Pesto

1/2 cup pine nuts (No substitutions allowed. People who use walnuts are suckers.)
1/2 cup shredded parmesan (Shredded is better for the texture than grated.)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves of garlic (Minimum. In my opinion, the garlicier the better. But be warned-it'll stick with you for hours. And real cloves, none of this jarred shit.)
2 bunches fresh basil (This is the key. Try to get nice bright green leaves. You'll need at least two good handfulls, so if they are skimpy bunches, buy more)
1 pound of your favorite pasta (thin spaghetti, farfalle, or rigatoni are my favorites)

Start water boiling for pasta.
In a blender add the pine nuts, parmesan, olive oil, and garlic.
Blend on lowest setting to a thouroughly mixed paste.
Fill the blender with basil (Leaves only, no stems, well washed.)
Blend on lowest setting while pushing basil down with spoon or some such kitchen utensil. Be careful not to hit blades with utensil. You may need to use pulse when blending to avoid motor burnout.
Once a green paste has been established continue to blend for a minute or two to get everything properly mixed.
Somewhere in there your water should have started to boil and you should have added the pasta. So in a few minutes you'll drain the pasta, put it back in the pot, add the pesto, mix thoroughly (don't let people put the sauce on themselves. it needs to be mixed in with all the pasta), and then you're done.