How Sweet (Potato) It Is

Last night J and I started our holiday detox routine with a simple dinner of salad with chicken, apples, and almonds with a side of roasted sweet potato. We also had a little bread and butter to round things out and to try out the sweet french butter dish that my parents gave us for Christmas. You smoosh the butter in the container (the dark ceramic dish in the foreground) and then turn it upside down in a bit of salted water (the other ceramic dish in the background near the bread). It keeps the butter fresh and cool while sitting out on the counter. After all of our holiday indulgences, I was a little worried that my taste buds had forgotten how to process vegetables, what with all the meat, sweets, and alcohol that I've consumed for the last month. Luckily, my dear friend salad tasted just as good as I remembered. 

Although delicious, we usually don't have plain roasted sweet potatoes, but last night I had other plans as well. Little's pediatrician said that we could start him on solids after his 4-month appointment because he was sitting up on his own in a high chair and had shown quite a bit of interest in our food and drink. I decided to wait a bit, partially because I wanted him to be a little older, but also I wanted to do some reading on what to introduce first. Eric & Lea gave me a sweet baby food book for Christmas and the more I read there (and other sources as well) the more I realized that rice cereal probably wouldn't be his first food -- although well tolerated, it's pretty bland and boring. Since breast fed babies are accustomed to sweet things, I decided on sweet potatoes, which are nutritious and tasty. He was pretty shocked after his first bite and had a few sour faces to go along with the experience, but he kept swallowing and opening his mouth for more. I think the jury is still out on whether he's a fan, but for a first try it wasn't bad at all. 

After we put the little dude down to bed, I baked some gingerbread (something I had planned to do over the holidays, but never go the chance) and we had a mini belated birthday celebration for me. What? Everyone knows that you have to wean yourself off the sweets during holiday detox to avoid withdrawal. My mom picked up a small King Cake from Ken's Artisan Bakery before they left since we never got around to making a birthday cake while my parents were in town. 

As you know, every year my birthday marks the first day of King Cake season in New Orleans, but this is unlike any that I've seen before. I'm pretty sure it's more of a traditional French King Cake rather than the yeasty bread-like cake that I'm used to, but it was delicious. I'd probably describe it as a giant croissant with a delicious sweet almond and vanilla treat in the middle. Well done Ken's, well done.