Lemon Pistachio Pesto

Basil is at it's prime right about now, I'm loving it especially in this pesto and excited to share my recipe with you all today! Pesto sings summertime with it's vibrance, nuttiness and bright flavor.  One of my favorite ways to eat this pesto is spread onto freshly rolled out pizza dough, topped with summer vegetables such as beets and zucchini, and sprinkled with cheese. 

It looks a little something like this:

Swooooon!

It also tastes delicious on grilled fish, smeared onto a hunk of bread, in potato salad, or simply tossed onto hot pasta. I could go on...  The lemon brightens the pesto and preserves it's greenness in addition to keeping it fresher longer. Red pepper flakes are optional and plenty of fresh garlic is a must because I enjoy when pesto has a little kick with lots of flavor. We prefer pistachio pesto over the traditional pine nut pesto in my household because once we've tried it, we were hooked and never looked back!

Lemon Pistachio Pesto

• 1 bunch basil, thick stems removed
• 1/3 cup shelled roasted pistachios 
• 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 lemons, juiced and zested 
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2-3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• pinch of kosher salt and pepper
• optional: 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 

Place all ingredients in the food processor. Pulse a few times. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of bowl and pulse again until combined. I like it on the thicker side, though if you prefer a looser and smoother pesto, add more olive oil and pulse some more. Serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

I'm baaaack, with a boat load of pictures!

I have been somewhat distant on here…. I mean I’ve been around here and there tweaking and attempting to make this blog prettier for your viewing pleasures. I used the verb attempting only because I am not quite sure I am succeeding. Honestly I’m not finished. But I missed writing and decided I should just go public and do the boring stuff later. During my little hiatus, I have been enjoying what’s left of the summer. Can you believe we’re already in the middle of August?!

Here I’m going to allow these pictures to summarize my summer: 

Pizza... This one stars roasted beets and carrots. Lately I have been really into using pesto as a sauce rather than traditional tomato sauce. It isn't anything wildly new but it certainly lightens up a summer pizza pie, and allowed me to use up garlic scapes and basil we received from our CSA; which is a total win win.

We got family pictures done by Sandra ! 

Michael got a grill for Father's Day so he's been promoted to the grill-er of the family. Pictured is the flank steak we used to make grilled steak tacos with chimichurri; pretty amazing!!

Lydia getting kisses from her big cousin DJ!

  

Bridgefest 2015! We didn't stay long due to exhaustion from arriving at Jersey around 3am; but we did get ice cream at Days... They sell dairy-free ice cream now so I got mocha almond on a sugar cone!

Lydia celebrated her first 4th of July and got to experience fireworks : ) She had no idea what was going on but look how adorable she was with her ear muffs on... I still melt.

Cookies 'n' Cream ice cream on a sugar cone... One of my favorites I've made! I also really appreciated the Salted Rum Caramel ice cream too. I'll try to share the recipe before the summer ends; but who stops eating ice cream when summer ends? ;D

Brunch at Marty's Market in Pittsburgh before exploring the Strip District and then going to Picklesburgh. It was possibly the hottest day in July but we had fun people watching and eating chicken and waffles for the first time! I opted for the bagel and lox which was delightful.

Mom W. removed the nasty weeds and planted beautiful flowers on our front lawn.

I got over my pie baking fear and made this beauty. Classic blueberry pie! 

Lydia loves her wuelo!

I got a haircut!

Aria and I went to Terhune Orchards in Princeton with the babies (I wish we had taken more pictures) and enjoyed lunch, wine and seeing the animals.

Celebrating Michael's birthday with a BANG. We made grilled lobster (and by "we" Michael killed it and I watched in horror and made the garlic parsley butter), yucca fries with mayo-ketchup sauce, and garlicky sauteed green beans. 

Fun fun. As far as blogging goes, I'm going to try my best to set aside time for writing content on here and will commit to a post once a week... Rather than those irregular posts I've been posting throughout the month. It's not fair to you guys! Once a week doesn't sound like much but I don't wanna put too much on my plate. Hopefully I can eventually commit to twice a week? We shall see my friends...In the meantime I hope you all enjoy the rest of your summer!