What I got done today

[pegkerr]

Went to the farmer's market as soon as it opened.
Went to all-morning meeting at church today, planning for Advent.
Dashed home to drive the girls to bo practice.
Worked on filing financial paper work.
Reconciled some accounts in Quicken. I could reconcile the rest if Rob would quit losing the blasted paperwork.
Worked on cleaning my desk. First time in months. Lots of dust, but some bare surfaces can be seen. The rest of the office is still a mess, though.
Made up about ten more cups of pesto and put it in the freezer for the winter. [Whew. That was a lot of basil leaves to pluck. I estimate I've frozen close to two gallons' worth of pesto. No, that is not an exaggeration. I like pesto and crave it all winter--it's a way to fake myself out, during the darkest days of the year, by giving myself a taste of summer. I packed the frozen two-third cup measures into gallon ziplock bags to keep them from leaping out of the overstuffed freezer and nailing family members' toes.]
Took the girls to the library to return their books. Checked out some CDs and ripped them to my computer.
Did the dishes. Rob's dishes, damn him.

Comments

[jonquil.livejournal.com]

Boy, you were major productive.

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

The annoying thing is that I mostly see what still needs to be done.

[splagxna.livejournal.com]

i don't know how far you go in pesto-making before you freeze it, but i've seen it recommended that you leave out the cheese and add that when you're ready to use it. the pesto will be fine with the cheese in and frozen, but it 'loses something in flavor and texture.'

also, if you blanch the basil first (really easy if you have a straining saucepan or something similar, kind of a pain if not), your pesto will stay a beautiful bright green. it's a cosmetic benefit, but it does look prettier bright than dark, browny green.

the same cookbook recommends using poached, toasted or roasted garlic for 'a mellower flavor.' i haven't tried that advice, but i do agree with the first two bits. =)

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

Good tip about the blanching. I'll try it that way next time.

Although I really don't mind brownish green pesto as long as it tastes good!