Welcome to Foodie Julie Iowa!

This is the first post in a short welcome series. New here? Start here.

Hi, I’m Julie West — and I want to assure you right up front that I am no Master Chef.

I’m just someone who appreciates good food. Healthy food most of the time. Simple meals anyone can pull off on a Tuesday night. And the occasional Friday happy hour that turns into a Saturday morning regret. (Kidding. Mostly.)

Welcome to Foodie Julie Iowa — the little corner of the internet where I get to share the recipes, tips, and kitchen mishaps I’ve been collecting for years.

Here’s the truth about me: I’m not a slave to the stove. I like to cook, I like to test new things, and I make plenty of mistakes along the way. I dirty a lot of dishes in the process — but I also wash every one of them, wipe down the countertops, and I’ve arranged my cupboards and pantry to be as efficient as possible for dishes, food, spices, the works. The cooking itself? A little messy. The kitchen around it? Organized.

And I’m not doing any of this alone. My husband Brent keeps the floor and the surrounding areas neat and tidy, talks me through the recipes as my favorite taste tester, and helps prop the iPhone photos I snap while I cook. He’s my support team, through and through — and he’s genuinely excited about this whole endeavor. (More on him in the next post. He deserves his own.)

The whole point of this website is to help you realize there are no set-in-stone ways to cook a tasty meal. You can be creative with whatever’s sitting in your fridge, freezer, and pantry. You do not need the latest gadget, the fanciest appliance, or some ingredient you’ve never heard of and can’t pronounce.

If you’ve got olive oil, salt, pepper, and a sheet pan, you can make something delicious. I’ll prove it to you over and over.

In this short welcome series I’ll introduce myself and the site, tell you about the man behind the camera (and the taste-testing spoon), walk you through what you’ll find here, and share a few of the kitchen tips I’ve picked up the hard way so you don’t have to.

So grab whatever’s in your fridge, and let’s get started. 🙂

— Julie

Next up: What’s on the menu — a tour of the recipes (and recipe categories) you’ll find here.