In case I haven't mentioned it 20 times already, we had a baby last fall. Little Madeleine is 6 months old this past week, which means we're moving into lots of new territory like personality (strong), food (messy), and mobility (rolls more than a bowling ball, almost crawling).

While I have nothing against them personally, babies really aren't generally my thing (if you need one cross-browser tested, or rigged in stage trussing, call me). However, Madeleine's first steps into the world of food have been intriguing to watch.

Since we're both thrifty (cheap) and health conscious, Kate's been researching reading how to make our own food -- what to use, how to prep, what order to introduce, etc. She's good at that sort of thing.

My roll is to play papa chef, something that's been fun to do and feels a little more meaningful and suited to my interests than, say, picking the chew toy off the floor (again, for the 10th time).

While the "cooking" is exactly what I would call complex, it does feel, as I said, meaningful. So today it's plums. Hold onto your hats for the easiest recipe I'll probably ever write here.

Plums
1. Peel skins
2. Puree
3. Give puree to Kate to divide and freeze.

I also enjoy pears (peel, puree, freeze). Sweet potatoes are a little more complex (peel, boil, puree, freeze).

The pure, brilliant orange color of the sweet potatoes is a lot of fun.