You guys might already have something like this in your back pocket. If not, here you go. This is something that is wicked simple to make and keep on hand. Impress your friends the next time you toss some chicken on the grill. Baste it with the pesto a couple of minutes before you pull it off. The next time you have pasta night, toss it [preferably linguini] with the pesto and a couple pats of butter**. Maybe you're having guests over for some cocktails. Thinly slice a loaf of french bread and baste each slice with the pesto. Toss the bread in the broiler until golden in color.

If you get that down, you can experiment a bit. Try sun-dried tomatoes, roasted garlic, olives, capers, pecorino & grueyere cheeses, cilantro, oregano, etc. If you have a decent palette, try a range of olive oils or balsamic vinegaretes and note the different profiles.

* This is when extra-virgin olive oil is required. Pony up for the medium price range. When you have guests, and you should pretend that every dinner guest is your mother, throw down more cash for the really good stuff and note the difference. Most people use extra-virgin oil exclusively. This is a waste. Use this rule of thumb: If you are going to sweat, saute, reduce use the non-virgin variety; if you intend on serving the oil uncooked, like on a salad, or toast point, use extra-virgin. The reasoning behind this is the same as wine/beer usage. Basically, you're not going to grab the $50 bottle of Cote de Rhone for your Coque au Vin recipe. Treat olive oil the same way.

** Why should real butter be used? Real butter is part animal fat. Animal fat melts at body temperature, which just happens to be the same temperature as the inside of your mouth. The melted butter unifies the flavors of the food and evenly coats the inside of your mouth when it melts. That's what makes you shudder when you put that croissant in your mouth and the flavor of the dough treats your tastebuds like stay at a 4-hour asian hotel. Margarines and non-saturated fats are plant fats that do not combine as well with animals. You don't have to use it all the time. Just know the difference.

*** Don't even get me started on salt.