Presto! Pesto!
January 31, 2009 Posted by: ERIN

My herb garden has been overflowing with basil and cilantro. (Sometimes I still can't get over the fact that I get to say that in January!) Several months ago I shared the recipe I use for making basil pesto. In my opinion, making it in large batches for freezing is the best way to prevent copious amounts of basil from going to waste.

We usually enjoy our basil pesto on pizza on pasta, but a last week I was searching for a pesto chicken recipe on my favorite recipe website, and not only did a find a very quick, easy, and tasty recipe for Pesto Chicken, but I also stumbled upon something else that blew my mind.

Cilantro Pesto.

Yes! As in pesto made from cilantro!! Um, who knew there was such a thing? Certainly not me! But I instantly knew it would be fabulous, and I was not disappointed. This stuff is GOOD. If you like cilantro you will LOVE it. Not a little, just a lot. And the best part? No more beautiful cilantro ends up in the compost heap without fully realizing its fresh and delicious potential. Yum.

Pesto Chicken
Adapted from Recipezaar.com

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt and fresh grated black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup pesto
2-3 plum tomatoes, sliced (optional)
1/2 cup shredded parmesan or mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place chicken in a backing dish and season with salt and pepper. Generously spread each chicken breast with pesto. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in the center. Remove from the oven and top with tomatoes and cheese. Bake for an additional 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Erin's Notes:
I like cutting each chicken breast into two pieces before seasoning and smothering with pesto. It increases the toppings to chicken ratio, giving more flavor to each bite!

Cilantro Pesto
Adapted from Recipezaar.com

1/2 cup almonds or pine nuts
3 large garlic cloves
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves and stems
1/4 cup olive oil

Combine nuts, garlic, parmesan cheese, and salt in a blender or food processor until smooth. Add cilantro and puree to a paste. With the blade running add oil slowly until mixture is smooth.

Erin's Notes:
This pesto works great on pasta, pizza, quesadillas, or tacos. It can also be used as a dip for tortilla chips. Freezes well too!

Poncho Potcake
January 30, 2009 Posted by: ERIN

We've been doing some puppy-sitting lately. This is Poncho. He was born at Club Med. He stayed with us for four days while his adoptive family went offisland. Tom says he has Cleopatra eyes.

Having Poncho around really reminded me of Joba's days as a puppy. I mean, just look at them!

They could be twins ... okay, cousins. Or maybe it is just the collar, which used to be Joba's and has been handed down to Poncho. But whatever it is, profiles don't get any cuter than that.

Meredith, Joe, & Louisa
January 8, 2009 Posted by: ERIN

I'm not going to say "I've been meaning to post these for a while now", because while I have, that is not really much of an excuse. Basically, the January busy season has decended upon us, so things are a little hectic. But still, that is no reason to delay sharing what a wonderful visit we had with my sister and her family!

It was so great to have Meredith, Joe, and Louisa here for Christmas. The last time we had seen Lulu was in August, and I can't even believe how much she has grown and changed since then. She eats with a fork! And she talks! She picked up 'Tom' and 'Zipper' without any problems, but sadly for me 'Erin' is going to take a little more work.

It worked out nicely that there was virtually no one staying at the field station over Chirstmas week. It gave us more time to relax with our guests and introduce them to our island home. Unfortunatley, the weather was less than ideal (often cloudy with choppy seas), but we didn't let that stop us from hitting the beaches and seeing the sights. It just meant that swimming and snorkeling will have to wait for their next visit. Hopefully Joe will get the chance to squeeze in some more fishing next time too.

While Louisa didn't take to the sandy beaches right away, but by the end of the week she was digging, burying her feet, and hunting for shells like a pro. Highlights of the visit included our afternoon at Rocky Point, skim boarding at Grotto Beach, climbing to the top of the lighthouse (I carried Louisa the whole way, which is no small feat on those ladder-like steps), eating sweet and sour meatballs, and decorating Christmas cutout cookies. Louisa also got the special treat of swinging in a beautiful wooden chair swing that her Uncle Tom build just for her.

At the risk of sounding sappy, it was just plain nice to be together. Enjoy the photos...