The Pink Peppercorn - eats, cooks, tastes and divulges

finally

2011-10-16T18:59:00.000-07:00

Finally, finally, finally, I've got this just right.

These are so wickedly absurdly good, I can't believe that I haven't discovered them earlier. "Oh?" You say. Yes, that's right, I do. These little veggie-curry-cakes are not only tasty, but full of cauliflower!

It has taken me a few disastrous attempts to recreate a friends' recipe, and trust me, the failed tries were so very bad, that I was skeptical that I should even try again. I had to though. Just trust me when I say that chickpea flour can be very, very bitter.

First off, it is easy to get tired of just eating plain old cauliflower and broccoli, and most improvements on taste, definitely forgo any reasons to eat these tree-like friends for health. Secondly, my kid will eat nearly anything. Okay, so the liver and onion pâté I made for dinner, he didn't really like. However, he does love to eat sautéed onions by the boatload, and will eat gobs of blackberries more tart than most lemons. But cauliflower? Broccoli? Forget it. Hide it? Ha! Disguise it? He'll still recognize it. But in these patties? It even stumped him! Although, he does love curries and spices in general.

I guess you could say that these are mostly potato cakes with a good swack of other veggies, and then some curry powder and cumin to liven things up.

The recipe makes 16 patties, but it is exceedingly difficult to not eat at least a few...

Cauliflower-Potato Cakes

Makes 16 patties

1/2 head cauliflower (3 cups), cut into large pieces
4 medium red potatoes, halved
4 medium new potatoes (white), halved
1/4 cup very finely diced red pepper
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1 tbsp chickpea flower (or other flour you prefer)
1 tbsp + 1 tsp salt
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
extra virgin olive oil, or coconut oil for frying

1. In a large stock pot, cover all the vegetables, with water and bring to a boil with 1 tablespoon salt. Cook until the potatoes and cauliflower is fork tender. Drain, and let cool slightly.
2. In a large bowl, place the spices, chickpea flour, and 1 teaspoon of salt.
3. Add the vegetables to the bowl, and mash with a potato masher, and stir to combine everything together into a dough.
4. Using a griddle or nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Make patties by filling and ice cream scoop with the dough, release it onto the pan, and then flatten it into a pattie with a spatula. Cook on each side for 3-5 minutes, until golden brown. Consume immediately, or freeze for later. Enjoy!

borgo trattoria

2011-10-02T19:37:00.000-07:00

Eggplant "fritta" with fennel yogourt. Looks good right?

Yes. We did it. Jeff and I finally made it out of the house for a date! Yes, I know it's nearly unbelievable, and we are both still pinching ourselves even though it was over a week ago.

Soon to be Calgary's newest hot-spot, if it's not already, Borgo Trattoria is the obvious choice for a casual day or night adventure with friends, family, and even romance. Borgo is the brainchild of Capo's Giuseppe di Gennaro, and is tucked away in Mount Royal Village Shops, just off 17th Ave SW. Borgo is modern and sleek, but also familial and jovial. It is designed for everyday enjoyment, but with a touch of refinement.

Things I love about Borgo. It's Italianness. The all day bar/caffe/eating/watering/gathering place. Italian cocktails that I didn't have to fly over the Atlantic to enjoy. Food value. People watching.

I feel the value for food needs some emphasis. The portions are decidedly small, as in a Venetian cicheti wine bar experience, as are the prices. Want a meatball? That's $2. The menu is designed for tasting, to accompany a drink and more importantly, a good time with friends. If one is to order many different dishes to whet the palate, then large portions are ill-suited to this pursuit. Of course, there is nothing stopping anyone from ordering multiple portions of the items they enjoy the most to make the volume of food larger and price-comparable to family chain restaurants. Have I had a better arancino? Sure, but one can't really compare the arancini at a night market on the main piazza of a nearly forgotten small Italian village either. Did I order more arancini after the first one? Guilty as charged.

I dare say Calgary has a spectacular offering of high-end fine dining restaurants. It is refreshing to find that I am not the only one who thinks we need more restaurants in the middle price range with exceptional food, offering a good value.

It's newness and seeming popularity, hopefully doesn't make it blissfully unaware, as there are kinks to be worked out. But gauging from Gennaro's track record at Capo with exceptional service and food, I am hopeful for Borgo's future. We definitely enjoyed the night and are plotting our next escape to Borgo.

Oh right. For the first time, EVER, someone asked me why I was taking pictures! And it was the manager. My response? "Oh for fun." It is technically true though!

Aperol negroni. This gives me chills up my spine just thinking about it!

Bucatini "Amatriciana". I love to make this at home too.

Plump little gnocchi. This was exceptionally filling, but worth every bite!

Flank steak (on left), veal (near top), green beans, and borlotti beans.

One of my favourite preparations for the humble green bean is paired with tomato sauce.

Flank steak, one of my favourite dishes of the night.

Veal with sage butter.

One can never have too much dessert.

Borgo Trattoria
818 16 Ave SW
Calgary, AB T2R 0S9
(403)245-2202
7 days a week, 7:30am - until late, no reservations

carrot-beet salad

2011-08-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

There's always room for a few more veggies. That's right, I didn't say dessert. But it's true, there should probably be room for all of us to eat a few more brightly coloured delicious foods grown in the soil or right out of it.

One of my favourite ways to change up boredom from green salads is to make a salad of grated vegetables. Coleslaw is all fine and good, but why leave it at that?

You can purchase shares in a band-aid company, or alternatively use a food processor with a grating attachment. It's definitely a life-saver on more than one front.

Perhaps I should chop the parsley a little finer, but no one was complaining. Albeit a tad rustic perhaps. Others would say lazy. I prefer colourful!

Summery Carrot-Beet Salad

2 medium beets
4 large carrots
1/2 bunch of flat-leaf parsley
juice of one lime
extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp sea salt
pinch of ground cinnamon (optional)
pinch of ground cloves (optional)

1. Chop and grate the beets and carrots in a food processor, no peeling necessary. Chop the parsley as fine as you like, and combine with the grated vegetables in a medium serving bowl.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the lime juice with the olive oil and spices.
3. Combine all ingredients in the bowl, until the vinaigrette is thoroughly distributed. Enjoy!

p.s. This is also great the next day as a "topping" for a green salad.

summer, at last

2011-07-30T14:22:00.000-07:00

I suppose you could say that I've been a little bored. Or perhaps that isn't quite accurate, it's more like uninspired. In the last few months I've had a strange myriad of health concerns, all of which seem like they have just magically... vanished. Of course, I'm thrilled! However, in the meantime, creating the most fantastically rich and sinful ice creams, sugary popsicles, or tender and juicy chops on the grill, haven't exactly felt like priorities when simultaneously reading about all-kale-all-the-time diets. Yes, I've read it all. And then some.

Pair this with the pressure of feeding an infant who is the spitting image of me, and the pressure mounts to ensure he does not have the same strange symptoms. Of course, I had to wonder just how similar he is, and the great motherly protective nature just increased nearly infinitely...

I suppose you'll see a few changes around here in the long term. Although, don't worry, I'm sure I will get back to eating some semblance of dessert eventually. It will probably have kale in it though, just in case.

As I get back to sharing, I'll be looking for inspiration. So why not start with everything I'd love to eat in August? Here's a teaser from Pinterest, where you can virtual pin boards of inspiration and share them with friends.

potluck

2011-05-30T20:15:00.000-07:00

Now I get it. Potlucks are so fantastic because you are lucky to only have to make a lot of one thing, and still get to eat a nice variety of food. And who throws the best potlucks? Julie Van Rosendaal. Yep, she bravely opened her doors to whomever responded to a post on her blog. There were literally streams of people walking down the street with large containers of food. How cool is that?!

I'll admit that we are always looking for something to do between the general hours of 3-7pm, which can't involve anything too fancy, or be too far away. There definitely needs to be some food and the possibility for Carter to do at least a little wiggling. I also had been baking up a cookie and brownie storm for Music for Autism, so I just kept on baking. I had enough cookies for the potluck too. Julie's potluck was just the thing.

So what did we eat? Well a lot. And Carter even enjoyed eating his first olive. Yum. Who knew?

Here's a small taste:

Warm bread and butter. I could never be sure which is better, but I'll giddily settle for both.

Desserts.... I could use that table right about now!

Thanks Julie! And to everyone else too; it's always great to make new friends.

not just healthy

2011-05-28T13:22:00.000-07:00

Sometimes what is "healthy" can be so infuriating. Protein is good for you. Protein is bad for you. Soy is good. Soy is bad. Green tea is good for you. Green tea is bad for you. Yes, even green tea! I've read it all, I swear, eventually leading me to think that we all need to live in bubbles because there is nothing left on this earth that won't harm us. What's wrong with green tea you ask? Green tea is quite full of fluoride by the way, which could be too much if you already drink water with fluoride in it, and can interfere with thyroid function.

The one food I have not yet found to be potentially harmful, in any way, is blueberries. And luck would have it, the local grocery store had bags of frozen Canadian organic blueberries mislabeled, and mistakenly priced too low, for two weeks in a row. Can you believe it? Yes, the freezer is absurdly full.

I've never understood a smoothie to be a "quick" breakfast. In the middle of winter, it takes a long time to gulp down something that is cold! Plus, it can take awhile to pull out multiple ingredients, and also get a lunch ready to take to work. A smoothie is a great idea if you still have time to sip it, say on a train ride, but not necessarily the time to sit at the table. Right now smoothies work for me because so far, Carter is the world's fastest breakfast eater there is. I need a breakfast I can continue to work on while simultaneously cleaning the table with a little ankle biter clinging to me singing, "Ma, Ma, Maaaa". Yea, it's cute, but you try eating breakfast!

I also try to eat a lot of "healthy" fats. How much is a lot? Well, I'm trying to eat 3-4 tablespoons of Udo's oil a day in my food, plus different nuts and seeds too. Like chia seeds, walnuts, and salba. In this smoothie I use hemp seed protein. It is unique because it contains a good swack of protein, omega 3's, and a bunch of other vitamins like magnesium and iron too. It's also super, super high in fiber. I'll admit, I'm not too keen on the taste, but the blueberries definitely help with that. I eat this magnificent breakfast almost everyday!

Beyond Blueberries Smoothie
(serves 1)

1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
1 fresh or frozen banana
4 tbsp hemp seed protein powder
2 tbsp Udo's Omega 3-6-9 Oil
2-3 tbsp maple syrup
1 1/2 cups water

1. Add all the ingredients to the blender, with the water. Blend, stir, add water, repeat. Enjoy!

because this makes me wonder

2011-05-09T15:02:00.000-07:00

I don't want to be afraid of the food I eat. This does make me wonder why anyone would think this could possibly be good to eat.

Meat glue doesn't sound too appetizing does it?

for moms

2011-05-07T18:56:00.000-07:00

I love to bake. There's certainly no secret about that. Or perhaps, it's just that I love to eat baked treats. There's certainly no secret about that either. But certainly, I would give it all up if I had to.

Say for example, if Carter needed treatments not covered by Alberta Health Care, I could give up chocolate, certainly the least of my worries, if it meant extra pennies in the bank just for him. Or if I had to go to a special parenting program, albeit expensive, and in a foreign country, just to learn how to help him better. If it's your kid, you just do what it takes.

A local Calgary-area Mom is doing just that. Her daughter is on the Autism-Spectrum, and everything Rachael has to do to help her, is much, much more than the usual amount of seemingly endless parenting; it's beyond relentless. For one thing, her daughter has more than a multitude of food allergies and intolerances, including gluten, dairy, soy, apples, nuts, sugar.... you get the idea. She used to have to rush to the emergency room after she ate... anything. As a parent, I can't even begin to imagine what that would be like. And yes, I think this is timely, considering Mother's Day is around the corner!

Rachael has found that the Son-Rise Program has literally brought her daughter "back to life". It is a program that essentially teaches parents of children on the Autism-Spectrum, how to communicate with their child, and help them out of the world of autism. Perhaps, it sounds nearly impossible, but it works.

I love this video, which I think demonstrates the results of the program amazingly well. Just hang in there.

Joaquin's Adventure from mafemaria on Vimeo.

In honour of Rachael Flatt, many Calgary area musicians and friends have created a fundraiser to help her attend an (expensive!) session of the Son-Rise Program.

I am donating a TONNE of baking! Do you want to contribute some baking too? Or contribute to the silent auction? Or perhaps attend the concert, and bid on items in the silent auction? Here is the event page on facebook. Here is Anwen's website.

We hear about others that need our help everyday. Here is a real person, with a beautiful daughter, who needs our help. Let's do it.

patty cake

2011-05-01T20:14:00.000-07:00

When trying to eat really healthy.... it can get kinda boring.

Vegetable. Quinoa. Protein. Repeat. Ugh!

Sure, it's fine for a meal or two, but when you want all the nutrients you can get, it gets kinda dull. Salads are all fine and good too, but they aren't baby oriented, and we like to eat the same things as a family.

I decided to get a bit creative, and make little cakes. Sure, kids like to eat things that are little cakes like chicken fingers or hamburgers, but you know, I think adults love patty cakes too.

These cakes are loaded with quinoa, sweet potato, brown rice, spinach, and dried cranberries. A tonne of dried sage makes these like Thanksgiving stuffing that is now acceptable any day of the year.

Patty Cakes

Makes 8-9 patties
3 cups cooked sweet potato (I use the microwave.... but you can roast them).
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup chopped spinach
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/3 cup dried cranberries
2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Mash the sweet potatoes, a fork will do. Finely chop the cranberries.
3. With a spoon, combine the cooked quinoa, brown rice, spinach, green onions, cranberries, sage, and salt, with the sweet potatoes.
4. Prepare a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone sheet. Using an ice cream scoop with a lever, place a large scoop of the sweet potato dough onto the prepared cookie sheet. Gently push the dough out into a "patty" shape.
5. Bake for 45-60 minutes. For crispy patties, use convection, and a drizzle of olive oil. Be wary when flipping patties over, or removing from the cookie sheet too soon. Alternatively, bake for an hour, and then pan fry with a little olive oil. Enjoy!

I love carrots

2011-04-22T20:27:00.000-07:00

Carrots? Yes carrots.

Not always, but recently, I've become carrots biggest fan. Cheap, cheerful, and organic. Carrots just take a little creativity to get away from everyday steamed or roasted carrots.

My solution? Grate them!

It is extra easy and quick with a food processor, and it takes just the wink of an eye for the carrots to cook. The best part is how they make this beautiful orange oil, and it's beyond delicious too.

Grated carrots are an easy way to eat fewer noodles, less meat, and more vegetables.

I tend to like my grated carrot creations with XO sauce. Thanks J&C! Sriracha is hip too.

A little meat, a little extra cilantro, cucumber, and green onions never hurt much either. I had these Vietnamese-esque beef and pork kebab type bits in the freezer. It made for quite the perfect pairing!

Vietnamese-esque Lemongrass Kebabs

2 pounds ground beef
2 pound ground pork
2 eggs
1/2 cup water
4 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
10 leaves fresh mint, finely chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped lemongrass (tender parts)
2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
salt and pepper

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
3. Lightly beat the eggs. Combine all the ingredients.
4. Shape the meat into patties, or kebab shapes.
5. Bake until the internal temperature of the meat is 170 degrees F, or approximately 20-25 minutes. Enjoy!

Carrot Noodles

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
5 carrots (preferably organic)
1 red pepper
1 tbsp freshly ground ginger
1/3 cup miso paste
2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
16 oz, 454g, wide rice noodles
(optional serving accompaniments - green onion, thinly sliced cucumber, chopped cilantro, XO sauce or sriracha)

1. Boil a large pot of water, and cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain.
2. Clean the ends off the carrots, and section the red pepper. Using a food processor with grating attachment, grate the carrot and red pepper.
3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the carrots and bell pepper. Let sizzle for a couple minutes, until a nice orange oil appears. Stir in the ginger.
4. Whisk the miso with a 1/2 cup of water, and add to the carrot mixture.
5. Turn off the heat. Add the cilantro and the noodles. Enjoy!

dinner in 16 minutes?

2011-04-05T20:17:00.000-07:00

I dare you.

Mango. I love, love, love mangoes. And shrimp? Match made in heaven. Don't even get me started about it on a pizza. With brie. I know, I know, you're thinking I've seriously lost my mind. But it works. Mango is just so darn buttery, and sweet. Certainly, brie is too. Shrimp could usually use a little bit of fattening up anyways. Wait a second, I'm supposed to be talking about a salad.

Here it is -

See, it's not that pretty, but the 16 minutes included taking a couple photos.

I really did make dinner in 16 whole entire minutes, and it's healthy too. Baby even got his mango cut just for him, a little beef and saucy green beans warmed up too (babies don't eat lettuce or shrimp).

It also helps to have a few bags of frozen raw peeled shrimp on hand to rush the process along. Just try to defrost it in advance; the one thing I often forget.

Mango Shrimp Salad with Mango Dressing - In a Hurry!

Serves 2

For the salad:
454 gram bag of raw-peeled shrimp
extra virgin olive oil
1 large ripe mango
1 carrot
1/4 red pepper
salad greens

For the dressing:
1/4 cup mango
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup blackberry vinegar (balsamic would be fine)
thumb nail-size chunk of fresh ginger
squirt of honey

1. Pre-heat a sauté pan with a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Cook the shrimp until pink. Let cool as much as possible before adding to the salads.
2. Wash the carrot, mango, red pepper.
3. Place salad greens in the bowls. Grate the carrot, and chop the red pepper. Add to the bowls.
4. Remove the flesh from the mango. Place 1/4 cup in a small blender jar. Dice or slice the rest, and add to the salad bowls.
5. Make the dressing: Place all of the ingredients in a small blender jar, and whizzz!
6. Add the shrimp to the salad bowls, and drizzle with the dressing. Serve immediately, and enjoy!

a message from anna olson

2011-04-04T14:48:00.000-07:00

So not only is there a huge, huge, HUGE contest to get cooking, and I even have a few goodies to share too.

The Real Women of Philadelphia and is hosted by Food Network’s Anna Olson. It includes weekly cook-off challenges in order to cast 4 women as brand ambassadors for Philadelphia Cream Cheese, who will each receive $20,000. These women will go on to lead the community in recipe sharing and orchestrating a community cookbook. Pretty cool huh?

Now to get you all revved up, and to ensure we're all in a cream-cheesy spirit, I was thinking that I'd choose three winners from the comments of this post to win an apron and some Philadelphia Cream Cheese vouchers too.

So. Besides cheesecake... sorry but that is just too easy without sending along the entire recipe! What is your absolute favourite recipe to use cream cheese in?

Me? I love to make a number of very thin omelet's, which when stacked up make a gorgeous, but albeit very strange breakfast layer cake. In between the omelets, I alternate between pesto, vegetable spread (red pepper based), and cream cheese. It sounds rather bizarre, but it is absurdly addicting.

Whipped cream with cream cheese is another heart breaker.

I would definitely love to know your favourite way to use cream cheese! And you could win...
The prizes are supplied by Kraft Canada. I have no affiliation with Kraft.

we try

2011-04-03T20:04:00.000-07:00

Let's face it, sometimes we just need cake. And we just can't wait any longer than five minutes.

Perhaps need isn't quite correct. Except sometimes, I just really, really want it. That's sort of close isn't it? And yes, this IS a recipe for a five minute cake. From start to finish even!

And rarely, albeit very rarely, do I not feel like stepping foot into the kitchen. Or I just haven't planned for my chocolate pangs in advance. This, I do not recommend. Always plan in advance for dessert, or risk the possibility of going without. I recommend that even less.

However, that being said. It happens that there is no dessert in the house. Otherwise known as a state-of-emergency. But if you're moving, or just tired of the winter (supposed to be spring) weather we've been having, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

Perhaps you've heard of cake in a mug? In the microwave? Now, before you completely roll your eyes back in your head and start snoring, this isn't your ordinary microwave cake. I've had those, microwave cakes, and yes, they aren't usually good.

But this one?

It's good. In fact, it's really quite extraordinarily fine. It is a little extra good with a smidge of ice cream, whipped cream, or even a bit of a creamy liqueur. I prefer it with bacio ice cream.

The best part about the whole thing? It takes barely a couple minutes to get all the ingredients into the mug, a few stirs of a spoon, and the only dirty dishes are a couple spoons, a fork, and a mug. That's it. I did mention that this is actually GOOD right?

Quick Cake in a Mug - aka Five Minute Chocolate Cake

large coffee mug
4 tbsp flour
4 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tbsp coconut oil (or canola)
2 tbsp egg (whisk with a fork first)
3 tbsp chocolate chips
3 tbsp milk

1. Vigorously stir all of the ingredients together.
2. Microwave on high heat for 60-90 seconds, until steaming hot, and the batter is firm all around. Let cool slightly before devouring!

feeding baby part II

2011-04-02T21:23:00.000-07:00

Okay, okay. I WILL get back to posting some recipes a bit more regularly soon. Hopefully tomorrow! It just hasn't helped that a particular baby insists that his meal times must be served promptly, not a minute sooner, or later, and that there have been weeks on end where predictably regular naps and nighttime sleeping went by the wayside. And hence, there hasn't been any amount of time for anything other than just muddling through it all, and laughing all the way.

I know, I know, I said, I wasn't going to turn this into a parenting blog. However, I have received an enormous number of emails and phone calls, asking for more tips and advice on feeding babies. It has been nearly overwhelming! I decided at least an update was in order, as it has been three months since the start. I was also going to finish this up in one post, but I think I'm going to have to put a few videos in another post, before this becomes completely epic. Sorry!

Here are some of the questions I have received, and a few thoughts on things that worked, and a few things that didn't. But again, I really do recommend reading Gil Rapley's book, Baby Led Weaning, as it answers all of these questions. These are just my experiences, and it's been, well, super cool!

If you want a few of my tips on eating out with baby, you can check it out at my friend MJ's super-fun new blog, Livin' MJ's Dream! Isn't her son Liam an absolute DOLL?!

How often should I offer food?

For the first month or so, it ended up being once a day. It was quite a production at this point, and definitely messy. Sometimes I waited a few days before introducing a new food, so by two weeks Carter had still only eaten three different foods! Soon though, I only gave him food whenever we were eating at the table. I used that as a general rule of thumb; he ate when I ate, if he was awake. It also made it much, much easier than trying to keep him happy while I quickly devoured the meal. This is now to the point where, if I'm eating (say a quick snack or tasting a dish) and he's not getting any of it, he's gives me a funny and slightly perturbed look!

At nine months, he definitely needs three meals a day, and it had better be on time! I now try to offer his meals at approximately the same time every day, so that he doesn't think food is scarce, and then "pig out", as he did a couple times when he changed around his napping and quantity of food so much that I almost didn't keep up.

How do you know how much food to give?

You don't....? After three months, I just sort of know! It's a crap shoot at best, and I just try to have extra. In the beginning, I virtually always ate the same thing as Carter, so that it was nearly always coming from my plate. He seemed to trust it a bit more too as he watched me very carefully. Plus, if he seemed to want a bit more, then I ate a bit less. We're talking about a stalk or two of broccoli, so it's not like I starved! Now, I try to include a couple elements of the dish we are eating, but if a bit of asparagus and pork isn't going to be enough for Carter, he'll get some pear too.

I do know that I recently figured out to only give him one piece of a particular food at a time. If he is getting a selection of different foods, I still only give him one piece of each food. This has prevented him from becoming overwhelmed from receiving too much food (he would eat nothing when this first happened), and also meant that if the food is prepared in a way that I would eat, I can eat the rest. Giving him one piece of each food at a time also prevents an enormous mess, and most foods break into smaller bits anyways (this excludes beans - I give him more than one measly bean!). I also prepare enough of each food he is given, so that if he only wants chicken, or only wants apple, that there will be enough for him to be full from just one of those foods.

Carter loves little cups of water. Here he had attacked a chicken drumstick and an apple so much so that only little pieces were left. I gave him much larger pieces. He resorted to grabbing it by the fistful and chewing it as much as he could before it went, well, either in or out!

What foods have you found that worked? And how did you prepare them?

Brace yourselves, this one is lengthy....

I hate to admit it, but the microwave is especially helpful. Especially in a pinch! There have been several times when I thought that the pear I planned to feed Carter was ripe, and then I found out that it wasn't soft enough for him right at the moment he was really hungry. He really wanted to eat it, but certainly wasn't going to be able to get any of it. Somehow, I thought to microwave it a bit, and it worked. It tasted exactly like a canned pear (which I won't feed him). It worked like a charm. A lid is necessary, and some foods need to steam a bit afterward with the lid still on to make them extra soft on the outside. I do this with all kinds of apples, and occasionally plums and mangoes too. Asparagus, carrots, and sweet potatoes will work in the microwave too. This is helpful when trying to offer a variety of foods, but baby doesn't have teeth that can yet bite and chew through the raw carrot you are eating.

I have just recently started offering some oatmeal. That's right, without a spoon. I figured it needed to be kinda "cake-like' so he could actually pick it up in large chunks. The first time, he hated it. It was the first time he really turned up his nose at something; you'd think I gave him a lemon! It was plain. I don't blame him. The next time, I added a bit of cinnamon. Perhaps it helped, because it has since been quite a hit. To cook it, I add just a bit of water, and don't cook it too much. I let it cool at least ten minutes, to let it really clump up.

Proteins seem a bit more difficult than fruits and vegetables. They often need to be cut in large chunks, that need to disintegrate quite easily, but not too easily or baby won't be able to pick it up! Meats that are boiled or roasted for a long time work best. Think beef short ribs instead of a steak. While you might be tempted for leaner cuts of meat, these are really tough for the baby just starting out. If the fat is cooked into the cooking liquid then the baby is actually consuming quite a bit less fat. A pork tenderloin might work if cooked in a lot of liquid, but if it is roasted or overcooked, it might be impossible for baby. Poached chicken also provides a lot of broth for more cooking adventures. After a few different meats, baby seemed to get the hang of it. Now that he can also pick up smaller pieces of things quite easily, it doesn't matter quite so much.

Beans, however, work very, very well! Cannellini beans are quite large, as are kidney beans, and easier to pick up than a black bean to start out. Carter won't eat plain beans though; he loves them if they have a bit of sauce on them. A pine-nut free pesto, or any perhaps a few beans from Mom's soup or even chili are much loved. Sometimes, the spicier the better! Hummous, and falafel type preparations are also favourites. I give him beans I have cooked in the slow cooker with minimal salt instead of canned beans, which can be high in sodium. I tend to squish the beans just slightly so that he can mash it up in his mouth easily, instead of swallowing it completely whole.

Foods that he's really liked have included: greens beans cooked in a tomato-onion sauce, cannellini beans in a spicy sauce, bollito, sweet potato fries, olive oil fries, falafel, oatmeal, pineapple, mango, roast chicken, swiss chard, pork butt, beef short ribs, strawberries, kiwi, asparagus, roast fennel, black bean burgers, turkey meatballs, miso chicken thighs with grated carrot, and tiny tastes of Mom's mostly oatmeal pancakes.

Everyday go-to foods include: apples, pears, plums, broccoli, spinach, squash of all kinds, sweet potatoes, cups of water (especially from Auntie Leanne!) bananas (cut like an ice cream cone). Don't forget to try different varieties of apples, pears, and squash. So many of us get stuck in ruts of enjoying only the same kind of apple or the same kind of pear. In general, fruits need to be very ripe. I try to offer a mixture of raw and cooked foods everyday (ex. raw pear, cooked apple). I also try to offer a variety of textures as much as possible.

He has had bits of rice cakes, sprouted grain bread, and pasta. But he didn't care for them much. I do consider them a bit too processed for consumption by a baby anyways, so I mostly try to avoid it. Watermelon and spaghetti squash have been completely ignored.

Uhhhh, doesn't he choke since you give such large pieces?

Nope! He did gag quite a bit once. Just once. Now he just gets annoyed when the peel of certain foods get stuck on the roof of his mouth, although he is getting better at using his tongue to move it around. Actually, I just recently reviewed the recommend shapes of foods for a nine-month old baby. I couldn't help but think, "won't they choke?". The foods were all cut into small pieces, meaning that IF the baby was successful at picking it up, it would most certainly be swallowed completely whole. There would be little, if any, mixing with saliva (good for digestion), as the pieces really couldn't be chewed. I've found that with larger pieces of food, Carter can suck/chew/squish small pieces off and then kind of chew it. If he bites off a piece that is too large, he pushes it out with his tongue. Interestingly enough, he has become very adept at separating foods from the peel, even kiwi. I will never peel food for him, so he had better get used to it!

When do I nurse the baby less? And how much time before or after nursing do I give solid foods?

Unfortunately, it doesn't really work that way. Baby decides. I have never seen any relation to how much solid foods Carter has eaten to how much he nursed. At one dinner he consumed an entire chicken drumstick, and nearly an entire apple! At nine months, he now nurses less often, but sometimes he has eaten an absolute tonne of food, and still nursed a lot. I've thought of nursing and solid foods as two completely separate things, mostly because they are.

Mostly I've seen that it is best to nurse the baby before offering solid foods. But there are parents who believe the opposite, because they want to wean the baby faster. Again, I consider nursing and solids two separate things, and let's face it, you can't force a child to breastfeed. Just try it, I dare you! So, even if I tried to nurse Carter before eating, it wasn't necessarily going to happen! I often did try to in the beginning, because I didn't want him to suddenly start screaming for milk when all covered in avocado... But, I wasn't going to wait until he nursed! If I had the food all ready, then I offered the food. And a baby who wants milk isn't a baby who wants food; from my own experience, can't wean him or fill him up any faster than he wants.

My baby doesn't like vegetables.... Or what have you.

I generally think that if I continue offering a variety of healthy foods, and if the baby eats healthy stuff, then it isn't exactly the end of the world. Even if it doesn't seem "balanced" to us. Eventually, they will change their mind. The way I look at it is that they know what they need. Plus, we all go through phases don't we? I've had phases where all I want to eat is sushi, and then suddenly, for months I don't want it. I've done the same with all kinds of foods. Carter wouldn't eat carrots for at least a month, but now he'll eat them. I just kept offering them occasionally, and he decided to eat them again.

Carter used to eat a lot of vegetables. But... that was because he was only given one food at a time! He used to be quite enamoured with broccoli and avocado. Currently, if given the choice, he will choose fruit, meat, and beans over vegetables. Not always, but most of the time. He'll often nibble on vegetables towards the end of the meal, or once he's truly warmed up, but it doesn't seem to be the bulk of what he's consumed. Oddly enough, he only likes squashes or yams fresh out of the oven, and never reheated! He also loves sauteed swiss chard or spinach, but only if it is with a bit of onion or shallot. It's extra tasty that way!

I also think babies are very observant, and if they don't see us eating what they are eating, they are less likely to eat it. They also hear what we say, even if we think they aren't listening or understanding. I figure that if I am going to feed Carter something I don't like, I had definitely better never, ever say anything about it in front of him, as he will most certainly change his mind.

My baby won't eat anything.

I would be frustrated. Sometimes they just do that. However, there have been days, and even a couple weeks when Carter didn't eat any solid foods, and while it can be a bit frustrating, it does end. When he was teething, he wouldn't even put toys in his mouth. If I put a taste of food on my finger, he'd be tempted and taste it, and then promptly push it out of his mouth. Not hungry Mom! Oh well.

I've read that the high-chair you have can tip over easily, and that it is hard to take the baby in and out.

I also have read, and seen tragic videos, of babies falling over in their Tripp-Trapp chairs. However, they might also not have been put together correctly, etc? I don't know how they fell over, but there are tonnes of baby paraphernalia that is sold that also might not be "good" for baby (seemingly everything if you read too much....) I kinda equate it to putting a bumbo seat in a car... hey they write those warnings on there for a reason!

The company has come out with new "extenders" which are also designed to keep the chair from tipping over. Tripp-Trapp also has many recommendations regarding the type of flooring and table that is needed for it to be safe.

All that being said, in my opinion, it seems that it is very unlikely that the chair can easily tip over. I am not about to test it (!!), but it seems very remote, at best. This is just my personal opinion of course!

At first, it seemed difficult to take Carter in and out of the chair, but it is very easy to put him in and take him out from the back of the chair. To be honest, we haven't used the straps since the beginning.... yes, we are terrible parents... because he kept trying to eat them, and they were just getting covered in everything. Again, it is so unbelievably remote that Carter could even possibly push himself out, or tip over, especially as we are sitting right there, and never leave him unattended. We do intend to use the straps, but I can't really comment on how hard they are to use. I will say that they are definitely child-proof (idiot-proof?...please don't comment...) straps!

When all else fails?

Remember that there are people with three kids, and then they have twins. I'm assuming you are reading this... or certainly this far, because you are feeding your first baby. What I want to say is that no one is perfect, and while it is tricky enough with one, I'm pretty sure that lots of families with several children don't really worry about it so much once they get past one... And those kids turn out perfectly fine too.

charcut, calgary's best bang for your buck

2011-03-25T20:12:00.000-07:00

I'm just going to say it. I really like CHARCUT. And from what I can tell, given the cult-like status of their alley burgers, a lot of others like CHARCUT too. Yes, their burger is one of the best in the city, and yes, their meatball sandwich is awesome, but great food becomes even better when it is prepared and served with passion.

One thing that I quite like, is that CHARCUT can be a bit of a restaurant chameleon. It can be what you want it to be. Need a burger lunch in jeans and a t? Sure. Want to have a girlie night out for drinks? CHARCUT fits the bill there too. Yearn for a romantic dinner? CHARCUT is a great bet. There are a lot of restaurants in town, but there aren't many that I can say are versatile enough for multiple occasions. It takes the guesswork out of eating. No more, "Where should we go?", or perhaps more importantly, "Where should we send the out-of-towners to eat?" It's easily settled, because there is something for everyone, and nothing is too bland or boring or poorly done. In fact, quite the opposite.

Oh, and did I mention the value? The "CHARCUT Lunch All at Once", can give you a soup, sandwich, and warm chocolate chip cookies for FIFTEEN BUCKS! We're not talking about a chain-quality sandwich here. We're talking about REAL food made by real people! I have to admit, I kinda drooled just rereading that from their menu. Like I said, I like this place.

Here's a bit of a recount of a visit from a recent lunch.

It is hard to go wrong with pork, if that is your kind of thing, and this pork terrine is no different. A little pork with a little preserves. Sure, it is a bit indulgent, but there is a lot to like. Salty and sweet. Crispy and silky too. It seems quite simple, in fact, there is a lot going on.

Great burger. Great fries, fried in duck fat. Enough said. Perhaps the best burger in the city. Just saying. I was quite taken with the lemon preserved tuna (in the mason style jar). This is not your Mom's canned tuna. It hardly resembles anything we first think of tuna, it is in fact, so flaky and so tender, that it is of course impossible to stop eating. It is something you would never expect at a "Roast House", and somehow that just makes it that much better.

I wasn't too sure what to expect when I ordered the meatball sandwich. But I'm sure glad I did. Why didn't I ever think of adding a side dish of tomato sauce to dip the sandwich into. Brilliant! Especially, when the sauce is just exactly the tangy complement the hearty meatballs deserved. And thankfully, the meat was flattened, so I could easily gobble this down.

CHARCUT is located in the St. Germain building, downtown Calgary. I've eaten there a few times, and definitely recommend it. I need to try the rotisserie chicken....NEED.

Have you been to CHARCUT?

101, 899 Centre Street SW
(403)984-2180
Hours: Mon - Tues: 11am - 11pm, Wed - Fri: 11am - 1am, Sat: 5pm - 1am, Sun: 5pm - 10pm

incredible olive oil french fries

2011-02-08T13:52:00.000-08:00

These are truly incredible. My seven year old niece was skeptical that I was making fries. "In the oven?", she asked. Later she said, "They smell like real fries." And at dinner, she said they tasted like real fries too. Then, I knew they were truly good.

Don't worry either, they don't have a distinctly olive oil flavour. They just taste like utterly fantastic French fries. Yes, you would pay money for them, and be quite happy about it. And probably even happier if you watch your pennies, because a sack of potatoes is infinitely cheaper than the cost of soda.

I wish I could tell you that this recipe will make a big greasy mess, and that you have to find a particular kind of oil, and a particular kind of pot. But you don't. In fact, not even close. Unfortunately, you do need a convection oven. Okay, so there is a hitch. Honestly though, until now, I have rarely used the convection features on my oven. There just aren't many baked goods that I prefer burnt on the outside, but raw in the middle. For fries though, convection is truly perfect.

There are two convection features on my oven, and I have found that the one which circulates the most air takes significantly less time, so not all convection is necessarily created equal. Essentially, potatoes contain a tonne of moisture which the convection helps to dry out, and crisp up the outside of the potato all at the same time.

What? No time to go to the spa? Prepare for a steamy potato-like facial upon opening the oven door. Watch your eyes.

Olive Oil French Fries

Ingredients:
Yukon gold potatoes - enough to not quite fill a cookie sheet
extra virgin olive oil - a couple tablespoons
sea salt

1. Pre-heat the oven on convection to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover a cookie sheet in parchment paper, or a silpat (just means a bit of an easier clean up; I like to spend my time cooking, not cleaning).
2. Wash, dry, and slice the potatoes (preferably with the peel still on), to a thickness you desire. I liked about a centimeter thick, give or take.
3. Place the fries to-be, on the cookie sheet, and spread evenly. Drizzle with a couple tablespoons of olive oil. If you're skeptical, you can always add more later.
4. Place the cookie sheet in the oven, and leave it alone for at least 20 minutes. Then, check it and carefully turn the fries. This will help to spread the oil even more.
5. Keep the fries in the oven until the top begins to look golden brown, then give them another turn. Put them back in, and continue to bake until they are as crisp and as golden as you like. This might be 45 minutes - 1 hour. That's it.
6. Oh right, sprinkle with salt immediately upon removing from the oven.

game food, well kinda

2011-02-07T20:11:00.000-08:00

I'll admit it. I didn't even watch the Superbowl game yesterday. Not even the half-time show. Well, I saw a snippet, but it was just so unbearable I figured, why bother? We don't even get the good commercials in Canada anyways. I had a baby to play with, so that was more fun.

We did make some game-style food anyways. There were mini-calzones stuffed with capicollo, basil, mozzarella, and vegetable spread. We also made a version of the famous sandwiches available at the Nerbone food stall located in the Mercato Centrale in Florence. Basically, it's a better version of beef dip, what it was destined to be in a better life. Boiled meat doesn't sound quite as appetizing does it? Bollito does though! Then we had walnut and chocolate chip brownies with Nutella ice cream for dessert. Somehow the only shot of that was... after the fact.

I make the dough, and Jeff makes the calzones. Once again, the secret is a very, very hot oven. We use a pizza stone pre-heated to 550 degrees Fahrenheit on convection. Also, when it is cold outside, I place my dough in the microwave to rise. I turn it on for 30 seconds, and let the dough sit for as long as time allows.

I think they look sort of cute. But, I like the look of raw dough; it looks so cushy!

If only my oven was always full of these little puffs of deliciousness.... sigh.

Yum.

Here's the resulting bollito, served on a crusty roll with salsa verde with parsley and capers, all alongside some broth for dunking. It was adapted from David Rocco; we used a whole roast, and cooked it for a few hours. You could actually cook it indefinitely. The tender meat, and soft carrots from the broth was great for baby too. I missed the chile sauce, but it just didn't happen. There's always next time!

Apologies! The brownie recipe is here, and the bacio ice cream recipe is here though!

p.s. I know I promised fries. Soon! I promise! I also need to tell you about Charcut! Okay, now it's all in writing, it has to all get done. Stay tuned.

cook your way to better finances? And help me win!

2011-01-30T19:53:00.000-08:00

I just finished writing about two things I'm very passionate about - cooking and finances.

I know that isn't the usual stint here, but I am now a guest-blogger in a contest. Gulp. I've never entered a contest like this before, and I hope you can help me win!

You can check out the financial tips I wrote (once it's published I'll post the link here), and leave a comment. It would be so much appreciated! Or even retweet it, or like or share it on Facebook. You can also share it on any of these networks – Delicious, Digg, Mixx, Google and Yahoo, OldDogg, Tipd and Reddit.

Soon, I'll be sharing my recipe for oven-baked olive oil fries. They are wickedly good, and pretty darn easy too. The hardest part is trying not to make more than you should actually eat, well, at least in one sitting.

I have entered the CCC Personal Finance Guest Blogging Contest, with thousands of dollars in prizes. I would like to thank Credit Cards Canada and the sponsors for making the prize money available…

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lazy man's granola

2011-01-29T20:49:00.000-08:00

Or woman's. It doesn't matter really. What does matter, is that it's really, spectacularly tasty, and ridiculously easy to toss together. It's even pretty.

Beyond all of that, there's chocolate. Yes, for breakfast. Could be worse.

I've been busy, so a lot of things have seemed to be on hold. Let's see, I got the car stuck in the snow, on the warmest day in weeks. Sadly, I was just inches off the driveway. Then, there was the maple syrup spill all over the floor of the pantry. Makes me think twice about having a furry pet that likes sweets. Then, the vacuum thought it might just light on fire. What can I say, I lead an exciting life.

The granola is customizable of course, and doubles well as a trail mix type of snack. Just depends on your mood. Or how much chocolate.

I like it most like this:
-2 cups of slow oats
-1 cup whole walnuts
-1/2 cup sliced almonds
-1/2 cup dried cranberries
-1/2 cup raisins
-1/3 cup dark chocolate chunks
-handful of banana chips, give or take

Just toss it together in a container. It's fantastic with a Greek-style yogurt and honey or maple syrup, and at least a teaspoon of cinnamon. Berries or a banana are a bonus.

feeding baby

2011-01-17T18:55:00.000-08:00

Don't panic. I'm not suddenly turning this into a parenting blog. So, if you're not interested in this, then just tune in again soon.

I am going to try to be succinct. It probably won't work, and you'll all end up bored to tears. But, just suffice it to say that I'm going to try. Please do bear with me, as I get to where I'm going with this.

On the other hand, if you wonder how someone, to whom food is really important to, is feeding her baby, and what I am feeding him, then this is for you. As I'm sure you can imagine, there are a few underlying questions I have been thinking about for a long time; "How will I instill a love of food, and the social connections it fosters, in a positive way? How can I encourage my child to enjoy food in a healthful and nourishing way? How can I teach him that eating is a necessary part of life, but it needn't be something that is rushed or mindless or boring, just because we have to eat each day?"

And perhaps beyond all of that, I don't want Carter want to learn to love junk food. I want him to like food, love food even, but real food, made by real people, food that is made with love.

Do notice that I didn't say, "I don't want him to be a picky eater". Because actually I DO want him to be a picky eater.

I want him to ask him how dinner was at his friend's house, and I want him to say, "Mom, we had pasta from a can. It had no taste, and it was mushy. We put white fluff on it from a green bottle. They said it was cheese. I'm not sure I believe them. It didn't taste like cheese. I asked if they had any parmigiano-reggiano, but they didn't know what that was."

Yes, that would be my proudest day in parenting. The day my child would know he was being fed garbage, and he wouldn't even like it.

Okay, so in all seriousness, I am joking. But it would be a great day, even if Carter was thirty-five years old...

So let's just say that even a few years ago, I had assumed that I would be puréeing all kinds of things for my baby. My husband and I had even flirted around with the idea of getting a fancy (aka ridiculously expensive) blender. I certainly knew that I wouldn't buy my kid food from jars. My Mom pureed food for me, including vegetables from my parents garden, and as luck would have it, I'm pretty darn healthy. So I would follow suit, and do the same thing for Carter. Didn't even question it. Until about a month ago...

Before I was about to start feeding Carter "solid" foods, I thought I'd read up a little bit, and see what I'd start with. I knew I didn't want to feed him any kind of fortified baby cereal... for not wanting to write another essay, I think it's garbage. I wouldn't eat it, so I'm not feeding it to my baby! For those of you who argue that babies need iron, you'd be right, but the iron in baby cereal is unlikely to be absorbed anyways. In the process, I somehow I happened upon this whole "Baby Led Weaning" thing, and it kinda just made sense.

It actually sounds quite strange, but once you start, it is so cool, so very, very cool. First, there is no puréeing of foods. You actually give the baby whole pieces of food you would eat yourself, and the babies feed themselves. You skip purées and go straight to finger foods. You sit and eat with your baby.

There are a couple things that drew me to this straight away. First, that kids get used to texture, and secondly that they get used to taste. Foods are bumpy, and lumpy, and crispy, and chewy. Not everything is soft and glue-like... Plus, we can eat together, and I don't have to force him to eat. Up until now, he has decided how much to eat, so why would I force the issue with solid foods.

Some people do it in different ways, and apparently you don't need to worry as much about allergies because the baby is six months old, and their digestive tracts are much more developed than the babies who were four months old and fed solid foods, as used to be the case. But I figured I would still introduce just fruits and vegetables slowly, and not give exactly what we are eating at the table, but we would still eat the foods he is eating.

Now, there's a couple really strange things. First off, apparently babies who are fed purées first, do gag more when they switch to finger foods because they assume they don't have to chew. If it's true, I can't tell you, but I can tell you that Carter has really gagged only once, and ever since then is pretty cautious about how much he chews/gums at things before he allows himself to push things to the back of his mouth, or swallow. He has already learned to "chew" in just a couple weeks, and spits out anything that he thinks shouldn't be there. So, there is potentially some gagging, but there is a big difference between gagging and actually choking.

The other thing is that I have to give him much larger pieces of food than you'd think, and with the peel still on! This seems to help him get it to his mouth without it falling apart first, and he literally sucks every bit of goodness off of the peel and spits it out. The peel really seems quite vital to his success. And he seems to really enjoy sucking everything off of it!

With this method of eating, there also is no emphasis on, "he liked it, or didn't like it", but he is just given food, and if he wants to eat it he does. If he doesn't want to, he doesn't. I will say that he has literally attacked pieces of sweet potato, roast fennel, broccoli, and apple, while he also mostly left carrots, bananas, and cauliflower alone. But it changes. Sometimes he has left broccoli alone, and sometimes he has been very animated with his avocado, and other times just raised his arms up in the air wanting nothing to do with it. Perhaps it gave him gas last time, so he doesn't want it this time? Who knows. The point is, to consistently provide a healthful variety of food, and babies will eat what they need, when and how much they need it, or not. Also, it is absolutely imperative that the baby is at least six months old, so their digestive systems have had some time to develop. The baby might not even really eat much for a couple months past that. Yes, patience is required.

But I think our bodies tell us what we need at a particular time, and we eat it for good reason. That is of course, if we are really listening, and not just causing ourselves to eat out of emotional needs alone. Sorry, twinkies don't count as a need.

Now, I have to tell you that of all of the times of day we look forward to most, is the times we are eating each day. I give Carter food every time I am eating, and he is awake, which is currently three times a day. This started happening a couple weeks after I started giving him solids; he was no longer content to sit and watch me eat without joining in! He seems to want to eat more as the day goes on, but each day he also gets better and better at getting the food to his mouth, and is also swallowing more of it. It is an absolute joy to sit at the table, and to eat as a family. Truly, it is quite incredible! And I can't imagine feeding Carter any other way, he absolutely loves the time he gets to explore his food while also joining in the action at the table. He even joined us at the table for Christmas dinner! How cool is that?!

I think he likes it. What do you think?

So what am I feeding Carter? Here's what has been most successful, meaning that I had to cut things so that he could pick them up and get them to his mouth without completely squishing them first:

-slices of avocado with the peel on; he almost seems to love the peel more than the avocado! I guess it's more like his hard plastic toys...
-florets of roast cauliflower with extra virgin olive oil, curry powder, cumin, and a touch of sea salt; not too interested in this, but picks it up and licks it.
-roasted yams with extra virgin olive oil, some with cinnamon, and some without; attacks it and eats it, loads of it.
-roasted fennel with pecorino romano (hardly any), extra virgin olive oil, and black pepper; he really seemed to enjoy sucking the goodness out of this, as seen in the video, attacks it.
-apples halved and roasted with cinnamon; really wants to eat it, but tends to get so excited that it mostly ends up on his face.
-cooked carrots halved, and halved again; wants to eat it, but I have yet to find the perfect combination of perfectly soft enough, but not so soft that it just gets mushed before he can get it to his mouth.
-large florets of broccoli; likes to gnaw on on it, and suck the stems. Tries to stuff it and sweet potato in his mouth at the same time. Decisions, decisions.
-bananas cut in half with the peel partially cut off, so it resembles and ice cream cone; tends to taste it, swallow some, and then become disinterested.
-ripe pear sliced in large pieces, with the peel on; he wanted to eat it as fast as possible
-raw English cucumber; it looked like it felt nice and cold on his little gums as he gnawed away on the soft parts
-a piece of flank steak; he wanted to eat it, and kept trying, and trying and trying. He sucked on it lots, but the meat was just too tough for him to actually swallow any, next time he needs much softer meat. It was what we were having for dinner, so he had a piece, and was quite happy about it!

Here he is enjoying roast fennel.

There's a few things I've found really helpful, including Carter's high chair. I discovered this chair called the Tripp-Trapp, which doesn't come with a tray, and the idea is that the baby joins in with the family at the dinner table, at an adjustable height made to fit his body. I thought it would be extra fantastic to include the babe in dinners at the table right from the get go, and all of the important rituals that occur, as a family, rather than him sitting off on his own.

Plus, since the chair adjusts as the child grows, I figured, that then we wouldn't need a booster seat. Then beyond that time frame, when children often want to run off as soon as they've put a mouthful of food in their mouth, they often want to go and play. Can't blame them, but perhaps the chair they are sitting in is just too large, as their feet swing above the floor, making it hard on their little backs and necks. A child is not likely to be able to articulate the problem. Perhaps a child might stay at the table longer, if he is comfortable in his chair, with his spine supported. In my mind, the child would be able to enjoy his meal, rather than just rush through it, or feel forced to rush through it (even if he does just want to go play with his toys!) To me, that's a lot of bang for buck. Just don't bother getting the cushions. Completely unnecessary, and they are now stored away until Carter is twenty-five, or whenever little boys can eat without spilling a drop (hah!).

There's a number of fantastic resources - including a book by Gill Rapley (sort of the "originator" of "Baby-Led-Weaning", aka BLW), which I recommend, but I didn't read anything much different than these websites, including her own:

-Where I first learned about BLW, beyond just hearing about it.
-Gill Rapley, info on BLW, how to start, why it works, and why it's safe.
-A quick-list of tips.
-A summary of info I've read in several places.
-A list of some of the "most allergenic foods", and a list of the "least allergenic foods".
-A Dutch site with the most thorough information, also with a suggested guide for when to implement certain foods.
-This is important; the perfect bibs.

And while I'm not going to be constantly updating this blog to feature the foods Carter is eating, and how Baby Led Weaning is going, I will be updating my flickr photos with foods I've prepared for him, and little tidbits here and there.

banana crunch muffins with gingery homemade granola

2011-01-09T20:33:00.000-08:00

Really, these could be called ridiculously banana, banana crunch muffins, but I thought it might be a little much. A little restraint is needed in the New Year, at least occasionally. I have decided that it might be wise to consume more vegetables, and a few more fruits, this year, and certainly a banana counts as a fruit, although I'm fairly certain that the half pound, yes a HALF POUND(!) of butter in this recipe, make it a little less than the ideal health food.

Nevertheless, these are very, very good muffins. Just not one bit healthy. Sure, there are bananas, and some omega-3's in the walnuts, but these are calorie laden, make your house smell beyond heavenly when you peek into the oven, perfectly topped, deliciousness. They are worthy of an extra ten minutes of exercise. Although, I'm sure an hour would be necessary to actually do much good.

And while I'm definitely someone who tries a lot of new recipes, I'm usually adapting them to meet my needs; a little more psyllium fiber to replace some of the flour, a bit of pureed spinach or blueberries, and nearly always a tonne more cinnamon. But this time? I just decided to make the recipe as is.

It's an Ina Garten recipe, from her Barefoot Contessa book. Something about a crunchy muffin, with banana chips just sounded like something, I really, truly needed. Not a want, but a true need. You know the kind. The kind of need that makes you stay up late just to take a cake out of the oven, let it cool in the freezer, just so you can frost it and eat some before bed. That kind of need.

Except, there's one small problem. I completely forgot the coconut.

And while original recipe says it makes eighteen muffins, I just couldn't see how these weren't going to end up overflowing a little too much. Instead, I ended up with nineteen, even without the missing coconut.

So while, I did make my own granola, I didn't change much in the recipe. Except for the coconut of course. In fact, I hardly made the recipe my own at all. And I'm glad I didn't. It works just fine, just the way it is. But if you want to compare it to the original, or change this one to suit your needs, go for it. It certainly could be healthier, but these sure are good.

Banana Crunch Muffins with Gingery Homemade Granola

Granola:

4 cups slow cooking oats
3/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup golden flax seeds
1/2 cup bran
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup honey
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger (or more!)
pinch kosher salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine the oats, almonds, flax, bran, and pecans in a large bowl.
2. Combine the honey, and olive oil, and warm gently. Whisk in the cinnamon, ginger, and salt.
3. Pour the honey mixture into the oat mixture, and thoroughly stir to combine.
4. Spread over parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Bake the granola in ten minute intervals, removing from the oven, and stirring. Bake for at least thirty minutes, or until lightly golden brown and fragrant.
5. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet, and then place the granola in an airtight container, for up to one week.

For the muffins:
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 pound (1 cup) butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 bananas, can be previously frozen)
1 cup medium-diced ripe bananas (1 banana)
1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
1 cup granola (see above!), plus extra for sprinkling
1 cup banana chips, plus extra for sprinkling

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In an electric stand mixer, with a paddle attachment, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir slightly to combine. Add in the butter, and slowly mix for a couple rotations.
2. Add the eggs, whole milk, vanilla, and mashed bananas. Mix, but don't over mix.
3. Remove the paddle attachment, and stir in the remaining ingredients, without overdoing it.
4. Line 18-19 spots in muffin tins. Using an ice cream scoop to help divide the dough, fill the cups until slightly more than full, approximately a tablespoon more than full per cup.
5. Using the remaining granola and banana chips, generously sprinkle the muffins tops with the granola and add a chip or two for some added crunch. Shake from side-to-side to remove any excess granola.
6. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, until lightly golden brown, and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
7. Allow the muffins to cool (at least slightly!), and enjoy!

homemade dark hot chocolate mix & marshmallows too

2010-12-22T10:44:00.000-08:00

Homemade. Yes, the marshmallows too!

I thought it would make cute gifts I could give friends and family for the holidays. The best part is that the marshmallows are good for a few weeks, at least. So, if I missed seeing someone on a particular day, it wasn't like their foodie gift would become any less indulgent, as it might with say, cookies or fudge.

I put them in these cute little cellophane bags, and tied them with a little green bow.

I like that the ribbon is green, so it's festive, but not too overdone.

I found these sweet gift tags, and scribbled the cooking instructions on the back.

I did say cooking instructions, because I added cornstarch to the mix to make it a little thicker, and in my mind just that much richer. It does need a bit of whisking, or forking, if you will, and a tad of time to simmer. The cornstarch also helps to create the illusion of dairy, so you can use water or other non-dairy beverage to avoid dairy altogether.

I have to admit though, that I did just happen (an accident of sorts) to consume vast amounts of hot chocolate and marshmallows, just to be sure that I had the mix just right. It was tough, but it appears, I am yet unscathed!

So far, that is... These homemade marshmallows are incredible. Next time, I will scrape in the seeds of a vanilla bean. Crushed pink peppercorns would also be fun with all their little pink bits peeking out.

I mean really.

I forgot to mention that the hot chocolate mix has grated dark Callebaut chocolate. It's just so wrong that it's good. Leave a cup of this out for Santa, and he'll surely never leave.

Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix

1 cup Callebaut Dark Chocolate Chunks
1 cup cocoa
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch

For the mix:
1. Place the chocolate chunks in a food processor, and pulverize until nearly a powder. I suggest wearing ear plugs!
2. Combine the ingredients together in a large bowl, and stir until well combined

For a serving:
1. Warm one cup of whole milk slightly.
2. Add 1/4 cup of the hot chocolate mix, and whisk.
3. Continue to heat until the milk simmers, and the mixture has thickened slightly. It should resemble the consistency of heavy cream, but not quite so far as a pudding or yogurt. Add marshmallows, and enjoy!

Homemade Marshmallows

3 packets of Knorr unflavoured gelatin, or approximately 2 1/2 tablespoons of unflavoured gelatin
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup corn syrup (light or golden)
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp best quality vanilla, or the inside of a vanilla bean
plenty of icing sugar (confectioners' sugar)
candy thermometer
pastry brush

1. Combine the gelatin and a 1/2 cup of cool water in a mixer with a whisk attachment. Allow to rest for a half hour, or as long as it takes to make the candy syrup below.
2. In medium-size saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and a half cup of water. Heat to medium, and stir only until the sugar has dissolved. Stop stirring.
3. Fill a small bowl with water, and use it and the pastry brush to dissolve any remaining sugar crystals that are clinging to the sides of the pan. Be semi-generous with the water.
4. Begin to monitor the temperature with a candy thermometer. Be careful! Bring the mixture to 244 degrees Fahrenheit, and then remove from heat.
5. Being careful, pour the syrup into the mixer with the whisk attachment. Starting slowly, whisk until the total amount has tripled in volume, approximately 10 minutes in length.
6. While the mixture is whisking, place nearly copious amounts (a little less than a 1/4 centimeter) of icing sugar in the bottom, and slightly up the sides of a 9 x 9 baking pan (metal or glass).
7. Spread the whipped marshmallow into the pan, and allow to cool and dry for at least twelve hours. No need to cover.
8. Using a hot knife, loosen the marshmallow from the sides of the pan. Turn the gigantic marshmallow out onto a cutting board. Have more icing sugar at the ready. Continue to rinse and heat and dry the knife. Slice the marshmallows into desired sizes, and lightly dust with more icing sugar to prevent the creation of another giant marshmallow.
9. Place the marshmallows in an airtight container, and therefore, ready to be enjoyed!

don't just survive the holidays

2010-12-19T15:02:00.000-08:00

I like lists. I like to make them, and I like to read them. But there are so many lists full of ideas floating around the media ether on how to either "survive the holidays", or "keep the stress away", that these lists are starting to make me think that perhaps I should be stressed and frantically fretting about how I will make it through. Should I be panicking as much as everyone seems to imply?

I hope not.

Although, I am taking preventive measures; I am making lists and checking them twice, no matter how cliché that may be.

I am also trying to keep in mind that you just can't be perfect all the time. But of course, I'll still try at least a little bit. Here's some of the things I'm doing to stay sane, but I also look at it as just plain old enjoying myself and still getting done the stuff that is important to me.

1. Make fudge with condensed milk and melted chocolate. It works, and tastes divine. A shortcut doesn't have to be all bad. It still beats the crap out of showing up at a holiday party with timbits or a box of Pot of Gold (no offense).

2. Make the bed every day, and just ignore the rest. Yes, there is dust in the air, and sometimes it even lands on things, heaven forbid. The world will not come to an end simply because of a piece of dust.

3. Keep the house full of fruit so I don't eat all of my holiday baking before anyone comes to visit. This is actually quite important.

4. Run the dishwasher. They exist for a reason.

5. Prep as much food as is possible in advance, but not between the hours of 11pm - 5am.

6. Be showered and dressed at least a WHOLE HOUR before guests arrive. No matter what just exploded in the kitchen.

7. Keep plenty of paper towels on hand, and use them with abandon.

8. Buying too much chocolate is never bad. Just try not to open it when no one else is home.

9. Fancy knives and cutting boards are indispensable, but when chopping, slicing, or dicing a lot of food, particularly dozens of onions, use a slap-chop. HA! No, in all seriousness food-processors can really help, and it isn't a cop-out when you're cooking the smithereens out of stuff anyways.

10. Wouldn't it be funny if the turkey actually exploded? Sure beats the pants off a ho-hum day. Don't just survive the holidays, enjoy them!

pastries galore

2010-12-17T14:48:00.000-08:00

I am finally almost hungry again. It only took five days... I'm sure you can guess what happened. Yes, I ate multiple pastries on Saturday, and they were so very good, that I did the same thing on Sunday.

Now, this has happened before, but at least I was pregnant. All I can say now is that Yann's pastries are just that ridiculously delicious.

If you live in Calgary, or anywhere nearby, I highly recommend making an immediate visit to Yann's Haute Patisserie in Mission. Not only is it family owned and run, but the family also lives right above the bakery. How cool is that! Do note that this never happens in Calgary....

I've been Yann's probably a bit more than sparingly. I've adored every morsel. I've never had anything from Yann's that was less than exceptional. I particularly love their chocolate croissants, which are perfectly flaky, but they don't explode into a million crumbs and make a gigantic mess. They also contain enough chocolate to bring your taste buds to a satisfactory high.

I also adore their skinny baguettes, and yes I know, and they know that pastry shops don't typically carry baguettes, but there was such an overwhelming demand for them, I think they just couldn't refuse. I can't say I've ever done anything with one of them except rip off the pieces and devour it as quickly as possible. With or without butter. They are good enough to make your gums bleed, as a proper baguette should, but also still tender enough to melt away into nothingness. Divine.

My new favourite, and we're talking to-die-for, I would walk a hundred miles for in freezing rain for, are Yann's chocolate hazelnut donuts. Like an Italian bomboloni; a stuffed donut. I am not normally a donut seeker, but I cannot overstate enough, just how absurdly good these are. In one bite, the outer section immediately gives way to a succulent center, chock-full of chocolate-hazelnut pastry cream. I surely could eat a dozen of these in one sitting, if given the opportunity, and hopefully one day I will. It is good to have dreams, is it not?

If you haven't indulged enough yet for the holidays, Yann's will surely help you out.

buttered onion sauce

2010-12-12T20:39:00.000-08:00

I don't know what it is. But I can't eat enough. I have just been eating, and eating, and eating. I mean sure, taking care of a baby is busy, but still. I have eaten the most calorific foods I can think of, and then I'm still hungry. I thought this dish would fill me up, and it certainly worked.

I suppose I should have included the calories burned while my mouth watered just thinking about it. It is absolutely one of my favourite pastas of all time, and that's saying something.

Think about it, it's onions simmered in copious amounts of butter for over an hour, and then doused with port. It's a take on a James Beard recipe, which called for madeira wine, and instead, port elevates it to a whole new scrumptious level.

While I could stop there, as it is an already a delicious accompaniment for pasta, or potatoes or meat for that matter, it seemed that it wasn't quite complete. Port is fabulously divine when paired with cheese, yes? And most especially any type of blue cheese. The same goes for a smattering of blue cheese chunks over the top to finish the dish off. Did it work? See for yourself.

Buttered Onion Sauce

4-6 medium yellow onions
1/2 pound butter
1/4 cup port wine
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp of blue cheese per serving
1 package bucatini pasta (I love it for the extra bite that it adds)

1. Thinly slice the onions, into half moons. (I hope you wear contact lenses to help with the tears).
2. Warm the butter in a medium-size sauce pan, and add the onions. Cook on a low flame for an hour, stirring occasionally to prevent browning, until the onions are sumptuously soft, and virtually dissolve on the tongue. Add the port, and salt, and then simmer another 15 minutes before serving.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water (1-2 tbsp of coarse kosher salt) to a boil. Cook the pasta a minute less than the package directions. Drain the pasta.
4. Transfer the pasta to the beautiful buttered onions and stir thoroughly to combine.
5. Chop, or if you are feeling rustic, break some blue cheese into mini chunks.
6. Place a serving of pasta in a bowl, and dot with blue cheese. Serve with fresh ground pepper.