Click here to read about canning from my garden!

I just made some of the best pesto ever if I do say so myself. It had a different flavor from the store bought pesto you can get, but in my opinion, it was much better. I even conducted a blind taste test on Wade and he chose mine!

I didn't really measure anything {darn it!} but I'm going to try to give approximate measurements so everyone can enjoy this yummy pesto prize.

I planted a few basil seeds this year and they turned into a huge basil plant.

I was so excited and couldn't wait to make homemade pesto for a pesto chicken pizza again. I have to admit though, I was nervous about the thought of grinding up leaves and eating them. Somehow it seems different if you buy the pesto already prepared even thought it's ground up leaves too. So, as a backup, I bought a jar. just. in. case. since this was my first experience using a fresh herb like this for more than just seasoning. I'm happy to report, I still have the store bought pesto - didn't need it! It's so early in the season, I'm going to hurry and plant a few more seeds! I've read online that pesto freezes well too (omit the parmesan cheese) - you pour it in an ice cube tray and then a freezer safe bowl and pop out a few cubes as needed. That way, if you don't grow basil during the winter, you can still have homemade pesto in December!

Here's the recipe, it makes enough for 1 pizza, if you're serving it over pasta, I'd double or even triple this *recipe*.

- 1 1/2 cup packed basil leaves

- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

- a little salt and pepper

- 1/4 cup pine nuts (great flavor but a little expensive - I've read walnuts and/or cashews can be substituted)

- maybe 1/4-1/2 cup olive oil - add enough to get a good pesto consistency {maybe 1/4-1/2 cup}

- 1/2 tablespoon fresh minced garlic

Blend it all up - I blended it in a magic bullet and it worked perfectly.

The finished product:

This pizza is more filling than a regular pizza. I think because of the chicken... anyways, this pizza fed all 3 of us, with a couple slices left over. I'm not exactly sure how much it cost, but here's an estimate:

4 chicken strips or 1 chicken breast- $1.50

block of mozzarella cheese - $1.79

Ingredients for crust (flour, yeast, water, drizzle of olive oil) on hand

Ingredients for pesto (fresh basil, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic) on hand

pine nuts - $2.00

Total - $5.29 for a dinner for 3 and a lunch for 1 the next day. = )

We also had cucumber & tomato salad with it from the garden:

..and of course dessert:

Graham crackers, pudding, and whipped cream - YUM! ..and very inexpensive as well!

So glad it's over! I sure hope next week brings healthier, happier boys!

The boys have a bad tummy bug. I will spare you the details. Just know it's BAD. I've made a significant investment over the past 2 weeks in Pedialyte, Huggies, and Lysol. The boys have been in pretty good spirits, despite their condition. They've been a little lethargic, falling asleep at odd times and places. They've also been a little more needy, which I kinda like, but it get's hard with three - four needy boys. Taylor has had the bug twice now, this last bout was worse than the first one for him. I would rather have 6 little sick ones than 1 older. He was pitiful!

Brayden keeps breaking out in a weird rash. It's mainly on his thighs and arms, with a few whelps on his face; none on his tummy or back. We thought we had in narrowed down to the food dye in the pedialyte and Gatorade (yellow 6); but he's still getting it even though we've removed yellow 6 from his diet. Benedryl makes it go away in about 30-60 minutes. No clue what's causing it now. They are all on the B.R.A.T. diet pretty much, with nothing new. ???

Despite being sick, the boys are still pulling their weight around the house though.

Unpacking groceries:

Helping with Sunday dinner

Gotta get a little play time in too:

Our first harvest from the garden!

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Click here to see our first garden!