Pesto

Okay everyone, I swear I didn't forget about my blog. Yeah, I've been slow to update... only because life's been pretty crazy lately! I've been working a lot, between my real job, babysitting, and dogsitting... as well doing some fun stuff (well, that depends on your definition of fun).

I reorganized our pantry! I threw out some old Trader Joe's soups that expired in 2006, among other equally spoiled things... ew. Notable changes: all baking supplies are on one shelf, oils and vinegars are arranged for maximum visibility, and things with expiration dates are front and center so we don't miss out on any deliciousness!

I bought my best friend the coolest flask for her graduation. I may or may not have already ordered another for myself... but you'll have to guess which house's sigil and motto I like!

The same best friend let me tag along with her family to a Friday night game at Fenway Park. What I love about Boston sports is the sense of camaraderie. Everyone at Fenway is focused on the game, but there's still time to laugh and joke with random Sox fans sitting near you.

And since I've been so busy, I haven't really had time to blog! I've been on a salad kick lately, but salads aren't really worth a full post, I think. A little too specific to one's own taste.

While planning the week's meals on Sunday, my mother suggested tortellini with pesto for dinner tonight, and a plan was born! This pesto is quick, easy, and undeniably delicious.

What you'll need:
 -3 cups basil
 -1 1/2 cups of toasted pine nuts
 -1 cup olive oil
 -4 cloves of garlic
 -1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
 -salt and pepper to taste

That's it! Isn't that easy? It doesn't get any harder from here!

Step one: Throw everything but the olive oil into a food processor. The garlic doesn't need to be chopped or anything. Chuck it all in there.

Step two: Process until the mixture resembles this. I think it looks remarkably like tabouleh, with individual particles very easy to spot. It's a pretty coarse mixture.

Step three: While processing, pour oil in slowly. My lovely mother helped me out with this.

Step four: Process until all the oil is incorporated. Stop the processor, then taste a little bit of the pesto. My mom and I thought it could use a little something-something, so we added the juice of a quarter of lime.

Boom. You're done. Add it to really anything you want! This makes quite a lot, so you'll have some for later. We used about a fifth of it for a family-size thing of cheese tortellini.

Transfer the excess to a vessel and you're done! (Parsley garnish optional)

We used some of the basil from our own garden, which is a dark purple in color. It doesn't affect the taste, just the color!

My boss's birthday is next week, and his absolute favorite food is peanut butter, so stay tuned for what I bake! I'm deciding between Peanut Butter + Jelly Bars, or No-Bake Reese's Peanut Butter Bars. Any thoughts?

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