Category Archives: Cuteness

Food backlog

Well, it’s actually more of a food photo backlog.  I worked on some of the actual food backlog at lunch today.

Mealtimes (not to mention actually cooking) with a 13-month-old are interesting enough without pulling out a camera to photograph the food, so I feel like when I do manage to catch a shot of what’s on my plate, I should share it here, especially when it’s summertime and the eating is good.  Not every meal warrants a post of it’s own, so here’s a little compilation, with a cute treat at the end.

Some of our first good edamame crop in a three bean salad along with chick peas and green beans, with panzanella (i.e., bread salad) in the background.

Sunday brunch (clockwise from top left): sauteed squash and pepper medley, tomato salad, omelet topped with sauteed veg, pan-fried potatoes.

Split pea burger with our “magic sauce” on English muffin with tomato slices.

Big ‘ol salad with lots of fresh garden goodness, topped with black sesame seeds and a sesame-peanut dressing.

And, finally, the treat . . .

Little Pookie discovered fresh corn-on-the cob.  You could say that he enjoyed it.  If he could talk, he would probably ask for some more right now.

I’m hungry

The title of this post is often, though not always, the answer to the question posed in the title of the last post.  Little Pookie likes to eat.  Because of this, he is not so little anymore.

He still breastfeeds four times a day, but I’m not sure that mama’s milk is his favorite food anymore.  Tomatoes have stolen his heart.

Saturday night we had a garden fresh dinner of steamed edamame, braised fingerling potatoes, and gazpacho.  Pookie chowed down big time on the potatoes and edamame, eating almost as much as I did.

Chowing down on birthday cake

He uses his height to good advantage, getting up on his tip toes and stretching out his little arms to procure items of interest off the table.

Is this how it works?

He snagged a banana and chomped down, peel and all.

But the real trouble started when Matthew returned from the garden with a boatload of tomatoes (which I had foolishly offered to turn into sauce and can — more on that in a later post).  We used our table to spread out the tomatoes, but realized our space was limited the center of the table after we found him double fisting fresh tomatoes.

Appeased, for now

I missed the actual photo op, but snapped the above after the fact, once I removed the smashed tomatoes from his fists and offered him a few cut-up bites as a replacement.

Unfortunately, the tomatoes on the table proved such a distraction at meal times that he had a hard time focusing on the food on his plate.  Oh, little Pookie.

Bike bans, cuteness, and fun in the kitchen

A couple more photos from our trip at the beginning of the month before returning to the home scene.

Very bummed to see this sign on a road in Ames, Iowa:

Sec. 4.15. BICYCLES PROHIBITED ON GRAND AVENUE.
The riding of bicycles, tricycles or unicycles on the roadway of Grand Avenue in the City of Ames, Iowa, is prohibited. Any person who shall ride a bicycle on the traveled portion of the roadway of Grand Avenue between Lincoln Way and 30th Street in the City of Ames shall be in violation of this section.

Ugh.

On to happier things, my beautiful boy after spending some time in the wading pool with his cousin.

Despite more rounds of sickness, the refrigerator drama, and job hunting (and with it, the search for new child care arrangements), we’ve found time to continue settling in to the new apartment.

Finally hanging the pot rack was a big deal for us.  We need every bit of counter top and cabinet space in the kitchen, and this is a great solution.

We’ve debated adding a second one, and I’ve looked at several DIY pot rack options, maybe someday.  I’d love to hang our cast iron pans, but I would worry that the rack would come crashing down under all the weight.

Tomato season is in full swing, along with eggplant, summer squash, and cucumbers.

We’re enjoying finding new ways to create delicious one-dish meals featuring toms, eggplant, and squash (some recipes coming soon), including this ratatouille-style dish that also featured our freshly dug fingerling potatoes.

Happy birthday baby

We spent the Fourth of July holiday sweating it out in Iowa with my family.  Our time there included Sir’s first time in the swimming pool and an early birthday celebration.

Due to the extreme heat, we opted to avoid turning on the oven to make a cake.  Instead, we made delicious chocolate birthday waffles, served with a variety of delicious ice creams.  Sir thoroughly enjoyed the treat.

Sungolds for my golden boy

A little less than a year ago, Gabriel arrived with a good bit of fairly dark brown hair.  I assumed he would have Matthew’s nice, deep brown hair color, but over the past year, G’s hair lightened quite a bit.  I now describe it as “golden,” especially when the sun hits it, and in this picture, it looks red.

Moving day photo in front of our first home

Anyhow, Sir has been vacationing in Iowa with Baba (Czech for “Grandma” — Matthew’s mom’s side of the family is Czech) for the past few days.  We’ll be apart for over 72 hours (previous longest separation was 27 hours), which made me a bit apprehensive.

Fortunately, Baba reports that things are going very well.  Sir’s only complaint is that she didn’t bring enough sungolds.

I headed to the garden this morning for a picking session, since Sir said he would refuse to see us if we did not come bearing gifts.

Sungold cherry tomatoes

Happy 4th of July!