Almond Pesto

I love Lydia's Italy. And I love PBS. I love that I can watch Lydia's Italy on PBS. And other cooking shows. And Rick Steve's Europe. And Masterpiece Mystery. And any/all Ken Burns documentaries.

But I digress.

I had this recipe from Lydia for almond pesto. Here's what I've learned about pesto-you can make it with just about anything. This one was fantastic on chicken. I cooked up some pasta with it too. And it was delicious the next day. My 3 year old had thirds and my 2 year old enjoyed it. My 5 year old wouldn't touch it but he's going through a picky phase.

Here's the recipe with how I adjusted it to use what I had on hand:
adapted from original recipe from Rachel Ray Magazine

1/3 c roasted almonds
3/4 pint cherry tomatoes
Some chunks of fresh parmesan
Salt
fresh basil and parsley (about 1-2 cups)
Olive oil

Throw everything but oil into a food processor and process until fairly smooth. Add in oil while the motor is running until it is the texture you're going for. Taste, and adjust as necessary.

Not very specific but easy and yummy. Serve over chicken, fish, pasta or all of the above!

Enjoy :)

Temporary

Last night was one of those loooong nights. I've had many worse. With four kids, it's inevitable. But my baby girl is four months old and exclusively breastfed, as my three older boys were. This has resulted in none of my children sleeping through the night until they were 6-9 months old. So my sweet little darling, although a good sleeper, typically gets up 2-3 times a night. Last night she was a bit gassy and woke up to eat (or once just to be held and calmed) every 2 hours or less.

Part of me is so tempted to complain. Oh, I just want to sleep. Man, I wanted some alone time with my hubby. Jeez, I'm tired today and now I have to be awake and still feed her/put her to sleep while taking care of three other kids. And get them fed, to the bathroom, homeschooled, kept out of trouble, away from crayons, etc.... There will be no nap since only my 2 year old takes regular naps. Coffee is cold before I can get to my second cup. Kids want snacks because their breakfast of Nutella sandwiches/ginger snaps/organic cheese puffs hasn't done the trick but we're out of fruit and yogurt and eggs and I can't afford to go shopping for a couple more days.

So, now that I've explained the negative thoughts that follow me, let me discuss the rest. Those above mentioned things are true. But here is real truth-my whole life I've wanted to be a Mom. That is my career choice. I feel so blessed to have married and had kids young. Not many 28 year olds are about to celebrate they're 10th anniversary. I have a husband who helps selflessly whenever he can while encouraging me to be a better Mom/wife/child of God.  More than that, young children are a season of life. My oldest is almost 6 and the time has gone by so fast. This is a time to be joyful and care for/love/train up the children God has entrusted to me. This work is greater than me. I can endure little sleep. I can spend my free time cleaning. What a blessing it is to serve and teach these little ones as our Heavenly Father serves and teaches us.

Besides, baby girl here just woke up and smiled at me like I was the most wonderful person in her world. Now that is worth being awake for.