To Boldly Go Where No Mother's Day Has Gone Before

Today we spent the full day celebrating our Mom's. We started by meeting up with my sister and parents at the Woodinville theaters to see the new Star Trek movie. Everyone enjoyed it, and Dan & I both highly recommend it: even if - like Dan - you've never seen a Star Trek episode. The film is a prequel to the Original 1960's series starring William Shatner & Leonard Nimoy, so no previous knowledge of the series or the franchise is required. I think it's got something for everyone, and if you're a LOST fan, you should definitely check it out - since J.J. Abrams was the director/producer, and Dan (who knows about this stuff) seemed to think Abrams' influence was noticable and positive. If you're a die hard Trekker, you'll have plenty to enjoy, too - as it tells the story of how the crew of the Enterprise ended up together, with lots of new tidbits (a never before mentioned love story between two characters!) and classic bits (the poor red shirt didn't have a chance). It's probably obvious I fall in the latter camp (I wore my little com badge pin to the movie), but I assure you Dan really liked the film.



After the movie, we all headed over to the Sushi Connection to enjoy a little conversation and plenty of raw fish. The seating made chatting difficult, but the sushi was good and a good price. And we couldn't have asked for better weather. It made me wish I'd gone through with my idea to make a picnic of Star Trek inspired food for us all to enjoy. Romulan Ale, anyone?



After heading home and regrouping, we drove down to Dan's sister's place on Lake Tapps to celebrate with his Mom. We were asked to bring an Italian inspired appetizer to go with the lasagna Jennifer was making, so we flipped through our cookbooks and found inspiration in the simply named Hors d'oeuvres. I made up some fresh pesto using Truffle Valentina cheese from Estrella Family Creamery and fresh bunches of basil from the market, as well. Then I used that to make some palmiers and pinwheels, as well as pesto deviled eggs.



As you can see, I failed to photograph any of the food at lunch or dinner, besides our contribution to dinner - though I did capture a few shots while we got a ride on the lake in Matt's new boat.

Pesto
1 cup well packed basil leaves
2 oz pine nuts
2 cloves garlic
pinch sea salt
juice of 1 lemon
2 oz grated hard cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Place all ingredients except olive oil in a food processor and pulse until well blended. With the processor running, gradually add oil. Process until the pesto is the consistency of a thick paste. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks, or in the freezer for much longer.



Palmiers & Pinwheels
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
1/3 cup pesto (or tapenade)
2 tspn sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place pastry sheets on a work surface. Spread on pesto, evenly covering the pastry all the way to the edges. To make pinwheels, roll the sheet up in one direction. To make palmiers, roll both sides of the pastry up until they meet in the center. Cut crosswise with a sharp knife into 1/2 inch thick slices. Place on parchment or silicon mat lined baking sheets and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake until golden and crisp, about 12 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool on the baking sheets before serving.