Photo, er, Video Friday

We're slowly discovering that our son likes to dance... to techno music. When he's having a cranky moment we head to the gym and crank up the tunes.

JackDancing from liz clancy lerner on Vimeo.

Kid Food: Carrot Apricot Chews

My baby is now officially a toddler. A toddler who prefers to eat while exploring: double-fisting mini-muffins while he runs, climbs and crawls around the somewhat baby-proofed house. He takes a bite and then he's on the move, always gripping tightly (usually too tightly) to his snack of the moment. Sometimes we don't know whether he finishes his food or squirrels it away someplace (we find a lot of "real" food in his play kitchen cabinets). 

We try, and do succeed, in getting him to sit in his high-chair during meal times and he does pretty well most of the time, especially if there's meat in front of him. (That's a picture of him eating a chicken wing on New Years Eve. He was in HEAVEN.)

But, there are days when the wiggle-worm will not sit still and when those days align with the days I have no patience, his meals need to be portable.

He has this affinity for Ella brand "nibbly fingers." They're like small, chewy oatmeal bars with somewhat healthy stuff in them. They're portable, and packaged individually. They're great, but expensive so I wanted to make my own version, and after a few attempts, we got a winner!

The Bubs loves them, I've eaten a few dozen and when we bring them on play-dates his pals seem to dig them too.  

Bub Bub's Carrot Apricot Chews

1 cup carrots
3/4 cup dried apricots
1 1/2 cup oats (I use certified gluten-free oats)
1/2 cup oat flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup maple syrup (or agave - I've used both before; agave makes it sweeter)
1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a heavy-duty blender or food processor add all of the ingredients and blend until a batter forms. Spread on a lightly greased (I use coconut oil) pan (I use 8x8 or 8x6) and bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then cut into rectangles or squares. 

FSC Academy Fermenting Class

There is this really, really cool group of folks in my area - they're big on making food and consumables from scratch; they're called the From Scratch Club. 

I can't remember how I first heard about them - perhaps it was a retweet on Twitter, but for months I've 

been eyeing their classes and swaps. I've got a major crush on the group but my schedule (er, it was mostly my husband's schedule) wasn't panning out for him to watch the little guy so I could take a class. But the stars must have aligned right for me because a giveaway popped up on the awesome Saratoga Mama and I won a class! 

And for that, I am super appreciative. (Classes are $48, which is a steal when you think about the time, effort and goodies that go into each class.)

I recently took Elissa's Fermenting class in Ballston Spa. It was so very cool.

We started off the class listening to a bit about fermenting, then we sampled some of Elissa's great ferments (think dilly beans, crisp savory asparagus, and ginger cabbage...) and then we got in the kitchen. 

When it comes down to it, fermenting can be super simple. All you need is spring water and sea salt (and jars and your veggies). We chopped, stirred and got our hands dirty and by the end of class we all took home samples of our ferments: cabbage, green beans, and carrots.

I proudly kept mine on our kitchen table and just today put them in the fridge so they would stop fermenting. I'll be trying to make my own sauerkraut soon.

Elissa passed along some great handouts with helpful books and some links to videos on the subject. If you're interested in learning more about fermenting, check out these clips:

A how-to ferment vegetables by Sandor Katz and  Eat Real Food's Making Homemade Sauerkraut.

Thanks FSC and Saratoga Mama!     

Video Reviews

Off topic, kind of - I have a background in video and television production. I've always thought it would be fun to make blog posts in video form (I've done one before) and cook recipes and do reviews... but I was overwhelmed with the idea of creating a script, getting the proper lighting and sound and having it come out professionally because well, that's my business.

But after my sister sent me this I realized that it's all about the content.


I want to be this man's friend. He just proved to me that even if I shoot a bit in my car, it could still be totally awesome.

Dayn Drops - thank you for inspiring me. (And making me really want a Five Guys double cheeseburger with bacon.)

And also thank you to Leonard from Community for his frozen pizza reviews.

Fool-proof Cranberry Chicken Salad

This is my go to pot luck dish. I've made it for baby showers, pool parties and picnic lunches, and it's always a hit.

It's also kind of irresistible, well, to my husband at least.

On more than one occasion I've found him eating a bowl of chicken salad that he knew was supposed to be saved for an event. The last time I caught him it was after 9 at night. At first I thought he was eating a bowl of ice cream, then I noticed he was acting guilty.

The man loves his meat.

You can use leftover chicken of any kind for this recipe but I usually simmer chicken breast in spices. I think it creates a better texture for chicken salad. I'll bring a pot of water to a boil, add dried herbs and spices like bell's seasonings, bay leaves, rosemary, and thyme, turn down the water to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes. Then I leave the chicken in the broth and let it cool off before chopping (I feel like this helps keep the chicken moist).

Below is the recipe but keep in mind the measurements are pretty loose. I don't recommend messing with the ingredients much, but just about everything can be added to taste.

Cranberry Chicken Salad

1 lb cooked chicken, cubed
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 small grated, or finely diced onion
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup pecans, loosely chopped
1/4 cup fresh flat-leafed parsley, chopped
Salt & pepper, to taste

Add all of the ingredients in a large bowl and toss until evenly coated.

Spinach Artichoke Dip Mashed Potatoes

The word accomplishment has a different definition for me now.

It used to be that I felt accomplished when I finished a triathlon or received an award at work.  

Nowadays, if I'm able to exercise, shower and cook dinner in the same day, I feel like superwoman.

...As the commercial goes, having a baby changes everything. 

I felt like I had accomplished something (albeit a little victory) the other night when I needed to use up 3/4 of a can of artichokes and a bit of spinach. Oh, and some potatoes that were starting to sprout. My tape-worm of a stomach called at me to make spinach-artichoke mashed potatoes, and so I did. 

It was quite delicious. 

I simply made the beginning of a spinach-artichoke dip and added it to mashed potatoes, checked the seasonings and added some dairy goodness. I really think it could be delicious without the dairy too. The spinach and artichoke add a great heartiness to the potatoes (and a nice kick of color).

Spinach Artichoke Dip Mashed Potatoes

serves 4-6

2 lbs yukon gold potatoes, roughly chopped (or any good mashing potato)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

5 oz fresh spinach (frozen will work here too)

14 oz can of artichokes, loosely chopped

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup cream cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add potatoes and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until tender. Meanwhile, in a saute pan over medium low heat, add chopped onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Then add the garlic and cook another minute or two. Then add the artichokes and spinach and season with salt and pepper. Cook another five minutes or so. When the potatoes are done boiling, drain and return back to the pot. Add the spinach mixture and cheese, sour cream and cream cheese. Taste and season with more salt and pepper and serve (with a bit more parmesan cheese on top if you'd like). 

The Loot

A recent trip to Homegoods provided the following gluten-free loot.

I LOVE finding gluten-free foods on the cheap (and in unexpected places). I just did a quick search to see what Heartland Gourment's regular price is for their cupcake mix and it's $6.99. I paid $4.99. The Falafel chips are usually close to $7 at my local Shop Rite. I got them at Homegoods for $3.99.


Anyone else find gluten-free bargains anywhere unexpected?