Simple Basil Pesto

'Necessity is the mother of invention.'

It is true. Believe every word of it.

Faced with a blank slate pizza crust.

Fresh out of tomato sauce. Fresh out of tomatoes for sauce.

Fresh out of alfredo. Fresh out of cheese for alfredo.

Fresh out of pesto.

But.

An ample supply of fresh basil sitting in my fridge, moving swiftly towards extinction. 

Perfect, just perfect.

P.S. Pine nuts with an expiration date of February 2009.... Walnuts will do. Oh yes. They will. (Next up: Spring cleaning of the nut cupboard.)

Simple Basil Pesto

4 large handfuls of basil leaves

3 cloves of garlic, cut into small pieces

1/4 c. shredded parmesan cheese

4 T. olive oil, more if needed

1/4 c. chopped walnuts

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender. (If using a blender, it will be necessary to scrape down every few spins to ensure ingredients are meeting the blade.)

Add extra olive oil if using for a pasta dish. Or use as a spread on your favorite pizza or sandwich.

Sweet Roasted Tomato Pasta

I've recently been inspired to try my hand at making fresh sauces for my pastas and pizzas. This idea originated from a lack of ingredients in the cupboard, but is happily becoming a habit.

My lastest pasta dish featured freshly roasted cherry tomatoes bursting with sweetness. Roasting tomatoes is an easy process and a fantastic way to unleash their fabulous flavor.

Goat cheese brought a touch of tanginess to the dish, while garlic and basil tied the flavors together. Unique, yet familiar.

Sweet Roasted Tomato Pasta

4 T. olive oil

16 oz. cherry tomatoes, rinsed

salt and pepper

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 t. dried basil (or 1 T. freshly minced basil)

1 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

1 lb. pasta (I used a fancy pasta given to us as a gift, but you can use any)

2-4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Drizzle 2 T. of olive oil onto a baking sheet. Scatter tomatoes over the sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper Place in oven for about 20 minutes, or until tomatoes burst. (Some will char a bit.) About 10 minutes into baking, add garlic to unleash its flavor.

Pour into a bowl along with the other 2 tablespoons of olive oil. (The tomatoes will absorb some of the oil which is fine.) Add basil, salt and pepper, and mix well.

Cook pasta until al dente. Mix into sauce. Plate pasta and sprinkle with a generous helping of goat cheese.

I served the pasta alongside a Trader Joe's Sundried Tomato Chicken sausage. We ended up cutting them up and adding them to the pasta.

Sunday Sightings: Breakfast Scones

Easy Beer Bread

The beer seems to be multiplying in our fridge. Every time I open the door, I swear there are ten more bottles in there. Neither of us drink much beer. Sure, we enjoy a bottle every once in a while, but not often enough to take care of the hoppy population in the fridge.

Not to worry. A few years ago I discovered there are other uses for beer -- fertilizing, cleaning gold jewelry, trapping insects.... But the one that tops the list by far is beer bread. Due to the yeast in beer, it makes for a lovely loaf, pairing well with a hearty soup or steak dinner.

Come to think of it, this would be a perfect accompaniment to a St. Patrick's Day Corned Beef dinner. Might help keep the Guinness consumption at a reasonable level...nah, probably not.

These mini-loaves were a hit because the crispy, buttery crust was more prolific than it would be in a large loaf. Although, don't let that hinder you...it is every-bit-delicious in a regular loaf pan too!

Beer Bread

Adapted from epicurious.com

3 c. all-purpose flour

1 T. baking powder

1 t. salt

3 T. sugar

1 - 17 oz. bottle or can of beer, room temperature (I used Red Tail Ale)

1/4 c. salted butter, melted



Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add beer all at once, mixing until just combined. Do not overmix. Pour into regular bread pan or divide evenly into a mini-loaf pan. Brush the top(s) with a generous dollop of butter.

Bake for 35-40 minutes for large loaf, 25-30 minutes for smaller loaves. Bread is done when inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Cool for about 30 minutes to an hour before serving.

Return: French Lentil Soup

Folks, we've returned. I know you probably thought this site was defunct, one for the cyber graveyards, but, c'mon, I wouldn't leave you like that! :)

I've been in a whirlwind of activity these past few months, preparing for our wedding, celebrating THE BEST day of my life marrying my best friend, and enjoying our honeymoon adventure in Europe.

But now we're back to 'every day reality,' hitting the road running. Settling into our new apartment, job searching, cooking, baking, creating....oh, how I've missed it.

Europe was unusually cold this year. As I mentioned in my previous post, we've had spring-like weather in California starting in December. Not so in other parts of the world. Rome experienced snow this year -- first time in 26 years. It snowed there on our wedding day, so we didn't actually witness the snowfall, but we were tempted to start a snowball fight at the Vatican when we arrived, upon discovering large piles of snow in St. Peter's Square.

Even Barcelona forgot about its Mediterranean climate and decided to head north for the winter. Luckily, we brought along our heavy, warm coats. Although both of us have lived in locations with chilly winter weather (Virginia and Michigan), it was still a bit of a shock to the system being acclimated only to mild temperatures thus far this winter.

And then, it was 75 degrees Farenheit when we hit the tarmac back in California. I was a tad disappointed as I had a small collection of soup recipes I'd been itching to try. But Mother Nature did a 180 the past few days, and we've been thrown back into winter for a bit with a smattering of rain and hail. Ready to make the most of it! :)

Soup's on!

French Lentil Soup

Adapted from epicurious.com

2 c. onions, diced

1 c. carrots, diced

1 c. celery, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

3 T. olive oil

1 1/4 c. lentils, rinsed and drained

1 - 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes

4 c. vegetable broth

1 t. oregano

1 t. basil

salt and pepper, to taste

grated parmesan cheese (opt.)

Heat oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add onions, carrots, celery and garlic, stirring frequently, cook until browned - about 15 minutes.

Mix in lentils, tomatoes, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil. Mix in spices and turn down to medium-low; cover. Allow to simmer on stove for about 40-45 minutes, until lentils are softened. (Add extra liquid as needed.)

Serve warm with grated parmesan cheese.