Secret Recipe Club Reveal: Homemade Pesto and Caprese Panini

The end of the month means a secret reveal for me..Secret Recipe Club Reveal! Always a fun time, always and adventure! I can't remember exactly when I joined the SRC but it has been several years and I still really enjoy it. Each month we are given a blog, with the task of searching through recipes on that blog, choosing a recipe, making it and on our Reveal Day, revealing to the rest of the club and blogland. Very fun time. 

This month I was assigned A Day in the Life on the Farm. Wendy and her husband are retired "cops" and moved from the big city to on to 12 acres. Over the years they developed in my mind a "mini-farm"...she enjoys all sorts of hobbies. Check out her "About Me" page to learn more about her life on the Farm! 

I browsed through her recipes and several recipes jumped off the page. Her Apple Muffins, or the Patriotic Trifle, or how about Garlic Mashed Potatoes, which I knew my youngest would love. I opted for her Presto Pesto and Tomato and Mozzarella Panini. 

I have never made homemade pesto, but it has always been on my "to make" list. And who can resist tomato and mozzarella!!! Or a panini? I was hooked!!! To top it off, I had this made at the beginning of July!! SCORE! It was a total success and perfect for lunch. I happened to have some bacon I needed to use up so I totally added it to the sandwich!

Homemade Pesto and Caprese Panini

Pesto:

Leaves from 1 lg. bunch of basil
1/2 c. pine nuts
3 cloves garlic, peeled and mashed
1 c. parmesan cheese
5 or 6 grinds of fresh pepper
Olive oil

Directions:

1. In a food processor add all ingredients except olive oil and pulse until finely chopped.

2. With food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil until it reaches the desired consistency, approximately 1/4c. Stop processing when pesto has reached desired consistency and is not completely smooth but still has some texture.  

Caprese Panini 

Ingredients:

Bread (I like a good crusty bread that will hold up well under my panini press)
mozzarella cheese (I opted for fresh)
Tomato
Pesto
oil
Optional add ons: Bacon, prosciutto, mixed greens (I would love to try this with Trader Joe's Micro Greens)

Instructions:

1. Heat your panini press, grill or pan.

2. Oil the outside of your bread.

3. on opposite sides of bread, spread pesto and then stack mozzarella and tomato along with any other add ons..in my case it was bacon!

4. Place on hot pan. If using a panini press, place press on top of sandwich. Cook until browned and cheese is melted. 

5. Consume immediately. 

This was so fresh and yummy!!! My girls have began to really like pesto so I think this will go to good use. And because it is homemade, I know exactly what is in it which is always a plus.

Check out more recipes from The Secret Recipe Club below.

An InLinkz Link-up

With Joy UNquenchable,