It’s been a while.

So much so this space seems foreign to me and yet like home at the same time.

Kind of like going back to sleep in your childhood bed after 30 years.

Comforting, yet too small.

Actually the “too small” part doesn’t make sense in this comparison but I’m all out of sorts so inaccurate analogies are to be expected.

In a mere 2 days my husband is off on an expedition of a life time.

He’s climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa to tick off one of his bucket list items as a means of proving that 40 is just a number.

Everyone is curious as to why I wouldn’t join him on this incredible adventure.

The allure of climbing and camping and not showering would wear off for me after about hour 24, not hour 144 as it would be for the other bucket list checker offers.

But that’s o.k.

I wouldn’t make him walk around with me for endless hours exploring Botanical Gardens, gift shops and Farmer’s Markets…or maybe I would…but I may be getting off topic.

I read a statement of perfection recently that stuck with me although the author or even the context escapes me at the moment.

“You are responsible for the cake, everything else is the icing”.

So my husband is going to work on his cake in Tanzania Africa and I’ll work on mine here.

Then we will just slather all the icing on top once we each have a nice substantial base to apply it to.

Speaking of cake...check out the birthday cake I ordered from Cake Rolls in Etobicoke, ON.

“Looks like it’s just gonna be you and me” so says my 4 year old after learning of Daddy’s big trip.

Yep, there will be lots of single mom baths to be had over the next 10 days or so.

Baths where he’s not allowed to play because the earliest I can get him in is 7 minutes before bed…and that’s if all goes to plan without an unanticipated telemarketer call taking up 2 extra minutes for me to hear the plea, then to get my gentle yet firm answer out, “I’m not interested…I don’t have any ducts to clean sir”.

Ok I think I’ve rambled enough for one day…sorry like I said, it’s been a while so I’m getting carried away.

Although I haven’t been blogging very often, I have still been working on the book and I’m happy to say that I’m at the point of the last 10%.

The dreaded last 10%.

This is what separates the finishers from the non-finishers.

I don’t want to be a non-finisher!

This is the % that is the most difficult because it’s the time to organize and finalize.

All the meat, or in keeping with our theme today, the cake, is there, now it just needs the icing…and a few more recipes for those 12 months + Solid Food Professionals.

Let’s do this!

This is a great Potato Pancake recipe to introduce some exciting new textures for babies 12 months +.

It can be cut into little pieces so they can pick up with their fingers and feed themselves.

By adding in some shredded carrot in place of some of the potato and some spinach, you can pack in extra nutrition into this little pancake package.

Ready…Set…Evolve…

Popeye’s Potato Pancakes

Age – 12 months +

Ingredients

4 tbsps. Butter

3 Potatoes

½ Cup Baby Spinach Chopped

½ Cup Shredded Carrots

1 egg

2 tbsps. flour

Pinch of Salt and Pepper

Baby Steps

Rinse, dry and chop baby spinach and set aside.
Peel carrots and potatoes and shred using the grater attachment on a food processor or mandolin slicer.
Add shredded potatoes, carrots and spinach to a bowl and mix well.
Add in egg and mix well.
Add in flour and pinch of salt and pepper and mix until flour is combined.
Add 2 tbsps. of butter to a large frying pan and melt over medium high heat.
Spoon potato mixture into pan and press down to form a pancake shape.You should be able to fit about 4 pancakes into the pan at a time.
Cook until underside is brown, about 3 minutes, flip and repeat.
Once cakes are done, remove from pan and place on paper towel lined plate to let cool.
Add 2 more tbsps. of butter to pan and repeat process to make 4 more pancakes.
To serve, cut into bite sized pieces for baby once cooled down.

Makes – Approx. 8 Pancakes

Note:

These are best to eat the day you make them rather than refrigerating or freezing them and heating them up again.

So plan to have them as a side dish for a family meal and add a bit more salt and pepper to the other family member’s portions and dip in sour cream if you so desire.

I wish my husband Carl all the best on his big Kilimanjaro climb!

Enjoy every second and come home safe and sound.

And please don’t leave your cake out in the (African) rain…I love that song.