for about a year, we managed to avoid any major sickness with dylan. that was until a few weeks ago, maybe a month? when dylan came down with a nasty gastro-intestinal virus that had her out of commission for about a week (brought me to my knees, too, i’m afraid) and then after our trip, another nasty virus with a fever of 101.4 for about three days. (pretty sure she got that from drinking from a strangers starbucks cup. in my defence, she’s really f*cking fast…)
she’s never been all that great with food. i complain about it a lot because it’s frustrating. eat, damn you! because the less she eats the more she nurses and the more she nurses the less confidant i feel about the eventual day we need to wean her.
and then there’s the other side of the coin. when she does eat, it’s usually the garbage i should be keeping away from – tim bits, cookies, french fries, and pasta, which she loves. part of me thinks, “at least she’s eating” while the other part is totally mom-shaming myself. but really, you can only be so adventurous and spend so much timein the kitchen when the final result is going to be tossed onto the floor or secreted away under the tray of her high chair, anyway.
i try to make dishes that both of us will like so food doesn’t go to waste (as often). and seeing as how i’m trying to up her veggie intake, it means i’m getting more veggies into my own diet – win-win. hence, cheesy stove-top broccoli and pasta. i’m a mac and cheese lover (real mac and cheese, not KD, though i do love KD). she loves broccoli. marriage made in heaven?
traditionally, we make mac and cheese “pie” – i’d only heard it called that when i moved to canada. start with a roux for the cheese sauce, then bake it all together into a wonderful solid mass. i’m drooling just thinking about it (check our recipe here). but stove-top mac and cheese is so much easier, though it’s taken me ages to get it just right. i think the key is going light on the liquids and heavy on the shredded cheese, or else you end up with a soupy, milky mess.
we had some cheese curds sitting around from our grilled cheese night, so i decided to toss a handful in – what a delightfully creamy, ooey, gooey, melty idea that was!
| ingredients1 cup pasta of your choice 1/2 – 1 cup shredded cheese of your choice (i prefer black diamond or cracker barrel marble cheddar) 1/2 cup broccoli florets (fresh or frozen) 2 tbsp milk 1 tsp butter pinch of onion powder; garlic powder salt & pepper to taste in a medium pot, bring water to a boil, add broccoli and pasta, and cook according to package directions. drain and return to pot, over med-low heat. stir in milk, butter and spices. add cheese 1/4 at a time, making sure all the cheese is melted before adding more. you can add a splash more milk if you find it too dry. |