easy cheesy bun-pizzas

If you read some previous posts you might have noticed that sometimes I make a big batch of food and freeze, like for instance these meatballs.
So yesterday I needed some quick dinner for my baby. I could of course just boil some of these meatballs with some veggies or potato mash.
But I decided to make something new. I baked yummy and quick bun-pizzas, which my daughter definitely loved and was eating with pleasure.

It is very easy to make those and you can as well enjoy a couple of them along with your baby.
I would suggest to give these pizzas to babies 11-12 months and older but it all depends how well your baby chews food as I don't think you can blend it into puree.
Try them out.

Ingredients:

1 burger bun, cut lengthwise
2 tbsp pureed tomatoes (you can use tomato paste/sauce, but then omit oregano and salt)
a pinch of oregano
salt and pepper to taste
2 my baby yummy meatballs
30-35g grated cheese like mozzarella or Hajdu.

Preparation:

• Cook the meatballs in boiling water until soft.
• Preheat the oven to 220C.
• Place buns cut side up on a baking tray. If using purred tomatoes, mix oregano and salt in. Spread half of tomatoes puree/tomato sauce on each bun. Crumble one meatball per bun and top generously with grated cheese.
• Put in the oven and cook for 5-10 minutes until bun is slightly crispy and cheese melted and is golden.
• Take out and let it cool before serving to your darling.

If you don't like meatballs or prefer a different flavor. Try some roasted shredded chicken instead, but just keep in mind to cover well with cheese not to let chicken dry.

hair clip holder

I had soo many ideas and projects that I have been thinking to start and finish (the most important part).

Once I saw a cute hair clip hold while looking through some picture search. It was a pot with a flower and all clips were on the stem. I liked the ideas and since the collection of my daughter's hair clips is growing and i need to keep them organized and in one place I decided to make one.

Finally this morning it was completed!!!
It was my first attempt so there are still some things to work on and make prettier but it looks very cute I think.

Here it is with all the clips. Now I don't need to run around the house with crazy eyes looking for the right clip and thinking of any possible place my daughter (or me) could have dropped it the day before.

Aishu's party outfit

Hi there again.

As promised my next project which was made for my daughter. The idea to make a tutu was in my mind for quite some time already. You know how they look on little girls. So now I got an occasion. Besides I had a new turtle neck for my daughter which I intended to decorate with some flower applique.
That's what I got.
I decided to make it one color wear which is really fasionable this season.
I crocheted the flower and decorated it with some pearls. Then used some ribbons to created some kinds of leaves and petals.

Good old felt (it's yellow as I didn't have more neutral color on hand and didn't have time to go and buy it. Besides this yellow was thinner than other rolls)... so it helped me to hold everything in its place and pins were handy for putting the finished flower on the top. I preferred pins as this way I don't need to worry about hand wash the whole outfit. Just remove the flower and wash as normal then put it back on. easy peasy!!!

Once I was surfing through the net in search of some stuff and came across this cute no sew tutu which I definitely had to make. Now I got an excuse to waste some time and effort. he-he-he.

I am not going to post the tutorial 'coz if you just google "no sew tutu tutorial" you will get thousands if not more results. However, I have to give credit to the following ladies whose posts were very handy and so self-explanatory:

Mandy has her tutorial with an elastic. She featured a dress there that can be handy for those who need a longer outfit.
Madame Souffle has a lovely tutorial with a ribbon as a base. I loved the color. She also included the general guidelines for waist size according to the age. I found it quite helpful.
And last but not at all the least Serenity and her mommy created beautiful tutorial on making a no sew tutu. They also posted some really cute and helpful ideas on how to cut tulle for a tutu with no fuss as well as how to satin wrap a tutu.
BIG BIG BIG THANK YOU to these ladies for their wonderful work and eagerness to share with us.

Well once the top and the skirt were done I had to make something for my baby's hair. So this cute hair clip was created. It looks so nice on her. My little lady.

I was in a hurry so couldn't take a picture of the whole outfit before we left for the party. So it's coming a bit later.

Let me know what you think.
Hope to hear your opinion.
ses ya...

cute hair clips for my nieces and a baby hat

Since my daughter was born I was so into making little accessories and other stuff as well as crocheting things for her and other babies.

Here are some clips I made for two of my nieces and a baby hat. My husband's aunt was going to visit them and she asked me to crochet a little hat for her grandson.

The pattern I used is of an elf hat I also made one before for my lovely daughter and she loves it though it is small for her right now. Maybe it's time to make another one. ahem

I made some changes though. I let the tail be a bit shorter but then the hat got a lovely knot which looks so cute on baby.

When I finished it I thought it would be only fair if I make some sweet clips for my nieces.

I experimented with some feathers as well as ribbons and crochet. I also like the colors.

They have been recently sent to the girls, I still haven't got any feedback but I hope they liked them.

So done with this ideas. Off to my next project for my lovely daughter party outfit.

That's all for now...

chicky chicken meatballs

When it comes to giving meat to babies different babies have different opinions.
I make beef and chicken meatballs for my baby. She loves them. However, I came up with this chicken and turkey meatball for those who hesitate to give beef for their babies or in my case just for a change.
They also are quite healthy as turkey is lean and some veggies are added in the recipe.
Sorry I just realized haven't taken  any pictures. Maybe I'll add them later.

I would say these meatballs are appropriate for babies 10-11 months and older.

You will need:

500g turkey breast
500g chicken breast
1 medium carrot, cut into medium chunks
3 small onions
1 capsicum, cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Allright, it is very difficult to find pure chicken or turkey mince here so I mince it myself. While putting turkey and chicken through the mincer I also add carrot, onions and capsicum. This way I make sure everything is the same size, chopped and incorporated.
Once done with it add bread crumbs, salt ans pepper. Mix everything thoroughly. Form meatballs. Cook immediately or freeze for further use.

Bon appetit!

snack sandwich ideas

ohhh since my daughter got sick I could hardly find any time to even do basic work around the house, Now she is absolutely fine THANK GOD!!!
I got so many ideas and recipes that I have no clue how to post them all now.
Anyway my baby's breakfast usually consists of some juice or water and some kind of porridge. Sometimes scrambled or boiled egg. Usual stuff.
But what about the snack?

Sometimes my husband calls her little beggar as whenever she sees us eating or snacking she is right away next to you, looking with those big cute eyes and saying yum yum? (that means I want to eat).
I tried giving her sandwich that I made specially for her but she didn't even finish one piece. So the idea of this kind of snack was put off for .... well at least a couple of months.
One day I was in a hurry for a meeting with my friends and couldn't feed my baby with porridge while driving. So I made little sandwiches again hoping that maybe she would somehow eat at least one. She ate them all!!!
So now I make sandwiches, experimenting with filling and bread. I usually use brown bread with crust removed, multi-grain bread slices (I don't remove the crust of this bread as it is quite soft) or brown pita bread. If bread slices are thick I remove the crust and then flatten them with a rolling pin.

Here are some of the fillings I make:

• soft cheese and honey (appropriate for babies 1 year or older)

2-3 tbsp homemade soft cheese mixed with 1 tsp honey

• soft cheese and berry compote (8 month)

place a handful of organic berry mix in a small pot with 1/2 tsp of brown sugar, bring to simmer and cook for a couple of minutes or until the mixture resembles thin jam. Mix with a couple of tbsps of soft cheese (greek yogurt). I used brown pita bread for this snack.

• soft cheese and orange marmalade (8-9 months)

I use organic orange marmalade, just enough to spread very thinly on one piece of bread and spread 2-3 tbsps of soft cheese on the other. Put together the pieces and cut into smaller sandwiches.

• yogurt and tomato/peach/cucmber (10-11 months)

 spread thin layer of yogurt on both pieces of bread, place a few thin slices of tomato/peach/cucumber
put pieces together and cut into bite sizes.

As you might already have noticed I use soft cheese or greek yogurt, I don't use mayo or ketchup as they are quite strong and bold in flavor. If I make sandwiches with veggies I might add just a sprinkle of sea salt to complement the flavor.
Hope it will be helpful and you are most welcome to share your ideas or recipes.

Have a lovely day...

take care of you and your family.

baby's fishy pie

As babies grow their need for variety of food and vitamins grow as well. Texture and taste change, it is becoming to look more and more like adult food. Nevertheless babies still need much less salt, sugar, fried things and other not very healthy food options. Their teeth grow as well and that means food should be encouraging babies to chew.
By the first year of your baby's life most of the food has already been introduced as well as meat, chicken and fish. Fish is a great source of protein as it contains all 9 amino acids. Fish is also rich in omega 3 and phosphrus.
I noticed that babies tend to like white fish more than any other kind. I remember cooking some really yummy salmon dishes for my baby and she would just turn them down, spit it out and try to push it away. I tired cooking white fish like cream dowry (my favorite) and voila, my daughter ate it all without second thought. White fish also has less "fishy" smell and more neutral taste. I believe it is softer than other fish thus it is easier for babies to chew it.
Fry it, boil, steam or bake - fish makes an excellent dish that not only taste good but is also good for your baby as well as for you.
When choosing fish go for fresh. If buying whole fish check the gills they have to be bright red not dark and the eyes of fish should be clear. Fresh fish doesn't have strong smell, on contrary it should smell fresh and mild. If buying a fillet - white fish should be slightly pink in the middle.

Here is the recipe of fish pie I put together. It is quite simple but my daughter liked it and ate it all. I made only one generous portion in a big (a bit more than a cup) ramekin and baked it. One might say what a waste of oven energy only for one ramekin. Well you can make something along, like some bread or dinner for yourself and the rest of the family. It was actually an experiment so I didn't want to cook a lot in case it didn't come out nice and tasty.

For the recipe you will need:
piece of fish, the size of the bottom of the ramekin you are using. (the piece I used was square with approximately 3 inch sides)
a small pinch of salt and pepper
1/4 tsp dried dill
a squeeze of lemon juice
generous tbsp frozen petits pois/ green peas
enough cream to cover fish - 1/4 to 1/3 cup (you can substitute part of the cream with milk if you wish)
2-3 little cubes of butter
3 medium size broccoli floret, cut into small pieces
1/2 small onion, quartered
1/4 medium potato, cut into cubes
1/4 cup butternut squash cubes
 handful of grated cheese (I used kashkaval cheese made from cow's milk)

ufff I love cheese

Preparation:

• Place the potato and butternut squash in a small pot, add enough water to cover, add a bit of salt. Bring to boil and simmer until soft and cooked through. Remove from the heat and mash.
• Meanwhile preheat the oven to 180C. Oil the ramekin, place the fish season with salt, pepper and dill, a squeeze of lemon juice. Add the cream to cover fish, place butter and the peas on top. Cover with tin foil and put in a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes until the cream mixture is bubbly.
• In the meantime steam broccoli and onion for about 10 minutes or until soft enough to mash. Mash lightly. (you can actually steam them over boiling butternut and potatoes. Just put the pieces in a small colander or a sieve and place over the pot. The boiling water should steam them soft.)
• Take the ramekin out of the oven, keep in mind it is very hot. Carefully cover it with broccoli-onion mash and then with potato and butternut squash. Generously cover with cheese and return to the oven for a few more minutes until the top is melted and golden in color.

• Once it is ready, let it cool for quite some time and serve with your baby's favorite vegetables cut into bite size pieces.

My daughter loves munching some cucumber in between the bites of the main dish.

Here is my waiting for food happy baby.

Try this delicious dish and let me know what you think.