Presto Pesto!

Whether you've grown your own basil or are a recipient of someone else's bounty, pesto is the perfect soloution for that lovely green herb. It's a wonderful feeling to add a cube or two of brightly flavored pesto to your recipe in the middle of winter! Using a food processor as your only tool makes the whole process a breeze. So hop to it! Here's the lowdown:

The ingredients...

Pesto:

2 Tbs. chopped walnuts, pecans, or pine nuts

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1/4 cup olive oil

4 cups basil (leaves, no stems!)

1/2 cup grated parmesan

1/4 tsp. salt

pinch of pepper

Finely chop nuts in food processor. Add garlic and pulse to a fine mince. Add basil, parmesan, salt, and pepper & pulse to a paste. Add olive oil gradually in a slow stream with the processor on until incorporated. Fill an ice cube tray with pesto and cover with plastic wrap. Freeze til' solid, pop out and store frozen in freezer bags.

Makes 1 ice cube tray (10-12 cubes)

*Feel free to follow the recipe loosely. Add more olive oil, or other seasonings to taste. Several squeezes of lemon juice are also a nice addition.

The final product!

Summer time is moving time! Be on the lookout for new neighbors this summer. Here are a few affordable yet thoughtful ideas to help them feel welcome and to help you get to know them too:

• A welcome mat
• A small basket with a roll of paper towels, picture hanging kit, notepad with pen, local maps, and menus from local restaurants
• A loaf of homemade bread or a frozen homemade casserole (be sure to include disposable dishes)
• A breakfast basket with muffins, juice, a bag of local coffee, and a local newspaper.
• Produce from your garden
• A potted plant
• Bulbs or plants from your yard

*Be sure to include a card with your name and phone number

Even if there are no new neighbors this summer, try to connect with
the old ones too. Try sharing produce from your garden, find a walking
partner, or take a meal to an elderly neighbor.

Golden Egg

While nosing through a new thrift store with my mom and sisters, I came across one of the best golden eggs I've seen in a while: a 50 piece set of English Ironstone that matches my dishes for just $5 total!!! I sang, I danced, I wept, I bought. (For those of you who don't know me, I am a bit obsessed with Ironstone.) It definitely pays to look at everything when you're thrifting! Here are a few of the little treasures in the set, though the pictures doesn't do them justice. My soul is at peace.

Recycle your egg cartons!

• Use as packing material for shipping
• Use as a pallete for holding paint colors
• Let your little one work on sorting skills by using the holes to sort small objects
• Use as a fun lunch container for kids
• Start your seeds in an egg carton
• Golf ball storage
• Use as a drawer organizer for jewelry, nuts, bolts, and other small items
• Place an opened egg carton at the bottom of an empty trash bag to catch spills
• Store bulbs until spring in a styrofoam carton, stored in a cool dry place

Bacon lovers rejoice!

If you're in love with bacon, raise your hand! I know, I know, it's not the healthiest choice, but honestly when you think of that golden, crispy, salty crunch...ok I'll stop. Anyway, we eat BLTs all summer long without tiring of them. Since we don't normally eat much bacon, I've been thawing frozen bacon and cooking it every time we eat a BLT. (Which is surprisingly often these days!) I've tested a quick and easy solution to the problem and behold, it works!

• Cook bacon in a single layer on a rimmed cookie sheet in the oven at 400* for 10-12 min.
• Drain on paper towels.
• Place bacon in single layers, separated by parchment or wax paper, into a freezer-safe container.
• Freeze.
• Now when you really want a slice of bacon and don't want the hassle of thawing or cooking it, just take it right out of the freezer.

*This is also exponentially cheaper than buying pre-cooked bacon!



Milk Money

While running through Ross this week, performing my favorite "task" of glancing at the clearance, I found this cute summery dress for $4.99! Instead of charging it, I used some money I'd been saving from my milk bottle deposits. (I get $2 back per bottle returned.) I love using my "stash" for fun little treats like this dress that I can enjoy without any guilt. (I also got a fun winter poncho-thingy for $3.99.) Try building up a small mad money fund with little extras like loose change and bottle deposits. You will be surprised at how satisfying it can be!

No more flies!

Do you have problems with flies congretating in front of your door in hopes of a free pass to the cool indoors? Banish them with basil! Place a pot with basil growing in it next to your door to keep them at bay. We tried this near a door where the flies were a nuisance, and just a day or two after the pot's new spot, the flies were gone. It's also nice to be able to pick fresh basil from your doorstep too!