Chicken of the Sea

I made fish sticks for Babyman for dinner tonight, which is actually one of my favorite things to cook for him and I don't do it nearly enough.  These fish sticks are one of those enduring favorites that, much like avocado, never seems to go out of style despite his changing tastes. I was going to use white fish (tilapia or sole) but I found myself at the best-kept-secret fishmonger in San Francisco, Gigi's Sotto Mare in North Beach, which is a restaurant with a little fish retail business on the side.  Gigi's just got a catch of wild salmon from the Columbia River, and it was so gorgeous I ... [READ MORE]

Getting Out of the Kitchen

I believe rather strongly in taking children to restaurants.  And I'm not talking about McDonalds.  Real restaurants, with waitstaff and other patrons paying $10 or more for an entree. I remember when I was little and we would go to Georgio's on Clement @ 3rd Ave.  My sister and I would each get a 7up (and only one--no refills) and the family would share antipasti and calzone.  It didn't have to be fancy; it's the experience of dining out that counts. Having a baby sometimes feels like having a lobotomy, but let's be honest, you're still the same person and you still enjoy--and maybe ... [READ MORE]

More on the Floor?

  I went back to work four months ago, a move that coincided with a rather unhappy turn in Babyman’s gastronomic evolution: his transition from happy, hungry baby to picky, mealtime-is-my-battlefield toddler.  The child who once gobbled up anything we put in front of him has developed some serious opinions about what he will eat (“Like it!”) and won’t (“No.  No.  No.”).  In fact, as of this writing, avocado is the only vegetable he will eat in its natural form.  (N.B.: I mentioned this to a friend at a party recently, and he helpfully reminded me that avocado is, in fact, a fruit.  So ... [READ MORE]

CSA Management

I started a subscription with a CSA in January when I went back to work--i.e. no more trolling around the Farmer's Market on Tuesdays for this lady.  I'd been talking to a lot of people about FFTY before I joined, and the feedback everyone seemed to share is that it was fun until a few weeks in, when they realized they were drowning in bok choi/kale/zucchini. (N.B. There is good news for baby foodies in this: That which you cannot cook within ten days, puree and freeze.  Even though Babyman has long since finished with purees on their own, I find that ice cubes of veggie puree are an easy ... [READ MORE]