It’s March?! I’m still amazed how quickly the time has flown. This week flew by as well since I’ve been busy in the kitchen as usual. Here’s my weekly musings on family, food, and fun…

Family – Joel is 43 weeks old this week and I’m starting to think of birthday plans. The concern is that his birthday falls on Mother’s Day this year. As much as I’d love to have his party that weekend, I don’t want to celebrate the day before he officially turns one year old and I know scheduling a birthday party on Mother’s Day will affect how many attend. Perhaps I’ll plan his party for the following weekend and just have a small, intimate gathering with family on his actual birthday.

Aside from birthday planning, our little man is “talking” so much more lately. He’s definitely got Mama and Papa/Dada down, calling us by name correctly. He’s also says, ‘yummy!’ whenever its time to eat and while he eats. Another word he knows is ‘bye-bye,’ accompanied with a little hand wave. Joel is also learning commands like ‘no’, where he looks at us, stops and backs away from whatever he shouldn’t be getting into. It seems like everyday he’s just learning/saying/doing something new. I love this stage he’s in because I can tell he comprehends things we say and responds in his quirky way.

He’s also eating much more solids now and I’ll often just puree the soft things we have for lunch and dinner, mixed with water, juice or milk. So far, he’s taken to the foods well. I just hope it continues for as long as possible!

Food/Restaurant News – Earlier this week, we met with the architect who has redesigned our kitchen. It’ll be much bigger with a more effective flow for production. I can’t wait for it to be completed. However, the downside is that it may take a couple of months to complete, when we’re all anxious to get back in the kitchen to sling out our stuff. But despite the construction delays, we’ve been keeping busy with cooking events and demos. One potential event we may participate in is the Great American Cooking Expo. It’s happening next weekend and it’ll be a great opportunity to get some exposure for the restaurant and grocery. I’m still providing my cupcakes at the grocery so that keeps me busy each week.

We also have the food truck to work on. It’s currently getting some maintenance done and we’ll be able to pick it up in a week or so. As for our plans to get it on the street, we’ve got a few more things to iron out before we’re driving about.

Fun – This weekend will be fun since the Home & Houseware Show is in town. This trade show isn’t open to the public and it’s where many home and houseware companies come out to feature new products. The biggest draw for me is the opportunity to meet with some celebrity chefs! There will be cooking demos, free cookbooks, autograph signings and lots of swag and samples to load up on. I’ll definitely post my experience this year since the line up of attending chefs is an impressive one.

Here’s a roundup of what I cooked up in the kitchen this past week…

Maple Sausage & Waffle Breakfast Casserole