Recently in Cooking for Baby Category

When my son was born, I was going to keep him away from sweets. Then his first birthday hit, and he had to have cake. I was even kind of proud of the ginger way he nibbled at his first sweet, unsure whether he liked it. Then I decided if it was homemade, he could have some (especially if he helped me make it). Then we let him try salty licorice, and, incredibly, it was a hit. Then Altoids (I think we we so struck by the strong, bizarre flavors he was willing to eat that we couldn't deny it - it's hilarious to hear an almost-2 asking for salmiakki). Now it's the mints every time we get in the car, fruit snacks to get him to put his clothes on, jelly beans because Daddy's have a handful. It's a slippery slope, people. You've been warned.

And he's got a little bit of a cold now, so he's striking. He won't eat anything BUT the aforementioned junk. In fact, he turned his little nose up at my banana-chocolate snack cakes, too. And I've tried ALL his usual favorites.

Yesterday I made a quesadilla with diced ham, shredded Cheddar and broccoli florets. Nope. Onto the floor.

I poached a couple of eggs in a herbes de provence-seasoned mixture of sauteed onions and diced tomatoes (it was really good, especially with some bread to soak up the juices). He took some bites of the eggs, then the tomatoes, when I spoon-fed it to him. But before that he cried.

Today we ordered doughy, not-very-good (but he loves them) vegetable dumplings. He made me scrape the vegetables out and ate the doughy wrapper.

Turkey meatballs. "I don't like it." Almond butter sandwich. "What's that funny stuff?" (the crust). Asparagus spears do not pass his lips.

Argh. This was the kid who would eat anything I put in front of him 6 months ago. I'm thinking of banning the junk from our home (for all of us) until I can get him back on track. But am I putting the blame in the wrong place? Maybe he has no appetite. Maybe he's just reached the "terrible twos." It's frustrating, though, to cook for someone who not only doesn't appreciate it but who more than likely will smear it all over the table, sink it in his milk or push it onto the floor.

When my son was born, I was going to keep him away from sweets. Then his first birthday hit, and he had to have cake. I was even kind of proud of the ginger way he nibbled at his first sweet, unsure whether he liked it. Then I decided if it was homemade, he could have some (especially if he helped me make it). Then we let him try salty licorice, and, incredibly, it was a hit. Then Altoids (I think we we so struck by the strong, bizarre flavors he was willing to eat that we couldn't deny it - it's hilarious to hear an almost-2 asking for salmiakki). Now it's the mints every time we get in the car, fruit snacks to get him to put his clothes on, jelly beans because Daddy's have a handful. It's a slippery slope, people. You've been warned.

And he's got a little bit of a cold now, so he's striking. He won't eat anything BUT the aforementioned junk. In fact, he turned his little nose up at my banana-chocolate snack cakes, too. And I've tried ALL his usual favorites.

Yesterday I made a quesadilla with diced ham, shredded Cheddar and broccoli florets. Nope. Onto the floor.

I poached a couple of eggs in a herbes de provence-seasoned mixture of sauteed onions and diced tomatoes (it was really good, especially with some bread to soak up the juices). He took some bites of the eggs, then the tomatoes, when I spoon-fed it to him. But before that he cried.

Today we ordered doughy, not-very-good (but he loves them) vegetable dumplings. He made me scrape the vegetables out and ate the doughy wrapper.

Turkey meatballs. "I don't like it." Almond butter sandwich. "What's that funny stuff?" (the crust). Asparagus spears do not pass his lips.

Argh. This was the kid who would eat anything I put in front of him 6 months ago. I'm thinking of banning the junk from our home (for all of us) until I can get him back on track. But am I putting the blame in the wrong place? Maybe he has no appetite. Maybe he's just reached the "terrible twos." It's frustrating, though, to cook for someone who not only doesn't appreciate it but who more than likely will smear it all over the table, sink it in his milk or push it onto the floor.

I've been trying to convince myself that the oatmeal cookies we made from the recipe on top of the Quaker Oats canister are a healthy snack. After all, the ratio of oats to white flour is 2:1 (3 cups oats, 1 1/2 cup flour), the same as the ratio of oats to the brown and white sugars combined. Add to that a generous cup of raisins and dried cranberries, and you have quality entries from at least two food groups. Sure, there are some empty calories in there. But cookies are good for the soul, too, right?

I made mine double the size the recipe called for. I just can't imagine that a bite-sized oatmeal cookie is as satisfying as a big, dense, chewy one you can sink your teeth into. August has gotten big enough that when he sees them on the counter he clamours, "cookie, I wanna cookie." I think it's time to invest in a solid, can't-see-through cookie jar, because he's in the out-of-sight-out-of-mind phase.

In the last three days I have seen my baby boy twice take a bite of simply prepared but very tasty zucchini (once sauteed with garlic, once served in pasta with fresh basil, olive oil and parmesan), then thrust his tongue, and the offending vegetable, out of his mouth.

Today I shredded the very same veggie and baked it in a frittata and he gobbled it up. Thus my training in vegetable concealment begins.

If you ate some of the chocolate cookies Todd took to the office on Monday you may want to look away. This is the baby "helping." We started by mixing dry ingredients in a bowl: 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, and 1/4 teaspoon each baking soda and salt. This picture is him tasting that mixture. He would put the spoonful in his mouth, make a horrible face, then go back to it.

Then we beat 6 tablespoons room-temperature butter, then mixed in 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons white sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mixed in 3 tablespoons milk, then the flour mixture. Now that was the goods. The boy got ahold of that dough-covered beater and would not let it go. I rolled the dough into a log, wrapped it in wax paper, stuck it in the fridge, then hauled him off to the laundry room to strip him down and throw his cocoa-covered clothes in.

I've been slicing and baking off a few at a time since. 350 degrees for about 11 minutes. Cookies fresh from the oven - yum.

Eggs are my favorite fallback food for August. Unless he's feeling really low (which he was last week) he'll eat them all up, and they're so good for him. But I don't like cooking for him in my nonstick pans (another neurotic mommy taboo of mine), so I've been kind of stuck. In the stainless steel pans the eggs make a big mess unless I use huge quantities of oil, which is my new favored technique. But I can't make a frittata or omelette in a straight-sided pan, so yesterday I used my Pyrex pie plate.

I stuck the plate, with about a teaspoon of butter in it, in the oven, then heated the oven to 350 degrees. While that was heating up I mixed four eggs with about 2 cups of stuff: diced Swiss cheese, diced cooked asparagus and fingerling potatoes, salt and pepper. When the oven was heated, I poured in the egg mixture and cooked it until the center was set, about 25 minutes. August was sleeping when it was done so we ate it at room temperature later. I liked the firm texture, like a Spanish tortilla.

Eggs are my favorite fallback food for August. Unless he's feeling really low (which he was last week) he'll eat them all up, and they're so good for him. But I don't like cooking for him in my nonstick pans (another neurotic mommy taboo of mine), so I've been kind of stuck. In the stainless steel pans the eggs make a big mess unless I use huge quantities of oil, which is my new favored technique. But I can't make a frittata or omelette in a straight-sided pan, so yesterday I used my Pyrex pie plate.

I stuck the plate, with about a teaspoon of butter in it, in the oven, then heated the oven to 350 degrees. While that was heating up I mixed four eggs with about 2 cups of stuff: diced Swiss cheese, diced cooked asparagus and fingerling potatoes, salt and pepper. When the oven was heated, I poured in the egg mixture and cooked it until the center was set, about 25 minutes. August was sleeping when it was done so we ate it at room temperature later. I liked the firm texture, like a Spanish tortilla.

Todd, August and I have been nomads for the last week, having sold our previous apartment and not into our new one yet. The last few nights we were fortunate to stay with some friends who have a daughter who's a little more than a year older than August. So the last night we made some Roman gnocchi because we thought the little ones would like it. We cut it into little star, fish and heart shapes, and August just ate it up.

It's a lot like fried polenta, only much easier and tastier, with crispy edges. First you bring 2 1/2 cups milk (seasoned with salt, pepper and nutmeg, to a boil, then you gradually whisk in 1 cup of farina and stir over low heat up to 20 minutes, until the mixture is so thick that the spoon stands up in it. Then stir in 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, a couple tablespoons butter and a well-beaten egg. Spread it out in an oiled pan and allow to cool, then cut into shapes and arrange, overlapping, in a buttered baking pan. Dot with more butter and top with more grated Parmesan, then bake in a 425 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

When I first started cooking, which was at the beginning of my marriage almost 10 years ago, I had a few recipes that I had found online that I just rotated through. One was a breaded pork chop with tomato sauce. Another was a pasta dish similar to the one I made tonight, with spinach, onions, broth and beans. When I found myself in the middle of a blizzard with those very ingredients in the apartment, I realized it was something the baby might like (I already knew Todd liked it). August is a pretty good spinach eater, but he's still very wary of beans (which I think is OK at this point).

First I sauteed a diced onion, then kept cooking it over medium-low heat until it was soft and brown. Stirred some garlic in there for a minute or two, then added a little bit of vegetable stock, a rinsed, drained can of white beans and some thawed frozen chopped spinach (I prefer fresh baby spinach, but this is what I had). Seasoned with salt and pepper, then added cooked pasta wheels and let it sit on the heat for a few minutes to get everything working together. It used to be farfalle always, but I thought August would have an easier time with the wheels.

I've had a lot of success getting August to eat soups. There was the tofu-veggie soup, the chicken chili and also a minestrone I made with diced carrots, peas, ditalini, diced tomatoes from a can and onion. I stirred pesto into mine and August liked that, too. He doesn't really have any of the broth; it's just a good way to get the veggies soft enough and add a little flavor.

He also loves pasta, so I made mini shells and mixed in some roasted zucchini and peppers I had diced into tiny pieces and some ricotta and pesto. I tried giving it to him without the pesto and he definitely preferred it with.

I made some oven-baked risotto, which turned out sticky and gummy, but since August didn't know what he was missing he ate it up. I owe the poor boy some real risotto sometime, though. It had diced parsnips, carrots and peas in it, which he ate up, along with lots of grated Romano.