Pesto Pasta Bake (with recipe)

Brownie is busy with Baseball - so you were expecting vegetarian, right?

Thing #2 made this on our last weekend together.  He did an awesome job and it was delicious.  But I was so focused on watching him and multi-tasking as Thing #5 simultaneously mixed up a batch of chocolate banana muffins from her cookbook, that I didn't get any photos of his creation.  

So tonight I decided to make it again and make sure to get some pictures!

Yes, it's vegetarian but it's SO flavorful!  I printed this recipe some time ago from the internet but have no idea from where.  I've modified it a bit to fit our taste and for convenience.  Try this:

Ingredients for Pesto:

• 4 cups fresh basil (Basil sells quickly this time of year, I bought a large bunch from Safeway and yes, used the entire thing for this recipe.)
• 4 Cloves garlic (snip off the tips of each end of the cloves before blending)
• 1/2 cup Pine Nuts
• 3/4 cup parmesan, finely grated
• 3/4 cup Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (FYI - one small carton of cream is enough to make this recipe twice!)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Ingredients Cont'd:

• 16 oz. Pasta (use whatever you have on hand, or whatever you prefer)
  
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (this is great for slightly withered cherry toms that my not be appetizing for snacking any longer - they're going to be cooked anyway!  Thing #5 didn't leave me 1 cup to work with, but it was close)
• 1 cup parmesan, finely grated
• 8 oz. ball fresh mozzarella (cut into small 1/2" pieces or sliced, as you wish)

Directions:

• Make Pesto - place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend well, set aside
• Cook pasta to very al dente, or about 3-4 minutes before the package instructs for the cook time
• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
• halve your cherry tomatoes
• In a casserole pan, mix pasta, cherry tomatoes and pesto sauce
• Top with grated parmesan and mozzarella pieces
• Bake at 400 F for 10-15 minutes, or until mozzarella has melted.
• Garnish with additional parmesan and fresh basil, serve immediately.

The flavor of this is phenomenal.  Even our pickiest Thing #5 loves this!  It's simple and easy and will quickly become a family favorite - we promise!

Fresh from the oven:

Summer Bruschetta (with recipe)

We love summer!  Fresh fruits and vegetables are available everywhere you look and organic produce is so easy to come by locally!

If you've never made bruschetta ... it's sort of like the Italian version of chips and salsa!  So of course, Jen is a huge fan.  Chips and salsa is a must-have staple in the Brownifer household!

We're still working on using up leftovers from our Cuban Sandwiches so instead of using pita chips for a quick and easy bruschetta fix, we toasted some of our leftover Cuban Hoagies to make this one.  Normal we'll buy a baguette and slice it, but we work with what we've got!  Whatever bread you have, I guarantee it will work.

Ingredients:

• 3-4 Heirloom tomatoes - the more colors, the more fun!
• 2/3 Cup chopped fresh basil
• 2/3 Cup chopped onion (as fine as you like)
• 5-6 cloves garlic, minced (however much you like - we go crazy with garlic)
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Sliced bread for toasting
• Olive Oil
• Garlic Powder

Directions:

• Mix tomatoes, onion, basil, garlic in a bowl and salt/pepper to taste
• Let mixture sit for 30 minutes or so for flavors to combine, stirring periodically
• Slice bread and place on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder
• Put bread in the broiler or oven until crisp and browned to your liking
• Spoon tomato mixture onto bread and serve!

Brownie likes to sprinkle his bruschetta with romano or parmesan cheese - I prefer it light and fresh.  You can vary this recipe in so many ways, its a fun one to play with and a simple side to so many summer dishes!