Lavender/Lemon Biscotti

I had bought some culinary lavender from http://lavenderbundle.wordpress.com/and thought I would try some different recipes. My first try was lavender/lemon biscotti. This biscotti has a light blending of lemon and lavender – which makes a great combination. I will package up with cute tags to give to friends, and I will enjoy with hot tea, or for dessert, or maybe for breakfast with my coffee...oh yum!

Lavender/Lemon Biscotti
(You may double the recipe to make extra for gifts)

2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup sugar

2 tsp. dried lavender blossoms

2 large eggs

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 tsp. grated lemon zest

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Lemon Drizzle:
2 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 Cup Powder Sugar

1 tsp dried lavender blossoms (to sprinkle on top of drizzle)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a food processor, combine sugar and lavender blossoms. Process until lavender is finely chopped.

Transfer sugar mixture to a large bowl and add eggs. Beat until thick (about 2 minutes). Add butter, lemon zest, and vanilla and beat until combined.

Slowly add flour mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until well combined. Dough will be soft and sticky.

Take half the dough and place it on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Shape into a 10-inch long log that is 3 inches wide (I doubled recipe so mine was about 12 inches long, and 5 inches wide…I want big biscotti!). Repeat with the other half of the dough on another parchment-lined cookie sheet.
Bake both logs 20 minutes or until crisp and golden (center will still be soft).

Remove from oven. Reduce heat to 300 degrees F. Cool logs 10 minutes and then slice with a serrated knife into 3/4 inch slices Place slices (cut side up) onto cookie sheets and bake another 15-20 minutes or until crisp and brown.

Remove cookies, let cool. Drizzle with lemon drizzle and sprinkle the 1/4 tsp. lavender on top, let drizzle harden. Store in an airtight container and eat within two weeks. Serve with tea or coffee.

a NEW life for an OLD basket!

One of my treasures on our girl's trip to the central coast was an old picnic basket that I picked up for a few dollars. It wasn't broke, but very old looking. I thought about turning the piece of junk into a beauty. I wanted a basket to put my "stuff" into for my car (my family makes fun of my things laying around in the car). So I'm going to be organized now!

It was pathetically ugly, with scary clowns inside... they had to go!

I washed with soap and water and let it dry in the sun for most of the day. It needed to get rid of the "old-musty" smell.

I used an cleaner/oil on it to give it life again. BEFORE

AFTER!

(I let it sit in the sun for a while to dry the oil up)

I had this beautiful black paper sitting in a drawer doing nothing... so I used it!

(I have lots of things sitting around doing nothing)

I've been making felt flowers the last few months... so I added one to the handle.

Voila.... my basket!

Remnants Of The Past Show

Wow... My sweet daughter and I attended Remnants of the Past Show http://remnantsofthepast.com/index.html this last weekend. So many wonderful ideas and treasures to be found. I spent more than I should have... and now have idea's and projects floating in my brain. I can't wait until next year!

Happy 18th Birthday...my sweet baby

Where did 18 years go??? I'm kinda sad today, as my baby turns 18. The years went so fast which makes me realize that I need to cherish every day! My baby has brought me so much joy. I'm so proud of the man he has turned into.



HAPPY BIRTHDAY my dear little one (who is a foot taller than me)

Another giveaway from tatertots and jello!

okay... I really want to win #4 necklace, maybe you do too???
visit tatertots and jello blogspot... love that blog!
http://tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com/

PINCH ME... I love this time of year!

Birds are singing, flowers are blooming, the sun is shining.

I have had the greatest opportunity to see different mothers at work for at least 10 years. I have a small poodle tree next to my front door, which many mother's over the years have called home. The same ole' nest sits in the tree, however it keeps getting taller with every new mom. It is a delight to see her eggs, her babies grow, and then they fly away, which always makes me want to cry. This will be a hard year for me to watch them leave, because I too will watch my baby fly away in a few months.

I'm so glad that God gave us spring. It makes me smile!

so good... so EASY... Blueberry Muffins

These muffins are the BEST and I love that they are SO easy to make! here we go:

2 Cups Bisquick (low fat works too)

1/3 Cup Sugar

2/3 Cup Milk

2 TBS Oil

1 Egg

3/4 Cup Frozen Blueberries

heat oven to 400.

spray muffin pan with non-stick spray.

Mix all ingredients (EXCEPT BLUEBERRIES) in a bowl until moistened.

Fold in blueberries.

put into pan/bake for 15-18 min or until golden brown.

Cool on wire rack.

Let everyone THINK you are a master chef.

My True and Honest Friend

Well, taking out the contacts on day two was by far the worse experience in the last 48 hours! I went about it in another fashion, another attitude. I started taking them out and realized that they were NOT going to come out. I was wishing my toilet plunger wasn't so big in diameter. I took on the cat fight attitude. Scratching and pulling! Well, not a great idea on the eye. I think I broke every blood vessel in my eye. I did however get them out!

I looked in the mirror, and my eyes are tearing, I looked a little closer and I notice that my right eye looks crossed-eyed! Is it my imagination from the trauma? I'm thinking I need a shrink! I thought maybe I should investigate if they offer braille classes anywhere local; before I lose my vision from my abuse to my eye.

Well, I teared all night. I didn't even want to wake up this morning because my eyes didn't want to open. Today, my true and honest friend was sitting on the bathroom counter, staring at me, wanting a relationship with me again. I gave in. I thought I should get the glasses on before I go for a whole new look... big white contacts over the entire eye!

The crazy lady and contacts!

So yesterday I had an appointment to have an eye exam for contacts. I really hate wearing glasses... so I decided it was time. I went in there feeling like a "big girl", so excited... kinda like that special day when I was 12 and my mom let me get my ears pierced. Everything was great, took the exam, spoke with the doctor about pros/cons, etc. Then the horrible moment happened that an assistant would teach me how to put them in my eyes!!!

Well she showed me how to put them on, and I tried, and tried, and tried! After 40 minutes of jamming my finger on my eye, losing the contact somewhere on the table, and being extremely frustrated... I suggested that the assistant should go back to work. I would call her if I needed her help. I heard a gentleman come in to make an appointment, he wanted contacts for the first time. I screamed "DON'T DO IT", then after I heard the lady explain that the appointment needed to be an extra 30 min to train him to put the contacts on... I screamed again, "she's lying, it takes 2 hours". I could hear her laughing at me.

Okay, I'm now almost an hour into putting the contact in my right eye...still. The doctor comes out and is trying to encourage me. My eye lid feels like Rocky Balboa has punched me about 1o0 times. I think I've ripped at least 1/2 of my eye lashes off. I'm frustrated, the assistant is frustrated, and the doctor is frustrated. So I beg and convince the doctor to do lasik surgery that afternoon, because it would be faster than me getting the contacts in. No such luck. She finally put a "cheater" drop in my eye. I think it was super glue. She only offered to put it in the one eye however. She said it will suck the contact to your eye. Sure enough it went in. Okay... now the left eye! Well, needless to say 1 hour 20 minutes, I got 2 contacts in 2 eyes! They explain how to take out and I think okay I can do this. They tell me to leave them in my eyes for 4 hours today.

Four hours later (at home, alone)... I'm trying to take them out. They won't come out. They are stuck to my eye. I feel I can't breathe as I try to pull them off. My eye can't breathe either. I go into a panic mode, I'm going to die. I'm going to be like Helen Keller with only 1/10 of her smarts. I'll never make it in the world. I'm going to be blind, because I will never be able to take them off! I try for a good 40 minutes to take them off. I'm worried now they have been in my eyes 4 hours, 40 minutes. Is that bad? I worried! Scared! I don't feel like a "big girl" anymore. I'm thinking that I maybe should call 911... maybe they can take the contacts out! I take a deep breath and decide I need to get control! I go for it, and decide I will drag them out into the inside corner of my eye. IT COMES OUT! I do the other side, it comes out too! Then for the next 8 hours my eyes hurt like they are scratched. My eye lids look puffy.

Day 2... I'm going to meet my friends for lunch. I give myself an extra 30 minutes to get ready to put the contacts on, which really was NOT enough time. I needed 50 minutes to put them on. I kept thinking... it's in!!! not on my finger, then I'd look in the mirror and see this rubber blob stuck to my 7 little eye lashes (the only ones left from yesterday). I'd get all sad, thinking... it's not in!

Well, it's now time to take them out AGAIN. I may need a good psychologist by the end of this week.

I'm thinking I'll ditch the contacts and buy a pair of really cute shoes!!! Nice shoes always make a woman feel pretty!

Giveaway at The Polka Dot Chair

I love The Polka Dot Chair! I usually visit daily, and she has the best tutorials!

She is having a giveaway for a new sponsor "Cotton Blossoms" which make the most adorable hats and baby stuff. I'm dreaming of grandchildren already!