Tomorrow is my birthday and the festivities have already begun! Last night my husband and the boys and I went out for dinner at our favorite local restaurant. At the end of the meal, my children wanted to order (and split) the Coffee Affogato –vanilla gelato drowned in a shot of espresso.
My husband and I pleasantly argued over the merits (none) and shortcomings (caffeine) of this dessert for several minutes while the children observed, amusedly. I was pro-affogato, my husband against. Given that I have tended to be the strict one in the house it was nice to be on the indulgent, lenient side of this debate, even though I lost. They had plain gelato which all-in-all was a delightful treat.
While my husband drove home (north), the boys and I took the long-cut on foot, south and strolled down by the creek. It was an excellent evening. Great fun with my favorite people. Tomorrow the festivities continue; we are having several families over for dinner to test out many new recipes that I have been working on this week. Here is what my email invitation said:
Date: Saturday, August 2nd
Time: 5:30
Where: My House
What: Bring children, bathing suits for them (we’ll have the sprinklers on), baseball mits (for catch)
Don’t: Bring food
No: Gifts Por Favor
So, as you see, we have big plans for tomorrow. I might even sweep the backyard; though probably not. Rather than cleaning, I imagine I’ll be working on more recipes. I’ve been cooking up a storm lately and having great fun in the kitchen. Below is the pesto recipe that I created for tomorrow’s bash.
Lemon Walnut Pesto
Ingredients
- ¼ cup scallions, chopped
- 1 cup parsley, chopped
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh squeezed
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 cup walnuts
Instructions
- Place scallions, parsley, garlic and salt in food processor and pulse until well combined
- Turn on food processor and drizzle in lemon juice and olive oil
- Add walnuts and pulse until incorporated
- Serve with sesame crackers
Equipment
I hope you all have a fantastic weekend and have as much fun with this tangy pesto as we will. Enjoy!
Sarah says
Hi Elana
I have just converted this recipe for a Thermomix cooking class – it went really well. I served it with the Rosemary fig crackers which were probably too sweet – any suggestions?
Sarah says
Hi Elana
I have jut converted this recipe for a Thermomix cooking class – it went really well. I served it with the Rosemary fig crackers which were probably too sweet – any suggestions?
elana says
Thanks Sally!
Elana
Sally Parrott Ashbrook says
Yum, Elana–this pesto sounds awesome! Happy birthday!
elana says
Chrissy -Thanks!
Christianne -Thanks for your wishes, I really appreciate them. Hope your holiday was wonderful and refreshing.
Lauren -Thanks for your comment.
Lauren says
Looks fabulous! The sesame crackers look wonderful, too. So nice to find fresh, wholesome low-carb recipes. :)
Christianne says
Dear Elana,
Because I was on a little holiday break, I missed your last few posts and just read them all in chronological order… It is a sure treat to find your updates carefully arranged in my inbox! Since my best wishes for your birthday arrive too late now, I wish you 364 very lovely, healthy and happy unbirthdays! In Wonderland they were right: it is good to celebrate every single day… We are raising a glass on your wellbeing here today: lechaim!
The new recipes look fantastic as well, I cannot wait to try them and I will be sure to post some pics! Have a lovely and relaxed sunday everybody!
Chrissy says
Happy belated birthday!
I am SO with you on the nachos! I forget which restaurant used to make them and each chip was a tiny perfect morsel of nacho-ness! Each one had the toppings individually placed on top… wonderful!
elana says
Okay… – In general pesto made from scratch probably wouldn’t contain gluten — just nuts, olive oil, garlic and some type of greens. However, pesto purchased from a store could potentially contain gluten as it hides out in many processed foods and is often found in the most unexpected places.
Jaya – Thank you for your sweet words and good wishes, I really appreciate them!
Ana – It was great; if you can, let me know how the pesto turned out :)