Don't be alarmed, but I'm going to be in here awhile.

I have decided that I need a new kitchen hobby. Why?

1. I don't spend quite enough time in my kitchen. Three meals for me, 5 meals/snacks for the Kraken, 2 baby food feedings for Rosie and 1 family dinner everyday leaves me craving more quality time with my pots and pans.

2. I have way too much time on my hands. The other day I sat down for literally 5 minutes before I found something to do. Okay, so maybe I just forgot what I was in the middle of doing, but whatever it was couldn't have been that important.

3. Baby food peas are army green in color. I always thought peas where by definition, pea green. I'm not very comfortable giving goo to Rosie that I wouldn't eat myself. Call me crazy.

4. There is nothing sexier than a woman covered in vegetable puree. "Is that poo on your shoulder?"

So, I said to myself, "Self, let's make homemade baby food for Rosie and hide vegetables in desserts for the Kraken." I am going to deceive my kraken and hope it's delicious ala Jessica Seinfeld.

Tonight I paced myself and chose three vegetables: a head of cauliflower, a bag of carrots and a large butternut squash. The cauliflower was dissected first and was deceptively easy. Steam, blend, aliquot (aka split into bags for you non science geeks), store and freeze. Check. Carrots came next. Peel, steam, blend, gag, aliquot, gag, store, gag, freeze, wipe random carrot splatter off face and gag. Something about an enormous pile of liquidish carrots makes my tummy uncomfortable. (And for this very reason I must apologize to my sister who had a gagging/vomit moment during childhood while eating cooked carrots. We never let her live that day down and, let's be honest, no one ever believed her. She was totally trying to get out of the 'no dessert until you eat your carrots' threat. Today I sorta understand. Karma just jumped up and bit me in the butt.)

Lastly came the butternut squash. I don't know anything about squash. Was I supposed to thump it like a cantaloupe before purchasing? Was I supposed to smell it, shake it, hold it up to the light? All I know is that in order to split this gourd down the middle I used three different knives and my meat tenderizing hammer. My husband kept asking if I needed help, but I was bound and determined not to let this damn squash beat me. And it didn't. Take that you stupid squash.

An hour and a half later I was left with 4 bags of cauliflower, 4 bags of butternut squash, and 8 bags of carrots all in 1/2 cup portions. Tomorrow I shall attempt coffee cake with squash and applesauce, scrambled eggs with cauliflower and chicken nuggets with carrots. I will let you know what the Kraken thinks.