What happened in my kitchen yesterday.

New things are always exciting, at least for me. I'm like that. I like change, and just about anything that comes with it. Baby food should be no exception. Little Boy has stopped sleeping through the night, and per our health visitor's suggestion, yes, we're beginning a trek down this path. A whole month-and-a-half earlier than I was hoping. Don't watch the calendar, watch your child, is the saying I've come across many times recently. Okay fine.

The simple (and I mean simple. I'll share what we did in a second, not that it's uncommon) task got out of hand, one thing led to another, and the place was a disaster.

First off, Peter picked up these adorable silicone mini muffin trays at the one and only kitchen supply shop in St Andrews. Once filled with cooked, pureed veggies (we're starting with sweet potatoes), they produce the cutest little fun-sized cups of goodness. They're just a spoonful and perfect snack size for mamas, too. (Yes, I'm guilty of digging into the freezer bag.Why do things taste better in smaller portions that are intended for someone else's plate?) I love sweet potatoes.

Throw (or maybe set. It's hard to throw silicone stuff without having the contents everywhere but the freezer) the cuties in the freezer until firm, then fill labeled freezer-safe bags. If you're absent-minded like me and forget to pull the next day's worth out of the freezer the night before, not to worry. We have been pulling them out in the morning (or whenever we remember. . .10 minutes before lunchtime?) and thawing and heating in a glass dish set in a saucepan with about an inch of water in the bottom. Let the water boil and warm the tastiness through. It's working great for us. But watch for hotspots. You should make an extra 1 or 2 so you can taste and make sure it's not too hot. I do.

Next, these dinner rolls that look leprous. We ate the prettier batch with dinner (they weren't much prettier). These are the seconds. I let them rise too long, and they sunk while I was waiting for the oven to preheat. But simple, and a great match with the beef barley stew I put together at 3pm (15:00). My mom has the greatest tip on soups (and she is Seinfeld's Soup Nazi)- throw everything in the pot, turn it on low, and let it simmer for a few hours. I love that. She makes anything into a soup, and it's always killer.

What I really wanted to make yesterday, after the sweet potatoes of course, was banana bread. It'd been on my mind for the past few days. Cravings like that don't just go away. It's serious.

These were a grand success. I've eaten 3 today. Goodbye, waistline.

Two loaves, a dozen muffins, and 6 hours later, I was wiping counters and scrubbing loaf pans. I did fit a 15 minute nap in somewhere between simmering the soup, shaping rolls, and breastfeeding twins. Then I went to bed at 20:00.