Sometimes just the presence of a friend in the kitchen is enough motivation to start cooking. (It’s very Pavlovian actually.) This effect took place the other day as my friend Jackie and I were having tea together. Although I tried to sit back, relax and sip tea, I found myself a bit fidgety, thinking about all of the vegetables that needed to be used from my first CSA pick up. Since I had been busy planning my son’s birthday party, I hadn’t yet had time to cook with the garlic scapes, kale and peas sitting sandy in the vegetable bin of my fridge. So, out of the blue, I jumped out of my seat and proclaimed that we should make garlic scape pesto together. Jackie was game and helped me take out the food processor and other necessary ingredients for our quick pesto. As I washed and chopped the garlic scapes, Jackie helped organize the food processor blades that had nearly fallen on top of our heads minutes before. In less than 15 minutes, I was sitting back down, sipping my tea and talking about the ways I would use my bright green newly made garlic scape pesto. Dinner that night consisted of pasta tossed with garlic scape pesto, topped with shrimp and farm fresh peas. Delicious!