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Things were much more simpler when all Fiorina ate, or perhaps I should say drank, was breastmilk. Afterall, there’s only one thing on the menu 😉
Now, I’m trying to keep her food palatable and hope that she would eat them. The girl refused to eat pureed baby food. Whatever stage 1, stage 2 or stage 3, she hated it. She would take it when she was 6-month old. However, ever since she turned 7 month-old, I swear to God, I couldn’t get her to open her mouth unless she was allowed to feed herself. BINGO…isn’t that one of the signs that she’s ready for finger food ? Yes, my dear. She’s ready. She didn’t eat much because most of the food were on the floor you see. However, that’s how babies learn. Now, she’s almost 9 month-old and she wants what we’re eating. AHA…isn’t that another signs that she’s ready for table food ? Ditto! The girls is toothless but she is fearless. She can gum anything to death if you allow her to. Her palate has indeed developed more and she knows how to enjoy herbs and spices (perhaps tastes familiar to her. She’s still a boob baby!). I do let her eat some of our table food, however, I’m trying to tone down on the salt and sugar.
So, I’ve been borrowing some cookbooks for babies. Sure, like I don’t have enough cookbooks piling on my desk already! The girl gotta eat too you know.
So, I saw this Rosemary Bread Sticks recipe on Feeding Baby cookbook by Joachim Splichal and Christine Splichal. It’s a beautiful cookbook and delicious recipes for babies. Even I like how the food turned out and tasted. I actually did not put any salt in this recipe, but I put a little bit of parmesan cheese. It is a perfect finger food for her and great accompaniment for us with a bowl of soup to dip in. Just make sure you roll it thin enough so it won’t be a chocking hazard for your babies. I never leave her unsupervised whenever she eats. I’m still a bit nervous about the whole chocking thing, though it has never happened and I hope it never will.
HOMEMADE ROSEMARY BREAD STICKS
Ingredients
- 1 package 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- ½ tsp sea salt optional-okay for children two years and above and of course adults too
- 2 cups plus 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- Bread stick dough:
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh rosemary leaves finely chopped
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper optional
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese optional
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in the water, and let it sit for 10 minutes. Add the salt and the 2 cups flour. Using the hood attachment, mix at low speed, gradually increasing to high until smooth. The dough will be sticky at this point
- Transfer the starter to a bowl and sprinkle with the 1 Tbsp flour. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp dishtowel and set it in a warm, draft-free spot for about 1 hour, until the starter has doubled in size. It has doubled in size when the tablespoon of flour is no longer visible or large cracks appear on top
- To make the dough, transfer the starter to the bowl of the stand mixer with the hook attachment. Add the oil, rosemary, salt, and pepper (if using), parmesan cheese (if using) and mix well on low. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour in 1/2-cup increments. Repeat until 2 cups of flour have been added and the dough forms into a sticky ball, but doesn't stick to your hand
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Grease a sheet pan very lightly with olive oil
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle it with the remaining 1/2 cup of flour, and knead by hand for about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic
- Take a 1-ounce portion of the dough and roll it on the work surface with both hands in a back-and-forth motion, moving your hands outward as the stick takes shape. Sprinkle it with flour only if the dough sticks to the work surface. Roll out to 16-18 inches in length and 1/4 inch in diameter. The sticks needn't be identical; the charm is their hand-rolled appearance
- Lay the sticks on the baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes, until crisp and brown. Remove the bread sticks from the oven and let cool
- Serve as a snack or with a meal
