"I used to think basil was my favorite spice, but now I KNOW it is!"

It was my last night at home tonight, which meant I got to cook dinner for everyone! And I actually used my Pinterest account to make a few scrumptious recipes that I was dying to try. The best part of all -- I only spent $21 on a relatively extravagant meal. I even had leftovers, so I figure I had about 5 servings total. That I means I spent about $4 per serving. I don't think there's a single restaurant in the world where you could get something including shrimp for that amount.

Ahh...the joys of home cooking!

And now, for the main course: Pesto Shrimp Pizza
I used the idea from the link above, but made some modifications.

Ingredients

• Jiffy Pizza Crust (2 boxes)
• Knorr Pesto Sauce Mix 
• Mozzarella Cheese

Here's the great news. All of this cost only about $4 and tasted AMAZING. It was super easy to make, too!

First, follow the directions on the back of the box to make the dough. Add in some basil and oregano for extra fun.

Slice the cheese into ribbons or chunks. 

This is really important: make sure you flour the counter or cutting board before trying to knead the dough, otherwise it turns into a big BIG mess.

Knead the dough for a few minutes and then flatten it onto a foil lined baking sheet.

Bake it for about three minutes.

Top with pesto, shrimp, and cheese (which isn't pictured).

And bake for 15 minutes.

Along with the pizza, I made a side salad. I'll call it Garbanzo Bean Tomato Salad. Clever, eh? 

Ingredients:

• One can chickpeas/garbanzo beans
• 1/2 pint grape tomatoes
• 6 basil leaves
• A light sprinkle of garlic salt
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

First, cut the tomatoes in half. Rinse and drain the chickpeas. Chop the basil leaves as fine or as chunky as you want. Put everything into a bowl, toss it around a bit, and eat up!

My family gave encouraging feedback. My mom was ALL about the fresh basil. In fact, I believe her direct words were, 

"I used to think basil was my favorite spice, but now that I've tasted it fresh, I KNOW it is!"

They're pretty much begging me not to leave. I'm not sure if it's because of the cooking, or because they will miss me. I'd like to think it's both :)