Pesto, a Great Friend to Zombies Everywhere

Ever walk into the grocery store and smell all the basil, it comes around twice a year, the winter when its beautiful and pungent and in the summer when its sweet and overwhelming.

If you dont think that Pesto is one of the great foods of the world, than you have never made your own, and even if you have try this one. It is truly, I’m not wasting a drop of this, cleaning the blades with a piece of bread, even though i just made a huge jar pesto.

• 1/3 cup walnuts
• 1/3 cup pignolis (pine nuts)
• 1 cloves garlic
• 3 cups fresh basil leaves
• 1 1/2 cups golden colored olive oil
• 1 cup  grated parm

One little note, olive oil tastes better the fresher it is, so if possible open a new bottle of something a little fantastic, by the way Spanish olive oils are great and so much cheaper than that of  better known  olive producers.

In a food processor (this will fit in a little one, but barely so have some bread on hand) grind up nuts and garlic, squeeze in basil (you can be brutal with them stuffing them in there, no delicacy needed here) and let it rip, although it will be a bit of a let down, cause its too dry. Add the olive oil through the feed tube with the motor running, and watch it go.

Add all that lovely parm, the pesto should be a dream, although I prefer to make this in the summer, you can make this with winter basil, it will still be great but will have a little spicy kick, rather than a sweet undertone.

Oh, and to avoid browning, add a little layer of olive oil on top and everything stays a nice bright.

Word to the wise if you feel this pesto is too much for your household to handle, you can pass it along to all your friends, but they may ask for another batch once youve worked through the reserves.

While buying pesto, try to get your hands on some, the fresher the better mozzarella, crusty bread, and sweet scented tomatoes,  cause all the zombies will be handing around the kitchen eating it directly out of the jar, christmas cookies dont get this kind of attention.

Day old Donuts meet Bread Pudding

4 to 5 donuts, any kind will work really.
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/3 cup coconut

Tear up the donuts and place in an mid sized oven safe pan, top with chocolate chips, and then cocnut.
mix together eggs and milk and van. (I shake it up in a jar)
Pour on the donuts,
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Added bonus some donuts’ glaze will create almost a caramel
If your not a coconut and chocolate fan you can sub them out for raisins and nuts, with a touch of cinnamon.

Be Yourself with Tuna

My adventures with tuna sandwiches

The Beginning

I ate tuna sandwiches as a kid, ordered it at the deli and at diners. The traditional mayo, celery, and pickle combo.

After finding my way into the Kitchen

When i started to make them at first, i replaced the celery with the stems of lettuce, (cause i wasnt a celery fan) and eventually i started to make more of a pasta salad, and started to make a sweet and tarragon version of tuns salad. Reading a package of ready made tuna salad i discovered vinegar on the list. A new dawn, one went the lemon, in with the vinegar.

The real epiphany

Staying at my aunt’s house in europe and making sandwiches for the long train ride ahead of me, i made a tuna sandwich with no mayo. she didnt have any. I also used oil packed tuna (but i didnt give it enough credit at the time) i also used her homemade pickle, which turned out to be much spicier than what i was used. wow, there was nothing else like it.

The mess

Soon my tuna took on a life of its own, spicy, sweet, tangy, huge ingredient list, i even used to put in leftover salad.

the english

I started to travel to england regularly and often found my meals in the grocery store sandwiches, (which are so much better than what we get in the US) and basically corn came into the mix, mayo was back, and the list grew longer.

simple food

i took a step back, most of my cooking i had started to simplify, finding better flavor in simple food. i tried to recreate the tuna “sandwiches” i ate as a kid, tuna, relish and mayo. eaten with crackers  but the spark wasnt there.

rediscover

tuna packed in oil was really the break i was looking for, there was flavor there that i need, the flavor of fish had been missing.

modern times

my official tuna salad recipe.

one can tuna packed in oil, drained

heaping tablespoon mayo
a nice serving of (good quality) relish

a nice amount of tabasco (im not shy with spice)

a couple tablespoons vinegar (usually red wine)

serve with pepper and poppy crackers

You have no idea how passionate i am about this, love it, and it is so far away from the established tuna salad, run with it go wild, dont make what everyone else does. do youre own thing. Be yourself with tuna.

Prefect Bacon

This is the best way for cooking bacon, crispy, flatish, and with little clean up.
Cover a baking sheet with foil, curling the edges up so the grease doesn’t drip. Lay the bacon flat on top, crack a little pepper on, if you like and bake at 425, its perfect for us in 9 minutes, but id start checking after 7, it could take as long as 15, if you into extra crispy.
Remove the bacon and drain on a paper towel, dont attempt to toss the grease til it’s cooled.
Once youve found the perfect timing, Grease splattered counter tops will be a distant memory.

Kitchen Sink Gucamole for Instant Gratification

3 ripened avocados, shell-less

1 little tomato, chopped

1 onion, chopped fine

1 jalapeno, chopped really small

1 small bunch cilantro, chopped

1 lime, juiced

3 garlic cloves, mashed

1 tsp cumin

salt

Mix it all together, if you under mix the avocados will be chunky, over mix and it will be  smoother.

Eat with chips, or make a quesadilla, top with guc and then sour cream, then slice.

I lika a lotta Lime Cheesecake

The improvement of key lime pie is key lime cheesecake.

1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

4 Tbsp. butter, melted

1 cup  sugar

3− 8oz. pkgs cream cheese, softened

2 tsp. vanilla

1/3 cup fresh lime juice (about 4 limes)

1 tsp lime zest

3 eggs

whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350*. Coat all the crumbs with butter  in a bowl.  Press the crumbs onto the bottom and half way up the sides of a springform pan. (If you dont have a springform, you can try a cheesecake pie.) Bake crust for 5 mins.and set aside. In large bowl mix cream cheese, remaining sugar and vanilla. Add the lime juice and eggs and beat till smooth and creamy. Bang the filling on the counter to disturb neighbors and get air bubbles out. Pour filling into crust. Bake for 60 mins. if you have a habit of grand canyon cheesecakes, there are all sorts of tricks to help avoid them, none of which work. The best solution follows.

You’re looking for a light brown it’s done. Remove from oven and allow to cool till room temperature. Put into fridge. When chilled, remove the pan sides and cut.

If you have a grand canyon down the middle top with whipped cream.

BLT – Zombie Style

BLTs are great, but add a little avocado and they may be the ultimate sandwich.

4 strips bacon

2 leaves roman lettuce

2 slices of a large heirloom tomato

1/2 an avocado, sliced

1 tbsp mayo

a couple leaves basil, sliced thin (or a little frozen cube, they sell them in supermarks)

a little garlic clove, crushed

4 pieces of sandwich bread, toasty

a wee bit of oil.

Mix the mayo in a small bowl with basil and garlic. Heat up a pan with a little oil, place bacon in the pan slowy and in a zig zag fashion, folding it over itself where it zags. Once you get the desired color on the bacon, remove the bacon from the pan and drain on a paper towel. Spread mayo on all slices of bread, then layer with lettuce, then bacon, then avocado, then tomato, cover with the second slice, do all this twice for two sandwiches. Wrap up and take with you for picnic dinner, starting just before sunset. Then drive over to your favorite ice cream/frozen yogurt place, cause BLT should always be followed with frozen goodness.

Chicken Curry Salad Sandwich

Every Zombie needs a little kick in their lunch sometimes, if you can get away this is great as picnic fair. A short picnic is a great way to break up the day.

1 cup chicken chunks

2 tbsp mayo

a celery stick, chopped

1 green onion, sliced

a small handful of raisins

a small handful sunflower seeds

a few springs parsely, chopped

2 tsp curry powder, (or 1 tsp paste)

Some bread

Mix all the ingredients together, tasts and see if you need to season. Spread on bread, and wrap in wax paper, (for easy transport).

With a little mango juice, carrot slaw and oatmeal raisin cookies youll have a little picnic to share with someone.

Honey Pass by the Mustard Sauce

Easy Honey Mustard Sauce

1 tbsp Mustard of choice, (jalopeno mustard is divine in this)

2 tsp Honey (preferably with a nice dark color)

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 tsp butter

1 tsp white wine vinegar

a little hot sauce (if your mustard isnt hot)

Combine this all together in a small bowl. Make a cup of tea, place the bowl on top, after a couple of minutes give it a little stir, if the butter has mixed in you’re done.

This is great with chicken or pork chops.

Ultimate Grilled Cheese

April is Grilled Cheese Month

Three ingredients

Bread

Cheese

Butter

That’s all you need, but for the ultimate try,

Baguette

Gruyere

Take a 5 inch piece of baguette, slice in half almost all the way. Flip the bread inside out, so the soft white is now outside, with the crusty inside. Fill the inside with slices of gruyere.Spread butter on the white outside. Heat up the Foreman grill or your two heaviest pans. Place the bread inside the forman or between the two pans (with the heavy pan on top), If using pans, you have to flip after you get a nice color on the bottom.

There are plenty of extras that can also go in as you grill

a little tomato

some ham or salami or turkey or a combination

sliced onion

After grilling

cucumbers

tomato

avocado

ketchup

mayo

If you have a sweet tooth, drizzle in some honey