Penne Pesto with Baby Spinach and Capers

One year when Solomon was in pre-school, I think I was the teacher's pet. I loved Solomons's teachers that year. Ellen and Anavela were so patient and kind, and they were so skilled at helping Solomon detach from me a bit and engage with kids his own age. At the end of the school year, I wanted to give them really special teachers gifts to show them how much I appreciated them, so I made them my family's favorite pasta dish, Penne Pesto with Baby Spinach and Capers, and baked fresh bread to go with it. They were truly touched, and I loved knowing that they would get the night off to cook for their own families. My family loves this combination of ingredients so much that we could eat it every week.

There are some really decent pesto sauces sold in supermarkets, but if you have a bumper crop of basil and want to make your own, just combine two cups (tightly packed) fresh basil leaves, 2 chopped garlic cloves, 2 Tbsp. pine nuts, 1/2 cup olive oil and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese in a blender or food processor and blend until coarsely chopped.  You can use extra pesto sauce as a spread for crackers, toss it with steamed green beans, or freeze it for future use. 

Looking for other ideas for end-of-the-year teachers' gifts? We also made our kids' teachers homemade herb planters like these or had the kids write letters thanking their teachers and included a photograph. Here are some great homemade gift-wrapping ideas from my Kitchen Explorers co-contributor, Alice Currah: https://www.pbs.org/food/stories/diy-edible-gift-ideas-with-cute-packaging