Tuscan Pesto Spread

   Behold, one of those recipes that makes your guests think you have done something truly amazing with very little work!

    A few months ago, my sweet cousin and childhood friend, Meg, contacted me from miles and miles away looking for a fun appetizer to take to a party.  I was so happy she did and was even happier when we moved from our discussion on FaceBook to our cell phones given that I had not heard her voice in too many years.  The conversation was not very long but I treasure the memory of it.

   After talking through a couple of options, Meg decided that this was her best option for the party.  She suggested adding some pine nuts to the top which I thought would add even more flavor and I advised her to toast them a bit before adding them.  I will definitely try that the next time I make this!

  I had to laugh a little inside as I thought back to our conversation about ingredients such as homemade pesto, sundried tomatoes, and toasted pine nuts.  Meg and I are related through our maternal grandmothers and our great-aunt Argie, all of whom have passed away.  My cousin actually spent many of her years growing up on our family farm and learned to cook alongside her own mother and Aunt Argie.  My grandmother moved to "the big town" (with one stop light!) when she got married but spoke almost daily with Aunt Argie and visited the farm at least weekly.  They gardened together, canned together, preserved together, froze together, and swapped countless recipes.  I imagined them looking over our shoulders and puzzling over this list of strange ingredients that Meg and I were discussing.  At the same time, I thought about how happy it would make them to hear us sharing recipes.

  Hopefully Meg's appetizer was a hit at her party and hopefully it will be at your next one!

   I use homemade pesto but any store brand will work great, too.  Just don't go too crazy with it because pesto can be very strong and you don't want it to overpower your spread.

   Let me offer a word about the measurements.  I don't really measure for this recipe, so these are more suggestions than anything else.  Just adjust it based on your own tastes.

  I serve this with Triscuits but you can use anything crunchy . . . pita chips, breadsticks, Wheat Thins, whatever your heart desires!

Tuscan Pesto Spread (click on title for a printable version)

2 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup prepared pesto
olive oil for drizzling
1/2 cup chopped sundried tomatoes (I like the ones in a ziptop bag.  If in oil, drain well)
1/4 cup whole pine nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Toast pine nuts on a baking sheet for about 12 - 15 minutes being careful to ensure they don't burn.  Cool before adding to the spread.

On a large platter, spread cream cheese evenly almost to the edge of the platter.

Dollop the pesto across the cream cheese and drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the top.  This will help spread it over the surface.  Using an offset spatula or a butter knife, lightly spread the pesto and oil over the cream cheese, leaving a small border of cream cheese.

Top with chopped sundried tomatoes.

Sprinkle with pine nuts.

Serve with crackers.