Julie Does Dinner: Kicking Off a Real-Life Culinary Journey and New Year’s Day Soup Saga
As the clock struck midnight and the calendar flipped to a brand new year, I found myself filled with a renewed sense of purpose. This wasn’t just about turning a page; it was about finally, definitively, launching something I’ve passionately envisioned for years: my food blog, Julie Does Dinner. There’s a particular kind of determination that accompanies the first day of January, a powerful resolve to transform long-held dreams into tangible realities. And I was determined not to let this opportunity slip by. With just a few precious hours remaining on New Year’s Day, I was racing against the clock – a race against my own past procrastination – to get my very first post live. As my husband Willem would put it, it was about finishing the second half of ‘Ratatouille’ – a perfect metaphor for embarking on a culinary journey, often messy but ultimately rewarding.
The Genesis of Julie Does Dinner: From Procrastination to Passion
The concept of Julie Does Dinner isn’t new; it’s a vision that has been brewing for a significant period, spanning over a year and a half. It began with a bold declaration – what my Grandad used to call “throwing your hat over the fence.” The idea behind this charming idiom is simple yet profound: once your hat is on the other side, you are compelled to climb the fence to retrieve it. For me, that “hat” was my public announcement that I would launch a new website dedicated to providing real-life meal ideas, practical recipes, honest product information, and insights into everyday home cooking.
This commitment was made with great fanfare, originally slated for launch two Labour Day weekends ago. Then, it shifted to my birthday. Then, last Labour Day weekend. Each missed deadline became another layer in a growing pile of procrastination. It transformed into one of those “I’ll start next week” projects, a habit I became exceptionally skilled at maintaining. The truth was, a part of me dreaded the launch, knowing that once I started, I’d have to keep it up – a daunting prospect for someone balancing a busy life. Moreover, the technical hurdles seemed immense. I spent countless hours attempting to customize a WordPress blog, often with frustratingly limited success, which only fueled my delay.
However, a few days ago, as I meticulously sorted through a myriad of projects and ideas for the upcoming year – deciding which to wholeheartedly pursue and which to gracefully jettison – a profound clarity emerged. It was time to simply “Do It.” There was no more room for excuses. And naturally, January 1st presented itself as the most auspicious and ideal launch date. Armed with this fresh resolve, I actually invested in Blogging for Dummies – a testament to my commitment. Today, I sat down at my computer, eager to configure the website, craft my inaugural entry, and begin shaping the design. My plan was to treat the design as a “work in progress” for the first week, allowing me to post consistently while refining the aesthetics.
Then, the universe threw a curveball. A discouraging discovery awaited me: my long-cherished domain – www.juliedoesdinner.com – had, unbeknownst to me, expired in late November while I was out of town. To my dismay, it was now owned by WhoIs.com, essentially lost to me. This unexpected setback, though frustrating, couldn’t derail my New Year’s resolve. So, for now, Julie Does Dinner is officially starting right here, on this temporary digital home, until I can secure a more permanent and fitting address to point it to. This blog is a testament to embracing imperfections and finding a way forward, even when plans go awry.
The Core Concept: Real Meals for Real Life Home Cooks
So, what exactly is the driving force behind Julie Does Dinner? The concept stems from a question I’m frequently asked: “Can you write a cookbook for ‘dinners’ or ‘real meals’?” While flattered, I’ve always found this to be an incredibly vast and, frankly, somewhat unrealistic request. In our fast-paced lives, who genuinely cooks from a traditional cookbook every single day of the week, following elaborate recipes to the letter? The reality for most home cooks, including myself, is far more spontaneous and adaptive.
That’s why I envisioned Julie Does Dinner as a “reality cookbook” – a genuine, unvarnished documentation of what I actually prepare and serve from day to day. My hope is that this authentic approach will be far more useful and realistic for other busy home cooks. Most evenings are not about gourmet creations; they’re about practical solutions. It’s often a frantic dash to pull something salvageable from the fridge before it wilts, expires, or starts to get a little too “aromatic.” It’s about creatively doctoring up leftovers, transforming them into something new and exciting. Or, in those moments of sheer exhaustion, it’s about finding something easy and prepackaged that isn’t, well, complete crap. This blog aims to celebrate the improvisational art of everyday cooking, offering inspiration and solidarity to those navigating their own kitchen adventures.
Day 1: New Year’s Day Culinary Adventures and the Soup Saga
A New Year’s Day Tradition and the Food Hangover
New Year’s Day holds a special place in my culinary calendar, typically marked by a delightful “food hangover.” The preceding month is often a whirlwind of festive Christmas parties, indulgent turkey dinners, and the grand finale of a New Year’s Eve potluck. My body, and certainly my palate, craves a gentle reset. Furthermore, January 1st is a double celebration in our family – it’s both my brother-in-law’s and nephew’s birthdays! This means our evening usually involves a joyous birthday dinner at my sister’s house, mercifully relieving me of dinner duties. However, lunch for the day remained my domain.
Inspiration Strikes: The Kitchen Diaries
For New Year’s Day lunch, I decided on soup. My inspiration came from Nigel Slater’s remarkable book, The Kitchen Diaries – a culinary gem I discovered earlier in the year. What immediately resonated with me was its refreshingly similar format to what I envisioned for Julie Does Dinner: a daily, diary-like account of cooking, rather than a rigid collection of recipes. As a heartfelt tribute to his kindred thought process and his truly fantastic book, I decided to make the very same Pumpkin & Red Lentil Soup he prepared on New Year’s Day, which also happened to be the inaugural day of his own culinary diary. It felt like a perfect, full-circle beginning for my own blogging journey.
The Pumpkin & Red Lentil Soup Attempt and Unexpected Twists
I embarked on this cooking project with high hopes, anticipating a wonderful new use for the canned pumpkin puree I diligently stock up on between Thanksgiving and Christmas. During this period, it’s reliably on sale, usually destined to become pumpkin muffins or a festive loaf. Nigel, in his purist approach, instructs us to peel, meticulously scoop out the fibrous strands from, chop, and boil a fresh pumpkin. While admirable, I paused. Who, in the hustle and bustle of modern life, truly has the time for such an undertaking on a whim, especially on a holiday? Besides, fresh pumpkins are notoriously hard to find past October, unless one resorts to chipping a frozen specimen off a sister’s front step! And let’s be pragmatic: canned pumpkin, being condensed, actually contains about ten times the beta-carotene of its fresh counterpart, much like the nutritional density of tomato paste compared to fresh tomatoes. So, canned it was, or so I thought.
My soup preparation began smoothly enough. I started by carefully sautéing my onion, garlic, and ginger, filling the kitchen with fragrant aromas. However, as often happens in real-life kitchens, I got delightfully distracted. My son, Willem, suddenly developed a keen interest in the art of peeling garlic – a moment of unexpected domestic charm that I absolutely needed to document! Of course, at precisely that moment, my camera chose to run out of batteries. The brief scramble to find fresh batteries meant my aromatics browned a little more than I had initially intended. A slight char, but nothing catastrophic. The real discouraging discovery came next: I had, in fact, completely used up my stash of canned pumpkin puree for Christmas baking! My grand plan for Nigel’s soup hit an immediate snag.
But this is where the spirit of Julie Does Dinner truly comes alive: adaptability. Instead of giving up, I quickly pivoted. I found a smallish yam in the pantry, which I promptly peeled and chopped. It was a tough call between the yam and a squash, but given the abundance of squash we’d had over the holidays, yam won. Into the pot it went, along with a generous spoonful of Patak’s curry paste to add a new layer of warmth and spice. And that was that. Sorry, Nigel – sometimes, real life demands improvisation and a touch of culinary rebellion.
The Unexpected Hero: My Go-To Lentil Soup
As the yam and curry paste simmered, a new realization dawned. Firstly, we were considerably hungrier than we had initially thought. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, this particular type of soup – whether pumpkin, lentil, or yam-based – almost invariably tastes better the next day, after the flavors have had ample time to meld and deepen. The immediate hunger and the desire for instant gratification led me to a practical decision: I remembered the pot of lentil soup we had stashed outside in the barbeque, a temporary measure due to an overflowing fridge after the holiday festivities.
We thawed that pot of lentil soup, and we ate that instead. And as I reflect on it, this unexpected turn of events made for the absolute perfect first post for Julie Does Dinner. If someone were to ask me to choose my single, ultimate go-to meal – the one dish I always fall back on, the one I consistently have ingredients for, or a batch of stashed away in the freezer – this lentil soup would undoubtedly be it. It’s my absolute favorite use for a single Italian or chorizo sausage from Spolumbo’s, adding a depth of flavor that’s simply irresistible. Beyond that, the ingredient list is remarkably simple: just some lentils (canned or dry), celery, garlic, and water. On this particular occasion, I had the added luxury of using some rich turkey stock from the massive pot I had cooked up on Boxing Day, and that elevated the soup to an even more sublime level. It’s a dish that embodies comfort, resourcefulness, and delicious simplicity – everything Julie Does Dinner aims to represent.
Looking Ahead: The Culinary Journey Continues
Today’s culinary adventure, with its initial plans, unexpected detours, and ultimate delicious resolution, perfectly encapsulates the essence of what Julie Does Dinner will be about. It’s a celebration of real-life cooking – imperfect, adaptable, often spontaneous, but always striving for deliciousness. It’s about finding joy in the process, whether meticulously following a recipe or creatively substituting ingredients based on what’s on hand. It’s about demystifying the kitchen and making wholesome, flavorful meals accessible to everyone, even when faced with forgotten domains or depleted pumpkin purée stashes.
As I move forward, I’ll be actively searching for a new, permanent home for Julie Does Dinner, a domain that truly reflects the spirit of this blog. But regardless of the URL, the mission remains clear: to share authentic meal ideas, honest product reviews, and practical cooking tips that resonate with the everyday home cook. Thank you for joining me on this inaugural post. Here’s to many more real meals, real stories, and real-life kitchen wisdom in the days and weeks to come. This is just the beginning of our delicious journey together.