Sunday 17 June 2012

Dad


Dad is good

Dad is strong

He puts my laundry away where it belongs.

Dad is fun
Dad is silly
Thank you kindly for not naming me Willy. (not that there’s anything wrong with that name)

Dad is patient
Dad is kind

Except when my table manners are unrefined.

I love when you read to me
I love when we laugh

I owe you 5 minutes today to enjoy a draught.
You’re always so giving

And not often cranky

Now can you please go and get me my blankie?


Ready…Set…Evolve…

Daddy’s Day BBQ

Age – 8 months +

In honour of all those wonderful dad’s out there, we’re not going to toil away and make batches of baby food to freeze today.  Instead, baby can partake in the BBQ feast!
Let’s say the menu is BBQ’d chicken, baked potato, corn on the cob and steamed carrots.  Mix a bit of everything together with some butter and some of the cooking water used to steam the carrots, puree and baby’s dinner is served.

It really is as simple as that.  The corn and the carrots can be made indoors and then the rest is thrown on the BBQ. 
In a food processor, blender or large bowl to use a hand held blender to puree, add in some of the white meat without any skin from the cooked chicken, a scoop of some of the baked potato, 2 sides of corn that were shaved off the cooked corn on the cob, a few cooked carrots and a ½ tsp. of butter.  Add 3 tbsps. of the cooking water used to steam the carrots and puree to desired consistency.  If you want a thinner consistency you can add a bit more of the cooking water.

Voila!  BBQ for the whole family. 
If there are left overs of the puree you can keep it in the fridge for up to 48 hours so baby can have it for supper or lunch tomorrow too.

I want to wish all the amazing father’s and father figures (including my own and my husband) out there a very Happy Father’s Day!  Without you there would be a lot of mothers losing sanity, and a lot of kids wondering what beer is.

Sunday 10 June 2012

Baby Talk

Do you ever wonder what your baby is going to sound like when they start talking?  What type of voice will project from this tiny growing person?  I’m not talking about the exhilarating day they first say “mama” or “dada”, and the endless torment received by the losing parent for not getting their name broadcast by baby first.  I’m talking about a true string of words linked together in verbal communication.  “Goodnight Mommy”.  “Let’s go Daddy”.  “I hate broccoli”.  What will it sound like?

Now that my baby is 2 he’s full of things to say and we know exactly how it sounds…cute sometimes, incessant other times, and really funny most times.  The other day I introduced him to “Crispers”, which are cracker type chips.  Yes, if you recall I do allow my kids some nutritionally desolate snacks once in a while to keep it real.  The next day he asked, “Mommy, whispers please?”  What?  “Whispers please”.  Ah, got it.
We’ve been getting concerned with how he always uses his name instead of “I” when referring to himself.  “Carter do it”.  “Carter go to the park”.  “Carter don’t like it.”  We tried explaining to him to say “I want to go to the park”.  Then it dawned on us that when we talk to him we refer to ourselves as Mommy or Daddy.  “Mommy wants you to brush your teeth.”  “Daddy wants you to settle down.”  I guess he’s doing as well as can be expected linguistically.

We also have the added intricacy of international accents for Carter to decipher.  My husband is from the UK and I’m Canadian through and through so he definitely says some words exactly how Daddy says them and then others how the Canadian masses do.  “How does Daddy like his coffee?” Carter responds “Large, double, double.”  Very Canadian.  But then he pronounces his own name, “Kawta”.  Very UKian. 
Whenever we visit my in-laws in England my overly hospitable brother in-law offers to translate every word I say so no one is confused.  I say, “I have to run to the washroom.”  He says, “she said she has to run to the toilet”.  Confusion averted.
In keeping with the actual theme of this blog, let’s make some Apple Peach puree for baby.  This is a great one for the Solid Food Apprentices out there who are 6 months +.

Ready…Set…Evolve…

Apple of my Eye Peach Puree

Age – 6 months +

Ingredients
·         3 ripe peaches

·         3 apples (a sweet variety like Gala or Golden Delicious)

·         Yes, that’s it

Baby Steps
1.      Peel and slice peaches.  To peel, score and “X” on the bottom of the peaches and put them into a large bowl.  Pour boiling water in the bowl completely covering the peaches and let them sit for 1 minute.  Remove from water and rest on a cutting board for 30 seconds or so.  The skin should easily peel off if they were ripe peaches.  If they are giving you trouble, peel the rest with a paring knife or veggie peeler.


2.      Peel, core and slice apples into thin pieces.

3.      Add apples and peaches to a large saucepan.  Add 1 – 2 tbsps. of water if the peaches weren’t very ripe.  Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently for approx. 12 minutes or until the fruit is tender and juicy.

4.      Remove from heat and let stand for a few minutes.

5.      Transfer to a blender, food processor or bowl to use a hand held blender to puree.

6.      Puree to a smooth consistency.

7.      Transfer to freezing trays and place in the freezer to be used within 3 months, or to a food storage container in the fridge to use within 48 hours.

Makes - 9 Servings (1 serving = 2 tbsps.)
No matter which accent they use to say it, when you hear a deliberate, “I love you” come from baby in your direction…well there’s not much in the world that can top that.

Saturday 2 June 2012

Balance

So it’s a little grey this weekend.


The flowers don’t mind.


We haven’t had rain in over 2 weeks.  Nope, just sunshine, lolly pops and butterflies for two weeks straight.  It’s time to sacrifice some bliss for a little grey.  The grey brings with it fresh rain for the flowers and their escape from the opposite of fresh pipe water that has to suffice while the barrels are dry.  It also brings with it a guilt free spell for us spent indoors doing things around the house without the sun screaming, “YOU SHOULD BE OUT HERE!!”.  No, the grey doesn’t scream, it gently allows you to go about your day.

It’s all about balance.  You have to take the good with the bad.  You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have The Facts of Life. I clearly watched too much t.v. growing up.  But you get what I’m saying.  If the universe was wonderful all the time our wonderful would become average.  The crappy days help to boost the otherwise average days to outstanding. 
I’ve just realized this is my 40th post.  I began my quest of blogging baby food recipes last September to help generate the content for a baby food cook book I am writing in my spare time.  I’m happy to say the content is building up nicely, but I wish I had more time to start pulling everything together for the book.  Baby steps…all in due time. 

40 posts!?  Right from the beginning I vowed to try to make the blog interesting and more than just a diatribe on how to make baby food at home.  I would have never imagined I could come up with 40 things to talk about to entertain the masses.  And by masses I mean my husband, mom and dad, and friend’s great grandmother who read this blog.
Don’t worry, the book will be less about the history of Mr. Potato Head and the other tangents I run off on in this blog, and more about making amazing, fresh food for your baby at home.  However, I’m sure you will find hints of novelty throughout…it’s in my soul.  We’ll see.

That’s my cue for this week’s puree.  We’re going to do an Apple and Pear Puree with a hint of cinnamon for a little flavour experimentation for your older 8 month old baby.  If baby is 6-7 months you can leave the cinnamon out.  Spices are a nice way to add some flavour dimension to baby’s usual fare without adding salt.  Just wait until they are around 8 months, and you only need to add a tiny amount for baby to notice the flavour update.

Ready…Set…Evolve…

Apples, Pears and Everything Nice (cinnamon spice)


Age – 8 months +

Ingredients
·         4 Apples

·         4 Pears

·         ¼ tsp. Cinnamon Spice

Baby Steps

1.      Peel, core and slice apples and pears taking care to slice each fruit in pieces about the same size.

2.      Add apples to a large pot and add 3 tbsps. of water.  Turn heat on to medium high and cook for a few minutes until you start to hear a sizzling sound.  Turn heat down to medium, cover and cook for 10 minutes.

3.      Add pears to the pot along with cinnamon and stir together with the apples.  Cover and continue to cook for another 15 minutes stirring often until fruit is bubbly, tender and juicy.

4.      Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.  Transfer to a blender, food processor or bowl to use hand held blender to puree.

5.      Puree to a smooth consistency.

6.      Let cool for a few minutes then transfer to freezing trays in the freezer to use within 3 months, or to a food storage container in the fridge to use within 48 hrs.

Makes – 18 servings  (1 serving = 2 tbsps.)

Note:  This recipe makes a lot but don’t worry, the older kids will love it and it’s also great for adults as a condiment on pork chops.

When choosing the apples, make sure to use a sweet variety like Gala rather than sour like Granny Smith or the tartness will make baby’s face turn inside out.  It will be funny, but probably not the best flavour experience for baby.  You’re probably better to watch Seinfeld reruns for a laugh instead.
I’m off to embrace the grey and do some housework.  Oooh…I can’t wait to see how this blah day will transform my otherwise mediocre day tomorrow to fantastic!!