8 months

Nora was 8 months old yesterday! She's growing and changing so quickly these days as she takes everything in and learns about her world. She is a very busy little girl, always wanting to be on the move. She has started creeping/crawling, so she can roll, scoot and wiggle to just about wherever she wants to go. Soon enough she'll figure out how to use her knees and then we'll all be on the move around here! 

She has started eating baby food regularly (more than the trial one or two bites per day of last month) and carrots are her favorite. She ate a whole container of them the other night! She especially likes to eat while we are, and she loves to gum on bagels and other hard breads since she has two teeth trying to come in.

Here are some other firsts of the last month:

first cold :(

first Thanksgiving

first Christmas tree decorating (she wanted to eat the ornaments)

first ice/snow storm - bundle up!

first blow-dried hair

working on hand-eye-mouth coordination with some blueberry puffs

New Favorite Recipes

I don't have much to update you on, but I have been trying some new recipes lately and wanted to share my favorites.

Ranch Chicken

I halved this recipe, but below is the full version. I served this with mashed potatoes - classic comfort food.

Ingredients:

1 cup corn flakes, finely crushed (I used french fried onions instead)

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 packet ranch dressing mix
8 boneless chicken breasts, cut in half
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix corn flakes, cheese, and dressing mix together in a bowl until blended.  Dip thawed chicken in butter, then roll in corn flake mixture. Place coated chicken in 9"x13" greased baking pan. Bake for about 45 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

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AND

Brown Sugar Soy Sauce Salmon
I served this with long grain and wild rice and broccoli. The fish was super moist! YUM!

Ingredients

• 1½ pounds salmon fillets

• lemon pepper to taste

• garlic powder to taste

• salt to taste

• ⅓ cup soy sauce

• ⅓ cup brown sugar

• ⅓ cup water

• ¼ cup vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Season salmon fillets with lemon pepper, garlic powder, and salt.
2. Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and vegetable oil until sugar is dissolved. Place fish in a large resealable plastic bag, pour soy sauce mixture over fish, seal, and turn to coat.Marinate for at least 2 hours.
3. Preheat grill for medium heat.
4. Lightly oil grill grate. Place salmon on the preheated grill, and discard marinade. Cook salmon for 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
5. Or
6. Wrap it in foil and bake at 425° for approx. 15 minutes.

Source

I have more new recipes on my menu list for this week and, with the impending snow storm, I should have plenty of time in hibernation to make them! I'll let you know if I find any more keepers. Enjoy!