Macaroni Salad for dinner tonight!

Okay so you really can't tell from this picture, but this is a HUGE bowl of macaroni salad that I made today. I like to call it dump and pour-a-roni salad. This salad is a great way to use up the odds and ends of things you have leftover in the fridge, freezer and cupboards, tonight's recipe was as follows:

1lb dry, elbow macaroni
1 16 oz bag of frozen peas and carrots
2 large frozen chicken breasts
1 Hidden Valley Ranch powdered dressing packet
2 cups shredded chedder cheese
5 or 6 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 cup milk (for dressing)
1 cup mayonaisse (for dressing)
1 cup bacon crumbles (or more to taste)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Prepare chicken breasts in whichever way you most prefer. I fried mine tonight in some olive oil and just salt and pepper to season. Cook thoroughly and then place in the fridge to chill. (or freezer if you are in a hurry) :)
2. Prepare the Ranch dressing according to the directions on the package. Set aside for at least a half an hour to thicken.
3.  Boil macaroni in a large pot until al dente. Remove from heat and drain in collander. Rinse with cold water until pasta is cold.
4. Add the package of frozen peas and carrots while still frozen. It helps with keeping everything cold and by the time you are ready to serve the salad the veggies will have thawed.
5. Once the chicken is thoroughly chilled (and cubed), add it along with the eggs, cheese, and bacon crumbles to the pasta.Mix well.
6. Pour the thickened ranch dressing over the top. Mix well again
7. Season to taste with pepper and salt.
8 Enjoy!

As you can see, this makes a huge amount! It keeps well in the fridge for a few days and is great to take to work for lunch. (Or snack on from time to time as a stay at home wifey! ) I hope you enjoy trying it, and modifying it to your taste.

Cookies for poor people?

I grew up in rural Wisconsin in a small little village outside of Superior. Literally, it was called the Village of Lake Nebagamon. Back in "the olden days" my family lived as much as we could off the land because lets be honest, we were POOR. My mother was a nurse and my father was a salesman, and they were raising 4 children while doing as much as they could to make ends meet. I have to say, I never felt poor growing up though. My family, including my grandma and grandpa, all lived on 80 or so acres of awe-inspiring country landscape. You would think with 80 acres we would be wealthy, but we didn't own any cattle or other livestock, and what farming we did was for our own family. Making ends meet in the 70's was difficult for anyone, and throw 4 hungry growing kids into the mix? Well, mom and pop were in for a challenge!
My mother and father had been in the restaurant business before I was born. They actually owned a Mexican restaurant smack dab in the middle of Duluth, MN. They both are excellent cooks. But it is not just about being a knowledgeable cook. It is about putting heart and soul into every recipe and they definitely were pros at that! I remember several yummy things we ate growing up, but the one I am going to share with you has a bit of a funny story behind it. My mom loved baking and took every free moment in her week to do so. One recipe I loved in particular was made a lot because it was super simple to make. The funny thing is, I thought my mother was always making them because we were so poor and we couldn't afford to have real toffee. I really thought that she had made this recipe up (commonly known as Fool's Toffee) because saltines were cheap and she wanted us kids to enjoy toffee flavor even though we could not afford the "real stuff". It wasn't until I wanted to make a batch in college that I found out it was a common recipe and sure, it was cheap to make, but the real reason to make them (and make them often) is because they are deeelicious!

Saltine Toffee Cookies:

36 crackers

1 cup butter

1 cup dark brown sugar

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup chopped nuts of choice

Large Crystal Sea Salt to taste (Maldon from England is good)

Spread a large cookie sheet with foil and spray with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray. Place crackers close together to form bottom layer. In small saucepan, place butter and brown sugar, heat to boil 4 minutes.Stir very lightly to avoid burning. Spread evenly over crackers. Bake at 375 degrees for 5 minutes. Remove, sprinkle with chocolate chips evenly over top. Wait a few minutes, then spread with spatula. Sprinkle with nuts of choice. (I have used, Pecans, Peanuts, Pistachios, Macedamias,and even Pumpkin seeds.) Now this last part is really my personal preference, but gives a uniqueness to the flavor. Take some medium to large sized Sea Salt crystals and also sprinkle on top. The salt brings out the richness of the toffee and the darkness of the semisweet chocolate. It adds  depth to the flavor. Place cookie sheet in the refridgerator. When cooled, remove, break up, and enjoy!

Sorry for the delay... :(

So, I haven't kept up in a week or so here. I havent been feeling that awesome and the only thing that has been on my appetite's mind has been chicken soup and saltines. I am feeling better though and promise to get back into this later today. Sorry for the delay to my readers! Be looking forward to a great pudding cookie recipe and the recipe for my great aunt's delicious zuchinni bread. (and much more)!

A quick yummy lunch

Today I wanted something simple... but delicious for lunch. Who says that only big meals can have BIG taste. The problem was... I didn't have much of anything in the refridgerator or the cupboards. Then I remembered the french bread we had for dinner last night and the tomato i used in a salad a day or two ago. So it wasn't everything I needed for Bruschetta, but it was almost enough for me. I started with chopping the tomato into small pieces. If the pieces are too big it just makes it difficult to eat. (now i know that traditional bruschetta uses a parboiled plum tomato... but one thing you will learn about me. I am not traditional when it comes to food!) I then found an onion and garlic clove that I forgot I had. I also know that onion is not traditionally in bruschetta, but I just love the taste of a sweet onion with a fresh tomato. Okay.. back to the bread. I poured some olive oil into a shallow frying pan, scored the bread a bit (to soak in the oil) and dropped it in. I like to "toast" both sides of the bread, but that is just my preference. I also like to add the garlic to the pan (chopped) it adds a garlic flavor to the bread and crisps the garlic up deliciously! Seriously, I could just eat garlic like this instead of potato chips! anyway... While the bread was frying I looked in the fridge one more time and what did I spy? FETA! There's my protein! Alright, since the bread finished while I was looking in the fridge, it was time to "build" my bruschetta. I like to put the feta on the bread first because it gets soft and gooey. Then i add the chopped tomatoes and onions. On top of that I drizzle the little bit of olive oil that is left in the pan as well as the crispy garlic. MMMMMM! If I had fresh basil I would give it a few chops and sprinkle it on top as well, but no such luck today. So thats it. Julie's version of a bruschetta. Lets call it "Leftover's Bruschetta" I hope you try it and enjoy it!

Cornflakes

I woke up today with the hugest craving for cornflakes. CORNFLAKES?! I mean seriously, who ever craves plain old cornflakes? Apparently I do. Anyway, it got me to thinking about how we develop a taste for something over the years. We start out as babies who live on a solely fluids diet and then move on to...slightly flavored mush. Well, some of us. I happen to have a friend, whom I love dearly,  that for health and financial reasons decided that she was going to make all of her own baby food. I thought this was a great idea! I mean what better way to nourish your children than with your own "food creation" from the heart. One day I happened to be hanging out with this friend when she was feeding her little girl and WOW! You could smell the garlic coming off of that baby food from across the room! That little girl must have had a "tough as steel" immune system growing up! I joke, but seriously, I love the fact that this mama took the time and put love into her daughter's food. She thought about what tastes good and provided that food experience for her little girl at such a young age. I often think about the foods that I ate while growing up, and while I do not remember what I ate as a baby, I know that it was alway prepared with love. Love for the experience of eating something delicious, trying something new, or falling back on the comfort of a good ol' favorite recipe. Food is what fuels us, but it is so much more than that. We develop a taste for spicy things and that ties into the music we listen to while we are eating it... Salsa music with salsa and chips? We have a bad day and all we want is a good bread bowl filled with mom's homemade chicken noodle soup...Comfort food and a cozy fire. It is a part of who we are and a journey to who we will become. I have enjoyed my journey...even my short stint as a vegetarian... Have you enjoyed yours?

My first blog ever! A short one.

Alright everyone! This is definitely a new thing for me. I have never blogged before. Oh, I have journalled. I have journals that date back to High School still in my book case at home. (The ones from college where I was constantly losing who I was and reinventing myself are hilarious to read now-a-days) But I have never "logged" my thoughts for the world to see. I named this Blog my Epicurean Journey. It is my hope to shar with family and friends (old and new) my passion for all things food. My husband and I are "foodies", and we have the expanding waist band to show it! But seriously... I believe that no matter what type of  "food consumer" you are, be it a Gluten free, Soy filled, Tofu griller...or a Heavy creamed, Topped with cheese, Butter slatherer...or those of us who are in between - the Seasoned steak, Salad tossing, Pho' slurping, Try anything once... people who really just love the taste and experience of food! I truly believe that our experiences with food have been a journey for us all, and it is something that we should embrace in our lives. I would like to invite you to come along with me on my "epicurean journey" where i will share some of my favorite recipes, family stories about food, fun new ingredients to try, ways to cut down on the fat and sugar, (but not the flavor) and well, pretty much anything that pops into this head of mine! I hope you will enjoy it. And I hope you will try out a recipe or two and let me know what you think. Thats all for now... God Bless!