On Basil

My dinner last night was scrumptious! And I have my fantastic friend, Liz, to thank for it. My friend, Liz, is irreplaceable. She is one of the most fun and real people I know. It's so relaxing/refreshing to be with people who are honest about themselves and always ready for a good time. I love it, value it, treasure it!

Anyhow...

As our husbands bonded over video games, she and I were sent on a mission (which we chose to accept) to find organic beer. After realizing, TJs was closed (sad day), we hopped down to Whole Foods (bless their souls for working on a holiday- Oh! Happy 4th BTdubs). As we walked into the store, Liz picked up a basil plant and handed it to me.

"You need to buy this." She says. "You can have a garden... you don't have to wish anymore. You can start small... if you feel badly spending the 5 dollars on it, I'll buy it for you..." And she preceded to introduce me to the ease of taking care of basil (and other herbs). She told me how much money I will save, had me dreaming of yummy smells, homemade pesto and pasta dishes... Girls, this is the type of peer pressure you need! I am so stoked about my new plant! I call it Liz. Liz needs water and sun; she is so low-maintenance. She helps me with dinner and saves me money. What more could a girl want?!

Last night, I came home with some veggies from the garden at work (yes, my boss has this amazing veggie garden here I may or may not be blogging while at work). As my wholewheat pasta boiled, I cut up and sauteed 2 squash and 1 bell pepper with some EVOO, gutted? 3 tomatoes, and chopped up some FRESH basil! Tossed it all together with some S & P, and voila! One of the most exciting meals I've made all year!

Say "Hi!" to Liz:
Ignore that decrepit leaf. I've torn it off since the photo. Low quality picture, sorry! This pic just doesn't do her justice. She is much more green than she appears here.

Since being introduced to my new favorite cooking buddy, I have learned some very funny things about basil...

"...to the ancient Greeks and Romans the herb was a symbol of malice and lunacy. They believed that to successfully grow basil, one had to yell and curse angrily while sowing the seeds. In French, semer le basilic, "sowing basil," means ranting..."

I love it! What a perfect gift for one hormonal woman to give to another?! Read more here, if you'd like.