Today, I packed up my last box, took one final look around, and walked out the door of my music room at Field School for the last time.
It's a bittersweet day.
I've spent the last three years teaching music to an awesome group of kids and building great relationships with staff members and parents along the way. Along with all of the wonderful times have also been some not-so-wonderful times, including budgetary cuts of our program and as a result, my job. It feels really unfair to be the direct result of a budget cut, but I suppose that's life. It's been a hard day of goodbyes.
Alongside all of the sadness also comes some excitement--I'm happy to share that I have a new position for the fall, teaching elementary music in another fabulous district. It's smaller, closer to my family, and hopefully a better fit in the long run. I'm really looking forward to starting over, as crazy as that sounds, and I'm really hoping this change will be for the best.
You may have also noticed that things have been a little slow over here on the blog, and I hope you'll now understand why. We have some fun things to share in the upcoming weeks though, so keep visiting! I'll also have a lot more free time on my hands now that I won't have to write any more cover letters...
Shall we talk about pesto?
How about real quick since I just rambled about my job.
Ok, here's the short story--pesto rocks! I was really inspired recently when I saw a kale pesto made with toasted sunflower seeds, until I realized the recipe called for a cup of basil and I just killed my basil plant. Boo on that. So I made up my own recipe, sans basil. And it rocked!
So here we go, three pestos without that dead basil on our deck! Yay! Have fun with it--eat it on crackers, spaghetti, cheese ravioli, or even out of the jar with a spoon (it is just pesto, after all...)!
Pesto, Three Ways
Inspired by Cooks Illustrated
Red Pepper, Spinach, and Pistachio Pesto:
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 1/2 cups jarred roasted red peppers, rinsed and patted dry
1 cup spinach
1 1/2 ounces parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup pistachios, toasted
1/4 cup olive oil
Blanch garlic: place unpeeled cloves into boiling water for one minute, then remove from water and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Peel and mince. Add garlic, spinach, peppers, parmesan, and pistachios to a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Scrape down sides and pulse again, slowly adding oil in until incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste.
QUICK TIP
How to toast nuts:
1. Heat nuts in a small skillet or saucepan over medium heat.
2. Stir continuously until nuts start to look and smell lightly toasted.
3. Remove from skillet and let cool in a small bowl.
Kale, Feta, and Sunflower Seed Pesto:
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
3 cups kale, stemmed
1 1/2 ounces feta cheese
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, toasted
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup olive oil
Blanch garlic: place unpeeled cloves into boiling water for one minute, then remove from water and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Peel and mince. Add garlic, kale, feta, sunflower seeds, and red pepper to a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Scrape down sides and pulse again, slowly adding oil in until incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Spinach, Kale, Walnut, Brown Butter Pesto:
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
6 tablespoons butter, browned
1 cup kale, stemmed
1 cup spinach
1 1/2 ounces parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
Heat butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Stir constantly until butter begins to brown and smells nutty; remove immediately from heat and set aside to cool.
Blanch garlic: place unpeeled cloves into boiling water for one minute, then remove from water and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Peel and mince. Add garlic, kale, spinach, parmesan, cooled butter mixture, and walnuts to a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Scrape down sides and add salt and pepper to taste.
