Two of our favorite recipes

We love to eat in this house. Jason and I were trying to find something we had in common and we both like to eat and cook. Here are some of our favorite fresh recipes.

Pesto Pasta with zucchini

For Pesto you need
2-3 cups of fresh basil
2-4 cloves of garlic depending on how big and how much you like garlic
1/4 cup of nuts (pine if you like a sharp flavor or walnuts if you like mild flavors)
1/4 cup of romano or Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Mix everything but the olive oil in the blender or food process. Then add as much olive oil as you want. I put in about 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup depending, we like it just barely runny. If the basil is too sharp/spicy you can add spinach or parsley to dull the flavor. So make this and set it aside.

Cut one zucchini per two people into quartered dices. Saute for about 12 minutes in a frying pan with two teaspoons of olive oil per zucchini. Add either a cup of cherry tomatoes or a cup of diced tomatoes for about two to three minutes, until they are soft. Pour over pasta, and drizzle pesto to taste. Mix and enjoy!


Another fantastic recipe is our homemade tomato sauce.
For just one dinner for a few people these are the ingredients.

7-10 large tomatoes
3-5 cloves of garlic minced
1/3 cup chopped onion
salt and pepper to taste
one tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup fresh herbs minced: basil, oregano, parsley are good ones to start with
and if you like veggies in your sauce add whatever you want

I run my tomatoes through a press but you can skin them the old fashioned way by boiling them for a few minutes and then putting them in cold water and pulling the peels off. Then smash them up, if you want to make them absolutely smooth put them in a blender or food processor.

Put the oil, onion and garlic in the pan and saute them for a few minutes until the onions turn translucent. If you want the onions to brown add two teaspoons of sugar in with them. Then add the tomatoes and the herbs and salt and pepper. Bring to a rapid boil for five minutes and then reduce to a simmer until it reduces in half. That can take anywhere from one to two hours. Just beware. If you don't have that kind of time, add a can of tomato paste. Then you can brag that you made homemade sauce in like twenty minutes!

These are our favorite meals to eat during the summer. Hope you enjoy!