Free-handing recipes!

I like to follow recipes. Part of the reason I love baking- you need to follow the recipe for it to turn out right. I am envious of those who can go in the kitchen and throw this, that, and the other together to make a great dish. I can't do it. Every time I try, it doesn't turn out well. Even things as simple as stir fry. It's still edible, even palatable, but definitely not great. I like to stick with the recipes, that's where I have success.

We had dinner club at Christina's house tonight. She and her husband are great at 'throw it together without a recipe.' So I will have to pester her to write down the ingredients in the delicious asparagus salad she made. Isn't that stunning??

I watched an episode of Everyday Italian a
couple weeks ago where Giada made this Orzo with Artichoke Pesto and Grilled Corn. And I have been wanting to try it ever since! However, I do not have a food processor, which is necessary for making pesto. So I made some adjustments, using the recipe only as a template- and it turned out!



Orzo with Pesto, Artichoke, and Corn

- 1 lb orzo pasta
- 2 ears corn- cooked (would be great grilled or with TJ's roasted corn)
- 1/2 jar artichoke hearts, chopped
- 1/2 C walnut halves, chopped
- squeeze of fresh lemon juice
- 1 C freshly grated Parmesan
- 1-2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 C cherry tomatoes, cut into halves and thirds
- 1 C fresh pesto
- salt, pepper, oregano to season

1. Boil pasta until al dente. Drain and place in large serving bowl.
 
2. Mix pesto, artichokes, walnuts, Parmesan, lemon, and garlic. Toss with pasta.

3. Add corn and tomatoes, and toss until all ingredients are coated. Add salt, pepper, and oregano to taste and serve!



 We served this alongside gazpacho and lemon-oregano shrimp! Delish!

I played around with blogger for a while last night and found so many different things that I can do to make my blog more visually appealing. Hence the changes. More to come in the future ;)

 

I also realized that it is the pictures from my iPhone that do not show up here. Will work on that. I can see all the pictures when I am working on a blog, just found out that they don't all show up here... will have to find someone techy to help me with that!

 

Have a great holiday weekend!