Homemade Pesto

This recipe comes from The Barefoot Contessa. It is super easy to make, and tastes amazing!! The best, and cheapest, place to get basil is at a farmers market, or to grow your own. This was our first year of growing our own, and I was so excited to make this pesto. It freezes really well so you can have homemade pesto all year round!!

Homemade Pesto

1/4 cup walnuts

1/4 cup pignolis (pine nuts)

3 tablespoons chopped garlic (9 cloves)

5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups good olive oil*

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Place the walnuts, pignolis, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 30 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Serve, or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top. I like to spoon into ice cube trays, flash freeze, then transfer to Ziploc bags. Then you can just take out as much as you need. Just be sure to oil the ice cube trays.

* I find the recipe to be a little oily, so I usually start with one cup, and then just add until it is the consistency I like.

Zucchini Bread

This has to be the best zucchini bread ever!!! This is what I grew up eating, and I absolutely love it.

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs

1 c. oil

2 c. sugar

3 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

3 c. flour

1/4 t. baking powder

3 tsp. cinnamon

2 c. peeled and grate zucchini

1 1/2 c. nuts (optional)

1 c. raisins (optional)

Grease and flour bread pans. Combine the eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla. In another bowl combine the dry ingredients. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet. Then mix in zucchini and any extras.

Bake at 325 for about 1 hour. (I have to lower my baking temperature and time because of elevation)

These freeze very well, and are still very moist. Just thaw on the counter.