Monday, July 11, 2011

Did I say she was off fresh peaches? She seems to have had second thoughts about that. Peaches are a go!

Dinner last night was Israeli couscous with caramelized onions, chanterelles, bacon, cream, and parmesan. It went over well, but the couscous gets everywhere. Mae really enjoys saying "couscous", though (but who doesn't?).

Friday, July 8, 2011

About time for an update? Yes, I think so too.

We've been eating our way happily through the months. I don't have a new recipe for you today, but I do want to share the sorts of things that Mae has been enjoying lately, in case you're interested and just to help my own memory a bit.

Breakfast, one of the following: toast with butter. Plain yogurt (perhaps with freeze-dried strawberry powder on top). 7-grain hot cereal with dried peaches and cinnamon. Cheese grits. Eggs (fried or scrambled). Wheat puffs, toasted. Berries if we have them.

Berries are big this year, but sadly, she seems to have forgotten her love of the peach during the long, peachless winter, and now won't touch them (well, she ate some in a pie, but that hardly counts). Well, more peaches for me.

Snacks: peas! Frozen peas, straight from the freezer. I put them in a little mason jar, plunk it down on her stroller tray, and she nibbles away. She snacks on cheese to a lesser extent. Some days are cheese days, and others, not so much. Same with bananas. They have their place. Freeze-dried fruit is still a favorite.

We got an insulated snack case that has a freezer insert, so I can take refrigeratables (or hot food) along on our trips to the park-- because why else would we go to the park if not to have a nice picnic?-- and it's been wonderful.  Also for taking supplementary meal items when going out to eat. Yesterday I made a quick tuna and black-eyed pea salad with finely chopped pecans-- it went over very well. A lentil, sun-dried tomato and feta salad was also a hit, but had unfortunate consequences later. Take note: toddlers cannot digest de puy lentils.

Another trick I've learned is that you can make a very serviceable macaroni and cheese by simply 1) boiling the pasta, 2) adding pasta back to pan, adding cream, 3) stir in shredded cheddar to taste, heat gently until it melts. Adjust with more cream if necessary to get the right consistency. Add a little dry mustard, herbs, or paprika if you want to fancy it up. It's quick to make, freezes well. I freeze it in individually-sized portions that I can microwave when I need a quick additional side dish (what? She's still hungry? Ok, how about some of this?). I also like to bring it to restaurants when I fear they may have nothing better than the powdered cheese product on their children's menu macaroni. *shudder*