This sauce is a great accompaniment. I’ve used it as a dipping sauce, a marinade, and drizzled it over meat, pizza, and bowl meals. If using it as a marinade, you may want to double the quantities below.
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Arugula-Parsley Pesto
This is a great pesto to make in the non-summer months when basil is not in season. This will brighten many winter dishes and provide a great use for any arugula languishing in the fridge. Pesto freezes beautifully and future you will be so happy if you stock the freezer now.
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Whipped Cream
Homemade whipped cream is far superior to anything you can buy and is the classic topping for many desserts and treats. Whipped cream can go from perfectly whipped to overwhipped very quickly, so don’t leave your mixer unattended. If you do end up with overwhipped cream, it is an easy fix (see Note below). I prefer whipped cream just lightly sweetened but if you like it sweeter, increase the amount of sugar added.
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Basil Pesto
Basil is one of my favorite summer smells. In addition to adding it to just about everything I eat in the summer, I love making pesto. Basil Pesto is a classic summer staple and one that freezes really well. Basil plants are prolific producers, so I like to make large batches to freeze and use later. Whenever I have enough basil on hand, I’ll double the quantities below. Basil Pesto is traditionally made with pine nuts, but I’ve always used walnuts. Pine nuts are a little too pricey for me and I love the flavor of walnuts. Whether you use pine nuts or walnuts, the important thing is that they’re toasted dark.
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Croutons
Homemade croutons are a fun and favorite addition of mine for salads, soups, and snacks. I like to keep an eye on the discount shelf at the back of my grocery store and pick up a stale loaf of bread to use for croutons when I see one. If you don’t have stale bread, it’s fine to use fresh, but they may take a minute or two longer to bake. The texture of sandwich bread doesn’t work well for these so I like to keep a loaf of bread handy in the freezer. Homemade croutons are easy and always worth the couple minutes it takes to make them!
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Hard Boiled Eggs
Hard boiled eggs make a great addition to salads and sandwiches and are a great snack on their own. There are a lot of different ways you can hard boil an egg and lots of people have tips and tricks they swear by, but this is the method I’ve found that works most consistently for me. You can cook as many eggs as will fit in a single layer at a time. Eggshells are porous and the longer they’re able to sit in the ice water, the easier they’ll be to peel.
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Walnut Balsamic Vinaigrette
This is one of my go-to dressings – it takes two minutes to throw together and I love the flavor of the walnut oil. I prefer my vinaigrettes a little more on the punchy side and typically use a 1:1 oil to vinegar ratio. When dressing a salad you want to use just enough dressing to lightly coat everything, so the boldness of the dressing will be tempered by the rest of your salad ingredients.
This recipe will make more vinaigrette than you’ll ever need at one time, but I like having extra on hand to use throughout the week.
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Chicken Stock
When making chicken stock, I really like using a rotisserie chicken. The roasted chicken gives the stock an added dimension of flavor. Shredded chicken is also a really handy thing to have around, especially during soup season. I prefer making this in a pressure cooker, I think it extracts more flavor and makes a better stock, but you can absolutely make chicken stock without one.
I don’t add any salt to my stock. The stock is almost always reduced down further when it is used and I don’t want it to become salty. Adding salt later, when you go to use the stock, helps you control the seasoning. When adding herbs, I usually try to use up what I have on hand. If I don’t have any fresh herbs, then using dried is fine.
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How to Toast Nuts
Toasted nuts add an incredible amount of flavor. I very rarely use raw nuts for anything. Whether it’s going in a salad, cookie, or pesto, your end product will taste much better if the nuts are toasted. Since I normally roast vegetables at 425°F, I’ve calibrated my times for toasting nuts to be at that temperature. That way, I can throw them in with whatever is already in the oven. You can definitely toast nuts at a lower temperature, it will just take a little longer.