Marilyn Haggerty's amazing Olive Garden review and the subsequent viral shitstorm

Crest Pesto-paste

I guess I am a pesto purist -- I don't even like making it now if I have to get store bought basil, it has to be fresh from the garden.

Semi-Homemade Cooking starring Sandra Lex

I would use pesto-flavored toothpaste in a heartbeat

I would also probably lose all of my friends

Mossy green teeth is a good look, though.

Can Lex make a cocktail from lemon juice, half and half, vermouth and nonpareils?

is our pesto just better than yours? pretty much everyone i know, including the hardline cooks, is happy to buy pesto jars

fresh basil and store-bought dried basil are like not even remotely the same product. dried basil is almost flavorless, and fresh basil is like whoa.

my pesto brings all the boys to the yard IIRC

i can make cocktails though my measurements are not always very exact, especially by the point they happen

is our pesto just better than yours? pretty much everyone i know, including the hardline cooks, is happy to buy pesto jars

the pesto is fine, ppl are mostly on a "zomg I made this" kick in the US atm

i have never bought basil of any kind. i wouldn't have a clue what to do with it. put it in the microwave?

now you just funnin', son.

It does the rest.

fave pesto-related sandwich: nice italian roll with fresh mozarella, pesto, sun-dried tomato. and basil leaves if you want. mmmm....

you can also make this for two for under 30 dollars at home.

fresh basil and store-bought dried basil are like not even remotely the same product. dried basil is almost flavorless, and fresh basil is like whoa.

I don't mean dried basil, just basil from the produce section. Having a garden has spoiled me, even the fresh basil from the store tastes a little off now.

the pesto is fine, ppl are mostly on a "zomg I made this" kick in the US atm

there's a bit of this over here, i tend to roll my eyes at it

I know where surm is coming from on the "fluffy" descriptor -- I like to make it with a little less oil than recipes generally call for*, and when it's straight out of the food processor, fluffy is pretty accurate.

*because I'll be adding a layer of oil to the part I don't freeze, to keep it from oxidizing; by the time I've used it all up, it's fairly wet

xpost--
T/S: learned helplessness vs. feigned helplessness

I am going to grow a basil plant in our garden just for lex. He'll come out here for some interview, I'll demonstrate how this can be made into pesto, wisdom will then be achieved. Then as per amateurist's post my apartment will explode.

that goes for all dried vs. fresh herbs. they have totally different uses.

xp

Pesto is the best. Fresh basil is one of my favorite things in the whole world. Nicole otm about fresh from the garden basil. I used to bring big bags of it home with me from my parents' where my dad had a huge plant. SO SO GOOD.

My main objection to most pre-packaged ready-to-eat stuff (including pesto in jars) is all of the chemicals and preservatives in it. Sky-high sodium, for instance.

it's nice to have a basil plant near an open window because when you get a breeze it spreads basily goodness through the kitchen.

mmmmmmmm basil.

I am fine with a lot of dried herbs but basil is just something that is nowhere near as good dried. MMMMM basil, I love you.

lol x-post

I love fresh basil too but ime it has to be used, like, RIGHT AWAY cuz really there's no way to keep it fresh for more than a day or so before it turns black and slimy

xp

Oh I don't care about sodium. I have low blood pressure. Bring on the jars of pesto. I'll eat am all.

I make basil ice cubes if I have a lot leftover.

you guys need to get a room with your basil.

re. basil: yeah and around here you can only fresh basil at the grocers in huge, expensive quantities of which you inevitably use only a fraction.

i find basil plants are fragile, though. hard to keep one going for months unless you have some luck.

Re basil ice cubes - it's very convenient way of storing nice fresh basil for later use where it won't be good as the freshest kind but still better than dried.

xpost -- Hell, we have the opposite problem; our basil just won't stop. Not that we mind.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3630/3683067722_cc76d3c585.jpg

http://toprecipes.blurtit.com/q703204.html

pancake tossing is a whole new world to me

I guess I lucked out with some hardy basil. I started it 2 or 3 years ago, let it bloom and go to seed every fall, and it comes back in the same planter every spring. I don't even bother harvesting the seed. xp Ned got the same stuff!

I think my dad did too. He never knew what to do with all of his which is why I'd end up with so much of it.

DJP: go nuts:

http://www.recordholders.org/en/records/pancake.html

The record is for the number of times a pancake (the same on each time) can be tossed in two minutes. It should be made with 170 g (6 oz) of batter, in a pan with a base measurement of 15.2 cm (6 in). The ingredients used should be edible and comprise flour, eggs and milk.
The frying pan should weight at least 340 g (12 oz) and have a base measurement of at least 21.5 cm (8 1/2 in.)
The number of tosses should be counted and recorded in a satisfactory manner, and this figure confirmed in the signed statements.

"And our latest competitor, lex pretend."

*10 seconds later*

"Oh the humanity."

oh like I hadn't already found that page

Very good, sir.

Also: lex, if THIS guy can do it:

http://www.9news.com/images/640/360/2/assetpool/photogallery/252423/51541336_10.jpg

http://www.9news.com/images/640/360/2/assetpool/photogallery/252423/83825922_10.jpg

romney looking good there

i want to own one of those last ones to cook for me

what is that two-spatulas bullshit

I guess I lucked out with some hardy basil. I started it 2 or 3 years ago, let it bloom and go to seed every fall, and it comes back in the same planter every spring. I don't even bother harvesting the seed.

If you try to keep just ONE PLANT alive for a long time you will be unhappy because I think the flavor goes off as the plant ages, plus it will just keep trying to bloom until it's exhausted. Maybe that's what people are saying? One plant in a pot indoors will eventually stop producing well. You have to let it die and re-seed for the best result.

Thai basil kicks regular basil's ass

why the hell did this thread blow up?

fuckin' bush. forgot all about that demented idiot.

If you try to keep just ONE PLANT alive for a long time you will be unhappy because I think the flavor goes off as the plant ages, plus it will just keep trying to bloom until it's exhausted. Maybe that's what people are saying?

Yes, they don't age very well. The flavor seems to fade out.

Is it part of the game to pretend that Lex isn't hamming it up beyond all fucking reason with the ignorance schtick? "put it in the microwave?" give it a rest. Yes put it in the fucking microwave, and leave it there forever.