Cooking with my Pie

So this afternoon I had my very first cooking with Pie experience! And at only 4 and a bit months old its definately sooner than I was expecting!!!
Due to some awful, awful teeth which keep cutting and then moving back down (probably too ashamed to show there faces around me after causing my baby girl so much pain!) I had a very sooky snuggly girl this afternoon. While she was napping I got to it, making her food for the week.
Now I just have to say, how lucky are we modern mummies!!!! Preparing Pie's food is such an easy task thanks to the wonders of technology...
My first step, cut off a couple of pumpkin wedges then put them skin down in my microwave steamer pot with a splash of water, put the lid on, cook for 10-12mins!
While the pumpkins cooking I get onto peeling and chopping pears (and munching on the pear skins, yes a bit odd but I've discovered a love for it!) I put all my prepped pear in a bowl with a splash of water whilst it waits for the microwave to be vacated.
Pumpkin beeps, pull it out and put the container on the bench, pear bowl in microwave and its time to prep the apples - this weeks new food... I tried munching the apple skins but so not as good as the pear skin so I just eat a few wedges of apple while I chop.
Anyway it was right about now that my little Pie decided she'd had her half hour, it was time to wake up. So after a nappy change and a breast feed we return to the kitchen, Pie in the dining room in her bouncer watching while I continue the food prep and 'cooking'.
I scoop all the pumpkin flesh from its skin and put it into the knock-off magic bullets blender cup (best investment ever! My husband bought it shortly before we moved in together and its absolute crap, $20 from kmart, it purifies anything that hits its teeny tiny blades!!!! Now 18months later with a baby to feed its my favourite tool!)
It was at this point Pie started to really whinge, fingers in mouth, making her 'ow these stinking teeth are causing me so much pain' sounds. So we grab the ring sling from the boot of the car (I only just figured out how to use it properly last week after watching a very helpful instructional video on youtube! Every other time I tried from when she was a few weeks old she just screamed at me in very clear protest to being stuck in an odd hammock wrapped around my body! I thought babies liked that type of thing?) I rub a bit of teething gel across her gums, mainly so I can have a feel to see where we are up to - damn eye tooth is still sticking out and causing lots of swelling, if it sticks around my baby girl will have a fang haha!!!
Then its back to the pumpkin. Now scooping the warm flesh off the skin is not as easy one handed but we managed, screw the lid on, stick it in the base, twist and voila.... Pumpkin puree in seconds!!! Pears out of microwave, apples in and Pie is looks around and tries to suck on the ring holding the sling in place. She then finds the big noise of the magic puree machine a little scary but with big smiles from Mummy and a kiss, we are ready to go with the next step. Pumpkin puree into ice-cube tray and when we're done, by far Pies favourite part of the whole experience, she gets to lick the delicious, warm pumpkin puree from the spoon. Feeding her while in the ring sling proves to be a little tricky and somehow I put a big blob of pumpkin on her ear but she gives me a 'Wow, cooking with Mummy is so much fun' look and I get a big smile thinking about all the fun times to come and all the fun times I had when I was a kid in the kitchen (my exploding egg was a particularly memorable event).
Pumpkin in freezer, we give the bullet a quick rinse and in goes the pears, very similar to the pumpkins and Piper again licks the spoon, what a lucky girl :) At this point dear husband arrives home so he takes Pie to the lounge room which just doesn't sit well with Pie who isn't happy until she can see me! Very flattering as my daddy's girl has always been a daddy's girl and I've come to accept my place as her second favourite person in the world. But not today, just like her Mummy, when she's having a bad day she needs to be around her Mum. So Kev and Pie sit at the dining table and watch me complete the final dish, pureed apple, ready to start tomorrow, and as its a new food poor Pie didn't get to lick the spoon, I did instead and discovered that pureed apple is somewhat delicious and wish I'd made enough up for dessert tonight!!!
So all in all, my first mother daughter cooking experience was messy, noisey and a lot more complicated than a mummy only cooking experience but it was also wonderful :)

Jodi xo