"5 minute bread" and sneaky chef experiments

i taught boo that if he needs to get by me (like when i'm blocking his route around the train table), he needs to give me a kiss and say "excuse me mommy!" if he wants a ride down the stairs, he also needs to give me a kiss. it is the cutest thing ever. i'm soaking up the kisses while i can.

i started making bread from scratch! saw a review of "artisan bread in 5 minutes a day" in the tribune and bought the book. no kneading required! it's not quite 5 minutes but it is really easy. i mix a big batch in the morning, which probably takes 5 minutes, let it rise for a few hours, then stick it in the fridge. when i'm ready to bake, i break off a grapefruit size chunk, stretch it a bit, let rise another half hour or so, and bake! voila! it's actually pretty good. with one batch i have 3-4 loaves, and it keeps for 2 weeks in the fridge. boo really likes it. if only i could sneak vegetables in it ...

speaking of which, my other culinary experiments of late have involved sneaking fruits/vegetables into food that evan eats, thanks to the "sneaky chef." this is the book that came out before jessica simpson's book of the same idea. the key is pureeing the vegetables and putting them into like-colored foods. so far i've made:
- mac and cheese (thumbs up): with cauliflower and zucchini; have also added carrots/yams and white beans
- chocolate chip cookies (another thumbs up): with white beans, wheat germ, oats
- brainy brownies (so so): spinach and blueberries (which is hands down the most disgusting mix i have ever made), wheat germ
- health-by-chocolate cookies (so so, a bit better than the brownies): spinach, blueberries, wheat germ
- nacho cheese dip (melted american cheese with carrots/yams) - so so
- spaghetti-o boost: carrots and yams

yes, i know this is not shaping ideal food habits. but i'm telling you, boo will not touch anything with color in it. he's on a self-imposed white toddler diet: milk, yogurt, crackers, rice, white bread, pancakes, pasta, bananas, apples if i'm lucky, and just recently i got him to eat chicken nuggets (but only if dinosaur shaped). this kid gets offered everything from broccoli to sushi rolls, and nothing piques his interest unless it is cracker-like.