Desert Laura

At the RNC in St. Paul last week I found this old blog that I never sent out. Got busy, I guess. But I figure I might as well publish it now. Only 1 1/2 more days until the election...cross your fingers people!!! It's going to be an amazing night! Who else is planning on taking Wednesday off work? I was very fortunate to be able to attend the Democratic National Convention in Denver last week. Through a series of luck, more luck and some very close connections, I got a free ticket both to Denver and into the Stadium to hear Obama's speech. To say it simply, I make a very bad democrat. I think some Dems would like it if I didn't affiliate with them. Not sure why, really. It's just that most Democrats I know are more like liberal republicans. There are very little differences between party's these days. Saying that I'm liberal would be an understatement. I support women's rights to safe abortions, I support open borders, our right to marry whoeve

I love basil. There isn't an herb that brings me back to my childhood like basil. Running my fingers through the leaves in my dad's garden, eating it straight from the garden, smelling it on my clothes as brush by the plant. Now I have 5 basil plants and I'm busy finding creative ways to eat and cook with it. Besides the traditional recipes (like adding it to everything ), one of my favorite things to make is pesto . My mom has satisfied my pesto addiction in the past by gifting me little baggies with pesto paste; enough to last an entire year. But now, I have my own garden full of the tiny green leaves. Here's a good recipe for pesto that I use. It's the one that my mom uses. The nice thing with this is that you it stores well. Just put them in little baggies and freeze them, or put in a jar and cover with olive oil to keep the paste wet. 4 Tbs. pine nuts (+/-) 2 garlic cloves (I love garlic, so I add alot more) 2 or 3 cups of firmly packed basil leaves 1/2 cup ex