Essentials 7/10

I remember reading a list such as this when I was pregnant. It helped me a bit and also made me conscientious, during Ev’s first year, of our needs. Without further ado (since it’s 3 months late anyway. Who am I to make my readers wait?)… I present the ten things we could NOT live without for our first year of parenthood. I’ll post them one at a time because they’ve turned into quite lengthy little guys!

7. Stacked steamer. Not much to say about this other than the fact that it goes along with the 11-cup Cusinart when I say it made baby food making much easier. Most fruits and veggies have to be steamed prior to food processing them. When I wanted to do a few batches. I could load this bad boy up, put a couple other things on the stove, and really whip out some food. My sister gave it to me years before because I’m a steamed broccoli-haulic. I used it a few times but always found it rather cumbersome for ‘just broccoli.’ Oh, man, it has found it’s identity now. That thing can steam some stuff. Also, if the steaming times are different, I would just take that rack out to start food processing it and load another food in it to start steaming. I don’t think I’ve ever talked about a steamer so much in my life. I’m done now. It’s fab though. Okay, now I’m really done.

Obviously, this is not a pic of my actual steamer but it is the same kind I have. I've never tried to steam fish, broccoli, corn, carrots, and potatoes at the same time. I guess the wine is placed in the pic to really show how entertaining steaming can be. "You just put your colorful, fay-ncy food in there, pour you a glass of ummm red wine in a black tinted glass and Voila! Dinner!" I would think it would drip fish juices down on your corn and broccoli and really be a buzz kill but....