Random Thoughts...

Addie is 10 months old. It seems that this time with a baby around is going much faster than when Jackson was a baby.

Addie can crawl! She's been crawling two "steps" and then belly flopping and getting frustrated. Last night Addie crawled five or so "steps" multiple times! Where oh where do the babygates need to be?

A busy weekend in the kitchen again: Apple Salad with Yogurt Dressing, Candied Pecans, Spaghetti and Meatballs and Chocolate Marble Bread with Ganache.

I can't stop yawning. Jackson spoiled us with his sleeping habits, Addie is a different story. She is up multiple times a night, she did well for a while but now in the last few weeks, she's up all the time! We weaned her off of night feedings months ago, so she isn't waking in the hopes of getting fed. She wakes, doesn't know how to get herself back to sleep and cries. I suppose some would say that we should let her cry it out (CIO). If we do this though, she'll just wake up Jackson and we'll have two kids awake. I'm not sure CIO is the method I want to try. But I'm tired. Last night's schedule:

8:30 I fed her and rocked her
9:00 I put her down asleep
9:15 She cried, I put her nuk in her mouth
9:45 She cried, I rocked her back to sleep
10:45 She cried, Ron put her nuk back in her mouth
1:30 She cried, I put her nuk back in her mouth
1:45 She cried, I bounced her in her crib and she went back to sleep
5:00 - 6:00 Ron was up with her three times
6:30 She cried, I brought her to our bed and fed her

A lesson in cooking...

For my birthday this year Ron surprised me with cooking lessons in my home! My mom and friend Dana were invited along for the experience.

The meun:
Homemade pasta
Roasted pumpkin ravioli with a sage brown butter sauce
Chicken enchiladas with salsa verde
Seafood bisque
California rolls

We had a great time learning new techniques and eating delicious grub.







And Jackson even got to try out one of the menu items the next day:

Gastrofamily: Brussel Sprouts

Next in our adventure of eating with more variety came brussel sprouts. I steamed them with a bit of butter and oil. Then when they were done I drizzled a stone-ground mustard over the top. They went over with some success, Jackson even ate the leftovers again the next day with lunch.

They were served with a crusted chicken and a packaged rice. Yes, packaged! It was a weeknight, what can I say?!? That's Jackson's finger pointing out the new menu item to the camera.

Gastrofamily Week One

I am fully aware that I will not be doing this weekly or even bi-weekly but if I set my goals high perhaps I will be satisfied with the outcome.

As one of my 2010 goals states, I would like to get our family eating a better variety of foods. So it is my goal that we will try a couple new foods each month.

Gastrofamily Week One:

Beets. The beet chip recipe I had was not a complete failure, but it only produced a few perfect chips. Some were too thick and came out rubbery and most were too thin and burned to a crisp. For this reason... I need a mandolin. Jackson tried a couple but was not impressed and Ron felt the same. I will try beets again, another way.

Parsnips. Success! I made a apple and parsnip mash that went over well with both boys, actually.

Apple Parsnip Mash
A delicious alternative to mashed potatoes.

20 ounces parsnips
2 apples (Honeycrisp)
1 tablespoon margarine
salt
pepper

1. Peel and cut parsnips and apples into ¼ inch chunks. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil until soft, about 20 minutes.

2. Drain.

3. Add 1 tablespoon margarine and salt and pepper to taste. Puree in food processor.


Yields: 6 servings

Time to make: 35 minutes

Yes, shortcake for dinner...

On Sunday we had a late lunch. So for dinner we had strawberry shortcake. That's right, this mom provided her family with strawberry shortcake for dinner! No one seemed to mind especially since we were eating outside on a beautiful day.