Photo: Stabroek News

My oldest ChowBaby turned 3 (!!!) and we recently hosted a construction themed birthday party in his honor. I’m amazed that we pulled anything off seeing that his birthday is at the end of the always busy holiday season, just days after new years. And this year, we had a little baby, too. But we did. And with style.
To keep things easy, I had first planned on ordering pizza and buying cupcakes from BabyCakes. Then I thought better of it—I had to cook. No. I wanted to cook! So, instead or ordering in, I capped the shindig to 5 of my ChowBaby’s closest playmates to make cooking, hosting and cleaning manageable, even with an infant in the house.
The menu was simple, wholesome, and easy to make ahead (not to mention inspired by the orange and yellow of our construction theme): ChowMama baked chicken fingers, corn pudding, carrot sticks (which never made it out… oops), guacamole, black bean dip, tortilla chips, and homemade chocolate chip and devil’s food cupcakes with chocolate chip buttercream . The idea was to offer comfort food that would appeal equally to kids and parents, and this menu worked perfectly!
Check out the menu plan, my low-impact cooking schedule and recipe for corn pudding after the jump.
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Photo: Giada, Food Network

Do you like how I go from talking about eating more fish, vegetarian meals and going to the gym to talking about cheesecake? Smooth move, right? The thing is, I have yet to fill you in on the highlights of my holiday cooking, which was mostly holiday baking. I know that my timing isn’t great, but my favorites are all year around recipes definitely worth sharing. So, in an act of defiance against new year’s resolutions, I present to you cheesecake today and Chocolate Espresso Pecan Pie tomorrow. Now go ahead, use your bookmark tool. You’ll thank me later.
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Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

This week is all about the Best Of ChowMama 2009! To help ensure that you begin 2010 with a recipe box loaded with quick and healthy recipes that your whole family will love, I’ve hand selected my favorites (recipes that I return to over and over again) and the most popular recipes as measured by traffic and comments (ones that worked out well for me and you).
You’ve been waiting for today, haven’t you? Healthy sweet treats and desserts it is. Enjoy! Tomorrow is the last day of this “best of” extravaganza and we’ll delve into parenting posts, because how we feed our families is central to how we raise our kids.
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While anticipating baby’s arrival, I prepped a bunch of veggies to have on hand. I knew that in our sleep deprived state, the ChowPapa and I would certainly acquiesce to Isaac’s repeated requests for slurpy pasta and pizza every night. Having veggies ready to heat and eat got us through the first week without totally depriving Isaac of nutritional value.
One of the things I made was a double batch of Butternut Squash with Honey, Lemon & Parmesan, which made its way into these yummy quesadillas. Between the squash and avocado, this vegetarian meal packs a nutritious punch and takes no more than 30 minutes to put together, start to finish. The avocado and squash go best with a fruity garnish like this Mango Salsa. Someone brought us a pineapple mango salsa that had cantaloupe in it, which worked great, too.
PS: This is another great veggie-centric meal to get you through sweets week! And also makes a great lunch—packed or for at home–that’s best eaten with hand (finger food alert!)
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It’s pumpkin time!! And this year, I’m even more appreciative of the tasty gourd than usual. See, last month I was asked to write an article on healthy Halloween treats for babies and toddlers (I’ll link to it as soon as its live!) and I could not find pumpkin puree anywhere. Apparently, it’s only available for a limited time every year. So, the minute I could get my hands on some, I grabbed several cans of pumpkin puree.
I’m not usually one for canned vegetables, but canned pumpkin puree is easy to find without anything added. Just the pure stuff. Yes, it’s heat treated in the canning process, but that doesn’t impact flavor as much as it does other veggies. Nutrition may be impacted, but it’s a tradeoff I often make for convenience—pumpkin is not easy to deal with. (Though, when you have the time, using fresh pumpkin is worth it and reduces waste by using decorative pumpkins that would otherwise end up in the garbage.)
I’m easing into the pumpkin extravaganza slowly this year. Bread, pies, muffins, and hearty stews will surely follow in the coming months but, for now, I used my puree to make a quick and tasty cream cheese spread that can be shared with kids as young as 10+ mos.
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Photo: Buttermilk Mac ‘N Cheese by Six Course Dinner

It’s all about comfort food here these days. And what’s more comforting than mac-n-cheese?! I know, I know. Mac-n-cheese (along with fish fingers, chicken fingers and other such kid-menu staples) often gets clumped into my short hand for everything that’s wrong with the way that so many American children eat. But you know I’m referring to a steady diet of the processed/boxed/frozen versions… right? Far be it from me to say that these foods (at least homemade versions) are off limits. That would be sad. And, anyway, everything in moderation.
That said, I haven’t made mac-n-cheese in ages. Partly because eating it in moderation is a serious challenge for me, and partly because Isaac has never been a fan. (Yes, I birthed a child who refused macaroni and cheese.) But the other day, I needed some gooey, tangy, cheesy macaroni, be damned my epicurean child. I thought that switching things up with buttermilk might make a difference and, lo and behold, it did! Or perhaps my ChowBaby has simply come to his sense.
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