To get out of the mayonnaise and mustard rut, use pesto as a sandwich spread. Pesto lends terrific flavor to chicken sandwiches and Italian subs.

For basil mashed potatoes, stir in 1 to 2 tsp. pesto along with the other ingredients in the mash.

To bring Dr. Seuss to the breakfast table, make green eggs and ham by stirring 1 to 2 tsp. pesto into scrambled eggs before cooking. Serve with Canadian bacon.

To add bright flavor to lasagna or stuffed pastas, like ravioli and manicotti, stir pesto into the ricotta cheese in the filling. Try adding other high-flavor ingredients, too, like sun-dried tomatoes, sausage, prosciutto, and oil-cured olives.

To give brothy soups such as chicken noodle an extra shot of flavor, stir in a little pesto at the end of the cooking time. Pesto also works in almost any vegetable soup for a last-minute flavor boost.

For an aromatic and rich-tasting roast turkey, rub prepared pesto under the skin and in the cavity of a whole turkey. Stuff the turkey cavity with cut-up lemons and onions. Rub the outside of the turkey with some butter, and roast. Make a pan gravy out the drippings, adding a little pesto to the gravy as well.

When you want roasted potatoes to taste bolder, stir in 1 to 2 tsp. pesto into the spuds right after they come out of the oven.

For a no-fuss crust on roasted lamb, pork, or beef, slather prepared pesto over the surface before roasting. The oil in pesto bastes the meat as it cooks, keeping the meat moist, and the garlic, basil, and Parmesan cheese add fantastic flavor.