Basil Pesto Recipe

Pesto is a sauce that orginiated in northern Italy. It traditionally consists of crushed garlic, basil, and pine nuts blended with olive oil and Parmigiano Reggiano (parmesan cheese). It must be my Italian heritage, every summer I plant tons of basil everywhere from my flower beds to my vegetable garden. Basil is one of the few herbs I grow that won't winter over in South Carolina. I dry enough for family and friends to last through the winter and also make batches of Basil Pesto to freeze. Yes, it freezes quite well.

Don't limit yourself, there are more ways to use pesto than as a sauce for pasta. Use pesto as a pizza topper, a sauce for grilled meats, mixed with mashed potatoes or tossed with your favorite vegetables. The possibilities are endless.

Garlic is very potent and the smell can linger on your hands for hours, even after washing.  Three easy remedies:

You can avoid the problem by wearing disposable gloves.

An easy trick to remove the smell is to rub your hands with a stainless steel spoon or other stainless utensil under running tap water. You can also rub your hands on the inside of your stainless steel sink. (Not my preferred method since most sinks are really not that sanitary.)

Rub your hands with a little salt or baking soda. I have also heard that toothpaste works.

Recipes:

These delicious, tried-and-true gluten-free dishes offer a healthier take on classic favorites by using brown rice. They’re sure to be a hit with family and friends while backyard entertaining this spring! 

Naturally gluten-free, brown rice is one of the least allergenic of all grains and also rates low on the glycemic index (GI), a scale that measures the speed at which foods raise blood sugar level. Low-GI foods like brown rice provide long- lasting energy which helps to sustain hunger and minimize snacking occasions.

Read more...

Preserved lemon or "pickled lemon" is commonly used in Moroccan, Indian and Middle Eastern Food. You can buy preserved lemons at specialty stores but they are easy to make and so much fresher when you preserve them yourself. The added bonus is they look pretty sitting on your counter.

6 large lemons or 12 Meyer lemons
2/3 cup kosher salt
1 to 1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice (from 5 large lemons or 10 Meyer lemons)
Sterilized jar with lid (6-cup capacity)

Read more...

The Best Homemade Baby Food on the Planet: Know What Goes Into Every Bite with More Than 200 of the Most Deliciously Nutritious Homemade Baby Food ... More Than 60 Purees Your Baby Will Love

By Karin Knight R.N., Tina Ruggiero M.S. R.D. L.D.

Order Today for only $12.18

Recipe: 82 Queen - Award Winning She Crab Soup

We recently met a couple from “up north,” foodies who were on a restaurant touring vacation through the South. They were quite emphatic in their declaration that, “per capita, Charleston has more “great” restaurants than New York.” Well now, that’s high praise from someone above the accursed (Mason-Dixon) Line. But then, we knew it all along. 

You can imagine that to survive and prosper in a town full of chefs and restaurateurs is no small feat. It takes something special to survive over twenty-five years in Charleston’s famous French Quarter. Truly one of Charleston’s great restaurants, 82 Queen has managed to do just that, with a wonderful mix of casual elegance and great Lowcountry cuisine.

Read more...