My mother has shared her abundance of fresh basil with me. I’m so happy!  Her summer basil plants always do better than mine.  I’m just glad she knows that I LOVE fresh basil.  I use it for salads and sandwiches but I will also make as much pesto as I can from her healthy plants.  I use pesto as a spread on sandwiches and wraps, on pasta, in dips and in a new recipe, Pesto Stuffed Baked Pork Chops, that I’ll share with you later this week.

My pesto recipe is below.  If you don’t have enough basil to pack 2 full cups, you can pack 1 cup of basil and 1 cup of fresh baby spinach.  It’s delicious either way!

Fresh Basil Pesto (makes 1 cup)

2 cup fresh basil leaves (packed)

1/2 cup pine nuts

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

3 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste.

1/4 cup EVOO

Blend first 4 ingredients in a food processor.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Slowly drizzle the olive oil to blend.  Adjust oil amount as needed for proper consistency.  Enjoy!