Most convenient holiday gadget out there: the Spritta Apple Corer. And I'm so not one to go for the "one-use" gadgets and gizmos - I despise clutter and am an extreme minimalist - I like when things have a myriad of uses; but this is always coming up in the kitchen (be honest, how many apples do you slice a week?)! Especially around this time of the year when the apple is theme-central.
I've been having some trouble feeding Freida lately... she's really not all that interested. She wants snacks all day (in toddler-tongue it come out "want sax! want sax" which has proven to be disturbingly inappropriate and publicly embarrassing!), but refuses to cooperate in proper food consumption. The frustration has resulted in me feeding her sandwiches in fun little cutouts. But what to do with the remains (aside from inhaling them)?? Send any good idea this way...
Once again, here's some form + function perfection! Pretty great, hey? Puzzleboards from OOOMS Dutch Design Studio $26.00
Alright, this is super random, but when I figured this out I found myself wishing some seasoned mom had let me in on the secret... So I'm just sharing the discovery. Frozen Peas.
Freida never swallowed a single pea in her little life. At 5 months old she spit out the pea puree over and over again, at 9 months old she spit-shot little steamed peas out of her mouth and onto the floor, and at 15 months old (don't know why I didn't just give it up!) she actually scratched the pea remnants (after spitting it out) off her tongue!
I so wanted her to like peas! Aside from broccoli she really doesn't get many green veggies in her diet (she doesn't chew leafy greens very well), and peas are such an easy on-the-go protein to sneak into any mealtime/snacktime.
Well, today she loves peas. Frozen peas. We've dubbed them "ice cream peas", and she's obsessed. Victory. Was worth the wait... easy vitamins, fiber, and protein all rolled into one teeny tiny pea.
Try it, they'll like it. (Maybe.)
We are serious basil-lovers in this household, with pesto being a favorite. Between Freida, Manasseh, and myself - we go through lots of this stuff! We use it on pretty much everything (the normal and the not-so-normal), from picnic pasta to scrambled eggs in the AM. Manasseh loves it on sandwiches - it's amazing on a schnitzel sandwich, steak sandwich, cold cuts etc. Freida will eat anything if it's got pesto (or marinara) on it, and I like having it on hand to give a low-fat Omega-3-loaded flavorful kick to anything at all! I make batches of it, and store it in baby food jars (it last up to a week in the fridge, and with some extra olive oil at the top it maintains its color pretty well).
Here's the basic recipe (the amounts are not exact and totally flexible):
2 Cups Fresh Basil Leaves
3-4 Garlic Cloves
1 Tablespoon Pine Nuts (Pignolis)
2 Tablespoons Walnuts
3 Tablespoons E.V. Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper (to taste)
Using a food processor, blend the basil (make sure to wash and check it - especially in the summer), garlic, and nuts together. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Add salt and pepper. Voilà!
There can be all sorts of variations to pesto, the most common (and the most perfect!) is to add in about a tablespoon of parmesan cheese. This week I tried adding some sun-dried tomatos to the blend, and the flavor was incredible!
Enjoy!!
