Few things can make a man who loves to cook feel more utterly

useless than a newborn.

Admittedly, I'd gotten a bit ahead of myself by the time

my wife and I brought our son home from the hospital recently.

My head already was full of tastes and textures I wanted him

to experience as soon a possible.

Would he pucker at Parmesan dunked in balsamic? Would he savor

the crisp tartness of Cortland apples picked from the orchard

down the street? And what about tomatoes, lightly seasoned with

olive oil, sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper?

More important, would my wife let me near the child once she

learned what I was thinking?

It probably is for the best that her more informed opinion that

solid foods should wait prevailed. Nonetheless, this leaves me

rooting about, searching for some way to feel useful and satisfy

his needs (beyond diaper drudgery).

When Parker cries for his 3 a.m. feeding, there is little I

can do to comfort him, a frustrating position for the house cook.

I admit, 36 hours of labor entitles my wife to her monopoly on

the joy of feeding our little bundle, but it still leaves me

feeling lame.

Truth is, I wasn't sure I would even face this problem.

Plenty of people warned that once the little guy came along,

I'd be so tired and so overwhelmed I would lose all interest

in cooking.

Overwhelmed and tired? Certainly. But not at the expense of

my need to cook. Blame the nesting instinct, and a dad's

desire to help his son along on his culinary explorations. Autumn's

abundance of great food doesn't hurt, either.

The obvious answer, of course, is cooking for his mom, who is

entitled to some pampering - and, after nearly a week of

hospital food, to something more than Jello.

Breakfast seemed the best bet for giving her a treat. Dinner

is predictable and too often interrupted by crying. Plus, a Sunday

morning spread seemed the perfect way to celebrate our little

one's one-week anniversary at home.

For inspiration I turned to Mollie Katzen's "Sunlight

Café" (Hyperion, $29.95), which is dedicated to all

things breakfast. Many of her recipes are simple and speedy - essential

ingredients for a peaceful breakfast with a baby in the background.

I decided to start off with a vanilla-pear smoothie that calls

for ripe pears, apple juice and yogurt.

To continue the seasonal fruit theme, I also opted for Katzen's

caramelized fruit, a deliciously different take on fruit salad.

Any combination of fruit works, but I found fresh pineapple best.

If you use more delicate fruits such as apples, reduce the cooking

time, else you will end up with apple sauce.

Finally, a batch of pumpkin muffins warm from the oven. Not

only did I like the seasonal element of this item, I also figured

muffins are easy to eat with one hand, just in case Parker had

grown pouty by this point.

And maybe when my wife isn't looking, I can sneak him just

a drop of smoothie on his tongue.

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