No Machine Pesto

My husband talks a lot.


He amazes me with all the information he has in his brain and it's great that he wants to share his knowledge with others. However, sometimes my brain can't take it and I have to tune him out (sorry, Patrick, I love you!).


With that said, he has more than a couple stories that are impossible to tune out. One of those stories has to do with his love for Pesto. He has fond memories of visiting his grandma's house, in Tennessee, when he was little. As a little boy he remembers watching his grandma's "male friend" make fresh pesto and how wonderful it tasted. P has mentioned, multiple times, that that was the best pesto ever and nothing has compared to it ... until now.


Start with cleaned and dried fresh basil:



3 cloves fresh garlic:

Small handful of pine nuts:

Fresh grated Parmesan cheese:

Start chopping the basil and garlic:

add pine nuts and continue chopping (at this point you will thanking your good knife or cursing at your not-so-good knife):

add grated cheese and, yep, chop away (no blender or food processor allowed):

All ingredients should be chopped to oblivion and formed into a pesto brick:



Mix in a small amount of good olive oil:

Add to pasta and you will be enjoying a fantastic dish of pesto pasta!

Yep, I've been able to recreate a dish from my husbands past. He says it tastes just as good as his memories.

However, part of his admission may have to do with the fact that he watched me working away and he has to live me with:) Either way, I'll take the compliment!

Question:

Have you ever prepared pesto from scrach?

Rewind: Saturday - Football, Family, Food

I know it's Tuesday but I realize I forgot to post about my Saturday. I had such a good day that I wanted to share it with all of you!

Breakfast

I wanted to try something different than my usual low fat vanilla latte so I chose the Northern Light Turtle latte from Caribou. It was good but tasted too much like dessert for my morning pick me up:



Panera power sandwich: Bread, egg, ham and cheese. This is my favorite "fast food" breakfast sandwich. I can taste all the ingredients individually and when all the flavors mix together it makes an amazing breakfast sandwich.



Lunch

Saturday's in my house are dedicated to college football. This Saturday was fun because we had family over to enjoy the Michigan vs. Indiana game.

Before our guests arrived I put together a veggie tray full off carrots, broccoli, cucumbers and peppers.





To dip the veggies I made some low fat ranch dip:

I think everyone liked the veggies. I know I did!

My plate x 4:

What is a football game without a beer? I drank 2 Magners Irish Cider beers. If you like cider beer and haven't had Magners, you must try it!

Cappy & Solera

The dogs go CRAZY when we have guest over. They get SO excited to have new people to play with! They jump on and bark at our guests to welcome them. Not the most welcoming situation for a lot of people but it's better than being peed on when you walk in the door. I won't mention which dog, Solera, but one of them used to get way to excited and not be able to control his bladder. Thank goodness that phase is over with!

To give our guest a break we gave the dogs their favorite treat, Bully Sticks:

Give the dogs one of these and nothing else in the world exists. It's all about the Bully Stick:

Dinner



After Michigan won the game we ordered some Chinese food from Tamarind.



This place has good food but the Customer Service sucks. After I placed the order for delivery I received a call telling us we ordered to much food so they had to charge us more for delivery. We ordered 3 meals and egg rolls, I don't think that is an excessive amount of food. It wasn't the fact that they charged us more money for delivery (although that didn't make me happy) it was the way they handled the situation that makes me think they need to take a customer service class.



We most likely will not be getting Tamarind food anymore which really stinks because the food is really good!



My plate: I ended up eating half the egg roll, a little bit of noodles and some broccoli dish over rice.

Patrick made me a Jeff Lewis martini to enjoy with my meal. I think one of the reasons I married P was because he can make a great martini:)

I drank half.

Dessert

Leftover s'mores pizza!

Solera sitting by our feet in hopes of catching any bit of food that might fall off our plate:

and Cappy getting depressed as our guests started to leave. He was hoping they would stay all night so he could curl up in their laps and sleep!

Good people, good conversation, good food and happy dogs - Couldn't have asked for a better Saturday!

Question:

How do you like to spend your Saturdays?

French Bread Pizza Pocket

Wednesday was a tough day for my husband. I hate it when he is feeling down and there isn't anything I can do to help with the situation.


I decided I would treat him to something that rarely gets done during the week in our house. After work I stopped at the store to pick up some supplies to prepare my man a home made meal. Yep, I was a domestic goddess;) Well, as domestic as I get.

Dinner

I decided to make a meal from my childhood.

French Bread Pizza Pocket


In the mix:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 6 slices cheddar cheese
• 3 individual french bread rolls (or hoagies)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Cook ground beef in pan.
3. Add taco seasoning and follow directions on packet. Set meat to the side.
4. Cut off top of roll and pull out the inside breading.
5. Spoon meat into the hollowed out roll.
6. Top with cheese slices.
7. Place stuffed rolls on baking sheet. Put in oven and bake until cheese is melted.

Easy and delicious!

Growing up, this was one of my favorite meals. I remember watching my mom prepare the rolls and getting so excited while watching the cheese melt over the meaty goodness.



This dish is so easy to make and you can add so many different ingredients to jazz it up. Patrick had fun spicing up his roll with fresh jalapenos. They were the hottest jalapenos we've had all year!



We did like the french and had our salad after our meal.

In the mix: arugula, romaine lettuce, cucumbers, fresh grated parmesan and half an apple pear.

Topped with home made dressing: fresh lemon juice, olive oil, white balsamic, dijon mustard, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, white pepper and a touch of agave nectar.



I really enjoyed being able to prepare a meal during the work week. I need to make this a goal of mine.


The Pups

Whenever P & I have a tough day it's always nice to come home to our 2 furry children! They do the funniest things and who doesn't like a good laugh at the end of a stressful day.

The Capster has turned into a bit of a grump. You can always find him sleeping in his favorite position, nose crammed into a corner. He will sit this way for hours! I have no idea how he manages to breath.



Solera is still a young dog with a ton of energy. When he does decide to relax for a minute he gets in the most unusual poses. This position doesn't even look remotely comfortable!



And let's not forget about his favorite position. Head under the couch. I'm pretty sure he is looking at a toy he managed to get stuck under said couch.



Clearly Cappy doesn't understand what is wrong with his brother;)



I don't know what I would do without my boys; Patrick, Cappy and Solera!


Mention

On a sad note: Comedian Greg Giraldo passed away yesterday. He was one of the few comedians that I really liked. He had a wickedly smart humor. He died to young and he will be missed by many.



Question:

When someone in your life is feeling down how do you go about trying to lift their spirits?

California (food) Dreaming - Part 3

Here it is, the final installment of my California trip. Check out part 1 and part 2 if you need a refresher of the first part of my trip!

The very last morning I spent in California was sad but my sister knows 1 of the ways to cheer me up is with good food.

Breakfast

We started off at Posh Bagel simply because I liked the name.

It was a small shop with a ton of bagel options.



I chose the Pesto bagel (crazy good) toasted with egg, cheddar cheese and ham.



Perfect way to start out the morning.



The only way to make the bagel eating experience better is to pair it with some kick-ass coffee.

I like to experience local coffee shops when I travel so Starbucks was not going to work for me this morning. We chose the Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Company (LGCRC) .



LGCRC had a lot of different coffee options. I had a half hazelnut, half vanilla latte.



I took the time to look around the shop while I waited for my coffee. The feel of the place was so laid back and chill and the smell of the coffee was fantastic. People chatting, reading the paper or grabbing a coffee after a hike in the hills. I'm sure this coffee shop will be making another appearance on VCC.



The piece de resistance was the huge coffee roaster in the middle of the shop. No wonder the place smelled so wonderful!

I can honestly say I've never seen a coffee roaster in any coffee shop I've ever stepped foot in. It was so cool. No wonder this place is so popular and the coffee tastes great!




Snack

We sipped on our coffees while we window shopped and made our way to a cake shop I had been wanting to visit the entire time I was in California. It's all in the name: Nothing Bundt Cakes.




Such a cute little store:



with lot of cake options, in the bundt variety of course:




I opted for the mini Red Velvet:



My intention was to eat it on the plane but I couldn't resist it on the hour drive to the airport. So I dug in a bit early!

The cake was moist and oh so good.

I visited the store for the name and will be returning for the cake!

Miscellaneous

A couple more photos of the stunning flowers:

and palm trees:



I had a great time with my sister and can't wait to visit again!

Question:

Do you prefer chain coffee shops (ex: Starbucks) or the smaller shops?

I prefer the smaller shops. Don't get we wrong, I love my Starbucks latte in the morning but the smaller places have a charm that the big companies can't pull off.

California (food) Dreaming - Part 2

Alright I left you hanging after my California (food) Dreaming - Part 1 post, let's continue on and see what other tasty treats I had on the left coast.

After spending the prior 3 days moving and setting up my sisters new place she surprised me by taking me out for a birthday dinner.

While we were getting ready to go out we cracked open a bottle of Samuel Smith organic raspberry flavored beer. It was good and had more of a beer taste to it than my beloved Lindemans - Framboise.

After we were all dolled up we headed to the California Cafe for a late lunch.

California Cafe

MISSION:
California Cafe exists to provide an escape from the outside world. We feed the senses through our chef-driven creations, engaging service and relaxing ambiance. Our multicultural offerings feature seasonal ingredients with broad appeal.
We are passionate about the guest experience, providing service that is friendly and knowledgeable. Our relaxing environment serves as a California-style oasis.

[Source]

In the heart of Los Gatos’ Old Town shopping district, California Cafe has a beautiful oak-shaded outdoor patio and an expansive interior overlooking the lush Santa Cruz Mountains and the Los Gatos Creek Trail.
Sit back, relax and savor!

[Source]

We were seated at the perfect table under a tree.

The reason my sister chose this restaurant was for the Sangria. She knows the way to my heart:)

We chose the White Peach Sangria: merlot, peach schnapps and brandy infused with citrus, vanilla bean and white peaches.

The sangria was very good! My sister and I had no problem polishing off the pitcher:) However, be warned those infused peaches taste strongly of brandy when consumed.

I split the taco salad with my sisters friend. I was really looking forward to it because it sounded amazing. However, when it came to the table I could see that cilantro was mixed throughout it:( I really dislike the taste of cilantro so I ate a couple pieces of the steak and called it good.

Taco Salad: blackened skirt steak, pablanos, crispy tortillas, queso fresco, tomatillo vinaigrette

See the plate below? I'm in love with everything on it!

I was most surprised at how much I liked the potato salad. This was the first time I had every had it with a vinaigrette dressing instead of the heavy mayo dressing.

California Chicken Sandwich: Arugula, swiss cheese, citrus aioli with a side of potato salad.

1 simple element made this sandwich delicious. That element would be the arugula. The pepper flavor in the lettuce with the lightness of the citrus aioli was genius!

After we ate our meals and ordered dessert we decided to order a cocktail.

I embarrassed my sister (she should be used to it by now) by asking the bartender to make me a drink of her choice. My sister just wanted me to order off the menu but I find a lot of interesting new cocktails by ordering this way. However, I did tell the waiter I don't like cilantro so please don't put it in my drink;)

This was a delicious cocktail, light and refreshing.

Bartender Cocktail: Vodka base, sparkling wine, some type of strawberry puree and probably some other ingredients I couldn't pick up on.

I'm going to admit something, I don't like bread pudding. Let the bashing begin, I can take it;) However, I learned if you add a ton of butterscotch to bread pudding it is possibly the best dessert on the planet. Love this and plan to have it again when I go back in November (Did you read that sister? Make our reservations now!)

Butterscotch Bread Pudding with house made caramel ice cream.

The presentation of all the food was amazing but the candle on the cake (literally), was my birthday cake.

Warm Chocolate Truffle Cake with espresso gelato and raspberry sauce.

California Cafe was nothing short of impressive. I appreciate that they use seasonal ingredients. I could really taste the freshness in all of my dishes.

One thing I did notice was that the service was extremely laid back. I don't think it was bad service I just think it's the difference with dining in laid back California compared to Chicago where they are practically pushing you out the door;)

This is me: tired, worn out, happy, stress-free and did I mention happy:)

After our late lunch we headed over to the "dive bar"(which in my book = fun bar) in downtown Los Gatos, Black Watch.

My sister said we had to stop here because they are famous for Kamikaze's.

I chose the Pineapple Orange Kamikaze which is served in a pint glass with a strainer and 2 small shot glasses.

What a great food and drink day!!! Thanks Sister!

California Scenery

As we were walking around I couldn't help but stop and take pictures of all the beautiful flowers. I was amazed at all the variety growing in just a couple blocks worth of space.

Simply beautiful!

Question:

Have you ever asked a bartender to surprise you with a drink of their choice? Was it a good or bad experience?