It's strawberry season, and I know so many friends who have spent an afternoon picking their own strawberries at one of the many you-pick farms in my area. But what to do with an abundance of fresh strawberries? I'm a big fan of delicious and easy Strawberry Mint Parfaits, made with store-bought angel food cake and sweetened, vanilla-flavored whipped cream. And then with the rest, perhaps you could make Gingered Strawberry Crisp in your slow cooker or Chocolate Crepes with Nutella and Strawberries. But don't forget to save enough for jam or to freeze!
Two of my favorite babies - my nephew and my good friend's daughter - are both around 6 months old and just starting eating solid foods. It's been so fun to get regular reports on what they like and don't like, and to hear their mothers' adventures in baby-food-making. My sister-in-law, for instance, has been preparing batches of food for baby Jamie with her food processor, while my friend Lynn makes little Petra's food with a KidCo Baby Food Grinder.
Taking a poll of my mommy-friends, it turns out the KidCo Grinder is pretty popular among moms who want to be able to just puree a bit of what they're serving the rest of the family for dinner. Others, like my sister-in-law, have just used the food processor, blender or whatever tools they have on hand to make purees. As for myself, when my eldest (now 5) was a baby, I used a steamer and a food mill, and when I made food for my now-2-year-old, I had a fancy Beaba Babycook that I'd received as a gift. The moral of the story is that we're lucky that there are so many specially designed baby food makers, but we're also lucky that our own kitchens might already have the tools we need to feed baby his or her first foods. Take a look at my feature on baby food makers to see some of the popular versions on the market, as well as some of the kitchen tools that you could use to make baby food. I've outlined the pros and cons and even offered tips on which are the most useful when baby's graduated to "real" food.
If you've taken the time to invest in a collection of high-quality knives that you love to use, be sure to take care of them properly so that you'll be able to enjoy them for years to come. There are certain things that you should and shouldn't do to maintain and care for your kitchen knives. Read
Caring for Kitchen Knives: Dos and Don'ts to learn just how to keep your knives at their best.
Mother's Day is just around the corner. Be sure to start considering the menu for a fantastic brunch, and start thinking about the perfect gift. We've got a great selection of Mother's Day Gifts for Cooks, from the latest and greatest Zojirushi bread maker (shown) to a gorgeous set of salad tongs. If she loves to cook, one of these gifts is sure to please.
Image courtesy Zojirushi.