and one that is not as hot.
I am making pork carnitas tacos for dinner tonight with fresh local corn. I wanted to make another side dish that wasn’t heavy, like rice or beans, since it is blistering hot outside. I wanted something light and flavorful.
I found a dish called Calabacitas. Calabacitas is a dish using zucchini and yellow summer squash, which I had one of each in the fridge.
Mise en place.
I looked up different recipes for calabacitas and saw the similarities in some and others that were copied and pasted from one website. This infuriates me if you don’t know that by now!
I combined a few recipes with what I had on hand and needed to use up before they went bad and came up with my own to try.
The basis of the recipe is using zucchini and summer squash along with corn; sometimes, tomatoes, garlic, and green chilis are used, and sometimes not. Queso frescos, oregano, onions, and cilantro are in most recipes. Some call for fresh lime juice; others do not.
I decided in my recipe I would use zucchini and summer squash. I would also use onions, garlic, fresh jalapeƱo, lime juice, cherry and grape tomatoes, oregano, cilantro, and feta cheese as a substitute for the queso fresco.
I took a nibble of the lone jalapeƱo I had in the veggie crisper and knew it was a hot one. Shit, I wanted to use the jalapeƱo but didn’t want the dish to be too spicy. I remember chef CĆ”mara used citrus to control the heat of habanero peppers, so why couldn’t I use fresh lime juice to tame the heat of my spicy jalapeƱo?
I removed the seeds and pith, the spiciest part of the pepper. I cut the jalapeƱo into small dice and put it into a small mise en place bowl. Next, I squeezed fresh lime juice over the jalapeƱo. Later, when I make the dish for dinner, I will taste diced jalapeƱos to see where the heat is.
Ok, it’s after dinner, and I am reporting back that, yes, citrus does tame the heat of chilis which is what the blog post was about. To be honest, and we know I am, as much as I try to be a zucchini and squash person, I’m not.
Millions of people love zucchini and squash, but I can’t get past the watery texture. I’ve tried making it several times and am still not a fan. I think the only way I like zucchini is in chocolate cake, which makes sense since it makes a moist cake from all that water.
I was not a member of the clean plate club tonight.
The rest of the dinner was delicious; pork carnitas tacos with homemade corn tortillas and fresh, local bi-color corn that was tender and sweet. A true taste of summer.
Last week, I wrote about all the characteristics that made up me. As a new blogger, I often forget that many of you only know me through the blog, not how I got to be Julz. I also forget that you don’t know how I have accomplished some of the things I did.
Before we started The Vermont SpƤtzle Company, I reinvented myself many times. I was a cashier, store clerk, administrative assistant, store manager, and stay-at-home mom for 11 years.
I worked for a caterer and did some catering with Marty; I was a lunch lady and a food service director. I was a hotdog lady and a convenience store supervisor. In every one of those positions, I worked my ass off. Marty and I have very strong work ethics, and in any job we have, we work as if we were the owners.
Over the years, I worked for many assholes who didn’t appreciate my hard work and dedication. When I drove home from those jobs, I prayed out loud in my vehicle this prayer “God, please let me have my own business someday. A business that no one else has.” I did this for years.
I was in a reiki master class and meditation group on Sunday nights during this time. This is where I heard about the book and movie the secret. My friend Everley, my reiki master, told us about it, and we watched the movie.
The Secret is about positive manifestation. The movie taught you step-by-step how to achieve anything you wanted in your life by positive manifestation. The movie changed my life.
I didn’t make a tangible manifestation board with photos, dreams, and aspirations; I made mine in my head. I knew exactly what I wanted my life to look like in ten years.
One day, back in 2005, Everley and I went to visit a friend of hers who was a psychic and had just lost her husband. She did a reading on both of us. I was nervous because this wasn’t something I had planned.
In my reading, Loretta told time that she saw me teaching. I told her I was a belly dance teacher; she said that wasn’t it. Less than two years later, I was hired as the food service director at the Arlington School District, and students would be my employees. I was going to teach them the hands-on side of culinary arts while they had a teacher to follow up with classroom work. She was right! I taught and worked at school for 7-years.
Loretta also told me in more than ten years; she saw me making large sums of money doing what I love. Everything I would learn up to that point would be considered my “college” education. She also told me it would all start with writing, not a book or CD, something she didn’t know what it was. I was aching to know what that something was! After 8-years or so, I forgot all about it.
Jump to 2017 when I finally figured out how to make our gluten-free spƤtzle after seven years of experimenting with all kinds of ingredients. Finally, I figured it out! I was so excited and said aloud, “This is the birth of The Vermont SpƤtzle Company!” I even did a Facebook post saying so since I was so damn proud of myself.
When I served the spƤtzle for dinner that night, Marty said, “We have to share this with the world!” Later that night, I realized it was like God slapped me on top of the head and said, “This is it, dummy! This is the business no one else has!”
Excited, I told Marty, “This is it! This is what Loretta was talking about! We can’t fail! This is what I asked God for!” At that point and still today, our spƤtzle is the only gluten-free spƤtzle in the world. Even after five years, we are still the only commercial spƤtzle manufacturer in the states. There is no other product like it.
We decided that night we would start this business and go into it 150%. Over the next three months, I had to figure out how to make it again; then, I had to figure out how to make bigger batches. Doing big batch cooking in the schools made this easy for me.
We had to design a logo and search for packaging. Marty worked tirelessly getting our licenses, both state and federal. He also designed our label and learned how to do our nutrition information. He also figured out how to make a UPC for our product if we wanted it to be in stores.
That very first day! We sold our first package to Matt Bittle.
Marty was working full-time, so all this was done after work in the evenings. On June 3, 2017, we sold our first package at a small farmers market right across the street from our house. We gave out samples, and people flipped over them. We went with 32 packages and sold every one of them.
I immediately gave my notice at the two jobs I had at the time because I was going to become a full-time spƤtzle maker! We built our production kitchen and bought used work tables, refrigerators and freezers. We found everything at the right time for the right price. We met all the right people at the right time, so everything fell into place quickly.
On Wednesdays, Marty’s day off, he would drive through the state to every co-op and specialty store, dropping off samples while I stayed home and made spƤtzle. He got us demos in the stores we would be in. After we were in stores throughout Vermont, he made a 500-mile delivery loop every other week while still working full-time and volunteering on the rescue squad at night. I honestly didn’t know how he did it.
WCAX did a story on us then more people found out about “the spƤtzle people.”
I was our social media person, which was the thing that identified us as the “spƤtzle people.” Whatever store we went in, people would say, “Oh look, it’s the spƤzle people!” Okay, so we wore our “Keep calm and eat spƤtzle” shirts, but they still knew us from Facebook and Instagram.
Our menu of hot food we made and sold at Oktoberfest Vermont and Glenville. We quickly discovered we couldn’t continue to be both the manufacturer and hot food vendor. It was fun but too time-consuming.
We did many events for the first couple of years, including Oktoberfest in Burlington, VT, and Glenville, NY. We also did a tasting event at Stratton Mountain and won a trophy for best presentation. We did another tasting at the Vermont Cheesemakers Festival, one of the top ten food events in the country, and won for best artisan food. We didn’t even know people were voting!
Knowing we couldn’t fail through positive manifestation and Loretta’s prediction, we made the scary decision for Marty to quit his full-time job and become the other spƤtzle maker. My body took a beating making so much product myself that I ended up with carpal tunnel syndrome in my right arm.
Now we use a local business, Wilcox Ice Cream, for distribution throughout the state of Vermont; we no longer could lose a production day with Marty on the road. We did as many as five farmers markets a week, but after doing that and working seven days a week, we started to burn out. We decided we needed to take one day off a week and scale back on farmers markets.
We do the deliveries in New York state, trying to hit as many stores as possible when we head out. We have a distributor, The Alpine, who delivers our product to Weis Supermarkets and Key Foods in Pennsylvania.
Now, we do only the Troy Farmers and are concentrating on our wholesale business. We did come down with covid in April, two years after it reared its ugly head and had to shut down for 10-days. It wasn’t the end of the world, but we hated that people had to wait for more spƤtzle. Even though people don’t have to cook so much anymore, they still purchase our product because they love it and how easy it is to cook.
After reading my Jewelry blog post, my writing mentor, Jon Katz, called me, reminding me that my readers don’t know how I got to be a successful business owner, belly dance teacher, wife and mother, a good cook, and a confident, strong-willed woman.
I have much more writing to do, sharing with my readers how I overcame negative obstacles and became who I am. When life hands you lemons, you have two things you can do; crumble and be weak or become a strong, confident person persevering and succeeding.
Loretta’s prediction of “making large sums of money” definitely hasn’t happened yet, especially now with the doubling of ingredients and supplies and tripling in price.
Loretta said I would be doing something I loved, and she was right! I still love making spƤtzle, and we are as passionate about it as we were the first day.
She said it all starts with writing, which may be the social media that gave our business an immediate boost, or maybe this blog? Only time will tell.
Every year we go to the Arlington Firemenās Carnival. Marty used to DJ the carnival with his friend Kevin; they would also be on call with the rescue squad.Ā
Every year, I take a selfie with Sammy in the same spot. Old Facebook posts came up in my memories, and I saw how much Sam has grown up. When it happens right in front of you, itās not something you notice as much.
We hung out with Kevin, who was still the DJ, and his wife, Brenda. We stayed for the fireworks, which started at 9:30 pm, the most impressive fireworks to date with a fantastic finale.
Marty and I were exhausted from the farmers market, but he helped his buddy anyway pack up all the DJ equipment, tent, etc. Kevin was as tired as we were.Ā
This was the first year I sat in a chair and just people-watched and socialized a little since my brain was still fried from the market. It’s incredible to see the children I knew from school all grown up with lots of kids of their own.
We speak to so many people at the farmers market and give our āspƤtzle spielā and a sample cup to potential customers over a couple of hundred times or more at any given market. That’s a lot of talking, even for me, who was voted the most talkative in my senior class at JFK High School. š
Sam didnāt want a wristband for the rides like he used to when he was little, but he got to drive the ambulance on two short rescue squad calls instead, which was his big dream when he was little. He is literally “living the dream.” Lol.
Today is Sunday, and I am not doing shit but swimming and feeding us easy food. I need to rest and recharge my batteries for another busy week ahead.
We have another gorgeous day here in Vermont! This is the nicest summer weāve had in the 32 years we have lived here.Ā I know we need the rain terribly, but we are enjoying the beautiful weather since we have it.
I donāt post things I make for lunch very often because they are dull and ordinary. We eat a lot of leftovers turned into salads or sandwiches.
Yesterday, we had what was supposed to be the night befores dinner. On Wednesdays, my belly dance day, I have our dinner made ahead, and it just needs to be reheated. I donāt get home until almost 8:30, and I am ravenous.
When I got home from belly dance, Marty was heading to his fourth rescue squad call of the night. Heās an advanced volunteer EMT; it wasnāt even his coverage night.Ā
Marty is not one to let someone in need have to wait for an out-of-town EMS agency to cover the call if no one else responds. He needs another person to be the driver.Ā
I ate some leftovers and went to bed. He didnāt get home until after 11 pm. I am glad I didnāt wait for him to have dinner together. After dancing and teaching for 3 hours, my body is physically exhausted and needs to rest.
Wednesday night’s dinner turned into a Thursday lunch menu; we had Korean cauliflower āwingsā with Alabama white BBQ sauce, Asian lettuce wraps, and a small bowl of white rice.Ā
This was my first time making the Korean cauliflower wings. Iāve made cauliflower Buffalo āwings,ā but these were as good or if not better. I wrote an entire blog piece last year titled Su-per-cauliflower-listic-ex-pi-a-li-do-cious. Here is the link if you want to read about it.Ā
As I was searching for recipes, I saw one from Chef Edward Lee, a Korean chef who lives down south. His twist on his regular Korean chicken wings is a drizzle of white bbq sauce. I had never heard of such a thing!
I researched and found I am late to this flavor bomb party. It will now be a regular drizzle on our bbq chicken and smoked brisket. Above is the recipe I used for the white bbq sauce.
After searching for a recipe for the Korean cauliflower wings, I tried this one from Food52 without the sauce the recipe recommends with the āwings.ā
As for the Asian lettuce wraps, I used a copycat version of PF Chang’s recipe from Damn Delicious. Itās a good recipe, so I always have a can of water chestnuts in my pantry. I used ground turkey because thatās what I had on hand. Above is the recipe link I used.Ā
I never take credit for recipes that food bloggers do by blatantly copying and pasting someone elseās recipe and then calling it their own. I dislike that they do this! It isnāt fair to the original person who did all the work.
At this point in my busy life, I donāt see myself creating my recipes for these dishes any time soon. Use the ones I did, and I promise you wonāt be sorry; they are straightforward.Ā
We finished up with production and have deliveries to make this afternoon. Iāve got a million things on my to-do list today, but for the next couple of hours, Iāll be poolside then having leftover āwingsā and lettuce wraps for lunch.
Happy Friday! Have a great rest of your day and weekend! š
From Popsugar: Valued at about $20 million today, the Irish Crown Jewels were stolen from Dublin Castle in 1907. It remains one of Ireland’s greatest mysteries.
I mentioned in my last post my friend Teagan calls me jewelry. After I wrote that post, I started thinking about why I chose the name Julz in the first place for myself.
My birth name was Clare, and my adopted name was Kathleen. I never once felt like a Kathleen or Kathy. I had felt this way since I was young; it sometimes sounded odd.
Many people called me by my maiden name, which was Parks, not because I asked them to; they said it was just more fitting for me. I had to agree.
I went by and answered to Parks, Sparks, Spark-plug, Sparkler, and Sparky. When I met Marty, he called me Sweets or some other name, but rarely Kathy.
I changed my name to Julz for many reasons. I wrote about it when I first started my blog in a post called I am Julz.Ā
I wanted a name that meant something to me. It needed to be something that represented me and my personality. I decided on Julz but almost went with Jade.
A jewel or a gemstone is precious with many different shapes and cuts. Some gemstones are opaque, and others are brilliant in color. Some gems like diamonds have many cuts which are glittery and sparkling.
A piece of jewelry can be made up of different types of gemstones. The jewels in that piece of jewelry represent me.
I have as many sides to me as cuts in a diamond. I am funny, sometimes a tough guy, or a softee that gets mushy and emotional.
I am a hard worker and a daydreamer. I curse like a sailor but have a deep spiritual connection with God. I am a leader and a teacher but want to be taken care of when needed.
I am strong, a perfectionist, and highly driven, but I have allowed myself to be vulnerable, hurt, and heartbroken by a few people who were supposed to love me.
I try to be generous and kind but do the people I love wrong or me, and I will be in your face so fast it will make your head spin. I like peaceful moments and know when to keep quiet, but I love being loud, dancing and laughing.
Yes, I have many sides, represented as the cuts in the jewels that make up me; I am a precious piece of jewelry. My name is Julz; this is me!
*** The photo of the Crown Jewels of Ireland popped out when I looked at images for inspiration. I read the Popsugar article and decided I wanted to use it. Ironically, through Ancestory.com, I found out I am more than 70% Irish, something no one ever guessed, not even me.
I met Teagan four summers ago at the Saratoga Farmers Market. She was in a wheelchair being pushed by her mom Holly. They stopped at my spƤtzle booth; I gave them the spatzle spiel and a sample. Teagan loved it. Holly was thrilled she loved it.Ā
Teagan and her mom Holly visited me every couple of weeks at the farmers market. Some weeks Teagan was too sick to come with her. Teagan was battling cancer again for the second time in her short life.
It was heartbreaking for Teagan to stay home because I knew the chemotherapy was making her very ill. I was glad our spƤtzle was one of the few things she could tolerate and eat during this terrible time, plus she loved it.
After Holly would come by to pick up Teagan’s spƤtzle, I would get so emotional and sometimes wept on my way home. I remember questioning God why he chose this for Teagan, such a beautiful, sweet girl.
Teagan is backstage at Proctor’s Theatre with the actress who played Elsa in the broadway show Frozen. We went to the same show two nights before which was fabulous! There was a touching video of Teagan and Elsa singing “Let it go” together. The video had to be taken down, unfortunately, but at least I saw it.
One day just before Christmas, Holly seemed upset. I was amazed how she could hold it together and be so strong for Teagan. It seemed Teagan wasn’t doing well, and Holly was afraid. We hugged each other at the indoor market, both of us crying. I prayed harder than I had ever prayed before.
I saw Teagan once at the beginning of covid; then I stopped doing the Saratoga market since we decided to grow our wholesale business and only concentrate on doing one farmers market.
I was friends with Holly on Facebook and was able to keep tabs on how Teagan was doing. For a while, they made endless trips to the ER and hospital. The chemo was taking a toll on her body.
This is one tough girl!
Then guess what? She got better! She kicked cancer in the butt twice. Her hair was growing back! She was smiling, and so was Holly. She didn’t need her wheelchair anymore.
I watched Teagan finally get to go on her Make a Wish Disney cruise after being canceled numerous times due to covid. I saw how beautiful she looked in her prom dress she got to go to this spring. This made me cry tears of joy.
Teagan at prom.
I saw Holly in person for the first time two weeks ago. She came to Troy to pick up some spƤtzle for Teagan. I told her to say ‘hi’ to Teagan for me.
Teagan always calls me Jewelry, and she would correct her mother when she referred to me as Julz. When she gave her my message, she said you meant “Jewelry?” I got a big laugh when Holly messaged me later that day.
Last Saturday, I saw Holly. I was surprised since I had seen her the week before. She told me Teagan wanted to come to see me. I waited for Teagan to come by, then, through a sea of people, I spotted her at the same time she spotted me.
She started running towards me, I ran out of the spƤtzle booth, and we hugged each other. You could almost hear music playing like when that happens in a movie.
Can I tell you that was the biggest and best hug I may have ever gotten? I started to get emotional but pulled myself together in under 2 seconds when I looked at how happy and healthy she was and silently thanked God.
We talked about her prom and her trip. It was like the entire world stopped when we were talking to each other. Her smile could not only light up a room but the whole sky!
Teagan is my hero; her mother is one too. What this family went through not once but twice required so much strength and love. Teagan had the will to kick cancer’s butt because she has many things she is determined to do, like going to prom and back to school.
Cancer affects everyone in a family. Teagan has two older brothers and a giant circle of family and friends that love and support her and Holly. I watched on Facebook how wonderful her brothers are with her, even when they are away at school. I met one of them at the market on Saturday, and we laughed that we both know a lot about each other.
Being reunited with Teagan was a special moment in my life. Watching her run towards me still makes me smile. If it weren’t for our spƤtzle business, I never would have met Teagan. Everyone comes into your life with a purpose; maybe hers was to show me what true determination and strength look like.
I know I am just one small person in her big circle of supporters and fans. How lucky am I?
*** I knew I wanted to write about Teagan; this blog post practically wrote itself this morning during production. I sent Holly a message asking her if it would be ok, and she said, “Of course.” I always ask permission before writing a blog piece about someone else. I’ve only been turned down once and respected the person’s wishes.
I rediscovered our library here in Arlington last winter. We have a lovely library and a great selection of books. I used to take the boys there weekly when they were little.
I have been staying off social media except for business stuff on Facebook and Instagram. I jump around my pages like a madman avoiding as much negativity as possible.
I haven’t watched the news either because when I do, the stress and anxiety attacks I’ve been having are relentless. For my own mental health, this is what I have chosen; to live under a rock. Ironically, I’ve been sleeping better as well.
I went online and looked up the summer reading list for 2022 and made my own list which included other light, romantic, fictional novels about history and food.
I found a shit load of books online and made a list in notes on my iPhone so that I won’t leave it home while at the library; I can’t lose it either.Ā
My shopping lists are always left behind on the kitchen counter when I am at the store. When I remember, I take a photo of the list, but not always. It infuriates me when I forget the list because my mind goes blank as I wander up and down the aisles of the food store.
Luckily, today the library hours are 9-8; after production and lunch, I went to look for books. The place was empty and quiet, which was fantastic.
I found a book from the 2022 summer reading list right away. I also found one of the culinary romantic novels as well. This is a perk of living in a small town; popular books are available and not checked out.
When I was young, I loved reading. I used to walk to the library all the time. Reading took me away from the shit in my own life and transported me to faraway places and different timelines.
I made “new friends” with the characters in the books and was sad when I finished the book. I was always pissed when the book had a shitty ending. Whenever I would finish a series of books, it left me heartbroken and empty, not knowing what to read next. I know this is a little dramatic, but that’s how it felt to a 13-year-old girl.
I loved reading on vacations at the beach or a pool when I got older. After we had children, my dad died, and dealing with my mother; I didn’t have the concentration to read. I tried many times but couldn’t concentrate.Ā I desperately needed the escape, but it wouldn’t happen.
I did love reading out loud to the boys when they were little. I used many different voices and made the books exciting, funny, and enchanting. Even though they loved when I read stories and books theatrically to them, neither grew up to be readers; they took after Marty in that respect. That’s ok.
After I checked out my books today, I marked on my calendar when they are due since they don’t stamp the date in the back like they used to. I used to play library as a kid whenever I had a stamper and an ink pad. Sam took after me as a child when it came to imaginary play. It would make me smile whenever I saw him setting up a school room, store, or office like I did.
I know many people love reading and downloading books on their Kindles, but I like to hold a book in my hands and turn the pages. I am old-fashioned regarding a few things, and this is one of them.
Now, I have to decide which book to start first. I look forward to reading at the pool, front porch, and back deck. This will be much healthier for me than staring at my phone in disbelief.
After I finish these, I have a list of 25 other books to search for and read. I’m so happy I can concentrate and read again. I look forward to escaping this crazy world we live in and being transported to another place and time, just like I did when I was young.
I made a lot of different dishes this weekend and had some leftovers; not enough to be served on their own, but perfect as the base for something new.
It’s raining today, which we need desperately, so I felt like having soup for lunch. I looked in the fridge and found two small grilled Italian chicken breasts and one grilled Thai chicken breast.
I also found a couple of lonely jalapeƱos, some chopped onions, and the last of the cilantro from the shrimp tacos the other night. Eureka! I had a plan!
I went into the pantry and knew I would find the rest of the ingredients to make a pot of Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup. I looked up my original recipe for the soup to remind me how I made it in the past. Looking up my own recipes is always comical to me.
I grabbed a can of corn, black beans, chicken stock, and Rotel diced tomatoes with chilis. I rinsed off the Thai chicken breast, getting rid of the Thai glaze, and shredded it along with the two Italian ones. I chopped up three cloves of garlic and cilantro. Next, I got some chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic & onion powder, and masa.
My original recipe has a longer cooking time, but since the chicken breasts were already very flavorful, the soup came together faster. I finished the soup from start to finish in under 30 minutes.
Today’s version.
I didn’t have two compondents on hand to finish off the soup, so I improvised. The recipe calls for fresh lime juice and corn tortillas which are cut into strips and fried. I had tortilla chips with a touch of lime and decided to use those as a substitution.
Ironically, this quick version of Chicken Tortilla Soup was my best one yet. The key was the grilled, flavorful chicken breasts that gave the soup more flavor than starting with raw chicken.
I finished the soup bowls with crushed lime tortilla chips, chopped cilantro, and a dollop of sour cream. It hit the spot perfectly on a rainy day. Yum!
All mixed together.
Here is my original Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe for those who want to try it someday.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
My original version.
Ingredients
2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil 2 teaspoons Cumin 2 teaspoons Chili Powder 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder 1 teaspoon Onion Powder 1/2 teaspoon Smoked Paprika 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil 1 cup Diced Onion 1/4 cup Diced Green Bell Pepper 1/4 cup Red Bell Pepper 3 cloves Garlic, Minced 1 can (10 Oz. Can) Rotel Tomatoes And Green Chilies 32 ounces Chicken Stock 3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste 4 cups Hot Water 2 cans (15 Oz. Can) Black Beans, Drained 1 can Corn Kernals, Drained 3 Tablespoons Cornmeal Or Masa Kosher Salt To Taste 5 whole Corn Tortillas, Cut Into 1/2 Inch Uniform Strips Canola or vegetable oil to cover the bottom of a small frying pan about 1/4 – 1/2 cup
Garnishes
Sour Cream Diced Avocado Diced Red Onion Salsa Or Pico De Gallo Chopped Fresh Cilantro Sliced Green Onions Grated Monterey Jack Cheese Cilantro Fresh lime wedges
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika. Drizzle one tablespoon olive oil on chicken breasts, then sprinkle a small spice mix on both sides. Set aside the rest of the spice mix.
Place chicken breasts on a baking sheetāBake for 20 to 25 minutes until chicken is at 165 degrees. Use two forks to shred the chicken. Set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, red pepper, green pepper, and minced garlic. Stir and begin cooking, then add the rest of the spice mix. Stir to combine, then add shredded chicken and stir.
Pour in Rotel, chicken stock, tomato paste, water, and black beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes, uncovered.
Mix cornmeal with a small amount of water. Pour into the soup, then simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Taste and check seasonings, add more if needed, and ensure not to undersalt. Turn off heat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
In a small frying pan, heat the oil on medium heat. When the oil is hot, add a few tortilla strips, turning them with tongs and frying them until crispy. They will cook quickly, be careful not to burn them. Adjust heat as necessary. Drain crispy tortilla strips on a paper towel and set aside. Finish frying the rest of the strips adding more oil if necessary. Let the oil get hot each time you make an addition before adding the tortilla strips.
Ladle into bowls and top with tortilla strips. Serve with sour cream, red onion, avocado, pico de gallo, lime wedges, chopped cilantro, sliced green onions, and grated cheese. Let each diner choose how they wish to top their soup. The garnishes make the soup delicious and add a ton of texture and flavor.
