I Heart Basil and I'm not such a Bad Cook
Alright, so if you’ve been reading my site long enough you may know by now I am not too good in the kitchen. My hubby always looks worried when I’m in the kitchen… in a very nervous, almost scared voice, he’ll ask… “What are you doing in there?” As if saying that the kitchen is somehow off limits to me. However, he has no problem with my 3 year old daughter (will be 4 on 11/21!) opening the fridge and trying to pour herself a glass of milk. I’m not really understanding that?
Anyway, to the point of this post. Well, there is actually really no point. You see, I kinda just want to brag. So here goes…
A few months ago I killed my basil plant (or so I thought). I’m not sure what went wrong, but let’s just say I don’t have a green thumb. After killing my plant, I dumped it over in the dirt on the side yard. Well, fast forward a couple months and I found basil growing in my side yard. I was ecstatic… I had fresh basil and I didn’t even have to water it! 🙂
I also have a confession to make – I am a basil freak! I love it! So tonight I made homemade tomato basil soup (with my home-grown basil!) and grilled cheese sandwiches. It was surprisingly delicious! So delicious in fact, my hubby (yes, the guy who is frightened to see me pick up a measuring cup) actually had seconds. I was so proud of myself.
…And if you’re a basil addict too, stay tuned for an amazingly good recipe I will be sharing with you tomorrow– pesto with cherry tomatoes, basil, feta cheese and bow tie pasta!
first, my brother and your daughter share a birthday. second, i grew basil, rosemary, and oregano last year (kinda forgot to plant them this year). it was so nice having those herbs right there whenever i wanted them. they went into a lot of pasta dishes and made them so much better. third, we kinda did the plant toss with a pumpkin plant and it grew because our gutter placed a nice consistent drip on it. the pumpkins on that plant didn’t grow very big though. oh, well.
Your style of gardening is similar to mine! I have killed so many plants and then just dumped them somewhere in the yard and then find them growing on their own months later.
Looks yummy!!!
Congrats on the basil plant! I just had one die on me (not enough sunlight, I think) so I’m glad someone had some success! 🙂 It made a pretty plant, after all!
i love when u post non couponing items such as this. it is nice you invite us into your personal life 🙂
Great job! I killed my basil plant too. Maybe I should have dumped it. LOL Can’t wait to see and try your recipe! I <3 pesto!
Awesome. I am a huge basil fan and I am excited for your accidental basil plant success. I hope I have great success with my basil next year—not so successful this year. 🙁
You Go Girl!!!!
Can’t wait to see if the recipe is the one I sent you a few months back! I seriously make this soup at least once a month!……My kids love it with added orzo pasta too!
Good for you! This post made me smile 🙂
Hey collin, my daughter & ur daughter shares the same birthday !! She is going to be 3 on this sunday. Ur daughter is adorable just like u.
Can you share the recipe for homemade tomato basil soup? It looks yummy!
Yes, please share your soup recipe too! Now I am hungry for tomato soup and grilled cheese.
would love to have that soup recipe…it looks delicious!
Our daughters have the same birthday.. mine will be 7 on Sunday. 🙂
Congratulations Collin! How exciting!
I made the most amazing yet EASY Lemon Basil Chicken and Pasta last night! It’s only like 6 things pasta chicken lemon basil cream and cheese! So freaking easy you guys!!! I got it from a website called (pioneer women) or something like that just google those two words!
I need to try the dumping method. It took me 3 years to get my basil (which grew in a pot inside) looking like Collin’s. It’s sloooowly progressing.
The trick to get basil to grow is to chop the top off every once in a while. That causes the side shoots to grow instead of the whole plant getting tall. If you let it get flowers, the taste changes. The flower shoots grow at the end of each stalk. Cut of the ends of each stalk often to keep that from happening.
thanks for the advice! hopefully, my plants will start flourishing soon.
My son is turning 4 on December 3rd!!! 🙂
I love tomato soup and grilled cheese!!! I use my free or cheap campbells tomato soup and add basil, garlic, and pepper to make it very yummy!
My friend gave me fresh basil from her garden. She told me to wash it and put it in a ziplock bag and freeze it. Now when I need basil, i just pull it out of the freezer, get what I need and put it back. When the garden freezes, I still have fresh tasting basil for my recipes! Yum!
Love, Love, Love!
We too grow basil. Last year, we invented (probably not, but new to our family) BASIL GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICHES. We call it Pizza Sandwiches for the picky 2 1/2 year old. The kids gobble it up! Basil is incredibly healthy too. Google “basil” and find all the things it is good for healthwise. It actually acts kind of like ibuprophen. There are heart benefits and all kinds of good stuff. So, go ahead and be a basil freak! : )
I am sooo excited to read this post and read your post tomorrow. I do NOT have a green thumb and let’s say long story short I bought a basil plant in the beginning of the summer and I’ve actually kept it alive till now. It is still going strong and has a ton of basil on it, but I have NO clue what to use it in or what dishes to make. So, I will be waiting patiently for your recipe tomorrow and I would LOVE your tomato and basil soup recipe.
Thanks – Carolyn
Great job! I will need to try that planting method too. I don’t have allot of luck with herbs for some reason. I look forward to that recipe. I won’t mind trying that soup you made. Are you willing to share? It looks good.
I am a basil addict and can often be seen stealing basil leaves off friends and family members’ plates at restaurants. I have one plant growing in my garden so I need to get more in there is you’re going to give me some great recipes!
I love to garden, growing my own herbs. Basil need lots of sunshine (at lest 6 hours) and likes to be watered on occasion. My plant this year was allmost 2ft high and wide. I made pesto and froze it. It will be great this winter over pasta.
Collin here is a little tip on growing basil for you. Take off a stalk from your plant now and put it in a glass of water and make sure it gets LOTS of sun. (i do mine in my Kitchen window) and it will root into a new plant. You can dump that in your side yard and you will have another plant at no cost! Also be sure to nip the tops off your basil just when they are about to flower. If they flower, then it will die after. Keep it from flowering and it will live much longer. Also basil LOVES water. keep it watered daily to the most every other day and it will be a happy plant. I LOVE basil so my plant never lasts long as I use all the leaves. :s I live in a condo so not much space, otherwise I would have a garden filled with it. 😀
My son will be four years old on 11/21. Neat!
Yum! Can’t wait for the recipe!
Ok, I want one of your grilled cheese sandwiches.
That’s funny that you can’t cook because I can’t either!
Congratulations!!!! I heart basil too!
I shot Sprite out of my nose because I was laughing so hard when I read that your basil plant thrived when you dumped it over the edge and did nothing. That is, by far, the sexiest basil plant I have ever seen.
Thanks for the pics, the plant and the food looks awesome.
I want your tomato soup recipe first!
First year gardener here and my basil plant was out of control! It was almost three feet tall and three feet wide! I didn’t know what to do with it all. Zuchinis were 5lbs! It was the garden that ate the yard.
i grow herbs year round……..can not wait to get the receipe
i really wanted to have a garden this summer but just never got around to doing it. i bought seeds and everything thinking i would do a container garden since our current yard really is no place to plant one.oh well…maybe next year!
Great job! Way to keep trying.
I also HEART Basil! Picked up a plant at the grocery store, of all places! I needed some for a recipe and the stuff in the produce section looked terrible. Bought the plant and it’s been doing amazingly well for weeks. Here’s my favorite quick salad. Fresh mozzerella, grape tomatotes, basil and balsamic vinegrette dressing.
Would love the soup recipe!
Yum! Can’t wait for the pasta recipe! Please share your soup recipe also.
I am so excited for that recipe! I LOVE basil!
Can’t wait for that recipe! It looks so yummy!
Can you please share your tomato basil soup recipe????
Aw! LOL! What a sweet little basil plant. Such a trooper! I don’t have a green thumb either but dream of one day having a garden that rivals that of Ina Garten. I’ll keep dreaming. 🙂 Your soup and sandwich look delicious!
That’s a good-looking basil plant! I loved reading this post, made me smile. Can’t wait for the soup recipe. It sounds yummies!
Perfect use for some of my Muir Glen tomatoes-I think I’ll use the fire-roasted ones.
They also wrok really well in my vegetarian chili 🙂
And to think we can keep getting all the Muir Glen we want until the end of December with our Whole Foods Q’s!
(Publix Harvest of Savings $1/2 Q’s can stack with these)
That’s too funny!! How proud you must be:)
I love Tomato Basil soup but have no clue how to make it, will you please share this recipe?