Toward Peace 'n Quiet: Can't Cook, Never Could

She's not much of a cook, never has been. A couple of years ago she complained to me that she'd bought a package of refrigerated cookie dough. "All I had to do was slice and bake. But, I couldn't even do that! I ruined the whole batch."

It's not a matter of intelligence, she's smart as a whip and master's-prepared in her field of expertise, where she excels. Cooking is just not her thing, never has been.

Shortly after the birth of her first child this year she lamented, "How I would love to be able to cook for him. You know organic fruits and vegetables and such. I know I won't have any control over his eating habits once he's school-age, but I'd sure like to give him a good start when he's a baby. I've been looking into buying one of those baby-food cooking appliances. The machine steam-cooks and purees the food for you. Do you think I'd be able to do it?"

"Certainly," I encouraged her, "give it a try!"

But by the time he'd turned six months old, and it was time to introduce solid food, she'd resigned herself to buying organic processed and pre-cooked baby food. It gave me a pang, because I knew how much she'd wanted to do this herself, but with her busy work schedule and the strains of adjusting to a newborn...

So once a week, usually on Saturday morning, I cook for a now almost eight-month-old. Cooking is just such a simple thing for me to do. I barely have to think about it. I deliver the food on Sunday evening and have a opportunity to feed him the food, I leave the rest of it in freezer containers for her to use throughout the week.

He's a pretty good eater, but makes the most unbelievable faces whenever he tastes something new. I'd insert a photo here, certain to bring a smile to your face, but she doesn't want his pictures posted on the internet. Too bad, because he's a cute kid, web-viral material, but I guess that's probably exactly why she doesn't want him exposed in such manner.

He still requires his food to be pretty well mashed to pulp, although I don't strain it. I seem to have the most trouble pureeing the brown rice sufficiently, so I usually mix it with something else to help get it to a smooth enough texture.

I buy organic when possible. In the case of chicken I buy from "American Humane Certified" poultry producers, who use antibiotic-free feed and, of course by federal law, use no hormones in the raising of their birds. I had a friend whose parents, when they retired from the workforce, started an apple orchard. They claim that it's "darn near impossible" to be completely organic when it comes to apples. I found a nearby orchard that does not "spray" their fruit. And there is an organic farm that sells produce at the local Stephenson county farmer's market. They grow a lot of "heirloom" vegetables. I buy from them when I can. HyVee (in Iowa) has a nice selection of fresh and frozen organic fruits and vegetables, so they're my 'go-to' store for most items.

Food items baby loves: bananas, blueberries, applesauce, peaches, pears, basically any baby-appropriate fruit. Also, sweet potatoes.

Food items baby likes: green beans, peas, carrots, squash, chicken, turkey, oatmeal and brown rice, (when it's properly pureed.)

I'm hoping to try cooking with potatoes, spinach and maybe even kale soon.

So far Mom and Dad report that he shows no signs of allergies (knock, knock.)

Here are some photos (all but one taken with my new IPhone 6+). Other photos are lost on my old IPhone which sits on the bottom of the lake (it happens when one fails to save to the "Cloud" in on a timely schedule):