Carrot, pear applesauce

I've been playing around with applesauce combinations lately. I made a raspberry applesauce which Baby D loved, but my blueberry applesauce turned out way too thick. Almost gelatinous.
I wanted to make a vegetable applesauce, but I needed a different way to feed it to little miss I'm-too-big-to-be-spoon-fed. I used one pound of baby carrots, one pear and one cup of applesauce. I steamed the carrots for 20 minutes and the pears for 10, then strained them with some plain applesauce and the leftover steaming liquid. I took it one step further and blended the mixture to a fine puree. Now she happily sips it down with a straw. Now we're both happy! I'm sneaking vegetables into her diet and she's a big girl by drinking out of a cup.
Bliss.

Pepparkakor

Another old fashioned cookie recipe. These are noted as being "Swedish gingersnaps with a "bite"."
These can certainly hold their own in the cookie world. They have a dash of black pepper, which gives them their "bite." It's a unique flavor and a holiday favorite.
Hopefully I'll be able to post the recipe after my little one has gone to bed.

Avgolemono

Yummy. Nothing better to warm you up on a chilly evening when you're on the cusp of a seasonal cold. This egg and lemon soup is a traditional Greek recipe I first tried on a trip to Greece back in 2004. I've been working on replicating it ever since and I think tonight I made my best batch. I added chicken because I had a little leftover from a store bought rotisserie chicken.

Avgolemono with Chicken
Serves one as a main course or 2 as an appetizer:

1/3 Cup Orzo
1/3 Cup chopped cooked chicken (optional)
2Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 cups chicken broth
2 eggs
pinch salt

In a medium pot, set the broth to boiling.
Add orzo and chopped cooked chicken. Cook over medium heat for 9 minutes.
In a medium bowl, thoroughly whisk the eggs.
Slowly add in the lemon juice.
Gradually add a couple of ounces of the heated broth to the egg-lemon mixture to warm it, then slowly add the mixture to the broth.
Stir gently over a low flame.
Salt to taste.
Serve right away

Green eggs and ham

I do not like them, Sam-I-am.
I do not like green eggs and ham.

We're big Dr. Seuss fans around here ever since Baby D changed our reading preferences from "The Wall Street Journal" to "Hop on Pop". I think we now own half the books by Dr. Seuss. I try to grab them at yard sales and library sales whenever I see them. "The Lorax" is an impossible find.
I can recite "My many colored days" in my sleep, but "I had trouble in getting to Solla Sollew" is by far my favorite. If you're ever having a bad day or things just aren't going your way, you should read this book. It will change your perspective for the better. Dr. Seuss is great like that.
But getting back to Green Eggs and Ham. This was something I made up just to use up some leftover ham. It's quick, easy and tastes delicious. The only thing I might change in the future is to add more spinach and chop it finer to give the whole dish more of a green hue.
Green Eggs and Ham:
(serves one)
1/2 Cup chopped leftover ham
1 medium onion
1 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 eggs beaten
1/4 Cup finely chopped fresh baby spinach

In a skillet heat the oil and butter over medium heat. Finely shop the onion and add to skillet. Sautee until onions are softened. Add ham and stir with onions until ham is heated through. Beat eggs in a bowl and add 1tsp water. Add chopped spinach to eggs. Add egg and spinach mixture to ham and onions and stir until eggs are cooked and spinach is softened.
There's no need to add salt because the ham lends a salty flavor.

I do so like green eggs and ham!
Thank you!
Thank you, Sam-I-am!