Spaghetti with basil pesto

I had a fun day learning all about Adobe Lightroom.


For dinner I was craving something with pesto.

Spaghetti with basil pesto.

 I made a basic pesto:

Garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan, fresh basil and olive oil.

I don't just like basil pesto - I LOVE basil pesto. I could easily go overboard with this stuff. But I have learned a trick that allows me to put a heavy dose on my pasta without an enormous amount of oil.

Instead of 2 Tbsp. of olive oil that would be needed to emulsify the pesto - I add in 1 Tbsp. or so of the pasta water. That way I get to enjoy the entire batch of pesto without over doing it on fat.

Not that there is anything wrong with having the occasional rich dish - I just have to be careful about how much I have at once or otherwise I will be nursing a stomach ache all night.

I also included a side dish of broccoli and a dessert of fresh berries.

The broccoli was very, very green.

Oh, and you should get a look at what the pesto looks like after mixing.

Basil Pesto

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp. of pine nuts
a pinch of salt
1/2 a cup of parmesan
1 Tbsp. of olive oil
1 bunch of fresh basil, chopped
1 Tbsp. of pasta water


Instructions:
 
Rough chop the basil and add in the chopped garlic, pine nuts, salt, most of the Parmesan (reserve some for garnish) and olive oil in a food processor or in a large deep cup with an immersion blender. Pulse to blend - when the mixture is halfway pureed - add in 1 Tbsp of the pasta water. Feel free to add more if the mixture is not loose enough to blend well.

Another important step is add the cooked and drained pasta back into the pot on low flame. Fold in the desired amount of pesto and let the pasta warm through. This step allows any excess moisture to evaporate and allows the pesto to get a good grip on the pasta.

Enjoy!

The three B's and losing time.

I didn't do anything of note today - but the day got away from me.

In a good way. 

And my resolve to eat on a more regular schedule went out the window. Introduce a bit of fun and distraction? I totally forget about eating.

At dinner time I threw together this:

Homemade pesto over bed of steamed broccoli nestled on top of brown rice.

Broccoli, basil and brown rice. The three B's.

Oh, and I forgot a photo of Connor enjoying the scent of the fresh basil.

I hope the rest of you had a day where the time got away from you because you were having fun!

Just keep trying

In my never ending quest to use up the ingredients in my fridge I made an odd breakfast.

I took the rest of the peas set them to simmer on the stove on low heat. 

I pureed them with the immersion blender and added in some chunks of mozzarella to make it creamy.


After the mozzarella melted I spooned the peas on a piece of toast.

Peas topped with basil pesto and a sprinkle of Parmesan.

With some strong coffee.

Unfortunately, even though the combination sounded like a good idea - the toast ended up being very soggy and the flavors just didn't blend well together. I just couldn't eat it.

Breakfast take 2:

Toast with mozzarella melted on top.

With basil pesto on top.

This version was much better. It just shows to go 'ya - it always pays to keep trying.

It is still raining buckets here today - the dogs ran out about 3 feet from the doorway - did their business and ran right back in this morning.

I am going to spend doing things that involve spending as little time out in the rain as possible.

Green eggs on toast

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

And no, I am not wearing green.


I did have a green breakfast.

It started with toast with a slathering of basil pesto.

 Then I scrambled one whole egg and one egg white with a handful of spinach.

Topped with a dusting of Parmesan.

Strong tea.

On the docket for today? Laundry, laundry and more laundry.


I am contemplating starting a new workout routine that would include hitting the gym everyday.

I love making new routines - whether I will actually stick to them is a whole other story...

Bruschetta and basil pesto

The morning was fairly productive.

The noise has started up again. The stomping - the screeching as they drag copper pipes across the roof. 

I know the workers are not having fun doing this work. I know they want to get the work done as fast as possible as much as I want them to.

But it is incredibly grating and irritating. And no matter how loud I turn up the T.V. the dogs are disturbed.

In an effort to keep them distracted I made a lunch that incorporated bread - one of their favorite ingredients.

I picked up some gorgeous yellow tomatoes and mini - plum tomatoes at the corner market.

I sauteed slices of bread in olive oil. Then, since there were out of fresh basil at the market, I made do with basil pesto.

I blanched the tomatoes in boiling water, dunked them in cold water and peeled off the skins.

1/2 teaspoon of chopped garlic and 2 tsp. of olive oil were mixed into the chopped, blanched tomatoes and then spread on top of the pesto.

The dogs enjoyed a snack of mini-plum tomatoes stuffed with basil pesto.

And, yes, the dogs did get the bits of bread that just wouldn't do :-)