To the new dad: Pressure cookers and slow cookers are your friend right now. I never find it as rewarding to throw a bunch of stuff in a slow cooker as I do when "really" cooking. But both times I was dealing with a newborn and a wife who was recovering -- and as the family member who cooks 95% of meals -- those tools were lifesavers. Soups, shredded chicken to use in all kinds of different things, etc. I'd use those to make stuff ahead of time to eat over the next few days and when time worked out (read: the wife was rested and the baby was asleep) I'd make a "nicer meal." Also nice with the slow cooker is that you can always start it at night and it'll be done by morning and dealing with a baby is no time to worry about things like "appropriate food for breakfast." You've been up half the night, eat a bowl of chili at 6:30am.
That and roasting meat and vegetables or a pot roast. Something that is "Hey, I'm going to be in the kitchen for 5-15 minutes putting stuff in a pan/pot/pressure cooker and I'll be right back to help you out" is everything.
Feb 8, 2023Ā·edited Feb 8, 2023Liked by Scott Hines
Hello, other reader who is a dad of a 2.5 month old. We should share notes. 2 off the top. 1, they sure are twitchy at the start, huh? 2, if youāre using formula, get the $12 Doc Brownās pitcher to make 36 ounces at once.
Congratulations! Also, find a single day where you can take a couple hours and just make a ton of casseroles in disposable aluminum pans, cool them, then freeze them. You can make enchiladas, or a large pasta dish. This works especially well if you sautee a bunch of veggies and add it to your pasta sauce. Then you can get by on one for 3-4 days, and you can even stretch it with garlic bread or rice or a salad or whatever, which are a lot easier to make on the spot.
Also, the ship might've sailed on this already, or you may not be able to, but we had someone organize a meal train for us when we had our first. People used it as an opportunity to come see the baby, and others sent gift cards for delivery, and it just made it a lot easier on the days where dinner seemed like too much work. Good luck!
You know, I was SO ready to call you out for not including the instant-read thermometer in your luxuries response...and then you devoted an entire question to hawking the product. Curses, foiled again!
Got one of the blankets for my gram for her birthday, and it's the only gift I've ever gotten a handwritten thank you note for. (I treasure that note as much as she does the blanket)
The #1 small luxury I swear by is a towel warmer. My husband and I put one on our wedding registry kind of as a bit (I once lived in an apartment with an electrified towel rack that warmed them for you, and we'd spoken semi-wistfully/seni-jokingly of it in the intervening years, saying "when we buy a house...") And let me tell you, that sucker is LIFE. CHANGING. I'm planning to get one for my brother when he moves in with his girlfriend in a couple months as a housewarming gift (even though they were the ones who got it for us lol)
In response to your Nebraska-Texas answer...hereās another āButterfly Effectā play. If Mardy Gilyard doesnāt house a kickoff to cut Pittās lead to 31-17 before halftime, Dave Wannstedt is very possibly still coaching the Panthers.
Iāve had a Javelin thermometer, and now ābetterā ones from Thermoworks. The Thermapens from Thermoworks are quicker to gauge temperature, but I never had an issue with the Javelin and the accuracy was the same.
Are the blankets made from real faux or imitation faux?
To the new dad: Pressure cookers and slow cookers are your friend right now. I never find it as rewarding to throw a bunch of stuff in a slow cooker as I do when "really" cooking. But both times I was dealing with a newborn and a wife who was recovering -- and as the family member who cooks 95% of meals -- those tools were lifesavers. Soups, shredded chicken to use in all kinds of different things, etc. I'd use those to make stuff ahead of time to eat over the next few days and when time worked out (read: the wife was rested and the baby was asleep) I'd make a "nicer meal." Also nice with the slow cooker is that you can always start it at night and it'll be done by morning and dealing with a baby is no time to worry about things like "appropriate food for breakfast." You've been up half the night, eat a bowl of chili at 6:30am.
That and roasting meat and vegetables or a pot roast. Something that is "Hey, I'm going to be in the kitchen for 5-15 minutes putting stuff in a pan/pot/pressure cooker and I'll be right back to help you out" is everything.
But can Holly still share her top 25 heading into next football season? For the nostalgia?
Hello, other reader who is a dad of a 2.5 month old. We should share notes. 2 off the top. 1, they sure are twitchy at the start, huh? 2, if youāre using formula, get the $12 Doc Brownās pitcher to make 36 ounces at once.
To Ross:
Congratulations! Also, find a single day where you can take a couple hours and just make a ton of casseroles in disposable aluminum pans, cool them, then freeze them. You can make enchiladas, or a large pasta dish. This works especially well if you sautee a bunch of veggies and add it to your pasta sauce. Then you can get by on one for 3-4 days, and you can even stretch it with garlic bread or rice or a salad or whatever, which are a lot easier to make on the spot.
Also, the ship might've sailed on this already, or you may not be able to, but we had someone organize a meal train for us when we had our first. People used it as an opportunity to come see the baby, and others sent gift cards for delivery, and it just made it a lot easier on the days where dinner seemed like too much work. Good luck!
The play I'm erasing is the pass interference non-call on Brandon Pettigrew in the Lions/Cowboys wildcard playoff game in 2014.
You know, I was SO ready to call you out for not including the instant-read thermometer in your luxuries response...and then you devoted an entire question to hawking the product. Curses, foiled again!
Got one of the blankets for my gram for her birthday, and it's the only gift I've ever gotten a handwritten thank you note for. (I treasure that note as much as she does the blanket)
stick a raclette dinner party on the calendar
I cannot recommend the raclette dinner party highly enough. To the point that I'm investigating purchasing a raclette iron.
The #1 small luxury I swear by is a towel warmer. My husband and I put one on our wedding registry kind of as a bit (I once lived in an apartment with an electrified towel rack that warmed them for you, and we'd spoken semi-wistfully/seni-jokingly of it in the intervening years, saying "when we buy a house...") And let me tell you, that sucker is LIFE. CHANGING. I'm planning to get one for my brother when he moves in with his girlfriend in a couple months as a housewarming gift (even though they were the ones who got it for us lol)
You can also add a splash (1/4 oz) of Luxardo to your Manhattan recipe and you have a passable Brooklyn
In response to your Nebraska-Texas answer...hereās another āButterfly Effectā play. If Mardy Gilyard doesnāt house a kickoff to cut Pittās lead to 31-17 before halftime, Dave Wannstedt is very possibly still coaching the Panthers.
Iāve had a Javelin thermometer, and now ābetterā ones from Thermoworks. The Thermapens from Thermoworks are quicker to gauge temperature, but I never had an issue with the Javelin and the accuracy was the same.
There's also a Smoked Maldon salt too that's an extra little treat on top of the awesome Maldon salt.
Raclette party is a must. This is my favorite of all the raclettes Iāve had. https://leelanaucheese.com
Thank you for the tips! Sheās a good baby, think we are going to keep her. Also, the wife and I made the romesco-tomato soup and loved it!