Pesto is the besto

Pesto. I do not remember the first time I had pesto, I wish I did because it must have been life changing. If you have never made your own or if you (say it ain't so) have never had it at all...this is where you want to start. And you will remember this day.

Pesto has strong flavor to it. I am girl who loves strong flavor. I feel like it slaps my taste buds and says, "Wake up, there is good food to be eaten!!" And pesto can be used on anything and everything....well not dessert anything, but savory food anything. It can be used on pasta (my favorite), in place of red sauce on homemade pizza, on chicken, tossed with tomatoes and mozzarella....the list goes on and on. My kids love to eat it and love to help make it too. So pesto holds a sweet spot for me in the sauce category of things.

I love to experiment with it and find things that make it just that little bit more delicious. Fresh squeezed lemon juice, extra basil, different cheese, more pepper.....you get the idea. The beauty of cooking things is that experimentation rarely (but once in a blue moon) ruins a dish and can often make the dish!

Recipe: (I never go by a strict recipe, I always just eyeball and taste...so please view this recipe as a compass rather than a map)
1. take a big bunch of basil (if store bought I use one container), 2 tablespoons of pinenuts, a few chunks of Parmesan cheese and a good drizzle of olive oil-place it all in a food processor and blend-keep this up until it is smooth...you might need to add a bit more olive oil, but be careful not to overdo it.
2. I love adding fresh squeezed lemon juice-it really brightens the whole flavor, if you do not have fresh than bottled is fine.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Boom, you are done. Simple and straightforward. (If you happen to be making this for pasta, save a little bit of pasta water when you drain it and add it to the pesto, it makes a real creamy delicious consistency!)

What do you like to put your pesto on??