Blue Roses

2 cups fresh basil leaves 1/2 cup olive oil 2 tablespoons pine nuts 2 cloves garlic, crushed with knife handle 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese 2 tablespoons grated romano pecorino (or more parmesan) 2 tablespoons butter, melted (the recipe calls for 3, but I thought 2 were sufficient since the oil and butter were already separating from the herbs) Shred large basil leaves in half by hand. Put basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic cloves and salt in blender and mix on high speed. Stop to mix with spatula periodically. (Do not stick spatula in running blender. Picking out bits of rubber from the pesto is messy...) Transfer blender contents to bowl and mix in cheeses by hand. Stir in melted butter by hand. for 6 servings of pasta from Kristin Robruck

1 can condensed milk (fat-free is fine) 1 bag (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips 14 oz crunchy peanut butter (fat-free is fine; salted organic works best) Mix ingredients together. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up the dough; if you don't, the cookies will thin out and the edges will burn. While chilling, heat the oven to 325 degrees. After refrigeration, drop the cookies by rounded teaspoons onto a baking sheet, at least two inches apart, and bake for about 7 minutes, until the cookies are starting to turn golden; it's okay if the centers don't look quite done yet. Do NOT overbake, since the cookies burn easily. For best results, refrigerate the dough while each batch is in the oven so the dough doesn't soften up.