Lisa’s Pizza (Dough)

Most pizzas are all about the toppings!  This recipe, however is all about the dough.  This is a fun, unusual recipe that you will love.  I don’t know where it came from other than my mama.  She used to make it for me when I was a kid, and yesterday I pulled it out again… I don’t know how I forgot about it for so long because I think this will become a new old favorite!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of flour                        
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt                          
• 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 tsp dried basil                 
• 1 cup tomato juice (warm)
• 3/4 tsp cayenne pepper                
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Tomato/marinara/pizza sauce of choice
• Cheese of choice, I use mozzarella
• Toppings of choice

Steps:

1. Stir sugar and yeast into warmed tomato juice and place in warm, draft free place for
   5 minutes.
2. Combine flour, salt, basil and pepper in a bowl. 
3. Combine olive oil with tomato juice mixture and stir into flour mixture.
4. Turn out onto lightly floured board and knead until smooth and elastic (5-10 minutes).
5. Cover with towel and let rise in a warm place to double its size (about 1
   hour).
6. Punch down and pat into a greased 12 inch deep dish pizza pan.
7. Let rise for about 30 more minutes covered with a towel in a warm place. 
8. Preheat oven to 475 F.
9. Brush pizza lightly with olive oil.
10. Top as desired.
11. Place pizza on bottom rack of oven and bake for 5 minutes.
12. Lower the temp of your over to 400 F and bake for 25-30 minutes or until crust is golden.

Timing: Because of the cayenne pepper crust, I would wait until 1 year to introduce.

Difficulty: 3 out of 5, its not that hard, but I am always nervous about how much the dough “rises”.

Miscellaneous:

• You can also make this with whole wheat flour without sacrificing flavor, but you must make it with a little less flour.  I recommend first making it with white flour so that you have an idea of the dough’s consistency.
• It is very important that you put the dough in a WARM place.  I put mine on the radiator.
• I make this on a baking stone, not a deep dish pizza pan, and it works fine.
• I also find that it does not need to cook quite as long as the instructions say, but I know that each oven is different.

Epicutie Rating: Yummy in the Tummy! ----See right side of the page for descriptions

She gobbled it right up that day and the next! Hooray.

Also, don’t forget about our fundraiser for Kai!  For a donation of ANY AMOUNT (even $1), you can be entered to win a 13 cup Kitchen Aid Processor!  For details, click here:

• http://littletummyyummies.blogspot.com/2011/11/help-kai-and-win-13-cup-kitchen-aid.html

How I Do It: Cooking

I am really intrigued by the “How I Do It” series that the Chronicles of a Babywise Mom is doing over on her blog.  One of the reasons why Kelly and I started LTY was so that Mommies could share their experiences and their recipes.  I am going to share how I do it, cooking wise that is, and I would LOVE it if you could share how YOU do it in the comments below!

I would also like to add that I only have one 19 month old at home and I live within walking distance to a good grocery store.  This going to look differently for every person depending on how many kids you have, their ages and where you live.  I am definitely hoping to hear from Kelly how she does it with a newborn and an under 2 year old, when she gets finished with her rest period after the birth of Epicutie Asher! It will help me know what I will be facing when my time comes.

Our Routine – we eat at approximately these times everyday

• Breakfast – 8 to 9
• Lunch – 11 to 12
• Snack – 3:30 to 4
• Dinner – 6 to 7

***In case you can’t tell, Little Frances is a SLOW eater!

General Tips:

• Like the Babywise Mom, I keep breakfast and lunch simple and dinner is my time to experiment and cook big meals.  Even at dinner, I would not call myself an adventurous cook!  I don’t like big messes or having a lot of half ingredients that I have to remember to use later or else they will go bad.
• Even though Little Frances is way past the phase where she needs purees there are still a few that I keep on hand to give her as a side, especially carrot and butternut squash.  I still use a lot of purees in my cooking, in case you can’t tell!
• I have also been occasionally buying the fruit mix of a European organic baby food – where I live, good fruit in the winter time besides oranges can be hard to come by (even bananas and apples!) or extremely expensive when I do find it.  Little Frances loves this chilled! Even with that said, I have been realizing that I need to challenge myself and Little Frances to try new fruits or go and look a little harder for them.
• I live about a 5 minute walk from the best grocery store in town, and as a result, I don’t usually need to do much planning ahead.  I usually decide what to do for dinner in the morning and I stop by and pick up the ingredients on my morning walk with Little Frances.
• Little Frances doesn’t seem to mind it when I mix up my list of compatible foods. However, I still try to keep the foods compatible – for example, I don’t like to give Little Frances veggies with peanut butter and jelly because to me, those just don’t seem to go together.  Sometimes its necessary though when you are getting to an empty pantry.

Breakfast is usually one of the following options, drink options in parenthesis:

• Oatmeal cooked in whole milk, sweetened with a mashed ripe banana (water)
• A baby omelet with carrot/spinach/cauliflower puree and cheese (orange juice)
• Yogurt with a banana or other fruit (water)
• French toast with butternut squash (milk)
• Banana bread or zucchini bread with fruit or yogurt (milk)

Lunch is usually one of the following options:

• Leftovers from the night before
• Peanut butter and jelly sandwich with small yogurt, raisins and apple (milk)
• Grilled cheese sandwich with butternut squash, pureed carrots and fruit (water)
• Lunch meat and cheese, crackers, fruit and raisins (water)

Snack

• A small or half milkshake with crackers or baby cookies
• Banana and crackers or baby cookies (milk)
• Cheese and crackers (juice mixed with water)
• Banana bread or zucchini bread (milk)

Dinner

• Anything from the LTY’s “family food” option!
• I am a huge fan of the Jessica Seinfeld cookbooks, the recipes are healthy and simple without a ton of ingredients.
• I usually have Little Frances “cook” with me.  She gets a couple of bowls mixed with raisins and goldfish crackers and a wooden spoon, sometimes I use uncooked elbow macaroni.  That keeps her busy so that I can cook!

You can read about The Babywise Mom’s “How I Do It: Meals” HERE.

Please share! I would love some tips.

Also, don’t forget about our fundraiser for Kai!  For a donation of ANY AMOUNT (even $1), you can be entered to win a 13 cup Kitchen Aid Processor!  For details, click here:

• http://littletummyyummies.blogspot.com/2011/11/help-kai-and-win-13-cup-kitchen-aid.html

Ground Chicken Mini-Pizza Burgers

I cannot remember how I came across this recipe (with modifications), but it met all my criteria for a good meal – healthy, not too many ingredients, and easy for little ones to self feed with, so I thought I would give it a try!  And as a BONUS, it’s a combo of two of Little Frances’ favorite foods – pizza and hamburger.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground chicken (although any ground meat will work)
• 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup of marinara or pizza sauce of your choice (divided into two 1/2 cup portions)
• 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
• 3 dashes black pepper
• 2 dashes garlic salt OR 1 teaspoon garlic powder (I used garlic salt)

Steps:

1. Pour 1/2 cup pizza sauce in bowl and combine with bread crumbs, cheese, pepper, garlic salt or powder and Italian seasoning.
2. Add ground chicken and mash together for 2-4 minutes to insure that all ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
3. Spoon mixture into a 12 serving muffin tin.
4. Make an indentation into each pizza-burger with the back of a spoon..
5. Use the remaining pizza sauce to evenly fill the dents in the pizza-burgers.
6. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees; cheese and sauce will be bubbly.
7. Remove pizza-burgers from the muffin pan and set on a paper towel to let any fat drip off.

Yield: 12 pizza-burgers

Timing: This one is tricky.  According to some baby food makers, all of the ingredients can be introduced as early as 9 months, however with all of the spices, I would not have given it to little Frances until she was 12 months so I will mark it as both below and you should use your best judgment.

Difficulty: 2 out of 5, easy peasy, especially if using premade marinara sauce.

Miscellaneous:

• I made my own bread crumbs by putting brown bread into a chopper.  I have to do this with any recipe that calls for bread crumbs since you cannot buy them where I live.  Usually I season them with Italian Seasoning, but as this recipe already had a tablespoon of Italian Seasoning. I didn’t do it.
• In addition, I thought that the recipe as is, called for too much Italian Seasoning so I only used half a tablespoon.  I find a little bit of it goes a very long way.
• The next time I make this recipe, I am going to add 1/2 cup butternut squash to the mixture along with 1/4 cup milled flaxseed.  I bet it would be just as good and be even healthier!
• I also have not found a bottled marinara or pizza sauce that I like where I live so I always just make my own.  Its so easy!  Just put a 26 oz jar whole, peeled tomatoes in a blender with 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup carrot puree (optional), 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, a pinch of cayenne powder and blend.  Then add 1 bay leaf and simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes.  Its super easy. For this recipe I just skipped the bay leaf and didn’t cook it because I knew that it would cook for a while in the oven.

Epicutie Rating: Somewhat Yummy --- See right side of the page for description

I think Little Frances would like this better if served first thing.  She is usually not as receptive to new foods when she has a tummy full of foods she already likes, although the first couple of bites she seemed to like it.

Also, don’t forget about our fundraiser for Kai!  For a donation of ANY AMOUNT (even $1), you can be entered to win a 13 cup Kitchen Aid Processor!  For details, click here:

• http://littletummyyummies.blogspot.com/2011/11/help-kai-and-win-13-cup-kitchen-aid.html

Roasted Vegetable and Red Lentil Soup

As you may have read from a few posts ago, we welcomed epicutie Asher to the world about 3 weeks ago.  Friends (some people we knew, some people we did not know) blessed with dinners for the past few weeks.  While there were many dishes that we loved, I wanted to highlight this one brought to us by Rachel.  Epicuite Joy was I-N L-O-V-E with this dish, as was I!!  I am posting this before I personally make this dish, but it was too good not to share now.  I will try to make it with a few of my own alterations when I am back into the swing of cooking as a good Little Tummy Yummies author should.

Ingredients:

• Approximately 4.5 pounds of your choice of vegetables (red onions, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, parsnips, carrots etc.; Rachel used butternut squash, sweet potatoes, red onion, carrots and a bit of tomato)
• half a head of garlic, peeled
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chermoula spice mix (OR Rachel did a combination of cumin, tumeric, and paprika adding up to 2 tablespoons)
• sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 6 1/3 cup vegetable stock
• 1 cup red lentils

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
2. Peel and cut all the vegetables into even cubes. Place in a large bowl with the olive oil, spice mix, salt and pepper then combine.
3. Pour into a roasting tin and roast slowly for an hour or two until tender. Turn them from time to time. You don’t want the vegetables to brown and go crisp.
4. Puree or mash up veggies slightly (depending on what texture soup you want).
5. Pour into a big pot
6. Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil.
7. Add red lentil and bring the soup back up to the boil then let it simmer for 15 minutes or until the lentils are cooked/tender.
8. Serve warm.

Timing:  I think this could be served as early as 9 months depending on how much you puree the veggies.  This does not require teeth.  Use your judgement and remember to always introduce foods individually first.

Serve:  We ate this along side a salad and bread.  Little Joy enjoyed the soup along side some turkey loaf (my go to), although this soup could stand alone for a little one.

Potential Alterations in the Future:  When I make it, I will try adding some red wine vinegar and dijon mustard.  I had a friend, who is a great cook, suggested always adding these two ingredients to lentil soups.

Epicutie Rating:  YUMMY IN THE TUMMY--see right side of page for descriptions

Little Joy ate THREE kid sized bowl fulls and she even fed herself!!!  Although it was messy, it was wonderful to see her scarfing this down!

Butternut Squash Fries

Who doesn’t love fries???  I know I certainly do!  And I love butternut squash, so this recipe is a win-win for me, its so good.  This is a great side to almost any meal, although we have a great suggestion to pair it with below.  Its also one of the earliest finger foods that you can start your baby on!

Ingredients:

• butternut squash
• seasoning of choice, such as salt, season-all, or my personal favorite, Tony Chachere’s

Steps:

1. Peel the butternut squash with a vegetable peeler.
2. Slice the squash into fry form. For the bulb part, make sure to scoop out the seeds.
3. Line a baking sheet with wax paper and lay the squash pieces as a single layer.
4. If your baby is very young (at least, less than 8 months), set aside a bit of the unseasoned butternut squash, and season the rest for your family.
5. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, turning the fries over at the halfway point.

Timing: Without seasoning, this can be introduced as early as 6 months.

Meal Suggestions: Consider pairing with salmon, which is so easy to make!  Simply sprinkle the salmon with the seasoning of your choice, and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Timing of fish introduction varies, but I started Little Frances on salmon at 9 months.  Click HERE to gather more information to make your decision.

Epicutie Rating: Yummy in the Tummy --- See right side of the page for descriptions

Little Frances loves these two together!

Also, don’t forget about our Fundraiser/Giveaway. For a donation of ANY AMOUNT (even $1), you can be entered to win a 13 cup Kitchen Aid Processor!  For details, click here:

• http://littletummyyummies.blogspot.com/2011/11/help-kai-and-win-13-cup-kitchen-aid.html

CRAZY about Cauliflower

Cauliflower, like butternut squash, is something that I had never made before I started making my own baby food.  And also, like butternut squash, its has become a staple in our house.  It has a great mild flavor, and tastes great as a puree mixture or just steamed with some season all.

Cauliflower is jam packed with vitamin C, and is also a great source of Vitamin K, folate, and dietary fiber, and its also very low in calories for the mama’s out there trying to lose that baby weight!

Because cauliflower is so mild is flavor; it blends well in other foods without even tasting it.  I primarily give it to Little Frances in the following foods:

• Mixed with eggs
• Mixed with mashed potatoes
• Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 cauliflower, you can also use frozen cauliflower florets

Steps:

• Cut the florets from the base of the cauliflower.
• Steam for 10 to 12 minutes or until tender.  If frozen, steam for approximately 18 to 20 minutes.
• Puree in a food processor or blender, add water as needed to help it blend.
• Store in baby food jars (approximately 1/2 cup per jar) or ice cube trays (approximately 1 oz per cub).

Yield: 1 cauliflower will yield approximately 2 1/2 cups of puree or 20 oz.

Timing: Wholesome Baby Food recommends that you introduce this at 8 months although you may introduce it earlier.  It can cause gas in some babies with sensitive tummies.

Difficulty: 1 out of 5

Epicutie Rating: Confused. ---See right side of the page for descriptions. Little Frances will usually eat a few bites of this, but she definitely prefers it blended with other foods.

And if while you are making this, you think… hrmmm, it would sure be nice to have a Fancy Kitchen Aid food processor to help me when making all of this yummy cauliflower puree!  Well you have a chance to win one!

For a donation of ANY AMOUNT (even $1), you can be entered to win a 13 cup Kitchen Aid Processor!  For details, click here:

• http://littletummyyummies.blogspot.com/2011/11/help-kai-and-win-13-cup-kitchen-aid.html

Help Kai and Win a 13 Cup Kitchen Aid Food Processor

We at Little Tummy Yummies have decided to partner with a very special organization called Reece’s Rainbow that helps special needs children in foreign countries find their way to their forever families, often in the US and Canada.

We have been asked to help raise the funds to bring one precious little boy home!  Isn’t he adorable? His name is Kai, and we are proud to be his Christmas Warriors.

Look at that precious face!  Doesn’t he deserve a home and family to love him?

These children live in terrible conditions in their home countries, and God is raising families up from all over the US and Canada for these precious kiddos.  The only thing standing between them and their forever families is MONEY. International adoption is very expensive, often $25k+.

We are setting a goal for $10,000.  I have been told that this is the tipping point that nudges families who were on the fence because of the expense, to trust that God will provide the rest of the money and take the step towards adoption.

Ok, this is the Fundraiser Giveaway for Kai.  If you donate ANY AMOUNT to his fund through Reece’s Rainbow, even just a dollar, you can be entered into a drawing for a NEW 13 Cup Kitchen Aid Food Processor in the color of your choice! They’re so pretty y’all.

Here’s how you do it:

• For your FIRST entry, Click on the link on the right of our blog and donate to Kai’s fund through Reece’s Rainbow.
• Then leave a message below stating “I have donated money for Kai” WITH YOUR NAME. You do NOT have to be a follower of this blog, just enter the comment as an anonymous person with your name inside the comment and if you are comfortable, your email address.

Its that simple!  On Christmas day, I will do a drawing and announce a winner.  The winner must then contact me, and I will have the Food Processor shipped to them.

But there’s MORE, you can earn additional entries in order to win the Food Processor.

Here’s how you do it:

Second Entry

• For your SECOND entry, If you have donated, please do a blog post on your own blog promoting the fundraiser with a link back to my blog.
• Then, leave a message on this blog post stating “I blogged about Kai’s fundraiser” along with a link to the blog post.

Third Entry

• For your THIRD entry, if you have donated, Like our Facebook page “A Family for Kai” - https://www.facebook.com/AFamilyForKai. And then share it on a Facebook status update with the AFamilyForKai page tagged in your status.
• Then, leave a message on this blog post stating “I shared about Kai’s fundraiser on my Facebook page”.

Fourth Entry

• For your FOURTH entry, if you have donated and if you are a Tweeter (I am not), share this blog post on your Tweets.
• Then, leave a message on this blog post stating “I tweeted about Kai’s Fundraiser” with your Twitter ID.

Fifth Entry

• For your FIFTH entry, if you have donated, become a follower of this blog.
• Then, leave a comment on this blog post stating “I am a follower now”.

Even if you cannot donate, please consider sharing about the fundraiser on your blog, Twitter or Facebook, however, please do not enter to win the Food Processor.

Some entry rules:

• You must leave a comment in order to have an entry.
• You must leave a separate comment for each entry.
• You don't have to do all five entries, but you must do the FIRST one to enter. I will know if you have donated or not, although I will not know the amount.
• One entry per comment.
• You must fulfill the rules of each entry for each entry to count. I will check.
• Entries will be accepted until Saturday, December 24th.
• The winner will be randomly selected at random.org.
• The winner will be announced here on the blog on Monday, December 26th.
• If you would like, you can add your email address to your entry. If you are the winner, I will email you to let you know. You do not need to add your email address in order to win. I understand not everyone wants to share their email addresses with the world. I will announce the winner on the blog, so you can check the blog Monday to find out if you won.
• Once the winner is announced, you will have two weeks to contact me or another winner will be chosen. Be sure to check back. The only thing worse than not winning is to win but not realize it in time!
• US Shipping addresses only please.

Thank you thank you thank you!

Oh, and PS.  If you donated money, feel free to hop over to my personal blog for the chance to win a 32 GB iPad 2, found HERE!