pinky41's Profile

Congrats and good luck! I am expecting my 2nd in a couple of weeks, so keenly eyeing this post as well!
This time I am making tons of oatcakes - nutrient dense, eat-from-the-freezer, and easy. I add dried cherries to Heidi Swanson's recipe, which is easily doubled (I also cut the maple syrup down a bit so they're not too sweet):
5secondrule.typepad.com/files/heidi-swansons-oat-cakes.pdf

Although soup's not the easiest thing to eat with one hand, it is super easy to put up -- I have a big freezer so I make large batches and freeze them in pint canning jars (NOT regular glass), which can go from freezer to microwave. Try a sausage, white bean & kale soup, nice & hearty, or my fave soup ever, Melissa Clark's Chickpea Vegetable Soup (which I also add kale to):
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/foodwine/2014631393_goodappetite30.html

And lastly, think about cooking a double batch of everything you make between now and then, and freezing the extra portions (again I swear by pint canning jars, they are so easy!). Curries (go ahead and put rice in the bottom), marinated grilled veggies/meats. Also in the early days I couldn't get enough liquid and loved fruit salads and crudites; these are hard to prepare far in advance, but easy to keep a week's worth in the fridge at a time.

yum! I have always used maple syrup, but may try the honey!

Hi Michelle!
My daughter wore sleepsacks until she was almost 3 :) Cotton in summer, fleece in winter -- Halo makes larger sizes, try searching Halo sleepsack on Amazon.

If it was in a place it wouldn't tip over, a glass shade would be stunning on this lamp! Try here: http://www.rejuvenation.com

I've tried the citrus method (works well!) and plastic wrap pressed tightly on the other half (with pit still in). This always gets me at least 24 hours, but if I leave it longer and the top discolors a little bit, just scrape off the brown and go for the rest!

Awesome idea! Of course! But I never would have thought of it myself. Thank you, thank you!

Love this idea! What a great activity. And I like branding it Color Scientist too, that would perk up my 2 year old's ears!

Hmm, I wonder if some of the discontent comes from folks who don't have a lot of experience with canning jars? As one commenter said, they ARE very sturdy, about the least breakable glass you can imagine. They also go from freezer to fridge to table to workbag to oven . . . don't leak when sealed, and are available in quart, pint, and several smaller (really cute and useful) sizes, all the way down to a petite half-size jelly jar.

So I guess I feel the opposite from most of those posters -- I'm up for just about anything in a canning jar, not just dessert! They've become the workhorses of my kitchen. Try them!

I love this piece - lots of great strategies!
http://wondertime.go.com/life-at-home/article/wild-things.html

Hosting an Easter egg hunt tomorrow morning for 9 toddlers and their families--keeping it simple with just 2 kinds of scones (Cheddar Dill from Barefoot Contessa and Meyer Lemon/Fresh Cranberry scones from Smitten Kitchen) a fruit rainbow like the one I just saw on ohdeedoh, and coffee, seltzer, juice. Each family contributed a dozen plastic eggs stuffed with various treats/toys/stickers/playdough. Should be fun!
I was very happy to get the tip that you can freeze cut out scones on their baking sheets overnight, then just pop them in the oven in the morning. Makes a party like this super easy.