Foodie Baby: Chinese Food!

It's old news that Piper fell in love with zesty Italian, smokey BBQ, spicy Mexican, pungent liver and onion, and creamy Parmesan flavors, but there were still a couple of taste sensations we had yet to explore.  Tonight I tried baby food with an Asian flare!  As I was preparing the food it smelled INCREDIBLE, but in the back of my mind a little voice was telling me that these flavors were too foreign (no pun intended) for a baby's new taste buds to actually enjoy.  Wrong, again. I think the Chinese Five Spice created a sweetness that combined with the tang of soy sauce created an irresistible dynamic! This time, I managed to get a video of her reaction to the first bite!

~Ingredients~

1 large chicken breast, cut in small pieces
1 medium potato (not skinned), diced
1/2 cup diced white onion
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. of lite soy sauce
1/4 tsp. Chinese Five Spice
1 Tbsp. sweet and sour sauce
1 cup of water

~Instructions~
1.  Melt butter in a large, non-stick skillet.  Add soy sauce and stir over medium heat.
2.  When the mixture just begins to boil and form small bubbles, add chicken, potatoes, and onion.

3.  Stir until thoroughly coated.
4.  When it comes to a high boil, stir and flip once, then reduce heat to med-low.

 5.  Pour into a bowl.  Add the 1 Tbsp. sweet and sour sauce and stir until well coated.

6.  Spoon into a blender.
7.  Pour in the 1 cup of water and stir.
8.  Puree to desired consistency.
Should make approximately 5 jars of baby food.

AND THE VERDICT!!!!

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Foodie Baby: It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time!

I posted on my Facebook page yesterday that it would be the day Piper tried peanut butter for the first time.  It caused a wave of comments ranging from both ends of the spectrum and I imagine that had there been a provocateur in the midst (which thankfully there wasn't), the debate would have continued for quite some time. As far as I could tell, there seemed to be two camps: The first camp believes that giving a child potentially allergenic foods increases their chances of being allergic to it as they get older and that it's best to leave them alone, and the other camp believes that if neither parent have an allergy to the food then it's basic common sense as to whether their child should be able to enjoy it or not.  I'm not one to argue with pediatricians or those performing the research, but my gut was telling me to go ahead and let Piper try it at 10 and a 1/2 months old as neither parent or our extended families have any food allergies. I bought Smuckers All Natural Peanut Butter as the only ingredients listed are peanuts and salt. None of that hydrogenated this-and-that. As for the jelly, I bought Polaner All Fruit since it seems to have less sugar and more natural ingredients.  As Piper ate her very first peanut butter and jelly sandwich I waited patiently to see if there were any reactions whatsoever and the only very obvious adverse effect was that quite a bit of it ended up in her hair.  PEANUT ALLERGY CONQUERED!!!  And in honor of this, I posted OUR FAVORITE BUCKWHEAT BOYZ SONG AFTER THE PICTURE!!

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You Are What You Eat, And I Eat A Lot Of Fruit And Nuts

I feel more comfortable in the kitchen than in any other room. For me it is where I can be an artist, take out aggression, practice aromatherapy, find solace in the methodical chopping and slicing, be silly with my daughter, make a mess, reflect on days past, envision tomorrow, come to conclusions, or simply live in the moment. There is something gratifying in that every ingredient, every stir, and every degree of temperature plays an important role in a very tangible and satisfying (or not so satisfying) outcome. Maybe it's a control thing. The end result is in my hands and I have the power to steer it in any direction I wish.  This is the part where I could become annoyingly philosophical and compare the many ingredients in a meal to "success being the sum of small efforts in yourself and society" or some such nonsense, but let's cut the crap. I love to eat. I love to try new things. I love my daughter. I love that she's an infant and everything she tries is new. Cooking is a way to incorporate all of these things, and at the end of the day I feel cleansed.

I hope that you all enjoy and actively participate in my and Piper's gastrointestinal escapades. I will include adult food recipes, baby food recipes, tips, shortcuts, step-by-step instructions with pictures, and let's not forget personal reflections. This is a blog after all. You will read them, and you will like it.  

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