quinn's place

look, a green thing! haven't seen many of them around these parts throughout the entire month of december...woopsies.

happy new year!!!! time to put some colors back into our bodies that aren't white, brown, or yellow...amiriiiite??

it's 2017! can you even believe that noise?????! seems like such a futuristic number, but here we are.

pesto is one of those things that i never store bought again after i learned how to make it myself. it's easy. you just probably need to have a food processor. i haven't tried it in a blender...but i don't see why that wouldn't work, too. feel free to report back with any findings.

i like to toss the garlic cloves in a hot pan with a tiny bit of olive oil for a few minutes...just to cut that sTrOnG garlicky bite. if ya catch my drift. fresh garlic works perfectly, too. but its a pesky lingerer. and with 3 cloves swimming around in this cup o sauce...that's a high level of linger.

i make my pesto with both basil and arugula as the greenery. pesto is normally made with all basil, but somehow i do not *love* basil. i have a leaf of it with mozzarella & tomato and i'm like, "okay, cool, basil." i totally get that its a delicious, fresh, herbaceous, & fragrant flavor - i'm just not over the moon for the basil. so i like to use half basil and half arugula.

i learned the arugula pesto method from jessica of how sweet it is - who has given me tons and tons and tons of inspiration and confidence in the kitchen since i started following/obsessing over her blog the last several years. by the way, her pesto parmesan scone recipe in that link above are amazing and i've made them many times. a crowd pleaser!!

her arugula pesto idea also eventually led me to try making pesto with any ol' greens i had laying around, which was silly. i've tried it with mixed greens, spinach and kale and that was all wrongo. you need something bitter and with a bite! i feel like the arugula is bitter with a sharp, peppery taste, and the basil is fragrant and herbal. mix those together and you've got a lovely balance of flavors. then come the parmesan cheese, garlic, and olive oil to make the pesto complete!

just a note that i ended up freezing my basil and thawed it when i was ready to use it for this recipe. it worked out just as well! if you're planning to make fresh pesto, buy basil like 4 seconds before you're ready. it goes bad in the blink of an eye! and by that i mean like 3 days.

anyhoo! its delicious! flavorful! herbaceous! with a bite! sometimes..too much bite. adding just a tad of white or red wine vinegar cuts that sharp taste and balances it all out.

throw it on a pasta! gnocci! a pizza! quinoa! vegetables! crackers! with beans! i dunno, maybe not beans, but maybe so beans! pesto is primo for versatility. just try it on everythaaang.

Homemade Pesto

Yields about 1 cup pesto sauce

Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups basil
2 cups arugula
3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup Parmesan, grated or in chunks
1/4 cup olive oil, + 1-2 TB if necessary
1/2 tsp. white vinegar or red wine vinegar (optional)

Instructions-

Add all ingredients to a food processor and run until everything is incorporated and a pesto sauce forms. Add 1 - 2 TB extra of olive oil if the sauce seems too thick.

Optionally, add 1/2 tsp. of white vinegar or red wine vinegar to take away a bit of the bitter arugula bite.

Store in a jar or airtight container in the refrigerator. Use within 7-10 days.

christmas time is just not complete without these cookies. if you feel you don't have time to bake cookies, these are super easy, simple & delicious, and feel just like christmas to me.

i made this batch two ways. half are plain tea cakes and the other half have mini chocolate chips added.

i grew up on the plain tea cakes during the holidays, so as much as i do love me some chocolate chips, i'm a bit of a purist with these little cakes.

the plain & simple cakes are such a nostalgic treat for me that i always only have around christmas time. the chocolate chippers are like a completely different cookie in my mind. somehow that makes sense to me. maybe i'm just a kooky cookie lady.

my family always called these cookies "butter balls," which does not sound very glamorous or sophisticated, but is exactly what they are...balls of butter. i think they have a zillion names like russian tea cakes or mexican wedding cakes. i guess calling it a "tea cake" makes you feel like a little less of a santyclaus glutton than calling it a "butter ball."

make sure to cool the cookies all the way through after baking or the powdered sugar gets all sticky. i set mine outside for a little bit so they'd cool faster...but was eXtReMeLy paranoid that a squirrel or crow were going to divebomb down and gobble em up.

that was a very stressful 5 minutes. but quite the timesaver!

oh yummmmmm.

buttery soft melty pillows of crisp & fresh simple coooookie gooodnessssssss. also, i am a walnut lover. i know lots of people are haters, so leave em out if you dislike. i just think they make these cookies worth whiiiiile. and add chocolate chips to half of the dough, if you like.

because variety packs make life worth livin'.

Classic Tea Cakes, Two Ways

Makes 24 cookies

Time: 30-45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
3 TB. powdered sugar
2 TB. milk
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips, optional
for coating: 1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions-

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, cream the butter well. Slowly add flour and mix on medium high between additions until a dough forms. Add the extracts, salt, 3 TB. powdered sugar, and milk. Mix until ingredients are just combined. Add the chopped walnuts and mix again.

If desired, scoop half of the dough into a separate bowl. Add chocolate chips to the dough in the original mixing bowl and stir just until combined. The second bowl will be for plain tea cakes.

Roll the dough into small balls (smaller than a golf ball). You want to roll them tightly so they do not crumble after baking. Place cookie dough balls on a baking sheet.

Bake for 13 minutes at 350 degrees F. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool completely (I set mine outside for about 5 minutes to speed up the cooling process). You want them to be all the way cool before rolling them in powdered sugar or it will melt and be sticky.

After the cookies are cool, roll each cookie in powdered sugar until it is coated. You can also add the powdered sugar to a small paper lunch bag and shake the cookies individually in the bag until coated.

Store in airtight containers lined with parchment. Share with friends & fam! These make excellent gifts in a cute holiday cookie tin! 😊