Project Puree

Is everyone as excited as I am that the new season of Project Runway finally started? There aren't many TV shows I love anymore, but I LOVE PROJECT RUNWAY! I can't explain it. Its on Lifetime now though...Lifetime? Really? What a lame channel. I hope they show re-run marathons like they did on Bravo. I love Project Runway Re-Run Marathons... I need a bumper sticker.

So, Project Puree is going on in the Curley household. There are people who think I'm an alright cook. But I am pretty sure my husband isn't one of those people. This is probably because although I will usually follow directions and go with old tried and true recipes when cooking for others, I tend to do all my experiments on my husband's meals. I'm an "estimator" and a "substituter" at heart and sometimes that really works! And sometimes it makes for a weird dish full of baked chicken breasts SOAKED in Tabasco sauce... This is so true that when I make him something that tastes good... he always seems genuinely surprised.

Nevertheless, I decided to make Leah's baby food myself. Lots of reasons...

1. healthier (Or at least I know exactly what's in it...)
2. simpler (she eats what we eat and vice-versa... I'm convinced this is going to make me broaden my horizons too... like eating prunes and mushrooms... yuck!)
3. cheaper (my first project cost less than $1 for about 24 ounces of baby food!)
4. simulating-er (she develops an expansive palate because I can offer her a wider variety of foods, flavors and textures than are available in stores...blah...blah...blah...now that I have said that she will probably end up being the kid who will only eat American cheese and tater tots)
5. funner! (This is the main reason because really...what's more fun than puree-ing?) (Can you tell I'm having a little trouble with suffixes today...)

I can't tell you how elated I was to make my first batch of baby food for our little curley q. We started with sweet peas.... how appropriate. Kevin says "the only thing that would be better is if you grew your own peas in the backyard and THEN made the baby food out of it." Sounds sweet and encouraging doesn't he? Except that this is the way he (lovingly) makes fun of me. To this wicked attempt at ridicule, I only smile and say "OK." So you can look forward to a future post about the creation of the-curley-family-vegetable-garden. ;)

My first experience was so much fun I decided to share it with all who care to see!

Here we go!! Peas...

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I just thought this one was a cool picture.
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Doesn't this girl look excited about her mama's cooking?

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And into the food processor...my new #1 favorite appliance. (My #1 used to be my stand mixer, but it is in need of repair. Plus, I just never had that many foods that needed processing before. It pretty much only got used at Thanksgiving and Christmas... not anymore!!)

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Alrighty, looks pretty baby-foodish... lets give it a try! (look at that color!)

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Hmmm... not your favorite you say? (I'm trying not to say "is it yucky?" too often... instead when she makes this face and I am dying laughing I say "is it not your favorite yet?")

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And I know many of you think it may be borderline abusive to take pictures while your child gags so hard she throws up (not spits up but actually throws up!) but it was an accident. I was laughing so hysterically (tears actually running down my face) at her funny faces while Kevin fed her the first 2 bites that I didn't notice how SERIOUS the gags were. So sad...

(MotheR of the YeaR nomination please) .

Good thing we had that bib with the pocket on the front! Poor baby.
Turns out, it was just a little thick. A little dab of freshly expressed breast milk to thin it out did the trick. Yummy! (TMI?)

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Not too shabby...

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At first I wanted to get the fancy contraption from Williams-Sonoma that steams and purees your food with the push of a button. I asked around and found out from a-friend-of-a-friend that these basically steam everything right into mush. No opportunity for the customization I desire. (However, if any of my friends have this contraption, I still want to see it in action.) This same friend-of-a-friend, who was hailed as the "homemade baby food queen," turned me on to these nifty little containers that can go in fridge, freezer, microwave and dishwasher! Perfect!

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Just fill them with 1 or 2 ounces of whatever you are making and freeze.

LOVIN IT! We'll keep you posted, I know you can't wait.