Presto Pesto!

My basil finally started to flower last week. This is the only time I prune it down because you have to clip off the flowers before they fully bloom, or the plant will stop growing, and I want to make sure there is enough for the next batch to be cut. It smells so good! I bring it into the house and everyone gets hungry. LOL!

So, needless to say, DS was right on me asking if I was going to make pesto. It's his favorite. Pesto must be one of the world's easiest things to make. I love it. You know you're eating rather healthily and it's great warm or cold. What's better than that? Here's what I do; I toast some nuts lightly (this time I had pecans on hand but I normally would use pine nuts), and put the basil (a ton of it), nuts, Parmesan cheese (fresh is perfect but Kraft will do in a pinch), a little vinegar (I'm not such a huge fan of the lemon juice, it adds too much flavor sometimes to keep the green color), a little salt, and a little pepper into the food processor and blend while drizzling the olive oil. And you're done! EZ!

Not only do we have it on pasta, I've mixed a tiny bit of mayo with the pesto to make a kind of ailoli and had it on warm sandwiches. It's also a dip, salad dressing (with a little more olive oil and vinegar), and marinade. It's the best. Just make sure to check your teeth after eating it!