And Pesto!

So the other week-

I know, a while ago. Anyways-

I made pesto!

Katie came in towards the end to assist with the finishing touches and be my ever loyal taste tester. For some reason, I leave that to her and not myself. Even though I always love my food. But.... okay continuing on-

And here's a simple recipe.

Okay to be honest, this isn't specific. It's three recipes mashed together and instructions taken from Katie's huge and awesome cook book. Just saying.

You need: Measuring cups and a food processor.

Ingredients:
1.5 cups basil "crushed"
2 cloves garlic
1 cup toasted pine nuts
2 tbspn olive oil
.4/.5 cup parmesan cheese
3 pinches sea salt
2 tsp parsley


Instructions: I cut the basil to go easy on my machine, you can do what you will. It took me about an hour, though. Put those in the food processor with the salt and oil olive. Toast and chop pine nuts, toss in and let grind for 20 seconds. Crush garlic, chop parsley, and put the rest in. Grind until fine.

And that should do the trick!

Ours was a bit thicker than I expected which more olive oil would have taken care of, but we liked it the way it was.

The basil and parsley was taken right from Katie's fresh garden, too!

Overall, it was a success and even our roommates thought it was delightful! This made about a full cup worth, to be honest and could have made more with more oil. But it's been a few days and we still have it and it's lasting us a good while- a little goes a long way!

Minimalists

By now, I'm sure you've all heard of them. They've put out documentaries, put together a fabulous blog that us bloggers can only pray we will someday attain. They've done TedTalks, and so much more.

The Minimalists. They're actually really cool.

Two friends who formed a habit and are sharing it with the world: minimalism.

And being the junkie and hoarder I grew up as, I've been working on trying to reach their ways. It's been a long process, but I assure you, so far, there has been much success.

Of course, half of it's there because of Katie.


We haven't had to share a room in months but once it was time, we also knew it was time to toss some items. Five bags later, I still have twice as much as she does- but we're a lot better off with it!

And there's always things to toss. I've already started another bag!

So between the famous Minimalists and my darling Katie, here are some tips:

It's not always about having a little amount, but keeping what you value. Yes, I have like two shirts in my closet that I rarely wear, but it's because I value them. Like I said, I'm a work in progress. But if you don't value it- junk it.

If you haven't worn it in a year (they say six months but hey, it's ok), then you will not wear it in the next year. Junk it.

My personal lesson: those 'together' outfits are great. You know what I'm talking about- that fun belt you have just for that special skirt, or those shoes that only work with that fun shirt. Guess what? It's not usually worth it. If you have an item that goes with only one thing, and it's not getting worn very much, then junk it.



One of my next posts is going to be on shopping, which I know sounds stupid but trust me, you might gain another skill even about junking things. Stay tuned!