Post Run Pesto Cream Sauce, Salad, and Signature Garlic Bread

There are two things in this dinner that I rarely make variations on: my basic pesto and my garlic bread. I've made lots of different pesto recipes by adding different meats and veggies to it, but the basic pesto itself stays the same.

1 pound of Penne

Garlic Bread:
1 loaf of baguette bread. In this case I used 2 demi batards
1 stick of salted butter at room temperature. If not at room temperature, nuke for 25 seconds.
3 large cloves of garlic
italian seasoning
black pepper

Basic Pesto:
1 large pack of basil - or two massive handfulls no stems
5 cloves of garlic
1 handful of lightly toasted pine nuts
salt and pepper
extra virgin olive oil - EVOO
parmigiano reggiano chunk

Heavy Whipping Cream (um yeah...this isn't a low fat blog)

Boil enough water to cook a pound of penne pasta. 3 quarts or so. Add salt to the water and pasta when it reaches boiling point. Cook until al dente as directed and drain.

Pesto: In a food processor, place garlic, basil, pine nuts, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, three turns of EVOO. Grate the cheese directly into the processor. Cover and Pulse. Then stream EVOO through the top of the processor while it's mixing so it emulsifies. Do a taste check and adjust seasonings to taste. Presto... Pesto!

preheat oven to 400 degrees

Pour Pesto in a large/tall skillet over medium low heat. No olive oil or other fat necessary as there is plenty of EVOO in the Pesto. Cook until bubbly. Add 3 turns of a pan worth of heavy whipping cream and cook until heated and bubbly. Turn heat to low. Add pasta and stir to coat. Grate more cheese on top and stir.

In a small bowl, cream softened butter with minced garlic. add enough italian seasoning - a tsp or so or so that you see little green specs in the butter after stirred. add black pepper. Spread over sliced bread and place on a foil wrapped cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.

Prepare a simple salad of prewashed greens, 3 peeled carrots, and a peeled cucumber. add some bottled poppyseed dressing. Sorry after writing out two courses I am getting lazy.

Add three courses to a plate and voila