Quick App for Unexpected Guests

Basil & Sweet Yellow Pepper Canapes

Good thing I made that pesto. I'm sure you've all been in this situation. You get a call and someone's five minutes away. They just wanted to stop by to say hello. Well, the way I was raised, you don't have guests without feeding them. It doesn't matter if it's 2am...you feed them something. So here' s a great quick app that you can whip up in minutes and your guests will love!

Pesto & Sweet Yellow Pepper Canapes

12-20 crackers or french baguette pieces

1/4 cup basil pesto

Parmesan cheese

10 cherry tomatoes (cut in half) or slices of Roma tomatoes

Sweet Yellow Pepper Spread

Start out with some good pesto. For my recipe:

http://checkitoutavesta.blogspot.com/2008/10/basic-pesto.html

Spread a nice amount of pesto on the cracker or baguette piece and top with some Parmesan cheese.

I love having these garnish spreads in my fridge. They taste great, are all natural and not only add great flavor to your food but also allow you to decorate and garnish your plates beautifully. If you cannot find this in your grocery store, just combine 1 chopped up yellow or orange sweet pepper with 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and a pinch of sugar. Blend until smooth. Add more or less Olive oil for the right consistency. You can put it in a squeeze bottle or use a toothpick or small spoon to garnish with your spread.

Top off the crackers with a piece of tomato and your sweet pepper spread. See...quick and easy, yet so full of flavor!

Basic Pesto

My farmer's market goodies. The basil was just calling my name today.
I love having homemade pesto in the fridge and in the freezer. You can use it to make so many things and it lasts in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and in the freezer for months. I love making it at home because the smell of the fresh basil in the food processor is amazing. I got some great basil at the farmer's market and knew I'd be making pesto this week.
Make sure your basil is clean and dry. I just snip off the leaves with my fingers and add them whole to the food processor.

I blend the basil with 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil just until the basil is chopped up.
Add a couple cloves of garlic and 1 teaspoon of salt and blend again until garlic is chopped up and pesto is well blended.
Your final product will be fresh and thick. You can add more olive oil to it later if you want. I make mine thick like this because it is easier to store. I also add other ingredients such as pine nuts or walnuts or Parmesan cheese when I'm ready to use the pesto, especially if I'm going to make a pasta sauce with it. I also will make a spicy pesto by adding more olive oil and red pepper flakes to the food processor. This is really good to make bruschetta and topping it with fresh mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.