The Verdict Is In!

Josh tried his first vegetable today!  Carrots! 
On the bright side, the food mill worked great!  It was easy to use and really mushed the carrots up well, as you can see here:

Well, he tried it, and as you can see from the look on his face, he wasn't too sure:

Well, I tried again and it was a no go.  He hates carrots.

Guess we will try another veggie in a couple of days and revisit carrots in a few weeks!

Banana Bread

So last night I made some banana bread.  It turned out soooo well!  I am very excited about it.  Banana bread isn't too hard to make, but my last loaf was pretty pitiful.  Part of what made last night's loaf wonderful was that I used more bananas this time...yummy!

My food mill came late this evening, so I will likely attempt to mash some carrots tomorrow for Josh.  I am beyond ready for Josh to try a new food.  The perils of rice cereal have hit my poor baby and he has been backed up the past 2 days.  Gotta get some fiber into that boy!

Josh has been super cute lately (I know...shocker)!  He is all about his tongue.  His tongue is now all involved while he babbles and the resulting sounds are oober cute.  Below is a picture of Josh showing off his tongue the other day :)

I love that Josh is sleeping better.  I relish spending time with him every day.  However I do enjoy my alone time after he goes to bed.  Some things are nearly impossible to get done when he is awake.  I think I will get some art supplies and do some crafty things in the evenings.  I have the urge to be creative!

Too Funny

I can't take credit for this.  One of my cousins posted it on Facebook, but it totally describes my relationship with cooking (at least until the past month or 2).

Carrots This Week

Well, hopefully Josh will have his first taste of carrots this week.  I just ordered a food mill from amazon to mush up all kinds of food.  Once we get it in the mail I will try out the carrots.  I think he is going to like them since they are a sweeter vegetable.  He still seems to like rice cereal, but I think he is getting tired of it.  On Friday I tried giving it to him twice, and both times he had a bite or two and then was done.  Today he ate it all, but was fussy throughout the meal.  Not sure what was up with that.  He was in a new seat that my mom got him for when he is at her house, so maybe he was just getting used to that.  At any rate I am excited to move on to other foods, and I am sure he would be too if he knew what was coming!

Josh loves to make seriously loud screeching noises now.  No more going to restaurants with him, even family restaurants (well, at least not with the dinner crowd, lunch may be ok).  I find myself getting nostalgic for when I was in labor and in the hospital with him.  If I am reminicing now...imagine how much I will reminice in the years to come! 

I am going to try out a Paula Deen recipe this week, oven fried chicken.  The chicken isn't actually fried, but it is breaded.  I am pretty excited about it, even though it is chicken.  I need more ideas for good side items.  I usually make Seth a couple of biscuits, and then make some veggies and a sweet potato for myself.  It would be best if I could prepare the side dishes ahead of time and use them a couple times through the week (since I will probably be the only one eating them since Seth doesn't eat veggies).  So if you have any good salad or side dish recipes definitely pass them on! 

So nothing too interesting.  Maybe the next update will be more exciting!
*pictures by my Mama

Nightly Feedings

Josh has been sleeping much better through the night for the past 2 weeks.  (Thank goodness!!!) I wake him twice a night to feed him.  Through trial and error I have figured out that this keeps him from waking up mad.  Anyways, the last 2 nights when I woke him up he did the cutest thing!  He did the adorable newborn sleepy stretch where he arches his back, brings up his legs, and sticks out his butt.  Soooo cute!  Josh adds to this by putting both hands under his chin and stretching his neck from side to side.  He hasn't done this in at least 2 months.  Makes getting up at midnight and 4 am to feed him more than worth it!  Wish I had a picture of it, but you will just have to use your imaginations.  Trust me, it is adorable!

Considering Pork

I am super tired of chicken.  I haven't nearly broached cooking it in every way possible, but I don't really want to try it again for a while.  Since Seth and I are super picky, that doesn't leave me a lot of  meat options.  Neither of us like seafood.  I will eat shrimp occasionally and he will eat it at hibachi restaurants (the appetizer shrimp), but that is it.  Not enough to warrant buying the expensive suckers to make at home.  I don't like steak so that is out.  I could buy hamburger meat, but I don't want to use ground beef on a regular basis because it just isn't as healthy as leaner meats.  I will buy it occasionally in the summer to grill burgers, but that is it.  Turkey pretty much equals chicken to me, so that isn't going to help the situation.  That leaves pork.

Paula Deen made a pork tenderloin today.  She rubbed it with all sorts of fresh herbs.  The herbs really appealed to me; I wish the pork did too.  Why is it that a pork tenderloin is shaped like a pig's snout?  I can't get over that.  Also, why is it slightly pink even when cooked?  I just can't get out of my mind that it was once a pig.  I don't have this problem with beef or chicken, but I have it with pork.  I guess I have had this issue with fish in the past.  I used to think about catching a fish and watching it be reeled in when I would eat it.  Not the most appetizing picture.  Probably why I am not a big seafood person.  I guess I could try pork chops.  I don't know the last time I had one.  I think I need a recipe where the sauce covers the meat so I don't see the color.  That might help things. 

So, if you are reading this post and know a good pork recipe, lay it on me!  Also any tips for cooking pork so it is well done are welcome.  I have a phobia of undercooked meat!

Next recipe:  possibly pork???

I Have a Blog!!!

WARNING:  If you don't like reading about cute babies (ie: the cutest baby ever!) and food, then you might not want to read this blog.

I've been thinking about starting a blog for a while now and I am finally getting around to doing it!  In case you can't tell, this blog will mostly focus on Joshua, my now 5 month old, and cooking. 

Now that I am a stay at home mom I am committing myself to learning how to cook so that we can enjoy meals as a family once Josh is eating more table food.  So far I have had a few successes, including a chicken cordon bleu, Mexican chicken, a coffee cake, and chicken bog.  But with the successes came failures:  tomato meat sauce, peanut butter banana bread, and chicken francaise to name a few.  I am sure the failures will continue, but at least I can entertain you with their stories so they aren't a total loss!  I exaggerate.  The failures haven't been a total loss.  With each recipe I make, I learn something new; so hopefully I will be a good cook in no time!

Here's a picture of my wonderful coffee cake!

In Josh news, he started eating rice cereal on March 21st.  He has 3 days of rice cereal under his belt and is doing great!  Far more of the cereal is actually making it into and staying in his mouth than falling on his bib, shirt, highchair. 

Here he is the first time in his highchair:

This is during his first feeding of rice cereal.  He thought he had to have his fingers in his mouth to eat it!

And here he is during his second feeding of rice cereal.  Such serious business!

Next Josh food:  carrots!
Next recipe:  To be decided!