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."