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