TicTac

I have no fear of any kind of desserts or sweets, but a baby (15 month old in my case) surely has no need whatsoever (nor are outside influences going to impact any 'binge eating', at least for years to come) for desserts, aside from special occasions. I stick to my point that for kids under 2-3+ years of age who know no better (unless they were brought up with it) do not need desserts (it is only the parents perception, or desire to see their kids 'enjoy' sweets) on any sort of 'regular' basis. Fats I have no issue with, organic avocados are a big part in my sons diet (at least 2-3x per week it is apart of his meals), but useless fats, like cream, fried crap, etc, are totally unnecessary,

lbakermathews - you however are not the norm as most people do not make their own ice-cream. Much of what one makes at home (sweets in this case), unless it contains oodles of refined sugars/processed nonsense/butter in them, are OK - in limited (very) quantities. I simply prefer not to give my kids sugar laden desserts unless its a very special occasion; but prefer fruit instead (or a home made frozen fruit 'pop', ices, etc) I would suggest however that there are not a lot of 'good fats' in cream (research if you believe otherwise), and don't fool yourself, maple sugar is still sugar (yes , not refined, which is great), and sugar is not something that any kid NEEDS, per say (though I will be the first to admit some local maple syrup has made its way into the little fellas banana bran muffins).

It all depends how old your garlic scapes are. They can at times get very fibrous and tough, especially towards the bottom of the stem. You could blanch first if that is the case, however; I prefer to grill them on low-med heat (whoever said over a HOT fire was wrong) to ensure they are cooked within and still get a char. You could also peal the thicker outer layer, especially towards the bottom, though I have not tried that method.

Pre 4-5 years old, I don't understand why parents would give their kids things like ice cream, chips, chocolate bars, etc (even post that age, to be honest). In terms of introducing new foods, remember, often it is the texture that bothers kids, understanding kids eating habits, likes/dislikes would allow you to introduce flavours (broccoli soup vs. sauteed) as well as the benefits of said food (from a nutritional perspective) and eventually varying the method of preparation.

mm8 - those porcini's look quite nice. Where did you source them from? As well, what liquid did you use for your porcini risotto?

The key is starting from a young age. My son is now 15 months old. He has had 'dessert' once in his life, a small chocolate cake (home made, of course) for his 1st birthday whereby he got to embed his face into it, enjoy the thrill of sparkles and chocolate, which then led to 3 hours of absolute mayhem with a 3 hour marathon of trying to get to sleep that night. Why do people give their kids (excuse my french here) - shit to eat? Sugar should in fact be classified as a drug, so why would anyone give their kids pop, let alone processed crap? Often its the parents that feel they enjoy those things so they want to see their children get joy as well (clearly coming from a good place) they just forget the fact that children know no better. We have made a serious effort to only feed our children home made foods (locally sourced or 'organic') where we can, but absolutely to avoid the 'middle isles' and thus ensuring no processed 'shelf stable' crap makes its way into their mouths. If they grow up enjoying eating veggies (granted there will always be some that for whatever reason, texture in my sons distaste for broccoli - as when I blend it, he loves it) they will continue to enjoy them through life. Sure there may be some months/years where fussiness abides, but one must hold true to their beliefs and lead by example.