High Chairs

My friend Becky was asking a bunch of us mom friends about what high chairs we use. Her daughter, Olivia, is just starting on solid foods so she was trying to figure out what equipment she'll need especially since her husband, Brian, insisted she do some research before putting yet another piece of baby gear in their Brooklyn apartment.

I thought I would gather the information that her email elicited.

The ideas:

1. Bumbo (Baz is sitting in one in the above photo) - Me and another friend used the Bumbo for the early stages of feeding since it is a comfortable way to keep the baby sitting securely upright. It's also super easy to clean.

2. Phil and Ted's Me Too and Chicco Caddy Hook-On Portable Latch On Chairs - They fit right on your table so they take up less space. The only thing I don't love about my Chicco version is that it is kind of cumbersome for travel purposes and since there is no tray, things fall between the chair and the table.

3. Ikea Antilop $19.99 High Chair - Our friend, Annie, believes this is the best option because it is so inexpensive and so easy to clean since it has no nooks and crankies for food to get stuck in. She has a Peg Perego Primo Pappa collecting dust in the basement because it is just too difficult to clean. I think I'll be getting one of these!





4. Stokke Tripp Trapp - At $250, this one is a little rich for my blood, but it sure does look cool. I mean look at it - it's beautiful! And it's fairly compact for a high chair, sliding nicely under most kitchen tables. It does also double as a stool for adults and a play seat/desk chair as your child grows so it might be worth it for some folks.

So there you have it. Any other suggestions are welcome.

End of Summer Shrimp Scampi

After a wonderful holiday weekend, the summer is supposedly over and it's time to get back to work. I wish I could say I jumped right on it and had a productive day, but I can't really say that. Instead, I tried to figure out new and creative ways to keep my 7 month old stimulated so that he wouldn't get bored and start to fuss. It's getting harder and harder to do and I wasn't entirely successful.

I decided to try this park that is located nearby in Surfside. It's right on the intercoastal on Bay Drive and it seemed like a nice spot. It was. I liked that it had a play area for bigger kids that was separate from the play area for much younger kids. So we hit the swings in the little kid area and sat on the grass to watch some of the older kids playing around. I think Baz enjoyed that.

I got the idea because this past weekend we took Baz to brunch with us and then went to a park down in South Beach where he rode his very first park swing. And he loved it! It had been such a good day too. We had brunch at Big Pink on Collins and 2nd Street which was the perfect place to bring a baby. It's crowded, lively and loud so even if he had cried it wouldn't have been noticed. Plus with so much going on, Baz loved every minute of it. He flirted with the waitress and customers alike and enjoyed his time in the high chair. It was a very successful outing for us.

But, it's time to start cooking again. Tonight I thought I'd go for one of our old standbys - Shrimp Scampi. It's so easy to make and can look pretty impressive if you ever want to make it for company. I use frozen shrimp that I get at Publix which makes it super easy since they are already deveined.

So here's how you make it:

Shrimp Scampi
1/2 box capellini or linguini
16 to 20 medium to large shrimp
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 small onion, finely diced
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (more or less depending on how spicy you like it!)
1/2 cup white wine
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

Put a pot of water on to boil. Add pasta and begin to cook to taste (I like al dente).

While pasta is cooking, heat up the olive oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion and saute until golden. Sprinkle the hot pepper flakes over garlic and toast it. Add white wine and allow it the alcohol to evaporate (a minute or so.) Add salt and pepper.

A couple of minutes before the pasta has finished cooking, add butter to the garlic/wine sauce. As it is about to finish melting, add shrimp. Cook shrimp in the sauce until firm and pink (about 3 minutes).

Drain pasta leaving just a bit of the cooking water in the pot. Return pasta to the pot. Pour the shrimp and sauce over the pasta and mix well. Add the parsley and mix well.

We like to add a bit of Parmesan cheese over the individual servings which I think might not be authentically Italian. (I don't think Italians mix seafood and Parmesan cheese. But I like it.)

Baby Jogger City Mini Recall

Just in case any of you have one, there is a recall on the Baby Jogger City Mini. Apparently, the restraint mechanism can break or unlatch if there is too much force on it, so they want to replace it with a new buckle. You can get the details on the recall here. I called last Monday and had a new buckle by Friday. They were super friendly, too.

I also want to point out that regardless of the recall, the City Mini is my favorite stroller! I highly recommend it. It is lightweight but sturdy and folds up with the easiest design I have ever seen. And while it ain't cheap, it is not nearly as expensive as a lot of other, less versatile strollers out there. We also bought the car seat adapter bar and now use it as our travel stroller. A big thanks to my aunt Coca who bought it for us as a gift.

Soy Ginger French Cut Lamb Chops

I can't really write too much today because I've run out of time, but I did want to pass on my recipe for tonight because it was really good.

And the best part - I used the cast iron skillet! It was the first time since the I got the $314. 58 fine letter because of the Smokin' Steak incident. But this time, no smoke. And the lamb chops were delish.

Soy Ginger French Cut Lamb Chops
6 - 8 french cut lamb chops (depending on size and your hunger!)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon ginger
juice from 1/2 lime
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Put the chops in a 1 gallon sized zip lock bag. Add the olive oil, garlic, soy sauce, ginger, lime juice, salt and pepper. Shake the bag until all the ingredients are mixed well and until the chops are completely coated. Place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour but no more than 2 hours.

I served them with some yukon gold mashed potatoes and sauteed spinach (with a bit of garlic).

Baby Food Bonanza

Today I decided to make a whole bunch of homemade baby foods for Baz. I bought a few organic vegetables and these really nice looking peaches as well as some other fruit. I steamed, roasted, baked and pureed my way to six different types of baby food.

Baz is a pretty good eater as you can probably tell by looking at him. He was born pretty "petite" (as our pediatrician likes to call him in his Argentine accent) and had these little chicken legs like his cousin Elan now has. He has certainly grown. But while he went from 25th to 50th percentile in head size and weight, he's remained 25th percentile in height. We joke that we have a short, fat baby with a big head. So eating has never been his problem. That is until now.

Our problem is that Baz LOVES yogurt. And now that he knows that yogurt is in the rotation, he won't really eat the other things I offer him. When we first started on solids, he would try and seemed to like everything....well, except bananas. Sweet potatoes were a big hit, avocados got a gag at first but then he ate his entire serving, winter squash was good and carrots were a favorite. But yesterday, I went to give him some delicious avocado and he wouldn't take it. I was worried that he'd be hungry so I took out a yogurt. He attacked it! I couldn't shovel it into his mouth fast enough.

So, I thought if I tried to make him some fresh baby food, took the time to roast and draw out the flavor of some fruits and vegetables, then maybe he'd like it better. Only problem was I couldn't finish everything because the food processor was scaring the shit out of him. I mashed up some butternut squash for dinner, but it didn't get the positive reaction I was going for. I didn't cave and give him yogurt, but he did take a couple of spoonfuls of Gerber Organic carrots. My own roasted carrots will have to wait until I can find the right time to sneak them into the food processor. And the peaches we've got ready for tomorrow morning have got to be a hit. They are delicious!

Pollo Tropical!

As I mentioned, Damien is away...again...so I'm not feeling very inspired to cook. So, I'm just enjoying the leftover enchiladas from yesterday which were so good. Thank you, Kita.

But I did want to share my new fast food find. Pollo Tropical! I have seen them all over Miami but it just never won out over Taco Bell when I was traveling or in need of a quick on-the-go lunch. However, yesterday I was out running errands and Baz fell fast asleep in the car. Not having the heart to wake him, I looked for a way to stall for a few minutes before I went to the supermarket. I hadn't eaten so I searched around for someplace with a drive-thru since drive-thru's are my saving grace these days. And by the way, quick aside: All of you people who don't have young kids and are not handicapped, is it too much to ask that you not use the drive-thru ATMs? I mean really, how lazy can you be!

Anyway, where was I? Looking for a drive-thru so I don't have to wake my sleeping baby. And the idea of McDonald's or Burger King just sounded terrible after our week of junk food in Boston. That's when I saw Pollo Tropical. I'd heard they have rice and beans so I thought that sounded like a healthier alternative.

Well, it was fabulous! I ordered the chicken, white rice and beans Tropichop for $3.29 and a side of fried plantains for $1.89. It was all delicious and with the chicken being grilled, all-white breast meat, it felt somewhat healthy. If only I could have resisted the fried plantains. And there were tons of other things on the menu that probably would have made better deals. I just felt all flustered and pressured to order at the drive-thru. But, I did drive away wondering what had taken me so long to check this place out. I'll be back and will make sure I take a little more time to examine the menu beforehand. I love it!

Tomorrow I am going to make a ton of baby food for Baz. I talkin' peaches and pears and string beans and squash. It's going to be a baby food bonanza! And I am also going to continue my quest to get him to drink out of a sippy cup. Wish us luck...

Mollie McDonald's Enchiladas

These enchiladas are so good that I couldn't even get the picture taken before we started to devour them! Salsa Verde is so good. I need to figure out how to make that from scratch.

Anyway, Kita, who has already contributed the fantastic Tortilla Soup recipe, also sent me this recipe that her sister made when they were visiting together in Maryland.

I changed a few things based on what I had available. For one thing, I decided to make steak enchiladas instead of chicken because we've been eating a lot of chicken lately. I also switched up the veggies a little bit since I had poblano peppers and no corn. But, the essence of the recipe is the same and it was rich and delicious.

So, without further ado:

Mollie McDonald's Enchiladas
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 small onion
1 small zucchini(or any summer squash)
1/2 cup corn
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 jar salsa verde
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 shredded rotisserie chicken
1 can refried beans (*pinto or black beans)
1 cup shredded or crumbled queso fresco
6-8 corn tortillas

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Saute garlic, onion, zucchini and corn in olive oil. Add cumin, coriander and cayenne to vegetables.

Cover the bottom of an oven proof dish with a 1/3 of the salsa verde. Stir in the heavy cream.

Assemble the enchiladas by spreading 1 or 2 tablespoons of refried beans onto each tortilla, sprinkle the cheese over the beans and then adding chicken and sauteed vegetables to them. Roll individually and place each one onto the green salsa coated dished with the ends down.

Cover the enchiladas with the rest of the salsa verde. Top with the remaining cheese. Cover and bake until the cheese is melted and it is bubbling (about 30 minutes).


As I mentioned, I made this with steak instead of chicken and with poblano peppers instead of corn. And it was delicious! One suggestion I have is to microwave the corn tortillas for a few seconds before assembling the enchiladas, just to soften them a bit because mine started to crack (of course, I wasn't using the freshest tortillas.) It didn't really matter though. In the end, the weigh of the salsa verde and cheese put everything back together and it looked impressive and tasted great.

Damien is going away...again. So, it'll just be me and Baz for a couple of days. I'll try and treat myself fairly well dinner-wise, but the recipes might be a little "simple" for the next two days.