Substance's Pesto

pasta
cup 'o fresh Basil
5 Garlic cloves
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup parmesean cheese
1/2 cup pine nuts

1st, saute pine nuts to brown them..

then, put all of it into blender (leave some pine nuts behind to garnish)

blend it, add a little more cheese, nuts or oil to taste.

part II

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
5 pieces of sundried tomato in oil
plus 1 or 2 tbls of the oil it came in
couple pinches of parmesean cheese
1 garlic clove

cut chicken into small strips about 2 inches long, 1/4 in thick.
saute with 1/4 stick of butter..
when it is cooked enough (not raw colored) drain the juices from the pan, continue to saute adding in the garlic and sun dried tomato's/oil..
just as it id browned and cooked enough, sprinkle with the cheese, let it melt in the pieces.

put all this on top of pasta and eat.

guarenteed the best you have eaten, if it isnt, you messed up and I will come show you how.

Men, some of you may not cook much, but this will sure impress the women in your life.. add a Ravenswood Merlot (97 - 99 Sonoma around $18, or the 98 Gregory $35, (Note for Ravenswood wines, the best merlot and cabs under $60 made in Ca, but stay away from their "Vintners" line)...for somethig less $$$, do the Australian red wines, usually a 70/40 Merlot/Cab mix. these wines have the taste of most $15 to $25 Napa wines (Lindermins, Rosemont Estates, around $5 to $7). (Note about Australian wines, they cost more in Australia, than they do in Ca, funny)

plus, check this out... first thing i do is boil the water for the pasta...
by the time the pasta is ready, I have made the pesto, the chicken, and cleaned the kitchen)

Final though, I am big on presentation when I cook. to me that is half the fun of cooking. each plate is art. for this, I have these great italian pasta bowls with really wide rims. Past in bowl, couple spoons of pesto on top NOT mixed in. Garnish cheese on pesto. Spinkle bronzed pine nuts on the clean pasta, arrange chicken pieces around the bowl on the outside, garnish with the small fesh basil leaves near the stems.