Monday's Menu

On Thursday, the Chick planned our dinner menu. When I saw the recipe for what she had chosen, I thought, "This will be interesting." It called for pesto. Neither of my children have a clue what pesto is. So this would be a new experience (which is kind of the point, I suppose).

Involving a green paste. Hmmm.

Green anything is not viewed as a wonderful addition to our dinner table by either of them. They eat their veggies but only because they know there is no other option with their veggies.

But I try not to discourage so I didn't question or ask about it. I simply purchased the ingredients and we went with it.

So, imagine my surprise when the Chick did everything but lick clean the pesto bowl. She was seriously in love. And she made sure to tell anyone who would listen how great it was. My chin has scuff marks from dragging the ground.

Gee, can you guess what today's recipe is?

You gotta start with fresh basil. And if you don't grow your own or live near a farmer's market, most produce sections carry fresh herbs. So don't despair.

I believe (but don't know for certain) traditionally pesto contains pine nuts. But this recipe called for almonds instead which are so much easier for me to find and not quite as expensive.

Pesto is ridiculously easy to make. You toast the nuts then dump everything into a food processor and whirl it until it's a paste.

Presto -- it's pesto. Most of the time pasta is tossed with pesto. But you can also toast some bread and spread it on for a yummy addition to your meal. I would sprinkle on some cheese to melt too. Mmmm.


Or if you're like the Chick, you could dip everything from your plate into the stuff and fill your face.

What can I say? I'm still amazed.

Easy Pesto (original recipe here)

1/4 cup almonds
3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 cups fresh basil
1/2 cup olive oil
1 pinch ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

In a warm skillet, toast almonds until golden. In a food processor, combine all ingredients including almonds. Process until a coarse paste is formed.