So What Does Cohen Eat?

I hear the same question come up alot. What are you feeding that boy? Cohen is a large child- both in the 97 percentile in the height and weight categories at 10 1/2 months. He has been off the charts since the day he was born. So, needless to say, we've never had a problem feeding the child. So what does he eat? Keep in mind, that this works for Cohen, but always do what is best and what works for your child. The only thing that Cohen has expressed distaste for (and mind you, I have tested him on every single item in the Target baby food aisle, is green beans and peaches.) The peach thing makes me REALLY SAD as a Georgia girl, but this summer's fresh peach crop will hopefully change his mind.

Morning:
6-7 oz. of fruit
3-4 oz. of organic oats, barley, rice, and spelt cereal
All mixed together in a bowl.
sips of 1/2 juice, 1/2 water bottle (10 oz.)

Before Nap:
1/2 juice, 1/2 water bottle (same one from above)- organic pear, apple, white grape, or carrot and apple- will finish the bottle before his nap while I am putting him down

Midday:
Choice of snack- Mum Mum (Organic Rice Rusk), Apple Wagon Wheels, Organic Apple or Banana Puffs,or diced fruit of some sort (usually strawberry, banana, or apple)-(helps in teaching him to take small pieces of food from his plate and learn to eat them)
AND
3.5 oz. of organic yogurt

Lunch:
8-1o puffs or diced fruit while I am preparing his plate
4 oz. of organic protein
8 oz. of organic vegetables
sips of another 1/2 juice, 1/2 water bottle

Before Nap:
another 10 oz. bottle of 1/2 juice, 1/2 water (same one from above)

Early Dinner:
8-10 puffs or diced fruit while I am preparing his meal on a plate
4 oz. of organic protein
8 oz. of organic vegetables

Just before bed:
8 oz. of Toddler Enfamil Premium Formula- Vanilla
*This is less than what the AAP recommends, so only do this if you feel that your child is receiving adequate and well balanced nutrition. If your child prefers one food group over the other or will only eat fruit, for instance, at 10 months, they should be taking in AT LEAST 16-24 oz. of formula.*

While I try my best to feed Cohen primarily organic food, sometimes I have to let that go to have him try a food that may not come in the organic variety. To me, having a child that is not picky because he has a large repertoire of flavors that he likes is really important, so sometimes I have to stray from the organics to make sure that he is developing a diverse palette.

One more thing. Making your own baby food is very easy if you have the time, too. Sometimes I do make Cohen's food. If I am making sweet potatoes for me and Donnie,for instance, I will make Cohen some too. Avocados are also a great food to make for your little one since you can't buy that in the jar. I will say though, I mostly use the jarred food because it is so convenient in our busy household.

Grilled Pork Chops with Carmelized Vidalia Onions and Parmesan Risotto

Guys, grilling pork chops is so very easy. Remember: High heat until your meat hits the grill, then cut back to medium as soon as you lay the meat down. Leave the lid open until the temperature drops and let the grilling begin.

And to get those perfect grill marks, leave your meat alone. Let it cook on side A for about three minutes on medium, turn your meat a quarter turn with a pair of tongs, and leave alone for three more minutes (lid closed at this point). You should have a perfect diamond. Flip to side B and repeat.

I know, I have been cooking a great deal of onion lately, but they are so wonderful this year. Here is an easy recipe for grilling carmelized onions.

Cooking Ingredients:
1 vidalia onion
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon beef bouillon granules
1 rectangle of aluminum foil about the size of a sheet of notebook paper

Cooking Instructions:
Cut your onion into even slices. Add the onion to the flat sheet of aluminum foil, then pull all four sides up to create "foil onion". Add the butter and bouillon. Scrunch the top together. Place on the grill while your meat is cooking. These carmelized onions are a great relish on top of burgers, steaks, or pork chops or can be added to your risotto just before it is finished to add an extra layer of texture and flavor.

Penne Pasta and Meatballs

Cooking Ingredients:
1.25 lbs. of 97% lean ground beef
2 eggs
1 cup Italian Bread Crumbs
red pepper flakes
salt
pepper
1/2 cup organic olive oil
1 tablespoon organic minced garlic
1/4 cup diced shallots
44 oz your best organic tomato/spaghetti sauce
1/2 box whole wheat penne pasta
water
4 slices mozzarella
2 stems fresh organic basil

Cooking Instructions
In your pasta boiler bring your pasta water to a boil. When boiling, add a pinch of salt so your pasta will season. Add your penne pasta and cook.

Meanwhile, in a large boil, combine your ground beef, eggs, bread crumbs, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Be careful not to overwork the meat. Score your meat into quarters to make large, baseball sized meatballs.

Heat a large skillet to medium high with olive oil. Add your meatballs to your olive oil and cook the outside of the meatballs until they are light brown. You will have to turn the meatballs gently with a pair of tongs, being careful not to squeeze or break them, every two minutes or so. You want to make sure that you lightly brown each side. When your meatballs are browned, add your shallots and garlic to the pan. Cook for 30 seconds, then add your tomato sauce. Be quick or you will burn the garlic. Spoon sauce over each meatball, cover, and cook for 3o minutes. Occasionally turn the meatballs carefully and continue to baste with sauce. About five minutes before you are ready to remove the meatballs from the pan, cover each with a slice of mozzarella and allow to melt. Once the cheese had melted, remove the meatballs to a separate dish and add the drained penne to the sauce. Toss making sure that each noodle is covered with sauce. Add one meatball and penne pasta to each plate. Once plated, sprinkle with fresh chopped basil.

Lemon-Lime Vodka and Soda

Cocktail Ingredients:
4 shots of Kettle One Vodka
2 slices of lime
ice
soda water
splash of Minute Made Lemonade

Shaking Instructions:
In a cocktail shaker, add the vodka, lime, and fill half way with ice. Shake about 25 times until the outside of your shaker is icy. Pour entire contents of your shaker into a cocktail glass. Add a slash of lemonade and fill the remainder of the glass with soda water.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries and Vanilla Ice Cream

Here was our dessert tonight! Yum! There's just something about chocolate covered strawberries.

Julie's Smoker Smoked Pork Ribs

Cooking Ingredients:
2 racks of pork ribs
Garlic salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Mustard powder
Cumin
Red pepper flakes
Cayenne pepper
Paprika

Cooking Instructions:
Prepare the marinated ribs anywhere from the night before to a couple of hours before smoking depending on how much time you have. Cut each rack into half. Sprinkle the meat side of each quarter with all of the ingredients above until covered well. Start with the garlic salt and move down the ingredient list sprinkling liberally, except with the cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes. Add those to taste. With clean hands, massage the rub into the meat. Just leave the bone side alone. Put back into the fridge and let marinate.

Make sure to take the rib racks out of the fridge about 30 minutes prior to smoking so you can bring the temperature back down before cooking. Prepare your smoker with hickory chips and bring to 250 degrees F. Cook your ribs in the smoker (bone side on rack) without turning or opening the smoker door for four hours.

Jalapeno Boston Butt

Cooking Ingredients:
1-5 lb. Boston Butt
4 cups of organic chicken stock
2 cups of water
1 jalapeno sliced
garlic salt
black pepper
mustard powder
cumin
red pepper flakes
paprika
cayenne pepper (to taste)
2 tablespoons liquid smoke

Cooking Instructions:
Preheat you oven to 300 degrees F.

In a large roasting pan, add the Boston Butt. Add the water and chicken stock to the roasting pan. Make large slices evenly throughout the meat and insert the sliced jalapeno into each slice. Finally, move down the remaining ingredients on the list sprinkling each liberally over the pork. You are making a dry rub and this cut of meat is very thick, so don't worry about having a heavy hand. Massage the spices into the meat and make sure that you have covered all edges. Cook at 300 F for 4 hours. After 4 hours, increase the temperature to 350 F and cook for an additional hour.

Take the roasting pan out of the oven, place your meat on the cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest for 20 minutes. Slice in steak-like portions and serve.

This was ONE of the meat dishes I served tonight for Donnie's Father Day dinner. Man meal, right?

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day! This being Donnie's first, I have really spent some time reflecting on his relationship with our precious Cohen. I look back at the many times I have admired his way of talking to and teaching our son, in that manly way that I just can't seem to accomplish. Men just have a way of speaking to one another don't they? But, he really is a treasure of a daddy- always in charge of the bath, ready to take over that poopy diaper when I just can't seem to get it done, and just a lovely example for my precious baby boy. I could not have chosen better for myself, and Cohen could not be luckier to have such a wonderful and beautiful person in his life.

Infant Swimming Resource

I am late posting this, but this is the fully clothed float which the babies do as they are graduating. As you can see, Cohen has no help and is successfully floating on his own, fully clothed, to prove that if he fell into a pool, pond, lake, etc. that he could float successfully until someone could get to him. This is so scary to watch as a parent, but when you see how quickly the babies recover and learn the survival skill, it is truly amazing. Right now, we are doing tune-up lessons to make sure that he stays on his game until we move on to the next phase of swimming which will include swimming to the side of the pool. I am so proud of my little guy and have to say that I am feeling at least a little better about his safety.

Spicy Sausage Dip

This recipe came from my good friend, Suzanne Cox. It was one of the first dips that I made to take to a party and has become a hit at many of our family gatherings and especially on gamedays. It is so easy to prepare, spicy, and delicious.

Cooking Ingredients:
1 package of Jimmy Dean sausage, hot
1 package of cream cheese
1 can of Rotel
1 bag of Fritos

Cooking Instructions:
In a large skillet, brown the sausage. Add the cream cheese and stir until all of the sausage is coated. Add the can of Rotel, juices included, and stir again. Pour into your dip bowl and serve with Fritos.

Avocado, Corn, and Tomato Salad

Cooking Ingredients:
3 cups of fresh corn
1/2 cup of thinly diced red onion
2 large avocados, cubed
1 cups of diced organic heirloom tomatoes
1/3 cup basil, chopped
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cooking Instructions:
Prepare this salad just before dinner so the avocados don't brown. Combine the corn, onion, avocado, tomatoes, and basil in your favorite salad bowl.

In a small dish, combine the champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper. Whisk until well combined, and pour on top of your vegetables. Mix your salad until it is well combined.

Look at My Garden

Here are some shots from the 2010 pepper garden. From left to right- Jalapenos, Mammoth Jalapenos, Chili Reds, Habaneros, & Cuban Belles. Can't wait to pick my crop!

Fried Okra with Smoked Jalapeno and Vidalia Onion Yogurt Sauce

We had some yogurt in the fridge today that I was interested in trying out, hence the sauce............

Cooking Ingredients:
1 small bag of breaded okra
2 cups of canola oil
6 oz. of Fage Greek Yogurt
3 grilled jalapenos
1 tablespoon of finely minced vidalia onion
1 pinch of red pepper flakes
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cooking Instructions:
Warm your oil in a saucepan to frying temperature. Fry your okra and strain on a paper towel, salting and peppering as soon as removed. While the frying process is going on, mix in a small bowl, the yogurt, two grilled jalapenos (minced and including the seeds), vidalia onion, red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly and serve in a sauce dish topping with your third grilled pepper.

This recipe is remarkably spicy and the sauce makes it all very rich. Delicious! I think I will use this one for gameday.