December, Day 22: Post-solstice, pre-flight

Today we have another lame post because I've been flitting about present shopping and cleaning the apartment and packing up my little suitcase and getting ready to fly HOME tomorrow.

Home is, of course, a relative term these days, but around the holidays, home means Indiana. And the good news about a lame post today is that starting tomorrow, I'll be in the land of outlandish cooking projects and will have much MUCH more exciting things to share with you all.
Anyway, today's lame-o post features the Freakish Perpetually Blooming Orchid. You might remember this flower's debut back in September, the day before the Badness happened. Anyway, she's been blooming ever since then! Over three months now! I have admitted before that I'm no orchid expert, but I really REALLY didn't think it'd still be blooming now. The little flower that opened today is one of three new buds that appeared a couple weeks ago and there's a whole new stalk with six or seven buds growing bit by bit every day. What a pleasant little plant! And they say Ikea doesn't sell anything that lasts...

Small Clip Show

Figure 1. Lucy is susceptible to wind.
Figure 2. My baby orchid bloomed!

Well, hello.

This is what I woke up to this morning.Granted, I cheated by buying an orchid from IKEA that already had buds (but no blooms!), but I'm convinced that my influence has saved it from languishing in that grim warehouse. This was the thanks I received for rescuing it.

That was the pleasant start to my day. How are all of you?

The Haul

Yes, they're scrawny and imperfect, but I grew them myself and I love them.Also, they'd better taste DAMN good, since they're clocking in at, oh, about $4,000 a pound.

Culling Time

I have, as you all know, a little window-box herb garden. Unfortunately, my basil (beautiful flat-leaf Italian basil from Pemberton Farms) grew a little out of control and was choking out my thyme and sage. There was only one thing to do. I trimmed and cut back and culled and ended up with a pile of fresh basil that just didn't know what to do with itself.

So, I pulled out my food processor, grated up a big chunk of parmesan, threw in some pine nuts, added the basil and processed until it smelled nutty and cheesy and fresh. I then added olive oil until I liked the color and consistency. My best guess as to quantities: 1 cup basil leaves, 3 T pine nuts (all I had left), and about a cup of oil. Also, salt and pepper.**I tossed some of the pesto with penne (which we ate alongside some delicious chicken sausage), but there was a lot left over. What to do? I pulled out an ice cube tray, discarded its cubes and filled up six of the little wells with pesto. I left them in the freezer overnight and am now left with six delicious little green cubes, just waiting for a craving to hit. I highly recommend you all kill some basil today. The results are stunning.**Note: I did not add garlic. This was simply an oversight, but it did result in a mild and versatile pesto.