Curlycues Muse: Pesto and more....

Trish Taylor, Austin Texas

REMEMBER: You can click on the above logo to get to the most recent posting.... Hope you have fun looking at my creations and other things I love in life.... calligraphy is my passion, but so is my family... consisting of "the love of my life", my hubby, and my three miniature long haired dachshunds. You'll see lots of them here. Loved this quote: There’s something sacred about reading a blog post on someone else’s site. It’s like visiting a friend’s house for a quick meal ’round the breakfast table. It’s personal—you’re in their space, and the environment is uniquely suited for idea exchange and uninterrupted conversation. In many ways, we should be treating our blogs like our breakfast tables. Be welcoming & gracious when you host, and kind & respectful when visiting.” – Trent Walton

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Pesto and more....

Well, the evenings are getting cooler and they were predicting a light frost in the Hill Country last week... so what do you do with ever growing basil plants, you ask!? Why PESTO, of course. I use a little pine nuts, ex. virgin olive oil, lots of garlic and parmesan cheese, a dash of lemon juice and black pepper, make a big batch and it lasts a long time. I love to put it on sandwiches with my leftover Rotisserie Chicken I get at the grocery store. YUM! I also love the cooler weather 'cause I tend to make a lot more crock pot dishes. Last week, I made a big pot roast and had leftovers for Kev when I went to San Antonio the other night. A little pesto in that, too, never hurt!

Some of my favorite Fall dishes are soups of all kind! I actually love soup in the summer, when it's over 100 degrees outside.... but I like pancakes for dinner, too. Call me weird! I make a mean chili, too! I was just in Central Market the other day stocking up on my Fall, bulk spices when a lady next to me was getting some sort of "hot paprika" that looked interesting to me... so I asked her if it was really spicy!? She commented that it depended on what I meant by "spicy". She said it wasn't as hot as the habanero powder, but gave a little heat to whatever the dish was you were making. I asked her what she was using it for and she told me she was in a Chili Cookoff this weekend at the Draught House on Medical Parkway! It was their first annual and she was stocking up on all kinds of "secret powders" to go in the recipe. I proceeded to ask her if that was the only dish she put the Paprika in and she continued to tell me all the others things she cooks and uses it in.... Paella, a baked chicken dish, Gumbo...etc. I think I will try it in some of my soups. Yeah, KICK IT UP A NOTCH! BAMM!! I like striking up conversations with strangers.... like I said: "Call me weird"... I guess I am getting to be more and more like my Grandma Ma! She could (and would) talk to anyone... and sometimes, she would make things up. I try not to embellish my stories, but give me a few years and you never know.... LOL!

Anyway...with this last batch of Pesto, I made it just before the Ewan Clayton workshop and I brought it to share with the other participants. It went pretty quickly and we all had "dragon-garlic breath" for the afternoon. I think I will toss it with some pasta and add some cream for dinner tonight. I rarely FOLLOW a recipe, but use them for inspiration. So far, I haven't had to throw anything in the garbage. Kev is so easy to cook for, though.... I couldn't have asked for a better hubby! He's Mikey. He'll eat anything! LOL!

Stay safe and SANE for the holidays. They're almost here. Ciao!

(This candy was at the last CCS meeting for our "movie night". I thought it looked so colorful and fun... had to take a picture!)