Hi, I'm Julia! Welcome to my food blog JuliasAlbum.com which I founded in 2012 to share my favorite recipes in hopes that other people would also enjoy them. I live with my husband in a small town in beautiful Colorado where idyllic nature and dramatic mountains are my backdrop and my playground when I am not in the kitchen.
Me (Julia), Fall 2022.
What type of recipes can you expect to find on my website?
- Savory recipes. I don't have a big sweet tooth, so pretty much all my recipes are savory dishes. I do post an occasional dessert once in a while, but I'm definitely not a dessert person.
- Easy weeknight dinner recipes. The vast majority of my recipes are main courses, usually featuring some kind of protein (chicken, pork, lamb, beef, or seafood) together with vegetables (or fruits). I use spices and many other ingredients to make my dinner recipes flavorful and fun. My recipes are usually high in protein and rich in fiber.
- Pasta recipes. A lot of my dinner recipes are pasta dishes featuring a variety of pasta (spaghetti, fettuccine, orzo, gnocchi, ravioli, tortellini, etc) combined together with cooked veggies and protein (usually chicken, salmon, shrimp, or scallops). I usually make a yummy sauce to go with pasta (sometimes creamy, sometimes not).
- Salads. I make it a habit to eat a salad everyday, either as part of dinner, or for lunch. You'll find new salad recipes posted on my website on a regular basis. You can easily add your favorite protein (such as rotisserie chicken, leftover cooked chicken, salmon, shrimp, etc.) to most of my salads to turn them into a complete meal.
- 30-Minute One-Pan recipes. Most of my recipes are pretty simple and can be done in about 30 minutes using only one cooking pan. You can expect more and better simple 30-minute one-pan dishes from me going forward.
- Gluten-free recipes. A lot of my recipes are naturally gluten-free or can be easily adjusted to be gluten-free.
- Easily adjustable recipes. Most of my recipes can be adjusted to be dairy-free, meatless, or gluten-free. I started providing tips about these adjustments and will make it into a system going forward.
My recipes are inspired by the seasons
I use whole foods and seasonal ingredients and make sure that my meals are well-balanced, nutritious, delicious, and fun. Many of my recipes are inspired by seasons and use a wide variety of seasonal ingredients.
- Autumn-inspired recipes. In the Fall, I publish a lot of butternut squash, acorn squash, and spaghetti squash recipes. When apples are in season from July through December - I try to utilize them in my dinners or salads. During September, October, and November, I like to incorporate ingredients we often associate with Fall (such as pecans, dried cranberries, mandarin oranges, pumpkin) into my recipes.
- In the Summer, I always make use of fresh tomatoes, homemade basil pesto, and fresh berries. I love the peach season that usually runs from July to September. I incorporate fresh corn into my dinners and salads from May to September. I love fresh cherries from June to August.
My food philosophy
The recipes that I publish on my website are real meals that I cook for myself, my family, and friends. They reflect the way I eat and my philosophy to use a wide variety of ingredients. I use whole foods and seasonal ingredients and make sure that my meals are well-balanced featuring protein, veggies, fiber, complex carbs, adequate amounts of fat.
- PROTEIN-RICH and FIBER-RICH RECIPES. I prefer to eat protein-rich dinners that usually feature one of my favorite proteins (chicken, beef, salmon, shrimp, scallops, lamb, etc) accompanied by cooked or fresh vegetables and fruits - prepared in a simple, delicious and flavorful way. I usually serve my dinners with complex carbohydrates that are packed with fiber, which includes a large variety of fiber-rich veggies (asparagus, broccoli, bell peppers, leafy greens, Brussel sprouts, and many other - too many to list). Some of my most favorite complex carbs are sweet potatoes, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, and fiber-rich fruits and veggies. I also love beans, wild rice, and quinoa.
- LOW-CARB AND MOSTLY GLUTEN-FREE. I prefer eating mostly low-carb and gluten-free foods. I do eat high-quality protein-based pasta about 3 times a week (see next point below).
- FLAVORFUL PASTA DISHES. I eat pasta dishes about 3 times a week. I always eat pasta with some kind of protein (usually chicken, steak, or seafood) and some kind of veggies. Often smothered in a delicious creamy or cheese-based sauce.
Fun facts about me
- I have an identical twin sister and she is a full-time food blogger, too! We grew up as best friends, always creating things as kids. We made clothes from scratch for our dolls (and for ourselves!). We even made our own dolls from scratch. As adults, now, we both have translated those skills into creating recipes from scratch.
- My educational background. Before food blogging, I finished my MBA (Master's Degree in Business Administration) with the specialization in Supply Chain Management, no less! 🙂 I could have been managing a warehouse or procuring equipment or spare parts for a manufacturing plant at this very moment. But here I am, food blogging instead!
- I love naturally orange foods and regularly eat naturally colored orange veggies and fruits, such as butternut squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, beets (both orange and red), oranges, peaches, apricots, mango, persimmons, and papaya. There is something about the orange color in fruits and vegetables that makes them irresistable to me. My recipes reflect my love for orange foods.
- I traveled extensively between 2016 and 2019 and published a lot of useful international travel articles about places to visit, and things to do - if you love to travel, you might like them. I traveled through Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand), Europe (Italy, United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Monaco), the Caribbean (Barbados), the Middle East (United Arab Emirates), and Canada.
Connection with nature
One of the most important parts of my life is feeling connection with nature. I live in a very small town in Colorado, with the most picteresque mountains and groves of aspen trees and evergreens at my doorstep. I like hiking steep terrain in wilderness (usually alone, but sometimes with my husband and friends) as a way to keep myself in decent shape through regular (and challenging) physical activity. Being outdoors in nature keeps me both physically and mentally balanced, it energizes me and recharges my batteries. Food blogging can be a lonely jorney with a lot of time spent indoors, in the kitchen, or being glued to a computer screen. Getting outside and physically challenging myself while being nurtured by nature makes everything better: it improves my mood and sleep, lowers the stress, gives me energy and motivation, and simply makes me a happier person.
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.
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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!
The best way to contact me and get me to respond
- The best way to reach me (and get my response) is to comment on any recipe on this website or on this ABOUT page in the comments section below even if you'd like to communicate about something that doesn't have anything to do with a particular recipe. I always see your comments! And, if you indicate that your comment is private, I won't publish it. You can email me at inquiriesjulia { at } gmail { dot } com but my email gets cluttered and it's very very likely I might miss your message if you email me. See more at my contact page.
I am very happy that you landed on my website!
I love hearing your feedback about my recipes (both positive and negative - it helps me grow). I always see your comments and try to respond promptly. I just updated my homepage (as of October 2023) - it now provides a very good overview of my recipes - I highly encourage you to check out my homepage for helpful navigation! If you'd like to see my most recent food creations, you can find my latest recipes here.
Hi Julia,
I have made the linguine with sun dried tomatoes and spinach in cream sauce twice. Both times the cheese clumped up and did not make a cream sauce. It was still delicious. What am I doing wrong?
Kim, here are some troubleshooting tips about that recipe:
https://juliasalbum.com/linguine-with-spinach-and-sun-dried-tomato-cream-sauce/
➡️ 1) Make sure you shred Parmesan cheese as the very first step in making the recipe so that it comes to room temperature before you add it. (it should not be refrigerator cold) If the cheese is already shredded, take it out of the fridge for at least 30 minutes before making the recipe.
➡️ 2) Before adding cheese, make sure the skillet is hot and the cream is constantly simmering (lowest setting of boiling).
➡️ 3) Try using heavy cream next time instead of half-and-half if the sauce still clumps up.
I have really enjoyed your recipes. I find most of the new recipes I try on Pinterest. I'm happy to say when I see it's one of yours I know it will be good! Thanks for all the lusciousness!!
Suzanne, thank you for this thoughtful comment - it means so much to me to know my recipes are appreciated! 🙂 🙂
My family loves your recipes, but I was wondering if you have done any health issue specific recipes, like renal diet (for kidney failure) or diabetic? My father is in kidney failure and has to be on a strict diet. Being able to eat “normal” would make it much easier. Thanks!
Julia, I have made several of your recipes & have enjoyed all we have tried so far. If you ever start a email list of new recipes, PLEASE put me on that list!!
Carol, your comment truly made my day! 🙂 Glad you enjoy my recipes, and yes, setting up the e-mail list is a huge item on my to-do list right now.
Hello Julia. I love all your recipes and photos! I would like it very much if you had a shopping list of items for fridge and pantry. I never remember all the different ingredients you use! Thanks!
Sara, thank you for this encouraging comment! 🙂 It's actually a very good idea for me to come up with the pantry list because I just recently cleared my pantry of all unnecessary items and reorganized my kitchen stuff. I just added this to my (ever-growing) to-do list! 🙂
I stumbled onto your site and spent some time here. I appreciate your attention to using Bucatini and explaining the two main differences between it and spaghetti. Not many stores around me have Bucatini on their shelves, makes me wonder why. I hope to find a “sign-up” for emails for recipes from you. Thanks,
Grant, I love bucatini pasta. You're right - it can be hard to find and sometimes you can find bucatini only at specialty stores. Setting up the email list is a huge item on my to-do list. It should be done fairly soon.
This looks so delicious and I was so happy to see that you can freeze it! I am making this for a Friendsgiving and family Thanksgiving, can't wait to taste it! AND how do you stay so slim and trim with all the cooking you must do? You can share that secret too?
Jaime, enjoy the recipes! I am glad you like my food blog! 🙂
About staying slim -
➡️ I am very physically active - I regularly exercise (mostly outdoors - and I think exercising outdoors really helps with motivation).
➡️ I also eat a lot of protein + vegetables + some fruit, complex carbohydrates, and only occasionally do I eat refined carbs.
➡️ I am also not a huge fan of desserts. If you notice, I don't really have many dessert recipes on my blog. It's mostly savory stuff - dinners, soups, salads. I would eat a dessert but very occasionally.
➡️ I don't drink much alcohol (just taste it sometimes) because I am kind of allergic to it - it stuffs my nose. Otherwise, I would. 🙂
Would be nice if your site offered to share by email!!!!
Richard, yes - this will be setup really soon! It's ridiculous that I haven't set it up yet.
I’d also like to be in your email list! Add me when you do!
I’m making this forThanksgiving…it looks yummy! Are the cranberries cooked? Or are they they the craisins?
Sue, if I use cranberries in the recipe (I am not sure which exact recipe you're referring too), it's dried cranberries like craisins. Not cooked fresh cranberries.
Hi Julia ~ I just discovered you today through a friend's Facebook post on your Asiago Roasted Brussels Sprouts. What really caught my eye – besides the wonderful recipe (YUM!) – was the excellent photo! I can see you are passionate about cooking (baking?) AND photography, and I look forward to digging into your recipe book. Thank you for sharing your passions!
CMA
P.S. Hope you don't mind me sprinkling some freshly cooked and chopped bacon on the sprouts along with the asiago cheese... 🙂
P.P.S. I used to travel around the world for my work; let me know if you're looking for any destination ideas.
Charlie, I am so flattered by your comment - thank you! I am very passionate about cooking and photography - it really makes me really happy and fulfilled to do both.
Bacon over the Asiago Roasted Brussels Sprouts is a great idea!
I love to travel, too. I traveled extensively in 2016, 2017, and 2018, spending 3 months in Southeast Asia in 2016, 2 months in Italy in 2017, 2 months in France in 2018, and other places. In the last several 3 years, I am focusing on food mostly and enjoy not traveling as much. 🙂 But someday, I will resume travel.
I have been following you for years. Your recipes are great. I am going to go a little off topic. Looking at your recent picture, you are aging like a fine wine. Just saying...
Danny, thank you for the compliment. Aging is better than the alternative. 🙂
Julia, Do you have a cookbook published?? I hope so. I keep printing out so many recipes, I'd love to have them all, in book form....
You are amazing!
Linda, your comment truly made my day! 🙂 Thank you for your kind words - I really appreciate it. I don't have a cookbook - just this website.
Please add me to your mailing list.
How can I receive your recipe posts via email?
This feature is soon coming to the blog. I know, it's long overdue. 🙂
Can you include nutritional information with your recipes? They all look so amazing but my husband and I are watching our diet.
Thank you so much!!
Most of my recipes do have nutritional information. I might have missed that on some of them. If you have a particular recipe in mind, let me know in the comments here.
Dear Julia,
Can I use one cup of fresh cranberries instead of dried soaked cranberries in your Apple, Cranberry, and Pecan cake?
Thank you.
Yes, you can use fresh cranberries in that recipe. But do keep in mind, that fresh cranberries are obviously more tart than dried cranberries.
Even though this recipe is best with dried cranberries, you can use fresh cranberries with a few adjustments. The recipe calls for 1 cup of dried cranberries, I would use 1 1/4 cups of fresh cranberries (since there are a lot more dried cranberries in a cup than there are in a cup of fresh, so you have to compensate for that). Also, I would add extra sugar, such as using 2 cups of sugar vs 1 3/4 cups. Also, chop up fresh cranberries before adding them to the cake batter.
Enjoy and Happy Holidays! 🙂
Hi Julia,
Thank you for your blog and recipes using fresh, wholesome and healthy ingredients. I am looking forward to trying this butternut/brussel sprout recipe. However, I am wondering about the 508 kCal. Can you confirm that is correct?
Nadine, thank you for such a sweet comment! Regarding this recipe below, yes it's 508 calories per serving. Obviously, nuts, dried cranberries, and butternut squash are not low in calories. If you want to reduce the number of calories somewhat, I would use smaller quantities of pecans and dried cranberries.
Roasted Butternut Squash and Brussels sprouts with Pecans and Cranberries
IDear Julia, I am checking out some of your recepies. I tell you that they look so wonderful and delicious. I will be trying some for sure, specially the Chicken, spinach Spaghetti. I am in California and it is now nearly 10:00 pm and yet I wish I was having a bowl of the Spaghetti.
I am glad you found my site! Please enjoy the recipes and be sure to comment if you like them (or if you don't 🙂 )! I welcome any feedback!