When I was a new mom, I thought babies were some strange species requiring food different from the rest of us. When mine moved to solids (I had twins, I always refer to kids in twos!) I only fed them properly sealed 'Baby Food' in tiny jars and boxes lest I poison them. If there was a sale, I loaded up, but if there wasn't a sale, I loaded up anyway because the kids ate all the time and they had to have the special Baby Food or they would starve.
Right?
So one day, I'm wondering what babies ate before special Baby Food was invented. How did those pioneer ladies keep their babies alive? What did moms in third world countries do? How did Roman babies live to become Roman citizens? And how did early man ever evolve to walk on two feet without Beech-nut?
Answer?
They ate food. They ate the same food their parents ate just mushed up smooth and devoid of spicing.
Duh. I knew all those degrees I got would come in handy one day. Also, I saw on Discovery Channel that in a lot of primitive cultures, moms pre-chew the food, then squirt it into baby's mouth.
You don't have to do that. This is America. We have food processors. We have blenders. We have Magic Bullets.
Do you know what's in baby oatmeal? Oatmeal. Also wheat and it looks like they spray it with vitamins or something but basically it's very fine oatmeal.
What's in baby applesauce? Apples and water
Baby peach and bananas? Peach, bananas and water
Baby chicken? Pureed chicken.
Conclusion? You can make baby food at home for pennies rather than blowing dollars on it at the grocery store. Just cook whatever you want to feed baby. Leave out the salt and the sugar. Baby doesn't need it. Pop it into the processor of your choice with a little water and whirl it until the consistency is smooth.
Feed the baby.
Showing posts with label Can We Talk?. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Can We Talk?. Show all posts
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Can we talk? - Tomato Sauce
Take a look at this!
That's my Pro Ranch ad for this week. If you've a store anywhere near you, go visit. The produce prices are amazing. The pears I bought last week were sweet and nice when ripe. I cooked them in the slow cooker along with the bananas, and cloves and cinnamon, some peaches. We've been putting them on pancakes, on ice cream, in smoothies, with oatmeal. It's just so good!
Remember, there are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday specials. Wednesday is produce, Thursday are meats, Fridays are a variety of items. Wednesday is totally worth it this week. Check the ad for your location because there is some variance in prices.
So yesterday I took the 5+ lbs of tomatoes I purchased at Pro Ranch last week (at 4 lb/99c, same price as this week) and turned it into Tomato Sauce. I'm going to teach you the Italian way of making tomato sauce. You have to pay attention because you don't want to miss any of this.
Are you ready?
Sure?
Here goes:
1) Cut tomatoes in half
2) put in large saucepan with just a hint of water (waterless is best, but use anything you have)
3) turn on heat to high
4) sprinkle with a generous amount of Italian seasoning or basil or oregano or marjoram or all three or whatever you have.
5) Chop onion and garlic together, put in saucepan.
6) Cover saucepan with lid.
7) turn heat to low, simmer for 20 minutes, stirring and smooshing occasionally to keep it from burning on the bottom and make it look more liked gravy.
That's all there is to it. Cook your pasta, pour the sauce over the pasta and you have a beautiful chunky homemade sauce.
No, you do not have to blanch the tomatoes and peel them first.
It does not matter what order the ingredients enter the saucepan.
It does not matter when the ingredients enter the saucepan. If you forget the garlic, add it while it cooks.
You can't over simmer it.
You almost can't undersimmer it, except you may not like your onions and garlic underdone.
It's okay to cheat by adding onion powder and/or garlic powder instead. I won't tell anybody and you're the one eating it, not me.
If you have fresh basil in your garden, by all means, add it.
If you have capers in a jar that you haven't known what to do with, by all means, add it.
If you have any combo of roasted veggie in jars (probably picked up at the dollar store), including, but not limited to artichoke hearts, by all means, add it.
You can add that zucchini that's been sitting in your vegetable bin.
You can add those bell peppers you keep forgetting to add to salad.
You can even add ground beef, although truthfully, it will make the sauce greasy and wouldn't you really rather make Italian meatballs?
Cooking is easy.
Repeat after me:
Cooking. Is. EASY.
Go ye, and do it.
*******
EDITED TO ADD:
Albertsons has Pork Chops for 88c/lb this week. If you qualify for senior savings (55+, I think) take 10% or 9c off that price. Senior Savings are today only. Other than the whole chickens at Food City, nothing else of a protein nature is talking to me this week.
That's my Pro Ranch ad for this week. If you've a store anywhere near you, go visit. The produce prices are amazing. The pears I bought last week were sweet and nice when ripe. I cooked them in the slow cooker along with the bananas, and cloves and cinnamon, some peaches. We've been putting them on pancakes, on ice cream, in smoothies, with oatmeal. It's just so good!
Remember, there are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday specials. Wednesday is produce, Thursday are meats, Fridays are a variety of items. Wednesday is totally worth it this week. Check the ad for your location because there is some variance in prices.
So yesterday I took the 5+ lbs of tomatoes I purchased at Pro Ranch last week (at 4 lb/99c, same price as this week) and turned it into Tomato Sauce. I'm going to teach you the Italian way of making tomato sauce. You have to pay attention because you don't want to miss any of this.
Are you ready?
Sure?
Here goes:
1) Cut tomatoes in half
2) put in large saucepan with just a hint of water (waterless is best, but use anything you have)
3) turn on heat to high
4) sprinkle with a generous amount of Italian seasoning or basil or oregano or marjoram or all three or whatever you have.
5) Chop onion and garlic together, put in saucepan.
6) Cover saucepan with lid.
7) turn heat to low, simmer for 20 minutes, stirring and smooshing occasionally to keep it from burning on the bottom and make it look more liked gravy.
That's all there is to it. Cook your pasta, pour the sauce over the pasta and you have a beautiful chunky homemade sauce.
No, you do not have to blanch the tomatoes and peel them first.
It does not matter what order the ingredients enter the saucepan.
It does not matter when the ingredients enter the saucepan. If you forget the garlic, add it while it cooks.
You can't over simmer it.
You almost can't undersimmer it, except you may not like your onions and garlic underdone.
It's okay to cheat by adding onion powder and/or garlic powder instead. I won't tell anybody and you're the one eating it, not me.
If you have fresh basil in your garden, by all means, add it.
If you have capers in a jar that you haven't known what to do with, by all means, add it.
If you have any combo of roasted veggie in jars (probably picked up at the dollar store), including, but not limited to artichoke hearts, by all means, add it.
You can add that zucchini that's been sitting in your vegetable bin.
You can add those bell peppers you keep forgetting to add to salad.
You can even add ground beef, although truthfully, it will make the sauce greasy and wouldn't you really rather make Italian meatballs?
Cooking is easy.
Repeat after me:
Cooking. Is. EASY.
Go ye, and do it.
*******
EDITED TO ADD:
Albertsons has Pork Chops for 88c/lb this week. If you qualify for senior savings (55+, I think) take 10% or 9c off that price. Senior Savings are today only. Other than the whole chickens at Food City, nothing else of a protein nature is talking to me this week.
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