Simple Pesto

In the spring I planted 3 basil plants in my families garden. I loved having them all summer and added basil to so many of my recipes. There is nothing quite like fresh basil! 

Well, now October is upon us and the cold has hit, which means sadly the garden is done. When I got back from my Seattle vacation my first mission was to save my basil from the impending doom that was quickly approaching. This left me with a mountain of basil on my counter and what better to make than pesto. 

So much basil!

I love pesto and love how versatile it is. You can adjust the ingredients however you want, adding and subtracting until you are happy with it. I love garlic so I always add more, but almost always use a little less lemon juice because I hate when that overpowers the flavors. So play around with this and make this your recipe, that's the best thing about cooking anyways!

Pesto
2 cups basil
4 cloves garlic
1/3 cup toasted walnuts (or pine nuts)
squeeze of lemon juice
1/3-1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
olive oil
salt and pepper

Place basil leaves, garlic, walnuts in food processor and pulse until chopped
Drizzle in olive oil until you reach you desired consistency
Add parmesan cheese and mixed until smooth, adding more olive oil if necessary
Salt and pepper to taste

Because I had a mountain of basil I made about 4 batches so I could freeze it to use all winter. Normally I freeze my pesto in 1T portions in ice cube trays. Well, I couldn't find the ice cube trays so mini muffin trays came to the rescue! Once they are frozen pop them out and place in a freezer bag to enjoy all winter long! 

Ready to freeze

Thankful Thursday 10.24.13

49. checking things off my fall bucket list. I really am SO excited to be home for fall and experience all of the things I've missed

50. Going to the Covered Bridge Festival on a perfect day with my parents and eating my very favorite pumpkin ice cream

51. Teaching Sunday School using a childrens Bible that I had when I was little

52. A short but very sweet reunion lunch with my roommate while she and her fam were driving through town. Seeing her, her husband, and her two littles made my heart SO happy (Why didn't I take a picture!)

53. Cleaning my room. It has been a packing and unpacking zone for so long it's nice to have some of the floor back

54. Leaves, pumpkins, and mums are everywhere

55. Trick-or-treat loot ready by our front door

56. Using frequent flyer miles for an amazing vacation 

57. Spending time with Isaac and Emily and finally seeing the island that Isaac talks so much about

58. Sunsets and ferry rides

59. Making kale chips; after hearing so many good things about them for so long, now I know why!

60. A Saturday filled with football, walks, and cooking with a friend who I hadn't see for far too long

61. Making maple twist with Kyle, or rather making him do all the work because I knew he could (recipe coming!)

62. A sweet time spent eating lunch with Kyle's family, a family that is so close to my heart and encourages me so much 

63. A day spent drinking tea, having quiet time, and reading a whole book (My Father, Maker of the Trees)

64. Pumpkin milkshakes before heading to the airport

65. Even Better becoming closer to reality

66. The first snow of the season. I don't care that it is October, snow always makes me super happy

67. Picking the basil from the garden before it snowed and was ruined

68. The perfect weather for cuddling with a blanket, cup of tea or coffee and my new book I was blessed with, A Million Little Ways

more posts coming...I promise, including a recipe tomorrow!

Thankful Thursday 10.10.2013

You guys, God is good. I have been so blessed by so many people these past 2 weeks. So many unexpected get togethers and conversations. A lot of super super exciting things are coming up and I am SO excited to share them with you. Be thankful that He is always so so good.

31. sibling weekend with the best brothers ever

32. apple picking, drinking apple cider and eating donuts

33. reading books to my nephew

34. being an aunt

35. soaking in all the the truth that was spoken at the Influence Conference

36. cold mornings curled up with a blanket

37. easy subbing jobs and subbing jobs that leave me feeling fulfilled at the end of he day

38. talks with friends who just get you

39. sharing God given dreams with people who believe in you no questions asked

40. wearing Chacos in the fall

41. the hot sign at Krispy Kreme

42. opening my Bible to a page filled with notes

43. sitting in coffee shops surrounded by women studying Gods word

44. reuniting with I Squad friends

45. late night prayers 

46. non stop encouragement when things get a little scary
47. Discovering this blog

48. 10 day forecasts finally covering my upcoming vacation!

Apple Pie Filling

Growing up we had an apple tree in our backyard. I have fond memories of climbing in all summer long and inspecting the apples as they grew. Once they started falling on the ground and rotting stepping on all the drunk bees was one of my favorite things to do (yes, I may have been a weird child). Now that our old apple tree is long gone, and our new one isn't producing enough fruit yet I was happy with the bag full of apples my mom brought home from the farmers market.

First things first, using one of my favorite kitchen tools, the apple peeler, corer, slicer

Today I decided to make apple pie filling. I love making filling to freeze so it is ready to use all winter long. I also love using recipes from family friends.

Apple Pie Filling

6 cups apples

3/4 to 1 cup sugar

3 T flour

1/2 or 3/4 t cinnamon

1/4 to 1/2 t nutmeg

dash salt

Mix all ingredients. Spoon into quart sized freezer bags. When ready to use thaw and place in 9 inch pie dish. Dot with butter if you use a double crust. Also makes great apple crisp!

Truths From Influence Conference

This past weekend I was blessed to attend the Influence Conference. It was such a sweet time of fellowship with Jesus loving women and so much truth was spoken. I am still processing a lot of what God taught me throughout the weekend, but I can't let another day pass without sharing some of the the truths that were spoken into me.

The Tiny Twig

• work=gifts+resources, that's all, we go astray when we want to add something other than Jesus to the equation
• the Lord has good things for me and they are different from the good things He has for other people
• God doesn't give me passions without a way to use them 

Lara Casey

• Follow your dreams Him!
• Follow me is not just a command, it's an action
• the goal is not happiness, the goal is His glory
• Do something, the right thing, one step at a time
• Hold yourself to a standard of grace, not perfection
• we are born to make manifest the glory of God that is in us
• He is working something in you bigger than you
• progress...not perfection
• you can't being everyone to Jesus, but you can bring everyone Jesus

Shauna Niequist

• sometimes it takes a couple of false starts to get there
• don't do their thing well, do your thing
• love the good life God has given you
• you don't have to wait for a lightning bolt to write-live so you always have inspiration around you
• the world needs you!

Naptime Diaries

• God doesn't want to heal you to use you, He wants to heal you because He loves you
• Sarah sinned big, she was a mess-God still used her in huge ways
• the entire trinity is on my side-and will always be
• the building is done, God isn't waiting for you to be finished, it is finished
• when the Lord is working in you there is something to say, even if it is a mess
• the building is done, influential women, not it is our joy to walk forward with our eyes on Christ alone 

Annie Downs

• Proverbs 18:21 the tongue has the power of life and death
• words are more powerful now than ever before because of the internet
• we are called to speak kindness and love to everyone
• you never know who will read what you write, how people will find you, and who will stay around
• He will never speak anything but love to us so we will never speak anything but love to others

Like Annie said, I may never know who will read this site, I may never know how these words will impact you, but I pray they do. I pray that these truths will work their way deep into your heart and above all you will know you are loved. You are loved by the creator who created you for even better than you could ever imagine.