Cherub's Chowder
Thaniel is signing for food! Well, his version of the food sign. It's very similar to his sign for milk, so I have to pay attention. In both cases, instead of forming the sign himself, he reaches for and scoops up my hand, as if to make ME sign. The new variation for food is to bring my fingers to his mouth. I slapped him on the breast for every inexplicable cry for so long, that I really have to stop myself and ask if that's what he wants. It's so refreshing that he can tell me! In fact, I make it a little difficult (by putting my hands where he has to go out of his way to reach them), just to make sure I'm reading him correctly.
I'm astounded that he's actually asking for food and sometimes can't seem to get enough. Just last week I wailed to saeriellynmy despair of his ever eating enough to wean. The next day, he ate three meals! And I've been scrambling to find decent things to feed him on short notice ever since.
One of my sources is the book Top 100 Baby Purees by Annabel Karmel. Thaniel likes to eat with his fingers, so whenever I can I skip the puree step. I also try to pick recipes that I can double or triple so I only have to cook once for all three of us. What's left of Thaniel's portion gets frozen into ice cubes and vacuum sealed.
The recipes are easy and surprisingly delicious. The flavor comes from fresh ingredients, instead of the salt shaker. My new favorite is "Cherub's Chowder", which I had for lunch and with which Thaniel decorated his tray. I doubled it and substituted a couple of ingredients (celery for half the onion; a fat parsnip for one potato), and also used packaged unsalted chicken broth (because I'm too lazy to make my own stock). I was expecting it to be bland, but it was OMG GOOD!! Sweet, with a little spiciness, I think from the parsnip. And maybe from the stock, Kitchen Basics unsalted, which listed honey as an ingredient. Since Than didn't seem excited about it, I only froze one tray's worth, and had it for lunch myself two days in a row.
Cherub's Chowder (with my changes)
1/2 sweet vidalia onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 medium white potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large parsnip, peeled and diced
1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken stock (Kitchen Basics, unsalted)
1/3 cup canned or frozen corn (I used frozen and didn't measure)
1/2 cup milk
1 cup diced cooked chicken (mine was leftover Publix rotisserie)
Saute the chopped onion and celery in the oil until soft. Add the potatoes to the pan and pour in the stock. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 12 minutes. Add the milk and simmer for 2-3 more minutes. Puree the soup (the directions call for a food mill, but I just put my hand blender in the pot and pulsed it, leaving it a bit chunky). Stir in the corn and chicken and heat through.
I'm astounded that he's actually asking for food and sometimes can't seem to get enough. Just last week I wailed to saeriellynmy despair of his ever eating enough to wean. The next day, he ate three meals! And I've been scrambling to find decent things to feed him on short notice ever since.
One of my sources is the book Top 100 Baby Purees by Annabel Karmel. Thaniel likes to eat with his fingers, so whenever I can I skip the puree step. I also try to pick recipes that I can double or triple so I only have to cook once for all three of us. What's left of Thaniel's portion gets frozen into ice cubes and vacuum sealed.
The recipes are easy and surprisingly delicious. The flavor comes from fresh ingredients, instead of the salt shaker. My new favorite is "Cherub's Chowder", which I had for lunch and with which Thaniel decorated his tray. I doubled it and substituted a couple of ingredients (celery for half the onion; a fat parsnip for one potato), and also used packaged unsalted chicken broth (because I'm too lazy to make my own stock). I was expecting it to be bland, but it was OMG GOOD!! Sweet, with a little spiciness, I think from the parsnip. And maybe from the stock, Kitchen Basics unsalted, which listed honey as an ingredient. Since Than didn't seem excited about it, I only froze one tray's worth, and had it for lunch myself two days in a row.
Cherub's Chowder (with my changes)
1/2 sweet vidalia onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 medium white potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large parsnip, peeled and diced
1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken stock (Kitchen Basics, unsalted)
1/3 cup canned or frozen corn (I used frozen and didn't measure)
1/2 cup milk
1 cup diced cooked chicken (mine was leftover Publix rotisserie)
Saute the chopped onion and celery in the oil until soft. Add the potatoes to the pan and pour in the stock. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 12 minutes. Add the milk and simmer for 2-3 more minutes. Puree the soup (the directions call for a food mill, but I just put my hand blender in the pot and pulsed it, leaving it a bit chunky). Stir in the corn and chicken and heat through.