11 Recipes You Can Make With a Baby Strapped to Your Chest

Serious Eats / Amanda SuarezDuring parental leave, all I wanted to do was bake. Whether it was my first go at something like maternal instinct or the desperate desire to be alone and do something I love, it took months to be able to fit baking back into my schedule. And when I did? It was only possible with a near-sleeping baby strapped to my chest. Bonding? Check! Alone time? ...Kinda! Learning to love something even more in this new-and-improved formatting? Totally.And then two seconds later I had a (hilarious, wonderful, beautiful) toddler with an obsession with heat sources and penchant for mischief.All this to say: The Serious Eats team thought ahead of Mother's Day, it might be a fun idea to put together a list of recipes—sweet and savory!—that are not only easy to accomplish with one hand (and even easier with two hands if that baby is strapped onto you), but also safe for making with children in the vicinity. Oh, and if you're reading this and you're not a mom but you love a tired person, you can, like, take care of the baby and that person by making one of these recipes. :)A note: Please always be mindful of anything dangling in your kitchen, as well as anything that can snag on surfaces and/or catch on fire. When kids are in the kitchen, pot and pan handles should never point out towards you, knives should be far from counter and cutting board edges, and any cooking task that involves hot oil that could spatter is not advisable. All of these recipes keep those qualifications in mind!Lemon TartSerious Eats / Amanda SuarezAn easier, brighter lemon curd you will not find. There is catharsis in this curd!Air Fryer BaconSerious Eats / Amanda SuarezAll parents deserve quick, easy, and mess-free snacking bacon. These are the rules, etc., etc.Hummus B'TahiniSerious Eats / Mai KakishNo (loud!) food processor required and ready in 10 minutes? Check and mate.Easy Garlic BreadSerious Eats / Amanda SuarezNo need to roast garlic ahead for this super simple, super garlicky bread.One-Bowl Shortbread CookiesSerious Eats / Amanda SuarezCome for the sheer amount of butter, stay for the satisfying 9x13 squishing.3-Ingredient Stovetop Mac & CheesePhotographs: Vicky Wasik. Video: J. Kenji López-AltEasiest with a tiny baby snuggled all the way up in that carrier, but once the recipe is in your repertoire, it'll be there forever.Strawberry Pretzel SaladSerious Eats / Amanda SuarezPlease note that while straightforward, there is an element of (gentle) heat here to beware of whilst cooking with bebe.Sālād-é-Shirāzi (Persian Cucumber and Tomato Salad)Serious Eats / Nader MehravariThis Iranian salad features a combination of cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions and is refreshing, simple, and quick to make.Whipped CreamSerious Eats / Amanda SuarezAll you need is your hands and some cream, really.Creamy Cheese SauceSerious Eats / Amanda SuarezFor nachos, hot dogs, or, again, just for straight snacking, this recipe finally unlocks the secret to consistently creamy cheese sauce from scratch.Japanese Fruit SandoSerious Eats / Debbie WeeA quick and gorgeous offering for someone you love.
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