The hardest thing about the last minute Christmas shopping is lugging my poor, innocent 13 ½ month old along for the ride with me! As I haul the poor kid in and out of his stroller a hundred times, roasting away in his full-body snowsuit, fighting the crowds trying to grab that last large striped sweater on sale at Banana Republic, it’s written all over his face… Why Mummy? Why did you leave it all to the very last second, AGAIN? Next year, Jas, all online, I promise!

Hope you are all more organized than I! Happy happy holidays to everyone, and don’t forget to check out the awesome Boxing Day and New Year’s Day sales at Hatley…. Great way to get started on next year’s shopping ☺!

It’s great to be writing for the first Hatley blog. This was an idea that we batted around for a few months, and now I’m very excited to finally be getting it off the ground. Somehow the timing seems right with Christmas so close…

I guess I should introduce myself before we get started. My name is Anthea, but most people know me as Ea, and I am the newest addition to the Oldland clan. Jeremy, one of the owners of Hatley and the youngest of the three brothers, and I were married in October of ’07, and one year later we were thrilled to welcome our baby boy Jasper. He is now 13 months old, and our once teeny tiny, delicate baby has turned into a hulking, 22-pound, highly mobile, laughing little boy. Jeremy and my carefree days of spontaneity are now long gone, giving way to strict nap schedules, kindergym classes and playdates, but we couldn’t be happier. As a trained professional chef, currently on hiatus due to the little person now occupying essentially all of my time, I now have the luxury of working from home doing some writing for Hatley, and we thought a blog would be a fun way to talk about the great products as well as the crazy, wonderful, nerve-wracking life as a new mom I now have!

As I am taking a break from the crazy life I used to lead in a professional kitchen, my primary creative outlet these days is cooking for Jasper. People may think I’m nuts to spend so much time and money on making all of my own baby food, but I figure that this is probably the only time in his life that I will be able to control what he is eating, when I’m not competing with commercials for McDonald’s and Pizza Hut, so why not?  Yes, organic products are certainly more expensive (almost double the price), so I pick and choose what I buy very carefully (usually meats, fish, milk, eggs, fruit and veggies without thick peels). I can’t really justify spending $7 on a bunch of asparagus, but coughing up a bit extra for a piece of organic salmon that actually tastes like salmon, I am okay with.

Much to my dismay, and maybe because I have been making such an effort with Jasper’s meals, it seems as though my son is turning in to a picky eater. As a reformed picky eater myself, I fear I may be in for a rough time as he grows up – my mother of course finds it hilarious that I am finally getting a dose of my own medicine. My best strategy is sneaking veggies in to things I know he loves (chicken meatballs, pasta and sauce, omelets), and distracting him with plenty of spoons so that he can attempt to feed himself. I made up a recipe the other day for individual little faux Shepard’s Pie’s (or Pâté chinois, as it’s known here where I live, in Quebec) and it was a big hit, so I thought I would write it below. It was a great way to sneak in lots of veggies without him knowing, and it actually tasted pretty good so Jeremy and I had for dinner as well! I made a whole bunch in little individual ramekins and froze them.

Faux Shepherd’s Pie For Kids

For the bottom:
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. ground veal, lamb or beef (organic, if possible)
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 cup puréed tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock, or more if necessary
¼ cup corn kernels
¼ cup peas
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. parsley, finely chopped

For the top:
1 large white potato, peeled and diced
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 cup cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 Tbsp. plain yogurt

Heat oil in a medium-sized skillet and sauté the meat until brown, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Drain off as much fat as you can, and add the onion, garlic and carrot to the pan. Cook until soft. Add the tomato purée and the stock and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Stir in corn and peas, cinnamon and parsley, and any salt and pepper if you like, and simmer until the flavors have combined, about 20 minutes. Add more stock if the sauce seems like it is getting too thick.

For the top, boil the white and sweet potato until tender when pricked with a knife. Cook the cauliflower separately also until tender. Mash the potatoes with the cauliflower in a ricer or food-mill until smooth. Stir in yogurt and salt and pepper if you want.

To assemble the Shepard’s Pie, place 10 2” ramekins on a baking sheet. Spread the bottom of each with the sauce, so that it fills about 2/3 of the ramekin, and then cover the sauce with the mashed potatoes/cauliflower. Wrap each ramekin tightly with aluminum foil and pop the whole cookie sheet in the freezer. Just thaw out an individual Shepard’s Pie as needed!