Hello Again

November has come and gone and this little blog has seen no love since October, which may very well qualify me as being one of the worst bloggers ever, sigh…  Does anyone else feel like they blinked and it was December???  Well, I am sorry about not keeping things rolling and I am making no guarantees that the month of December will be that much better but I will at least be able to say that I made one post.  Will it make things better if I tell you that this post includes a new delicious recipe?  What about some new pictures of Eli?  Well it’s your lucky day because I have both for you.

I wanted to share this butternut squash gratin recipe that I tried which is perfect for fall (which I have almost completely missed with no postings in November).  What makes this recipe even more interesting is that it makes my squash-hating husband go back for 2nds…yep, that good.  

Butternut Squash Gratin

•      3 cups butternut squash, in ¾ inch chunks
•      1 cup sweet onion, finely chopped  
•    1 Tbs olive oil 
•       ½ teaspoon salt
•      2 Tbs mayo (I used Miracle whip)
•    2/3 cup Parmesan, grated ( I didn’t have this on hand so I used cheddar) 
•    1/3 cup breadcrumbs (I only had Italian breadcrumbs which ended up working great) 

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and spray 8 inch baking dish (round or square)
2. Cover squash with cold water and bring to boil in a medium pot.  Once boiling turn down to simmer for 20 minutes.  Rinse and drain.
3. Sauté onion in olive oil until softened and place to the side.
4. In a medium bowl  beat egg, salt and mayo together.  Add 1/3 cup of cheese, bread crumbs,  sautéed onion and squash.  Gently fold to combine.
5. Pour mixture into greased baking dish and top with remaining 1/3 cup of cheese.  Bake 1 hour or until slightly golden brown.

Cooking up some squash

So I may have got distracted with Eli and let the onion get a little too brown...

Ready for the oven

Deliciousness...should have included the empty pan after the 15 minutes it lasted

Not a squash eater?  Give it a try...if I can get Mark to go back for 2nds then I am pretty sure this dish may change your mind.  

As for Eli, he is growing, growing, growing.  He went to the doctors for his six month checkup today and is weighing in at 17 lb 3 oz (just under 50th percentile) and has a length of 26 3/4 inches (75th percentile).  He has also been given the green light for all baby food to include 3 meals and a snack a day.  He currently is eating 2 meals a day so we are officially becoming a full time eater!  Here is a list of his current abilities:

- Rolling over from back to front and front to back on a regular basis
- Pivoting on his belly to face different directions
- Scooting backwards, still figuring out how to get his knees under him 
- Sitting up with support
- Recognizing his own name and turns his head when someone calls it
- Recognizes me when I walk in to daycare to pick him up and greets me with a great big smile and wiggle
  dance
- Chews on EVERYTHING
- Interested in toys
- Smiling and giggling on a regular basis
- Becoming interested in both fur balls (Toby and Saydee)- loves to pet Toby but not so sure about getting
  licked in the face

Slide sleeping in his bouncy

Out!

Dinner time

Who me?

Gum chomping goodness...