Friday, August 14, 2009

Amazing Aerogarden Basil

Yes, I can't grow snowpeas in the Aerogarden to save my life, my cherry tomato adventure was a disappointment, and the other herbs pale in comparison, but the Aerogarden has been nothing short of spectacular with basil. I would say over the year, at least one unit has already paid for itself when I compare the amount of fresh basil I harvested alone versus what it'd cost me to buy individual packets in a supermarket.

While I've been on the Nutrisystem diet for a while, today on date night with the lovely Lisa, we decided to cook a feast. It started by harvesting a big bunch of basil, which of course once again had grown and towered over its neighbors.

I had a fresh bottle of Spanish olive oil, courtesy of my cousin Shauna.

The first step was to make an insalata caprese appetizer. The tomato is a fresh Jersey tomato that Lisa got from someone at work. We bought the mozzarella at the local H-Mart. Put a couple basil leaves on, drizzle on some olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper, and we had a delightful, super-duper fresh and very yummy treat.

For the main course, we decided to make Spicy Basil Chicken from a highly rated recipe on AllRecipes.Com. We followed the recipe precisely, using portabello mushrooms not not being stingy with the peppers. Here was the crowning moment when we mixed the fresh basil in.

The taste was out of this world, heavenly over white rice. It was even better when we were storing away the leftovers a few hours later and the flavors had a chance to sit and mix.

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