I recently had my last day working at the Art Institute, allowing myself some time off before school starts. Since then, I went on a trip with my boyfriend to visit his dad in Tampa and did a whole lot of relaxing. We lounged at the pool and the beach and even went fishing! It was a great way to unwind from the stress of work and lead me into a summer mentality.

One thing that this break has helped me with is giving me time to get back into what I really love to do: reading and learning about food and, of course, cooking and baking! When people ask me what I’ve been doing my stories usually lead to food.

I feel as though this is a great time to tackle some of the recipes that I’ve been meaning to try or have been too timid to try. Inspired by Gemma at the Pro Bono Baker I decided to make her “Homemade Pasta for Hectic Nights.” I have never made pasta or even thought it would be feasible without a pasta maker, but I was surprised as to how easy it was. I followed her instructions by making a well of 1 cup of flour and then cracking two eggs into the center. Then I mixed and kneaded the mixture with my hands until the dough became smooth. Don’t worry if your eggs run a bit from the well like mine did, just make sure to incorporate everything and then let the dough rest for about five minutes. Lightly flour a cutting board and roll the dough until its thin. Then with a pizza cutter cut the sheet of dough into 1/4 in. strips. Then add to a pot of boiling salted water and cook for 2-3 min.

For an easy sauce I decided to make pesto. For this recipe all you need to do is take about 2 cups of basil leaves and blanch them in a pot of boiling water for about 2 seconds and then transfer to a bowl full of ice water. Dry the basil leaves and add them to a food processor. To that add 1/3 cup each of toasted pine nuts and freshly grated parmesan cheese, about 1/2 cup of olive oil, and one chopped clove of garlic. Pulse and season with salt and pepper.