Instead of Italian sausage I used 1 lb of ground turkey seasoned with Penzy's breakfast sausage seasoning plus fennel seed. I only had two chayote. Used 2 serrano (seeds/ribs and all) instead of jalapeno. Otherwise, kept to the recipe (well, I was heavy handed with the chili powder and thyme). This is fantastic. Be careful not to overcook the chayote, it has such a delightful texture. I really made this highly seasoned, and in doing so the sweet, refreshing "cucumbery" flavor of the chayote was lost. That was my fault, not that of the recipe. Still, the texture works and I'll be happily eating these leftovers and making this again and again.

Reviewed On: Nov. 1, 2009

Oh my. So good. I used half cup of pine nuts instead of 1/4, and yes, please toast them first. Also I think I used about 1 cup of parmesan. I didn't measure the olive oil but drizzled it in while the processor was running until it was the consistency I wanted. Didn't have parsley, but want to try that next time. I think I've found my perfect pesto.

Reviewed On: Sep. 21, 2009

Wow, these are fantastic. Scaled by a third, and I wasn't sure how much dill to use (what is a "bunch"? I had several huge stalks I bought from a farmer's market) so I was a tad apprehensive. In the end I should have used a bit more. I used chunks of fresh cayenne peppers from my garden instead of the flakes, and added some celery seed (loved that!). I love that they are crunchy. Next time I think I'll use more garlic, and maybe a previous reviewer's suggestion of mustard seed and black peppercorns. Nummy Nummy.

Reviewed On: Sep. 8, 2009