Hearty Beef Stew

It's definitely fall and one of my favorite dishes to make during a brisk fall evening is a Hearty Beef Stew. Making the stew for dinner came at a perfect time since we had some leftover red wine from our recent sushi party. (Which is odd since I try my best not to have leftover wine under any circumstance lol!) Nonetheless, this hearty stew will warm you up like a comforting blanket on a cool night...

When it comes to beef stew, I find the best cut of beef to use is beef chuck. It's perfect for long, slow cooking and absorbs flavors really well. This recipe starts out with browning the cubed beef to get some color going as well as building up some flavor with the fond (the little brown bits from cooking the beef). Flour is sprinkled in to help the create a thickener for the stew and then the pot is deglazed with red wine and broth. Aromatics are added, including bay leaf, fresh thyme and soy sauce. After a quick stir, the pot is covered and set to bake in a 300 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours. After baking, baby carrots are added and back it goes into the oven for another 45 minutes. Low and slow is the game here and I promise it's definitely worth the wait! Once the carrots have had their time in the oven, the pot is transferred back to the stovetop to cook where mushrooms are added. Just before serving, frozen peas are stirred in and warmed through. And after all that patience, it's finally time to dig in! This goes very well with a Mashed Potato Casserole, which I served with the stew. And just as they say with wine as it ages, this stew is even better the next day!

Hearty Beef Stew
recipe adapted from Cook's Illustrated

5 pounds boneless beef chuck eye roast, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
salt & pepper to taste
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 onions, minced (about 4 cups)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
1/4 cup all purpose flour, seasoned
2 cups red wine
2 cups low sodium chicken or beef broth
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 pound baby carrots
1 cup button mushrooms, halved
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
2 cups frozen peas

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees.
Pat meat dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over high heat until just starting to smoke. Add half of beef and cook until well browned on all sides, about 8 minutes total, reducing heat if oil begins to smoke or fond begins to burn. Transfer beef to large plate. Repeat with remaining beef and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, leaving second batch of meat in pot after browning.

Reduce heat to medium and return first batch of beef to pot. Add onion to Dutch oven and stir to combine with beef. Cook, scraping bottom of pan to loosen any browned bits, until onion is softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until no dry flour remains, about 30 seconds.

Slowly add wine, scraping bottom of pan to loosen any browned bits. Increase heat to high and allow wine to simmer until thickened and slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth, bay leaves, thyme, and soy sauce. Bring to simmer, cover, transfer to preheated oven, and cook for 11/2 hours.

Remove pot from oven; remove and discard bay leaves. Stir in the baby carrots, cover, return to oven, and cook until they are almost tender, about 45 minutes.

Using large spoon, skim any excess fat from surface of stew. Add the mushrooms, cover and cook over medium heat on the stovetop until meat offers little resistance when poked with fork (meat should not be falling apart), about 15 minutes. Stir in frozen peas, and allow to warm through. Check for seasoning and serve.

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Autism Outside the Mainstream Classroom in NB Schools - 2 Important Tools to Help Your Autistic Child

 If you are a parent of an autistic child in a New Brunswick school receiving ABA instruction outside the mainstream classroom, or  the parent of any autistic child who does not function well in the mainstream classroom (MSCR) environment, you will probably face increasing pressure to have your child educated in the MSCR as a result of the recent election of the  Conservative government.
 
Educators will be under increasing pressure, arising from the extreme inclusion philosophy, and influence, of  Cabinet Minister in Waiting Jody Carr and David Alward advisor Gordon Porter, to reduce the numbers of children receiving their learning outside the mainstream classroom.

If your child learns better in an environment outside the Mainstream Classroom you will have to be prepared to firmly, but politely, never losing your cool, and always remaining courteous, fight back against  pressures to place your child in the MSCR with Gordon Porter and Jody Carr directing, or heavily influencing,  education in NB .  There are two important tools available for you to use; A Framework for an Integrated Service Delivery System for Persons with Autism in New Brunswick from the Interdepartmental Committee on Services to Persons with Autism", November 2001 (The IDC Autism Report) and the Department of Education's Definition of Inclusion, October  2009. 

1. The IDC Autism Report, November 2001 -  Accepted Evidence Based Principle

Gordon Porter's vision of Full Mainstream Inclusion for all was born in NB  long ago and it's stranglehold on the best interests and education of our children has been weakened only by  strong , well informed, advocacy from parents with autistic children. Full inclusion is based on philospohy and belief but not on evidence and the key to resisting the full inclusion advocates who would take away the gains made by your autistic child is to fight back, fight back using evidence based arguments and the evidence based principle that was accepted by the New Brunswick government in the report "A Framework for an Integrated Service Delivery System for Persons with Autism in New Brunswick from the Interdepartmental Committee on Services to Persons with Autism" which was completed in November 2001.  In that report, in the Executive Summary, and in the treatment recommendations for  the Committee endorsed evidence based practices for the delivery of autism services in Health, Social Services and Education. In Numbered paragraph 4 of the recommendations the Committee stated:

4. That early competent intensive interventions based on empirical evidence of efficacy be available for pre-school children with autism.

2. Department of Education - Definition of Inclusive Education, October 2009 - Individual Needs Of The Child Should Guide Decisions Which Must Be Evidence Based

The focus on pre-school children with autism was expanded with the decision to train Teacher Assistants and Resource Teachers at the UNB-CEL Autism Intervention Training program. Some 500 such trained personnel are now working with NB students many providing ABA service which to date remains the only evidence based intervention for autistic pre-schoolers or students.  The quasi-government NBACL does not recognize the need for quieter areas outside the mainstream classroom will be necessary for some children with autism to learn properly, particularly those with ABA based instruction requirements. NBACL, with its insistence that all children be educated in the MSCR,  played a dominant role in the Ministerial Committee review of inclusive education practices  but despite that dominance the Committee accepted in its Definition  of Inclusive Education, 2009 that inclusive education and decisions to help children reach their full learning potential must be based on (i) the individual needs of the child and (ii) founded on evidence  in  its Definition of  Inclusive Education, 2009:

I. Vision

An evolving and systemic model of inclusive education where all children reach their full learning potential and decisions are based on the individual needs of the student and founded on evidence.

If your child with autism requires learning for all or part of the day  in an environment outside the mainstream classroom gather the evidence in support of your position carefully including medical diagnostic reports, assessment reports and recommendations from any professionals involved with your child.  Use that evidence to demonstrate your child's individual needs requirements.  Use the IDC Autism Report, 2001  and the Definition of Inclusive Education, 2009 to support your case.

Present your case calmly and courteously and be prepared in SEP meetings with your evidence and the above documents to help you. Good luck.

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Creamy Carbonara

One of the simplest and quickest pasta dishes to make would have to be a Carbonara. It's a dish that has a creamy egg and cheese sauce tossed with spaghetti and a bit of bacon. The trick to this dish is getting the right consistency for the sauce. Many recipes I've tried resulted in a gloppy mess with little flavor, however this recipe for Creamy Carbonara was absolutely perfect. The sauce was silky smooth, flavorful and and a nice creamy consistency. How did I do it? It's all in the wrist...er, whisk!

To make pasta carbonara, many recipes I've come across goes something like this - boil the pasta and drain. Add whisked eggs and cheese to the hot pasta. Toss, season and garnish with crumbled bacon. As easy as it may be, it does take some practice to get the perfect sauce. This recipe involves a lot of whisking... which is key. Eggs, grated cheese and cream are whisked together to form the base of the carbonara sauce. For additional flavor, bacon is cooked up and minced garlic is sautéed in some bacon fat with a heavy dose of freshly ground black pepper. Some of this garlic-pepper infused bacon fat is then slowly whisked into the egg and cheese mixture. To deglaze the pan, white wine is used to pick up the fond (the browned bits in the bottom of the pan) and the wine is left to reduce by half. Once reduced, this liquid is also slowly whisked into the egg and cheese mixture. By this time, the egg and cheese mixture is loaded with flavor from the garlic-pepper bacon fat and wine reduction. Once the pasta is ready and drained, the egg and cheese mixture is poured over the hot pasta and tossed. Crispy, crumbled bacon is introduced to the pasta along with more cheese and freshly minced parsley for garnish. It's a heavenly dish and my love of carbonara has been renewed!

* If you can, be sure to use some high quality bacon for this dish. It makes the world of difference. I used Nueske's thick cut peppered bacon.

Creamy Carbonara

recipe from Cook's Illustrated Best Ever Recipes

3 large eggs
1 cup (about 2 ounces) Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
2 tablespoons heavy cream or half & half
1/2 pound thick cut bacon, cut into 1/4 inch pieces*
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon salt
1 pound spaghetti
Optional garnish - minced fresh parsley and additional cheese

Prepare your spaghetti per package directions and cook to al dente, with a little bite.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, cheese and cream; set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer the bacon to a towel lined plate to drain. Pour off all  but 2 tablespoons of rendered bacon fat from the pan. Using the same pan, place over medium high heat and add the garlic and pepper. Cook until fragrant then remove from heat and slowly whisk into the bowl with the eggs, cheese and cream.

To the now empty pan, place over medium heat and add the wine. Scrape the bottom of the skillet to remove the browned bits and reduce the liquid by half. Once reduced, slowly whisk the liquid into the bowl with the eggs, cheese and cream.

Check and drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water. Using tongs, add the pasta to the empty skillet. Immediately pour the eggs, cheese and cream mixture over the pasta and toss to combine with 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Add the crumbled bacon and thin the sauce with the remaining pasta water as necessary. Plate and garnish with more grated cheese and minced parsley.

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Sushi Party!

Sushi is such a popular cuisine and today I hosted a Sushi Party with friends and family. It was a great time playing with such a colorful table of ingredients, fragrant rice and getting hands on with the rolling maki and forming nigiri sushi. We also had fun testing out a new sushi gadget called the 'Sushezi'!...

If there's one cuisine that my friends and family really enjoy, it's sushi. We all know how expensive how dining out on sushi can be, but for a fraction of the price we had more fun throwing a sushi party where we made it ourselves. For the party, I purchased a platter of sashimi, or raw sliced fish which included salmon, tuna, mackerel, white fish, and yellowtail. Together, we also prepared spicy tuna, which was finely chopped fresh tuna mixed with a spicy kick of sriracha and mayonnaise. I also purchased some steamed ebi (shrimp) and unagi (broiled eel).

Rather than hashing out the same thing, here is a *great* website with sushi info and more. Everything from making rice, rolling techniques, etiquette and even history is included. In the Chicago area, here are the places I recommend for sushi supplies and fish:

Chicago Food Corp / aka Joongboo Market
3333 North Kimball Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60618
(773) 478-5566
* Be sure to call and place your order for sashimi platters before hand. You won't be able to purchase them without calling first since they are made to order and need ample time to prepare. Sashimi platters are sold in 3 sizes - small ($20), medium ($30) and large ($50). On Wednesdays, they have a sashimi platter special where the medium platter is on sale for $20.

Lawrence Fish Market
3914 W Lawrence Ave
(between Harding Ave & Springfield Ave)
Chicago, IL 60625(773) 267-6838
* Be sure to call and place your order for sashimi platters and maki sushi rolls before hand. You won't be able to purchase them without calling first since they are made to order and need ample time to prepare. They don't have a website but they are familiar with all maki rolls. I suggest having your fave sushi menu handy and ordering from it when you place your order. Lawrence Fish Market is also a major supplier of sushi/sashimi of local sushi houses, which allows them to keep their prices very, very reasonable.

The Sushezi gadget is interesting and it took a bit of practice to get a decent roll. It's important to really pack in the rice to ensure a nice, tight roll that holds its shape. Once you have it filled with your preferred fillings, you gently push the roll out and it maintains a beautifully, perfect cylinder shape. To complete the maki roll, carefully roll it in nori, or seaweed paper. Allow the maki roll to rest a few minutes to soften the nori (seaweed wrapper) before slicing and serving. I purchased this gadget through Amazon.

Although the Sushezi made rolling maki easy, I think I prefer rolling it by hand with a bamboo mat for a more rustic look...

To cut the maki roll into eighths, it's best to cut it in half... and then each half in half... and then each new half in half. Supposedly cutting it in slices as you would a loaf of bread is bad luck. Here are some shots of the maki friends made...

We can't forget the nigiri. For these, pads of rice are topped with fresh sashimi. To make the pads of rice, take a small ball of rice and form it into an oblong or football shape. Dab a bit of wasabi over the top of the rice and lay a piece of sashimi over it. Ideally, nigiri should be consumed in one bite so it's best not to make them too big.

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This Autism Dad Says Thank You Shawn Graham

I had the privilege of meeting NB Liberal leader Shawn Graham several years ago when he was then the  Leader of the Official Opposition Liberals in the New Brunswick legislature. It was a cold Saturday morning in November. It was the second or third of several Saturday morning protests that parents advocating for autism services organized in front of the NB legislature.

I was standing on the steps addressing those present when Shawn Graham, whom I knew only from the media, came striding (Shawn Graham does not walk, he strides.) towards us from a government building adjacent to the legislature, came up and shook my hand. He stood for several minutes talking, asking questions and providing his assurance that he would do everything he could to help our cause, to help autistic children in New Brunswick. I was wearing a parka and several layers of clothing to fend off the bitter cold. Shawn Graham was wearing only a business suit like the one in the accompanying picture and he did not flinch or shiver while speaking to me and discussing autism meaningfully.  I never forgot the impression he left on me.  I am a bit skeptical by nature but this guy struck me as one smart, concerned and tough customer, a guy who would not tell me to my face something he did not mean.   

Throughout the next several years Shawn Graham kept his word, and then some, in helping us fight for a commitment to evidence based preschool and school services.  Shawn appeared at our events while in opposition and he made a commitment ... which he honored in full ... over the opposition of some powerful vested adult interests ... to provide autism training at the UNB-CEL Autism Intervention Training program to 400 Teacher Assistants and Resource Teachers.

New Brunswickers, including political science experts at the CBC,  judged him harshly in the last election campaign.  Anger fouled the political air in our fine province and the political science professors and political leaders alike played the anger card in shouting down the Premier. Competing political leaders is one thing but I don't recall seeing any of the political experts talk about the international recession that affected every country, state and province in the world in assessing the performance of Shawn Graham. Nor do I recall seeing or hearing the  political science experts look at the performance of the Liberal government from the perspective of the promises it  kept or its accomplishments. 

What I do know is that Shawn Graham made promises to help autistic children in New Brunswick. He kept his word and autistic preschoolers and students are the better for it.  This is one father of an autistic 14 year old attending high school here in New Brunswick who knows how much Shawn Graham has done for our autistic children and I say .... thank you Shawn Graham.

Thank you and one more thing please.  Please consider staying on as Leader of the Official Opposition. You have just taken a real good beating in the electoral arena.  But you are a young man of considerable political skill, of integrity, and now with considerable political experience both good and bad.   Although I studied political science and history before attending law school I am no political expert but I believe you are even more qualified now than before to lead the opposition Liberal party and to return to the office of Premier after all the angry voices turn on the current Premier-Elect and his party in the next provincial election.

Regardless of what choices you make Mr. Graham thank you for your contributions to the lives of so many autistic children in New Brunswick including my son Conor.

Harold L. Doherty
Conor's Dad

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Εσείς ψηφίζετε απατεώνες συνέχεια......

--Εσείς ψηφίζετε απατεώνες συνέχεια.

Η κουβέντα του Γιόχαν με είχε βρεί απροετοίμαστο, με έκανε να θέλω να εξαφανιστώ κάτω απο τον πάγκο που καθόμουν.
Το αγιάζι του Μέλανα Δρυμού καλοκαιριάτικα με παγωσε απότομα. Οι περιστασιακοί φίλοι και συνομιλητές στο απομονωμένο ησυχαστήριο μέσα στα έλατα ήσαν καλά ενημερωμένοι και όχι από την Μπιλτ. Ο Νες ο γέρος σοφιστικέ Ολλανδός συνταξιούχος με χρόνια εργασία σε ένα ερευνητικό κέντρο ηλεκτρικών έξω από το Ρόττενταμ συμπλήρωσε το χτύπημα:
----Ολο Καραμανλή και Παπανδρέου βγάζετε στη χώρα σας και ποιό το αποτέλεσμα;....
Η κουβέντα γινονταν στα κουτσοαγγλικά μας ολονών και η λέξη που χρησιμοποίησε ο κοντός γαλανομάτης τεχνικός της Οπελ από κωμόπολη έξω από την Φραγκφούρτη ήταν στην ουσία « πειρατές»
Ο Μπερνάρντ ο Γάλλος φωτογράφος από την Βασιλεία εκει κοντά, ήταν για λίγο κοντά μας αλλά ο πιό βαθειά μπασμένος σε γνώσεις από την αρχαία ελληνική δημοκρατία.
--Δράκων, Κλεισθένης, Σόλωνας, Περικλής δεν λένε τίποτα για σας;; Οταν δεν συμμετέχετε στα κοινά σας κυβερνούν χειρότεροι από σας εσεις τόχετε διδάξει στον κόσμο της Ευρώπης. Γραπτά του Περικλή κάπου. Αλλά ποιά είναι η σημερινή σας δημοκρατία, εναλλαγή δύο κομμάτων με παρόμοια συμπεριφορά και εκπροσώπιση ιδίων συμφερόντων.
Το κοκκινο κρασί είχε ανοίξει τις γλώσσες και τα λουκάνικα μπάρμπεκιου είχαν γίνει ανάρπαστα. Η αυτοσχέδια παρέα ρεφενέ πάρτυ εκεί στην απομόνωση του βουνού στα 850 μέτρα του Μέλανα Δρυμού, ήρεμου βουνού γεμάτου ρεματιές με έλατα και ποταμάκια βασίλευε η γαλήνη, την παρέα όμως είχε ταράξει η παρουσία μας, μιας οικογένειας Ελλήνων και η κατάσταση στη χώρα μας που εμφανίζεται υπερχρεωμένη και κηφήζουσα. Ηταν δεδομένο για αυτούς ότι νοιάζονταν και είχαν όλοι κάποτε έρθει στη χώρα μας.Η διάκριση αθώου εκλεκτορικού λαού και διεφθαρμένων εκλεγμένων πολιτικών η λουθηριανή ηθική τους δεν την δικαιολογούσε! Ακόμα και η Μπριγκίτε η απροσδιόριστου χρόνου γηραιά σπιτονοικοκυρά που είχε την γενική νοικοκυροσύνη και εποπτεία στο πάρτυ, είχε κάποτε έρθει στο Κορφού θυμόταν την επίσκεψή της στο Αχίλλειο στο ανάκτορο της αγαπημένης της βασίλισσας Σίσσης.
Εκανα ότι κάνω συνήθως σε στιγμή αδυναμίας. Τσίμπισα ένα κομματι κίτρινο τυρί.
--Εχετε δίκαιο η Ελλάδα πάει κατά διαόλου, η τηλεοπτική δημοκρατία παρασύρει άκριτα τους ψηφοφόρους , δίνουν 80% στους δύο κλέφτες και απατεώνες, έχουν κάνει κάθε υγιή επιστήμονα ή επιχειρηματία να δραπετεύει από τον τόπο της πειρατικής πολιτικής.
----Των πειρατών πολιτικών που τους βρίσκεις κάτω από κάθε βρωμοδουλιά, τόσα πακέτα εκσυγχρονισμού από την Ευρώπη που πήγαν;; μπήκε στο χορό της κουβέντας μας η Πέτρα η κόρη της Μπριγκίττε δασκάλα στη Στουτγκάρδη.
Η μυρουδιά από τις πατάτες τις ψημένες στη θράκα που έφερνε από παραδίπλα δεν σήκωνε αντιρρήσεις. Χαμογέλασα πικρόχολα και ενοχλημένα, τι νόημα είχε αυτή η κουβέντα; Πόσα έφαγε ο Λαμπράκης για το Μέγαρο ή ο Πανούσης και ο Σαραντόπουλος για ανύπαρκτα έργα. Τι αυθαίρετα εθνικό έργο εκτέλεσαν κυριολεκτικά ο Εφραίμ ή η Αλληλεγγύη.....
«Εξω βλέπουμε μιαν άλλη Ελλάδα» το μαλάκωσε ο Χανς από το Φραϊμπουργκ, υπάλληλος πολυεθνικής φαρμάκου, « καλλιτέχνες επιστήμονες εστιάτορες και εργάτες από τους πιό δυνατούς πολίτες του κόσμου.»
«----Ναι συμφώνησα και σε αυτούς δεν δίνουν το δικαίωμα ψήφου στη πατρίδα, ενω είναι ενεργοί πολίτες σε όλη την Ευρώπη και Βόρεια Αμερική που κυρίως ζούν. Είναι και οι ίδιοι θύματα ακρίβειας εξαπάτησης και τουριστικής εκμετάλλευσης όταν πατούν με νοσταλγία και λαχτάρα στο τόπο τους. Ξέρω πλούσιους και φτωχούς που ρίχνουν μαύρη πέτρα πίσω τους. Η Ευρώπη των εργαζομένων αντιστέκεται για τα δικαιώματά της και πολιτικά μοιράζει την ψήφο όταν δει ύποπτες υπεροπτικές πολιτικές από τα μεγάλα κόμματα. Εχουμε μια Ελλάδα 10 εκατομύρια μέσα με 1,5 εκατ ξένους πιθανά εντάξιμους και άλλα 10 εκατ Ελληνες στο εξωτερικό που ζούν σύμφωνα με τους νόμους, σέβονται τους θεούς των τοπικών κοινωνιών και προκόβουν.» Ηθελα να τονώσω την πολυλογία μου με φρικιαστικά παραδείγματα παιδιών 3ης γενιάς ελληνόπουλων που κατεβαίνοντας στη πατρίδα δεν είδαν τίποτα από ότι ξέρουν για αξίες και χρηστά ήθη να ενυπάρχει στη χώρα μας, μια κατάσταση μπάχαλο μη εφαρμογής κανόνων που οι εκλεγμένοι δεν λέω, πολιτικοί πρώτοι σαλτάρουν και επισήμως με πόθεν έσχες σουλατσάρουν σαν θρασύτατοι Πάγκαλοι από το λεφτά υπάρχουν στο μαζί τα φάγαμε. Τις τελευταίες σκέψεις μου όμως τις κράτησα μέσα μου. Οι συνομιλητές και αρκούντως κρασοκανάτες είχαν ήδη αλλάξει θέμα δεν ήθελαν να μας στεναχωρήσουν άλλο και να μας φέρουν σε απολογητική θέση. Η κουβέντα ξεστράτησε σε περιβαλλοντικά και καταναλωτικά θέματα. Είχαν βρεί τα πρωινάδικα τους στην τιβί τους ακριβή την ετοιμαστή φρουτοσαλάτα και δη από καρπούζι, κατάγγειλαν οι πάντες τα μεγάλα σουπερ μάρκετ για εναρμονισμένη προκτική και αισχροκέρδεια σε σχέση με την τιμή του απλού καρπουζιού 0,23 ευρώ και ετοιμάζονταν οι πάντες για ομαδική άρνηση αγοράς μέχρι να πέσει η τιμή των 4 ευρώ το πλαστικό κυπελάκι με τα κομματάκια φρούτων. Τωρα κατάλαβα γιατι με αγριοκοιτάζανε στο Ρεστ αρεα της οτοστράτας έξω από το Χειλμπορν , όταν εγώ ο αδαής τουρίστας μου τη βάρεσε και πήρα σήμερα φρουτοσαλάτα. Ντε και καλά συγχωροχάρτι διαίτης αλλά είχα σπάσει το καταναλωτικό εμπάρκο της ημέρας.......
Η σιωπή του δειλiνού, η καθημερινή υγρασία παρόλα τα ζεστά μπουφάν δεν κράτησε την παρέα πάνω από μιάμιση ώρα στους λυόμενους πάγκους και τα αναδιπλούμενα παγκάκια. Μετά αλλη μισή ώρα για αποκατάσταση των ζημιών,μάζεμα επίπλων και σκουπιδιών, όλα να έρθουν στο υπαίθριο τοπίο στην προτεραία του κατάσταση. Είχαμε αφήσει πίσω μας συντρίμια στην πατρίδα και είχαμε αποδράσει στις πειθαρχημένες που ήξεραν που πατούν και τι γυρεύουν. Τραβήξαμε το ενδιαφέρον και τη συμπάθειά τους, μας την έπεφταν όμως άγρια για τις επιλογές μας ,ιδίως τις εκλογικές. Καλή η απόδραση από τα τεκμαιρόμενα, φαύλη η επανάπαυση σε ψεύτικες ελπίδες εδώ στο Μέλανα Δρυμό δεν υπήρχαν ηχοσυστήματα στη διαπασών να συσκοτίζουν το νου.
Απόδραση με το πρόβλημα πάντα μαζί μας. Οτι κάνει και ο σημερινός περιπλανόμενος πρωθυπουργός μας.
Διόνυσος
2-10-2010.

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Foodbuzz 24x24: Pee Wee Puree Party!

It's crazy how quickly babies really grow up. It seems just like yesterday that my son Joel, came home from the hospital. Now, he's just about 5 months old and growing more and more everyday. Soon, he'll be starting a new and exciting stage... eating baby food! To join me in this exciting phase in parenting, I hosted a 'Pee Wee Puree Party' with friends and family. As an added bonus, FoodBuzz surprised me by featuring my party for their October 24x24 Food Event, highlighting parties for kids. For FoodBuzz's 24x24 Food Event, they showcase food blog posts from 24 Foodbuzz Featured Publisher bloggers of 24 unique meals occurring around the globe during a 24-hour period. I was thrilled to have my party featured!

 

Fruit and vegetable purees are often associated with baby food... but for my Pee Wee Puree Party, we used the same purees in everyday dishes too. Regardless of age, fruit and vegetable purees are great ways to add some additional nutrients, flavor and color to our childen's (and adult) meals. Besides, all parents can appreciate every little bit of nutrition we can sneak in, right?!

For my Pee Wee Puree Party, I purchased a few sets of freezable baby food containers for my guests. Everyone received a tray, eight 2.0 ounce containers and labels. I chose these containers because they could be used for both food and milk, and are safe to use in the freezer, microwave and dishwasher. They have attached lids for convenience and are also BPA free. You could also use standard ice cube trays, in which each ice cube well portions out to about 1 ounce.

There were quite a few kids in attendance, ranging from the age of 6 weeks up to 10 years old. Because of the amount of kids in once place at one time, I made it easy for us parents by making some of the purees in advance and also demonstrated how they were made. The purees we made included:

Carrots
Green beans
Sweet potatoes
Sweet peas
Butternut squash
Mango
Pear
Banana

We each portioned the purees out for everyone, regardless of how old their child was. Every parent took home purees to use as is or to mix in with their daily meal with recipes I printed out for them...

When we took care of all the purees, the bigger kids got involved in the kitchen too! I had the bigger kids learn how to make homemade pizzas and each of them had a lot of fun making their own pizza creation. My nephew, Justin, volunteered to show us how he made his pizza...

The first step is to make the pizza crust with prepared dough. I prepared the dough in advance and the kids shaped their own crust.

Justin had a great time working with the dough and even was brave enough to give it a few tosses in the air just like the pros!

Once we had the crust down, it was time to top them. I prepared a homemade pizza sauce using some mixed vegetable puree, to sneak in some nutrients. The kids couldn't even detect it so it was a definite success! As an added bonus, us parents were quite pleased the kids used fresh vegetables as toppings including spinach, bell peppers and mushrooms...

After a few minutes in a hot oven, the pizzas were ready. All the kids were anxious to eat and Justin was really proud of his creation...

Aside from the pizzas, I also made some Mac & Cheese Muffins for everyone to enjoy. These were a hit and the best part was sneaking in some butternut squash puree into each serving. The puree added color, a little flavor and a lot of great nutrients!

For dessert, I made these Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Muffins, which ended up going home with folks since we were all pretty stuffed from the pizza. It worked out great since they could enjoy them the next day for breakfast or a sweet snack anytime. Little do the kids know that these muffins are healthy with a nice dose of carrot puree and applesauce mixed in!

To wash everything down, we had some fruit punch pouches for the kiddies...

Overall, it was a great event that everyone from the parents to the kids enjoyed. The parents took home some vegetable and fruit purees to use with their little ones and/or for their bigger kids to cook and bake with. The bigger kids had fun too getting hands on in the kitchen with pizza making and trying mac & cheese in a new muffin form. Everyone was happy and the party left me with a tired and sleepy baby, which is a good thing for this mommy! Stay tuned for all the recipe which will be featured this week!

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