life hands you loads of basil...make pesto

too much basil? Everyone should have this problem! Basil is easy to grow and when you give it what it wants it will thank you all summer long. There are many varieties of basil and it makes a thoughtful hostess gift. I planted sweet, curly, cinnamon and purple basil this year but the sweet remains my favorite.

I whip up a batch of pesto with extra basil and make a pesto logs to freeze. I spread the pesto between snack sized plastic baggies. During the winter months I add it to soups, sauces and dips. It's a great way to banish winter blahs.

Here is a fool proof recipe for pesto...

• 2 c basil leaves
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/3 c nuts (walnuts, almonds, pine nuts)
• 1/2 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 c freshly grated Romano
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt and/or pepper to taste

put all of the ingredients in a food processor (hold the salt and pepper) and blend it with the olive oil, adding it a bit at a time, until it reaches a texture you like. Put the mixture into snack sized baggies as soon as possible and get all the air out. Date it and freeze it.