Do you know how certain flavors, tastes or smells can bring you back to a certain place or time in your life? Basil pesto does that for me. It kind of brings me right back to Italy, but only the homemade kind. There's just something about fresh basil blended with parmesan and olive oil. YUM it's so good. I whipped up a batch this morning to use for dinner. Michael and I picked up some salmon on Sunday and I couldn't wait to make it with fresh basil pesto. I've found that my favorite nuts to use in homemade pesto are walnuts. I've tried it with pistachios, pine nuts and even cashews, and walnuts seem to give it my favorite consistency.

Here's what you need: 

• Large handful of fresh basil
• 1/3 cup walnuts
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• S & P to taste
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp plain greek yogurt (added for creaminess factor)
• Small squeeze fresh lemon juice
• Some sort of food processor or powerful blender

Here's what to do: 

• Blend!

All I did for dinner was topped the salmon with pesto and lemon slices and baked for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees! Super simple. Crazy delicious. I served ours with golden zucchini zoodles. Golden zoodles. Golden Doodle? And some roasted brussels sprouts.

Enjoy!

- Rach

Do you have a food that reminds you of a certain place?

This was only the second time that I've made risotto in my life. I'm not going to lie, it's kind of a pain in the ass. It's definitely easy to make, it just takes a while. But it's SO worth it. You'll feel fancy when you eat it, I promise. Once you learn the process, it's the exact same every time. The only thing that changes are the flavors or the add ins that you want to include. This time, I made it with onion, garlic, mushrooms and a bit of spinach for some pop of color. My favorite part about making this dish is that it tastes like there's a million pounds of butter in it. I didn't use one hint of butter. WIN!

Here's what you'll need: 

• 1 1/2 cups of risotto (arborio rice)
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 2/3 cup dry white wine
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 Vidalia onion
• 4-6 cloves of garlic
• 1 lb mushrooms
• 1 1/2 cup chopped spinach
• 4 thin sliced chicken breasts
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1/4-1/2 cup of parmesan cheese (more or less depending on your preference. I used about 1/3 cup)
• Olive oil cooking spray
• Fresh lemon to taste

Here's what to do: 

• Chop everything first to get that out of the way!
• Heat 2-3 tbsp of olive oil in a LARGE saucepan on medium heat
• Add in mushrooms, onions and garlic
• Sautee until onions are just about transluscent
• Add in rice and stir to coat with olive oil. Let it cook until it has a golden color and looks a little translucent
• Add in the white wine and stir constantly until the wine is fully absorbed
• Here comes the pain in the ass part: add in chicken stock 1/2 cup at a time. Once your 1/2 cup is dissolved, add the next 1/2 cup and repeat until the full 6 cups are absorbed. Keep stirring throughout.
• While the rice is cooking, heat a medium pan with cooking spray on medium heat.
• Season chicken with kosher salt and pepper and add to pan. Cook about 3 minutes on each side.
• Once the chicken stock is absorbed in the rice, turn off the heat, add in chopped spinach and parmesan.
• Now you're ready to eat! I squeezed a bit of lemon on top of mine for some freshness.

Enjoy!

- Rach

I've got two recipes to share! A burger with melted mozzarella and bacon paired with a spinach, berry and beet salad with an olive oil honey glaze for the dressing. Sounds fancy? It's really not. With the 4th of July coming up this weekend, I'm feeling rather festive lately and wanted to make something fun and different than I usually make for dinner. I stopped by Trader Joe's after work today (note to self: avoid going to Trader Joe's Monday afternoons at 5:45 p.m. at all costs) and the cheese section was calling my name. I have been craving cheese like crazy lately and I never splurge and buy fresh mozzarella, so it happened.

Burger Ingredients (for one serving):

• 1 lean ground beef patty
• Hearty slice of mozzarella cheese
• 1 slice of bacon (cooked)
• Lawry's seasoning salt (to taste)

Directions:

• Spray small pan with cooking oil
• Season patty with seasoning salt
• Cook on medium heat for about 4-5 minutes each side
• Place mozzarella on burger once flipped
• Let cheese melt, remove from heat and garnish with crispy bacon

For the salad:

• Toss together spinach, sliced strawberries, beets and blueberries (EASY!)
• I suggest adding walnuts or pine nuts to this as well. I loved it as is, but an extra little crunch would be delicious.

Dressing (makes 2 servings):

• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp greek yogurt (I use full fat)
• 1 tsp sea salt

Directions:

• Heat oil and honey over medium heat in a small saucepan
• Once oil starts to bubble, take the saucepan off heat and whisk the mixture
• Pour oil and honey into a bowl and add the yogurt and salt
• Whisk until you get a creamy consistency

Plate everything and enjoy!

I think I'll have to make these burgers again on Saturday!

- Rach