"Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.”
- Pope John XXIII
This is as eloquent as it comes. It clarifies everything. Pope John makes it simple. Do not worry about your fears, be concerned with your hopes and dreams. Do not dwell on failures but focus instead on successes you have yet to achieve. It seems so easy to write, but to achieve this is not as easy. It will all come true, but not in your wished time. It must unfold when it will unfold. You must have patience. I have plenty of patience today. Life should be enjoyed. I focus on my dreams, aspirations and dreams. I still dream. Do you still dream about your hopes and aspirations? We all should still dream. Shoot for the stars. I only have one or two dreams left. What are your dreams? I will tell you one of mine that came true. I wanted an Oscar Statuette. Thanks to Rick, I received one from my children for my 50th birthday.
In honor and remembrance of my dad (he is gone 5 years this month ) I wanted to tell you about his pesto sauce. At age 52 my father became widowed. He had to cook for himself. After WWII, he owned a restaurant in Coney Island so he knew how to cook. He loved to cook. His two favorite things were pounding out chicken cutlets and making Pesto. Pesto is an Italian word that comes from the Latin verb "to pound" or " to crush". Herb pestos can accompany many food dishes. Most of you are familiar with pesto/pasta combinations.
Basil is the typical main ingredient of pesto. It helps lower blood pressure, reduce the symptoms of gastrointestinal diseases such as ulcers and colitis, and even helps asthma. In the Far East, basil is used more for the common flu and associated symptoms. I have seen pestos made with parsley, cilantro, sorrell and even watercress. I have tasted an oregano pesto which I found to be sharply flavored. There are many food books on Pestos. I love the books Very Pesto and the Pesto Manifesto.
Pat's Basil Pesto
1. 1 1/2 cups of fresh basil leaves
2. 2 cloves of garlic
3. 1/4 pine nuts or walnuts
4. 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (can use Goat cheese)
5. 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Chop the basil in the blender. Add the garlic and walnuts and blend into a puree, then slowly add the cheese. Slowly add the olive oil until all is finished . You want the mixture to be that of creamy butter. Pack into a container removing the air pockets. To prevent the pesto from darkening pour the rest of the olive oil over the top. Put in the refrigerator. It will last for weeks. For longer storage (which I recommend so you can use your pesto in the winter) freeze it in small quantities. If you grew a lot of basil and other herbs this summer (as I did) simply blend the herbs in oil and refrigerate them until you have a free Saturday to prepare your pesto.
Top photograph: My Dad, (far right) and his friend, Michael. We were all on one of the Atkins Cruises. This one was to Italy. He might be enjoying his Pesto that night.
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