Tomato and Egg Bake

This was super yummy, and even Geoff liked it (and if you had asked him 5 years ago when we were first married he would have told you he disliked tomatoes and squash).  So give this a try, even if you think you have picky eaters.

2 C red onion, chopped
1 1/2 C red bell pepper, diced
1 lb yellow squash, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1/2-1 C cooked quinoa
1/2 C thinly sliced fresh basil, divided
1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 C milk
3/4 C Gruyere cheese, shredded
3 eggs, beaten
small chunk French bread baguette
2 beefsteak tomatos, sliced

Preheat oven to 375

Saute onion in a little oil over medium heat.  Cook 3 minutes.  Add bell pepper and cook 2 more minutes.  Add squash and garlic and cook 4 more minutes.  Combine vegetables with cooked quinoa, 1/4 C basil, thyme, 1/2 tsp salt, and the black pepper.

Combine remaining 1/2 tsp salt, milk, cheese, and eggs.  Stir with a whisk.  Add milk mixture to vegetable mixture, stirring until just combined.  Spoon into a greased baking dish (11x7 or 9x13).  Arrange tomato slices over quinoa mixture.

Place bread in a food processor and pulse into crumbs.  Toast breadcrumbs on the stovetop in a little olive oil.  Sprinkle bread crumbs over tomatoes.  Bake at 375 for 40 minutes or until browned.  Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 C basil.

Baby Pumpkin

Today I saw pie pumpkins in the store.  We rarely get the pie variety of pumpkins so I was tempted to buy one (or two) just because we may never see those pumpkins again.  However, when I made baby pumpkin it was in the middle of the summer and there were certainly no pumpkins in the store, so I used canned pumpkin.  Much to babies dismay, I was particular in making sure it was just canned pumpkin and NOT pumpkin pie filling. 

1 large can pumpkin
¾ cup milk
1 tsp. fresh ground cinnamon
½ tsp. vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. The recipe I was following instructed that you heat the mixture to 160 degrees.  I did so, but I don't know how necessary that step was.  Cool.  Freeze in ice cube trays.

And now, our final post with pictures from Maryland.  On one of my last evening there, we went and picked 10 pounds of blackberries and 5 pounds of rasperries.  It was a delicious evening.  And I got the smashed blackberry stain, courtesy of one Little Boy I know and love, out of my shirt.  The following morning we had banana pancakes with fresh berries on top.  Delish!

This Desmond smile looks just like a little Robbie grin.  All he needs now is a bright yellow mario shirt.

Salsa Shredded Chicken

This was a great slow cooker recipe.  We had a serious amount of chicken left over - 3 meals worth and then we froze a container of chicken that we can use for rice bowls again or we can throw into burritos.

1 lb chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 C salsa
1 Tbsp taco seasoning
1 C sour cream (I didn't have a full cup, but it turned out fine)
1 Can Black beans

Garnish (optional):  cheese, avocado, cilantro, diced tomato

Put chicken, soup, salsa, and taco seasoning in slow cooker.  Cook on low for 6 hours.  Pull out chicken and shred with two forks.  Stir in sour cream and black beans.  Heat on low for another 30 minutes.  Serve on rice.  Garnish, as desired.

Isaac did eat some of the chicken, beans, and rice.  He liked it pretty well.  But, as per habit, I'll include another baby puree recipe that we made several months ago.

Baby Chicken

This puree was a different consistency then the others I've made so I added rice until it was the right consistency.  The benefit to having some pureed chicken is I can make any manner of "main dish" mixes now.  So for dinner, Isaac might get a mixture of 1 cube chicken, 1 cube cauliflower, 2 cubes carrots.  The mixture can change every night depending on the purees you have on add.  Also, you can add seasonings or spices as desired to change it even more.  This way, he gets a larger variety of meals without me making millions of different mixes a head of time.


Directions:  Cook a chicken breast (do not salt).  Puree with some water.  I also added some rice to puree with it.  Freeze in ice cubes.  


And now, for Babies visit to Maryland, part II:

We took the boys swimming a couple times at this awesome pool with a lazy river, a splash pad, a vortex, and water volleyball and basketball.  The second day was cloudy and so the water was a little chilly (Anna, the fish, loved the cool water) but the first day was perfect. We also went to Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, walking briefly on the Appalachian Trail and reaffirming my belief that West Virginia is beautiful and we need to take a vacation there so that the mountains and trails can be thoroughly explored.

Isaac LOVES swimming. 

Harper's Ferry, West Virginia

Lentil Enchiladas

Once upon a time I lived with a fabulous roommate who has great taste in food.  This recipe came from her and it is really easy to make, makes a lot, and is delicious to boot.  Added benefit: lentils, unlike other legumes, don't need to soak overnight and cook up in 10 minutes.  Thanks for the great recipe, Caroline!

1/4-1/2 C onions, diced
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro, plus some for garnishing
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 C red lentils, rinsed (I've made this with both red lentils and brown lentils.  Red was my favorite but both work)
3 C water or veggie broth (or any combination of the two) (can also use chicken broth if you're not worried about having a vegetarian dish)
Taco seasoning or mixture of cumin, corriander, red pepper
8-10 corn tortillas (I had enough lentils for 15+)
30 oz green enchilada sauce
Cheese, grated
Tomato, diced

 Preheat the oven to 350.

Bring water/broth to a boil.  Add 1 C red lentils and cook until al dente (~10 minutes).  Drain and set aside.

Saute onions, cilantro, jalapeno, and half of the bell pepper.  Add lentils to the pan with the onions and peppers.  Stir in some taco seasoning or other spices to desired spicy-ness (I didn't measure, just shake until it tastes good).  Add 1 C of the enchilada sauce.  Heat through.

Pour 1 C of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.  Put several spoonfuls of the lentil mixture into each tortilla.  Sprinkle with a tiny bit of cheese, if desired.  Roll the tortillas and place them seamside down in the baking dish.  Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the tortillas.  Top with a little bit of cheese and remaining diced bell pepper.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Top with tomatoes and cilantro.  Enjoy!

Baby Prunes

I mentioned a few posts ago that baby was on some specific foods to help with digestion.  That's where this recipe comes into play.  Baby prunes are a regular at our house.  Every day, in fact.  Recently, while we were visiting Austin, we were feeding Isaac some prunes at a pizza joint when a lady walked up and said, "He sure likes that chocolate!  He is eating it fast."  I said, "Oh, I'm sure he wishes it were chocolate."  She then asked what we were feeding him and was shocked at how well he ate prunes.  She then preceded to have a loud conversation about how prunes must keep the baby regular and ended by singing Isaac a song about eating prunes.  Very strange conversation.  But what entertains me is she thought I was giving my 9 month baby chocolate for lunch.  Really?

To make prune puree:  Place prunes in a sauce pan.  Fill with enough water to just barely cover all the prunes.  Bring to a boil and cook until prunes are soft (about 8-10 minutes).  Pour entire contents of the pan into blender or food processor.  Puree.  I usually need to add more water so the prunes don't have the consistency of tar (sure sounds appetizing, huh).  Feed to baby and take delight with every dirty diaper.

And finally, I'll give you the first set of pictures from Babies trip to Maryland to visit his cousin.  We went to DC, successfully maneuvering Anna's double Bob through the metro and through a museum.  For the most part, baby traveled like a champ.  Sleeping at nights was a little to be desired but it was worth it to go have fun with family.

Sweet Potato Muffins

These were really yummy.  You could make them for yourself even if you don't have a baby to feed.  I, however, made these specifically for my little Bean. Speaking of my little bean, have I mentioned how wild and wiggly he is lately?  An omen of things to come, right?  The other day he was crawling with purpose and rather than go around Tina, he went straight over her.  Just crawled up over her back without skipping a beat.  What a good dog to just sit there and watch him do it.

Our skinny little bean's waist can't quite hold pants up.  We're always a size or two behind in the pant department.

1/2 C all purpose flour

1/2 C wheat flour

1 C old fashioned oats

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

Whisk all the above dry ingredients together.

2 eggs

1/3 C brown sugar

1/2 C milk

1/4 C oil

1 tsp vanilla

Whisk all the above wet ingredients together.

1 C mashed sweet potato*

Add mashed sweet potato to the wet ingredients.  Blend well.  Gently fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just mixed.  Batter may be lumpy.  Scoop into mini muffin tins (for baby) or full sized muffin tins (for you!).  Bake at 350.

Mini muffins - 350 for 15-17 minutes

Full Sized Muffins - I didn't bake any myself, but someone commented on the original recipe that it took 20ish minutes for full sized muffins

* For sweet potato, bake ahead of time at 400 for 1 hr.  Or dice and cook in a pressure cooker with a touch of water for 8 minutes or until done)
 

And in other news, we got a piano.  I think it's fabulous.  Isaac likes it too and pulls himself up to play on a few keys several times a day.

Banana Bars

It's a toss up over whether I prefer to eat the bananas fresh or if I like them baked into things - especially things with chocolate!  So next time you buy some bananas, accidentally let some get overripe and then make these little gems.

2/3 C margarine
2/3 C sugar
2/3 C brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 C mashed banana
2 C flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 C chocolate chips

Cream margarine and sugars until fluffy.  Add vanilla, egg, and banana.  Stir in dry ingredients.  Add chocolate chips.  Pour into greased jelly roll pan (10x15).  Bake 25-30 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

Option:  Bake in a 9x13 for thicker bars.

Baby has eaten cauliflower.  He's no longer eating it because, as mentioned in the last post, we've pulled a bunch of foods out of his diet to see if some digestive problems can be fixed.  So now we have a bag of frozen cauliflower puree in the freezer.  Oh well.  We'll figure out something to do with it.  I'm thinking I'll mix it into mashed potatoes some day (but don't tell my husband).

For Baby Cauliflower just steam or boil the cauliflower in a little water until tender.  Puree with cooking water.  Add water as necessary. Freeze in ice cubes or silicon muffin tins, depending on desired size.  Isaac liked cauliflower mixed with carrots or peas.

If you're reading this blog with the intention of making baby food, hopefully these recipes are starting to sound super repetitive and you see how easy it is.  It takes 45 minutes once a week to have more than enough food and enough variety on hand for him.  And as he gets older he's eating more of what we eat so soon it should be even less time.

Gooey Goo for Chewy Chewing and Wheat Bread

That's what that Goo-Goose is doing.

In an attempt to help our little boy have a happier digestive experience we have pulled a handful of foods out of his diet.  Unfortunately, this included pulling rice out entirely (goodbye convenient baby rice cereal) and anything fortified with iron (goodbye convenient baby oats).  While rice is gone completely for the foreseeable future, we're still giving him oats so long as they are not fortified with iron.  This means cooking him his own little pan of baby oats.

Start by blending up dry old fashioned rolled oats in a food processor or blender until it resembles a coarse flour.  Then add 1/2 C oats to 1 1/2 C boiling water.  Simmer, whisking continuously for 10 minutes - or I should say, whisking as continuously as a wild little boy who is set upon playing with the dog dishes will allow.  It will resemble goo.  Not blue goo mind you, but goo none the less.  I'm storing it in the fridge and hoping it will be enough for a few days worth of cereal.  Not terribly thrilled about making him oats all the time, but I'd still like him to consistently eat some grains.

Note:  I first tried just mixing the coarse flour with some hot water and mixing it with fruit.  He ate it fine but it didn't digest - just came straight out still looking just like it had going in.  On the bright side, at least it came out - already an improvement.  Anyways, the hope is that cooked oats will digest better.

(Update: Now we are just throwing 1-2 Tbsp oats in the microwave with a bit of water.  3 Tbsp water per 1 Tbsp oats.  Cook for 30 seconds.  Turns out perfect everytime.)

One day I had stepped into the kitchen while baby was crawling around in the living room.  I heard him fuss a little but didn't worry about it but as the fussing gradually increased I poked my head over the ledge to find him like this.  He had crawled into the bottom of the excersaucer and couldn't get out.  He was not impressed with the situation but it certainly warranted shooting a picture before helping him get out.

Wheat Bread

This wheat bread is phenomenal.  The recipe is from my mother, who I think got it from my grandma, though I'm not certain.  Anyways, living in humid Houston, I know that I need to use a little bit more flour than she does in dry Colorado.  (1-1/2 to 2 Cups more than she uses).

Also, I use fresh ground wheat.  My grinder produces a flour that is finer than the flour you can buy at the store.  I don't know if that makes a difference.  So add flour cautiously so you don't add too much.

1/3 C oil
1/3 C honey
1/3 C molasses
5 1/2 C warm water
1 Tbsp salt (plus maybe a pinch more)
2 1/2 Tbsp yeast
1/2 C vital yeast gluten (or dough enhancer or gluten flour)
2 1/2 Tbsp vinegar

Mix all the above ingredients together in a big stand mixer and let rise 5-10 minutes until bubbly.

Add 10 C wheat flour and 1/2 C old fashioned rolled oats.  Cover and let rise to the top of the bowl.

Gradually add 2-3 C flour (I add white flour here, though you can do white or wheat) until the sides of the bowl clean.  Don't add too much too fast.  It will need to beat for 7-8 minutes.  Let raise to top of the bowl again.

Divide into 5 greased 8x5 bread pans.  Shape.  Let the dough rise for another 10 minutes.  Bake at 365 for 40 minutes.

Yummy!

Chicken and Blue Cheese Spinach Salad

Another delicious salad.  Geoff and I aren't always the biggest blue cheese fans, but this salad was quite tasty.

Chicken breast(s) (One breast should be enough for 2-3 people)
Flour
1 egg
Italian breadcrumbs
oil

Dredge chicken in flour, dip in egg, and then dredge in breadcrumbs.  Heat olive oil in skillet.  Cook chicken for 4-6 minutes per side or until done.  Let sit for a few minutes, then slice against the grain.  Serve on salad

Salad:
Spinach
Apple slices
Craisins
Blue Cheese
Walnuts, chopped
Poppy Seed dressing

Little Boy is as wild as ever.  He loves whacking Jenga blocks on things to hear what sound they make.  What a good little music major's son.  He particularly loves whacking them in the bottom of the built in bookcase.  I think he must like the echo in there.  And then, much to his delight, he figured out how to climb into the bookcase.  Brilliant.  (Yes I am aware of the non-baby proofed cord in the back of the bookcase.  We bought a cover for it since taking this picture.)

And, in adding to our baby food collection, baby has been eating Peaches for sometime now.  Just like pears, we cook the peaches in just a little water until tender (8 minutes or so) and then blend them up with some of the cooking water.  Delicious.  Though, now that he's older, we've given him pear chunks, which he likes just fine.

Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies

Combine and let stand 2 hours:
3 eggs, beaten
1 C raisins
1 tsp vanilla

Cream together:
1 C brown sugar
1 C sugar
1 C butter

Add to sugar mixture:
2 1/2 C flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp soda
2 C oatmeal

Mix well.  Add the raisin mixture.  Bake cookies at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Little Boy is crawling around and has found some great new toys.  Some of his favorites include shoes, electrical chords, anything that belongs to Tina (toys, dog food, water dish), and door stoppers (the things on the wall that make a "spring" noise when you accidentally kick them).  Here he has successfully gotten to the shoes and it was so cute I had to take a picture before removing it and replacing the shoe with a toy more acceptable for putting in his mouth.

Also, Little Boy recently had his first Spinach.  We steamed some spinach for 10 minutes or so and then pureed it with some of the water from steaming.  He liked the spinach ok the first time we gave it to him (I tried some, it was very mild).  After freezing it in cubes and then thawing it, though, it separated and had an odd watery texture with lumps which wasn't too impressive to our little boy.  So we mixed it with carrots and the mixture was devoured with vigor.

And finally, here is Tina looking brave in her Thundershirt.  Tina is terrified of many things.  For example, she has jumped in fear from dandelions, branches, tall weeds, and leaves.  While her jumping in fear at greenery on our walks doesn't bother me too much, her throwing up (or worse) in fear during thunderstorms or fireworks does.  As preventative action, we got her this stylish Thundershirt for the fourth of July.  Fireworks are legal here and as we all know, Texans like things bigger and louder.  Especially louder.  The first time we put her in the Thundershirt for a thunderstorm a few weeks ago she hobbled around, unsteady on her feet as if she were a little drunk dog.  Now she's more accustomed to the shirt and walks normal.  She doesn't shake during storms or insist upon being comforted and pet.  And the best part, no cleaning up throw up after the very loud fireworks show put on by our neighbors.

Overnight Blueberry French Toast

Sometimes I get focused on the bad things about living in Houston (the serious lack of mountains, or even hills, for that matter; the ridiculous heat; the snakes; the giant bugs . . .) but there are two amazing things about living in Houston.  The first is that we found our Tina-dog here (which is entirely unrelated to this post, but she's laying next to me while I write this and she got a bath this morning and smells good and she is just so sweet).  The second is blueberry picking.  About twenty minutes away there is this fabulous blueberry farm where you can go pick blueberries to your hearts content for an outrageously cheep price.  We went a few weekends ago with Geoff's parents.  It made for a wonderful morning and delicious eating.  We made this french toast a few weeks ago and it was heavenly in a blueberry sort of way.

1 loaf day-old bread, cut into 1 inch cubes (I used about 3/4 of a loaf of French bread)
1 8 oz packages cream cheese, cut into cubes
1/2 C fresh blueberries (or a bit more becasue they are so tasty)
6 eggs, beaten
1 C milk
1 tsp vanilla
5 Tbsp maple syrup

Grease a 9x9 baking dish.  Place bread cubes in the dish until the bottom is covered.  Top with cream cheese cubes and blueberries.  Top with remaining bread cubes (or as many bread cubes as it takes to fill the pan. 

In a bowl, combine the eggs, milk, vanilla, and syrup.  Pour over the bread cubes.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove the bread cubes from the refrigerated 30 minutes before baking.  Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes at 350.  Uncover and continue baking an additional 25-30 minutes until lightly browned and center is firm.

Blueberry Sauce:

1/2 C sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 C water
1/2 C blueberries
1/2 Tbsp butter

Mix  sugar, cornstarch, and water in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly.  Mix in the blueberries.  Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.  Stir in the butter and pour over the baked French toast.  Enjoy!

Isaac tried to help but he mostly just pulled leaves off the bushes and shook blueberries loose to the ground.

Little boy came to pick blueberries with us.  After a little bit, though, he went and sat with his grandpa in the shade next to the fans to cool off a little bit (Houston is hot!).  Once again, though, I am a mean mom and didn't let little boy have any blueberries.  I know there are lots of baby food recipes out there with blueberries but my doctor recommended no berries for 1 year, so that's what we're going with (though, on an odd note, she also said milk is fine after 6 months IF the baby was breastfed exclusively for the first 6 months, which is different from what many pediatricians say).

So the Little Wiggle Boy ate avocado instead.  I mashed it with a spoon but he wasn't terribly impressed, so I added some onion powder and a splash of lime juice and he liked that much better.

Lasagna

I can't believe lasagna isn't on my blog yet.  This is my moms recipe because as we all know, nobody's lasagna is as good as moms.  Ever.  So I understand if this is the recipe on my blog that you never try because it just isn't your moms lasagna.  But if your mom didn't ever make lasagna and you therefore don't have a "moms lasagna" that is your favorite, step into my mom's kitchen, into my childhood, and sample some of her lasagna. 

 

1 lb ground turkey (or lean ground beef)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp basil

1 tsp salt

1 1-lb can tomatoes

2 6-oz cans tomato paste

10 oz lasagna noodles (buy the pre-boiled noodles to save yourself time)

1 egg, beaten

3 C dry cottage cheese or Ricotta

1/2 C grated Parmesan or Romano

2 Tbsp parsley

1/2 tsp pepper

1 lb mozzarella cheese, grated

Brown meat.  Spoon off any extra grease.  Add garlic.  Cook for 30 seconds.  Add basil, salt, tomatoes, and tomato paste.  Simmer with lid ajar for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Cook noodles (unless you bought the pre-boiled noodles).

Combine egg, cottage cheese/ricotta, Parmesan, parsley, pepper, and mozzarella.

Layer half the noodles in a grased 9x13 dish.  Spread half the cheese filling followed by half the meat sauce.  Repeat (noodles, cheese, sauce).  Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.  

Note:  If you assemble it early and refrigerate before baking, increase the cook time to 45 minutes.

A funny story (or maybe I should say a yucky, awful story):  While I was cutting up the basil and stirring it into the tomatoes, Geoff asks, "Did you wash that basil really well?"  Yeah, why?  "Well," he says, "I might have sprayed it with insecticide yesterday when I was spraying the nearby rose bushes."

WHAT!?  Might have sprayed it?  What do you mean might have sprayed it?  Did you spray it or not, now is the time to remember.  He couldn't remember.  So I didn't add the other leaves of basil I was planning on, though it was too late for what I had already added to the tomatoes.  Hope I washed them well enough.  I appreciate his help in the garden and, after throwing away the remaining basil I had cut, informed him that we have some organic sprays that are for the herbs so we don't have to worry about poisoning ourselves.

Little Boy is, as always, enjoying his food.  He recently had his first Mangoes.  He often gets these with plain yogurt and it looks so good, I'm tempted to eat some, too.

For Mangoes, peel the fruit and cut the flesh away from the center stone.  Puree fruit (no cooking necessary).  Add water if necessary to reach desired consistency. Freeze in ice cube trays or muffin tins.

This is Isaac's "feed me" face.  "Can't you see that my mouth is open?  Why is there not food in my mouth yet?  Faster Mom, faster."

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

A few years ago when visiting Colorado, my dad and I decided to go on the search for the best chocolate chip cookie recipe.  All cookies were judged in comparison to those found at Paradise Bakery (that elusive, delicious cookie) and were tested both warm out of the oven and fully cooled.  During that five day trip to Colorado we tried at least 3 different recipes but to no avail.  Since then I have continued to try new recipes, searching for The Recipe.  But finally, the long awaited cookie-recipe-so-good-it-will-knock-your-socks-off is here. (Unless you are a fox.  As we all know, Fox in socks and Knox in box.)  My mother found this recipe.  I never asked her where she got it.  I was too distracted by my socks having just been knocked off.  Read this post.  And then immediately go pull out some butter and start making cookies because these really are the best cookies ever. 

1 C. butter, unsalted, softened (no substitutes)
1 C. margarine, softened
2 C. brown Sugar
2 C. white sugar
4 eggs
2 Tbs. real vanilla
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
4 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
1 C. old-fashioned oatmeal ground into a flour (I put this in the blender and let it go until it is very fine)
2-3 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 C. chopped pecans (optional)

Cream butter and margarine for 1 minute.  Add sugars and vanilla.  Beat for another 3 minutes.  Add eggs.  Beat for another 2 minutes.  Add the dry ingredients (everything but the chocolate chips and the nuts).  Do not over-beat!  In fact, as soon as it starts looking even partially mixed together, I add the chocolate chips and nuts gently by hand. If needed, you can add a tiny bit more flour.  But it's ok if its a little sticky (stick it in the fridge for 15 minutes and it will become more manageable).

Scoop out balls.  Slightly flatten.  Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350.

Options:  I once made this recipe with chocolate chips, chopped pecans, and coconut.  It was amazing.  Also, the recipe is huge.  I always cut it in half and even then we still have plenty of dough to keep in the freezer for those late night cookie cravings. 

Weren't those good?  With that said, I still have my eyes on 3 more recipes I want to try.  Why haven't I tried them yet?  Because they all require refrigerating the dough for 24-48 hours.  And when were talking cookies, patience isn't a virtue of mine.  Whenever I look at those recipes, I decide I want cookies NOW and choose a different recipe.  I know I could use those recipes and not wait the 24-48 hours, but I feel like I need to give them a real try, following the directions, before I judge them.  Maybe one day I'll get to them.

Once again, I am a mean parent.  I didn't let Little Boy eat any cookies.  Instead he eats Green Beans.  Not his favorite.  In fact, probably his least favorite but when mixed with carrots or sweet potatoes, he doesn't even know he's eating them.

How to cook Green Beans?  Wash and snap off the ends of fresh green beans.  Steam or boil in a little water for 8-10 minutes.  Puree beans and cooking water.  Add more water to reach desired consistency if necessary.  Freeze in ice cube trays or muffin tins.

Black Bean Pepper Jack Pizza

You must think we eat pizza all the time.  And wouldn't that be great if we did?  It's been a little bit since we got groceries and that means we're low on produce.  Which means what in the world to have for dinner?  The obvious answer: pizza.  We didn't have much cheese (but when has that ever stopped me from making pizza?) so here is the improvised pizza based on what we had in the fridge.  And it was delicious.  I would have this every day.

Ok, so the avocado isn't the prettiest in this picture, but I promise you it was delicious.

Top a pizza crust with:

Tomato sauce (we used some leftover pasta sauce)
Cheddar cheese, grated (barely any, we used up our last little sliver on this)
Pepper Jack cheese, grated
Spiced black beans (These were black beans I had in the fridge that were mixed with chili powder, cumin, coriander, and a bit of lemon juice.  See exact ratios here)
Diced bell pepper

Bake at 375 for 12-15 min

Garnish with diced avocado

Enjoy!

Our little Bub-o is still eating away.  He loves food.  Wonder where he gets that from?  His latest favorite is mashed bananas.  How, you may ask, do you make mashed bananas?  Well, take a banana (or half of a banana) and mash it with a fork.  Why do people buy mashed bananas from Gerber?  We all own forks.

Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa

You may have noticed a shocking lack of fish on my blog.  That's because 1) fish is expensive and 2) (more importantly) fish makes me nervous.  I feel like fish is either good or bad and there is no in between.  Well, Geoff is helping me get over my fear of cooking with fish by encouraging me to plan more fish meals (in his words "it's supposed to be healthy, or something").

As a good starter fish, tilapia was on sale and so tilapia we bought.

Salsa:
1 C avocado, diced
2/3 C mango, diced
1/3 C red onion or green onions, diced
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp lime juice
1/4 tsp ground red pepper

Combine all ingredients.  Sprinkle lightly with salt.

Fish:
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb tilapia

Combine spices and garlic.  Rub over fish.  Heat a little olive oil in a skillet and add fish to pan.  Cook 2 minutes on each side or until done.  Remove from heat, keep warm.

Fill tortillas with fish and salsa.  Eat and feel proud of yourself for successfully cooking fish (it wasn't that scary, now, was it).

Recipe from Cooking Light May 2012

Baby Pears

And little boy is eating pears.  And you guessed it:  Boil diced pears in a tiny bit of water (they will create there own water so you don't need to add much, just enough to keep your pan from getting burned pears stuck to it).  Puree pears and water.  Add water if necessary (though I doubt you will need to) and freeze in ice cube trays.

Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

Another tasty pasta recipe.  As my husband would say: "Good stuff Maynard."

1 C vegetable broth
12 sundried tomatoes
8 oz penne pasta, cooked
2 Tbsp pine nuts
1 Tbsp oil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
a few handfuls of spinach
Parmesan cheese  to garnish

Bring broth to boil.  Remove from heat.  Place tomatoes in broth for 15 minutes or until softened.  Remove tomatoes and dice them.

Place pine nuts in a skillet.  Cook over medium heat until lightly toasted.  Add oil and red pepper.  Saute garlic 1 minute.  Mix in spinach and cook until almost wilted.  Pour in broth  and add tomatoes.  Cook until heated through.  Toss with pasta.  Garnish with Parmesan.

And little boy is still eating away.  His next new food was carrots and he loved them from the very first bite.  More please?  (Yes, I know, the above picture isn't orange and therefore isn't carrots, but isn't he cute?)

Boil or steam 2 C washed, peeled carrot chunks with 3/4 C water until carrots are mushy.  Puree with cooking water.  Add water if needed for thinner consistency.  Freeze in ice cube trays.

Lemon Blossoms

When we were in Idaho for Ben's wedding, I spent some time in the hotel with the sleeping baby.  Which means I spent some time watching the food network.  This recipe was on one of the shows and I knew we needed to try it - and it was delicious! Thank you baby for needing to go to bed and thank you cooking show for delicious food in my belly.

Mini-Muffins:
Yellow Cake Mix
4 eggs
3.5 oz box lemon pudding
3/4 C oil

Beat all ingredients together for 2-3 minutes.  Drop batter into a sprayed mini muffin pan.  Bake at 350 for 12 minutes.  Dump baked muffins out onto a wire rack to cool.

Glaze:
2 C powdered sugar
zest of 1 lemon
1 1/2 Tbsp water
1 1/2 Tbsp oil
1/4 C fresh lemon juice

Whisk together all ingredients.  Dunk muffins into glaze via a fork stabbed in the bottom of the muffin so you can cover the entire muffin.  Return to wire rack to allow glaze to dry.  If desired, re-dunk muffins into the glaze (if dunking twice, double the glaze recipe).

I use the word "muffins" lightly.  But it seems wrong to call them cupcakes since that doesn't seem the right word either.  I guess that's why the cooking show named them "lemon blossoms".  I mean really, what's a blossom?

And because we are mean parents and insist upon vegetable eating, little boy got to eat his first helping of peas instead of lemon blossoms.  He was not impressed that first night, though he likes them now (after about 6 tries).

Baby Peas

Boil or steam 1 C peas with 1/2 C water for 6-8 minutes.  Throw water and peas into food processor or blender.  Blend until smooth, adding water as needed for desired consistency.  Freeze in ice cube trays.  This made 6 servings, so double it for a full ice cube tray.