Thanks to our good friends who happen to have a garden, the husband and I had a super yummy dinner tonight. Their small garden has produced tons of basil this summer and they were practically begging us to take some of it. We happily accepted a couple of bunches of the leafy green goodness (along with a homegrown red bell pepper or two) and started pondering a use for our garden gift.

I’ve never made pesto before but our buddies said we should try. So we yanked down our Cuisinart and got to work. It was super simple and has inspired us to make more pesto dishes. Here’s all you need:

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
• 3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

You just put that in the food processor, pulse it a few times and there you have it! That recipe was enough for a full helping of wheat pasta. I decided to snazz it up by sauteing some cremini mushrooms, onions and red bell peppers. It was so good and I’m already looking forward to our next pesto pasta night!