2 weeks in with hgtv

Wow, what a whirlwind of a time. The last two weeks since hometown takeover finally aired, and we were lucky yo be in the first episode.

I can’t even begin to explain how special it all has been. Getting to be a part of something so big, helping our town in so many ways, and sharing our story is so humbling. We are so grateful for everyone who was a part of it all and are so excited for what’s to come!

After the show aired on HGTV two weeks ago, I awoke with over two hundred messages from people all over sending well wishes, congratulations,  and planning to visit us in our little cafe.

Every day since we have had people traveling from all over just to see us and experience the town and all the projects, places, and sites.

Dave and Jenny Marrs after the remodel they did at our Zazzy Cafe in Fort Morgan, CO

It’s really overwhelming, and I get goosebumps thinking about it. I’ve always wanted to have a place to share with people in a much bigger way, and thanks to HGTV, they made it all possible.

It’s still so surreal to me that this has all happened. It’s been so touching to hear people’s stories of them coming to visit, taking pictures of the cafe, and of my husband and I. Getting to share in their experience is all so memorable and a very special time.

Molly Yeh from Girl Meets Farm on Food Network made a scone recipe just for us.

Meeting the stars, the crew, and everyone working on this project was truly memorable, and we are so grateful and lucky to be a part of this and will cherish this time always.

~Until next time – Julie

3 Easy appetizers to upgrade your next party

I’ve catered many parties, and these three recipes are my most loved and requested. Try these for your next event, trust me your guests will love them!

First is a sliced cucumber with dill cream cheese and smoked salmon.

Ingredients:

2 cucumbers

1 pack of plain cream cheese at room temp

dill

smoked salmon

Preparation:

Wash and slice the cucumbers, you can peel the skin or leave on.

In a mixer using the whisk attachment, add the cream cheese and whip for 2 minutes so the cream cheese gets nice and fluffy. Add 2-3 teaspoons of dried dill to the cream cheese and whisk for 1 minute.

Take a slice of cucumber and top with a spoonful of the cream cheese. Then with the smoked salmon, use a fork to get small flakes of the salmon to put o top of the cream cheese.

The second appetizer is caprese skewers.

Ingredients:

cherry tomatoes

fresh basil

mozzarella pearls (you can usually find these in the deli section)

pesto

wooden skewers

Preparation:

Wash the tomatoes.

For the basil tear the leaves into small pieces, about the size of a nickel.

Open the bag of mozzarella pearls and gently rinse them in water to separate them.

Start layering the skewers. Start with the tomato, then the mozzarella, then a piece of basil, and repeat three times.

For the pesto, you can make it by adding 1/2 cup of basil leaves, 2 tbsp. of pine nuts, and 3 tbsp. parmesan cheese, and 2 tbsp. of olive oil into a blender. While blending, slowly drizzle in more oil until it’s thin enough to make a sauce consistency.

Once the pesto is ready, drizzle some over the skewers.

The third appetizer is stuffed mushrooms

Ingredients:

1 package of button mushrooms

1 box stuffing

small jar of pimentos, roasted red pepper- diced small

parsley, salt, pepper, thyme

Preparation:

Set oven to 350*F.

Wask mushroom and pat dry. Remove the inner stem and chop finely.

Make the stuffing mix and once ready mix in the spices, red peppers, and chopped mushroom stems.

Turn the whole mushrooms upside down and fill with a generous spoonful of the stuffing mix.

On a baking pan arrange the mushrooms into a single layer and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 10-30 minutes until the mushrooms are cooked and browned. Take it out of the oven and arrange it on a platter. Garnish with a sprinkle of parsley or chives on top.

Until next time~Julie

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for more recipes go to https://nosh63272528.wordpress.com/category/recipes/

February fun

We did a special event at the cafe for Valentine’s Day and had a lot of fun with the specials too. We gave out valentines to our customers, spread love and cheer, and brought many smiles to all those faces who celebrated with us. Here are a few photos from the week.

That same week we had our grand re-opening party since the remodel. We had a good turnout for the official ribbon cutting even though it snowed. I also had a phone interview with the Fort Morgan Times and was featured in the local paper. Pretty exciting week!

To read the article go to FMT- Zazzy Cafe’s grand re-opening

Until next time~Julie

In the swing of things

Being back at the cafe is like a breath of fresh air. Good food, good friends, and great coffee too. People gathering and spending time with loved ones, coworkers, old friends, new acquaintances, first dates, celebrations, I have missed them all.

I love hearing the buzz in the air when the cafe is full and everyone is talking and it feels like magic. Zazzy Cafe is a special place and when people come in to see the new remodel or sign our guest book with comments, it makes it all worth it.

We’ve been back open one month now, and it’s been a lot of fun having people come and experience the new space.

At the end of the day, I have a moment to unwind. While I make my matcha latte and sit on a swing I can take it all in and say it was all worth it.

I’m so grateful for the new memories we will get to create here.

Here’s some photos from this week….until next time~J

First week back at the cafe

We opened up our little cafe on Tuesday and it feels like home again. We have an overwhelming support from the community and it’s so heart warming to see everyone again.

Some of the highlights this week was making drinks and food on our new menu, seeing peoples reactions to the new decor, working with my staff again, putting out our open flag sign, trying my beet sandwich, making broccoli cheese soup, getting flowers, hanging up the artists work for the month, and visiting with everyone.

This little cafe is like a second home to me and it feels so good to be back. Here’s to a happy new year and new memories to come💕

Until next time~J

Christmas Time and a café update!

Another month has gone by and we’re so close to having our cafe back open! I can’t wait to decorate it for the holidays and serve gingerbread lattes and our new scones. It has been a bit over four months now since we closed down for renovations. I must say that time has flown by.

People around town are buzzing with questions. When we will be back open? What is the new menu like? How was it meeting the people from the show? It has been an exciting time, I feel blessed to be here and a part of things to come.

The past four months have given us many opportunities and time to reflect on the past year of owning our little cafe. We have come a long way since my husband and I bought it. Thanks to Jenny, Dave, the whole crew, workers, and staff have taken it and my dream to a whole new level.

In the spirit of Christmas, I’m thankful for what we have and can share with people all over the world. Being back in our cafe means so much to me. It is a special place, and this is a special time of year that magical things happen. This has been my dream, as a chef, and small business owner. It’s the greatest gift and I get to share it with everyone who walks through our little cafe every day.

Happy holidays to all of you! Until next time~J

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Turkey & vegetable quiche

This is a great way to use up your leftovers! This quiche is perfect for breakfast or even dinner with a side salad the next day.

To make this super simple I used ready-made pie crust thawed the night before in the fridge.

Yield: 2 quiche pies

Ingredients:

2 pie crusts (thawed)

8 eggs

1 cup milk, heavy cream, or plant-based milk

I small package of frozen veggies. (You can also use canned, or fresh if you cook them first)

Spices- I like a mix of paprika, dill, chives, salt, and pepper.

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350*F

Get 2 pie pans or glass pie dishes ready and roll put the crust to cover the bottom of each pan.

Poke holes in each crust with a fork and bake for 15 minutes. Take out and let cool while you make the filling.

Filling:

Chop turkey into small pieces.

Combine the eggs milk, and spices and whisk or stir with a fork until well combined.

Add the veggies and the turkey. Stir until mixed and split the filling between the two pie pans.

Bake for 45-60 minutes until the egg is set in the middle. You can check with a toothpick. The quiche should be firm and not jiggle when set.

Let sit for 10 minutes, cut into slices and enjoy.

What are your favorite ingredients for quiche? Comment below!

Until next time~J

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Stillness

Took a drive up to Kansas to remember an old friend of long ago. The church was filled with so many who’s lives were touched by this person. We all shared in love, laughter, and tears during the service.

Good times and lovely memories were shared and it took me back to when I knew this person from my childhood. I remember him always being the caring one, telling jokes, and being so genuine. He touched a lot of lives and that love was present in all who came to say goodbye.

I know this man growing up from when I was a little girl through primary school and middle school. His wife worked with my father. His two boys were childhood friends. Even the pastor that did the service was also a dear friend from back then, now almost 30 years ago.

Looking back and being around this little group of people that touched my life so briefly has me wanting more. I miss that essence from when I was young. The love I felt being around all of them again is something I miss dearly. The family I had lost touch with, was all there together mourning for a loved one.

During the service my friend talked about stillness. Stillness to stop, stand still, take a moment, take a breath. We’re so busy that I don’t often take the second for myself these days. I realized it’s so important to do so more often than not.

Today we all came together to remember a wonderful man who had touched so many. I leave feeling more loved and reconnected with a family I had lost so long ago.

So today I reflect, I remember, I grieve, and I cherish it all.

Until next time~J

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Guts, grit, and lots of heart.

“You can always tell when a person has worked in
a restaurant. There’s an empathy that can only be
cultivated by those who’ve stood between a
hungry mouth and a $28 pork chop, a special
understanding of the way a bunch of motley
misfits can be a family. Service industry work
develops the “soft skills” recruiters talk about on
LinkedIn – discipline, promptness, the ability to
absorb criticism, and most important, how to read
people like a book. The work is thankless and fun
and messy, and the world would be a kinder place
if more people tried it. With all due respect to my
former professors, I’ve long believed I gained
more knowledge in kitchens, bars, and dining
rooms than any college could even hold.”

– Anthony Bourdain

I came across this quote today and it holds so true for me and others in the culinary world. Working in this industry takes guts, grit, and lots of heart. You have good days and bad days. Some days you’re on top of your game, and others you scramble to keep up. Full of long hours, striving for perfection, neverending tickets, sharp knives, and lots of fire. In this world, you’ll find it full of people who are scrappy, endearing, hardcore, and full of life. I have learned so much from culinary school like how to be prepared, try new things, build priceless relationships, and find my fire. Working in different restaurants over the past ten years, and now owning two has been a wild ride I wouldn’t trade for the world.

Until next time~J

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Grateful

After a very long day yesterday, full of complications and unknowns I was tired and just felt off all day. The bad seemed to outweigh the good, nothing seriously bad but a lot of little things just seemed to add up all on the same day. I’m pretty positive most of the time, but yesterday was just a meh day.

This morning I woke up, made coffee, and felt good again. Like I had a blank slate and could fight through the small problems, and make good things happen again. It’s a good reminder that even though we all have those days that every day is different and I’m grateful for each day that I have here.

Growing up I had an older brother, Troy. He was three years older than me and he was my world. I looked up to him, he was cool, and I wanted to be like him. Being his bratty little sister I followed him around and was always trying to hang around with him and his friends. I grew up a tomboy and we played outside a lot. I also have fond memories of playing Nintendo NES in his room. Still to this day because of him I have a huge love of the Legend of Zelda game and still play it now and then. It takes me back to when we were young and I still miss that, and him.

When he was nineteen, he passed away from suicide. I was sixteen and a junior in high school. It shocked my world and everyone around him. It took me over a decade to forgive myself and let go of the guilt. The day he died I was the one who found him and from that day I was changed forever. Today it has been almost twenty-five years since he passed away. It feels like a lifetime ago.

Through all the grief and struggle, In the long run, has made me a stronger person. Going through this experience has made me see the world differently. It has shaken and humbled me in so many ways. I try to share the love of what I do with everyone because you never know what people are going through. How their world is.

So today I am grateful. Even for all the silly, yet at the time seem bigger problems that may arise, we are meant for better things. Helping people, building community, and giving kindness and love as much as we can.

Until next time~J

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