Homemade Pasta with Pesto and Summer Squash

We were starving when we got home from work yesterday. We had thought of making stuffed zucchini, but it was much too hot to turn on the oven. We decided to have a snack of bread and cheese to tide us over and allow us to come up with a plan for dinner. We wanted a quick meal that would use up vegetables with limited heat. We had a big bunch of basil so we decided to make walnut pesto, and somehow we made the leap from there to homemade pasta to accompany it. My husband - who hates flour because of the mess - even volunteered to make the pasta. So dinner wasn't so quick after all, but it was worth the time investment. Homemade pasta has a rich, buttery taste which pairs nicely with the herby, garlicky flavor of the pesto. I was sad when I felt full because I just wanted to keep eating.









Pasta serves 3
1 C flour
1/2 t salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 T water

Mix flour and salt. Make a well in the center and add the egg and water. Mix together. Mixture should form a stiff dough. Pour out onto a well floured counter, and knead for 3 to 4 minutes. Roll out to desired thickness and cut into strips. Place over the rim of the mixing bowl. Let rest. Drop into boiling water and cook 3 to 5 minutes.



Walnut Pesto inspired by kiss my spatula
2 C loosely packed fresh basil leaves, rinsed and dried
1/4 C coarsely chopped walnuts
1/2 C Parmesan cheese
1/2 C olive oil
1 large garlic clove
salt and pepper to taste

Blend all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Store any leftovers in an air tight container.

We tossed the pasta with some sauteed summer squash and pesto, and added a dollop of pesto on top.

Juicing and Grilling

Each morning during our visit to Phoenix, my father has been making us fresh squeezed orange juice. What a delicious treat! My parents have an orange tree, so it's very local. When I was growing up we had two orange trees and two grapefruit trees, and one of our "jobs" was to help pick the fruit and squeeze them. We drank a lot of juice and also froze it in ice cube trays for later.


Yesterday morning we had a friend over for bagels with cream cheese, salmon, white fish, lettuce, onion and tomato. This is one of those easy meals that's more about the shopping and a little presentation than actual cooking. The guys headed over to an excellent NY style deli, Scott's Generations, to pick-up the fixings. My husband did a beautiful job plating everything up.


After a busy day out and about visiting friends and sight seeing, we had my grandmother and uncle over for a BBQ. It was a hot job, but the results were great. Grilled asparagus, summer squash, zucchini and sirloin with baked potatoes, it's a classic family combination. It was our last dinner in Phoenix on this trip, and a fitting way to be sent off.