Random Thoughts, and How to Freeze Fresh Basil

What I've been pondering lately:

1. Time flies when you're having fun.  Caitie will be home for six days for her fall break this month, and I'm really looking forward to--WHAT?!  It's over?!  Where did the time go? 

2.  Speaking of fun--I went to B.J.'s to buy candy for the trick-or-treaters.  As usual, I passed over the fun- size bars and bought the big ones.  Is it really more fun for a kid to receive a teeny fun-size bar instead of one of these?  I think not.

3.  And more fun--Let's Go Red Sox!!  We were at the game on Saturday when the Sox clinched the American League Championship.  Yeah!   Yes, I took this photo (yep, the blurriness gives it away). That's Koji Uehara in the upper left, with his arms raised.  I wish I could have captured the enthusiastic round of high-fives that came after I took this shot.  If you've never seen Uehara's enthusiasm after he pitches, check out this MLB video (particularly the 0:08 mark where he slaps an oblivious Shane Victorino across the face)!

4.  My first selfie, EVER.  And probably my last.  Blurry, of course!  Attempting to capture the moment at the playoff game.   How is it possible to hold an iphone at arm's length, straining said arm and hoping to extend it at least a couple of inches longer than you possibly could, while trying to hold steady AND push the camera button while TRYING to maintain a pleasant expression when all I really wanted to do was roll my eyes and give up.  I know it can be done, because I've seen others do it.  I look like I'm photobombing.  Just another one of my many shortcomings, I guess.

Okay, time for today's recipe.  

Which isn't really a recipe, it's more like a how-to. 

My friend, Gayle, recently put a request on facebook for instructions on freezing fresh basil.  A timely request, because a few weeks ago I lopped off all of the basil in my herb garden and froze it!  Here's the how-to:

 Ingredients: Basil and olive oil.

You will need to freeze it in small portions.  I use a mini-muffin tin, but an ice cube tray would also work.

Start by washing your basil thoroughly.

And now I digress:

Many years ago, I was told by someone (who shall remain nameless--I won't tell you her name, but I call her "Mom") to simply freeze the basil in a freezer bag--without washing it--and to break off the frozen leaves as needed.

Oh, THAT went over really well.  It turned black.  So I threw it out.  But I do remember thinking that freezing it without washing it was not a good move, because it definitely needs to be washed, right?  And it's much easier to wash it before it's frozen.  I mean, have you ever tried to wash a frozen leaf?  It quickly turns to slimy mush.

So I tried washing it first.  It still turned black when I froze it.

I finally figured it out when I made too much pesto and froze the portion that I didn't need.  AHA!!  It didn't turn black.  It wasn't too much of a stretch to conclude that I could probably just freeze my basil with a little bit of olive oil.

It's perfect for adding into soups or sauces, or if you're making pesto, just process it with parmigiano reggiano and pine nuts.

Thank you for listening.  And now, back to our instructions.

Place your washed basil into a food processor or blender.  I had about 3 cups of basil leaves.

Drizzle in enough olive oil so that you can process or blend the basil, making sure that the basil will not only be pureed but coated with oil as well.

I used about 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

 Here is what my basil looked like after it was processed with the olive oil.  My 3 cups of basil leaves turned into about 1/2 cup of puree.

Divide it (about 2 tablespoons each) into the cups of a mini-muffin tin.

Place the tin into the freezer.

Remove the muffin tin after about 30 minutes and pop the frozen basil out of the cups.

Wrap the frozen portions in waxed paper and store them in your freezer in a zip-lock bag.

That's all for now!  Sorry to blog and run, but I'm watching the World Series and the Red Sox just scored 3 runs in the top of the first.  Let's Go Red Sox!!