Vacation may be over, but it is certainly not forgotten!

Vacation was just that, a vacation. Time away from your every day routine of life. The moment we got into the car that Saturday morning, knowing that we had to be out of the house for 8 nights, it just felt good. Yes, it was a 10 hour drive to Florida but there is something about knowing you can't be in your house that helps you relax. We were on the road and we had only a few belongings, our car and our family.

I have to say, we had some incredible family conversations during the ride down.  It surprised us but we talked about the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust and what it must have been like for people to have gone through those horrific times. We then moved on to the death penalty and beliefs around that. It sounds like it was intense and dark but it really wasn't. We all were involved and interested and it felt great to really be together, talking about real things that didn't include school, friends or sports (even though I love those daily conversations too). Over the course of the vacation, we all became more relaxed with one another and were able to be present. Trust me, there were many times where I wanted to scream too but being together was more important, for the moment anyway.

Put on Teach Your Children by CSN and get cooking! We heard this song on vacation and I was reminded how wonderful it is. A very fun song to sing and harmonize!

Last night I made Spaghetti and Pesto Trapanese. A recipe that my sister in law gave to me. I used Cipriani pasta and roasted some broccoli on the side. It hit the spot.

Spaghetti and Pesto Trapanese
3/4 pds cherry tomatoes (I use a little more)
12 large whole basil leaves (I use a little more)
1/3 cup of whole almonds, lightly toasted
1 large garlic clove, crushed and peeled
1/4 tsp peperoncino (jarred) or to taste (I used 2)
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt or kosher salt, plus more for pasta
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb spaghetti (I use a little less than a pound)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (I don't freshly grate)

Rinse the cherry tomatoes and pat them dry.  Rinse the basil leaves and pat them dry. Drop the tomatoes into the blender or food processor bowl followed by the garlic clove, almonds, basil leave, peperoncino and salt. Blend for a minute or more to a fine puree; scrape down the bowl and blend again if any large bits or pieces have survived.

With the machine still running, pour in the olive oil in a steady stream, emulsifying the puree into a thick pesto. Taste and adjust seasoning. If you are going to dress the pasta within a few hours, you can leave at room temperature. Refrigerate for longer storage, up to 2 days, but let it return to room temperature before cooking the pasta. 

To cook spaghetti, heat 6 quarts of water with 1T salt, to a boil in a large pot. Scrape all pesto into a warm bowl. (I did not heat my bowl)

Cook spaghetti al dente, drain and drop onto the pesto. Toss quickly to coat the spaghetti, sprinkle cheese all over and toss again.  Serve immediately in warm bowls (Mine were not warm!).

Serves 4-6.

Yum! Enjoy and have a spectacular day!