The Baby Eats and Lemon, Mint, Vanilla Soda Syrup

Zucchini pancakes are yummy!

 Don't worry, I won't go all baby food blog here. There are a million great baby food resource blogs out there. (If you want some of them, just email me.) My little dude has started eating real food and it is a hoot! I knew I was going to love cooking up food for my son, but I had no idea just how fun it would be to watch him eat it!

Me eating blueberry muffins? No, why do you ask?

Just the other day he was enjoying zucchini feta pancakes and an apricot. Other self feeding favorites have been roasted sweet potatoes dusted with cinnamon, whole wheat bread with hummus, and corn meal blue berry muffins. He recently discovered ice cream when I was enjoying a cone of vanilla. You can't eat in front of him without sharing, so he figured out how to lick the cone pretty fast. :)

Eating lamb in front of the lambs. So wrong, but so funny.

 The best though, was when we took him to Sundan Farms for their open farm day. They were grilling up all sorts of delicious lamb. Justin and I were enjoying the lamb chops when we hear a small but demanding voice asking for a taste. Next thing we know we have a baby squealing with joy as he tastes his first meat. He is his father's son. He spent the rest of the visit sucking on the bones. 

One of the best things about being home for the summer is all the family time we are getting. We are trying to all get out for a long walk each day. The other day, while wandering through the ally behind our house I came across a HUGE patch of lemon balm. Lemon balm is basically a mint like weed around here, popping up through our fence, giving us an almost daily chore of ripping it out. But, on this day I decided to take an arm full of fragrant stems home with me. I stopped at my neighbor's garden for a large handful of mint. Once home I simmered them in just enough water to cover the leaves, with some sugar until a dark sweet tea was made.

After tasting it I added a tiny drip of vanilla to round the lemon, mint flavor. Now we have a great syrup to make lemon mint soda with our handy Soda Steam. I also really like it mixed with my strawberry drinking vinegar.

Funny thing, the next day I was reading the Oregonian FoodDay and found a recipe for Lemon Verbena Soda. Great Minds!  :) 

Lemon, Mint, Vanilla Soda Syrup
2 large handfuls of lemon verbena, washed and stems broken into smaller pieces
1 large handful of mint, washed and stems broken into smaller pieces
3 cups water
1 cup sugar
3 drips of vanilla

1. In a large sauce pan add verbena, mint, water and sugar. Simmer 10 minutes or until the water takes on a dark tea like appearance.
2. Strain leaves from tea. Add vanilla.

3. Pour into a pretty bottle. Add a tablespoon or more to a large glass of bubbly water for a refreshing soda.

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