Picnic at Red Rocks

Last week, some of us headed out to Red Rocks for Film on the Rocks. The normal and sane person would probably pack a sandwich, grab some chips and call it good. Far be it from me to make something as simple as a picnic dinner after work easy. I found myself attempting to make pesto at 11:00pm the night before.

Of course, last minute pesto only works if you have a magic garden and well stocked fridge. I had spinach which is technically green like basil...good to go in my eyes. I toasted some walnuts and grabbed the mortar and pestle.

I often watch Rick Steves and think he's the luckiest man ever. In the episode where he was in Genoa, he visited a restuarant where they made pesto in a mortar and pestle. I can say that this is absolutely the most fun way ever to make pesto. For my neighbor's sake though, all future efforts will be before 7 pm.


The "recipe" is just 1 garlic clove pounded with some salt. After that, you just start adding some spinach, nuts, parmesan and olive oil to taste. I used about 1/3 a cup of walnuts, 1/3 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup of parmesan and about 3 cups of spinach.

Red Rocks is the coolest venue for movies. The view is amazing, the atmosphere is fun and really, what could be better than being snug under a blanket while watching the best 80s cult favorites? Last week we watched Mr. Indiana Jones doing some archeological stuff somewhere and somehow. That's just the small stuff leading up to the piece de resistance. August 18th, Red Rocks, the best 80s movie of all time...(cue music)...On March 3, 1969 the United States Navy established an elite school for the top one percent of its pilots. Its purpose was to teach the lost art of aerial combat and to insure that the handful of men who graduated were the best fighter pilots in the world. They succeeded. Today, the Navy calls it Fighter Weapons School. The flyers call it: TOP GUN.