Feeding a Baby

Around the 4-month mark is when you can start introducing solid food to a baby.  It's as nerve-racking as it sounds.  What do you feed a baby?  I can split these fries with him?  No, not exactly.

We started off with the traditional rice cereal.  We kept that recipe going until I thought perhaps he was getting too tired of the same old things; formula and rice cereal.

My mom, who watches Noah while I'm at work, started feeding him foods she made.  She made our food growing up so I wasn't too shocked to see her making his foods.  It started off with potatoes, squash and carrots and gradually moved to adding bananas (his favorite), blueberries, strawberries and apples.

I didn't initially start off parenthood with the intent of making my son's meals.  (Well, aside from breastfeeding.)  In all honesty, it was something I hadn't thought too much about.  However, watching my mom make his meals and realizing that Noah had yet to eat some of the jars of Gerber food found in our pantry, that someone had gifted to us, made me stop and think long and hard about it.  What did I want to feed my son?  What would be in his best interests?  How about my own?  A happy, healthy baby is the ultimate goal of any parent so what can I do to achieve that?  My mom, a woman ahead of her time, made most of our meals.  What she didn't make was pizza only because she didn't know how.  She's a Mexican first.  My father's side is Italian and even still, we don't know enough to make our own pizza.  Also, I can honestly say that I have yet to eat a Happy Meal from McDonald's.  My mom never went out and got them for us instead telling us, "Oh, you want a Happy Meal? I'll make it for you."  And suddenly, here I am, making my son's food and I am still alive.  Why didn't I put more thought into this before I decided to have a baby?  Why did I think it was going to be hard?  Why would it have mattered if it was going to be hard?  It's my son's health and well-being.  What the what?

I spent this weekend making my son chicken, squash, pears, plums, peaches and apples.  All of them pureed of course and, according to the BNC, all of them yummy.  I surprised myself very much this weekend not only with the fact that I was able to carve out time to do this, as well as pre-make some dinners for the week four ourselves, but also about how calm I was about it.  I didn't know I had it in me to be a mother who makes her son's meals.  I am that person now and while I was a little ashamed that I didn't put too much thought into this before and after my life as a parent, I'm glad that I snapped to it and did something about it.  My son, who just turned 6 months old, is happy and healthy and just got all good marks from his pediatrician.  And, at the risk of jinxing it, he has yet to get sick.  Keeping him clean must help but there has to be some truth about your immunities being found in breastmilk.  Turns out, there was a payoff to all those times I got sick as a child; they went to my son instead.  Yay!

Look at this face.  How could it not have been worth it?

Breakfast

One of the hardest things, so far, about the pregnancy is feeding myself.  My diet is so strict, moreso now than ever.  I feel as if food has become the enemy.  I eye everything suspiciously, eat it cautiously and wait the results of what my meter will tell me 2 hours later.  

Right now, breakfast is my stress.  My usual PB&J sandwich is no more, at least for a while because, according to the books my doctors have me reading, consuming peanut butter may lead to The Astronaut having asthma problems.  Say what?!  And just like that, my go-to breakfast is no more.  I like a good egg sandwich but, by the time I eat it at the office, it's cold.  Cereal and milk raise my blood glucose to really bad levels.  So, here I am, trying to research some better, quicker but still yummy breakfast options for my morning work days.  I know the yummy and healthy answer is out there.  I just have to find it.

Full of Food

I had to hit the 'burbs this weekend for the Katy Budget Books Semi-Annual Sale in Katy, Texas.  Dolla books make me holla, y'all.  Brother's Pizzeria though makes me squee!  And, since I rarely see The Chapa anymore, I made him meet there for lunch after I scarfed up some books at the book sale.

 

The usual large with cheese even if sometimes I get daring and get pepperoni.  And, it has to be baked extra crispy.  Oh baby.

However, the spaghetti with meatballs, with it's chunky, fresh, not too sweet marinara is amazing.  It's a simple sauce but it's delicious.  I woofed it all down.  Ok, not really, but I came close.  They offer kid's meals now so, next time, I will have to do that so I can eat more pizza.  Holla!

Sunday consisted of our usual House of Pies visit and try as I might, I continue to choose the Waffle Platter.  I rarely finish it

For Sunday dinner, it was made up of rice, beans and fajitas.  I used old reliable corn tortillas to make tacos while the BNC used Romaine lettuce to make his.  Whack. 

My rice was perfect this time and I used part of my last batch of frozen beans.  As for the fajitas, or skirt steak, I cooked them with some sweet onions.  When they were almost done, I added a touch of tomato paste, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes for that slight kick to the teeth that you sometimes need until you bite down on a tiny fleck, cause you're lucky like that, and you vow to start using the SMIDGEN measuring rather than DASH. 

Good stuff.  Good weekend.

More Chicken Please

One of the perfect meals for a cold day usually involves chicken.  So, just like last week, I made some chicken soup.  However, I'd been making the traditional chicken noodle soup.  This time, I opted for the one I grew up with-caldo de pollo.  I used both dark and white meat but rather than eat it with the bones still intact, I deboned all of the chicken pieces.  I think it makes it less messy, and certainly less work, to enjoy while you watch a little TV and talk about your office bullshit. 

Caldo de pollo is accompanied with rice which is made separately.  Adding a few mint leaves really brings it home.  I couldn't be any happier with this meal.  It was perfect for a cold Monday.  And now I really miss my Ama whose caldo de pollo is legendary.  Everything she makes is legend-wait for it-dary.

The Keller Method

I finally tried a modified version of the Thomas Keller version for roasted chicken last night and, let me tell you, it was amazing.  I jotted down the major cooking points from The Amateur Gourmet's version of the recipe last week in preparation for one of this week's dinners.

My handwriting was horrible this day.  Oopsies.

After the hour was up, as well as the required resting time (while I roasted broccoli), we were ready to devour the chicken.  Dudes, it did not disappoint.  The white meat was so moist and juicy while the dark meat slid of their bones with no effort.  The skin was so crispy.  The only drawback is the smell.  I woke up in the middle of the night to the smell of chicken still hanging in the air like a gently woven tapestry.  (I wonder if it will hang over Lake Michigan in years to come.)  I love the smell but it permeates everything.  I kept my bedroom door locked while the chicken roasted so the smell wouldn't attach itself to my bedsheets and my clothes.  This morning though, the chicken smell greeted me with a slap in the face.  As I type, it's still in my nose. 

Regardless, the recipe is surely going to be reused over and over with very minimal changes.  It was absolutely yummy. 

The Other White Meat

I've been experimenting with recipes lately.  I've been making a lot of mashed potatoes, doing some test runs, because originally I was going to have Thanksgiving at  my BFF's house and was put in charge of the potatoes.  Cooking for people other than your family is tricky because they aren't used to your cooking which explains my starch overload recently.  I finally got the recipe down and just like that, I am now cooking Thanksgiving at my house for my family and some friends.  I was trying to avoid it again this year but how I can turn down B?  Developing my own recipe for pork tenderloin was also a lot of testing.  My old recipe involved garlic inside the tenderloin then slathered in olive oil, salt and pepper.  However, my new and much more delicious recipe involves a little olive oil, salt, pepper and soy sauce.  Just cover the pork tenderloin well in those simple ingredients, roast in the oven at 400º for about 20-30 mintues and bam, yummy pork. 

In other Thanksgiving news, it's warm and sticky here in Houston, not a complete shocker, but I was hoping to finally be wearing (sweat)pants to Thanksgiving dinner but, shorts it is...until that evening when a cold front will pass through and drop those temperatures quick.  Stay classy, Houston. 

Hot Chocolate

Abuleita hot chocolate is a staple in any Mexican household.  It's easy to make and incredibly yummy, from what I remember.  I purchased a package for the BNC and made some while the weather was nice and cool on Thursday night.  Coupled with some pan de dulce (sweet bread) and your worries should melt away. 

For every square of the Abuelita (Grandmother) chocolate bar, add a cup of milk.  Warm up your milk, not boiling, and add your squares of chocolate.  Stir and stir until completely dissolved all the while not boiling your milk or developing that nasty skin on top.  It may be a little undersweetened so adding half a spoon of sugar to your serving may bring out the flavor.  I should have tried the Modern Family version, adding some salt, but I decided not to. 

Pour into your favorite mug, which may be an oversized mug you purchased 10+ years ago while visiting the Alamo and eat with a piece of sweet bread (not the animal gland).

 

If you're like me though, you may just salivate as your BNC sips his hot chocolate while you pat yourself on the back for powering through. 

Albondigas

So warm, so soothing is what a nice bowl of albondiga (meatball) soup is.  As the zombie weather (humid, foggy and gross) was rolling out and the cold weather was rolling in, albondigas for dinner was perfect.

Form ground beef, seasoned with salt, pepper and 1 egg, into meatballs.  Then, brown on each side not necessarily fully cooked.  After they have a nice sear, get out your tomato paste, broth, thyme, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. 

After bringing to a boil, I typically pour in a half a cup of rice and let the rice cook in the broth but, this time I opted to use some egg noodles. 

I wasn't disappointed.  It was the perfect remedy for a long and strenuous work week.  I think I may use egg noodles from now on.  The first time I made this dish I was about 14 years old.  Underestimating how much rice expands, I must have poured in about 3-4 cups.  There was absolutely no broth just rice and meatballs.  It's a story my mom tells often.  Whoops.

Good Idea, Bad Idea

I  love the Animaniacs.  It reminded me so much of The Three Stooges and The Marx Brothers.  (Listen, my dad's viewing habits rubbed off on us.  It's why I'm such a huge Niners fan.  He watched, and being we were Mexican and poor and only had one TV, it meant we watched it too.)  I enjoy the humor and the wittiness of the Animaniacs.  It seemed like a precursor to the animated movies of the moment where the humor flies over a child's head but they laugh anyhow cause you laugh. 

Yesterday, I had my own fucked up version of Good Idea/Bad Idea, a segment on the show but without the HA-HA humor. 

Cereal is supposed to be a good idea to have for breakfast and, besides soup, where else can you eat and drink your meal?  However, for me, it's supposed to be a no-no.  But, because I'm stupid, stupid, stupid, I ate it anyhow.  Maybe, just maybe, this time my blood glucose won't shoot up.  The box says that it's a great source of fiber, a plus for the diabetic crowd.  As the saying goes, denial ain't just a river.  Two hours after eating this, my blood glucose was 200+.  I have tried several combinations of cereal, all of them with different milks except the whole kind because that is just bad, and they have all yielded the same results.  And just like that, it's over, for good this time.  So, what was a good idea ended up being a bad idea.  I feel just awful that my stupidity, not to mention stubborness, got me such high blood glucose readings.  I think about the damage it may, or may not, have caused me in the long run.  Stupid indeed.

And then, last night, with zombie weather in full effect here, I opted out of making the scheduled albondigas (meatball soup) and hitting up Barbecue Inn with the BNC.  I normally don't eat, much less cook, fried stuff but I make several exceptions.  Barbecue Inn is one of them.  We sat, we talked, we ate and we compared work stories.  For now, he wins the award for tough work week.  Later in the evening, after the requisite time had passed to test my blood glucose, a normal reading pops up.  Odd indeed considering that that is not the picture of health.  But it's always a good idea to maintain your glucose levels and everyone is different.  What may not affect me may affect others in the same ways cereal and Barbecue Inn chicken does.  So, constant testing and adjusting is a big key to knowing what you can and cannot eat.  Before you know it, it becomes second nature to pass on that cupcake, order water instead of (even) a diet Coke, eat until you are satisfied, split your meal with your partner (cause there was no way I was going to eat all of that chicken) and, most of all, visit the doctor on a regular basis.  It's hard but it's not.  What wil be hard, later in life, is the damage done by acting so carelessly.  Trust. 

Clucks

Made by Texas Chickens? I wonder if they cluck with a Texas Twang.

Move Over, Julia!

Sometimes you need to clean out the pantry and the refrigerator, bust out your dutch oven and make something that just is nothing short of yums. It came at the right time, too. I've been burnt out lately. I'm tired, slightly stressed and despite my Lunesta, not sleeping as comfortably as I would like. Add the urgent need for new pillows and a perfect storm of yucks in the morning is created. My spine feels off center and that in turns makes everything hurt. I have always suffered from terrible back problems so feeling my back out of whack (haha) has me feeling sluggish and incredibly old. But making dinner is extremely therapeutic for me so, despite a long and tedious work day, putting the time and effort for some chicken noodle soup was just what I needed to get a little spring back in my step. Part of the routine is to talk to a feline, doesn't matter which one, that may have wandered into the kitchen in hopes of a nom, as if I'm on the Food Network, and explain to them what I'm doing, why I'm doing and why it needs to be done. It's got Crazy Cat Lady written all over it (including an A&E show) but I tend to be home alone for a good while until that old Ball-n-Chain comes home. Typically Bitty Girl is my main audience. She listens and watches attentively, doesn't have her legs in the air that much and doesn't yawn. So, excuse me while I check my phone for any missed calls from the Food Network, TLC or A&E.

Grandmas Do It Better

My Grandma makes the most amazing chicken ever. (Are all of our Grandmas the best?) But, she doesn't really bake. She instead uses her oven to store her pots and pans. It must be a Mexican thing cause I've been to several homes in the Old Country where they use it as a storage unit. Everything my Grandma ever cooked was prepared on the stove itself. So, when it comes to chicken, Grandma fries it. Yet, hers doesn't stick regardless that she doesn't own any non-stick pans or a cast iron. Even my momma's chicken sticks. We call this special talent as having The Hand or, in spanish tiene mano. My Grandma tiene mano for everything. She has The Hand for plants, cooking, head scratches, story time, playing games, telling jokes, drinking beer and jumping rope. In other words, my Grandma rocks.

My Grandma showing one of my littlest cousins, bottom right, how to jump rope.

Lick my wounds

A chorizo con huevo y frijoles taco is a nice reward for going to work early Saturday morning. So early that there was NO LINE at Laredo Taqueria. SCORE.

Caldo de res is also a nice reward after your team loses a second straight game. At least the Cowboys lost too but how dare they make me root for the Titans. Had we won our game against the Cowboys, I wouldn't have cared much less watched the whole game.

The Texans lost again, Logan. I'm sorry.

Ronald Reagan?! The Actor?!

I saw a commercial for Beauty and the Beast last night and I got so excited and happy thinking holy shit, they are re-releasing it at the movies! ZOMG! I hope they have a sing-a-long! They aren't. It's just getting a release on Blu-Ray. Let me tell you, it was hard to come down from that. But then...

I find out the Alamo Drafthouse is showing Back to the Future this Saturday night. With, get this, DeLoreans in attendance!

What does this have to do with the picture of Jasmine rice? I spent the evening with B, where I made dinner involving the rice, all the while helping him with his re-certification for his work license (cause he needs more reasons for me to get a Lifetime Achievement Award for Best Sister Ever) and talking about the showing of Back to the Future.

Torture

With a doctor's appointment looming, I have no idea why I keep staring at this photo. I'm starving for a bowl. Maybe I'm just studying for the test that will be sure to follow. Maybe it's that tiny piece of fiber in the upper left corner which I most likely ate. It was good.

And, on a completely unrelated note, check out this kid.

My Baby Juggernaut, recently devoid of original sin and a devil tail, wearing his momma's heels. I love this kid. I adore his momma. I adore the fact that she doesn't make a big deal that he loves to wear her heels and his sister's tutu cause, for realsies, it's not a big deal. If Shiloh can do it, then The Boy can do it too. He wears heels better than me. He's so awesome and has the sweetest nature. After getting a talking to, he usually asks me, "Are you mad at me, Margie." Heart.Breaking. "Of course not, kid. Just please, please stop annoying those poor kittens.


I never saw such annoyed kittens. I'm totally picking this kid to take care of me when I'm older over his sister. I changed his diapers and he should change mine. Word.

Chicken, the original white meat

Back to Barbecue Inn this weekend after taking a break. Chapa and I went on to discuss pretty intense stuff during the 20-25 minute wait on the chicken. It was so intense that I'm sure I'll remember what it was about tomorrow in the middle of the night. What can I say? I'm in my early 30s, ok? And the chicken, mmmm, is just that good. So crispy, so moist, so yum.

The weather is on the verge of turning as if it were bitten by a zombie. However, today, as I made a Central Market run, I felt that ugly heat we all endured during the month of August make an unwelcome return. Already the Halloween/Fall decorations have made their appearance and, rumor has it, Uptown is prepping for the holiday lighting. Too soon? Definitely.

So, I turned 34....

And I ate.

PF Chang's Great Wall of Chocolate of which I only ate a bite of.

The Breakfast Klub's chicken and waffles.

Guitar wallet missing the record coin purse I'll get later.


Brother's pizza = yum.

Oh baby...

Someone tried the meatball sub.

I met shaved ice this weekend and we fell in love.

I failed to take so many other pictures of the things I did, the things I ate and the people I hung out with as I celebrated my early 30s. I tried new places to eat, I saw people I hadn't seen in months, I came home at 3a, I saw Machete and laughed, I ate my glorious Brother's pizza with 3 of my BFFs, I drove with the windows down and I was happy. And then I got the sniffles. No worries though cause, "The dishes are done, man."

Out of Memory

Barbecue Inn for Saturday and Red Robin for Sunday before the start of Piranha 3D, which I HIGHLY recommend.

I'm more of a fan of Smashburger but Red Robin was across from the movie theater.

What I need right now....is some good advice, please.

Daddy, daddy, if you could only see,
Just how good he's been treating me.

Sorry, got Madonna playing in the background.

And this is where it ends. My memory card reached its limit. Yes, I even procrastinate in deleting photos. I still have some from Christmas. Whoops. But the tacos last night were yum.

Come on, girls!

Do you believe in love?
Cause I got something to say about it.
And it goes something like this.

Rice, Rice Baby

Rice (Mexican rice, Spanish rice-whatever) used to be my kryptonite. It was constantly coming out either overcooked or undercooked. I eventually got it but not after major trial and error. Burnt rice is one of the worst smells ever and the way it just permeates everything is nothing, absolutely nothing, short of amazing.

For my rice, I use the long grain version and fry it in olive oil.

Once the rice becomes this more opaque color, I add some freshly minced garlic combined with a couple of pinches of ground cumin. I have a molcajete, given to me by my mom, but I prefer to run the garlic in a microplane. If not, I would really have to give it to the garlic and the cumin seeds otherwise I'd run the risk of biting into some chunks and that flavor stays with you for a long while. In other words, no bueno.

I add a little water to the garlic/cumin mix and throw into my fried rice. In addition, a little tomato sauce, or paste, should be added here to add a little flavor and color.

Nicely fried.

I add some water, some Knorr chicken bouillon, in case the stock is not available, cover and boil. Right before the rice is cooked through though, I take it off the burner and leave it covered.

Voila!

So, I went to Target a while ago, and while I managed to buy some of the items on my list, I failed to summon the energy to return to a part of the store I passed up for the peppermill. No bumping and grinding tonight. I also failed to go back for a DVD player cleaner which means that my Batman DVD player (yes, I own one) sits idle and tempermental. If that doesn't work, off to eBay. Wish me luck.

Barbecue Inn

I found the most amazing chicken fried steak, and fried chicken, I had ever had in my life. Barbecue Inn's chicken fried steak is so amazing that I failed to take a picture of it. The crust actually stays on the steak itself and the gravy, have mercy, Uncle Jesse. I even failed to take a picture of the southern fried chicken I had but, never fear, Underdog went back Saturday afternoon with Chapa and tried again where I found they actually make the most amazing ribs I ever had. Seriously, wtf at this place hoarding all the best stuff?

The ribs were so moist, soft, smokey, so yummy that I cannot wait to go back Saturday afternoon with the BNC.

Their southern fried chicken is so juicy on the inside, so crunchy on the outside that the 20-25 minute wait while they make it for you is forgiveable and you can't really hate on that cause they are making it for you on the spot.

Chapa tried the fried seafood platter that consisted of shrimp, oysters and the biggest crab cake I had ever seen. I'm not a big seafood fan, unless it's Lent season, so I have to rely on Chapa's comments which came back as yum.

I've had my regular barbeque (barbecue, BBQ) places but I can honestly say, that after a visit here, and then Hickory Hollow Sunday, that resulted in dried out chicken and sloppy chicken fried steak, it's safe to say that Barbecue Inn will be it for a long while. I, along with the BNC and Chapa look forward to it.