A nutritionist taught me that 3 oz. of meat should look roughly like a pack of playing cards. Which is probably enough, but a lot of adults are going to eat closer to 6-7 oz. at a meal. I'd go 4-5 per person as an average and expect some leftovers.

Maria,

welcome back! I had no idea you were away, but glad to know you had a decent enough time and are back.

Glad you're home safe, Maria, even if sick, and glad you're glad you went on the trip!

Just sitting down to watch Downton Abbey. Still thinking about my attic. Maybe I'll use that ladder improperly after all.

If it's any consolation, I use my ladder improperly for that very purpose and I have yet to have died tragically. However, I did once nearly kick it over while returning down. So.

Does your sister prefer vague ideas or really specific recipes?

I think a fairly specific recipe would be best for her. I didn't get the impression she's made pesto before.

The recipe I used for this pot roast seems to assume at least eight ounces of beef per person. Even to someone who's not thinking about the weight of the serving, when the butcher hands you that parcel of meat, that's more than a small dinner party worth of cow. The recipe doesn't have to fill the slow cooker, fer crissakes.

Giada's pesto recipe from her first cookbook is a very good basic pesto recipe, but I can't find it online at the moment.

Ha, I totally filled the slow cooker for my last salsa verde pork burrito bowls. It was four pounds of meat...for six people. Yeah, we had leftovers.

Tasty, tasty leftovers, so this was a no-lose scenario.

Unrelatedly, did we know that minuscule was spelled with two u's and not two i's? Because I didn't, apparently.

Recipes can be wack. I'm about to make one that includes three cans of beans and says it serves four. Yeah, no.

ION, Downtooooonnnnn.

Okay, pesto -

A cup of fresh basil leaves a clove of garlic 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/8 to 1/4 ish cup olive oil 1/8 cup pine nuts

and it can be multiplied up and adjusted to taste. Basil leaves in the food processor with garlic, then add cheese and nuts, drizzle oil in last until paste. You can add salt, add pepper and ... no, that's all I think you can add. Hit of lemon if you want to go light on the fat-rich parts and still try to keep flavor.

Pesto is a personal thing for me, not a clear recipe. But those are a good place to start. You can also do it in a pestle but a food processor is tons easier.

I have a basil shrub that needs to be pesto'd soon.

The essentials for me are whirl basil, a little garlic, a handful of pine nuts and then olive oil until it plays nicely together.