Buon giorno! Seems like these days have been filled with all sorts of things that are wonderful and really easy to do. For instance, am I the last person in the world to know that if you add a teaspoon of lemon juice to a cup of milk and let it stand for 15 minutes, you'll get buttermilk?!

One of my latest favorite things to make for lunch is pesto! I make my own version that's easy and so tasty. First, I pick a few leaves from my two different basil plants on the balcony. The plant with the smaller leaves has packs such a punch of flavor.Then, I add a few cloves of garlic and some great olive oil. Right now I'm using some I bought at Mandranova while Cynthia and I were on the spring tour.

I put these ingredients together in my little cylinder measuring container that came with my immersion blender (that I got with my supermarket points) and whip it into a delicious green liquid. Then, I pour it into my pan, add some grated cheese, right now I'm loving the tangy goodness of pecorino. My final touch is a few pieces of a fresh hot pepper. Toss with some pasta and there you have it, a great lunch!Until next time, wish you were here!