😋 Presto Pesto

 Several people, after seeing my Face Book post on my pesto, have requested the recipe and directions. If you know me well, you know that I'm an herbaceous cook. I don't believe there is anything I prepare without some sort of spice or herb in or on it. Bland food is no fun in my mind (or on my palate).

One of my favorite herbs is basil. I enjoy basil in anything from omelets to pizza to salad and pasta. A fun and easy way to incorporate basil into food is with the use of pesto, but one  must also really love garlic as well. 

Anyway, here's what I do to make and store my pesto.

I use a harvest of basil which looks to be about 10-12 cups of fresh basil uncrushed in any way. flowers and soft stems may be included in this as it's all going through the food processor anyway. 

You'll notice that I'm not particular about the varietal of basil. In my last batch I included both sweet basil and purple basil. 

Here is the full ingredient list:

basil

pine nuts are the norm, but they are expensive, so I used walnuts - cook's choice

1-3 full bulbs of garlic (not cloves)

olive oil

salt (I used kosher salt)

ground black pepper

You will notice that I do NOT use cheese in this recipe since these will be frozen. The cheese can affect that process.

Instructions:

I begin by processing the nuts first and place them in a separate bowl for later. You'll want somewhere between 1/2 and 3/4 cup finely ground nuts.

Next I process the garlic and place it in a separate bowl.

Finally, I process the basil. You will need to drizzle olive oil in with the basil until it processes into a nice paste. Once you've got all the basil worked in and processed, you may begin adding the nuts and garlic. The garlic should be to your own liking. I and my family enjoy a healthy amount of garlic, but if you like it lighter in garlic, just don't include so much. Add the nuts and process till they are all mixed in. If the pesto begins to separate or seems dry, just add more olive oil. You want a nice moist, yet not extremely wet consistency. Add salt and pepper to your taste.

Freezing:

Line a large cookie or jelly roll pan with parchment paper.

Using a soup spoon, drop pesto onto the pan and form them a bit with your fingers to create little pesto mounds or balls, It's very much like working with cookie dough. I don't worry about the flat bottoms.

cover the cookie sheet lightly with plastic wrap. Don't seal the edges. 

Place the pan in a very cold freezer. I use our deep freezer. Freeze over night.

The next day, label one or two freezer bags, and quickly transfer the pesto balls to the freezer bags, seal them and place the bags into the freezer.

Presto! Anytime you need pesto, just grab as many pesto balls as you need from your freezer. I generally microwave mine for about 30 seconds to soften it. Or you can just lay it out. If you want to add cheese to it, this would be the time. 

Enjoy!

 

Chased by Hornets Leads Woman in Premeditated Attack

I began the day with a chore list set before me. 

*Move Gravel

* Trim Rhododendron Bush

*Hang Solar Lights

*Wash the windows on the Garage Man Doors

In June I ordered several tons of gravel to be delivered with the intention of using it in my herb garden. Then, July bombarded us with such extremely high temperatures that I gave up the idea of moving the gravel. Now, the weather has cooled some, and so I thought this was my chance. I was happily (if there's such a thing as happily moving gravel with a shovel and wheel barrow) moving the gravel from its pile out back and taking it to flower beds in the front. 

I found I was being hindered of getting the gravel into the flower beds due to the overgrown rhododendron, and so I got the hedge trimmers and began lopping branches. I was making pretty good progress and was feeling quite pleased with my work, when suddenly a bunch of angry hornets were swarming around my head. Man, I threw down the trimmers, began flailing my arms around my head, and ran like the dickens to the house. At the last minute, I remembered to unchain my faithful canine companion, Ruby, shooed her into the garage and closed the garage door. All this, and I was not stung nor was Ruby.

But, there went my progress. Right out the door for the day. 

And I wonder.... How is it that my plans can be so changed by something so small? But, those small creatures carry such a powerful punch in their sting and the threat of their sting. There it is - the threat of their sting. They're like a bunch of caution signs or sirens. 

After a few hours, I went to take a look just to see what might be going on. There lay my trimmers, wide open and abandoned in the yard. There in the flower bed was the wheel barrow right where I left it. There were the piles of gravel I had managed to dump, but had not leveled out. And, yes, there still  flying around were the hornets. I cautiously stepped away and returned to the safety of the house. 

So, I wonder about today. What might have happened if I'd kept going? Have I unknowingly been protected by some injury? Was it just so that I'd take time to sit and enjoy the cup of coffee with the neighbor? Was I just simply meant to slow my pace today? Or is just a bunch of hornet,s and we're just in each other's way?

Then, of course, I even wonder about my plans for this evening. The wasp and hornet spray says to spray their nest in the evening or early morning while they are sleeping. How creepy is that? I'm planning a premeditated attack on them! I feel a bit guilty about this. After all, they're just living their lives as am I. Who has invaded whose house? Are they invading my property, or am I invading theirs? And, why can't we just get along? Oh, that's right, we were getting along just fine until I disturbed their nest. Hmmmm.......  I guess I feel I have the superior reign in this situation. 

I can also rationalize this by claiming it all to be done in the name of the safety of my family and friends also. I mean, I can't have hornets threatening them as well. Right? Also, we paid money to live in this house and taxes, too. So, I have more rights! Right? What have those hornets done? Actually, what do hornets do? Do they have some job they're performing here? Here's what Casandra Maier writes on the subject.

sciencing.com/benefits-hornets-8741480.html

Gosh, it turns out they do have a significant job in the ecosystem. They eat insects, keeping that population down. They pollinate plants, including my beloved herbs. However, I do feel better about my planned attack this evening as the article does include a final paragraph admitting that when hornets and humans live in close quarters it can become dangerous for us. So, there. In the name of safety for me, my family, and my friends, this particular nest just has to go.