1. Homemade Pesto!

    We had quite the cold front come through Tulsa this past week. Instead of letting all of our beautiful basil go to waste, we decided it was time to cut it all and make some pesto! (It is also MUCH cheaper to make homemade pesto than to buy it at a store… that is if you have basil in your garden)

    What you need for homemade pesto:

    • Basil - a lot of it!
    • Minced Garlic (fresh is always best)
    • Pine Nuts (If you can’t find a good deal on these then you can always use walnuts or cashews instead)
    • Lemons (2 or 3)
    • Grated Parmesan
    • Salt/Pepper
    • Olive Oil
    • A Food Processor

    First you need to go and get some fresh basil…

    Oh, wait… you forgot a cold front came though and you are FREEZING. So go ahead and run back inside for your coat and then try this step again…

    Now that you are back in the warmth of your kitchen, throw those garlic cloves into the food processor and mince them up. Then you will need to start picking off all the basil leaves (that you rinsed the dirt off of) and stuffing them into the food processor. When you think that it is full, just push them down and keep stuffing!

    Pulse the food processor just a little bit and then open it back up. Throw in a handful of pine nuts.

    Then squeeze the fresh juice of a few lemons into the mix. I really recommend using FRESH lemon juice and not the store bought kind. It really affects the flavor and you don’t want to ruin your fresh pesto with not so fresh lemon juice.

    Throw in a handful or two of grated parmesan and some salt/pepper and then close up the food processor. What you need to do now is turn the food processor on WHILE you are SLOWLY pouring in olive oil. You will do this until you reach your desired consistency.

    Now all you need to do is fill a few jars with pesto! We used some on our dinner that night. Then put a jar in the fridge and two jars in the freezer. You can keep it in the freezer until you are ready to use it.

    Happy Cooking!

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    October 29, 2012
    1. lacey said: you left out the first step where you paint your nails.
    2. clutteredwife posted this