Pretty Pesto

First time making pesto and I used a recipe that I snagged from All Recipes. Kudos!

• 3 cups packed fresh basil leaves
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup pine nuts (pine nuts are supposed to be superior, but they're also superiorly expensive. The nuts can be substituted with almonds or walnuts)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional and I didn't use parsley in my recipe)

I don't have a heavy duty blender but went out and got a $17 hand blender that seemed to do the trick. I chopped the basil and used the blender on it in batches. Same thing for nuts. Then I combined everything, blended and now have a kick arse batch of pesto. I truly think the trick to pesto (other than having an awesome blender) is fresh, fresh ingredients, stellar olive oil (Thanks Wagoners for my Chilean EVOO!!!) and good cheese. Once the summer hits, the basil will be better and I'd probably get a slightly saltier cheese (I threw in a pinch of salt).

I put blubs of the pesto in zip lock bags and froze them for future use. Easy to take out the morning of the day you'd like to use it for an evening meal - defrosted and ready to go.

Ahhh, comfort food

You can't really mess up a roast chicken unless you overcook it and it dries out. A roast chicken, especially the whole bird, is one of my comfort foods. It's also a piece of cake to make.

• Cook at 450 for first 10 min, then drop heat to 375
• This bird was about 4 pounds so I cooked it for just over an hour (roughly 20-25 min per pound)
• Don't forget to take out the innards before you put it in the oven!
• 1 bird, defrosted
• I coat the skin and under the skin with a bit of olive oil, pepper, adobo and pepper. There's usually enough salt in the adobo.
• When you think your chicken might be done, check it by forking it and see if the juices run clear. If it does, ta da! You've got yourself an edible chicken.

Then onto broth....

After I plucked the bird of its tender meat, I threw the carcass, a few carrots, couple of onions and a few cloves of garlic in a big ol'pot, filled it with water and let it simmer for about 8 hours total. I did it over two days. Then i threw out the gross bits, tossed the veggies and skimmed the broth for fat. I poured the broth in a big tub and will let it sit and separate - one more fat skimming before I use it. I'll end up using it as the base for a bean soup I've got planned but in the meantime, I'll freeze it.

Double whammy.

Poisson du jour

A simple dinner - fresh, wild caught cod, thrown in the over for about 10-12 minutes, sprinkled with a touch of EVOO, adobo and pepper, joined by a bit of baguette, also sprinkled with EVOO and salt and last but not least, a green that I've never had on its own - bok choy. I cleaned it up, chopped off the root, threw it in a frying pan with a little olive oil, salt and water for steam. Five minutes later - a tasty veggie!

Quinoa-king On Sunshine

Ultimate Beef Chili: jalapeno, kidney beans, sundried tomato, lean beef, cilantro, onions, green bell peppers. I decided to add a secret ingredient: Samuel Smith Tadcaster Bitter. To die for.

Carrot Salad: shredded carrots, dill, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon, salt and pepper to taste. I felt like the recipe needed something, so I shredded up two pieces of ginger, each piece about the size of my thumb.

Whole Wheat Bread: My husband has been on a bread making kick for the last couple of weeks, and it's amazing the extent to which it's enhanced our quality of life. No preservatives! I can't wait to pair this with the chili for tomorrow's lunch.  Recipe from The Joy of Cooking.

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad: Another extremely simple salad that can literally be thrown together in 15 minutes. Quinoa, black beans, scallions, diced red pepper, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.

I Found Out About This New Thing.

Up until relatively recently, my cooking repertoire consisted of a few main meals: Shake n' Bake chicken, canned soup, spaghetti and English muffin pizzas. As certain people in my life can attest to, I virtually subsisted on English muffin pizzas during those dark days of post-college and pre-employment. I think I made meatballs once. Which prompts me to ask this question: how am I alive? How did I survive to the ripe old age of 32 on a steady diet of  canned sauce, boxed seasonings, meat and refined starches? Where were my vegetables? Why do I not have the gout?