I don't know if she's trying to talk or not, but all that was coming out tonight was a loud humming sound. My daughter is also learning how to fake her cries so Mommy will look at her or come running to get her. I wasn't taking any of it tonight, so I just put her next to the kitchen where she could see me. I blocked her face out for security purposes, but here she is in her rain-forest high chair watching me with Sophie the Giraffe, who had just been in her mouth.
I LOVE this recipe for Pea Soup that I found in the book Medieval Celebrations. I added a few things to make it taste even better, including a trick I learned fro my grandmother to make vegetable dishes taste like they have meat in them. This takes about a half hour to make from start to finish, and will feed a family of four for several days. The most expensive ingredient is the saffron, but once you get a supply of that on hand (this is pretty much the only dish I use it for regularly) it will last you awhile.
This recipe is the same (except for the modern methods of preparation) as from the time the rhyme was written: Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old!
Ingredients:
3 pounds frozen peas
3 small (or 2 large) yellow onions, peeled and chopped
4 cups vegetable broth (2 14-oz. cans plus one can filled with water)
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. saffron
fresh, coarsely ground pepper (a little in the pot, a little more on top of each bowlful as a garnish)
heaping spoonful of bacon grease/fat
Bring stock and water to a boil (or at least beginning to boil) in a large kettle. I usually throw the onions in as the broth is heating up, mainly because I want them away from my eyes as quickly as possible.
Add remaining ingredients to the broth, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until peas and onions are soft. 
Puree the soup in a blender in small batches, pouring the pureed soup into a large bowl as each batch is finished and then returning to the pot to reheat once all is blended into a nice green mush.
Can be made ahead, frozen, and/or reheated.
The end result kinda looks like baby poop but it's absolutely delicious! And of course you can leave out the bacon grease if you want it to be vegetarian, but I think it adds a nice subtle hint as if I'd put ham in the soup.
