Cinnamon Roll Waffles

This was an idea I saw floating around Pintrest.
I tucked in the back of my mind, thinking it would be fun to make with my 2 year old. This isn't my normal style of cooking, but I do love anything remotely like a cinnamon roll. And really, if you can't make these for your two-year old, who can you make them for?

I was at the local health-food store and they had the fancy, canned cinnamon rolls on clearance. For $2 I felt like I was ready to take the risk on cinnamon roll waffles.

I heated up the waffle iron, dropped on 2 rolls and latched the lid. 4 or so minutes later they were ready. Levi tasted one right away. I topped ours with plain cream cheese instead of the icing packet. He approved. The waffles were interesting. Not too sweet with a dense texture. Not bad, but not great. But ideal for a 2 year old!

He rounded out breakfast with bananas, tea and his "blue-quet". I may tuck these away in my memory again as sleepover party food!

Baby Waffles

One of the challenges of being a working mom is getting Levi out the door and fed in the morning. It finally came down to needing something not messy that he could eat while in his car seat. He already loves waffles so I decided to try packing them full of nutrients but still keep them tasty so he would actually eat them.

I came up with adding kefir, egg, and grated pear, apples and carrots to make a carrot cake like waffle. The kefir and eggs add protien and the veggies and fruit add a bit of fiber and lots of flavor.

As you can tell, these are a hit. We all think they are delicious.

I use Bob Red Mill's 10 grain pancake and waffle mix, but any mix would work! I make a huge batch and freeze them. The secret is to lay them all out flat to partially freeze, like you would berries. Then break up and keep in a plastic freezer bag. We double toast one each morning and hand it to Levi as soon as he is strapped into his car seat. These are also a great snack!

Baby Waffles (or Carrot Cake Waffles)
2 cups pancake or waffle mix
2 eggs
1-2 cups whole milk kefir, yogurt, or milk (added until a thinned consistancy)
2 cups total of shredded pear, carrot, and/or apples
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Heat waffle iron
2.  Mix all ingredients together.
3. Make waffles. :)

I really do have a giveaway coming soon. Life is just hectic. I promise!

Peanut Tomato Thai Soup

A few rainy Sundays ago, my mom was over hanging out with Levi and I when she started telling me about this amazing soup she made the previous night. Veggies, noodles, ginger, tomatoes and peanut butter! Peanut butter? I demanded she recreate it immediately. Luckily, my kitchen had practically everything needed to make a big pot of soup.

The soup was a family hit. Levi slurped down a bowl as fast as we did. The veggies and ginger give it a Thai flavor while the peanut butter rounds out soup and gives it a richness, but not really a peanut flavor. I have made this soup repeatedly, adding more veggies each time.

This original recipe is here, but I have modified a bit by adding more vegetables. The pot of soup comes together very quickly, making it a great weeknight meal.

Peanut Butter Thai Soup

1 tablespoon sesame oil
2-3 tablespoons crushed garlic
1 bunch green onions or 1/2 an onion, sliced thinly
2 tablespoons chopped (or microplaned) ginger
1-2 chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bit-sized pieces
1 large can of stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup peanut butter
6 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup chopped brocolli
1/2 cup chopped carrots
handful of cilantro

1 large bunch of long thin noodles, either rice or wheat (I have used both and actually prefer the wheat noodles)

1.  In a large soup pot heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, ginger and chicken. Cook 2-3 minutes until chicken starts to brown.
2. In a large measuring cup or bowl mix together the tomatoes and peanut butter.
3. Add tomato mixture and stock to the soup pot. Bring the heat up to high. When it comes to a boil, turn back down to medium and add all the vegetables, except the cilantro, and noodles.
4. When noodles are cooked through, in about 7 - 8 minutes, spoon into large soup bowls. Sprinkle with cilantro. I also like to add a dollop of siracha for some heat.

PS. I have a give away coming up soon! (I just have to write it up!) :)

Green Pea Gougeres

Have you been to Bob's Red Mill? It is an actual place, not just a business which packages every sort of flour, bean, grain, or mix you could imagine. Levi and I love to go to the Mill for an afternoon field-trip - lunch (delicious deli!) and a bit of shopping. Anything that Bob's Red Mill sells packaged is available in bulk at the store. I have brought home 5, 6, 7, and 12 grain cereals, pancakes and waffle mixes, beans, all sorts of flours. If it exists and is edible, Bob's Red Mill has it!

I wasn't too surprised when I spied a bin full of pale green flour. I had no idea what it was, but was up to give it a try!  I knew I needed to take some home. Green pea flour is a beautiful shade of green with a soft texture. I brought home a scoop and then started pondering what to do with it.

Part of the fun of having a kiddo is introducing them to all sorts of new flavors and textures. Levi loves anything bread or cheese so cheese puffs, or gougeres, popped into my head. I was imagining gooey cheese and pale green puffs being nibbled on by my little guy.

I started with this Ina Garten's Cheese Puff recipe. I subbed 1/2 cup of flour for a 1/2 cup of the green pea flour. I also made it more kid friendly by using melty mozzerella cheese instead of gruyere and parmesan. I also used less salt because it was going to be for Levi. This was a mistake, next time I would use the whole amount to help the flavor pop.

The results were beautiful! The pale green puffs were not as light as traditional cheese puffs, but were very good, especially warm.

It was a fun way to use an unusual flour.

Here is a picture of Levi eating at the park. Rice cakes are like cheese puffs? Right?

(This is a link-tastic post! Sorry!)

Have you tried any unusual flours? Any successes?

PS. I have a great give away coming up from OXO. Stay tuned! 

Making Kefir

A few months ago, I attempted to transition my baby to cow's milk.
This did not well.
Levi really wants nothing to do with  "moo milk".  Luckily, he loves plain yogurt, so he was getting plenty of goodness from that, but I wanted Levi to try something new, kefir.  Kefir is another cultured dairy product full of probiotics. It is like a drinkable yogurt, tangy and a little sweet. I loved it while pregnant and figured little man would too. Since we are hooked on other Nancy's dairy products I went to Nancy's for kefir. Blueberry kefir!
Levi gobbled it up. Sadly, I realized that spending nearly $5 a quart was gonna make us broke, but I didn't want to give up on our new found culinary treasure. So, I read up on making kefir and learned it is a pretty simple process - all I needed was the kefir grains. Again I turned to a local shop, Mr. Green Beans, for the grains. (This shop has everything you would need for yogurt, cheese, soaps and especially coffee roasting. Love the place!)

Turns out kefir is really, really easy to make. And delicious! And the best part, you can make it with skim or whole milk. Levi drinks the whole milk and I use to skim (which is thick and rich) for smoothies, drinking or in cooking.

This isn't really a recipe, just some pics to show what I do. I make about 3 - 4 pints a week. Each batch takes MAYBE 5 minutes of hands-on time. I am saving money, even buying organic milks.

Have you ever had kefir? Have you ever made it?

These are the grains right out of the package. It took about 2 weeks before they really kicked it into kefir making gear. 

I add milk, stir, and then cover with a coffee filter and a canning ring. I leave it on the counter overnight and then keep in the fridge for another 12-24 hours. 

I strain it through a tea strainer. You have to catch the kefir grains to add to the next batch. Rumor has it they will multiply over time and I will have some to share! 

Thick, tangy, yummy kefir! I add about a teaspoon of jam to each pint to give it a fruit flavor.

Then add the kefir grains to a clean pint jar, add fresh milk, cover and the process begins again.

Baby Eats: Green Eggs

Levi loves anything with cheese, so in an attempt to let him have his cheese (chuzz) but also round out his diet I end up making green eggs a lot!

It is basically frozen spinach, cheddar cheese and an egg slow cooked into an almost omelet form. This makes it easier for newbie eaters to pick up with their tiny forks.

Coming up next is my favorite way to eat eggs.

Green Eggs
(for one small appetite)
1 handful frozen spinach or 2 handfuls of fresh, chopped spinach
2 tablespoons cheddar cheese, grated or chopped small
1 egg, beaten

1. In a small frying pan, over medium heat defrost or cook spinach. Add cheese and cook until it begins to melt.
2. Add beaten eggs and slowly swirl ingredients together. Turn down heat and let cook 2 minutes, then flip over and cook another 2 minutes or until egg is completely set.
3. Cool before giving to a small person. Practice saying "HOT!" and blowing on it together.

Got (Fish) Milk?

I bought some whole milk to see if Levi would be interested. I figured as long as I was getting organic milk everything would be okay. Levi had NO interest in the milk. He spit it out multiple times. I hated the idea of milk going to waste so one morning I added it to my coffee.

I spit it out! It was vile!

Then I read the label:

I am all for anchovies and sardines, but I won't touch tilapia with a 10 foot pole in or out of my carton of milk.
Please, no fish in my milk. Ever!
How vile is that?!
So yet another moral to the story, always read your labels!