Top 10 ideas for getting the most out of Parent and Tots groups and heuristic play

Many apologies for the lack of posts.  I've only just got back broadband in my new home.

My son and I had a fantastic session at a mum and tots group recently.  It got me thinking about how over the last 18 months I have found them a roller coaster ride and wanted to share my experience for newer mums who might be reading.

I realise this is a slight departure for my blog and in no way am I a play expert but I have learned some things which weren't immediately obvious to me.

1.  Don't feel obliged to go to baby or toddler groups.  Go to none at all if you like.  It's not the law.  No-one will think of you as a bad parent if you chose not to attend them.  They aren't everyones cup of tea and sometimes it just doesn't work out with naps etc.

2.  There are loads of different types of baby and toddler groups.  Some will suit you both; some won't.  Some groups may not work now but will later.  Don't rule one out after a single try.  Also the groups and the organisers frequently change.  A group which didn't work 6 months ago, might be much better now (I will talk about personal experience of this later.)

3.  Don't spend a fortune.  Well you can if you want to but if you're on statutory maternity pay, it's a bit grim financially so saving money is important.  Some groups exist which tie you into 10 sessions or more at £5+ a time.  Also remember you don't have to pay to get the best (see point one about not being a bad parent on this).  In the UK there are loads of government funded surestart centres in England and also library groups nationwide.  These are under threat from government cuts but where I live at least, they are well attended and still going at the moment.  Use them or lose them.  They tend to be more focussed on learning about play or literacy as well which is great for Mums like me where I was completely clueless at what to do in that time between sleeping, eating and pooing!

4.  Go when your child is well rested and fed (or take a snack, drink or your boobs if you're breastfeeding.)  I say this because it is frustrating spending a session desperately trying to cheer up a child when all they want is food or sleep, it doesn't work but read on.

5.  Don't discount groups which are further away; this can help if your child is tired.  Why not arrive a little while earlier and use the car journey or pram / buggy ride as an excuse for your child to nap?  Especially if you're still on more than one nap a day, I see no harm in this.  Why not take a book and enjoy a nice quiet sit until they wake up?  15 minutes was about our limit but that included a good few more groups.

6.  Make it a trip out for you too.  I used to think the group was my time out, now I know better.  You don't have to wait for other mums to invite you, make it a trip out for you and your child.  I have no idea why I didn't think of this earlier but now my son and I often go to a local cafe before or after a group.  He gets a snack (I take something suitable with us normally) and I get a cup of tea or a cocoa.  I've found some fantastic little cafes like this including one in a local ecological centre with a wood burning stove.  Snuggly.

7.  Don't get involved in the oneupmanship.  Motherhood is the most vicious non contact sport there is or that's how it feels sometimes.  Some of it is self inflicted, some of it is a natural desire for other mothers to boast about their child's achievements.  When I think of the time I spent listening to other mothers talking about how their child was rolling.  Trying to get their baby to crawl in front of other people so they could see it!  Seems crazy now.  As my son was a late crawler and a late walker, it did make me feel bad.  For all I know though they may have been looking at my son who has always smiled readily and been jealous of his nature?  Anyway.  It just makes everyone feel bad.  So keep those comments about "Little Julian has been sleeping through since 3 days old" to yourself.  It doesn't help anyone (and trust me, it all evens out in the end.)

8.  Try and talk to some of the other parents.  I'm terrible at this.  I tend to get stuck in with the singing or the playing, then look around and realise I'm the only parent on the floor doing "row, row, row your boat" or with glue in my hair.

9.  Take some of the ideas home with you.  I have done this with a few ideas but a great one was 'Discovery or Heuristic Play' where you take a selection of safe objects from around the home and leave your child to find ways to play with them. I kid you not, my son was engrossed for at least 40 minutes.  Another success was building a den, you could make one out of chairs, some cushions and have lots of "peepo" fun!

10.  Don't be too hard on yourself.  There will be a day (or many days) when your child decides they don't want to join in.  It doesn't matter.  My son will regularly join in with song actions at home but put him in front of a group of women doing "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" and he sits back for the entertainment!  There will also be meltdown days.  Also the rule is don't make other mummies or daddies feel bad when they have one of those days.

Ok... a magic number 11... Compile a list of Parents and Tot groups in your area by day and stick it on your fridge.  There will be days you just have to get out of the house it's sometimes necessary just to say "Ah, there's reading group, let's get in the car honey!" as it doesn't always follow that a little monster at home stays a little monster at the group; a change of scene can work wonders.

Fruity Mini Muffins

The lovely people at Baking Mad sent me a bottle of orange flower water recently which is an ingredient I’d always been a bit confused by.  Well let a novice tell you about it.  It’s made from orange blossom as the name would suggest but I have to admit I was expecting a flowery perfume flavour.  Not a bit of it, the flavour is like the zesty fragrance when you peel an orange.  I have to admit it wasn't an immediate hit and I think I need some more experimentation time.

So, if you happen to have a bottle in the cupboard, why not whip up a batch of these muffins?  No added sugar but a touch of honey in them (so not suitable for under 1s) but I have found a natural affinity between the orange zestiness and honey.

I’ve used mixed dried fruit in this recipe which I don’t use a lot but the candied peel with the orange flower water do enhance each other.  Feel free to increase the amount of orange flower water if you do really like it, I was a little cautious to start with!

Fruity Muffins – Makes 18 or so

Ingredients

80g Grated Carrot

150g Mixed Fruit

2 Eggs

4 tbsp Milk

2 tbsp Vegetable oil

¼ tsp Orange flower water

1 tsp Cinnamon

150g SR flour

½ tsp Grated Nutmeg

A spritz of lemon juice

1 tsp Runny honey

Method

Preheat the oven to 180oC (fan) and 200oC (conventional.)

Mix the carrot, eggs, milk, oil, orange flower water, lemon juice and honey.  In a separate bowl, mix the flour, fruit, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Then mix the wet and dry mixes together until just combined, no need to overmix.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until browned and spring back when lightly touched.

I’m going to continue to have a play with this as an ingredient and I’ve already got an idea on adapting some other of my recipes so keep your eyes peeled (if you’ll excuse the pun!)

In summary it's an ingredient I'm still a little confused by but I'm intrigued and I think there's more to come.

A Belated Merry Christmas to all of my readers!  I hope it brought you everything you desire but most of all, I hope it's been a time for fun and family and the warmth that only being with the ones you love can bring.

Courgette and Pesto Pasta for Babies and Toddlers

A recipe that was borne from a lack of ingredients; especially fresh herbs; there’s no point in my planting some at this time of year in my new garden.

Ok, courgettes (zucchini) aren’t seasonal at this time of year but I do love them as a hidden vegetable and there’s no reason why you can’t substitute for something else, I’d imagine blanched mashed broccoli might work.

I also love growing courgettes yet I’m always slightly disappointed with the results when I cook with them, especially where they’re the star.  This, along with the courgette chips recipe will be definitely something I make again when I have my pots and pots of golden yellow courgettes in the late summer.

The other great thing about this recipe is I always think I love pesto but I have to be honest that when I have it, I never like it as much as I thought I did.  Also I once tried my son with some pasta and pesto and, let’s just say that even with his fondness for strong flavours, it was a fail.  Well this is using pesto as a shortcut to some herbal flavour without having the fresh herbs and a gentle introduction for us both.

A word of caution; depending on where you live, it would seem different health care professionals advise different things on nuts in babies diets.  Where I live, my health visitor advised they’re fine from 6 months, as there are no nut allergies in our family (plenty of nutters though), despite the fact my son has eczema.  I know opinion varies though so do check.  The reason I raise this is because although pesto does not contain nuts (as pine nuts aren’t a nut in the allergenic sense), many commercial pestos replace all or part of the pine nuts with cashew nuts.

Likewise many commercial pestos use cheeses which are not vegetarian so if you are strict in not wanting to eat animal rennet, read the labels well or make your own.

Courgette and Pesto Pasta – serves one adult and one child.  Suitable for babies from the soft lump stage onwards

Ingredients

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

Spray oil or olive oil

½ large courgette or 1 small courgette (zucchini)

40g Extra mature cheddar

1 tsp Pesto

2 dsp Full fat cream cheese

Pasta, to taste.  I used approx. 90g for the two of us (I’m always surprised by packets recommending 100g per person but use more if you’re hungry!)

Method

Put the pasta in boiling water and cook until done to your liking.

As the pasta is cooking, saute the garlic in the oil or spray.  In the meantime, grate the courgette and add to the pan with the garlic on a low heat.   Stir until softened and so it has lost some of the water.  In the meantime, grate the cheddar.  Once the courgette is softened, add the cheddar, pesto, soft cheese and a little bit of cooking water from the pasta.  Mix into a sauce adding more water if needed.

Mix in the pasta and leave to cool until at the right temperature for your child (I find leaving the adult portion covered keeps it warm enough for me.)

Serve!

My son has been a little unsettled since our move.  New house, new nursery.  It’s all change.  For one of the first times in his life he got really fussy with food.  He ate all of this!  Definitely a result!


If you like this, why not try my creamy salmon pasta recipe?

Pepper and Cheese Muffins for Babies and Toddlers

First of all, my sincere apologies for the lack of blog posts.  I’m writing this on word (which will explain any differences in formatting) and hoping I will get the chance to post it to the blog soon.

Well I have a good excuse; I’ve just moved house.  I hadn’t really talked about it for fear of it all falling through.  Things were very touch and go in the end.  While we were packing up the truck, we still didn’t know if we were going to get the keys at the other end.  Delaying the move was going to mean moving in 5 days before Christmas.  I pride myself on my resilience but that was a step too far, so we took the risk and it paid off.

So, generally I’ve been unpacking boxes, sleeping, spending far too long in Ikea, not sleeping (new house, new smells, strange boiler), etc, etc. 

So accompanied by the general feelings of tiredness, a monster cold after weeks of stress, we also have no broadband and won’t have for a few days yet but I will keep popping to the library as I get the chance.

It’s nice to be somewhere new but it’s also disconcerting for the whole Mamacook family.  My 19 month old is still settling in with the new room, new nursery and I’m still settling in with the new cooker.  It would seem my previous ‘fan’ oven was a fan in name only.  This cooks super efficiently.  They say the best test for an oven is to cook a sponge cake; well I did yesterday and it’s no exaggeration to call it a disaster!  It takes some getting used to but I did cut 10 minutes off jacket potatoes at 20 degrees lower earlier.

So anyway, please bear this in mind when following my recipes from now on.  If you found previous recipes worked well in your oven with the timings I gave, you may now need to increase the temperature slightly or give it a little longer.  Still, better than having a burned coffee sponge disc like I did yesterday!

Inspiration has been a little thin on the ground but on hunting through my fridge, I came up with this.  Nothing like a muffin recipe to make things feel homely.  I have a gut feel this would go pretty well with some baby chilli or some home made soup and like all muffins they’re bound to freeze well.

Pepper and Cheese Muffins – Makes 18 - 24

Ingredients

1 red Pepper (capsicum), chopped into small dice

Small splash of olive oil

Further 3 tbsp olive oil

100g Full fat yoghurt

160 ml Full fat milk

½ tsp White Wine Vinegar

1 egg

85g Grated strong cheddar

250g SR flour

¼ tsp paprika (the mild kind)

Method

Fry the pepper in the splash of oil until softened and allow to cool.

Preheat the oven to 180oC (fan oven).  Grease a non stick cupcake or mini muffin tin with spray oil or brush on some oil.

Put the flour and paprika in a bowl.

Mix the yoghurt, milk, vinegar, cheese, egg, cheddar and 3 tbsp oil in a jug.

Mix the wet mix into the dry being careful to stir until only just combined.  If some small bits of flour remain, don’t worry.

Spoon into the tin and bake for approx. 15 mins or until well risen and springing back when pressed.  They freeze well; either defrost at room temperature or in the microwave (allowing to cool before serving to your child.)


If you like this, why not give the spinach and feta muffins a try?

Top 10 Potato Recipes for Babies and Kids - in praise of the humble spud!

Sometimes it's time for a review and a catch up.

Let's face it, if you're anything like me, there are times where you need to go to the supermarket but you just don't have the time or energy.  Chances are you will have at least one potato in the house.  Read on because that potato might just become a meal...

Things are tough in the world right now.  I don't know of anyone who isn't feeling squeezed by rising living costs and stagnant wages.  The really sad thing is that so many people are even worse off than this. So, in the spirit of frugality and realising it is an expensive time of year I thought I will do a few reviews of recipes containing the ultimate cheap ingredients.  So, where to start?  Well potatoes are about as cheap a food as you can get.  For a big family, buying in bulk can also really make sense.  Just store somewhere cool out of sunlight.

When I was a student, I remember we used to get a sack of potatoes from a local farmer at the start of term.  This meant that even if my money ran out I would have the option of potato wedges or jacket potato to keep me going.

It's strange with the influx of Atkins type diets, in recent years I'd cut back on my potato consumption.  Since I've had my son, I'm back eating them and I can genuinely say I've seen no impact (positive or negative) on my weight but I have seen a positive impact on my wallet.

So, now for the top 10

1.  Jacket Potato.  Yes I know this is easy but you probably don't realise how easy.  Never bother making a jacket spud in the microwave, it's worse than disgusting, oven is the only way.  Yes, your oven will be on for a long time but why not make extra?  You can use any leftovers for some of the recipes below or just mash the centre and reheat in the microwave, with a little butter and covered for a couple of minutes.

So, how easy is a jacket potato?

Very.

Am I going to write a recipe?

Oh go on then!

Jacket Potato - serves 1, easily scaled up(!)

Ingredients

1 potato, you want an old potato which is the right kind of size to bake.  If it's enormous it might not cook through.  If it's tiny, it will need a shorter cooking time.

Method

Heat your oven to 200oC, 400oF.

Clean off any mud from the outside of your potato and prick the skin going approx 0.5-1cm into the flesh.  This avoids the potato bursting.  If you want to speed up cooking time, put a metal skewer into the potato all the way to the centre.

Put into the oven and bake for 1hour 15mins or until soft when squeezed.  Be careful if you've used a skewer as it will be very hot.

I recommend you investigate your cooker.  Most electric ovens I have ever used have an option to put in a cook time which will then switch off the oven when the time is up.  If your oven has this option, you probably also have the option to delay the start of cooking too.  Well why is this important?  If you're out in the morning or afternoon at a toddler group, you might not be at home an hour and a half before your child wants to eat.  Well set it all up before you go out and bingo!  Hot jacket spud when you walk in.

2.  Keema Curry.  Too many people feed their babies and toddlers bland food.  There is really no need!  Potatoes are lovely in a curry too and this dish is so economical as it's made with mince.

3.  Cottage Pie.  A simple recipe here using bolognaise ragu or one using slow cooked pot roast (which is absolutely delicious).  Fantastic to use up spare jacket potatoes and leftovers.

4.  Bubble and Squeak.  No nothing to do with mice.  Again a great leftovers recipe, fantastic for Boxing Day breakfast!

5.  Potato Pancakes.  Another use for that extra jacket spud you cooked.  Lovely breakfast fare.

6.  Fish cakes.  Made with spinach and salmon this gives an extra 'superfood' dimension and great for hiding vegetables for fussy toddlers.  Brilliant for baby led weaners.

7.  Fish pie.  The classic.  I've made this since my son was a baby and still make it now.  Creamy, nursery food.

8.  Chowder.  An interesting dish to feed a baby or toddler who is starting to feed themselves with a spoon.  Lots of lovely lumps too if they want to switch to using their hands.

9.  Potato salad for babies.  I remember when I first made this.  We were away for a long weekend and my son wasn't all that consistent at self feeding yet.  We took this out with us and what does he do?  He happily tries our food!  He had a go with it though and seemed to like it.  An important lesson for me on being a bit braver with the things I offered.  He was 9 months old at the time and it was a reminder that he didn't have to eat flavourless mush.

10.  Potato cakes.  Great as an accompaniment to other dishes or as a meal in their own right.  Far more interesting and tasty than a frozen potato waffle or 'smiley face' and loads of options to change the flavours, add in vegetables etc.

As is always the case, inevitably you come up with other recipes for potato after posting.  Here are a couple more recipes if the cupboards seem bare and you fancy something tasty:

Mini Meatloaves (gluten free)
Tortilla (Spanish Omelette)

Haricot Bean and Mushroom Gratin for Babies, Toddlers and Adults

This is a yummy meal in itself or could be a great side dish for Christmas dinner (with the handy benefit of having something which feels like a main dish should a vegetarian arrive.)

I would think it would scale up pretty well but I would keep it fairly shallow in the baking dish to avoid it being too runny.

Haricot Bean and Mushroom Gratin - serves 1 toddler and 1 adult with vegetables on the side

Ingredients

6 medium sized mushrooms, cut into a thick slice
Spray oil
3/4 tin of haricot beans, drained (in retrospect I should have scaled this up to use a whole tin so feel free to do so, that would make more sense!)
1 very low salt chicken stock cube, e.g. Kallo low salt or Heinz baby
1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1 tsp Fresh Thyme, chopped
1 tsp Fresh Rosemary, chopped
3 tbsp Double Cream
25g Grana Padano, Parmesan (or use vintage vegetarian cheddar if you're a non meat eater)

Method

Preheat the oven to 200oC, 400F.

Fry the mushrooms in the spray oil until colouring up well.  Add the garlic and soften slightly.  Take off the heat.  Mix the stock cube with 1-2 tbsp boiling water (enough to dissolve it, use a whisk if you need to), add the cream to the stock and then add to the mushrooms with the rosemary and thyme.  Tip in the haricot beans then pour into a baking dish in a shallow layer.

Grate the cheese on top and bake in a preheated oven for approx 30 mins or until bubbling throughout and golden on top.

Allow to cool until at a safe temperature for your baby before serving.  Would be great for babies who have a pincer grip, just check the beans are soft enough.   Needs a touch of salt for adults.

Falafels for Babies, Toddlers and the Whole Family

This is genuinely a whole family recipe.  If I don't say so myself, I'm really impressed with myself for these and it's all completely my invention.

Falafels - makes approx 8-10 (more if you make them smaller) 

Ingredients


1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
Spray oil
1 small courgette (zucchini), grated
1 tin of cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained (240g drained weight)
Small handful of coriander (cilantro)
1/4 tsp hot chilli sauce (I used Encona West Indian Hot Pepper sauce, not authentic but my favourite) - optional if making for babies
1/2 tsp sweet paprika (ie not the spicy kind)
2 dsp cornflour
Olive oil for brushing

Method

Saute the onion and garlic in some spray oil or a little olive oil until softened.  Add the grated courgette and cook until it's shrunk back a bit (driving off the moisture.)  Allow to cool.

Add the drained chickpeas, coriander, sauce if using (I did and my 18 month old loved them), paprika and two thirds of the onion mixture to a food processor.  Process well, it won't go completely smooth.  Tip out into a bowl and add in the remainder of the onions and the cornflour.  Shape into patties and put onto a lined baking tray slightly oiled and chill until ready to cook.

Preheat an oven to 200-220 oC.  Brush the tops of the falafel with oil and bake for 20-25 minutes.  Serve for babies or toddlers broken up slightly with strips of pitta bread or for adults serve in a pitta bread with tomato, cucumber or salad, mayo and extra chilli sauce.  Yum!

This would be great with babies doing baby led weaning.  You know your child better than I do so use your judgement with the spicing.  I know my son would have been fine with the garlic and paprika, I probably would have tried him with the chilli sauce because he's an adventurous sort.

Come to think of it, I'm planning to give him some keema curry from the freezer for tea.  This could be an interesting nappy day!!!

This has been submitted to the Diet Dessert Dogs linky!

Sugar Free Cheesecake for babies, toddlers and the whole family

Cheesecake with no added sugar?  Really?  Yep.  Bang on!  I've done it!  So this is a cheesecake which you can feel comfortable giving to your baby (if on textured food), toddler and the whole family without feeling (too) guilty.  There are variations below for very young babies too.  This is linked up here.

The cunning idea is to use wheatgerm rather than biscuits which saves a lot of sugar.  Surprisingly if you've never used wheatgerm it is subtly sweet anyway.  Definitely an adequate substitute in my mind. My husband (used to my white chocolate cheesecake) was slightly less convinced.
Cheesecake for Babies and Toddlers - serves 4 adults / 6-8 toddlers

Ingredients

2 Dessert / Eating apples
80g Dried Apricots
Splash of boiling water
40g Unsalted butter
60g Wheatgerm
200g Full fat soft cheese

Method

Peel and core the apples and cut into chunks.  Put into a saucepan.  Chop the apricots into quarters and add to the pan with the water.  Boil for 5-10 minutes or until the apple is softened.  Puree in a blender with as little of the water as you can get away with until really smooth.

If your baby is just weaning, this is a great puree to give either on it's own or mixed with yoghurt; alternatively mix with soft cheese as below.  The puree (on its own) freezes well too.

Allow the puree to cool.

Melt the butter and add the wheatgerm and mix well.  Put into individual flan cases or ramekins or press into a ring on a plate.  Chill until ready to continue.

Mix approx 150-200g of the puree with the soft cheese (to your taste).  Whisk well to get rid of lumps.  Pour onto the chilled wheatgerm 'biscuit' base and chill for a couple of hours before serving.

Keeps for 24 hours in the fridge.

Sugar free wheatgerm and oat biscuits for babies and toddlers

I've been struggling for a sugar free biscuit for some time.  This almost gets there.  It's not really sweet but passed the test with my son.  He's already eaten all of his tea and his pudding and saw these on the cooling rack.  He pointed to them so I gave him one.  3 biscuits later...

My only reservation is they are really crumbly so I will experiment with reducing the amount of wheatgerm and increasing the amount of flour which should improve the structure.  That said, they hold together a little better when cool and my son coped with them.  They'd be pretty awesome with cheese actually.

Wheatgerm and oat biscuits for babies and toddlers makes 20-30

Ingredients

50g Plain Flour
150g Wheatgerm
50g Porridge Oats
100g Unsalted butter
1 Egg yolk

Method

Preheat the oven to 180oC.  Prepare two baking trays by lining them with non stick baking paper.

Mix the flour, wheatgerm and oats in a bowl.  Add the butter and rub in until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.  Add the yolk and knead in the bowl until it comes together.

Roll the dough out on a floured surface (it will crack a little).   Cut out the biscuits in the shape of your choice.  I used a hexagon to avoid waste!

Put onto the baking trays and bake in the oven for 12-15 mins or until browning at the edges.  Allow to cool a little on the trays then put onto a cooling rack.

Poached Pears for Babies and Toddlers

You know how it is, you've not had time to go to the shop, the fruitbowl is looking a little unexciting, there are virtually no grapes left, there is no yoghurt in the fridge and the pears are hard as bullets.

Well, here's an idea for something different to feed your little one for pudding.  It comes out beautifully soft for babies just starting on lumps but with the spice there's a lovely flavour to it too.  Any leftovers are great served as below with the syrup or would be tasty put into a crumble.

Poached Pears for Babies and Toddlers - serves 2 toddlers if they have an appetite like mine(!)

Ingredients

2 unripe pears
300ml unsweetened grape juice
half - 1 tsp cinnamon (I used 1 tsp which was fine for my little one but might be a bit much if you're not a cinnamon fan) or use a cinnamon stick
Cream to serve (optional)

Method

Peel the pears, using a potato peeler works well for this, halve them along the length and scoop out the cores.

Put the pears into the base of a slow cooker, pour over the grape juice and spice.

Cook on high for 2-3 hours or until softened to your liking.

For toddlers, just cut up the pieces and allow to feed with a spoon.  For babies, cut up into smaller pieces or mash depending on your baby's developmental stage.

For adults you could take out the pears and then boil the juice hard in a saucepan until it goes syrupy (it will thicken as it cools).  Serve with the syrup and cream.

Rum and Apple Bread and Butter Pudding (Just for Adults!)

I came up with this recipe when we had some staling bread.  It made me think; why don't we value bread anymore?  It used to be that every household would have a left over bread recipe.  We have bread and butter pudding, bread pudding, stuffing, rarebit, Italy has panzanella and ribollita the French have croutons and pan perdu.

We seem to have forgotten this thrift though!  Why?  Bread and butter pudding is probably more often consumed from a ready meal packet than made from scratch.  How strange a dish to use up old bread is now specifically bought in a plastic dish from a factory miles away.  Somewhat ironic!

Anyway, the point is it's easy and tasty to make yourself.  I've suggested a slightly whacky combination of dried apple and rum which might not be to your taste but if you want something more conventional, switch it for brandy and raisins.

Rum and Apple Bread and Butter Pudding - serves 2 adults

Ingredients

50g Dried Apple
1 tbsp Dark rum
80ml Full fat milk
2 tbsp Double cream
1 Large egg
40g Light brown sugar, I used light muscovado
a few pinches of cinnamon (see method)
1 tsp Vanilla extract
100g Staling bread
25g Approx of softened, salted butter
A couple of pinches of demerara sugar

Method

You will need two small ramekins (not tiny ones though, you want some pudding!!!)

Put the apple in a bowl with the rum and soak for a couple of hours.

Cut the bread into small triangles or squares to fit your ramekins and butter on one side.  Lightly butter the inside of each ramekin then put a layer of bread in, butter side up, followed by one quarter of the apple, a pinch of cinnamon, then the bread, then apple and cinnamon, finishing with a layer of bread.  Repeat with the other ramekin.

Make the custard by heating the cream and milk together in a jug in the microwave for 60-90 seconds until starting to boil.  While it's heating crack the egg into another jug and whisk with the sugar and vanilla.  Allow a few seconds for the bubbling to stop then slowly whisk in the milk and cream into the egg / sugar mixture whisking all of the time until it's all added.

Pour the custard into each ramekin.  If the custard doesn't all fit in, wait a few seconds as you may find it does once some of it has been absorbed into the bread.

Leave for 30 mins for the custard to soak a bit more into the bread and preheat the oven to 180oC.  Sprinkle with demerara and bake in a bain marie (a baking dish with boiling water added) for 20 minutes at 180oC or until crusty on top and set underneath.

Serve with cream.  It's a warming cuddle of a pudding.

Slow Cooker Risotto for Babies, Toddlers and Adults

It may have been a few days since I've posted but don't think I've not been busy!

I've been meaning to cook risotto for my son since he was on soft lumps but had never got round to it.  I tried risi e bisi which was nice but lacked some creaminess.  Part of it is all that standing and stirring; completely impractical for a toddler.  Anyway, I'd heard it was possible to cook risotto in a slow cooker and seeing as I have a kitchen crush for mine, I thought I'd give it a go (but I might need a new slow cooker for Christmas Santa.... hint, hint.)

Anyway, the results were good.  A little too soft on the rice; I'm sure you can see from the photo it's overcooked but it was so almost there.  I'm definitely doing it again.  If you think about it, the timings would work out pretty well for a meal to prepare while you're doing bedtime too.  I'd heat up the stock before bath then just stick the rice in just as I'm going upstairs to do milk and story time and by the time I'm back downstairs, there's the chance to whip up a salad and do some washing up and it would be ready.  Genius!

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash for Babies, Toddlers and Adults.  Suitable for babies from the soft lump stage onwards and sticky so baby led weaners would like it too.  Makes plenty enough for one adult and one toddler.

Ingredients

300-350ml hot stock - see below tips on how to make your own or use a very low salt stock cube if you must (but read on)
2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1 onion, chopped finely
1 dsp approx of olive oil
200g butternut squash (peeled weight), chopped into a fine dice
100g arborio rice
35g parmesan, grana padano or vintage cheddar (if vegetarian)

Method

Update:  I have corrected the cooking time below and reduced the stock quantity because on cooking it again and not wanting to overcook it, I found it was a little wet.  There are some tips on saving it though further down.

Gently fry the onion and garlic in the olive oil until softened.  Add the stock, onion, garlic and butternut squash into the slow cooker and heat on high for approx 30 mins until simmering.

Add in the rice and cook for 25-30 mins, stirring once or until the rice is cooked but still has a small amount of resistance without being chalky.  Add more stock or water during the cooking time if it needs it.

Add in the cheese and stir.

Serve in bowls topped with parsley if liked.  You could change it up a bit with different vegetables or shredded cooked chicken etc.

If the risotto is a bit too wet, scoop it out using a slotted spoon, add a little extra cheese to each bowl and season (for adults only).

Yum!

Anyway, my comments on stock.  I do think chicken stock works best here and home made chicken stock especially.  This is because gelatine cooks out into the liquid which is part of the mouthfeel of a good risotto or a good chicken soup.  This cannot be replicated by stock cubes and unfortunately not by vegetable stock either.  That said, a good home made vegetable stock will still be better than a stock cube for this.

Regular readers will now I'm not a person who is afraid of a stock cube or two either but a risotto is a celebration of stock, so it's worth the effort.

Incidentally, if you have a slow cooker, and presumably you have if you've read this far, you can make stock in one very easily.  I just took a load of bones from chicken thighs after making the vietnamese chicken salad and wing tips from chicken wings, bunged them in the slow cooker with some boiling water and simmered for approx 3 hours.  Sieve.  Minimal effort from me and made from things which would have gone in the bin anyway.

If you like this recipe, give my risi e bisi recipe a go.  Similar to risotto but much less effort.

On a different subject, I'm pretty excited, my blog has been chosen to be part of a blog carnival!  This is something new to me as an inexperienced blogger!  Yay!

Cottage Pie for Babies and Toddlers - VERY easy!

I proudly proclaimed the BEST COTTAGE PIE EVER the other day.  Well this comes close and is a bit of a cheat because it's more assembly than cooking.  Apologies for the photo; potato topped pies seem incredibly difficult to look pretty and I refuse to top them with a face made out of peas and carrots.  Ah what the hey!  It tastes nice!

The reason why recipes have been a little thin on the ground this weekend is my son's not well and he's off his food.  He had a temperature of 39.2 yesterday which was frightening.  Fortunately things seem to be getting better.  Unfortunately as he's now a toddler and he's been feeling rotten he seems to have discovered the "No" word when it comes to food.

So, as ever and as with the nursing strike, my theory is you tempt rather than force.  I know eating would make him feel better but he doesn't and I don't want to upset him more than he is upset.  Likewise, having a very upset boy who wants to be cuddled (whether you're walking around cooking or not) does not make for complicated recipe preparation, so I grabbed a small pot of bolognaise from the freezer and an extra jacket potato I cooked at lunchtime and this is what I came up with.  Yes, simple but blimey it was tasty!  He loved it!  It was his best meal he'd had for two days and that my friends is a very valuable recipe indeed!

Why on earth did I not think of this before?

If you would like my bolognaise recipe, just click on the link in the ingredients.

Cottage Pie for Older Babies and Toddlers - Serves 1 toddler


Ingredients

1 Toddler sized portion of Bolognaise, defrosted if frozen
1 small jacket potato (cooked) or the equivalent amount of mashed potato
A small splash of full cream milk
Approx 1 tbsp grated cheddar

Method

Preheat the oven to 200oC, 400F.

Scoop out the flesh from the jacket potato and mash using a ricer or a potato masher (but I've said it before, ricers are fab and cheap.  Buy one!)  Mix the mash with a little milk.

Get a smallish ramekin and put the bolognaise sauce in the bottom of the dish.

Top with the mashed potato and then the cheese, bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 mins.

Done!  Serve with finger vegetables of your choice.

I keep thinking this is such a good idea!  I mean, my son goes to bed at 7 so I often eat after he's in bed.  This can mean teatimes are a little 'same-y', (he eats a lot of pasta.)  This was moments in preparation, the result seemed like more effort than it was and he really appreciated it.

If you have a potato left over and don't fancy this recipe, why not try bubble and squeak, salmon and spinach fish cakes or potato pancakes?

Banana and coconut mini muffins for babies and toddlers

Hmm.  What do you do when you come up with a recipe which is 'ok' not perfection?  Well, in the spirit of nothing being perfect in Mummy World, I've posted it anyway.

I am not saying this does not have room for improvement; it does, it's just a little on the savoury side for what was intended to be a sweet muffin.  The texture is great though.  So if you wanted to sneak on a little icing, I don't think that would be unreasonable!  Perhaps as well if you use a proper turning black kind of banana that might up the sweetness a little.  Anyway, pumpkin likes which either says he's ok with a more 'savoury' tasting sweet thing or he has to put up with my cooking a lot!

Well, perhaps I open up this recipe to you good people?  I'm reluctant to go down the dried fruit route this time for some reason but I'd be interested in your ideas.

Banana and Coconut Mini Muffins for Babies and Toddlers - makes 24 small muffins


Ingredients

175g unsalted butter or margarine, melted and allowed to cool a little
130g (approx) ripe banana, mashed
2 eggs
75g desiccated coconut (unsweetened)
150g SR flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

Preheat the oven to 180oC.

Mix the butter, eggs and banana using an electric whisk until well combined.

Add all of the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.  This forms quite a wet batter (hence the trails on my pan).  Probably best to pour from a jug into a greased muffin tray.

Bake for 15 mins approx or until springing back when given a poke.

If you like this, you might like some of my other muffin recipes like Cheese and Onion or Apple and Sultana.

Bubble and Squeak for Babies and Toddlers

Readers outside the UK will no doubt have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about.  Bubble and squeak is a traditional English recipe for using up leftover vegetables.  Potatoes must be included and cabbage or brussel sprouts are traditional but from then on it's up to you.  Use any left over or freshly cooked vegetables you like!

This would be great for baby led weaners I reckon.

My mum always cooks this 'loose' so not in a cake like I've done so a bit more like a hash.  Cooking it that way means you can include new potatoes rather than mash.  She also always includes bacon.  I haven't here so the dish would be suitable for vegetarians and also so I wouldn't be concerned about salt content but a little bacon or ham does taste nice.  Just cook bacon until fully cooked and crisp before adding to the mix; use the bacon-y fat to cook the cakes in!  Yum!

Bubble and Squeak for Babies, Toddlers and Adults - Serves 1 toddler, 1 adult, (change quantities to meet your needs!)

Ingredients

Two jacket potatoes, cooked and cooled (or use the equivalent of boiled potatoes)
7 or 8 Cooked Brussel Sprouts (or use a similar amount of cooked cabbage, kale or whatever you like)
A good knob of unsalted butter
A couple of tbsp plain flour
Eggs (optional)

Method

Scoop out the soft inside from the potatoes (or use boiled potatoes).  Chop one of them up into smallish cubes and pass the other through a ricer (or mash it well).

Slice the sprouts into thin slices.  combine the potatoes and sprouts in a bowl and form into two 'cakes'. The thicker you make them, the longer they will take to cook and you'll probably have to finish them in the oven.  Dust the outside with flour and chill until ready to cook them.

If your cakes are quite thick, preheat the oven to 200oC.  Heat the butter in a frying pan and then fry gently for 5 mins or so on each side or until lovely and brown.  If they're still not hot in the middle, put them into the oven for 10-20 minutes or until hot through.

If you prefer you can skip making these into cakes and fry the mix like a hash, allowing it to brown and then stirring the browned portions back in.  This would be a good way to serve it for babies on soft lumps and more textured foods.

Serve on their own or poach an egg by putting some boiling water into a saucepan.  Put it on a low heat (barely a bubble).  Crack the egg into a bowl.  Swirl the water and then add the egg into the centre.  Cook for 3 mins or so until the white is fully cooked and the yolk is just starting to cook around the outside.  Serve on top of the bubble and squeak (for 12 months plus only as the yolk will still be runny!)

Allow to cool until cool enough for your child to eat.  Add seasoning at the table for adults.  Yum!

Variations:  Add bacon, ham, cheese, substitute some of the chopped potato for chopped cooked parsnip.  Add herbs if you're feeling particularly fancy!

This would be ideal Boxing day breakfast fare.

Sugar Free Banana Bread for Babies

This is a tasty yet sweet treat without any added sugar.  Great for using up bananas which are getting a bit black in the fruit bowl; in fact it's better to use them as they will be sweeter.  I'm quite pleased with this.  Although it doesn't use as many bananas as some banana loaf recipes, it's a much lighter recipe for it.

Banana Bread for Babies, Toddlers and Adults - makes one large loaf

Ingredients

160g Banana, mashed (approx 1 and a half large, or two small)
75ml Oil
100ml Milk
2 eggs
250g SR flour
1/2 tsp Mixed spice or Pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
150g Sultanas
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Method

Preheat the oven to 175oC.  Grease a silicone loaf tin or line and grease a regular loaf tin.

Whisk with an electric or manual whisk the banana, oil, milk and eggs until they are combined and creamy.  Add in the remaining ingredients and mix well.  Pour into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 45-50 minutes or until cooked.

Allow to cool slightly before slicing.

If you like this, you'll love the no added sugar date cake recipe.  If anything it's sweeter but there's still no added sugar and you'd never guess from the taste!

If you've liked what you've read, please vote for me in the Britmums Brilliance in Blogging (BIB) awards in the "Tasty" category.  All of the shortlisted nominees are here and the voting form is here.

Also it must be awards season because I'm going for a MAD blog award too.  Please nominate here for any applicable categories if you feel so inclined!  (You don't need to nominate in every category if you don't want to.)

Creamy Mustard Chicken for Babies and Toddlers

I'm thinking older babies here, the ones on finger foods and larger lumps.  I'm tempted to suggest an adventurous palate to cope with the garlic and mustard but my son was eating some very surprising things at that age.  I remember him eating some porchetta style pork belly stuffed with garlic and herbs which my sister had made at his first birthday party and loving it.  Perhaps sometimes we're not adventurous enough with our kids?

Creamy Mustard Chicken for Babies and Toddlers - serves 2 toddler portions with side dishes (see below)

Ingredients

1 large chicken breast
1 dsp olive oil
1 clove of garlic, crushed
Approx 50 ml boiling water (a big splash, plus more if needed)
2 tbsp double cream
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped

Method

Heat the oil in a frying pan.  Chop up the chicken into small pieces and put in the pan with the garlic.  Cook until releasing the aromas.  Add in the mustard, cream and water and cook gently until the chicken is cooked through.  Add extra water if needed to loosen during the cooking process.

Take off the heat and mix through the parsley.

Serve with rice, potatoes, noodles or vegetables (one carbohydrate and at least one other vegetable would be a good idea nutritionally.)

This freezes ok, just add a splash of milk or cream before reheating in the microwave as otherwise it can be a little dry.

Baked Glazed Gammon

I'm not suggesting this for little kids (although without the glaze you could use a little bit of the ham in recipes if you are careful about the day's salt content) but this falls into the category of "bung in the oven while you're sorting out bedtime" and it's a 3 ingredient recipe which tastes like so much more.

It's great for Christmas and also great cold (a lifesaver when you have a very little baby and never eat hot food!)

Glazed Gammon - serves 4 adults (or 2 adults with plenty of leftovers)

Ingredients

1 boneless gammon / ham joint, approx 750g
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp soft brown sugar (I used molasses sugar)

Method

Preheat your oven to 190oC.

Check when buying your gammon that the butcher or packaging does not say to soak it.  Take their advice if needed.

Remove any string / netting etc holding the gammon together.  Use a sharp knife to remove the rind leaving some of the fat.  Score the fat into diamond shapes.

Mix the mustard and sugar in a bowl.

Put the mustard mix onto the gammon.

Wrap loosely in foil tenting over the glaze.

When ready to cook, bake for 30 mins per 500g plus 30 mins (or check the packaging / ask your butcher for advice) so mine took 1 hour 15 mins.

For the last 15 minutes, open the foil slightly at the top to allow it to crisp slightly.

Rest for 10-15 minutes and carve.  You can serve with the juices in the foil (although they are very sweet and salty) or with mustard.

This is great with some sprouts with lemon and black pepper

Swede and Carrot Puree for Babies, Toddlers and Adults

Puree?  For adults?  Toddlers too?  Are you mad?!

Well possibly but this puree recipe is neither the cause nor the symptom.

It might sound strange to make a puree for adult or toddler food but if you look at Michelin star cooking, they use purees all the time.  Why I hear you ask?  (Ok, well I didn't hear you, I really am quite sane, honest, I'm imagining you asking.)  Well the reason is pureeing gives you a different experience; it combines the flavours within the puree, intensifies them somehow and also acts as a 'sauce' for other foods on the plate.  Trust me, if you just boiled some swede and put it in front of me there had better be a lot of other exciting things in there to make it taste a bit nicer; pureed with carrot?  Well it just kind of works.  I've tried it mashed.  Nope.  Pureed all the way for me but if you prefer you could mash it; if you really must.

If it feels too much like babyfood, well then either just feed it to your baby or be poncy and put a blob on the plate and drag a spoon through it.  Maybe balance a seared scallop on top?  Or get out a squeezy bottle or something!  Face it, you eat mashed potato and don't feel like it's babyfood and this is much better.

Carrot and Swede Puree - serves 2 adults or will make a lot of portions for a baby depending on age.  Freezes well.  For babies, freeze in a silicone ice cube tray then empty into freezer bags when frozen solid.)

Ingredients

1 largeish carrot (approx 120g)
Approx 160g swede
Approx 25g butter (unsalted for babies)

Method

Boil the carrots and swede for 20 minutes.  Sounds like a long time but it does make for a smoother puree.  Use a slotted spoon to put into a jug and then add the butter.  Use a stick blender to puree adding some of the cooking water as needed (I used about 1dsp).  I suggest using a stick blender because it's easier to make a thicker puree using this than a traditional blender.

Serve!  Can make in advance and reheat in the microwave.  Great with drier foods which don't already have a sauce, for example, sausages, grilled or roasted meats etc.

Roasted Courgette Chips for Babies and Toddlers

Courgette (Zucchini) is one of those vegetables which sneaks into my cooking more as a bulking and 'secret vegetable' rather than a star in its own right.  I'm not sure how this situation came about and it's even more annoying because I love growing courgettes and generally have had some real success with them.  There is something so beautiful about them, especially the yellow and 'ball' varieties.

So, here is an attempt to make courgette the star.  I think this is something I will cook in future for adults too.  The little one thought it was ok, gave it a go, had a couple and then moved onto something else.  I can only imagine his little unimpressed face had I given him a boiled courgette!  Bleurgh!

Courgette (Zucchini) Chips (Fries) for Babies and Toddlers - serves 2

Ingredients

Half a large or one small courgette (zucchini)
20-25g grated parmesan, grana padano or vegetarian alternative
1 egg
1 tbsp plain flour
Salt and pepper (omit for babies and toddlers)
Spray oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 220oC, 430oF

Cut the courgette into 5cm (2 inch) lengths.  Cut again into sticks no more than 1cm (1/4 inch) wide so they look like fries.

Break the egg and whisk it a little to break up the yolk.

Grate the cheese and put into a plastic food bag with the flour; mix well.

Line a baking tin with non stick baking paper.

This is where it gets messy.  Dip the sticks into the egg then into the cheese mixture giving them a good shake.  Put onto the baking tray and season if not using for babies or toddlers.

Spray with some spray oil and bake for 12-15 mins or until browned and soft in the middle.