Topic-Changing Thursdays: The Chiplet’s First Birthday Party

I had already posted about the Chiplet turning 1 year old but I didn’t get a chance to share his pictures from his birthday or his party. So, as you recover from Christmas parties, let’s talk birthday parties!

Mixed Bag Mondays: Recent Successes

Lately I’ve been making lots of pasta dishes that I throw together in a skillet. It is an easy way to make some interesting flavors in a quick way, and I can pull out the food for the Chiplet before I add any dairy ingredients or any nuts. They have been hits for lunch, dinner, and in leftover form. For leftovers, I often add extra of an ingredient if I think we need more (like more vegetables or protein) and heat it up in a skillet. Adding a bit of oil or butter along with potentially some broth or extra seasoning helps make the leftovers seem fresh and new.

Pizza Hut-Style Pan Crust Pizza

We might have found a winner. I have made it several times now and it has been a hit with all (well, 3 since Chiplet can’t do cheese) of us.

I’ve made good pizzas before but they are often super complicated and finicky.

Fudgelet Adventures (part 19): Watercolor Spiderweb

You might think that this is an odd time to share this. But, I think the techniques in this could be used for any season. We actually made this after Halloween because spiders can be cool anytime. But, if you didn’t want to do a spiderweb, I think you could make this with a Christmas tree outlined and then use pom poms as ornaments…in fact, I might be doing that. But anyway, let’s get into what we already made.

Simple Oatmeal Bites (Allergy Friendly)

I feel like I do so much cooking and baking now since the Chiplet was born. Especially this time of year…I have his birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and regular cooking. On top of that, the Chiplet can’t always eat the same stuff we do so I have to make extra meals. Sometimes it is because he is still growing his teeth and sometimes because of his allergies. So, when I see recipes I can adapt for him that are easy, I take advantage.

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Clementines and Roasted Vegetables

After my dad and M visited, they had left me with some chicken thighs, clementines, carrots, and celery. I didn’t have any plans for them but decided to throw them together into something. Somehow they all worked together and made something delicious. I served it on top of rice to take advantage of the sauce.

Homemade Orange Extract

For the Fudgelet’s first birthday party I made vanilla extract. I decided I wanted to make something for the Chiplet’s birthday party. I wasn’t sure until I saw this post from Sprinkle Bakes. She made lemon extract but I was inspired to make orange instead. Then I saw she said it was possible to use oranges or similar fruit. So, I went with it! I actually started making it before I had the small bottles just because I wanted to give it plenty of time.