Basil Pesto

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Did you know that yesterday was National Spaghetti Day?! Neither did I! Well, not until about 7 o'clock yesterday evening and I figured I shouldn't let it pass without celebrating. Luckily I had all the ingredients on hand to whip up some quick Basil Pesto. It's really simple and uses only six ingredients. What more could you ask for? I know it's a day late and the holiday has passed, but better late than never, eh?

TIP: If you have some leftover sauce, you can save your pesto by freezing it in cubes in an ice cube tray. Once frozen, pop them out and save in a ziplock bag for long term storage. When it's time to use, zap them in the microwave or toss them in a saute pan to defrost.  


Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 12 oz. spaghetti, or your favorite pasta, cooked and drained
• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed tightly
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup pine nuts or walnuts
• 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Combine basil, pine nuts and garlic in a food processor and pulse until well blended. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts, pulse them in the food processor before adding the other ingredients.)

While the food processor is on, slowly add the extra virgin olive oil in a steady stream.  Scrape down the sides with a spatula and add the grated cheese.  Pulse again until well blended.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

If pesto is thicker than you prefer, you can add a couple tablespoons of boiling water from the pasta water to thin it out.  Pulse a couple more times until it reaches your desired consistency.

Toss with pasta, garnish with shaved Parmesan or Romano cheese and enjoy!



Source: Adapted from Simply Recipes

Steak and Cheese

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You know when you have that meal that just makes everything okay? This is it. The picture doesn't even do it justice, because let me tell you...this sandwich is heaven. It's not just a regular steak and cheese either. It has the perfect mix of Worcestershire, hot sauce and Lawry's to make your socks fly off. You can actually treat the leftover sauce like an au jus, too. We dunked the sandwich in for some extra added flavor and it was the perfect comfort food. Do yourself a favor and give it a try. Just once. I promise you won't turn back to those store bought steak and cheese sandwiches ever again!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 Large (or 2 Small) Onions
• 1 1/2 sticks Butter
• 2-3 pounds Cube Steak
• Lawry's Seasoned Salt
• 1/2 cups Worcestershire Sauce
• Hot Sauce, To Taste (I used Crystal's)
• Provolone Cheese
• 4 whole French/Deli Rolls

Directions

Slice onions and cook in 1/4 stick butter until soft and light brown. Remove and set aside.

Slice cube steak against the grain. Season generously with Lawry's.

Heat 2 tablespoons butter over high heat (in same skillet) until melted and beginning to brown. Add meat in single layer. Cook one side until brown, then flip and cook until brown, about a minute on both sides.  If all meat does not fit in the skillet in a single layer, do it in batches setting the first batch aside while the second batch cooks.

Add Worcestershire sauce, 5-6 shakes hot sauce, and 2 tablespoons butter. Add cooked onions. Stir to combine.

Butter halved rolls and brown in skillet.

Assemble sandwiches by laying the bottom halves of the rolls on a baking sheet. Top with meat mixture. Place two slices of Provolone Cheese on top of each sandwich and place under broiler (on high) until cheese melts. Remove from broiler, spoon some extra juice goodness on top, followed by the top of the bun. Enjoy!

Source: The Pioneer Woman