Tasty Tuesday: Pesto

Mmm, pesto. It's such a prefect summertime condiment. Whether it's used over warm pasta or as a sandwich spread, it'll compliment so many dishes. I'm not sure which is my favorite part of it though - the taste or the ease or preparing it. You grab the ingredients, toss them in a food processor, and blend. In just minutes you can have fresh pesto.

The kids love to eat basil straight from our plant. I always tease them that I'll never have enough to actually cook with. The plant has gotten huge recently and I finally got a chance to whip up some yummy pesto to serve with dinner. We were out of parmesan cheese the time, so we substituted mozzarella instead. After all, they're both white cheeses. Same thing, right? 

I'm kidding! We're a very big cheese family (not to be confused with a cheesy family.) Friulano, gruyère, pinconning, anyone? Hand us a chunk of cheese and we'll be happy. 

Anyway, all that to say that I know very well there is a huge difference between parsemsan and mozzarella, but you gotta do what ya gotta do. Maybe it was the fresh, homegrown basil or maybe it was the garlic straight from my parents' garden, but the pesto was still pretty stinkin' yummy even with the substituted cheese. I guess you just can't go wrong with pesto.

Pesto

Ingredients:
3 cups packed fresh basil leaves
4 cloves garlic
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Combine basil, garlic, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, nuts, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Blend to a smooth paste.

Tasty Tuesday: Hawaiian Cheese Ball

We celebrated another "national day." This time, it was in honor of the tasty cheese ball.  Cheese balls, the crunchy ones not the creamy kind, always make me think of Zac. He has been obsessed with them ever since his very first bite. He would yell at anyone who ate one, anyone who even looked at his precious cheese balls. Yeah, he kinda likes them.

I love this picture taken of him at 14 months old. It really shows the love relationship. He carried that tub all over the house. All the time.

I'm sure he would have been thrilled if we would have made his beloved snack for National Cheese Ball Day, but alas, we made the creamy kind.

I searched Pinterest for a recipe. I perused allrecipes. I looked through many Swagbuck searches. I could not find a single recipe that I wanted to make. So, what did I do? Created my own, of course.

I could show you the step-by-step process in pictures, but it's really not all that exciting. Throw everything in a bowl, mix it up, chill, devour.

Not only is it super simple to make, it's really yummy, too! Alyssa said it was sparkle-doodley-licious, so you know it has to be good! I bet bacon would be really delicious in this too, but unfortunately we didn't have any. I didn't add any crunch to the outside of the ball since my family isn't crazy about nuts in recipes, but feel free to add them if you choose.

Next time you need an appetizer or just want to celebrate the cheese ball, try this recipe.


Hawaiian Cheese Ball
Ingredients:
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese

1/2 c cheddar cheese (I used sharp cheddar.)

1/3 c chopped ham

1/3 c crushed pineapple (drained)

2 Tbsp grated onion

1 Tbsp teriyaki sauce (You could substitute soy or worcestershire.)

pinch of pepper
1 cup crushed pecans (optional)


Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mixing well. Chill in refrigerator. Form a ball and roll in crushed pecans, if desired. Serve with crackers.