A Homemade Life: Slow-Roasted Tomato Pesto

Are you ready for my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day story?

The plan was to leave the house at 8, pick up HorseWhisperer and Little HW, and head downtown to take the ferry to Coronado.  Thatbaby got up at 5:45, so I was going to wake him to eat a little something at 7:45 before we left, so he wasn't screaming in hunger during the drive.

7:44am:  Thatkid drops a container of apple slices outside.  So I clean that up.

7:50am: I text Horsewhisperer telling her I'm running a bit late, and feed Thatbaby  During which time, he finally poops for the first time in 2 days.  That's a lot of poop built up.  Enough that it blew out his diaper and up his back.  So diaper change.  Clothes change.  And then we switch to the other boob.

8:30am: We are on our way!  Totally uneventful trip to Horsewhisperer's.  No crying, Thatkid and I are singing to Pandora's Muppet station.

We get to Horsewhisperer's and I move Thatkid's seat to the back row.  No problem.  Then I realize I can fold up the second row.  GENIUS!  Makes it so much easier to put Little HW's seat in the back row next to Thatkid.  Except then I can't get the second row seat back up.  The latch on the bottom is stuck so that it won't click on to the floor.  By the time I'm all like "fuck it" Thatbaby has gone from totally chill to crying.  Fabulous. 

We head out, Horsewhisperer works pacifier duty so Thatbaby either passes out or chills out, and we're back to doing great.  Until Thatkid has to go to the bathroom.  No problem, I get off....and get stuck behind people doing like 5 miles per  hour while Thatkid screams that he can't hold it, he needs to go NOW.  And he's crying hysterically.  I pull into the first parking lot, with no parking available, and just double park the car and leave Horsewhisperer in it with Little HW and Thatbaby while I run with Thatkid to the bathroom.

Back on the road, we get all the way to downtown and I'm heading to the parking lot by the pedestrian bridge.  When Thatkid has to go again.  Of course I'm in downtown traffic, and we're going nowhere fast.  I get to the parking lot and since there's a Padres game today it's permit parking only.  Thatkid is crying hysterically.  I decide, "Fuck it, I'll park at the Hilton because there's a bathroom in the hotel"  but I can't get to the Hilton because I have to cross Harbor and Thatkid is now possessed by the devil and screaming we need to "kill that guy."  This is when Little HW throws up all over herself.  I pull into an ACE lot and take Thatkid to pee in one of the port-a-potties where the homeless people live.  Horsewhisperer cleans up Little HW, but hasn't brought another shirt, so after we park we'll need to find a place to get Little HW a shirt.

Everyone's back in the car and we finally get to the parking lot, where Thatkid starts crying that he needs to pee again.  He can't hold it.  I don't think we'll make it to the hotel, so I ask at the smoothie shop if they have a bathroom.  They don't but there's one across the way.  So we run out.  The women's restroom is closed, so I bring him in the men's.  Where a homeless man is peeing.  I apologize and go in the stall with Thatkid. Thatkid washes his hands in the sink while the homeless man gives himself a sink shower.

Thatkid's bathroom needs taken care of, we head to Seaport Village to get Little HW a new shirt.  While Thatkid cries that it's too far and will take too long and he's hungry.  And Little HW cries that she's too hot.  We get to Seaport Village and get a shirt, then head alllll the way back to the Ferry while Thatkid and Little HW complain about being tired. and hot.

We get to Coronado and grab something to eat.  Little HW does not want to sit at the table.  She wants to walk around the table, play waitress, not eat lunch.  Thatkid starts to follow suit. 

We get the check and head out when I realize Thatkid's sunglasses are nowhere to be found.  He insists he put them in my bag, but they're not there.  I decide he left them on the ferry.  Fabulous.  He wants to play in the sand and Little HW wants to splash in the water, so we head to the beach.  Both kids de-shoe and head into the water.  Little HW keeps wading deeper and deeper and I have to keep calling her back, eventually Thatkid does too.  She's now soaking wet so I tell the kids they need to come onto the sand and dry off before we get back on the ferry.  Which is when Thatkid starts rolling in the sand, with his wet legs.  He is covered in sand.  Little HW keeps running back in the water.  Okay.  Day's over.  Kids' aren't listening, so we head back to the ferry. 

We have some time to kill, so the kids run up and down the pier.  Thatkid stops when we tell him.  Little HW does not.  She keeps going.  So Thatkid runs after her to try and pull her back, and she keeps running farther.  So I call Thatkid back and Horsewhisperer goes after Little HW.  Gives her a talk and brings her back crying and puts her in time out.

We get back to the other side and head back to the parking lot, which takes forever because Thatkid and Little HW keep throwing themselves in the grass and just rolling.

Bathroom break before we get in the car and head out.  I get lost going to the freeway and end up in National City.  Thatbaby is not being nearly as cooperative on the ride home, crying and fussing.  And of course there is traffic.  Lots of traffic.  At some point Thatkid has to go to the bathroom again.  I need gas anyway so we get off and I bring him to the bathroom. 

Get back in the car, back into traffic for like 5 exits.  Little HW is crying that she can't reach her barbie.  Thatkid starts crying that his seat isn't right, it needs to be fixed.  Horsewhisperer crawls to the back and fixes he seats.  Then he cries that his butt hurts.  Little HW is crying because she wants to hug Horsewhisperer.  Another exit and he needs to go to the bathroom again.  Right now.  Another possession moment where he's screaming he needs to pee on the side of the road. Get to the next exit and pull into a gas station so he can pee.

Get back in the car and finally make it to Horsewhisperer's house where both boys are now asleep.  Drop them off and head out.  Everything is fine until we hit traffic, which causes Thatbaby to wake up and start crying - the whole way home.

We get home, I pull Thatbaby out and feed him.  Then we sit in the car and dance until Thatkid wakes up.  Thatkid wakes up crying because he didn't get to say goodbye to Little HW. 


A day like that calls for pasta.  Something easy.  Something warm.  Something loaded with carbs - which make everything better.  And as I have often said, during the summer, you don't need much on top of pasta.  Summer tomatoes are pretty much a dressing on themselves.  This pesto takes the best tomatoes of summer and makes them extremely accessible.  This day I used it on pasta, but it makes enough to keep in the fridge for sandwiches, or on toast with some goat cheese.

Slow-Roasted Tomato Pesto (From A Homemade Life)

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

2 cloves garlic, peeled and trimmed

2 cups packed basil leaves

3 cups slow roasted tomatoes

1/2 cup tightly packed finely grated parmigiano-reggiano

1.  In the bowl of a food processor, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and garlic.  Pulse until the garlic is finely chopped.
2. Add the basil leaves and process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
3. Add the tomatoes and process well.
4. Add the parmigiano-reggiano and pulse to combine.

Slow Roasted Tomatoes with Coriander (From A Homemade Life)

3 1/2 pounds ripe Roma tomatoes

1 Tbsp olive oil

salt

ground coriander

1. Preheat oven to 200.  Wash and dry the tomatoes, trim away the stem end, and halve them lengthwise.  
2. Place them in a large bowl and toss them gently with the oil.  Arrange them cut side up on a large baking sheet.
3. Sprinkle with salt and ground coriander, about a pinch of each for every 4 to 6 tomato halves.  Bake 4 to 6 hours. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature.