I’ve been having some fun in the kitchen this weekend:

Thanks to these things (photos courtesy of Williams Sonoma):

I experimented with store bought crust and homemade crust. Both worked out really well. I also made my own filling, which was super simple. It was based on this recipe:

Apple Pie Filling

6-7 cups of chopped apples (I used braeburn, my favorite baking apple type)
1 Tbsp of lemon juice
1 cup & 2 Tbsp white sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
2.5 cups water

1. In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice and set aside. Pour water into a sauce pan over medium heat. Combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Add to water, stir well, and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

2. Add apples and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until apples are tender (approx. 6-8 minutes).

3. Cool for 30 minutes. Great for freezing/canning.

Pie Mold Review:

These mini pie molds come in 3 shapes – lattice, apple, and star (not shown above). Using the pie molds was pretty fun. Although, I mostly used it to cut out shapes rather than the pressing part. I found it easier to fill them flat. And using my own fork the old fashioned way was more effective in sealing the edges. The pie press was not the greatest – they didn’t seal the edges as well as my own fork. I also refrigerated the dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling it out as it made the dough easier for cutting (same concept as cutting out cookies). The lattice pie mold was slightly trickier because of all the little holes. I had to use a toothpick or my fork to pick the edge in order to take the dough out of the mold (including all the tiny little pieces from the wholes). But it wasn’t hard to do and it only took a couple seconds. All in all, I was pretty pleased with the molds. I want to make a million of these little pies!!

And once the mini pies were filled and sealed, I stuck them in the freezer for another 30 minutes. Then I brushed on the egg wash on the tops, sprinkled with some more sugar, then they went in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and/or the filling is hot and bubbly.

Yum!

The kid is starting to like finger foods. He still loves his purees, but is starting to show interest in other textures as well. Although he can’t feed himself just yet, occasionally I’ll give him pieces of soft things to eat, and he usually will greet the new finger foods with his mouth wide open.

One of his favorites is pancakes. I make them with whole wheat flour and add in baby food puree (sidenote: as some know, you can substitute oil/butter with applesauce or any type of baby food puree for a nutritious and sweet/moist option). I have  over 100 oz. of purees, ranging from peas to cauliflower to avocado to squash, frozen in ice cubes and stored in a ziplock bags in my freezer. They are extremely helpful not just for baby food, but whenever I want to do a substitution to a meal (a la “sneaky chef” or “deceptively delicious”), I pop out a couple ice cubes.

These pancakes are soft and yummy and you have no idea there is papaya in them.

I found the recipe here, but because I was dealing with whole wheat flour, I added a tad more water. I flash froze them in my freezer – only takes an hour – and then I stacked them in a ziplock bag for freezer storage. Alternatively, instead of flash freezing, you can stack them with parchment/wax paper in between each one for freezing, so they won’t stick together. But I opted not to fiddle with the paper as the pancakes don’t stick to each other when flash frozen first.

I know I have fallen off the face of this earth and am barely crafting anything these days (sad, I know). I do hope to get back in the saddle one of these days. But I can show you something I’ve been doing that I am absolutely loving. Making my own baby food. Not only is it a healthier option (I know exactly what I’m feeding my kid) but it’s very economical too. Organic baby food can add up really quickly.

Here’s butternut squash in an afternoon:

I split the butternut squash in half, and scooped out the seeds.

Face down in a pan of water, I roasted it in the oven.

I scooped out the flesh (after roasting, it is very soft).

I pureed it (adding a little water until I got the consistency that I wanted), and then froze it in my ice cube trays.

Once frozen, I popped them out of my ice cube trays and stored them in a ziplock bag. (Each ice cube = 1 oz.) This one squash made almost 30 oz. of baby food.

And when I’m ready to prepare a meal for the kiddo, I pull out a couple ice cubes to thaw. Here is 1 oz. of homemade pear, and 1 oz. homemade squash (the kid loves this combo).

I’ve also been successful in making oatmeal cereal, avocado, zucchini, papaya, and green beans. This weekend I’ll make sweet potatoes, carrots, and more pears.

P.S. While I was making avocados, I realized that when you freeze them right away, they stay green! Yea!

ETA: For more information on making your own baby food, when your baby shows signs of being ready, simple/easy recipes, and other useful related topics, here’s a site I found extremely helpful: Wholesome Baby Food