Homemade Pesto

The weather has been so unseasonably warm & wonderful that I decided to try my hand at homemade pesto!

I did not add pine nuts, so I guess this isn't a traditional pesto, but S and I thought it was delicious!

I bought a package of fresh basil from my local market. When I separated the leaves from the stalks I ended up with about three handfuls of basil leaves.

I decided my stick blender would be the perfect pesto-making tool. My older sister gifted me a hot pink stick blender for this past Christmas. Lucky me! The stick blender came with its own container for blending which was pretty cool. It it tall and skinny which helps eliminate splatter. I love pesto in my belly, not in my hair!

I love garlic so I used ten cloves of garlic. Haha, yes, ten. I minced it up by hand, and threw it in with the basil.

I seasoned my deliciousness with a little kosher salt, lots of black pepper, and a little shake of red pepper flakes.  

Next I added a bunch of Extra Virgin Olive Oil & blended away!

Yum! Look how delicious it looks!  

To finish it off, I added Parmesan cheese to the pesto. I like the powdered stuff best. (Strange, yes?)

S and I made grilled fresh mozzarella & pesto panini sandwiches with my homemade pesto.

They were ooey, gooey, garlicky & delicious!

I hope you are inspire to try your hand at homemade pesto - it was a quick & easy way to amp up our supper!