Pasta and Pesto

My Aunt Judy just gave me, my parents, and my sil the recipe for her homemade pesto (along with all the ingredients to make it--she's wonderful like that).  I made the sauce the other day with my dad and Jon and I had it with pasta for dinner tonight.  It was amazing and so simple to make!

Aunt Judy's Pesto Sauce (makes 1/2 c)
2/3 c packed fresh basil
1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 c olive oil
2 T pine nuts
1/2 tsp salt
1 garlic clove, peeled

1. Put all ingredients into a food processor and process until well blended.
2. Refrigerate (and use within a week) OR freeze in ice cube trays, with foil covering tray.  Once it is frozen, pop them out and transfer to a Ziploc bag (frozen cubes can be used for up to three months).

And that's it!  It's super easy to make, is healthy, and delicious.  Is there anything better?

PS Jon and I added some bacon to our pasta and pesto.  We figure, when it doubt, add bacon--it makes life happy :)

Spinach Smoothies--They're Good, I Promise!

 Every summer I (try) to eat a bit healthier than I do during the school year.  It's the time of year where I try new recipes and try to get into better eating habits.  I have become addicted to pinterest and through this site I have found a ton of amazing recipes.  One that my husband and I both enjoy is a spinach smoothie.  It is so easy to make and tastes amazing!  At first I questioned how good a spinach smoothie might taste.  But it is super delicious--and I think of it as three servings of fruits and veggies before 9:00am.  Win-win!

The ingredients are very simple--spinach, pineapple, bananas, yogurt, and water (or ice in my case--we like the smoothie to be very cold so we use ice instead of water).  Find the recipe here and enjoy!

Gone Girl = A Great Read!

I just read an amazing book--the kind of book that you cannot put down (hence the four hours I spent on the couch reading this morning).

I would highly recommend, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, as your next summer read.  The plot is simple yet there are so many twists throughout. 

The basics of the story are:

1. Husband and wife have a marriage that is decaying

2. Wife goes missing on 5th wedding anniversary

3. Husband is the main suspect in wife's disappearance

4. Husband has secrets

5. Wife has secrets

6. Neither one is perfect

Soooo good!  Please read this book. . .and, if you do, let me know what you think of it.

On another note, if you do choose to read this book, Real Simple has chosen it as their No Obligation Book Club book for the month of July.  Read the book and then hop on over to their website to see what other people are saying about it.

Strawberry Jam and Hot Fudge Topping. . .It's Summer!

Today I was blessed to spend the afternoon with two great people--my great aunts.  They are wonderful people AND amazing cooks and bakers.  This afternoon they shared their strawberry jam recipe with me (a secret family recipe). 

I also mentioned that Jon just loves their hot fudge topping and they happened to have almost everything in the house!  So, the hubby was a pretty happy man when I came home with strawberry jam AND hot fudge. 

Below is the hot fudge recipe.  Two words for all of you who plan on making this to go on top of your ice cream this summer. . .so good! 

It was the perfect day spent with two people I love dearly.  Thank you, E&E.  I love you so much!

PS--Thanks to Sandy for my awesome recipe templates.  I LOVE them!!

 Our Little Garden!

                                                     Tomatoes
                                                
                                                         Plus

                                                        Basil

                                                     Equals

                     A crazy amount of produce for two people this summer!

We have a very shaded back yard and have never had any luck when it comes to gardening.  This summer we are trying potted veggie plants.  Last night we got a little over excited and planted SIX tomato plants and some basil (and a catnip plant for our kitten)!  We'll see how it goes. . . :)

I'm already thinking to the food we can enjoy from these plants.  So far, my list includes:

• salsa
• margarita pizza
• caprese salad
• bruschetta
• blt sandwiches
• grilled cheese and tomato
• caprese quiche
• spaghetti sauce

Now all I have to do is wait four to six weeks for the first 'maters.

And This is What I Took Out of the Oven Tonight

This is THE best apple crisp recipe in. . .the. . .WORLD! I know it's a bit out of season to be baking apples, but we had some frozen and I just needed to have a nice smelling house today. . .and a tasty dessert to look forward to. The recipe is below. I hope you enjoy!

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. white sugar

3/4 c. flour

1/3 c. soft butter

4 c. apples

2 T. lemon juice

1/4 c. water

cinnamon

nutmeg

1. Work together the sugars, flour, and butter--set aside

2. Place apples in a greased 8 x 8 baking dish

3. Pour lemon juice and water over the apples

4. Sprinkle tons of cinnamon and nutmeg over the apples

5. Sprinkle crumble mixture over the top of the apples

6. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 50-60 minutes

7. Enjoy!

PS. Thanks, mom, for this recipe. You know how much I love it!

A Successful Evening

It is 7:22pm. I am already in my pajamas. Sipping a glass of wine. And reading Jodi Picoult's newsest book. Could life be better?

Wishing you a relaxing evening too!