Jami the Kitchen Witch

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Jami the Kitchen Witch Chef Jami loves to cook, but more importantly, eat! Follow her for recipes, inspiration and recommendations.

A little taste of Iowa, with a few unexpected twists! 🌽🍽️Last night, I had the pleasure of preparing dinner for Wartburg...
10/09/2026

A little taste of Iowa, with a few unexpected twists! 🌽🍽️
Last night, I had the pleasure of preparing dinner for Wartburg’s Board of Regents, featuring an Iowa-inspired menu that celebrated local ingredients and the amazing producers in our region.
From locally sourced Iowa beef to Cedar Falls miso featured in both our salad dressing and butter glaze, Iowa-grown daikon radishes, shish*to peppers, and crispy shiso leaves, every detail told a story about the incredible food being produced close to home. And for a little culinary creativity, I swapped traditional potatoes for edamame from our neighbors in Wisconsin!
I love showing people that local food can be adventurous, unexpected, and absolutely delicious. Supporting our regional producers while bringing new flavors to the table is one of my favorite parts of being a chef. ❤️

10/04/2026

🥣 Roasted Cauliflower Soup: The “Use What You’ve Got” Edition

Sometimes the best recipes aren’t recipes at all. They’re just “What’s in the fridge that needs to be used?” 😂

Today’s answer was cauliflower, half an onion, a little garlic, some chicken stock, whole milk, and a handful of completely random cheese ends from my mom’s cheese drawer.

And somehow… soup happened. Delicious, creamy, cozy soup. 🥰

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients:

* About 2 cups cauliflower florets
* ½ onion, roughly chopped
* 2–3 cloves garlic
* 2–3 cups chicken stock, enough to cover
* 1 cup whole milk, approximately
* 1–1½ cups assorted cheese ends, shredded or chopped
* Olive oil
* Salt & black pepper, to taste
* Optional: a little smoked paprika, thyme, or whatever seasoning makes you happy

Directions:

1. Toss the cauliflower, onion and garlic with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.
2. Roast at 425°F for about 25–30 minutes, until the cauliflower is browned and caramelized.
3. Transfer the roasted vegetables to a pot and add chicken stock. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
4. Add the whole milk and heat gently. Don’t let it boil.
5. Blend until smooth and creamy. An immersion blender makes this ridiculously easy.
6. Add your random cheese drawer treasures a little at a time, stirring until melted and smooth.
7. Taste and adjust the seasoning. If it’s too thick, add a little more stock or milk.

And that’s it.

No fancy ingredients. No carefully curated cheese selection. No complicated technique.

Just roasted vegetables + pantry staples + Mom’s cheese drawer = dinner. 😂🧀

Honestly, I think this is my favorite kind of cooking.

10/02/2026

🌯 Enchilada or baked burrito? Let’s settle this! 😂

I’ve been thinking about my Creamy Chicken Enchiladas Verde from last week, are they actually enchiladas, or baked burritos wearing an enchilada costume? 🤣

I rolled flour tortillas around my creamy chicken filling, covered them in that delicious verde cream sauce, added plenty of cheese, and baked them until bubbly.

But I want to get the terminology right, especially because food traditions matter and I want to be respectful of where these dishes come from. ❤️

So, what do you think?

🌮 Enchiladas
🌯 Baked burritos
🤷‍♀️ Some delicious hybrid that needs its own name

Tell me what you think! And if I’m using the wrong terminology, educate me. I’m here to learn, not start an enchilada war. 😂🔥

🧀🍷 Charcuterie Friday!When you don’t know what to bring… and you definitely don’t know who’s going to be there… bring a ...
10/02/2026

🧀🍷 Charcuterie Friday!

When you don’t know what to bring… and you definitely don’t know who’s going to be there… bring a charcuterie board. 😂

It’s basically the social-event equivalent of wearing black. It works everywhere.

A little meat, a little cheese, something crunchy, something sweet, something salty, and suddenly you’ve got a whole party happening on a cutting board. No complicated recipe. No worrying about dietary preferences. And if the guest list grows? Just add more crackers. 😏

So today’s kitchen wisdom: When in doubt, charcuterie it out. 🧀🥂

09/26/2026

🌶️🧀 Cheesy White Chicken Verde Enchiladas 🌶️🧀

Sometimes dinner just needs to be creamy, cheesy, a little spicy, and completely unapologetic.

I whipped up a ridiculously easy cream sauce with 2 cups sour cream, 2 cups jarred jalapeños, and about ½ cup of Latin Herb Sauce from Custom Culinary, which they sent me as a sample. Tossed that with chicken, wrapped it all up in tortillas, smothered everything in more cheesy goodness, and baked until bubbly and golden. 🔥

The jalapeños bring the kick, the Latin Herb Sauce brings a whole lot of flavor, and the sour cream makes that sauce silky and tangy. Basically, enchilada happiness in a casserole dish.

Creamy. Cheesy. Spicy. Verde-y.
And yes, I absolutely went back for seconds. 😏

👩‍🍳✨ Chef Appreciation Week is off to a pretty delicious start!Feeling extra spoiled already! Between the kind words, th...
09/15/2026

👩‍🍳✨ Chef Appreciation Week is off to a pretty delicious start!

Feeling extra spoiled already! Between the kind words, thoughtful surprises, and all the little gestures that remind you people notice what happens behind the kitchen doors, my chef heart is very full. ❤️

Here’s to a week of good food, great people, and maybe a little less time washing dishes. 😂🍴

Bring on the appreciation! 🥂👩‍🍳

08/23/2026

🍜 Homemade Chicken Pho, with a little Chef Jami magic ✨

There’s something wonderfully comforting about a big bowl of homemade soup, especially when it starts with ingredients made from scratch. My chicken pho begins with a simple mirepoix and my homemade chicken bone broth, which is surprisingly easy to make in the Instant Pot!

For an extra boost of nutrition and a silky-smooth texture, I blend the mirepoix and bone broth together to create a rich, flavorful soup base. Then I add tender chicken and serve it up with all the fun, optional toppings that make pho such an adventure: fresh herbs, lime, jalapeños, bean sprouts, and whatever else your little pho-loving heart desires. 🌿🍋🌶️

Warm, nourishing, customizable, and made with love from my kitchen to my bowl. Sometimes comfort food doesn’t need to be complicated. It just needs to be homemade. ❤️🍜

08/09/2026

🍅🌿 A Little Summer Magic for Winter 🌿🍅

One of my favorite things about having a garden is finding ways to bottle up a little piece of summer for the cold, dark months ahead.

I turned my garden tomatoes, fresh basil, thyme, and rosemary into a beautiful tomato & herb confit. I covered everything with garlic and olive oil, then slow-roasted it at 200°F for about 3 hours until the tomatoes were soft, rich, and concentrated with flavor. Once it cooled, I blended it all together and froze it for later.

Now I’ll have homemade goodness ready for pasta sauce, soups, and all kinds of cozy winter meals. 🍝🍲

But honestly, the best part is sharing it. I love taking care of my friends and family with homemade goodies, especially when the world outside is cold and gray. There’s something special about pulling out a little taste of summer in the middle of winter and putting something warm and homemade on someone’s table.

A little garden magic, saved for a darker season. ☀️🌿❤️

08/02/2026

Had SO much fun in New Orleans catching up with old friends, eating incredible food, laughing way too much, and soaking up all those NOLA vibes. 💜⚜️

At one point, someone asked me, “So what do you do for fun these days?”

And I had to pause.

Apparently, my current hobbies are working, cooking, going to work, thinking about cooking, and recovering from work. 😂

I guess I need to work on that whole “having a life outside the kitchen” thing. This video is for you, Jeff.

But honestly, getting to reconnect with people who knew me way back when reminded me how much fun life can be when you actually slow down and enjoy it. Maybe I need a little more of that. ❤️

07/03/2026

Sometimes the best spreads aren’t planned at all. 🧀🍇

I spent about 20 minutes pulling together a little charcuterie board using whatever I had in the fridge, and it turned into the perfect companion for an afternoon of snacks, good conversation, and movies with a friend. No shopping trip, no fancy ingredients, just a reminder that a little creativity can turn everyday leftovers into something that feels special.

You don’t need a picture-perfect pantry to make something beautiful. Just open the fridge, start arranging, and enjoy the moment.

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300 Jefferson St
Waterloo, IA
50701

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