Here are some articles on childproofing that may help. http://www.moaa.org/Magazine/July2005/ask_the_doctor.asp http://www.bcm.edu/news/item.cfm?newsID=528 http://www.texaschildrenshospital.org/Parents/TipsArticles/ArticleDisplay.aspx?aid=785

I love Italian food. MIL used to make both ravioli and gnocchi from scratch. She showed me once how to make gnocchi. I buy both ravioli and gnocchi frozen and they are pretty darn good. I do make my own sauce, then again using jarred sauce isn't a crime. Glad you were able to celebrate his specisl day with family!

"somebody else complained on this forum how SKs don't want to eat what she cooks. But every dish she described sounded like i wouldn't eat themn either. A lot of sauces, gravies, unusual ingredients all mixed together. Kids don't like this stuff." Oh, I remember this. That was me you are referring to, finedreams. I was talking about a 5 hr stew that I made. Ok, maybe case in point there as far as too many ingredients for SS to like. BUT the other recipe I described was one I specifically found FOR SS on a picky eaters' website---it was some sort of chicken simmered in a crockpot with a cream cheese sauce served over rice. The third meal I described was baked chicken tenders on skewers served with a sweet peanut butter dipping sauce on the side--taken from Family Fun magazine. I made these two dishes with my SS in mind. I almost never make sauces or gravies, unless we are having pasta. We do A LOT of grilling (chicken, fish, steak, burgers) and baked potatoes or rice, etc. and none of those things have sauces---yet it is still a struggle to get SS to eat much of anything. It's ironic because most of our meals are rather *plain* for SS. Every time we serve any kind of meat, he HAS to have ranch or ketchup to dip it in. Oh well---at least it gets him to eat and try new things! I made tilapia filets over the weekend (baked them in foil with pineapple and butter) and the only way SS would eat it was smothered in ranch. In my mind I was thinking YUCK. But at least he ate it--this is an improvement! :) I think kids like what they are exposed to from an early age. SS is actually a HUGE fan of sauces and gravies because he gets a lot of that at BM's house. He loves noodles in alfredo sauce, and lasagna. We got to breakfast every weekend and he orders the same thing religiously--biscuits and gravy! To me, those are exactly what you said kids don't like--jumbled together, mushy, saucy, etc. It just frustrates me when people sterotype and say "oh kids don't like exotic foods" or "kids don't like mushy foods" or whatever. OF COURSE parents should take into consideration what their kids like, but how are kids going to develop a taste for anything remotely *different* if not exposed? I had a friend growing up whose parents were food buffs--they looooved to cook, and always made excellent meals. Salmon on the grill, couscous, grilled asparagus, etc. But they would NEVER serve the kids that! When I'd be over at her house, the kids would get chicken nuggets or corn dogs, etc. while the adults ate the other stuff. My friend to this day is an extremely picky eater. Children like what they are taught to like for the most part. You should see the organic menu at my DD's school. Chicken parmesan. Whole wheat spaghetti. Turkey pot pie with whole wheat crust. Tacos. Mini quiches. They have a wide variety of hot meals and I've never heard parents OR kids complain.

Shambo, I often make my favorite apple cider brined pork loin, it's something everyone likes, from the gluten free to the meat eaters and a pork loin will serve lots of people. It works equally well with chicken, and the meat can be done on the grill with really good results. I've cut the salt down to half because I wanted the apple cider flavor, and it was still pretty good, I don't know if you could cut it out entirely or not. Cider Brined Pork Loin 3 cups water 3 cups apple cider 1/4 cup kosher salt 1 tablespoon black peppercorns 1 tablespoon coriander seeds 1 bay leaf 1 (2-pound) boneless pork loin, trimmed 2 cups apple cider Cooking spray 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Preparation Combine the first 6 ingredients in a saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring until salt dissolves. Remove from heat; cool. Pour brine into a 2-gallon zip-top plastic bag. Add pork; seal. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight, turning bag occasionally. Preheat oven to 350°. Bring 2 cups cider to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until cider has thickened and reduced to 1/4 cup (about 15 minutes). Set aside. Remove pork from bag; discard brine. Place pork on rack of a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat pork with cooking spray. Combine rosemary, sage, and black pepper; sprinkle evenly over pork. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until thermometer registers 155°, basting twice with cider reduction during final 20 minutes of cooking. Remove from oven; baste with remaining cider reduction. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Note: Overnight brining tenderizes the roast. If the cider reduction becomes too thick to brush on the pork, warm it in a saucepan over low heat. I've found that the Ronzoni and Mueller's gluten free pasta is actually pretty close to "regular", I can't tell the difference and neither can the kids, so big pasta dishes are a possibility, like steak tips with noodles or baked ziti. Turkey is always a "go to" in my family, and most of us like grilled salmon, glazed with some maple syrup. Kabobs are good for everyone too, and I make various marinades, using Bragg's Aminos instead of soy because it's gluten free, but it's still got sodium, so be careful with that if you're going the teriyaki route. AnnT's Salisbury steaks can be made gluten free easily, and are flavorful enough that the salt or other ingredients wouldn't be missed. I often make swiss steak to be served with rice or mashed potatoes, and pot roast is easy and can be made ahead without a lot of last minute prep. Most of all, just have fun! Annie