I bought this basil plant from Trader Joe’s for $2.99.  It had grown so big and bushy that I was able to harvest some basil to make caprese salad and pesto a month ago.  I took such good care of it that it kept growing to a point where I could harvest more leaves a second time.  This is what the plant looked like AFTER I had harvested the leaves.  Woot.  I’m definitely getting my money’s worth (and more) out of this plant.

Look at how much I got from a second harvest!

So, I made some pesto.  Notice the baby food processor?  It’s great for more than just baby food!  This is what it looked like when I put the leaves, garlic cloves, and some pine nuts in the machine.

Then I added some shredded parmigiano reggiano and olive oil to make it nice and smooth.  Once I seasoned it with salt and pepper, it was ready to go! 

We made pasta with chicken tonight for dinner.  The bowl is all wrong for this photo but you get the point.  So, we had enough pesto for dinner tonight and a little bit reserved for Kumquat to eat later this week with her pasta wheels.  Yippee!