boy, has atlanta seen some weather! i love it! not often do we get snow, but we got about 5 inches on sunday night and it has all iced over, leaving everyone in their homes. i have made so much food that i have stored away in my freezer for a later date. cabin fever has set in. big time. i have cleared out my pantry and fridge and have made soups, pesto with leftover basil from last week, homemade pizzas that i stored away in the freezer (there is a story behind that - needless to say, i won't be ordering pizza out anytime soon), chicken pot pies, shepherds pie, tomato sauce, and salsa. i made these crostinis one night with the pesto i made and roasted some grape tomatoes to go on top. absolutely delicious! pesto is so darn easy to make and it tastes out of this world. you simply put fresh basil, garlic, generally toasted pine nuts, but i used walnuts in a food processor and give it a whirl. drizzle some olive oil until you reach the consistency you want and then add in a handful of parmesan, salt, and pepper. it takes 2 minutes to make. for the roasted tomatoes, just line a baking sheet with foil and drizzle the grape tomatoes with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. pop into a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes and you will have the best tasting tomatoes. they are so flavorful this way. only thing i don't like are all the seeds that pop out - i have a thing about tomato seeds. so, i just closed my eyes when i took a bite and pretended they weren't there. take whatever bread you have and toast it in the oven, smear some pesto on top and lay a few roasted tomatoes around. this would be a great appetizer to serve at a dinner party - the colors are really pretty on a white plate.
