Chilly Sunday morning

 Halloween is over which means that the holiday season is knocking on our door steps. We have been working at getting the piggy bank stock increased for the season. Jeff has always done the occasional fish and this week I spent some time learning to make them. I am a VERY slow fish producer. I know that the more I make, the faster I will become. The plan is to have a decent grouping of them for the Celebration of Seagrove Potters show (info in the side bar). In the meantime, I am also putting a few pigs together everyday.

Last night was our first really cold night. There was a frost warning, but I am not sure we had one here in Seagrove. I will also admit to not being up early enough to check the temperature! When I got up at 8 am it was a chilly 39 degrees. Not wanting to take chances, I brought all of my plants in last night. I finally cut down the last of the basil and set it in one of Jeff's wood fired cache pots. Today I will make pesto, then chop and freeze the rest of it with a little olive oil. There is nothing like fresh basil, but I will get some satisfaction knowing that what comes out of the freezer this winter came from our own little garden.

Working Hard, Eating Well

 We have so much basil this year that we are trying to incorporate it into every meal. Last night we had caprese salad and pasta. The salad is one of my favorite summer dishes. I love the combination of basil and fresh mozzarella.

On the weekend I had a made a big pot of spaghetti sauce, knowing it would come in handy for a quick meal during this busy week. Last night I boiled some tortellini and we tossed half with some pesto that I made last week and poured sauce over the rest. A half and half meal! I called dibs on our new Tom White bowl, acquired at the craftsmen's fair in New Hampshire last month. I love wide open bowls that can double as plates, and Jeff and I both really like Tom's pots.

and now back to pigs...

There may have been one piggy bank disaster in the kiln this week, but this order came out exactly right. I think I will add this blue and red combination to the repertoire. This guy is heading out to his new home today. He is a "china" first anniversary gift to a young man from his wife. How cute is that?

Fresh Basil and Arugula Pesto... and I am sharing the recipe!

Danielle and Jason are foodies... they subscribe to all the good food and wine magazines. Whenever I am visiting them in Connecticut, I go through their recent issues and try to snag some good recipes. Last night I made basil and arugula pesto. Jeff was a little skeptical of the combination, but I knew we would love it because we are big fans of both. Last night we had it mixed pasta, fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, topped with garlic sauteed shrimp. The photo is our lunch today, we slightly warmed the leftover pasta (no shrimp - we ate it all last night) and shared a tuna sandwich, served up on our new Tom White plates that we acquired at the League of NH Craftsmen's show. The rerun was just as tasty!
Here is the recipe:

1/3 cup pine nut, or almonds (I used almonds, the pine nuts were too expensive where I was shopping)
Toast the nuts in dry skillet, until lightly browned, let cool. Pulse in a food processor until finely ground.

Add approximately 1 1/2 cups fresh basil, and 1 1/2 cups fresh arugula to the processor, along with 2-4 cloves of fresh, chopped, garlic. Add about 1/4 tsp. of kosher salt (I use Himalayan, that's just our preference).

Grate 1/2 cup of good parmesan cheese, add to the food processor and pulse to combine.

Slowly pour in 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, pulsing to incorporate. Transfer the pesto to a bowl.
The recipe said to incorporate a 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese to the pesto. I forgot to buy the ricotta but had fresh mozzarella. I mixed the mozzarella in with pasta and fresh tomatoes before serving.

The recipe makes about a cup of pesto, use about a 1/2 cup for one pound of pasta... but if you are like me... extra pesto is always a good idea!

Bon Appetit!