How To Make Baby Food...Carrots

*Disclaimer*  I am not an expert at making baby food.  I don't actually know what I'm doing.  I'm just figuring it out as I go, which seems to be working out pretty well so far.

You start with a GINORMOUS 10 pound bag of carrots from Costco.

I heart Costco.

Get out a bowl and use it to peel the carrots into and put the end pieces.  It's much easier than trying to peel over the garbage can.  Trust me.

Get your carrots all peeled and hack off the ends.

Then, chop 'em up.  Be sure to use a sharp knife because carrots need to be shown the business.  I have my Santoku knife that I am in love with.

Then, put the carrots in the steamer and steam.  Guess how many carrots are in the steamer?  Trust me, it takes more carrots than I thought to fill that little steamer.

Shout out to my Mom!  She gave me my Babycook for Christmas.  Thanks, Mama!

 

Carrots are all hot and steamy!

There's 10.  Ten carrots in the steamer.  Sorry ~ I just had myself a Rain Man moment, there.

Now, with carrots, you don't want to use the leftover water in the steamer because of the nitrates, or whatnot.  So, dump it out.

Instead of adding water to puree the carrots, I use formula.  I would use breastmilk if I had a freezer full of it.  But I don't.  Because Baby Girl drinks all my milk.  Oink, oink.  So, I have found that 2 ounces of formula added to about 2 cups of steamed carrots is just about right.  I still have some of these formula samples from the hospital, so I'm using those first.

The Babycook is awesome because you puree in the same container you steamed in, which means fewer things to wash!  Wa-hoo!  What?  I'm easily pleased.  Okay, so we're pureeing....

And you just puree the heck out of it until it looks like this.  I usually have to stir it up with a little spatula a couple of times to get the big chunks down in there.

Then, use a small spatula (LOVE this thing) to spoon into ice cube trays.  

Listen really carefully...yep, Baby Girl is up from her nap.

Well, hello there!  Yes, she's always this happy when she wakes up.

Stick the baby in the bouncy seat for a few minutes while you finish the carrots.  Let the dog babysit.

Ta-da!  So, 10 carrots makes 11 cubes.  Lame.  Seriously, it bothers me a little bit that I have an empty slot.

Oh well.  I'm over it.

Shove the tray in the coldest part of the freezer overnight and then dump the cubes into a labeled freezer bag.  Make sure you write what it is and when you made it on the bag with a trusty Sharpie marker.  Don't think that you'll remember it's carrots because they're orange.  There are other orange veggies that you'll be making later, like pumpkin or squash.  Or are those fruits?  Doesn't matter.  Just label the stinkin' bag.

Finally, notice that you have about a tablespoon of carrots left after you scrape the blender really well.  Think to yourself, "I wonder if Avery might eat this."  Stick it on your finger and watch her instantly open her mouth like a little birdie.

Yep.  She ate it!

And she said to me, "Where has this been all my life, Mama?"

It's true.  She did.

Pat yourself on the back.  Now, your Baby will be eating healthy carrots, as opposed to the jarred carrots with the high fructose corn syrup.  No one needs that in their diet.  Especially my baby.

I also made some apples and bananas!  Trust me when I say that everything is delicious.  I would eat it if I didn't have teeth!

Also:  You just witnessed Avery's very first taste of solids.  She hasn't even had rice cereal yet.  Shhhhhh ~ don't tell her pediatrician.  Just kidding!  We'll see if there's an orange hue to her poo tomorrow.  Ha!

Delicious Dinner...

Yesterday, I cooked up a double batch of Slow Cooker Turkey Chili and Cheese Biscuits for us and for just in case Baby Bruce decides to show up in the next few days, we have some tasty food here.

I decided to post the recipes because and I quote,

"This is the best chili I've ever had!" ~ Stephen Bruce

So, here you go!  If you all choose not to make these recipes at least once this winter, it's your dumb choice.  Don't say I didn't give them to you!

Slow Cooker Turkey Chili from Southern Living Magazine October 2009
serves 4-6 *

1 1/4 lb. lean ground turkey
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (1.25 oz.) envelope chili seasoning mix
1 (12 oz.) can beer
1 1/2 c. frozen corn kernels
1 red bell pepper, chopped *
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
3/4 tsp. salt

Cook first 4 ingredients in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, 8 minutes or until turkey crumbles and is no longer pink.  Stir in beer, and cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes.  Spoon mixture into a 5 1/2 qt. slow cooker; stir in corn and next 6 ingredients until well blended.  Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours.  Serve with desired toppings. *

* Personal notes: Since both my husband and I are total cheap skates, I just used 2 green bell peppers because red bell peppers are 3 times as expensive as the green ones.  Also, avocados were on sale this week, so we topped the chili with slices of those and some shredded cheddar cheese.  Also, I doubled this recipe and it was a perfect fit into my big crockpot.  The only thing I didn't double was the turkey, though.


Paula Deen’s Cheese Biscuits
Makes 8-12 biscuits
2 cups self-rising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup Crisco shortening
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 and while you’re waiting, go put on a pair of pants with an elastic waistband. Mix flour, baking powder, and sugar together using a fork; cut in shortening until it resembles cornmeal. Add cheese. Stir in buttermilk (because the stick of lard and all the cheese isn’t really enough fat) all at one time just until blended. Do not over-stir.

Drop by spoonfuls onto a well-greased baking sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes. Makes about 8 large biscuits or 12 medium size ones.

* These were super easy to make.  I made 8 large biscuits, but they ended up baking for about 25 minutes.  Just keep your eye on them and take out when they're very light brown.
 
You're welcome!

Lookin' for some Cookin?...

I've been meaning to post this link for a few weeks now, but am now just getting the chance.

One of the websites I love to read, The Pioneer Woman, has launched another site, called Tasty Kitchen.

If you like to use allrecipes or the foodnetwork, you'll probably really like this website, too. It is organized and easy to use.

Just thought I'd share!

Chicken Bake...

Okay, here's the situation with the Chicken Bake:

It is delicious. If you want something warm and comfy in your tummy, it does the trick.


It has chicken, mushrooms, peas, and creaminess...

I love all these things, so it works out for me.

Chicken Bake

1 lb. chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 onion, diced

1 jar of sliced mushrooms (I have found sliced fresh mushrooms are really good in this)

1 c. frozen peas

1 jar pimientos (we can't get these in the big K, but they're not really important)

2 c. milk

2 chicken bouillion cubes

Flour

Rice

1. Brown the chicken bites in a large saucepan/frying pan with some butter. Once it's nice and brown, remove just the chicken.

2. Add some more butter and the onions and cook till onions are translucent. Add the fresh mushrooms and cook for a few minutes. If you're using the jarred mushrooms, you'll add these later with the peas.

3. Sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of flour over the onions and butter and stir until flour is worked in. Slowly add the milk and chicken bouillion cubes, stirring constantly. Continue to stir until mixture thickens up (until it holds on the back of a spoon).

4. Add the peas and jarred mushrooms and pimientos. Add the chicken back in and cook over low heat until everything is heated through. If you want to make it up to this point ahead of time, you can then put the mixture into a casserole and heat it up later in the oven.

5. Serve over white or brown rice. I like to sprinkle a little soy sauce over the top, too.

I grew up with this dish and still love it. It's so easy and keeps great for leftovers or to freeze. I don't have the recipe here, so I've made it from memory, but it tastes just how Mom used to make it!

Bulgogi...

Do you know what Bulgogi is?
It is delicious marinated beef and vegetables, Korean style. And it is sooooo delicious. We got to eat some real Bulgogi recently, after purchasing it from a Korean girl at church who was doing some fundraising by selling her mom's Bulgogi. There is a high population of Koreans here in the big K, especially in A-Town, so I felt confident it would be tasty.

Huzz loved it.

Obviously, so did I!

I found a recipe on allrecipes.com for Bulgogi and I haven't made it yet, but I'm planning to this weekend, so I'll let you know how it turns out. Have you ever made Bulgogi? Do you have a nice recipe you'd like to share?

It's Twins!

Hahaha, I know a few of your hearts just skipped a beat there from the title! I am sooooooooooooo funny.

One morning, I was making something with eggs. I believe it was....wait for it.....

SCRAMBLED EGGS.

And I came across a twin egg! Oh, I have heard of such a phenomena, but have never actually witnessed it with my own eyes.

See the two yolks that are right next to each other on the left side of the bowl? That's them!

In case you were wondering, they were quite tasty.