Zucchini Soup with Poor Man's Pesto

I had the opportunity spent today watching an extra toddler and a small infant.  I'm pretty exhausted.  Surprisingly enough it wasn't as crazy as I thought it would be.  The baby slept most of the day which is a concept completely foreign to me.  He was laying down on the floor staring around one minute and the next time I looked over at him he was asleep.   It was a stark contrast to my own experience with the kid who had to be rocked for a half hour before taking a 10-15 minute nap.  

The kid was MUCH more fussy as well.  The baby, for the twelve hours he was here didn't cry once.  It. Was. Nuts.  If I could guarantee a baby like that I wouldn't hesitate to have another.  As it is I'm a little gun shy.



The other toddler is only 2 months older than the kid.  They had a lot of fun together.  It was so interesting to really get a grasp on their differing personalities.  The kid is much more aggressive, vocal and laughs a lot.  The boy I was watching is more active, has many more words but doesn't jabber as much.  He also needed more attention than my kid.  I guess I'm finally spoiled.  

I'm tired but it was also pretty fun.

After feeding this other toddler lunch I no longer wonder at my child's larger 30 lb weight.  For lunch the kid ate an entire grilled cheese and butternut squash sandwich and about 2 cups of watermelon and finished it all off with a half a graham cracker.  The other kid refused the grilled cheese, the peanut butter sandwich AND the watermelon.  He did eat the graham cracker.  

In other news, my brother requested a zucchini recipe.  So here it is.  The perfect way to enjoy your end of summer bounty.  And topped with my poor man's pesto (so named because it uses sunflower seeds instead of pine nuts) it is delicious to boot.   

Zucchini Soup
recipe adapted from Cooking Light, August 2004
serves 4

Ingredients:
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 bunch green onions, chopped
6 stalks celery, chopped
6 medium zucchinis, chopped
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
poor man's pesto (recipe below)

Directions:
1. Add oil to a large saucepan heated over medium heat.  Add vegetables and saute until softened, about 3 minutes.
2. Add stock and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.  Blend soup in a blender until smooth.
3. In a large bowl stir together soup and buttermilk.
4. Serve with poor man's pesto.

Poor Man's Pesto
a balancing the table original

Ingredients:
1/2 cup packed basil
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:
1. In the bowl of a food processor, blend ingredients until smooth
2. Add stock to

What the husband thought: that this was delicious.  He is generally not a fan of blended soups but he still really enjoyed this one.

What the kid ate: a pretty decent amount of this soup and....wait for it...STEAMED CARROTS!  We've recently discovered he likes to sip soups through a straw.  Yeah, I know, gross.  But, it's better than setting him free with a spoon.