Sundried Tomato Pesto= 2 Meals

This is a regular a our house...it would be more regular if Wal-mart kept sun dried tomatoes in stock. I guess I shouldn't complain--I am glad they have them at all. I ONLY buy sun dried tomatoes at Wal-mart, because they will cost you an arm and both legs anywhere else. At my Wal-mart they are $3.48 for and 8-ounce jar...at Winn Dixie and Fresh Market they cost at least twice that. CRAZY! Anyway, this is a Giada di Laurentis recipe that I got from James' mom. It is so good...Elijah occasionally eats this with a spoon. What can I say? The kid loves garlic. Anyway, this pesto is the key element of two* of our very favorite dishes and it is Easy with a capital 'E'! Here it is:

SUN DRIED TOMATO PESTO INGREDIENTS

1 8-ounce jar sun dried tomatoes in olive oil
2 cloves garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed (honestly I don't know exactly how to measure basil leaves in my measuring cup, so I just grab a big handful)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

(1) Prepare yourself--this is so easy. Dump everything EXCEPT the Parmesan cheese into your food processor and turn it on. That's it! Let it go until the tomatoes and basil are finely chopped and everything is mixed up. It only takes a few seconds.
(2) Dump your pesto into a bowl and mix in the Parmesan.

*FOR PASTA: Brown one pound ground beef and drain. Cook 12 ounces of penne pasta as directed on box and drain. Then stir your meat, pesto, and pasta together.

*FOR PANINIS: Grab a loaf of Asiago Cheese Bread (It sounds fancy, but you can find it in the bakery section of Wal-mart most days...you can get it at other stores too or at Panera Bread, but you will pay for it!). Slice it into 1/2-inch thick slices. Spread pesto on one side and add cooked, sliced chicken breast. Brush some olive oil on the outside and put the sandwich in a pan. Now, find something heavy--I use a slightly smaller pan and a can of whatever I have in the cabinet--and put it on top of the sandwich to press it down (if you are super-cool and have a panini press, then you could use that, I suppose). Turn your stove on medium/high heat and cook each side for a couple of minutes until it begins to brown a little. Enjoy!