my child eats basil like it's candy

Basil plants are flourishing which is a sure sign that we are deep into summer.  I love love pesto and I think I've passed that gene onto Everdeen.  In fact, every time we pass the basil plants she stoops down and without even using her hands takes a bite out of a basil leaf and loudly says, "Mmmmmm!" haha :) 

In honor of summer and in honor of my three year old liking basil like it's some amazing type of candy that grows in the ground, here is my favorite pesto recipe. It truly only takes minutes to whip up and we usually eat off of it all week.  I really want to make up several batches to freeze so we can taste summer all winter long. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Pine Nuts

1 tsp coarse salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 Tbsp minced garlic

4 cups loosely packed basil leaves

4 oz Asiago Cheese

2 oz Parmesan Cheese

1 cup olive oil

Blend ingredients together in a food processor (scraping the sides as needed) adding the olive oil last.  Enjoy and let me know if you make some in honor of these last weeks of summer! 

Peppermint Eggnog Shake

My mom whipped up a batch of these delicious shakes last weekend for our early Christmas celebration with my sisters.  They taste just like Christmas should and are so very simple to make!  

You will need:
2 parts Peppermint Ice Cream 
1 part Eggnog 
1 part Ginger Ale (you can add more or less depending on how thick you want your shake)
Crushed candy canes to sprinkle on top 


Blend the ice cream, eggnog, and ginger ale together, pour it into a glass and enjoy! 

Cherry Pineapple Jello

Otherwise called the easiest side dish you'll ever bring to a BBQ...which is my kind of cooking.

This jello recipe has been a tradition since I can remember.  Every 4th of July my sisters and I would look forward to my mom making this tasty side dish and it would seriously be devoured in minutes. If you love cherry pie filling (who doesn't?!) then this is just for you...because you know you get to lick the cherry can when you're finished. That's always when my husband walks by and just shakes his head at me.  Hey there are some things that just can't be helped. I know you might be thinking, "Jello dishes are only served during potlucks in a church basement or by your elderly neighbor" (which is probably true) but sometimes you just can't go wrong with an American tradition. 

You'll Need:

1 large package of Cherry Jello

1 can of crushed pineapple

1 large can of cherry pie filling

Add 2 cups of boiling water to the jello mix

Add the crushed pineapple and the cherry pie filling

Mix together and pour into mold

Place in refrigerator overnight to set

Italian Sausage and Kale {A Paleo Recipe}

I thought I would start sharing some of the Paleo recipes my chef husband creates for us :) This is one of my favorites! Plus, it's simple and fast- perfect for the work week. 

Summer Salad and Thank You Readers

First and most importantly, thank you everyone for your kind words yesterday. It means the world to me.  I still can't believe that so many of you want to read what I have to say and I really am honored-- please say hi, even if you follow quietly along I would love to hear from you...you can tell me your favorite color or favorite Cher song (come on now, we all have a favorite) Thank you truly for reading along with me.


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And now for a tasty summer treat.


This is probably not a salad you should eat on a first date...poppy seeds, sesame seeds and strawberries don't tend to look that great stuck between your teeth when you're trying to make a good first impression.  But for every other day, especially a warm sunny summer day, this is the perfect salad.

{My salad doesn't have spinach in it because my husband who we will now refer to as Pop Eye ate a 100 pound Costco sized container of it before I could take my pictures}

Watermelon Strawberry Goodness

I am in love with smoothies.

They are one of my favorite things to drink during the summer...well any time during the year really :)

We don't drink them very often because of all the sugar, but every once in a while I can't help myself. 
I came across this really simple smoothie recipe from Bon Appetite.

You are required to drink this smoothie while sitting by the pool sunbathing.