Karen is here! She’s actually moving here on Sept. 23, but she’s here to sign a lease on her new place. Remember when we looked at three properties for her? She chose this one:
It’s a cute cottage in a development a bit out of town. It has green space and walking paths. The house is not as big as it seems – it’s just about as big as you see! It will be perfect for one.
Karen also just celebrated a birthday, so we made her a nice dinner (not that we wouldn’t anyways 
)
The star of the show was fresh pasta from a local shop here in town. It was whole wheat
The dough tasted AMAZING!
To go on the pasta, I made pesto! Nutty pesto.
Our basil is still chugging along!
I used walnuts and a few hazelnuts for the pesto – a heaping 1/3 cup.
Which I dry-toasted first. I think it made all the diff
Most pesto recipes call for 2 cups of basil. Who can 1) Afford that much basil 2) Spare to tear that much off of their plants!?
My recipe calls for just 1 cup
Plus, I also like the Garlic Gold nuggets in oil for this because they are roasted and don’t give you bad breath
Plus 1/3 cup Garlic Gold oil, about 1/3 a small block of parmesan, 1/4 tsp of salt and 1/3 of a lemon.
Mocktail for the chef!
We cooked the pasta and on the side sautéed some Twin Oaks tofu (herbed) and fresh zucchini, tossed that with the pasta and an heirloom termata
Also to go with dinner we bought a big loaf of ciabatta from the local artesian bakery.
If Great Harvest loaves weigh 2 pounds, this guy was 2 ounces! He was SO light!
But very tasty! We brushed slices with Garlic Gold oil and salt + peppa and broiled for a few mins
Tasted great!!
This is a kitty that lives in our neighborhood and comes over to say hello! She wanted me to give a special shout out to Lillian.
After dinner we went to see Karen’s new place…and then dug into a brownie she brought from Charlotte Great Harvest
Sliced 3 ways. Wish I could say it was the best ever, but I only ate half and gave Matt my other bite.
Get excited for breakfast – I made Crunchy Buckwheat Granola!!!!!!!!!!!
{ 82 comments… read them below or add one }
That pasta looks so FRESH and delicious!
I could seriously eat that pesto with a spoon it looks that damn good!
Dinner looks amazing! I think it must be pasta night. We had pasta too! Glad Karen is there and you guys are all getting things settled! Enjoy the rest of your evening!
lovely pictures!! save me that cocktail! youre cat is so cute! i want a kitten!! i had a pollen test today and i’m super allergic to cats and dogs. ive always knew but just hate that it ruled out.
That pasta looks so good right now!!!
Karen’s place looks great!
the pasta looks deeeeeeelish! (so does that brownie!)
i like the place karen chose. very cute, love the fireplace
is that a stray kitty or someone’s cat that roams the neighborhood? so pretty!
I’ve never had pesto before…well I have once when I realized I was allergic to it (pine nuts!!). I need to make a proper pesto with other nuts.
Welcome to Cville, Karen!! Her house looks so rad. I’m moving in
What a wonderful, gourmet looking dinner!
When I see other bloggers make pasta it makes me think that maybe I think pasta… but as beautiful as it is, I’m just not a fan
What a delicious pasta! I could definitely go for pesto that only calls for a cup of basil
Fresh pasta MAKES the dish – yum! And your pesto looks perfect.
Holy yum, that pasta looks amazing. Pasta is always best fresh.
Loving the cottage Karen chose…happy belated bday to her =)
That pasta looks wonderful. I don’t think I’ve ever had fresh pasta before!
I must not eat enough basil — is it that expensive?
Everything tastes better with that Twin Oaks tofu… but you still need to try sunergia’s!
I just made pesto also but I never thought to use nuts in it. I think I might need to mix some in to one I already made.
I love the style of the houses out there! So my type!! Don’t did many quaint little cottage houses like that in Albuquerque.
Your completely homemade dinner looks so yummy!!
Oh, wow. Fresh pasta is sooo good! And with homemade pesto?!?! Stop it! Stop it right now!
Gotta love a carb-heavy meal.
Ooh, that pasta looks delicious. And I have those same measuring cups!
Wow, what good news! By the way, that ciabatta bread looks to die for!
I’m already trying to figure out what else I need to make that yummy buckwheat granola! yum!
Looks yummy Kath! Does your crunchy buckwheat granola have an strong flavor from the buckwheat? Ive only had one experience with buckwheat and it was a little overpowering. Just curious b/c it looks so good!
I don’t really taste the buckwheat at all!
Fresh pasta and pesto! Drool…
That pasta looks incredible! I need to make pesto sometime soon.
Karen’s place looks so nice.
Mmmm to your pesto pasta.
I just recently ordered some pesto online from Costco (I live in Korea and 1. there is no basil here and 2. you can’t buy pesto in the stores) so I am super excited to make some pestoey pasta with my new purchase.
I have to say, I’m one of those people who makes pesto with 99% basil. As in multiple cups. But Trader Joe’s sells packages of it (I usually buy 2) that don’t cost a lot of money! And when you think of how much it sells prepared, when usually oil or something else weird is the first ingredient, it’s not so bad a deal.
That pasta looks delicious!
mmm your pesto looks really really good!!
When I make pesto, I usually sub Italian parsley, arugula, or spinach for half the basil (although I grow basil year round here in FL). I also make a cilantro walnut pesto where I again sub out half of the cilantro to make the flavor more mild.
i love that you added hazelnuts, i’ve never tried that in pesto before! i really love walnuts in mine…super creamy and rich!
happy birthday karen
Even though I just finished dessert and am still full, I think I could eat that whole bowl of pesto pasta!!! Holy cow that looks good! Dinner for tomorrow maybe?!
Dinner looks amazing
I love love love basil pesto 
Ciabatta is one of my favorite breads. It’s so light b/c of all the holes!
I used to work at a sandwich shop where we made all of our sammies on ciabatta. Yum!
I also enjoyed pasta with homemade pesto for dinner tonight. I bet the Garlic Gold made it extra tasty!
Oh YUM that sounds amazing!
oh that pasta dish looks so fresh and lovely
That pasta looks so good! I love pesto in the summer
And how cute is that house? I hope she keeps the walls the same colors.
Oh I love pesto! I actually had some for dinner myself. I didn’t have locally made doughy pasta though–I’m a little envious
That pasta looks so rustic and tasty.
My friends are looking over my shoulder as I read this – and all of them salivating. Including me.
(Seriously. I’m always that kid who keeps looking at photos of food before lunch. Heh.)
Pasta looks great, and I love visiting kitties!
I almost never comment, but I just wanted to say that I’ve always thought it was so nice that you and Matt have such a close relationship with his mother (and of course with your family too, though I assume you mention that less frequently because they do not live as close!). Parents being an important part of adult children’s lives is a really nice custom that lots of other cultures have, and it’s really nice to see it practiced in America as well! I hope I remain that close with my family when I get married.
Pesto lovers unite!
That pesto and pasta looks delishious! Great job on the pesto! I like that you used walnuts in yours:)
I haven’t had fresh pasta in along time! That looks absolutely delicious!! YUM
Jenn
Congrats to Karen!
The pesto recipe – great! I always hate it when they call for so much basil too
BEAUTIFUL cat, gosh!!!
The pasta and pesto look amazing, I love the idea of using the garlic gold for a milder flavor. And that granola looks fabulous!
The nutty pesto looks amazing!!!
That place she chose is so pretty! I love the staircase.
Mmmm…I *love* pesto with pasto and bread for dunking ‘n’ dipping. What a lovely dinner.
(p.s. the cat is adorable!!
)
Hello to the cat, although I am not fond of other cats!
Lilly Y.
Hey Billis,
Hope your sinuses are better!
Nothing tastes better than fresh pasta. I don’t even like pasta but fresh pasta is a different story. Congrats to Karen!
I wish I could find fresh made whole wheat pasta. That looks like the best pasta EVER.
My CSA sells a huge bunch, probably a pound, of organic basil for $3.00. Yes, $3.00!
Love miss Lilian
Looks like a great meal and I love her house!
that pasta looks a-m-a-z-i-n-g!!
Great pics of the pasta!
There must be karma in the universe this morning as I just finished reading a great review of the KitchenAide pasta attachment. Do you or Matt ever make whole wheat pasta and do you have a recipe to share?
We have made it before – but we usually just cut by hand
that pasta looks amazing- we ate fresh pasta in italy and it makes such a difference!
That pasta looks DELISH, I think I may try my hand at making pesto sometime in the very near future
Happy Birthday to Karen!
Looks soooo yummy!!!!
Your dinner’s lately have been making me crave a yummy homemade pasta night.
Your pasta looks so moist and fresh I bet it tasted even better.
I’m so jealous of your basil! Ours started out alright, but now it looks pretty terrible. Tips?
SUN SUN SUN
I bet that fresh pasta made such a difference in the meal! Boxed pasta just doesn’t compare!
yum, that looks so delicious! very nice celebratory dinner for Karen. I’ve taken to having mocktails inspired by KERF. I love half cranberry juice and half club soda when eating out!
Holy cow that pasta looks good. I now REALLY want fresh pasta for dinner. Yum!
I can’t wait to try your pesto sauce. I know exactly what you mean when recipes call for so much basil; I’m happy yours won’t destroy my plant!
Yumm that mocktail looks delish. awww, Lillian is so adorable!
Hey Kath!
Just wanted to drop a line agreeing with Libby’s canned pumpkin being the best. It truly tastes and looks the best, and the texture is the best for oatmeal.
P.S. Also wanted to say that I watched some of the healthy Living Summit presentations and i am very impressed with your public speaking skills. You sounded very organized, eloquent and intelligent.
Aw thanks! I thought it sounded like “UM” was the word of the year!
pasta looks yum..
Oh my gosh, I can’t tell you how amazing that pasta and pesto look! I want to leave work immediately, go buy a food processor and get to work! Yum. Love Karen’s new place. Looks perfect.
I love puttin’ nuts in my pestos..it makes all the difference and is sooo yummy!
Darn, I was pulling for Karen to choose something in town so she could enjoy getting around without a car sometimes. Can you and Matt bike to her new place?
The secret to being able to spare 2 cups of basil for pesto is growing a lot of basil! We make it one of our priority items because we love pesto and it IS expensive to buy that much basil. I’ll have to try toasting the walnuts next time.
My diagnosis for the brownie (based solely on the photo) is that it’s not chocolaty enough
I’m surprised you think basil is expensive. If you buy it at the right place it really isn’t. Maybe it’s time to find a new source! Also, cutting back the basil plants every once and a while (every few weeks after it gets huge and before it flowers) is crucial to the health of the plant, doing this surprisingly yeilds ALOT of basil.
Pasta looks great! But our very favorite thing now is the Crunchy Buckwheat Granola…and I shared the recipe with lots of my friends and we are all crazy about it! I’m going to try it with some pumpkin pie spice and almond extract next. Think it would taste nice and fall-y
wow that pasta looks absolutely amazing. I like the idea to use something other than pine nuts in pesto. looks great!
Pesto is actually my favorite dish to make (Read: only) It’s simple, fresh and easy
!
I must share this pesto recipe. The basil actually plays a supporting role and the spinach makes it cheaper, and more vitamin rich. It’s super delicious. And I’m sure you could sub the garlic gold nuggets for the fresh ones. I’m making my grocery list for the week and this post means I’ll be having pesto pasta for certain!!
It helps if I actually link the recipe, right?
http://www.aicr.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=19169
I have more basil than I know what to do with! I’ve been trimming back the basil bushes and making pesto like mad. Do you have your basil in full sun with good dirt and adequate room to thrive?
I can’t bear to make pesto any other time of the year because of the prices! Bell pepper prices make me cringe too.