Knead the Dough

This is my first movie for Knead the Dough! You may or may not...

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 11:14:55 -0700

This is my first movie for Knead the Dough! You may or may not remember a post I did last month regarding the different peelers in my kitchen drawer. This video is a demonstration of each peeler peeling an eggplant. Considering the fact it is a movie about peelers, I tried to make it as entertaining as possible.

“It ain’t easy being Cheesy.”
~ Chester Cheetah

Lean Doughstarter, flour, yeast, H2O & kosher salt free form...

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:33:44 -0700

Lean Dough
starter, flour, yeast, H2O & kosher salt

free form loaf baked on cast iron griddle in home oven w/squirt bottle of H2O

This recipe is for Braised Pork for pasta. It may not sound...

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:58:00 -0700

Braised Pork over Fresh Pasta w/Bread

pork, seasoned, ready to be seared

vegetables born to braise

beef broth, red wine & Worcestershire

seared pork

cooked onions, garlic, leeks & bay leaf

add carrots & celery

tomato paste caramelizing

deglazing with red wine

sauce ready to braise

This recipe is for Braised Pork for pasta. It may not sound special but it’s a fantastic rich meaty sauce. I don’t recommend serving with store bought pasta, so if you are not in the mood to make your own noodles, serve it over mashed potatoes or creamy polenta.

Braising is a great cooking method for a few reasons. First its perfect for cooking tough aka cheap cuts of meat. Secondly it’s a long and slow cooking process in the oven or a crock pot which means you don’t have to baby sit it. Finally it follows a standard formula that can be slightly altered to reflect pretty much any cuisine.

Essentially, this is a pot roast recipe with a few altercations. When I made this recipe, I intended to serve it over pasta, so I added red wine, chopped tomatoes, leeks & extra garlic. I also optioned not to dredge the pork in flour before searing because I wanted the sauce to be lighter and not cloudy. I used pork but you could easily substitute stew meat, short ribs or even chicken. If you use chicken you should substitute chicken broth or stock too and half or omit the Worcestershire sauce. Remember to adjust the cooking time if not using pork.

Ingredients:

3 lbs Pork Shoulder(butt), trimmed and cut in roughly 4X3X1 in. pieces
1 small onion, diced small
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 leeks, halved washed and sliced 1/4-1/2”
6 small carrots, peeled and cut in random 1” pieces
4 ribs celery, sliced 1/4”
2 bay leaves
1 cup red wine
1 Tbl. Worcestershire Sauce
2 cans beef broth or stock, low sodium
1 can tomato, diced
Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Instructions:

Preheat oven safe pan (that has a lid or dutch oven) on stove over medium heat with about a tablespoon of cooking oil. When oil is hot and wavy, place seasoned pieces of pork into the hot oil - DO NOT OVERCROWD PAN! If the meat is too close together you will be steaming and the pork will never caramelize and your sauce will be light in flavor and color. Sear all sides of each piece of pork till evenly brown, do this step in batches. Allow seared pork to rest on a plate when complete but let the pan stay on medium heat.

Once pork is seared & resting, add the onions to the hot pan, season w/pinch of kosher salt and 7-10 turns of the pepper grinder and stir once. Let cook about a minute and add the chopped garlic, stir and let cook about another minute then add the chopped leeks, season with a pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper, and stir once then stir occasionally till leeks start to wilt and onions turn clear then add the bay leaf.

When leaks and onions begin to brown, stir in the celery & carrots - season w/pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper. Cook mixture until carrots and celery begin to appear soft, then add the tomato paste & stir to coat. Allow the tomato paste to reduce and almost start to stick to the bottom of the pan. When you notice the tomato paste beginning to brown, deglaze the pan with the red wine. Make sure to stir the bottom of the pan to lift any stuck on bits (aka fond) then add the Worcestershire sauce and beef broth. Bring sauce to simmer and taste, you may need to add more salt and pepper.

Return seared pork to the pan, cover with lid or foil and place in 350° oven for 2.5 to 3 hours or until pork is fork tender. Remove from oven and let rest about 15 min. before serving. If you would like a thicker sauce, remove the pork, and thicken the sauce with a cornstarch slurry.

Serves 4 to 6 generous portions.

cake from the vault - circa 2004 lemon cake filled with...

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 10:57:04 -0800

cake from the vault - circa 2004

lemon cake filled with blueberry mousse & frosted with whipped cream
garnished with fresh mint, blueberries, candied lemon peel & white chocolate decos

When I use the term baby entree, I am talking about protein rich...

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:56:57 -0800

artsy baby food pic

artsy baby food pic

chicken mushroom & rice

cooked mushrooms

chicken mushroom & rice

chicken mushroom & rice

turkey sausage & barley

turkey sausage & barley

turkey sausage & barley

When I use the term baby entree, I am talking about protein rich foods to be introduced to your baby at around 6 months or when your doctor gives you the thumbs up. Here are a few tips to get you started on making your kids second foods. Once you understand the basics, you’ll have endless combinations for your little ones tummy.

Choose lean cuts of meat and trim as much fat as humanly possible
Poach proteins in H2O, reserve cooking liquid for pureeing process
Use twice as many grains as meat i.e. - 2 cups rice, cooked & 1 cup chicken, diced and poached
To puree, start with only solids, turn on and add cooking liquid very slowly till its at a suitable consistency
Introduce secondary vegetables like mushrooms, garlic, onions, celery & peppers via baby entrees.
If your baby food is too loose, you can easily thicken w/rice cereal. Too thick, just add a few drops of water.

Here are some of the combinations I have made and my son devoured.

Turkey Sausage & Barley

2.5 lbs turkey breast, diced & poached - reserve cooking liquid (remove any foam or solids)
12 oz. turkey sausage, removed from casings & poached then rinsed thoroughly
2 cups cooked barley

Add cooked turkey, sausage & barley to food processor. Attach lid and pulse 3 or 4 times - until all pieces are about the size of an uncooked grain of barley. Slowly add turkey cooking liquid while processor is in motion. You must go slow, at a drizzle, to make sure everything is smooth. This may take up to 2 cups of cooking liquid. If you run out of cooking liquid, use H2O. Portion, label & freeze. Serve this with sweet potatoes and red cabbage.

Black beans w/Cilantro & Lime

1.5 cups black beans, dry
1 small onion, diced
1 bay leaf
2 tbl. Cilantro, leaves only
1 small lime, juiced & zested

After you’ve checked for small rocks, rinse the black beans, add to large sauce pot w/plenty of H2O & bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn off heat and let sit at room temperature for one hour. Drain beans and return to sauce pot with plenty of H2O plus the diced onion & bay leaf. Cook over medium heat, adding H2O as necessary, until beans are tender & almost mushy. Remove from heat, drain the beans, remove bay leaf & transfer beans to food processor. Add cilantro & lime zest/juice. Puree till smooth. Add H2O if you need to thin the beans but it should be fine. Portion, label & freeze. This mixes well with apple sauce.

Chicken Mushroom & Rice

1 chicken, roasted, skin/bones removed then picked & torn in to 2 -3 inch pieces
1 large or 2 small packages of white button mushrooms, washed & sliced
1 small onion, diced
1 large garlic clove, minced
3 cups, dry baby rice cereal

In large skillet w/a lid, heat a scant teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat till oil is wavy & viscous. Add diced onion, stir well. In about 2 - 3 min. add chopped garlic. Continue to cook over medium heat until onions turn clear, add sliced mushrooms, stir & place lid on pot for 7 - 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. In that time the mushrooms will have released their juices, cook until mushrooms have shrunk about 50%. Transfer chicken to food processor & pulse till chicken is in small bits. Add mushrooms & juice, puree till smooth adding more H2O if needed. Transfer to large mixing bowl and add dry cereal. Mix together with a spatula adding H2O till entree is a good consistency (about 3 cups H2O). Portion, label & freeze. Serve with peas & carrots.

Beef Stew

1 lb beef stew meat, trimmed of excess fat and cut in to small pieces
1 small onion, diced
1 bay leaf
2 small carrots, peeled & sliced 1/4” thick
1 rib celery, sliced 1/4” thick
2 small or 1 large potato, peeled and diced small
1/4 cup peas, frozen or fresh

Add stew meat, onion, bay leaf, carrots, celery & potatoes to large sauce pot. Cover with water and bring to boil. Cook until meat is no longer pink and potatoes are soft, add peas & remove from heat. Drain & reserve liquid. Remove bay leaf and place meat & veggies in to food processor. Pulse until smooth adding cooking liquid as needed. Portion, label & freeze.

That should be enough to get you started.

Happy Eating!

fridge door poetry I was lucky to be able to catch up with a...

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:07:54 -0800

fridge door poetry

I was lucky to be able to catch up with a long lost friend over lunch last week. I asked her to commemorate the event on my fridge. She did a great job because the pome sums up the afternoon. I had fun playing Scrabble & listening to Elvis. To many more lunches!

This cornbread stuffing gets rave reviews. Contrary to your...

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:04:46 -0800

This cornbread stuffing gets rave reviews. Contrary to your typical cornbread stuffing, this one is packed full of vegetables and is seasoned with cumin & chili powder. I usually make it for Thanksgiving but it would work as a side any time of the year. I mix the seasonings in to the corn bread to make the flavor consistent and it gives the side a rich orangy glow. I add the sweet potatoes to sneak them in to our Turkey Day dinner because the hubby is not a fan and they are delicious.
BTW - when I make this for Thanksgiving, I add a chopped chipotle to the green bean casserole.

In order for the vegetables to be evenly & perfectly cooked you have to par cook them in batches. I bake the corn bread at least 24 hours prior to preparing the stuffing. I cheat and buy the box that starts with a J and ends with a Y. Also, if you don’t have or can’t find some of the spices, you could get by with a packet of taco seasoning. Bake corn bread (instructions below), slice and layout on a rack to let dry till you are ready to use. You can use cornbread that you have on hand and add the seasoning to the eggs & chicken stock if you prefer.

3 boxes of corn bread prepare as directed with the following changes:
Add the following spices to the batter & bake in a 9X13 @ 400° for 30 to 35 minutes

2 tsp each Garlic Powder, Spanish Paprika, Cumin, Chili Powder, Onion Powder
1 tsp Mexican Oregano

Ingredients:

3 ea. Poblano Peppers
2 tbl. Butter
1 med. Sweet Onion, small diced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
4 tsp. Olive Oil (eyeball it)
1 large Sweet Potato, small diced
2 sm. Zucchini, sliced in 1/4 in. rounds
1 med. Sweet Onion, small diced
1 large tomato
7 eggs
2 cans Chicken Broth or equivalent of stock
2 tsp. Kosher Salt
6 oz cheddar, small dice
pepper mill

Step 1: Adjust the oven rack to highest setting and preheat on broil. Spray poblano peppers liberally with pan spray and lay flat in a small pan. Once oven is at 500°, slide peppers under broiler and close the oven. It is going to take 3 to 5 minutes for the skin to bubble and blister. Turn peppers and repeat until evenly blistered. Transfer to a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap and the peppers steam themselves at room temperature.

Step 2: Melt butter in large non-stick skillet over medium heat. When the butter is hot, just before it starts to brown, add your diced onions and season with a pinch of salt and 10 turns of the pepper grinder. Stir once you notice the onions are starting to brown add the chopped garlic & stir. Meanwhile, prepare the cornbread by trimming any dark edges and breaking it up in to a large bowl. Once onions are golden brown dump them in to the large bowl on top of the cornbread. Use a heat resistant rubber spatula to get everything out of the pan, then return the pan to medium heat.

Step 3: Add about 2 tsp. of the olive oil to the skillet. Once the oil appears to be wavy and has become viscous, add the diced sweet potatoes - DO NOT STIR - season with a large pinch of salt and 10 cranks of the peppermill. DO NOT STIR for at least 3 min. to create a crispy crust on the sweet potato pieces. Once one side of the largest piece has turned a nice even golden brown, then you can stir. Continue to cook the sweet potatoes until the largest piece is 2/3 the way cooked, stirring minimally - I try to get at least 2 sides of each piece crunchy & brown. Once done dump in to large bowl on top of onions & cornbread. Use your spatula to get it all out and return pan to medium heat. - Note, if your pan is too small, overcrowded or not enough heat, your sweet potatoes will be steaming and won’t caramelize.

Step 4: Add about 2 tsp. of olive oil blend to skillet. Once oil is wavy (just like before) add zucchini and prepare just as you did the sweet potato except the zucchini will cook in half the time.

Step 5: Cut in half the tomato, across the equator, and squeeze out seeds and extra juice. Remove stem, dice and add to the cooked vegetables. Peel and de-seed the roasted and steamed poblanos, dice small and add to vegetables.

Step 5: Crack eggs in to a medium bowl and whisk well with 2 tsp. of kosher salt and 15 turns of the pepper mill. Add half the chicken broth to the eggs and pour the remainder of the chicken stock over the hot vegetables, then pour egg mixture in to the bowl and stir. Fold in the diced cheddar cheese last and transfer in to a 9X13 baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick pan spray. Bake at 375° for 40 minutes or until egg mixture is set and top is golden brown. Internal temperature of 160F is ideal.

Have fun!

Australian researchers discover a sixth taste: fat

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:45:20 -0800

Australian researchers discover a sixth taste: fat: saltandfat: Well, we certainly wouldn’t be...

sour apple pieapples, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla,...

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:45:44 -0800

sour apple pie
apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, butter, lime & salt
hand made crust

drying fresh pappardelle Standard Pasta Recipe: 1 cup...

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 09:59:55 -0800

drying fresh pappardelle

Standard Pasta Recipe:

1 cup All-Purpose Flour
1 cup Semolina
pinch of salt
3 eggs

Place dry ingredients in food processor fitted with dough blade. Turn on, add eggs one at a time and mix till dough is formed. Dough will be slightly sticky. Wrap flat in plastic and refrigerate 2 hours before rolling out. Apply additional semolina as necessary while rolling.

This recipe started as the Carrot Top Cake recipe from Carrot...

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:03:52 -0800

This recipe started as the Carrot Top Cake recipe from Carrot Top Pastries in NYC. I found it in the New York Cookbook by Molly O’Neill. Wouldn’t you know I ran out of carrots, didn’t have walnuts & felt like using up a nub of fresh ginger as well as the last handful of raisins and I really don’t like baking with white sugar. The recipe below is my version of carrot cake and includes the swaps I made to create the spicy/sweet, moist & rich cake pictured above. I was a half a package short of cream cheese, other wise the frosting recipe did not go under any changes. Oh and I also used an extra cup of chopped pecans to garnish the sides of the cake. Which leads me to an important question. How many changes to a recipe do you have to make before you can claim it?

Carrot-Zucchini Cake

1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups carrots, grated
1 cup zucchini, grated
1 cup pecans, toasted & coarsely chopped
2 cups all purpose flour 1 tbl baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon ground
.5 tsp nutmeg, ground
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated fine w/microplane
.5 tsp salt
2 tbl raisins
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 350° & spray your favorite cake pan or 2 ea. 8 in. rounds. I used my stand mixer but this can be done by hand. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients except eggs. Once ingredients are combined, add eggs, mix well, pour in to prepared pan(s). Bake until cake is springy to the touch. About 30 min. Let cool on wire rack, about 10 min., and remove from pan.

Carrot Top Pastries Cream Cheese Frosting

4 tbl butter, unsalted & softened
.25 cup shortening
8 oz cream cheese
2 tbl milk
1 tbl vanilla extract
1.5 cups powdered sugar

Cream together the butter, shortening & cream cheese in a bowl w/ wooden spoon or mixer. Add milk, vanilla & powdered sugar - mix until smooth. Refrigerate until cake is cool enough to frost.

This is great! notgivingup: I gained a bunch of followers over...

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:44:07 -0800

This is great!

notgivingup:

I gained a bunch of followers over my Tumblr cookies, so here are some more cheesy cookies I have made! ;p TETRIS COOKIES IN STOP-MOTION! I wish I would have done this better, but oh well.

P.S. It spells my name, sorta. :o

grilled tika masala shrimp & chana dahl w/spinach scratch...

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:59:38 -0800

grilled tika masala shrimp & chana dahl w/spinach
scratch -electrc oven- naan

I turned 21 when I lived in Montpelier, VT. To celebrate, about...

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:06:00 -0800

chicken wings in Kryptonite Sauce

boiled then steamed pasilla & jalapenos

sauce consistancy

I turned 21 when I lived in Montpelier, VT. To celebrate, about 27 of my classmates and I caravanned north on route 12 to the tiny town of Morrisville for some fantastic wings, BBQ and beer at Bonz Smokehouse & Grill. In hindsight, we probably should have called first because we most certainly overwhelmed the 20ish seat restaurant. Management was kind and stayed open an extra two hours to accommodate our wild bunch before we took the party back to Montpelier.

The wings at Bonz, to this day, are the best wings I have ever eaten. You had a choice of four sauces(in order of hotness): BBQ, Buffalo, Kryptonite & Peach Habanero. My favorite was Kryptonite, a thick green sauce that is more of a hot - sweet pepper relish. Not only did they have innovative sauces, the Peach Habanero sauce was ahead of its time in 200l, but the wings themselves were plump, juicy & crisp.

I have tried to recreate Kryptonite sauce maybe three times before finally nailing it last week. I probably would have gotten there sooner if the hubby wasn’t a Peach Habanero man and/or if I hadn’t over complicated my previous attempts. The recipe is shockingly simple. You will need a food processor, Do Not Use a blender.

Recipe:

1.5 cups pickled & sliced jalapenos, drained & rinsed
8 each fresh jalapenos
4 each fresh Pasilla Peppers
1.5 to 2 cups Karo Syrup
4 Tbl. Butter, melted
2 tsp. kosher salt

Place fresh peppers in large pot, fill with H2O & bring to a full boil until they start to split. Turn off heat, drain, return peppers to pot and cover & let steam with the residual heat for about 15 minutes. Remove the stems & seeds from the peppers and tear in to large pieces in to a food processor. Pulse 3 - 4 times. Put rinsed and drained pickled jalapenos in to the food processor & pulse until mixture resembles pickle relish. Transfer pepper mixture to a glass bowl; add butter, kosher salt & Karo Syrup. You may need more or less syrup depending on your taste buds and the hotness of your peppers.
-Makes enough sauce for about 5 dozen wings

Mix as needed with cooked chicken wings, serve with Ranch or Blue Cheese & veggie sticks. You can also substitute Honey if you are anti Karo Syrup. I have found practicing moderation with corn syrup is easier on the wallet. Besides you’re already fixing wings.

ode to Catherine’s wings My gal pal Catherine makes the...

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:07:18 -0800

ode to Catherine’s wings

My gal pal Catherine makes the best chicken wings. Recently, I asked how she makes her wings so juicy on the inside and crispy on the out side. First she frys the wings at about 315F to 325F for 6 to 7 min. Then she lets the wings rest at room temp for about 20 min. Finally, she brings the oil’s temperature to 400F and then frys the rested wings until brown before tossing w/sauce. So Good!

(via prettyfoods) This is for Nick and his Pancake Revolution!

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:31:33 -0800

(via prettyfoods)

This is for Nick and his Pancake Revolution!

Hi my name is Marla & I want to enter this post in to the...

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 17:46:00 -0800

Hi my name is Marla & I want to enter this post in to the Frontier Challenge.

I decided I was going to learn to make Povitica last December after visiting my hometown of Kansas City, KS. Povitica is a traditional holiday bread that originated in Eastern Europe, especially popular in Croatia & Poland. A cross section of the bread shows paper thin layers of sweet yeasted dough filled with ground pecans, cinnamon and a touch of cocoa. My Grandma Frankie was a first generation Polish-American meaning Povitica is a Christmas staple for us. We always purchased the holiday treat but I thought to myself “Marla, you can make croissants by hand - you can so make Povitica!”

I didn’t have a family recipe so I did what anyone would do and Googled it. I found this recipe but it had you baking the bread in 3 round cake pans. I decided it would be better with 1 loaf, 1 bundt & 3 mini loafs. The recipe said to divide the dough in to 3 pieces to roll thin and I divided the dough in to 9 pieces. This helped the rolling process tremendously. I realize now I should have allowed the dough to relax after the initial rolling and then re-rolled the dough some more to achieve maximum thinness. Now I just need to find a better filling recipe w/honey and increase the filling to dough ratio. I am thinking that should put me on the right track.

Stuart’s Groom’s Cake… chocolate cake w/coconut...

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:17:13 -0800

Stuart’s Groom’s Cake…

chocolate cake w/coconut cream cheese filling & coated in chocolate, sugar cookies dipped in white chocolate and brushed w/metallic luster dust, marzipan pumpkins & organic snap dragons

I made this cake for my brother when he married his better half in Oct. 2007. The wedding was in KC and I live in Seattle, so that was the first obstacle. The second obstacle was to locate a supply of pate a glace (a coating chocolate) & a large quantity of milk chocolate. I literally started cold calling specialty food distributors in the Sodo district here in Seattle. I found a distributor that had in stock 1 pail of milk chocolate pate a glace and they were nice enough to sell it to me. Through talking with the sales woman, she told me she had a sample 5# box of milk chocolate bits that I could have. I about fell over as she saved me at least $40 in chocolate from a retail store - plus no chopping up a big block o’ chocolate!

Planning was the only way this cake had a shot as we soon realized our flight arrived in KC a mere 14 hours before the wedding. I was going to have to carry the garnish through security and on the plane & my mom was going to have to bake the cake and make the filling. I also had a list of demands. I needed an entire fridge - totally EMPTY! I needed organic fresh flowers & I absolutely needed coconut flavored rum. Which meant Moms & Dads were going to have to clear out the soda fridge, then go to the hippie grocery store & the liquor store…oh the horror…the horror!

My luggage was 20 lbs. over the weight limit due to the 15 lbs. chocolate and assorted cake equipment that I had to bring. I had the cookies & pumpkins layered between parchment & bubble wrap in plastic containers stowed in the overhead compartment. When we finally made it to my parents house, I discovered the filling hadn’t been made yet & my fridge was half full of soda. The rest was a blur as I don’t remember sleeping much. The pictures show I wasn’t able to fix my hair properly but I was able to deliver one fantastic groom’s cake!

Old Skool Cuisine Braised Rabbit w/Hobbs Applewood-Smoked Bacon,...

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:32:08 -0800

braised rabbit

rabbit parts, salt, pepper & flour

sear rabbit in hot pan w/a bit of oil

evenly brown rabbit, remove from pan

add mire poix & aromatics - toast

add s&p, tomato paste - cook well

add stock, red wine, tomatoes and rabbit

cook off bacon & potato - add to rabbit

sear sprouts & carrots - add to rabbit

braise (covered) at 300F about 2 hours

Old Skool Cuisine

Braised Rabbit w/Hobbs Applewood-Smoked Bacon, brussel sprouts,
carrots & potatoes

Pictured from Left to Right: Chicken Mushroom & Rice, Black...

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:40:26 -0800

Pictured from Left to Right: Chicken Mushroom & Rice, Black Beans w/Green Pepper & Cilantro, Broccoli, Sweet Potato, Red Cabbage & Peas

Our friends & family are always telling our 10 month old how lucky he is because both of his parents cook. He just stares back, with those big blue eyes, and smiles. He hasn’t a clue what they are talking about but when it is time to eat, he knows exactly what is up.

It was always a given I would make baby food for my son. However, not having baby food experience made me somewhat hesitant to the process. My fancy schmancy culinary education hadn’t prepared me for a little tummy. What do babies eat other than rice cereal, peas & carrots. Parents magazine published an article - Solids 101 and it helped to demystify how much & what age your baby should eat X. In the article there was also “The Taste List” by Dr. Greene. This list outlined the 21 plant families and suggests your baby eat from each of these families before the age of one. Naturally, Dad and I took this list as a dare. (Of course this list can not be found online)

Knowing the best cooking method for the main ingredient is the first step. There are four ways I like to cook baby food: boiling, roasting, blanching & sometimes microwave. I think the easiest way to communicate how I cook what is to first explain the method and then list which item falls in to that category.

Boiling: Item is peeled, diced in to equal sized pieces, moved in to a large pot & covered with water. Bring to a full rolling boil until a fork easily pierces through the largest piece. Strain, reserving cooking liquid, transfer to food processor & pulse till smooth adding cooking liquid back as needed. Portion, label & freeze.
Foods to boiled:Carrots, Broccoli stems, Broccoli florets*, Cauliflower, Red Cabbage, Black Beans, Oatmeal, Rice, Barley, Split Peas, Potatoes & Baby Entrees**

*Broccoli Stems & Florets cook at different rates, so start your stems and add the florets towards the end.
** Baby Entrees will be covered in a follow up post

Roasting: Preheat oven to 400° Place item(s) on sheet pan - line it with foil for easy clean up & if roasting multiple items, make sure they are 1 - 2 inches apart. Place in center of oven and cook until a fork easily pierces through the largest piece. Remove from oven and let cool about 15 min. or can be handled with your bare hands. Remove skin by peeling with your fingers/pairing knife or half then remove seeds and scoop with a large spoon. Transfer to food processor. Pulse till smooth adding H2O as needed. Portion, label & freeze.
Foods to roast: Beets, Sweet Potatoes & Butternut Squash

Blanching: This a reverse blanch or modified blanch. Fill your tea kettle and bring to a whistle. In the meantime, place food in to a large stainless steel bowl & place that bowl in your sink. Once kettle is at a full whistle, pour boiling H2O in to the stainless steel bowl & stir until the vegetable’s color becomes bright. Remove from hot H2O with tongs or by straining. Transfer to food processor. Pulse till smooth adding H2O as needed. Portion, label & freeze.
Foods to blanch: Asparagus, Spinach & Swiss Chard

Microwave: I know what you are thinking but this works great with frozen vegetables like peas & green beans (which you can get in 5# bags). Chef Mike is perfect if you need to quickly soften a fruit like pears or apples. Once heated through, peel & core if needed & transfer to food processor. Pulse till smooth adding H2O as needed. Portion, label & freeze.

To make baby food, I use a 12 cup food processor and freeze it in reusable 4 & 12 oz containers. The 4 oz containers are practical for travel and the 12 oz containers are better for when you realize your kid can power through 3 - 4 oz. containers in one meal. Lots of freezer space is also a necessity as it is not practical, at least for me, to make your baby’s solid food on the daily. FYI - I make baby food as thick as possible so it takes up less room in the freezer. I adjust the consistency prior to serving with H2O.

I think that is enough to get you started; at least vegetable wise. Fruit wise check my post Bomb Pops of Goodness. The H2O content in most fruit is so high it liquefies when pureed. Freezing it in to Popsicles is a fun, practical solution and soothes sore gums when your little one is teething. Bananas I mash with a fork as needed and, I admit, I buy no sugar added applesauce.

The follow up post has yet to be written but will include recipes for protein & grain combinations, baby breakfasts and other tips/tricks. Soooo, if you have any questions or helpful bits to add, DO IT & leave a comment!