Baby Food: Sweet Potato

The Goodness of Sweet Potatoes for Baby:

Nutritional Value of Sweet Potatoes (1 medium baked)

VITAMINS: Vitamin A - 28,436 IUs Vitamin C - 39.2 mg Pantothenic Acid - 1.76 mg Niacin -2.97 mg Folate - 12 mcg Contains some other vitamins in small amounts.

MINERALS: Potassium - 950 mg Phosphorus - 108 mg Magnesium - 13.5 mg Calcium - 76 mg Sodium - 72 mg Iron - 1.38 mg Also contains small amount of copper, selenium, manganese and zinc  Rinse sweet potato and poke holes with a fork all over the skin. Bake for 40-60 minutes in a 400 degree oven in tin foil. Allow sweet potato to cool, then remove skin, and chop into small pieces. In a blender or food processor, puree sweet potato, adding water for desired consistency. Add water to allow sweet potato puree to become smooth, but not watery! You want a smooth consistency that is not too thick or watery. I boiled some baby food jars and then put the puree in the refrigerator until ready to use. The puree can stay in the refrigerator in a sealed jar for up to a week. If you feed out of the jar, do not keep for more than 24 hours.

Italian Sausage and Peppers Pasta

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 pounds hot or sweet Italian sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 large green or yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
• 1 large red bell pepper, cut into strips
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 14 1/2-ounce can tomatoes, diced, juices reserved
• 1 tablespoon dried basil, crumbled
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
• Salt and pepper
• 1 pound penne pasta, freshly cooked
• Grated Parmesan

Preparation

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté until golden, about 1 minute. Mix in sausage and cook until brown, about 8 minutes. Add peppers and onion and cook until almost tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Mix in tomatoes with juices, basil and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer 8 minutes. Uncover and cook 2 minutes. Pour over pasta and toss. Serve, passing Parmesan separately. 

Quesadillas de Camarones

Ingredients

• Flour Tortillas
• Large Shrimp, Peeled And De veined
• 8 ounces, fluid Mexican Red Sauce ( I used a Mild Enchilada Sauce)
• 1/2 Red Onion
• 1 whole Red Bell Pepper
• 1 whole Green Bell Pepper
• 2 cups Cheese, Grated ( I used Durkee 6 Pepper Blend Cheese)
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• Butter for browning Tortillas

 If your shrimp are frozen, allow time to thaw them, then remove their tails.

In a medium bowl cover shrimp in red sauce, I used Old El Paso's Mild Enchilada Sauce.

It has the perfect amount of spice, I didn't want it too spicy because the cheese I'm using in the Quesdillas has quite a kick!

If you are using block cheese, go ahead and shred it. 

I used Durkee 6 Pepper Blend Cheese, made with six different peppers & chile's, nice and SPICY!

Keep the shredded cheese in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.

Rinse your red and green bell peppers

Chop off the top and bottom, it makes it much easier to gut the seeds and ribs.

Remove seeds and ribs.

Chop your bell peppers and red onion in to chunky pieces.

Add olive oil to a sauce pan, heat to Medium & saute peppers and onion for about 7 minutes.

Smells amazing!

Remove sauteed veggies and set aside on a plate.

Cook the shrimp in the same sauce pan on Medium heat, until the shrimp are nice and pink.

About 4-5 minutes on each side.

Drain the shrimp and chop in to bite size pieces.

In a clean pan, add 1/2 tablespoon of butter and heat to Medium.

Add tortilla, cheese, veggies, shrimp, and a little more cheese on top.

Fold tortilla and brown each side until the cheese has melted.

About 4-5 minutes of each side, remember to add butter before flipping and in between each quesadilla being made.

Slice quesadilla and serve with your favorite salsa. No need for rice or beans, this quesadilla is filling!

Yumminess.

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

This is an amazing salsa recipe, if you like heat, this will definitely WOW you!

I originally found a Roasted Salsa recipe on Epicurious, then added my own little spice to it.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds fresh tomatillos
• 3 fresh serrano chiles
• 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoons coarse salt
• 2 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Remove husks and stems from tomatillos, and remove stems from chiles.

Rinse tomatillos and chiles in warm water, the tomatillos are very sticky after you remove the husks, and no one wants that in their salsa!

Line up tomatillos, chiles, and garlic on a roasting pan about an inch apart.
Roast under the broiler for about 4-7 minutes.

When they look like this, flip them over (with a mitt on & tongs, Broilers are extremely hot!)
Then repeat on the other side, you want them to char slightly and for the skins to bubble and ooze delicious juices out.

This is what they look like when they are finished roasting.
They are not burnt, the charred skin gives the salsa an awesome smokey flavor.

Let the roasting pan sit for at least 5 minutes before removing veggies.
Add the roasted veggies, chopped onion, cilantro, and salt together in a blender or food processor.
Blend to desired "chunkiness", some people prefer chunky, some more of a liquefied salsa. Either way it is just as delicious!

Pour into a covered container and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, over night is preferred. Once it is done chilling, add lime juice and stir.

Add to burritos to kick them up a level, or grab a bag or tortilla chips and go to town.

NomNomNom.

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

Ingredients

• 25 fresh jalapeno peppers
• 14 -16 ounces cream cheese
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 (16 ounce) packages bacon

 

Cut stems off of peppers and cut them all in half longways.

Remove seeds from peppers.

 

Fill each pepper with cream cheese

Wrap 1/2 slice of bacon around each half pepper

 

Sprinkle with cheese

Bake at 450 degree for 10-15 minutes until the bacon is fully cooked, and let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Homemade Cinnamon Bread

Homemade Cinnamon Bread

Ingredients

• 1 cup Milk
• 6 Tablespoons Butter
• 2-1/2 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1/3 cup Sugar
• 3-1/2 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1/3 cup Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
• Egg And Milk, Mixed Together, For Brushing 
• Softened Butter, For Smearing And Greasing 

Melt butter with milk. Heat until very warm, but don't boil. Allow to cool until still warm to the touch, but not hot. Sprinkle yeast over the top, stir gently, and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Combine flour and salt.

In a bowl, mix sugar and eggs until combined. Pour in milk/butter/yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add half the flour and mix (hands work best!)until combined. Add the other half and mix until combined.(Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty, it's the best way to make perfect bread! When you don't have an electric mixer of course).

Sprinkle flour on a flat surface, dust your hands as well. The dough will be very sticky right after it is mixed.

Knead dough for 8-10 minutes, until you have reached a smooth texture with no air bubbles.

Heat a metal or glass mixing bowl so it's warm. Drizzle in a little canola oil, then toss the dough in the oil to coat. Cover bowl in plastic wrap and set it in a warm, hospitable place for at least 2 hours. 

 It will double in size during this time, and unlike me you might want to use a larger bowl!

Turn dough out onto the work surface. Roll into a neat rectangle no wider than the loaf pan you're going to use, and about 18 to 24 inches long. Smear with 2 tablespoons melted butter. 

Mix cinnamon and sugar together!

Then sprinkle evenly over the butter-smeared dough.

 

Starting at the far end, roll dough toward you, keeping it tight and contained. Pinch seam to seal. 

Smear loaf pan with softened butter.

 

Place dough, seam down, in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 2 hours. 

 

Then preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

Mix an egg with 1/3 cup of milk.

 

 Then brush over the dough.

Bake for 40 minutes on a middle/lower rack in the oven.

 

Remove from the pan and allow bread to cool.

 

Slice and serve, or make cinnamon toast or French toast with it.

Yummy!