Baby Food - Mango

This was Brody's all time favorite food so far!  He can't get enough....I think he would eat these until he was sick!

One mango yields about six ounces of puree.

When purchasing fresh mango, look for fruit that's free of nicks, bruises, and other blemishes. A ripe mango will give slightly when you squeeze it and have a fruity aroma at the steam; the color can vary between red, yellow, or orange and isn't the best indicator of ripeness.

Wash the mango with a mixture of three parts water and one part white vinegar to remove bacteria. Rinse under cool running water and dry.

Use a knife with serrated edges to slice the thickest part of the mango on either side; cut as close as possible to the pit. Make three horizontal and three vertical cuts (down to the peel but not through it) in the flesh of the mango. Scoop the flesh out with a spoon.

Puree mango in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add water as needed to reach desired consistency.

Refrigerate leftover mango puree for up to 3 days. Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in your refrigerator.

Baby Stuff

I've been getting lots of emails requesting my lovely baby spreadsheets, SO I created a new link on my blog - "Craft / Baby Index" (top header on left) - to store all that loveliness.  Enjoy :)

Cookie Sandwich

Hmmmm heaven in your mouth!!!!

Ingredients:
1 recipe of Chocolate Chip Cookies
Strawberries - diced
Cool whip (or Whipped Cream)

Grandma Mimi's Chocolate Chip Cookies

A co-worker of mine won an award for the "best chocolate chip cookie" - so we thought we would give it a try tonight at cookbook.  These were good....and we made them even better by doing this: Cookie Sandwich.

Kerry Olzenak Award Winning Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup butter-flavored shortening
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon hot water
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups flour
12 oz package chocolate chips
2 cups oatmeal

Cream shortening and stir in sugar and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mix until smooth.

Add vanilla, hot water, soda, salt, flour and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Add oatmeal and stir well.

Drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 9-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Summer Pasta Salad

Possible last cookbook club at 14234??  We sold our house - YAY - so it was weird to think this could be the last cookbook at my house!  We made up a yummy summer salad; it was so tasty!!  I would add in some grape tomatoes....hmmm yummy!!!

 

Ingredients:

8oz dried bow tie and/or wagon wheel pasta 

2 medium avocados, halved, seeded, peeled, and coarsely chopped

6 slices bacon, crisp cooked, drained, and crumbled

2/3 cup chopped fresh basil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup finely shredded Pecorino Romano cheese

 

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain.

 

Meanwhile, in a large bowl - combine the avocados, bacon, basil, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, pepper, and salt.  Add the hot pasta and toss to combine.  Transfer to a serving bowl.  Sprinkle with cheese.

Baby Food - Nectarine

It's so fun introducing food to Brody....I'm getting excited to start with finger food, but I'm still coming up with new fruits to show him first!!  He seriously eats everything...

 

1 nectarine = 4oz puree

When purchasing fresh nectarines (best in mid- to late-summer), look for fruit that's free of nicks, bruises, and other blemishes. A ripe nectarine will vary in color from greenish yellow to mostly reddish with a yellow background, and it will give slightly when you squeeze it. Since nectarines are part of the "dirty dozen" - foods with the highest pesticide residue - it's a good idea to buy organic.

Wash the nectarine with a mixture of three parts water and one part white vinegar to remove bacteria. Rinse under cool running water and dry.

Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan and then add the nectarine to the water for about 45 seconds. With a slotted spoon, remove nectarine from boiling water and plunge into an ice bath immediately. After the nectarine has been full submerged, remove and peel the skin with your fingers or a sharp paring knife.

Slice the nectarine in half, lengthwise, working your way around the pit. Twist and pull the nectarine halves apart. Use a spoon to pry out the pit, or stick the blade of a sharp knife into the pit and twist until the pit pops out. Slice each half into small chunk.

Puree nectarine in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add water as needed to reach desired consistency.

Refrigerate leftover nectarine puree for up to 3 days. Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in your refrigerator.

Zucchini Gratin

Between our house being on the market and crazy / busy summer, we have NOT been making many dinners (let alone trying new stuff!)  :(  This weekend we were working on house stuff, so we hit up the grocery store and made hearty and yummy meals!!!  This was pretty good....not my favorite side dish, but a different way to eat zucchinis!  It went really good with steaks!!

Servings: 6 side-dish

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons butter
1lb yellow onions, cut in 1/2 and sliced (about 3 large)
2lbs zucchini and/or yellow squash, sliced 1/4-inch thick (about 4 zucchini)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (use 1/2 teaspoon if using table salt)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
6 tablespoons Italian style bread crumbs
3/4 cup grated Gruyere
olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a very large sauté pan and cook the onions over low heat for 20 minutes, or until tender but not browned.  As the onions are cooking, stir them occasionally and work on prepping the other ingredients.

Add the zucchini and cook, covered, for 8-10 minutes, or until tender. Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg and garlic and cook uncovered for 5 more minutes, stirring often. Whisk flour into the milk and add to pan, turning up heat slightly just until milk heats and starts bubbling.  Then cook over low heat for a few minutes, until it thickens and makes a sauce. Pour the zucchini mixture, and all the sauce into an 8 by 10-inch baking dish (or something close to that).

Combine the bread crumbs and Gruyere and sprinkle on top of the zucchini mixture. Drizzle a little olive oil over the top (place your finger over the opening of the bottle to make it easier to just drizzle a little) and bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly and browned.  Cool for a few minutes before serving.

Southwestern Brown Rice Salad

This was HOT, HOT, HOT....as in spicy!  If you aren't a fan of spice - either don't put the jalapeno's in or take out the seeds!  It was really good, but had a KICK!  We had this with 3-2-1 RIBS....yummy!!!

Makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

1 recipe of brown rice (see below)
2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
Zest of 1 lime
2 teaspoons honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
10oz grape tomatoes, halved
1 medium avocado, diced
1 jalapeno, diced (seeded if you want; I pretty much always want)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
5-7 green onions, chopped

Cook the rice according to the directions below. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lime juice, lime zest, honey, garlic, and cumin. Set aside.

In a large bowl, gently toss together the rice, tomatoes, avocado, and jalapeno. Add the cilantro and green onions and toss. Drizzle with the dressing, salt to taste, and serve immediately (or refrigerate…this will be good until the avocados start getting iffy, so about a day.)

How to Boil Brown Rice

1 1/2 cups long grain brown rice
3 quarts water
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons vinegar or citrus juice

Fill a large pot with the 3 quarts of water (not 3 cups–we’re living on the edge here) and add the salt. Bring to a boil. While the water is coming to a boil, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

When the water is boiling, add the rice and cook uncovered for 22-25 minutes (or until the rice is tender), stirring occasionally. Drain in a fine-mesh strainer and spread evenly over the prepared baking sheet (this step isn’t necessary if you’re eating the rice right away and you feel like you got all the water out, but for things like salads and stir-fries, you’ll definitely want to spread the rice on a baking sheet).. Drizzle with the citrus juice or vinegar and toss to combine. Transfer to a serving dish to serve or cover and store in the refrigerator for later use in recipes.

3-2-1 RIBS

We have not been doing very good at making home cooked meals lately, SO we decided to have a "date night in" / house projects and cook a wicked meal to eat once Brody went to bed.  These might have taken 6 hours to make - but it was worth it!!!  They were soooo good!!!  Ross gets all the credit here - and he said "best ribs he ever had!"  :)

Ingredients:
1 rack of spare ribs (at room temperature)
Rub with rib rub
Tin Foil
Apple Juice

Rub ribs with the rib rub....Smoke on grill/smoker for 3 hours at 225 degrees - bone side down.  (I asked Ross if people would know how to "smoke", and I got "um yeah".....SO if you don't know what I'm talking about - ask me!!  Ross used a smokers box under our grill..had wood chips in there....seemed a little complicated to me, but I wasn't given much explanation -- hehe)

Wrap ribs in tin foil and pour apple juice over.  Cook 2 more hours at 225 degrees.  (again, asked Ross for more deets here....so you don't need to smoke for these 2 hours, but you can keep the ribs in the smoker; if that's what you used.)

Remove from foil and place ribs back on grill/smoker and smoke for 1 more hour at 225 degrees. (and now we are smoking again....)

Take them out and eat!

Baby Food - Apricot

Brody will eat anything.....he had all cold food when we were camping cause we were on the go so much, so when we got home and I gave them apricots I wasn't surprised when he just ate them :)  I think they were a little too tart though, so he wanted "more" once I mixed with his oatmeal!

 

One whole apricot yields about four ounces of puree.

The tanginess of pureed apricot brings a pleasing flavor contrast to sweet fruit and veggie purees, and it brightens meat and poultry purees. You can make apricot puree with fresh or frozen apricots; buy fresh in the summer and frozen the rest of the year for high-quality, affordable apricots. Look for deep yellow to orange fruit that's free of nicks, bruises, and other blemishes. Ripe apricots will give a bit when you squeeze them. Avoid apricots that feel hard -- their flesh will be crunchy instead of soft and juicy.

Wash the apricot with a mixture of three parts water and one part white vinegar to remove bacteria. Rinse under cool running water and dry.

Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan and then drop the apricot into the water for about 45 seconds. With a slotted spoon, remove the apricot from boiling water and plunge into an ice bath immediately. After the apricot has been fully submerged, remove and peel the skin with your fingers or a sharp paring knife.

Slice the apricot in half, lengthwise, working your way around the pit. Twist and pull the apricot halves apart. Use a spoon to pry out the pit, or stick the blade of a sharp knife into the pit and twist until the pit pops out. Slice each half into small chunks.

Puree apricots in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add water as needed to reach desired consistency.

Cool apricot puree and refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days. Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in your refrigerator.

Baby Food - Zucchini

I didn't think Brody would really like this, because lately he has been seeing anything green and not wanting to eat it - BUT he ate this and seemed to keep wanting more, so we might have a green veggie winner!!

Choose zucchini that are somewhat small in diameter, as these are the most tender.

Wash squash thoroughly and cut into small slices or chunks. Do not remove skins. (*The skin contains most of the nutrients....You may remove skins however an infant of 7-8 months old should be able to digest squash puree with skins on)

Steam until tender (or boil for 10 minutes) then place into your choice of appliance for pureeing and begin pureeing. This becomes very watery when cooked; so you don't need to add any water when pureeing.

Baby Food - Acorn Squash

So I was trying to think of more veggies to introduce to B, and most of the ones I have left our doctor/I've read to wait until 8+ or 10+ months to introduce SO I figured we would do up another kinda of squash since Broden likes his butternut squash so much!

This squash is probably one of the most easily recognized and most often eaten. It does have an acorn shape to it along with deep furrows. The acorn squash is typically a deep dark green however there are some varsities that are yellow or orange. If you find and acorn squash that has orange or yellow splotches on it, this is indicative of it's quality.

With a sharp kitchen knife, cut the acorn squash in half - lengthwise.  Scoop out the seeds and lay squash "face" or meat-side down in a baking dish with about 1-2 inched of water.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 40 minutes or until shell/skin looks puckery and turns darker.

Baby Food - Apples

Can't go wrong with apple sauce!!  Brody couldn't get enough of this!!  I literally gave him 5T of apples PLUS oatmeal tonight; I think he would have kept eating but I thought I better cut him off!!!

One medium apple yields about five ounces of puree

Since apples are part of the "dirty dozen" -- foods with the highest pesticide residue -- it's a good idea to buy organic. Choose apples with a sweet, mild flavor, such as Red Delicious and Gala apples; avoid tart varieties such as Granny Smith.

Wash the apple with a mixture of three parts water and one part white vinegar to remove bacteria. Rinse under cool running water, dry, and peel. The easiest way to peel an apple is to use a vegetable peeler and work in a circular motion around the fruit. If you do not have a vegetable peeler, use a sharp paring knife

Set the peeled apple, stem side up, on a clean cutting board. Slice in half. To remove the core, cup each apple slice in your palm and cut in a shallow scooping motion with a paring knife. Once the core is removed, slice each half into small chunks

Bring water to a boil in a medium-size saucepan. Reduce heat until bubbles are soft. Cook apple chunks until tender. Check apples after 10 minutes -- it's important to minimize cooking time to help preserve vitamins and minerals. When apples are tender, drain and rinse with cold water for three minutes to stop the cooking process.

Puree in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add water as needed to reach desired consistency.

Cool applesauce and refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days. Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in your refrigerator.

Baby Food - Peaches

Brody LOVED his peaches!!!  Man - I think this kid will eat anything!!!  haha  He isn't such a fan of green beans these days, but mixed with peaches - he'll even eat that!!  He really liked when I mixed the peaches with his oatmeal....I think it took a little of the sweetness away!  AND this helped with his constipation too!!  They say 'P' food for "poop" :)

One peach yields about four ounces of puree.

You can make peach puree with fresh or frozen peaches; buy fresh in the summer and frozen the rest of the year for high-quality, affordable peaches. When purchasing fresh peaches, look for deep orange-colored fruit with a reddish blush. It should be free of nicks, bruises, and other blemishes. A ripe peach will give slightly when you squeeze it. Since peaches are part of the "dirty dozen" - foods with the highest pesticide residue - it's a good idea to buy organic.

Wash the peach with a mixture of three parts water and one part white vinegar to remove bacteria. Rinse under cool running water and dry.

Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan and then add peaches to the water for about 45 seconds. With a slotted spoon, remove peaches from boiling water and plunge into an ice bath immediately. After peach has been full submerged, remove and peel the skin with your fingers or a sharp paring knife.

Slice peaches in half, lengthwise, working your way around the pit. Twist and pull the peach halves apart. Use a spoon to pry out the pit, or stick the blade of a sharp knife into the pit and twist until the pit pops out. Slice each half into even-sized slices then quarter each slice.

Puree peaches in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add water as needed to reach desired consistency.

Refrigerate leftover peach puree for up to 3 days. Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in your refrigerator.