{"id":12101,"date":"2012-10-05T14:46:15","date_gmt":"2012-10-05T19:46:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/crankymouse.com\/?p=12101"},"modified":"2013-10-29T12:43:02","modified_gmt":"2013-10-29T17:43:02","slug":"homemade-basil-pasta-blendtec-giveaway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/2012\/10\/05\/homemade-basil-pasta-blendtec-giveaway\/","title":{"rendered":"Homemade Basil Pasta + Blendtec Giveaway"},"content":{"rendered":"

How to make homemade pasta dough with basil from scratch using a Blendtec Twister Jar (plus, I’m giving one away). The basil here is used similar to how you would make spinach pasta dough rather than just mixing in minced herbs, which results in a green-colored pasta and a strong but not overwhelming basil flavor.<\/em>
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This past Sunday we headed off to the farmers market to find the vendors are slowly starting to clear. It happens every year around this time when their particular items are done for the season, and with the weather dropping to below freezing this weekend, you can be sure the trend will continue in higher numbers the next two weekends.
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This always sends me into a sort of frenzy where I suddenly feel as though I need to buy every single apple available, stack case upon case of tomatoes in the trunk, consider the finer points of freezing and blanching and canning and preserving and literally bite off more than I can chew in each department. The chill in the air seems to penetrate down into my soul, which I assume sits slightly to the right of where my heart lies.
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I imagine that winter comes like the dementors, spreading cold across all that is living, and looking to suck my soul from my body. My personal Patronus is the act of stockpiling all that I can in an effort to keep my soul intact. (Yes, I am rereading Harry Potter<\/a> with my 8-year-old.)
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\n(Incidentally, pictured above is my 6-year-old. She still prefers Dr. Seuss for her nightly reading and her HP via video. I imagine her Patronus to be a Seuss-like mix of Hedwig and Fawkes. I apologize to everyone who is not a Harry Potter fan or forced to become one via your children.)<\/em><\/font>
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This is how I came to be cooking down 6 quarts of tomatoes, turning the last of my basil into pesto and pasta, baking bread, canning salsa<\/a>, and simmering applesauce all at once Sunday afternoon. Luckily, I had helping hands and a gorgeous day to spend together in the kitchen prepping food for the week ahead.
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\nAs we were sitting down to dinner that night, pasta on plates eaten on the patio for perhaps the final time this year, I realized that my most treasured family moments are born out of the kitchen and the congregation that happens there. Two kids fed pasta dough through the machine at the counter, another worked on stirring sauce, and the fourth sat working on homework on the same floured table where the pasta dough was kneaded. It was chaos, but in each separate moment within the chaos was this intense calm where I could have stopped time and remained forever.
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A Giveaway:<\/font><\/h3>\n

I’m giving away a Blendtec Total Blender Classic Wildside<\/a> and Twister Jar<\/a> to one lucky reader! <\/strong><\/p>\n