Pesto Presto

The one crop that really took off from our garden this year was my basil.  Last year I just let it all die, but this year I decided to make Pesto.  I found a great recipe here.  Then, because Pesto is only used in small quantities, I put it in ice cube trays and froze it.  The ice cube trays are perfect for individual portions of Pesto, and it was super easy to get the cubes of Pesto out once they were frozen.  I transferred the Pesto cubes to a freezer container, and now I can add Pesto to whatever I want in just a minute of defrosting in the microwave.  Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of my pesto, but here is a picture I found that looks exactly like mine did:

So tonight I grabbed 2 cubes of my frozen pesto, some chicken, cheese, bread, tomatoes (from our garden - yum!), spinach, bacon, and our George Forman.  I grilled the chicken breasts on the George Forman and cut it into strips.  Then I slathered my defrosted pesto on 2 slices of bread (one for each sandwich), layered my chicken, cooked bacon, and cheese, topped with another slice of bread, and panini-ed the sandwiches on the George Forman.  After taking them off the grill, I opened them up and added the tomatoes and the spinach.  Easy peasy dinner and so delicious!  Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of my paninis either.  Sigh.  One day maybe I'll remember to grab my camera.

I love easy, delicious dinners like this.  And I love that I hand-made that Pesto.  Like from scratch.  :)