Hi, I'm Julia - Welcome to My Kitchen!
- I started JuliasAlbum.com in 2012 as a space to share the recipes I love and cook for my family and friends. Since 2016, this food blog is my full-time job.
- I live with my husband in a picturesque small town in Colorado, surrounded by stunning mountains that serve as my playground when I'm not in the kitchen.
- The recipes you see here? They're real meals that I cook and enjoy with my loved ones.
- My goal is to inspire home cooks with fresh, seasonal ideas for easy, delicious, well-balanced, and visually appealing meals-especially simple dinners and vibrant salads. I focus on recipes that are rich in protein and fiber, made with fresh ingredients, and quick enough for any night of the week. I'm here to help you create healthy, satisfying meals without spending hours in the kitchen.
- Before food blogging, I followed a pretty traditional path-earned a business degree, then an MBA in Supply Chain Management, and worked in various business roles. I tried to climb the corporate ladder, hoping for promotions... until I realized I wasn't exactly thriving in the world of office politics. That's when I knew I needed a new direction. Swapping spreadsheets for sauté pans turned out to be the best decision I ever made. I've been sharing recipes with millions ever since.
Join Me on Social Media:
- Facebook page (1,100,000 followers).
- Pinterest account (716,000 followers).
- Instagram account (139,000 followers).
Subscribe by Email:
- Subscribe to my e-mail list here to get new recipes and weekly meal plans from me. The subscription is 100% free and you can unsubscribe at any time!

The Recipes You Will Find Here:
- Savory Recipes: I focus heavily on savory recipes (complete dinners, salads, side dishes, etc). I do love a good dessert, but my my focus and heart lies in satisfying, protein-rich meals made from scratch.
- Easy Weeknight Dinners using Fresh Ingredients : My recipes are generally protein-forward meals using chicken, pork, beef, lamb, or seafood, often paired with vegetables or fruits for balanced, nutrient-rich dishes. I regularly post 30-minute one-pan meals designed for busy weeknights.
- Pasta Dishes: I love pasta (probably a bit too much)! You'll find recipes using spaghetti, fettuccine, orzo, gnocchi, ravioli, and more. I always combine it with proteins like chicken, salmon, shrimp, or scallops. Often tossed in creamy or flavorful sauces.
- Salads That Are Actually Satisfying: I eat salads daily, often as a full meal (usually with added protein). Most of my salads can easily be turned into a main dish with added protein like salmon, shrimp, or rotisserie chicken.
- Easily Adjustable: Many of my recipes are naturally gluten-free or include easy tips for dairy-free, meatless, or low-carb variations.
Inspired by Seasons:
I love cooking with whole foods and fresh, seasonal ingredients! My meals are all about balance: nutritious, full of flavor, and made to be truly enjoyable. The changing seasons are a huge source of inspiration for me, and you'll see that reflected in the ingredients I use and the recipes I create throughout the year.
🍁 In the Fall
When the air turns crisp, you'll find me cooking with cozy fall flavors and ingredients: butternut squash, acorn squash, and spaghetti squash on repeat. I also love adding fall favorites like pecans, dried cranberries, mandarin oranges, and pumpkin into everything from salads to mains. And when apples are in season (hello, August through December!), they make their way into both savory and sweet dishes.
☀️ In the Summer
Summer cooking is all about color, freshness, and simplicity. I always make use of ripe tomatoes, fresh berries, and my homemade basil pesto-it's a season of vibrant flavors! I especially look forward to peach season (July through September) and try to work those juicy gems into as many recipes as I can. From May to September, fresh corn is another staple in my salads and dinners. And during cherry season (June through August), I make the most of those sweet beauties while they last!
My Food Philosophy
- Real Meals from My Kitchen: The recipes I share on my website are real meals that I cook for myself, my family, and friends. They reflect my eating habits and my philosophy of incorporating a wide variety of ingredients. I focus on using whole foods and seasonal ingredients, ensuring that my meals are well-balanced with protein, vegetables, fiber, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats.
- Protein-Rich and Fiber-Rich Recipes. I prioritize protein-rich dinners, typically featuring one of my favorite proteins such as chicken, beef, salmon, shrimp, scallops, or lamb, accompanied by cooked or fresh vegetables and fruits. My meals are simple, flavorful, and nutritious. I often serve these dinners with complex carbohydrates that are high in fiber, including a variety of vegetables like asparagus, broccoli, bell peppers, leafy greens, Brussels sprouts, and many others. Some of my favorite complex carbs include sweet potatoes, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, beans, wild rice, quinoa, and fiber-rich fruits and vegetables.
- Low-Carb and Mostly Gluten-Free. I prefer to eat mostly low-carb and gluten-free foods. However, I do enjoy high-quality, protein-based pasta around three times a week (see below).
- Flavorful Pasta Dishes. I include pasta dishes in my meals about three times a week. These dishes always feature a protein (such as chicken, steak, or seafood) and vegetables. Often smothered in a delicious creamy or cheese-based sauce.
👩🍳 A Little About Me - Beyond the Blog
- I am a twin! I have an identical twin sister who's also a full-time food blogger. We've been best friends since childhood, always creating things together. As kids, we made clothes from scratch for our dolls-and for ourselves! We even made our own dolls. As adults, we've both channeled that creativity into making recipes from scratch.
- MBA in Supply Chain Management. Before blogging, I got an MBA in Supply Chain Management-so technically, I was trained to manage warehouses and track down missing widgets. Yep, I could have been knee-deep in spreadsheets, managing warehouses, or hunting down obscure spare parts for a factory somewhere. But instead, here I am, handling the logistics for pasta and procurement for the best basil pesto!
- ✈️ Passport, Please! I love exploring new places-especially when Colorado's mud season rolls around and hiking's off the table. In particular,between 2016 and 2019, I ventured far and wide and shared destination guides and travel tips here on the blog. I've visited Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand), Europe (Italy, United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Monaco), the Caribbean (Barbados), the Middle East (United Arab Emirates), and Canada. My travels have been a huge source of inspiration in the kitchen.
- Living in Colorado gives me daily inspiration and balance. I love hiking in the mountains near my home-it's where I feel most energized and centered. Nature is how I stay active, clear my mind, and recharge from the screen-heavy world of food blogging. Whether it's a steep solo hike or a quiet walk through the aspen groves, the outdoors fuels my creativity.

Featured On
- My recipes have been featured on major sites, such as Huffington Post, Country Living, Good Housekeeping, Parade, The Kitchn, Delish, Brit+Co, Food Network, BUZZFEED, PUREWOW, and Greatist.
- For a detailed list of some of my recipes featured on these sites + links to those features, check out my Press page.
Join Me on Social Media:
- My Facebook page has over 1,100,000 followers.
- My Pinterest account has 716,000 followers.
- My Instagram account has 139,000 followers.
Subscribe to My Recipes by E-mail:
- Subscribe to my e-mail list here and I will send you delicious recipes every week. You will also get an email every time I publish a new recipe. The subscription is 100% free and you can unsubscribe at any time!
- How to UNSUBSCRIBE? At the bottom of all my e-mails is the Unsubscribe link - scroll all the way down to the bottom of an e-mail and click on it - you will be unsubscribed!
SAVE YOUR FAVORITE RECIPES (create a RECIPE BOX)
- Save your favorite recipes to your RECIPE BOX. Click on a HEART in the lower right corner of any recipe TO SAVE it, and it will appear here. Click on the TAG next to the heart icon to access your FAVORITES.
- Create an account to find your saved favorites by clicking on the saved tag next to the heart, or click the magnifying glass (search function).
How to Contact Me
- The most effective way to get in touch with me (and get my response) is to leave a comment on any recipe on this site, or on this ABOUT page in the comments section below, even if your message isn't related to a specific recipe. I always read your comments!
- If you prefer to keep your comment private, just let me know, and I won't publish it. Since my site is still pretty much a one-woman show, comments on this page (or any other recipe page on JuliasAlbum.com) are the only realistic way to reach me-I check and respond to them daily (or within 3 days at most).
I am very happy that you landed on my website!
I appreciate your feedback on my recipes, whether positive or negative, as it helps me improve. I always read your comments and strive to respond promptly. I encourage you to visit my homepage which now offers a comprehensive overview of my recipes for easier navigation and is updated regularly. If you would like to see my most recent food creations, you can find my latest recipes here. I also share weekly meal plans in my weekly newsletter, which also includes little snippets from my life. You can find all my recent newsletters here, and can subscribe to receive my weekly newsletter and other recipes by e-mail. Alternatively, you can visit my latest recipes page each week to catch my newest recipes!
Your comments mean the world to me!
- A heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who engages with my content! Your comments and quick reviews are incredibly valuable-they're one of the best ways to support a little food blog like mine. Not only do they keep me encouraged and motivated, but they also help me feel like I'm not just chatting with myself (though I admit, that does happen, lol!).
- This food blog is my life, and when I see comments, it reassures me that I'm not just tossing recipes into the void. At least someone out there is paying attention-besides my husband, who's too busy chewing and mowing down my food to give me any real feedback!
- So, if you enjoy my recipes, and my photography, have questions, or if you've tried one of my recipes, please leave a comment or a review (preferably on the specific recipe page, but any page works if your comment isn't tied to a particular recipe!). Your feedback makes all the difference and ensures my recipes don't end up in a culinary black hole! I can't wait to hear what you think!
- Feedback loop: I love keeping this blog lively, interactive, and personal-it's not just me talking at you - your feedback, questions, and ideas help shape what I cook and share next. I read and reply to almost every comment (and try to do it quickly!), because this space is a two-way street. In a way, this blog is like a delicious feedback loop: I create recipes, you try them, tell me what you loved (or tweaked), and that inspires me all over again!

Hi Julia, I really like your recipes. I live alone and love that I can convert the ingredients for one person. I notice that you use sun dried tomatoes a lot. However, I don't like them. What can I use to substitute them?
Hi Rita, so happy to have you here! ❤️ You can just use regular tomatoes, I like to use grape or cherry tomatoes sliced in half. For more flavor (and if you have time), you can roast them with garlic and olive oil as I did in this recipe:
https://juliasalbum.com/chicken-spaghetti-with-burrata/
Why are the recipes not posted with picture on Facebook? You used to post in comment section. Now everyone has to ask to get in a message.
Hi Barb, I’m currently trying out a new approach for my Facebook posts. It looks like using the DM feature helps more people access the recipes. However, since I started using that feature, the FB limited my ability to comment so I was not able to post recipe links in the comments. I believe this issue is resolved now, and from now on, I will post the recipe link in the comments for each photo like I usually do, within 30 minutes. Occasionally there might be a post where I will post the link in the comments after 24 hours. So, if you go back to my FB now, you'll see that I went back to all my recent recipe posts that had a Direct Message feature (people asking for recipes) and that all of these posts now have a recipe link in the comments, like before.
Do you have a cook book?
No cookbook yet, just this website. 🙂
Love your simple, delicious recipes! Do you have one for chicken cacciatore? I’d probably use a rotisserie chicken. Thank you in advance! Teresa Engel
Hi Teresa, I don't have either of those recipes but they are on my to-do list!
Hi Julia, thank you for sharing your recipes. I have made a number of your dishes and they were all delicious and easy to make. Wishing you a lovely Sunday. Thanks, Jane
Thank you, Jane, for such a sweet message and your encouragement! ❤️❤️
Food wise are your recipes inspired by your mother or fathers ethnicity? My father was 100% Italian and that definitely impacted what I ate as a kid. As an adult and home cook I find Italian dishes are a strong suit for me.
Hi Shane! My recipes are not at all inspired by my ethnicity. I am of Eastern European descent. I did (and continue to) travel extensively, and that certainly influences me and provides me with cooking inspiration. I prefer Mediterranean-style food, Italian and Greek, and I also love heavier French food. I love Mexican food and Asian and Thai food. I've recently spent a lot of time in the Caribbean, and I can't wait to publish some Caribbean-inspired recipes on my site.
I keep getting this error when I click a recipe from your emails
Access Denied - Sucuri Website Firewall
Help !
Joe, we are working to resolve it!
Hi Julia! I love your recipes and have made several of them already. I was looking at your recent Strawberry recipes and am wondering if I can use frozen strawberries (I froze them when I bought too much to eat before they went bad). If so, do I add the frozen to the recipe (muffins, cake) or thaw them first? Thank you!
Deborah, I would add strawberries still frozen, but coat them generously with flour. Also, because frozen fruit (especially strawberries!) will release a lot of moisture into the baked goods, consider adding an extra 1/4 cup of flour—that's in case you use a lot of fruit or strawberries in a cake. If you use a relatively small amount of frozen strawberries, add 2 extra tablespoons of flour to compensate for extra moisture.
I love your and wanted to try the Dutch baby but they are too big. I discovered that there are many dutch baby. In muffin tins. I plan on trying that
I also need to try smaller dutch babies - that's an excellent idea!
Your recipes have inspired me to really cook again. We are an older couple so sometimes meal planning gets difficult for me. Also, when my daughter visits from NC I have something special to cook for her. I usually print off the ones I feel will work for me and don't require getting an ingredient that is something I don't have one hand. Keep them coming.
Shirley, thank you so much for your encouragement! ❤️ Glad my recipes inspire you to cook! I've been so busy with a lot of tedious stuff here at home, lately, catching up. Finally, I'm all caught up, and many new recipes are coming on the website starting this week!!
Hi Julia, I love your recipes! I have just returned from a three week vacation on my boat in the St. Lawrence River. I am sure you can appreciate how much I love the 30 minute and one pan meals I can easily prepare in my galley. I have collected recipes since a May 12 e-mail and carefully noted when you repeated some as computer storage is precious. Is setting up an account the best way to keep track? I love all your comments and substitution suggestions, especially as I try to avoid dairy ingredients. Would they be available if I saved recipes in an account? I also appreciate the e-mails when you include your favourite food recipes - like a recent peach recipe e-mail. Pls keep up the great work.
Thank you, Laura, for your feedback - I value it so much! Yes, I think setting up the account directly on my site to save your favorite recipes in one spot is the best way to do it. Or, use a dedicated Pinterest board.
New to your album. Last evening I made the acorn squash stuffed with the Italian sausage. Was a 10 of 10. Thank you
Today we had the rest for lunch even better today!
I love a lot of your recipes and can’t to try them.
John
That sausage stuffed acorn squash is definitely one of my personal favorites - I am glad you liked it! 🙂
Hi Julia,
I have been using your recipes for a long time and they are great and the family love them.
Unfortunately I have diagnosed with Crohns and I cannot now enjoy the creamy sauces, tomatoes and garlic recipes which cut it down dramatically.
Have you thought about putting up recipes for people like me who are now finding it difficult to enjoy the many foods around us and those who suffer with IBS?
I realise it a big ask but it encourages us to continue cooking enjoyable meals which is so important for our treatment and recovery.
Many thanks and love what you produce, my husband knows when its a 'Julia' recipe!
Hi Kelly, I'm so sorry about your diagnosis. I've added your request to my to-do list. I'm pretty sure I have quite a few recipes that will suit your dietary needs; I need to organize them all into one easily accessible place.
I love all your recipes
Keep going
Thank you, Anne! 🙂
All of the recipes are awesome
Thanks, Lupe! ❤️