Just curious

Does anyone else make their own baby food? I buy very little pre-made baby food and make most everything....sweet potatoes, prunes, peaches, squash, peas, avocado, broccoli, bananas. I did one batch of apricots but it wasn't her favorite and kind of pricey to do. I don't make meat specifically for Greta but serve her what we have. Most recently she was introduced to barbecue and loved it. The only veggie I haven't had luck with was green beans. I never could get the consistency good and she really doesn't like them...she does however love broccoli.

I always buy cereals, crackers/puffs, dairy products (cheese & yogurt), & applesauce.

Up at 5...why not post a recipe

As I sit here with a non sleepy baby who is chewing on my left hand, I figure, why not share a recipe with all you fine sleeping folks.

I made this on Wed for sister night and it was raved about by everyone but Greta who just wanted milk....silly girl. For the shredded chicken I used Amy's cooking method of a whole chicken in the crock pot. I also decreased the lime juice by 1/2 since most reviews of the recipe said it was too limey. After getting the whole thing put together I wanted it to have a bit more oomph as we weren't having any side dishes so I put a can of corn, rotel, great northern white beans, and kidney beans. It was incredibly easy. If any of you out there decide to give it a try, let me know what you think.

Chocolate White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I keep losing this recipe so I'm posting it here for easy reference. These cookies are great alone or as a homemade ice cream sandwich (which was how they are intended to be served.) Once the cookies have cooled spread any flavor ice cream on one cookie bottom and top with another cookie. Serve immediately for a crunchy cookie with soft ice cream or stick in freezer for a softer cookie with a bit harder ice cream. Either way it's delicious!

1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup good unsweetened cocoa
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds good white chocolate, coarsely choppedPreheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream the butter and 2 sugars until light and fluffy in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the vanilla, then the eggs, 1 at a time, and mix well. Add the cocoa and mix again. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt and add to the chocolate with the mixer on low speed until just combined. Fold in the chopped white chocolate.

Drop the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, using a 1 3/4-inch ice cream scoop or a rounded tablespoon. Dampen your hands and flatten the dough slightly. Bake for exactly 15 minutes (the cookies will seem underdone). Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Broccoli Super Salad

Another recipe post for your dining pleasure. We had this tuesday evening with Ham & Macaroni and Cheese. It's one of Graham's favorites so I usually make a full recipe even though it's just the two of us. I think it tastes even better the next day.

1 bunch broccoli
1/2 C. Roasted Sunflower Seeds, Unsalted
1/2 C. Raisins
1/4 C. Chopped Red Onion
3 Strips Bacon, fried and crumbled
2 C. Cubed Mozzarella Cheese

Dressing
1 C. Mayonnaise
1 T. Vinegar
1/4 C. Sugar

Modifications
I always leave out the red onion as neither Graham nor I are fond of raw onions. You can substitute Monterrey Jack for the Mozzarella cheese. On tuesday I used 1/8 C. Splenda instead of sugar. I generally use less Splenda than sugar because it sure seems to be sweeter even if they say it measures cup for cup. I couldn't tell a difference but next time I plan to increase the splenda to 3/16 C. since Graham said he preferred it a bit sweeter than it was.

The Milk Hates Me Corner
For those that are lactose intolerant this is a great salad recipe because the dressing doesn't have any dairy products. There's nothing worse that seeing a great looking pasta or vegetable salad somewhere only to find out the dressing is made with milk, buttermilk, sour cream, etc. If cheese is a concern that can also be left out. I personally don't feel like it contributes that much but then again, I'm not that big on cheese.

Meet My Favorite Whisk

This whisk was a wedding present and I have since learned I cannot live without it. It's great for mixing up sauces and the curved edges are perfect for getting flour that gets stuck on the side of the pan. Also, since it's flat it doesn't encorporate a lot of air into what you are mixing. I tend to use it for just about anything I am mixing.

Williams-Sonoma, although a bit pricey, has the nicest version of this I've seen. I like that the handle is solid and not wire wrapped. It's also a nice thick handle that's easy to hold and you don't tire as easily, especially important when beating something for a long time.

(If you click on the link it's the 10 inch flat whisk)

Recipe Time

I have a super easy very tasty chicken pot pie recipe. My mother was kind enough to give me her cookbook (electronically) and this is one of our favorite recipes in it.

5 C. Cooked Chicken, Salted & Cubed
2 1/2 C. Chicken Broth (Left over from cooking the chicken, of course!)
1 can celery soup
2 eggs, hard-boiled, sliced
1/2 stick margarine, melted
1 C. Self Rising Flour
1 C. Milk
1/4 C. Mayonnaise

Place chicken in greased 10 x 13 casserole dish. Mix broth and soup and heat to boiling. Arrange egg slices over chicken. Make topping from final 4 ingredients. Mix well and pour over chicken. Bake @ 425 got 45 minutes.

Note: This will look really runny before you bake it. When it comes out it will have thickened and the topping will form a crust over the chicken.

I've altered the original slightly to fit our tastes. I'm not a big fan of hard boiled eggs so I leave that out. I add whatever frozen veggies I have on hand (ex: peas & carrots). I don't usually measure, just whatever looks right. This freezes really well although I would suggest freezing it before adding the topping and then add it when you are ready to bake.

What I really love about this is that with the addition of the veggies it's pretty much an all in one meal. You really would only need 1 side dish.