A Milder All-Purpose Pesto: Spinach-Walnut Pesto

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I actually made this pesto last fall with the last of the basil, but I froze it in ice cube trays and have found many uses for it since. Since this recipe replaces half the basil with spinach, it has a milder taste and can be used in greater quantities than classic pesto. [...]

Emergency Dinner Guests? Pesto Vinaigrette!

Not too long ago, I blogged about the five things I always have in my fridge, freezer and pantry to ensure that I can put together a delicious meal anytime. I didn’t put pesto on that list, but I probably should have. I made a big batch of pesto last summer and froze it in [...]

Adding Flavor to Quick Soups: Minestrone con Pesto

As I said in a recent post, I have been experimenting with building flavor in long-cooking soups by making my own broths, sauteing components separately and then cooking them together for a long time to really marry the flavors. This worked really well when I made a Wild Mushroom Soup for Thanksgiving. But what if [...]

For Lunch, Snacks, Parties: Mozzarella-Tomato-Pesto Toasts

Mozzarella-Tomato Toasts, originally uploaded by shannon_turlington.
Don’t these mozzarella-tomato-pesto toasts look like tiny pizzas? They are delicious and dead simple to make, plus another good way to use up pesto. As long as you have the requisite ingredients on hand, you can whip these up in no time.
But if you don’t have these ingredients, substitute widely. [...]

A Pretty Good Tortellini Salad with Pesto

Tortellini Salad with Pesto, originally uploaded by shannon_turlington.
A couple of years ago (I think), Cook’s Illustrated published a recipe for a “better pasta salad with pesto.” I clipped the recipe, so I must have made it at one time. I pulled it out recently to see if it was worth making again, perhaps with a [...]

Garden Destruction and Pesto Making

It hurt, but we tore out the garden this weekend. It has been a strange growing season. Up until Tuesday of this week, we were still experiencing temperatures in the 90s and humidity that felt more like July. Despite being in “exceptional” drought for the last two months, the tomatoes must have thought we were [...]

Pasta with Pesto-Cream Sauce

This is one of my favorite types of recipes: very simple and super-fast to make, but elegant and satisfying on the plate. It also takes well to variations, which I also like. Instead of using traditional basil pesto, you could substitute other herbs, or even use sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, reconstituted dried mushrooms or [...]

Week 2 of Being an Unproductive Member of Society

Week two of my self-inflicted, stress-induced leave from work went a lot better than week one. I think I needed that first week just to decompress and get all the garbage out. This week, I had a lot more energy and I got a lot more accomplished. For instance, I:

planted approximately 150 bulbs
went to the [...]

How to Make Pesto

I went to the dentist today and they didn’t find anything to get concerned about, so it was a red letter day around here. My whole goal for today was to get through my dentist appointment without feeling bad about myself, and I did it. When you set your goals to be real teeny, it [...]