My husband and I always talk about how vivid our first three dates are, and anything after that is a fog. Our first date comprised of a lunch date at Quartino's. We were sitting outside, and Michael kept asking me to repeat what I said because of the noise level. For dessert he ordered biscotti, even though I clearly said that I didn't like those very much. <3 Our second date was at one of my favorite tapas places, Cafe Iberico. What was memorable about this date was that we talked more in depth about our families, and the fact that we broke a beer bottle fighting over the bill. (Everyone stopped talking and stared. It was classic). <3 For our third date we drove to the Botanic Garden, and this was the precise moment when he dropped the fact that he wanted to have a ton of kids. More specifically, I asked, "How many kids do you want to have?" His response, "Have you ever watched "Cheaper by the Dozen?" (which is a movie about this family of 12 kids). And for those of you that didn't know this, Michael and I met through online dating, and on it, it does state on your profile how many kids you want. I think at the time we both said over three, but that number has now reduced to half. On this date, he walked through a row of apple trees, and he shared how he used to have apple trees in his backyard growing up. Then we ended our date with Korean food. <3
What I can also share with you is that Michael has cooked for me during one of our earlier dates. Presently, I think that makes a grand total of four now. We were at his apartment, and he popped in the movie "Borat" for me while he cooked. Clinks and clanks were coming out of the kitchen, and I was genuinely worried he'd hurt himself. To be fair, Michael studied abroad in Europe for a semester and learned how to cook. So his specialty for me that night was his famous chicken penne pesto. And it was delicious. I wondered why it took him two hours to cook this meal, and later I learned it's because he didn't have any cutting utensils. But still, in the end, his penne was very good.
Now that we are eating at home more often, we decided to find a recipe for making fresh pesto at home. Of course we had to go with one of Ina's recipes! It's perfect the way it is, so here you go. Enjoy!
Ina Garten's Pesto
Yields 4 cups
Ingredients:
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 (depending on the dish, she always likes to emphasize on the "good" for olive oil)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
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Directions:
1) Place the walnuts, pignolis, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 15 seconds.
2) 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.
3) Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Use right away or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.
4) Optional: throw in 2 cups of cooked, seasoned chicken with penne and the pesto.
Notes: Air is the enemy of pesto. For freezing, pack it in containers with a film of oil or plastic wrap directly on top with the air pressed out.
To clean basil, remove the leaves, swirl them in a bowl of water, and then spin them very dry in a salad spinner. Store them in a closed plastic bag with a slightly damp paper towel. As long as the leaves are dry they will stay green for several days. (This is tricky because water and basil do not mix. It browns a bit if kept wet for long period. In one of her episodes, she added fresh lemon juice to the chopped basil to keep it from not browning, but I'm not sure if that'll change the taste).
Ingredients:
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 (depending on the dish, she always likes to emphasize on the "good" for olive oil)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
-------------------------------------------------------
Directions:
1) Place the walnuts, pignolis, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 15 seconds.
2) 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.
3) Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Use right away or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.
4) Optional: throw in 2 cups of cooked, seasoned chicken with penne and the pesto.
Notes: Air is the enemy of pesto. For freezing, pack it in containers with a film of oil or plastic wrap directly on top with the air pressed out.
To clean basil, remove the leaves, swirl them in a bowl of water, and then spin them very dry in a salad spinner. Store them in a closed plastic bag with a slightly damp paper towel. As long as the leaves are dry they will stay green for several days. (This is tricky because water and basil do not mix. It browns a bit if kept wet for long period. In one of her episodes, she added fresh lemon juice to the chopped basil to keep it from not browning, but I'm not sure if that'll change the taste).
May 29, 2011
Happy 2 Years, honey!
