A Relaxing Sunday Afternoon

Lately, Nick has been playing with his books a lot. We're talking flipping the pages for ten minutes or more. After I read him a particular book, he'll hunt it down on the shelf, pull it down, and start turning the pages. He particularly likes books where he can touch and feel stuff, and books with flaps to open. Unfortunately, he sometimes tears the pages, even on board books. I'm surprised, though, that such a little boy plays with his books just as much as his noisy toys. I love his little onesie, if you can't read it it says, "I'm a Sloppy Kisser." And he is.

Despite having to tutor early this morning, it was a pretty good day. I finished the grocery shopping and made some homemade bread. I tweaked the recipe to make the bread softer and more fluffy. It turned out spectacular; I've never made bread this good before. I put some stew in the crockpot and took a nice, long nap. Naps always feel so good in the middle of the afternoon.

I made my rosemary garbanzo bean zucchini stew today, only I used ground turkey instead of chicken. It turned out pretty good, and Nick absolutely loved it. He ate a pretty big amount for a baby. He also ate almost a whole piece of wheat bread. I'm very glad my kid likes garbanzo beans and zucchini already.

I'm figuring that if I only feed him wheat bread, that he won't be one of those kids who only eats bleached white wonder bread. We'll see. I hope he continues to eat such healthy fare as he gets older and more picky. Actually, though, I think he likes food best when he feels like he's sneaking a bite from our bowls. It must taste better that way. Below is the link to the address with the recipe:

http://cestlaviemdw3437.blogspot.com/2009/06/delicious-summer-stew.html

Here's Nick eating a yummy strawberry wafer cookie. I think he's teething, because he's been biting everything in sight. He's been cruising more than ever, and even standing for a second or two without holding on to anything. That baby has some strong thighs.

I think every day would be better if I got to take a two-hour nap. It sure made today extra-special. Now we're going to go and give Nick a bath. He has chunks of stew and broth all over his neck, and his hair has bread crumbs in it. Only a bath will do. :)

A Delicious Summer Stew

Yesterday I made this wonderful stew that I first found out about from our teaching assistant at school. She brought it in one day and I absolutely had to make it. I've cooked it up a few times, now, and I think I finally have tweaked it the way I like it. I think it's originally from "Cooking Light" Magazine, but it has been altered quite a bit. Thanks to Lucy for the original recipe. It is healthy and yummy, and there are a ton of leftovers. It totally filled my biggest pot.

Chicken Garbanzo Bean Stew with Zucchini, Spinach, and Rosemary


About 12 servings, 1 cup each plus about 1T of parmesan cheese

-2T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-1 large Vidalia Onion
-2 t. fresh rosemary, minced
-3 garlic cloves, minced
-4 cups zucchini, cut into small chunks
-1 t. black pepper
-1/2 t. sea salt
-1 lb. of ground chicken
-5 cups of low sodium chicken broth
-1/3 c. dry white wine
-5 T. tomato paste
-1 cup (or more) of spinach leaves, ripped into tiny pieces (no stems)
-1/2 t. red pepper (You can vary this depending on your need for heat.)
-3 cans of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed thoroughly
-1 can of diced tomatoes, rinsed and drained
-1 can of diced tomatoes, not rinsed or drained
-parmesan cheese to taste

Use your biggest pot for this one. Saute the onion, rosemary, and garlic in heated olive oil for about 3 minutes. Add in the zucchini, pepper, salt, and the chicken. You'll need to break the chicken down into small pieces (I just used a spoon) and stir it around in the mixture. Cook until the chicken is browned. Then add everything except the parmesan cheese and bring the whole mixture to a boil. Simmer for at least 30 minutes. Taste it after about 20 minutes. Depending on what it needs, you can add more wine (everything is better with more wine!), water (if it's too spicy for you), or chicken broth (depending on if you want more of a stew or a soup). I guess that's my best cooking advice. Taste everything frequently! Serve very hot and dump some parmesan cheese on top. I tried really hard to write down just what I put into the stew, but it won't be perfect because I'm not an exact measurer. I just keep dumping stuff in until it tastes right.

I served this soup with some butter and wheat bread that I made in my new breadmaker. I am loving having fresh bread every two or three days. It works great with this stew. I do believe I'm going to have it again for dinner, since Greg is working late.