You know those doubt days? The days where you question what you are doing, why you do it, where it’s going? I thought as I got more into this whole blogging/recipe/photography thing that the doubt days would be few and far between. Nope. But I have learned to embrace those days-because they make me work harder, make me think wider outside my comfort zone, do things that I wouldn’t do if things were comfortably okay. As I get farther down this blogging road, I find the fear to be my motivator. And that my friends is how this mac and cheese came to be. I have made a few mac and cheese recipes here at Bakesinslippers, but this is the wacky, fun to be around cousin of those other pasta dishes. So make some pesto, put it over some noodles, eat it cold or hot, and just remember that to be great you have to be scared at times. Or the name of your game will be stagnantly content-and that is not the name of a band I want to be in .

16 oz box of elbow pasta, cooked as directed on the box, drained and set aside

3 T minced garlic

2/3 cup grated pecorino

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

2/3 cup basil

1/4 cup roughly chopped Italian parsley

1 1/4 cups olive oil (up to a 1/4 cup more if pesto too thick)

4 tsp lemon juice

1/2 T kosher salt

In a food processor pulse garlic, cheese, and walnuts until small crumbs. Add basil and parsley and pulse until a paste is made, about 4-5 good pulses

Pour into a bowl and add olive oil, lemon juice, and salt until combined together (add more oil if needed, but should be liquid but not soupy)

Add to pasta and serve (season more if needed)

Can be eaten hot or cold. Keep leftovers in the fridge in a food safe container for up to three days.